The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin

This book begins with the Chinese New Year, which Grace celebrates with her Taiwanese-American family. This year was The Year of the Dog, a year which was supposed to be about discovering your purpose in life. Grace decides that she will make this her goal, and she struggles to find where she really fits in. At school she is called Grace, but her family calls her Pacy at home. She celebrates both Chinese and American holidays. The Year of the Dog brings surprises for Grace: a new friend, a writing contest, a science fair, and a first crush. This book is short and easy to read, but is filled with lots of information about the Taiwanese culture. My fifth- graders will identify with Grace's experiences, and they will love the cute illustrations!

Turn Homeward,Hannalee by Patricia Beatty

This book is on the history summer reading list this year, and I think my students will enjoy this exciting book. Hannalee is 12 years old and works in a mill in Roswell, Georgia. When the Yankees come to her town during the Civil War, they round up all the mill hands and send them north to work in the factories there. Hannalee's brother Jem is also sent north, but her pregnant mother is left behind in Roswell. Before Hannalee leaves, she promises her mother that she and Jem will return. In order to accomplish this, she has to escape from the north, disguise herself as a boy, and rescue Jem. They have some exciting adventures as they struggle to survive.
Caution: There is a lot of violence; Hannalee and Jem come upon a battlefield just after a battle, and they also witness a murder.

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.

100 Cupboards, by N.D. Wilson

When Henry's parents are kidnapped by terrorists, Henry goes to live with his aunt, uncle, and three cousins, in Henry, Kansas. He is given the attic bedroom and is surprised one night by thumps on the wall. Plaster begins to fall away from the wall and Henry glimpses two knobs. As he pulls more plaster away, he realizes the knobs are attached to a door. His cousin Henrietta helps him pull more plaster away from the wall, until 99 small cupboards are revealed behind the wall, each with a different appearance. Soon Henry discovers that these cupboards lead to different worlds, but many are locked and too small for him to go through; however, they are not too small for things to come into his room through the cupboards! He and Henrietta embark on a quest to discover the mystery of the cupboards. Lovers of fantasy will enjoy these books. The author has a quirky sense of humor, and some random comments are difficult to understand. I was bothered by Henry's indifference to his parents' situation, but I still enjoyed this book.

Caution: There is some violence and an evil witch, much like Narnia's White Witch. The author is a Christian, and parents may recognize the author as the son of Douglas Wilson, who writes and publishes homeschool classical curriculum.