Happy Banned Books Week!

Challenged Children's Books

The titles on this list were taken from two sources, a list from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000. Titles were divided into three reading levels: picture books, children’s books (including early readers & chapter books), and young adult books. Books were grouped into a particular level based on their NoveList classification. In those few cases where books did not appear in NoveList, level was determined by checking Amazon. Likewise, most synopses were taken from NoveList or, when unavailable, the notes field of OCLC WorldCat records.

For more information on censorship, a longer list of books that have been challenged, and rationales in defense of challenged books, check NCTE’s Anti-Censorship Center.

NoveList also has information about why particular books have been challenged. Search banned books and then click on the "All Results" tab. The article “Banned Books: Celebrating the Freedom to Read” includes a list of challenged books as well as a description of the type of challenge.

ALA’s site has information on dealing with and reporting a challenge as well as a link to statistical graphs of known challenges divided by initiator, institution, type of challenge, and year. ALA's Freedom to Read Foundation site may also be useful.

For more information, check the following print sources:

• Hit List For Children 2: Frequently Challenged Books, 2002 (S.323.445 Am35hch, S-Collection Reference) is a select listing of frequently challenged books compiled by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. Entries include a summary of the book, a listing of the challenges and the reasons behind them, a bibliography of reviews, where to find background information on the author, awards and prizes won by the book, a bibliography of literary criticism on the author, and a list of sources which recommend the book. This title is also accessible online in full text through the online catalog.
• Hit List For Young Adults 2: Frequently Challenged Books, 2002. (S.323.445 Am35hyou, S-Collection Reference) provides the same information for young adult books as its companion book described above does for children's books. This title is also accessible online in full text through the online catalog.
• Zena Sutherland’s book, Children and Books (S.809 Ar19c1997, S-Collection Reference), features information on pages 599-603 aimed at helping librarians deal with challenges. This section entitled "Censorship: Issues and Solutions" includes a bibliography and support group information.
• Banned Books...Resource Guide (098.10973B226, Main Stacks) includes discussion of the types of challenges certain books have faced. This resource is published every three years.
• Foerstel, Herbert. Banned in the USA: A Reference Guide to Censorship in School and Public Libraries (025.213 F685b2002, Main Stacks). Rev. and Expanded Ed. Greenwood Press, 2002. See chapter 2 (pp. 73-126).
• Simmons, John S. and Eliza T. Dresang. School Censorship in the 21st Century: A Guide for Teachers and School Library Media Specialists (379.155 Si472s, Education and Social Science Library and Main Stacks). International Reading Association, 2001. See chapter 4 (pp. 63-78); and chapters 6-7 (pp. 101-139).

Picture Books

Title	Author
The Amazing Bone	William Steig
On her way home from school, Pearl finds an unusual bone that has unexpected powers.
Crow Boy	Taro Yashima
Chibi's classmates come to appreciate his special knowledge and talent.
Daddy's Roommate	Michael Willhoite
A young boy discusses his divorced father's new living situation, in which the father and his gay roommate share eating, doing chores, playing, loving, and living.
Guess What?	Mem Fox
Through a series of questions to which the reader must answer yes or no, the personality and occupation of a lady called Daisy O'Grady are revealed.
Halloween ABC	Eve Merriam
A poem for each letter of the alphabet introduces a different, spooky aspect of Halloween.
Heather Has Two Mommies	Leslea Newman
When Heather goes to playgroup, at first she feels bad because she has two mothers and no father, but then she learns that there are lots of different kinds of families and the most important thing is that all the people love each other.
In the Night Kitchen	Maurice Sendak
A little boy's dream-fantasy in which he helps three fat bakers get milk for their cake batter.
Little Black Sambo	Helen Bannerman
A little boy in India loses his fine new clothes to the tigers, but while they dispute who is the grandest tiger in the jungle he takes his fine clothes back again.
Mommy Laid an Egg	Babette Cole
Two children explain to their parents, using their own drawings, where babies come from.
Strega Nona	Tomie dePaola
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.
