2000 Spring Junior Novels

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Nancy's picks for the best junior novels of Spring 2000 and ideas for using them in the classroom. Compiled by Nancy Polette © 2000.
Last updated: Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Avi. Midnight Magic. Scholastic, 1999. Gr 4-8
A servant boy who knows more than his master, a mischievous princess, and a magician who doesn't believe in magic confront a mysterious ghost.
Burgess. Melvin. Kite. Farrar, 2000. Gr 5-7
Taylor robs the nest of endangered red kites. One egg hatches, and feeling guilty, Taylor tries to raise the bird to set it free, but the hunting season is approaching.
Cadnum, Michael. The Book of the Lion. Viking, 2000 Gr 6-8
Amidst the savagery of the 12th century Crusades a young boy learns both courage and compassionin a world rich with people, events and, unfortunately, brutality we will recognize.
Hesse, Karen. A Time of Angels. Hyperion, 2000 Gr 5-8
Hannah is forced to flee when the great influenza epidemic hits Boston. Her goal to get back to her younger sisters seems far away until an angel intervenes.
Jocelyn, Marthe. Earthly Astonishments. Dutton, 2000 Gr 4-6
Josephine is only 22 inches high. Her parents charge admission to see her and finally sell her to the headmistress of a girls academy where she is treated like a slave. One day she takes five dollars owed her and runs away and joins a curiosity show. But she has been branded a thief and her past is soon to catch up with her. An exciting tale about being different in an unaccepting world.
Karr, Kathleen. Skullduggery. Hyperion, 2000. Gr 5-7
An empty stomach leads Matthew to team up with Dr. ABC whose study of the human skull leads to work in a cemetery that Matthew had not expected.
Lunn, Janet. The Hollow Tree.Viking, 1997. Gr 5-8
In 1777 fifteen-year-old Phoebe Alcot finds a secret message from her cousin, Gideon, who is hanged as a British spy. The message contains the names of Loyalist families who are to be protected and Phoebe know she must get the message to the British general. Her journey has her facing wild animals, rebel guns, winter snow and other dangers but her determination to see the job through never wavers.
Maynard, Bill. Pondfire. Putnam, 2000
Jed is suspected of setting suspicious fires in town. The only way to prove his innocence is to find who is really to blame.
Scieszka, Joh. The Time Warp Trio: It's All Greek to Me. Viking 2000 Gr 3-6`
Joe, Fred and Sam are time warped back to Mount Olympus and in the middle of a feud between the gods and goddesses.
Sobol, Donald. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander. Delacorte, 2000. Gr 2-6
The continuing adventures of a ten-year-old supersleuth . The reader has a change to solve the mysteries first before checking he answers in the back of the book.
Winkler, David. Scotty and the Gypsy Bandit. Farrar. 2000
There is romance, murder and mystery as Scotty's Gypsy Bandit neighbor, McStew decides to take over the tree house.
Yep, Laurence. Cockroach Cooties. Hyperion, 2000 Gr 3-6
When Teddy's little brother insults the Chinatown bully it is up to Teddy to do something about it. But what? Then little brother comes to the rescue with a cockroach named Hercules. A funny, warm story about the relationship of two brothers.