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Ages 8-12 • Intermediate Independent Reads
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116
THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR
Rosa Rita knows that her summer trip
with Mrs. Zimmermann will be a dangerous
adventure, but suspects nothing
until they drive through a tunnel on the
highway—into the snowbound winter of
1828. Mrs. Zimmermann has returned
to the past in order to regain her magical
powers. But then she loses her memory,
leaving them stranded in time.... “Careful
plotting, fascinating details, and gripping
suspense make this one of Bellairs’s
best.” —Booklist
Rec: BL, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 176 pp. 1994
978-0-14-034934-4 $5.99
THE HOUSE WITH
A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
Orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live
with his uncle Jonathan, and quickly
learns that both his uncle and his nextdoor
neighbor Mrs. Zimmermann
are witches on a quest to discover the
terrifying clock ticking within the walls
of Jonathan’s house. “A spellbinding
chiller.” —The New York Times
Rec: BL, C, E, K, LC, NYC, NYT, PW, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 192 pp. 1993
978-0-14-240257-3 $5.99
THE LETTER, THE WITCH,
AND THE RING
Rosa Rita Pottinger is sure her summer
is going to be a flop, until she and Mrs.
Zimmermann, the canny witch next
door, take a vacation trip that turns out
to be anything but dull. “A remarkably
well-wrought, suspenseful finale to a
grand thriller threesome.”
—Publishers Weekly
Rec: BL, CR, E, K, PW, R, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 208 pp. 1993
978-0-14-240261-0 $5.99
THE SPECTER FROM THE
MAGICIAN’S MUSEUM
Written by Brad Strickland based on the
characters created by John Bellairs
“After Rose Rita Pottinger falls prey to
a long-but-not-yet-permanently-dead
adherent of an ancient Egyptian arachnid
cult, nerdy Lewis Barnavelt enlists his
sorcerous uncle Jonathan and similarly
gifted neighbor Florence to rescue Rose
Rita from the tomb in which she’s imprisoned....If
Rose Rita’s slow, inexorable
ensnarement doesn’t put readers on the
edge of their seats, the climatic underground
encounter certainly will.”
—Booklist
Rec: BL, V
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 160 pp. 2001
978-0-14-240264-1 $5.99
BARRON, T. A.
THE HERO’S TRAIL
A Guide for A Heroic Life
“In this affecting book, Barron, perhaps
best known for his magical series about
Merlin, compares life to a journey,
explores the way heroes inspire and
guide us along the way, and shows how
to make life “a walk on the hero’s trail.”
In eloquent, engaging prose that often
directly addresses the reader, Barron
defines the qualities of a hero by drawing
on diverse, well-chosen examples from
both history and myth—from ordinary
kids to the likes of Prometheus, Harriet
Tubman, and Stephen Hawking.”
—BooklistH
Rec: BLH, K, PW, SLJ, V
5 x 7 3/4 144 pp. 2007
978-0-14-240760-8 $6.99
See index for more titles by T. A. Barron.
BIRDSEYE, TOM
ATTACK OF
THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR
“Birdseye uses the diary format to good
advantage, showing in funny, first-person
observations that boys have the same
emotional ups and downs that girls
do…The attention-attracting title and
the great cover…add to the sense of silly,
middle-grade fun.” —Booklist
Rec: BL, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 208 pp. 2006
978-0-14-240734-9 $6.99
JUST CALL ME STUPID
Patrick Lowe can’t read. And he’s in the
fifth grade. When he looks at the words
on the page, he feels like he’s suffocating.
The teachers don’t know what to
do. The kids in his class tease him—until
Celina moves in next door. She loves to
read as much as Patrick likes to draw.
Can he believe in himself the way Celina
believes in him? “A dramatic and insightful
novel.” —Publishers Weekly
Rec: K, PW, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 192 pp. 1996
978-0-14-037954-9 $5.99
TARANTULA SHOES
Ryan, the new kid in town, is determined
to start sixth grade with the
coolest high-tops ever—and he’s going
to use his pet tarantula, Fang, to help
him get them. “Birdseye hits adolescent
concerns right on the mark, delivering
his message with humor and empathy.”
—Booklist
Rec: BL, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 128 pp. 1996
978-0-14-037955-6 $5.99
BIRNEY, BETTY G.
FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING
TO HUMPHREY
“The adorable and intelligent hamster
introduced in The World According to
Humphrey is dismayed to find that he
shares his status as classroom pet with a
frog. Try as he might, Humphrey cannot
seem to make friends with Og…The
theme of friendship is as pervasive as the
title implies, making this chapter book a
charming read-aloud.”
—School Library Journal
Rec: BL, K, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 176 pp. 2006
978-0-14-240633-5 $5.99
THE WORLD ACCORDING
TO HUMPHREY
“Humphrey the hamster enjoys being
Room 26’s classroom pet. He adores
Ms. Mac, and every day brings new
learning and experiences. Then Ms. Mac
unexpectedly leaves; worse, returning
teacher Mrs. Brisbane despises small
furry creatures—leaving Humphrey both
brokenhearted and worried about his
future. Going home on weekends with
school staff members and students helps,
revealing diverse, often surprising stories
and situations that allow both Humphrey
and his human caretakers to learn
from one another…” —Booklist
Rec: BL, K, SLJ
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 144 pp. 2005
978-0-14-240352-5 $5.99
BISHOP, CLAIRE HUCHET
TWENTY AND TEN
Illustrated by William Pene du Bois
An exciting tale of courage and kindness,
in which twenty French schoolchildren
shelter ten Jewish children in Nazi-occupied
France.
Rec: BL, CE, E, H, HG, SLJH, W
5 1/16 x 7 3/4 96 pp. 1978
978-0-14-031076-4 $5.99
See index for more titles by Claire Huchet Bishop.
See index for more titles by William Pène du Bois.