Schultz, John. (Director). (2011). Judy Moody [Motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Ages 9-12.

School is out and summer is finally here! But the excitement doesn’t last long for Judy Moody as she learns her two best friends are going away for the summer and her parents are leaving Judy and her brother Stink with their crazy Aunt Opal. There’s got to be a way to salvage this bummer summer! Then Judy comes up with a super contest to see who can have the most “thrilladelic” summer ever, but it’s hard to compete with one friend in Borneo and the other at circus camp. No matter... with Stink, Opal and her nerdy friend Frank, Judy discovers that the real thrills come from the unexpected experiences, as well as the people you share them with. Based on the series of books by Megan McDonald.

dePaola, Tomie. 26 Fairmount Avenue. Penguin Putnam Books, 1999. ISBN 978-0399232466. Ages 9-11.

In dePaola’s first chapter book, he accesses the best story he could create—a real one.  The first in his 26 Fairmount Avenue series, dePaola tells of the trials and hardships his immediate and extended family must endure while waiting for their new family home to be built. Readers of dePaola’s picture books will recognize characters from those books in his own family—Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs, and Tom.  The book itself does not read like nonfiction or a biography, but more like just another one of dePaola’s stories with its familiar illustrations and vivid storytelling.  Readers will enjoy reading all about dePaola’s life without even realizing that they are.

Fritz, Jean. Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution. Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1987. ISBN 978-0399214035. Ages 9-11.

Fritz brings to life the Constitutional Convention and all the drama that it entailed in this historically accurate account of the founding of our nation and its government.  As the country moved from thirteen colonies to “We The People,” much conflict and disagreement occurred between those who were for the national government and those who were for individual states. While the content could be dry and overwhelming, Fritz brings an element of excitement to the creation of our country’s very foundation—its government.  Young readers will enjoy the subtle humor and lightheartedness of the text, while older readers can supplement the text with the complete Constitution included in the back of the book.

Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. ISBN 978-0374347017. Ages 9-12.

Growing up during the Cold War in Soviet-ruled Czechoslovakia, the author tells the story of his life behind the Iron Curtain, where children were taught to report their parents to authorities, anything deemed Western or American was forbidden, and many longed to be free. This book exists on several reading levels—there is the simple story at the bottom of the page that complements the author’s illustrations, and then there are the additional blurbs and comments written throughout the story that give it much more depth and meaning for more advanced readers.  While younger readers may not fully comprehend the story in its entirety the first time through, as they grasp the story’s meaning they can reread it with the additional commentary and get a better picture of the story as a whole.