The Stupids	H. Allard & J. Marshall
The Stupids are a nice, typical, suburban American family except for one thing. None of them has the sense God gave a lemon. When Stanley Stupid discovers that someone has swiped the Stupid family garbage right off their curb, he decides to take matters into his own bumbling hands and catch the evil litter looter himself.
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak
A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.
Where's Waldo	Martin Hanford
The reader follows Waldo as he hikes around the world and must try to find him in the illustrations of some of the crowded places he visits.

Chapter Books

Title	Author
Adventures of Tom Sawyer	Mark Twain
The adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a 19th-century Mississippi River town as he plays hooky on an island, witnesses a crime, hunts for pirate's treasure, and becomes lost in a cave.
Alice in Lace	Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
While planning a wedding as part of an assignment for her eighth-grade health class, Alice thinks about her father's and older brother's love lives and learns that you cannot prepare for all of life's decisions.
All But Alice	Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Seventh grader Alice decides that the only way to stave off personal and social disasters is to be part of the crowd, especially the "in" crowd, no matter how boring and, potentially, difficult.
Among the Hidden	Margaret Peterson Haddix
A government decree allows each family only two children. For Luke, a third child, this has meant a lifetime of hiding. But could a stray glimpse of a child hiding in the house across the way lead to freedom?
Among the Imposters	Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the law limits a family to only two children, third-born Luke has been in hiding for the entire twelve years of his life, until he enters boarding school under an assumed name and is forced to face his fears.
Anastasia at Your Service	Lois Lowry
Twelve-year-old Anastasia has a series of disastrous experiences when, expecting to get a job as a lady's companion, she is hired instead to be a maid.
Anastasia Krupnik	Lois Lowry
Anastasia's 10th year has some good things like falling in love and really getting to know her grandmother and some bad things like finding out about an impending baby brother.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret	Judy Blume
Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, an eleven-year-old girl talks over her problems with her own private God.
Austere Academy	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events,#5) As their outrageous misfortune continues, the Baudelaire orphans are shipped off to a miserable boarding school, where they befriend the two Quagmire triplets and find that they have been followed by the dreaded Count Olaf.
Bad, Badder, Baddest	Cynthia Voigt
When sixth graders Mikey and Margalo devise a plan to prevent Mikey's parents from getting a divorce, the two friends find their scheme foiled by a new girl at school.
The Bad Beginning	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events,#1) After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune.
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple	Karen Cushman
In 1849, twelve-year-old California Morning, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town.
Because of Winn Dixie	Katie DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Belle Prater's Boy	Ruth White
Cousins living in a Virginia coal town have both experienced the loss of someone dear to them. Through the stories they tell each other and the adventures they share, they learn to look beyond grief and imagine better lives for themselves.
Best Girl	D.B. Smith
As she struggles to cope with a difficult mother and finding her place in the world, young Nealy Compton finds solace in the relative solitude and safety beneath her neighbor's porch.
Blood Red Ochre	Kevin Major
Living in Newfoundland, fifteen-year-old David meets a mysterious new girl named Nancy and makes a startling discovery while doing research for a school project on the Beothuck Indians.
Bloomability	Sharon Creech
When her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Lugano, Switzerland, to attend an international school, thirteen-year-old Dinnie discovers her world expanding.
Blubber	Judy Blume
Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it's like when she, too, becomes a target.
The Boy Who Lost His Face	Louis Sachar
David receives a curse from an elderly woman he has helped his schoolmates attack, and he learns to regret his weakness in pandering to others for the sake of popularity before new friends and a very nice girl help him to be a stronger, more assertive person.
Bridge to Terabithia	Katherine Paterson
Ten-year-old Jesse Aarons, who has lived all his life on a farm in Virginia, becomes friends with Leslie Burke, a "city girl" who has moved into a farmhouse down the road and opens doors to culture and imaginative play. But then tragedy strikes.
Call it Courage	Armem Spery
The Chief's son, Mafutu, sets out on a voyage of discovery with his faithful dog, Uri, and finds his courage after being driven out of his village for showing fear.
