Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry

Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry
Random House Books for Children
2011
233p.

Six months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, three eighth-grade girls living on an American military base with their families in Berlin try to save a Russian soldier, who has been beaten and left for dead, by smuggling him to Paris, where they are going to perform in a music competition.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Philomel Books
2011
344p.

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin
Amulet Books
2011
207p.

The last remaining orange tree on a Southern California street brings together neighbors of all ages as they face their problems and anxieties, including the possibility that a mysterious stranger is a threat to their tree.

All the World's a Stage by Gretchen Woelfe

All The World's a Stage: A Novel in Five Acts by Gretchen Woelfe
Holiday House
2011
163p.

Twelve-year-old orphan Christopher "Kit" Buckles becomes a stage boy in a London theater in 1598, tries his hand at acting, and later helps build the Globe Theater for playwright William Shakespeare and the Chamberlain's Men acting troupe.

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg
Clarion Books
2011
250p.

A novel based on the true story of seventeen-year-old Clara Estby's walk across America with her mother Helga in 1896, to win a ten thousand dollar prize and save their home from foreclosure.

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Little, Brown
2011
278p.

In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome. Includes author's notes.

Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O'Roark Dowell

Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O'Roark Dowell
Atheneum Books For Young Readers
2011
211p.

Because living with "modern-hippy" parents on a goat farm means fourteen-year-old Janie Gorman cannot have a normal high school life, she tries joining Jam Band, making friends with Monster, and spending time with elderly former civil rights workers.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
2011
151p.

Mouse Mistress Hildegarde musters all her ingenuity to keep a large colony of church mice safe from the exterminator and to see that they make it through the dangerous Blessing of the Animals.

Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge

Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge
Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
2011
229p.

In the summer of 1980 before she starts junior high school in Santa Rosa, California, Tracy, who was adopted from Vietnam when she was six years old, finds an old ammo box with a dog tag and picture that bring up painful memories for both her Vietnam-veteran father and her.

Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle
Henry Holt
2011
145p.

Quebrado has been a slave on captain Bernadino de Talavera's pirate ship for years, but when a hurricane sinks the ship and kills most of the crew, Quebrado escapes to safety and finds acceptance and refuge in a nearby village.

The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson

The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
Delacorte Press
2011
176p.

Throughout the twentieth century, Miss Kanagawa, one of fifty-eight dolls made to serve as ambassadors from Japan to the United States, travels the country learning to love while changing the lives of those who need her.

Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
Atheneum Books For Young Readers
2011
204p.

Living with seven brothers and her father, who thinks girls are useless, a thirteen-year-old Finnish American farm girl is determined to prove her worth when a enterprising gentleman tries to purchase their cash-strapped family settlement in Washington State in 1900.

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper
Feiwel and Friends
2011
278p

When seventh-grader Bette finds an angel coin she puts it in her pocket and forgets it but soon the mysterious and kind Gabby moves into her building and helps her face her major losses, and then the coin connects her with three classmates who all find new ways to believe in themselves.

How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
Walker and Co.
2011
184p.

A look at the deaths of several famous people throughout history and the circumstances surrounding those deaths.

Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception by Gary Paulsen
Wendy Lamb Books
2011
120p.

Fourteen-year-old Kevin is very good at lying and doing so makes life easier, but when he finds himself in big trouble with his friends, family, and teachers, he must find a way to end his lies forever.

Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson

Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson
Candlewick Press
2011
275p.

Abandoned by his mother in an Acadia National Park campground, Jack tries to make his way back to Boston before anyone figures out what is going on, with only a small toy elephant for company.

Roots and Blues by Arnold Adoff

Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold Adoff
Clarion Books
2011
86p.

Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Farinango

Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Farinango
Delacorte Press
2011
352p.

Living in a village in Ecuador, a Quechua Indian girl is sent to work as an indentured servant for an upper class "mestizo" family.

Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider by Jean Fritz

Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider by Jean Fritz
GP Putnam and Sons
2011
144p.

Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Scholastic Press
2011
312p