UNIT

NOVELS

NON-FICTION/PICTURE/POETRY

Architecture

Behind the Bedroom Wall

Laura E. Williams

In 1939, Korinna is a member of a Nazi youth group and believes Hitler's speeches that he is helping the world, but when Korinna discovers that her family is hiding a Jewish family behind her bedroom wall, she has to decide to whom she is truly loyal.

City of Ember, The (2003)

Jeanne Duprau

Lina and Doon must figure out what is happening to the City of Ember. The great lights have always kept the darkness at bay, but now the lights are beginning to go out.

Godless 

Pete Hautman

When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a

joke begins to take on a power of its own.

Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift

Written in 1726, Gulliver’s Travels still continues to be a popular book because it poses questions about what human beings are all

about. Both a satire and a comedy, it describes the land of Lilliput and other exotic places.

Hoot (2002)

Carl Hiaasen

Hoot is an ecological mystery, made up of endangered miniature owls, the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House scheduled to be built over their burrows, and the owls' unlikely allies--three middle school kids determined to beat the system.

City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction

David Macaulay

City charts the planning and building of an imaginary Roman city, 'Verbonia.' Macaulay focuses on the achievement of efficient and rational city planning. His brilliantly individualistic drawings capture the essential quality of the Roman character, the ability to organize.

City Through Time, A

Steve Noon

This stunning picture book vividly brings to life the history and growth of a city. Beginning with the birth of a fictional Greek colony and ending with a modern metropolis, A City Through Time is a captivating journey through 2,500 years.

Draw 50 Buildings & Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Castles & Cathedrals, Skyscrapers & Bridges, & So Much More...

Lee Ames

Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities

Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen

Simple prose, handsome layout and hands-on approach, it is an unusually effective biography/activity book. The influences of Wright's (1867-1959) Wisconsin childhood--nature, music and close family ties--come to life in the sympathetically told anecdotes. Extensive accounts of masterpieces like the Robie House, and Fallingwater give heft to a comprehensive overview of the architect's career, which candidly notes his frequent trouble finding work. Twenty-one projects, ranging from making a plaster model textile block to preparing oatmeal (a Wright favorite), comprise the book's second half and nicely complement the portrait of a compelling artist.

Legends of the Arts: 50 Inspiring Stories of Creative People

Arnold Cheyney

UNIT

NOVELS

NON-FICTION/PICTURE/POETRY

Architecture

(continued)

Invention of Hugo Cabret:  A Novel in Words and Pictures, The  (2008)

Brian Selznick

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within he walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious

toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized. Caldecott Medal Winner; National Book Award

People of Sparks, The (2004)

Jeanne Duprau

In the sequel to The City of Ember, Lina and Doon lead their people up from the underground to discover a new world. The people of Sparks have never had to share their resources before and soon talk of war begins.

Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, The (2005)

Betty Birney

Eben McAllister wants to see the world. His pa challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras that rival the real Seven Wonders of the World. As a reward Eben will earn a trip to Colorado.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The (2002)

Curlee, Lynn

A lucid narrative, complemented by full-page, full color illustrations.

Two Bad Ants (1988)

Chris Van Allsburg

In this brief tale of the adventures of two runaway ants, Van Allsburg once again gives children a visual puzzle to solve in the case of identifying common household appliances from an ant’s point of view.

True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, The (1996)

Jon Scieszka

Here is the “real” story of the three little pigs whose houses are huffed and puffed into smithereens…from the wolf’s perspective.

UNIT

NOVELS

NON-FICTION/PICTURE/POETRY

Asia

Dragonwings

Laurence Yep

This work of historical fiction details the life of a young boy and his father who are new immigrants to San Francisco. While in China, they dreamt of life in the New World, but soon find that they must struggle to make their dreams - which include building a flying machine -- come true.

Star Fisher, The

Laurence Yep

Tsunami: Helping Each Other (2005)

Ann  Morris

A profusely illustrated account of the experiences of two brothers, Chaiya and Chaipreak, ages 8 and 12, in their Thai village during and after the December 2004 tsunami. Less focused on an explanation of a tsunami than most other books, the authors present a more personalized description of the disaster and its effect on its victims by tracing the boys' experiences as they survive disaster, reunite with their mother, learn of the loss of their father, home, and school, and eventually move into a temporary shelter and return to a makeshift school.

Henry and the Kite Dragon (2004)

Bruce Edward  Hall

Henry Chu lives in New York City’s Chinatown in the 1920s. He loves everything about it, from eating tasty dumplings to making and flying kites with his neighbor, Grandfather Chin. While flying a kite one day trouble arises and Henry nearly comes to blows with some neighborhood boys. This book serves as a tremendous vehicle for discussing the need to see things from another person’s perspective.

Hiroshima

Laurence Yep

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hook Story from China

Ed Young

UNIT

NOVELS

NON-FICTION/PICTURE/POETRY

Civil War

Abraham's Battle: A Novel of Gettysburg

Sara Harrell  Banks

A freed slave decides to join the Union Army ambulance corps when the Civil War approaches his hometown of Gettysburg.

American Heritage Book of Great American Speeches for Young People, The

Susanne McIntrye

Boys' War: Confederate & Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War, The

Jim Murphy

From first chapter ("So I Became a Soldier") to last ("We're Going Home"), this wrenching look at our nation's bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening.

Cannons of the Comstock

Brock & Bodie Thoene

Tom Dawson finds himself in a difficult position when a group of Confederate conspirators tries to gain power in the California goldmines during the Civil War.

Moon Over Tennessee: A Boy's Civil War Journal

Craig  Crist-Evans

A thirteen-year-old boy sets off with his father from their farm in Tennessee to join the Confederate forces on their way to fight at Gettysburg. Told in the form of diary entries.

Red Badge of Courage, The

Stephen  Crane

During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.