The Cay	Theodore Taylor
When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, a teenage white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old Black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.
Changes in Latitude	Will Hobbs
A family trip to Mexico changes a cocky sixteen-year-old boys attitudes as he becomes exposed to his brother's consuming interest in saving endangered species, to his parents' problems, and to his own selfishness.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	Roald Dahl
A poor boy wins a tour of a chocolate factory and a supply of chocolate.
Charlotte's Web	E.B. White
The story of Wilbur, the pig, smallest of the litter, who is raised by the farmer's daughter, and who finds a friend in Charlotte, the spider.
Christmas Rat	Avi
Alone in his apartment during Christmas vacation, eleven-year-old Eric finds himself caught in a battle between a strange exterminator and the rat he wants to kill.
Class Trip	Bebe Faas Rice
Angie and her new friends in the "in-crowd" take a canoe trip to the isolated Shadow Island, and when a storm destroys their canoes, the group discovers they're helplessly trapped in the wilderness with a murderer in their midst.
Corner of the Universe	Ann M. Martin
The summer that Hattie turns twelve, she meets the childlike uncle she never knew and becomes friends with a girl who works at the carnival that comes to Hattie's small town.
Cracker Jackson	Betsy Byars
After attempting to save his ex-babysitter from wife abuse, Cracker Jackson gains an adult insight into the sadness of failed heroics.
Crazy Lady	Leslie Conly
As he tries to come to terms with his mother's death, Vernon finds solace in his growing relationship with the neighborhood outcasts, an alcoholic and her developmentally disabled son.
Crispin: Cross of Lead	Avi
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat : Superstitions and Other Beliefs	Alvin Schwartz
Explains superstitions about such topics as love and marriage, money, ailments, travel, the weather, and death.
Curses, Hexes, and Spells	Daniel Cohen
Recounts curses on families, creatures, places, wanderers, and ghosts. Also describes amulets and talismans which provide protection.
Eats: Poems	Arnold Adoff
Poems that reflect on the poet's love of food and eating
Eli's Songs	Monte Killingsworth
Shipped off to relatives in Oregon while his father is touring with his rock band, twelve-year-old Eli comes to love the magnificent trees of a nearby old growth forest and tries to prevent their imminent destruction by clear-cutting loggers.
Ersatz Elevator	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events,#6)The woeful saga of the Baudelaire orphans continues as evil Count Olaf discovers their whereabouts at Esme Squalor's seventy-one bedroom penthouse and concocts a new plan for stealing their family fortune.
Frindle	Andrew Clements
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler	E.L. Konigsburg
Claudia and her brother run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she sees a statue so beautiful, she must identify its sculptor. To find out, she must visit the statue's former owner, the elderly Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Gathering Blue	Lois Lowry
Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.
George's Marvelous Medicine	Roald Dahl
George decides that his grumpy, selfish old grandmother must be a witch and concocts some marvelous medicine to take care of her.
The Girls	Amy Goldman Koss
Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, and the hurt and self-doubt that it causes them.
The Giver	Lois Lowry
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Good Night, Maman	Norma Fox Mazer
After spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp in Oswego, New York.
Goosebumps (series)	R.L.Stine
Scary stories with mild gore.
Granny the Pag	Nina Bawden
Originally abandoned by her actor parents who later attempt to gain custody, Cat wages a spirited campaign to decide her own fate and remain with her grandmother.
The Great Gilly Hopkins	Katherine Paterson
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.
Halsey's Pride	Lynn Hall
Thirteen-year-old March, an epileptic, comes to live with her dog breeder father and through her growing attachment to her father's prize dog, Pride, learns a great deal about love, truth, courage and how to cope with adverse fate.
Harriet the Spy	Louise Fitzhugh
Eleven-year-old Harriet, who wants to be a writer, writes down everything she sees, but alienates her friends in the process.
Harry Potter (series)	J.K. Rowling
Not your average school,the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, is where Harry Potter finds himself in and out of trouble with his friends as well as in and out of danger from a darker powers.
