The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Tally is dismayed when her father tells her that she must go to boarding school. World War II is coming, and Tally and her aunts and father live in London. Because the city is in danger of being bombed, children were often sent to the countryside. When Tally reaches Delderton, she finds that it is not an ordinary school. Children are loved by their teachers, do not have to wear uniforms, and science lessons are often nature walks at dawn. Tally soon makes friends and enters into life at the school. When she hears the school is invited to a folk dancing festival in the small country of Bergania, she leads a drive to send a team to the festival, and this is where the real adventure begins. Nazis invade the country while they are there, and they must rescue the prince. This was another wonderful book by Eva Ibbotson, but the reading level may be difficult for some 5th graders.

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

This has been my favorite of all the children's books I have read this summer! Maia, an orphan girl living at a boarding school in England in 1910, is informed by her lawyer that relatives have been found who are willing to take her in. The catch? They live on the Amazon River in Brazil! She loves adventure and is thrilled at the prospect, but when she arrives, her foster family is not at all what she imagined. They refuse to go outside, and the twin cousins are self-centered and mean. In spite of them, Maia makes friends and manages to have an incredible adventure.

Half Magic by Edgar Eager

After reading Magic or Not, I was interested in reading some of Eager's other books, so I checked out Half Magic. Katherine, Mark, Jane, and Martha are experiencing a boring summer when Jane finds a magic charm. They find out the charm grants half wishes, so in order to get something, you have to wish for twice as much. The fun comes when there are some accidental wishes: "I wish I were home," or "I wish I wasn't here." I love the old-fashioned quality of Eager's books, but I think that today's kids will enjoy them for the humor and the magic. This would be a great read-aloud for a family with younger children.