Lois Lowry

Sam Krupnik is as unique, intriguing, and engaging as his older sister, Anastasia. His antics are equally funny and allow slightly older children to appreciate the logic of a bright, bold young child.

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When Anastasia's parents announce the family's move from the city to the dreaded suburbs, Anastasia fears that life as she loves it will come to an abrupt end. Once there, of course, the resilient 12-year-old falls for her new home and becomes just as involved with new friends and neighbors.

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10-year-old Anastasia is quite content as the only (and quite self-assured) child of professional parents. But she is not so happy and not so nice after she learns that she is to become a sister. Anastasia's lists organize her thoughts and create humor in this first book of the series.

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Sam uses a great deal of initiative to make just the right birthday present for his mother. But when he combines all of her favorite smells to make the perfect perfume, disastrous (and odiferous) results permeate this worthy sequel to All About Sam.

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Gooney Bird Greene finds the needed room mother so that their Thanksgiving play can go on. The one hitch, however, is that this person remains incognito until the day of the pageant. Gooney Bird's rich words (like incognito) challenge her 2nd grade classmates to open the dictionary and find out their meanings.

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Gooney Bird, the new student in Mrs. Pidgeon's 2nd grade class, arrives without a parent but full of confidence. She makes it clear that she likes to be "right smack in the middle of everything." Could her seemingly outrageous stories be — as Gooney Bird asserts — true? Fact is much more intriguing when seen through the eyes of an imaginative storyteller!

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Once Mrs. Pidgeon has shared Aesop's fables with the second graders in her class, Gooney Bird comes up with the idea to have the children write their own. With the support of their oh-so-patient teacher, the students come up with original fables that truly reflect their unique personalities.

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When a boy from an abusive home is placed in foster care with an old woman, he brings with him his troubles — an invitation to the Sinisteeds, nighttime visitors to humans who gather memories good or not so good. Tough, timely topics are handled in a straightforward telling in this compelling and credible fantasy.

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The narrator, 10-year-old Annemarie, and her family defy the Nazis as Danish Jews are gathered for transport to death camps. They help Annemarie's best friend, Ellen Rosen, and her family escape to Sweden. The horror of World War II is mitigated by the limited view of the narrator, yet the courage of individuals shines through for a breathtaking look at this time in history.

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When Mrs. Krupnik announces to Sam that his fangs (the Halloween variety) are simply not acceptable to her (she has a fang hang-up, you see), Sam decides to run away from home. On his way to Alaska, he stops to talk to people in the neighborhood, who ultimately contribute to the satisfying resolution.

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Sophisticated readers (and fans of Lemony Snicket) will appreciate the sly humor and word play in this outrageously funny take-off on novels of yesteryear. Here, the Willoughby children must overcome their self-centered parents who ultimately meet their rightful — and very satisfying — end.

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With a little help from his family and a clever teacher, Sam is allowed to tell his preschool classmates about a different animal each day, which stretches Future Job Day into a many-day activity! Along the way, Sam learns to read independently, his family gets a new dog, and the laughs keep on coming.

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