The Headless Cupid	Zilpha K. Snyder
Life is never quite the same again for eleven-year-old David after the arrival of his new stepsister, a student of witchcraft and the occult.
The Heart of the City	Ron Koertge
After she and her parents move to an ethnically mixed inner city neighborhood, ten-year-old Joy and her new friend Neesha decide to do something to keep drug dealers off their block.
Here's to You, Rachel Robinson	Judy Blume
Expelled from boarding school, Charles' presence at home proves disruptive, especially for sister Rachel, a gifted seventh-grader trying to balance friendships and school activities.
Holes	Louis Sachar
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Homeless Bird	Gloria Whelan
Kali worries for her future when she discovers that the husband her parents have arranged for her to marry is sickly.
Hostile Hospital	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events, #8) On the run after being falsely accused of murder, the three Baudelaire orphans find themselves in the Heimlich Hospital, with the evil Count Olaf in close pursuit.
How to Eat Fried Worms	Thomas Rockwell
Two boys set out to prove that worms can make a delicious meal.
It's Not Easy Being Bad	Cynthia Voigt
Two unpopular girls try to break into the seventh grade clique system, even though they're not really sure they want to be popular at all.
It's Perfectly Normal: a Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health	Robie Harris
In a starred review, PW said, "this intelligent, amiable and carefully researched book... frankly explains the physical, psychological, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty." Emberley's watercolor and pencil art "reinforces [the] message that bodies come in all sizes, shapes and colors-and that each variation is 'perfectly normal.' " Ages 10-14.
Jake and Honeybunch Go to Heaven	Margot Zema
The exuberance of a man and his mule newly arrived in heaven causes so much furor that God gives them one last chance before He throws them out.
James and the Giant Peach	Roald Dahl
A contemporary fairy tale starring the heroic little James, a group of overgrown garden insects who become his friends, and a peach the size of a house.
Joey Pigza Loses Control	Jack Gantos
Joey, who is still taking medication to keep him from getting too wired, goes to spend the summer with the hard-drinking father he has never known and tries to help the baseball team he coaches win the championship.
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins	Walter Dean Myers
A seventeen-year-old soldier from central Virginia records his experiences in a journal as his regiment takes part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and subsequent battles to liberate France.
Journey to Topaz	Yoshiko Uchida
After the Pearl Harbor attack, an eleven-year-old Japanese-American girl and her family are forced to go to an aliens camp in Utah.
Jump Ship to Freedom	James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
In 1787, a fourteen-year-old slave, anxious to buy freedom for himself and his mother, escapes from his dishonest master and tries to find help in cashing the soldier's notes received by his father for fighting in the Revolution.
Junebug	Alice Mead
An inquisitive young boy who lives with his mother and younger sister in a rough housing project in New Haven, Connecticut, approaches his tenth birthday with a mixture of anticipation and worry.
Kill the Teacher's Pet	Joseph Locke
Convinced that Mr. Trancas, the new teacher, is a psychopath, Lenny Cochran, a sixteen-year-old science fiction and horror fanatic, tries in vain to convince others of this fact--until Lenny disappears.
King of the Wind	Marguerite Henry
Traces the progression of Sham, a Moroccan horse, from its days as a carter's horse in France, to thoroughbred champion as the Godolphin Arabian at Newmarket, England, and the mute boy who cared for it all its life.
The Last Battle	C.S. Lewis
(Chronicles of Narnia, #7) When evil comes to Narnia, Jill and Eustace help fight the great last battle, and Aslan leads his people to a glorious new paradise.
The Last Mission	Harry Mazer
Jack is a freshman in high school when he decides that he wants to be a hero. One small lie gets him a job as a gunner in a B-17 flying combat mission across Europe in 1944. But he wasn't prepared for the terror of night missions or getting shot down.
A Light in the Attic	Shel Silverstein
A collection of humorous poems and drawings.
