Everything you need for a wonderful kids’ book club — except the snacks! Each kit contains six or eight copies of the book, discussion questions to get you started, and a word search you can copy and solve. The kits check out for 6 weeks.
Available Kits
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater (138 pgs.) (Level Q)
The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.
A Beginning, A Muddle, and an End by Avi (164 pgs.) (Level Q)
Avon the snail decides to become a writer with the help of his friend Edward the ant, which leads them into a series of adventures involving close encounters with an anteater, a crow, a tree frog, and a hungry fish.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (139 pgs.) (Level W)
The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (132 pgs.) (Level Q)
Two is a crowd when Peter and his four-year-old brother, Fudge, are in the same room. Grown-ups think Fudge is absolutely adorable, but Peter and his pet turtle, Dribble, know the truth. Fudge is actually a tiny terror in disguise, causing mischief everywhere he goes.
The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (284 pgs.) (Level U)
After their parents disappear, sisters Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are placed with a grandmother they have never heard about. Sabrina, the eldest, is highly suspicious; why didn’t their parents mention Granny Relda? She grows more concerned once they arrive at Relda’s home in the New England town of Ferryport Landing, where Relda serves emerald-green meatballs in rooms lined with books about magic.
Gloria’s Way by Ann Cameron (96 pgs.) (Level O)
Gloria is best friends with Julian and his little brother Huey, and she has as much to say as they do. There’s the parrot that ruins the Valentine for her mother; Huey’s dog, who needs to be cured of his squirrel obsession; and what happens when classmate Latisha tricks Gloria, Julian, and Huey-but they don’t know until it’s too late!
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (133 pgs.) (Level Q)
Leigh Botts writes letters to his favorite author asking for information and describing his own life since his parents got divorced.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (186 pgs.) (Level O)
A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.
Frindle by Andrew Clements (105 pgs.) (Level R)
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher’s love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville (179 pgs.) (Level Q)
Rod is surprised when a miniature spaceship lands in his school science project and reveals five tiny aliens, who ask his help in apprehending an interstellar criminal.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (243 pgs.) (Level U)
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father–the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl (62 pgs.) (Level N)
Angered by a neighboring family’s sport hunting, an eight-year-old girl turns her magic finger on them.
Matilda by Roald Dahl (240 pgs.) (Level S)
Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon by Paula Danziger (80 pgs.) (Level N)
Amber Brown and Justin Daniels are best friends. But when Justin finds out that he is moving away, everything begins to change.
26 Fairmount Ave. by Tomie dePaola (58 pgs.) (Level N)
Children’s author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy.
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (267 pgs.) (Level U)
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog by Gail Donovan (180 pgs.)
When irrepressible fifth-grader Josh finds a five-legged frog in his backyard pond, it leads to him learning a lot about amphibians–and himself.
Dessert First by Hallie Durand (153 pgs.) (Level O)
Third-grader Dessert’s love of treats leads to a change in her large family’s dinner routine, then an awful mistake, and later a true sacrifice after her teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, urges students to march to the beat of their own drums.
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (300 pgs.) (Level T)
Eleven-year-old Harriet keeps notes on her classmates and neighbors in a secret notebook, but when some of the students read the notebook, they seek revenge.
Miss Daisy Is Crazy! by Dan Gutman (83 pgs.) (Level O)
Miss Daisy’s unusual teaching methods surprise her second grade students, especially reluctant learner A.J. First book of the My Weird School series.
Dexter the Tough by Margaret Peterson Haddix (141 pgs.) (Level R)
A sympathetic teacher and her writing assignment help fourth-grader Dexter deal with being the new kid in school after he punches a kid on the first day.
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (184 pgs.) (Level W)
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it’s up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.
Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher (138 pgs.) (Level S)
Forced to work in her unpleasant uncle’s horrible restaurant, a Parisian girl finds comfort and companionship in a shop nearby that sells otherworldly foods prepared by a mysterious cook and her cat.
A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith (98 pgs.) (Level O)
A mouse with an unusual name shares his musical gift with a widowed concert pianist.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal by Jeff Kinney (217 pgs.) (Level T)
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney (216 pgs.) (Level T)
Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation and his attempts to steer clear of trouble when he returns to middle school and tries to keep his older brother Rodrick from telling everyone about Greg’s most humiliating experience of the summer.
The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin (182 pgs.) (Level Q)
In the Chinese Year of the Rat, a young Taiwanese American girl faces many challenges: her best friend moves to California and a new boy comes to her school, she must find the courage to forge ahead with her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator, and she must learn to find the beauty in change.
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry (88 pgs.) (Level N)
A most unusual new student who loves to be the center of attention entertains her teacher and fellow second graders by telling absolutely true stories about herself, including how she got her name.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (137 pgs.) (Level U)
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! by Stephen Manes (76 pgs.) (Level N)
With the advice of a book he borrows from the library, Milo Crinkley tries to make himself into a perfect person in only three days.
Mogo, The Third Warthog by Donna Jo Napoli (194 pgs.)
When Mogo is cast out of his burrow to make room for a new litter, he learns how to survive and as an unlikely friendship with a young baboon blooms, Mogo finds the joy of friendship and love.
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka (55 pgs.) (Level P)
When Joe, Fred, and Sam are sent back in time by a magic book, they find themselves face-to-face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table.
Younguncle Comes to Town by Vandana Singh (153 pgs.) (Level V)
In a small town in northern India, three siblings await their father’s youngest brother, Younguncle, who is said to be somewhat eccentric.
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder (242 pgs.)
In the middle of an Iowa cornfield, four children find a magic wall that enables them to travel through time and space.
Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky (297 pgs.) (Level S)
Capable and hardworking ten-year-old Clover Twig takes a job as housekeeper for a messy witch, Demelza, but while Demelza is away Clover and an accident-prone neighbor boy must defend the weird cottage from the witch’s evil sister.
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (184 pgs.) (Level R)
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that his is destined to be the farmer’s Christmas dinner, until his friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue (126 pgs.)
In Communist China in 1966, eight-year-old Leap Forward learns about freedom while flying kites with his best friend, by trying to get a caged wild bird to sing, and through the music he is learning to play on a bamboo flute. Includes author’s notes on his childhood in Beijing, life under Mao Zedong, and the Cultural Revolution.
