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The Giver

by Lois Lowry

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation.

The Yearling

by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Illustrated by Edward Shenton

No novel better epitomizes the love between a child and a pet than "The Yearling." Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend.

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

Billy Colman roams the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound and his precious coonhound pup trying to "tree" the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion.

Waves

by Sharon Dogar

* "Skillfully narrated through Hal and Charley's alternating voices and thoughts, Dogar frequently and seamlessly shifts between time and place to create a haunting mystery packed with suffering, hope and personal growth. Riveting." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Wonderful. Magical. Secret.

Mary Lennox needs some magic in her life. Her parents have died in a faraway land, and Mary has been taken to a strange and mysterious mansion to live with her distant uncle. She has no friends and no happiness until she finds the key to a wonderful secret garden.

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Set in a small Southern town during the Depression, this funny, heartbreaking coming-of-age novel follows three years in the life of Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and her attorney father, Atticus, who risks everything to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.