Lily's Crossing	Patricia Reilly Giff
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily's friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe	C.S. Lewis
(Chronicles of Narnia, #2) Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
Little House on the Prairie	Laura Ingalls Wilder
A family travels from the big woods of Wisconsin to a new home on the prairie, where they build a house, meet neighboring Indians, build a well, and fight a prairie fire.
Little Women	Louisa May Alcott
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in nineteenth-century New England.
Loser	Jerry Spinelli
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
The Lost Flower Children	Janet Taylor Lisle
After their mother's death, Olivia and Nellie go to live with their great aunt, where they slowly bring her overgrown and weedy old garden back to life, enabling them to adjust to a new life as well.
Lyddie	Katherine Paterson
Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to gain her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.
The Magician's Nephew	C.S. Lewis
(Chronicles of Narnia, #1) When Digory and Polly try to return the wicked witch Jadis to her own world, the magic gets mixed up and they all land in Narnia where they witness Aslan blessing the animals with human speech.
Maniac Magee	Jerry Spinelli
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
Miles' Song	Alice McGill
In 1851 in South Carolina, Miles, a twelve-year-old slave, is sent to a "breaking ground" to have his spirit broken but endures the experience by secretly taking reading lessons from another slave.
The Miserable Mill	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events, #4) Accidents, evil plots, and general misfortune abound when, in their continuing search for a home, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to live and work in a sinister lumber mill.
The Moffats	Eleanor Estes
Portrays the adventure-studded existence of the poor, but resourceful, Moffat family, whose members lie in a yellow house on New Dollar Street.
Moon of Two Dark Horses	Sally M. Keehn
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, hoping to keep bloodshed away from their valley, a twelve-year-old Delaware Indian boy and his white friend search sacred land for the bones of a legendary beast.
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark	Alvin Schwatz
More traditional and modern-day stories of ghosts, witches, vampires, "jump" stories, and scary songs.
Morris, the Moose	B. Wiseman
Determined to prove that the cow he meets is really a moose, Morris the moose enlists the help of a rather confused deer and horse.
Mr. Popper's Penguins	Richard Atwater
Mr. Popper is delighted when he is given an Antarctic penquin as a pet, but the situation gets out of hand after Captain Cook gets a mate and ten baby penguins.
My Guy	Sarah Weeks
When Guy's mother announces that she is going to marry the father of his despised enemy Lana, Guy realizes that he must join forces with Lana to stop the event.
My Sister Annie	Bill Dodds
Growing up, trying to be accepted, and having a sister with Down Syndrome make life a challenge for Charlie.
Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep	Jack Prelutsky
Twelve poems featuring vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and other monsters.
Other Bells for Us to Ring	Robert Cormier
When her father is transferred to an army camp in Massachusetts during the Second World War, 11-year-old Darcy feels isolated in her French-Canadian neighborhood until she meets the vivacious Kathleen Mary O'Hara and learns about Catholicism.
Other Side of Truth	Beverly Naidoo
Smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother's murder, Sade and her younger brother are abandoned in London when their uncle fails to meet them at the airport and they are fearful of their new surroundings and of what may have happened to their journalist father back in Nigeria.
The Reptile Room	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events, #2) After narrowly escaping the menacing clutches of the dastardly Count Olaf, the three Baudelaire orphans are taken in by a kindly herpetologist with whom they live happily for an all-too-brief time.
Rewind	William Sleator
Not long after learning that he was adopted, eleven-year-old Peter is hit by a car and then given several chances to alter events that could lead to his death.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	Mildred Taylor
A Black family living in the South during the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which their children don't understand.
Sahara Special	Esme Raji Codell
Struggling with school and her feelings since her father left, Sahara gets a fresh start with a new and unique teacher who supports her writing talents and the individuality of each of her classmates.
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief	Wendelin Van Draanen
Seventh grader Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the seniors' building where she is living with her grandmother.
Scary Stories (Series)	Alvin Schwartz
Yarns about ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, scary songs, and modern-day scary tales. Many include song lyrics and music.
Secret City, USA	Felice Holman
Against all odds, Benno and his friends in the barrio turn an abandoned house into a shelter for homeless people.
The Secret Within	Theresa Golding
Carly Chambers spends her summer days delivering mysterious packages for her harsh father but when she sneaks out at night to find some freedom, she faces danger from all sides.
Show Me : A Picture Book of Sex for Children and Parents	Will McBride
The title says it all -- photos of nudes and frank discussion of the sexual behaviors of children, teens, and adults.
Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady	Selina Hastings
After a horrible hag saves King Arthur's life by answering a riddle, Sir Gawain agrees to marry her and thus releases her from an evil enchantment.
Skeleton Man	Joseph Bruchac
After her parents disappear and she is turned over to the care of a strange "great-uncle," Molly must rely on her dreams about an old Mohawk story for her safety and maybe even for her life.
The Slave Dancer	Paula Fox
A thirteen-year-old boy wanders down to the New Orleans wharf to watch the slave traders unload their cargo. He is shanghaied aboard a ship bound for Africa to play for the slaves while they exercise. He befriends a black boy his age and they witness the horrors of slavery together.
So Far from the Bamboo Grove	Yoko Watkins
A fictionalized autobiography in which eight-year-old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan with her mother and sister at the end of World War II.
Something Terrible Happened	Barbara Ann Porte
Twelve-year-old Gillian is sent away from her mother who is dying of AIDS to live with her relatives in Tennessee.
Sound the Jubilee	Sandra Forrester
A slave and her family find refuge on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, during the Civil War.
Space Station Seventh Grade	Jerry Spinelli
Seventh-grader Jason narrates the events of his year, from school, hair, and pimples, to mothers, little brothers, and a girl.
Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself	Judy Blume
Getting to know the kids at her new school in Miami, making up stories about starring in movies, and finding the evidence needed to convince the chief of police that Hitler is alive keep ten-year-old Sally busy during the winter of 1948.
Sun and Spoon	Kevin Henkes
After the death of his grandmother, ten-year-old Spoon observes the changes in his grandfather and tries to find the perfect artifact to preserve his memories of her.
Surviving the Applewhites	Stephanie Tolan
Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.
Taking Care of Terrific	Lois Lowry
Taking her overprotected young charge to the public park to broaden his horizons, fourteen-year-old baby sitter Enid enjoys unexpected friendships with a black saxophonist and a bag lady until she is charged with kidnapping.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing	Judy Blume
A fourth grade boy tries to deal with his very active brother.
Tallahassee Higgins	Mary Downing Hahn
Tallahassee Higgins enjoys the vagabond lifestyle she lives with her free-spirited mother, but when Mother goes to Los Angeles to try her luck in TV and movies, Tallahassee is placed with her uncle whose conventional suburban lifestyle makes her question her mother's values--and her own.
A Taste of Blackberries	Doris Buchanan Smith
Jamie's sudden and terrible death leaves his best friend to face tragedy alone.
Teacup Full of Roses	Sharon Bell Mathis
Joe's decision to leave home is prompted by despair over his Mother's blindness to his younger brother's talents and his older brother's drug addiction.
Then Again Maybe I Won't	Judy Blume
Unable to accept or explain his family's new wealth, his growing interest in sex, and a friend's shoplifting, a 13-year-old finds his stomach pains getting worse and worse.
Through the Lock	Carol Otis Hurst
Etta, a twelve-year-old orphan in nineteenth-century Connecticut, meets a boy living in an abandoned cabin on the New Haven and Northampton Canal and has adventures with him while trying to be reunited with her siblings.
Time Windows	Kathryn Reiss
Thirteen-year-old Miranda moves with her family to a small Massachusetts town and a new home in which a mysterious dollhouse allows her to see into the past, where she discovers her new home exerts an evil influence on the women of each generation of inhabitants--including Miranda's mother.
Timothy of the Cay	Theodore Taylor
Having survived being blinded and shipwrecked on a tiny Caribbean island with the old Afro-West Indian Timothy, twelve-year-old white Phillip is rescued and hopes to regain his sight with an operation. Alternate chapters follow the life of Timothy from his days as a young cabin boy during the late eighteen-hundreds.
Trouble River	Betsy Byars
When he builds his raft, a twelve-year-old boy never dreams that it will serve as the sole means of escape for him and his grandmother when hostile Indians threaten their prairie cabin.
Tunes for Bears to Dance To	Robert Cormier
Eleven-year-old Henry escapes his family's problems by watching the woodcarving of Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, but when Henry is manipulated into betraying his friend, he comes to know true evil.
Unfinished Dreams	Jane Breskin Zalben
Jason, a nine-year-old Jewish boy, pursues his dream of becoming a great violinist, even as he deals with disappointments and the deaths of loved ones.
Up a Road Slowly	Irene Hunt
After her mother's death, Julie goes to live with Aunt Cordelia, a spinster schoolteacher, where she experiences many emotions and changes as she grows from seven to eighteen.
The Ups and Downs of Carl Davis, III	Rosa Guy
In a series of letters to his parents and friends, twelve-year-old Carl Davis, III, chronicles his initial anger, confusion, and disdain as well as his gradual change of heart about being sent to a small Southern town to live with his grandmother.
The View from Saturday	E.L. Konigsburg
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
View from the Cherry Tree	Willo Davis Roberts
Rob admits having seen a murder, but no one believes him--except the murderer.
The Vile Village	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events, #7) Under a new government program based on the saying, It takes a village to raise a child, the Baudelaire orphans are adopted by an entire town, with disastrous results.
Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963	Christopher Paul Curtis
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
The Westing Game	Ellen Raskin
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
What Jamie Saw	Carolyn Coman
Having fled to a family friend's hillside trailer after his mother's boyfriend tried to throw his baby sister against a wall, nine-year-old Jamie finds himself living an existence full of uncertainty and fear.
What's Happening to my Body? For Boys and for Girls	Lynda Madaras
Written for parents unsure about what to cover during "the talk". These books help parents inform their pre-teens about the changes their bodies are experiencing.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town	Kimberly Willis Holt
During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world.
Where Did I Come From?	Peter Mayle
Written for children 4-8 yrs. old, this book describes the reproductive process from intercourse to birth.
Where the Sidewalk Ends	Shel Silverstein
A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.
Where'd You Get the Gun, Billy?	Fran Arrick
Classmates can't believe that 16-year-old Billy shot and killed his girlfriend. What they really cannot understand is how he got the gun in the first place.
The Whipping Boy	Sid Fleischman
A bratty prince and his "whipping boy" have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
Whistler's Hollow	Debbie Dadey
In 1920, eleven-year-old Lillie Mae, recently orphaned, goes to live with her loving great-aunt and great-uncle in their Kentucky farm house, where she learns the truth about several secrets.
Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?	Avi
It's 1945, and when Frankie isn't re-enacting his favorite radio dramas, he's spying on a "mad scientist" who has rented a room in his parents' house.
The Wide Window	Lemony Snicket
(A Series of Unfortunate Events, #3) Catastrophes and misfortunes continue to plague the Baudelaire orphans after they're sent to live with fearful Aunt Josephine who offers little protection against Count Olaf's treachery.
Willow and Twig	Jean Little
Abandoned once again by her mother and homeless in Vancouver with her younger brother Twig, Willow takes a chance and calls her grandmother for help, prompting a cross-country journey to find the home and family she's never known.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond	Elizabeth George Speare
A young woman brought up in Barbados comes to live with her uncle in Connecticut, and finds their Puritan way of life difficult after her unconventional upbringing.
The Witches	Roald Dahl
A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.
Woodsong	Gary Paulsen
Paulsen's autobiographical celebration of his longtime love of dogsledding and sled dogs
Wringer	Jerry Spinelli
As Palmer comes of age he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his Pennsylvania town's annual Pigeon day or find the courage to oppose it.
A Wrinkle in Time	Madeleine L'Engle
Meg and Charles Wallace set out with their friend Calvin in a search for their father. His top secret job as a physicist for the government has taken him away and the children search through time and space to find him.