Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004. ISBN 0399238611. Ages 9-12.

It’s 1935, and one of the country’s most infamous mob bosses, Al Capone, is behind bars on Alcatraz Island. 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to the island where his dad gets a job at the prison so they can send his older autistic sister Natalie to a special school in San Francisco. But when Natalie doesn’t get into the school, Moose has to give up baseball and after school activities in order to take care of her, and her eccentric and occasional difficult ways make life hard for Moose. But when he befriends the warden’s troublemaking daughter and the other children living on the island, he soon finds himself involved in an elaborate moneymaking scheme that has some surprising results.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective...Then and Now!

Keene, Carolyn. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #1: The Secret of the Old Clock. Grosset & Dunlap, 1930. ISBN 978-0448095011. Ages 9-12.

Nancy Drew becomes entangled in a case to determine the true heirs to the estate of the recently deceased Josiah Crowley. Nancy’s dislike for the Topham family, a snobbish, wealthy family that has laid claim to the estate,

prompts her to look into the matter, where she meets several friends and family of Josiah Crowley who are claiming that he wrote a later will. When one of them tells her that a clue to the location of the will was hidden in an old clock before he died, Nancy finds herself on a dangerous quest to find this mysterious old clock in the hopes of finding Josiah Crowley’s true will and providing for his rightful, and more deserving, heirs.

Keene, Carolyn. The Nancy Drew Files, Case #1: Secrets Can Kill. Pocket Books, 1986. ISBN 978-0671746742. Ages 10-14.

When Nancy Drew goes undercover as a high school student at Bedford High School in order to investigate a series of thefts, she expects it to be a piece of cake. But after someone sends her a videotape warning her to stay away, and then one of her main suspects ends up dead, Nancy finds herself even more determined to get to the bottom of this case. So when the line becomes blurred between allies and enemies, and she develops feelings for someone other than Ned, Nancy realizes that if she doesn’t figure things out soon, someone could get seriously hurt…or even end up dead.

Keene, Carolyn. Nancy Drew, Girl Detective #1: Without a Trace. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2004. ISBN 068986566X. Ages 9-12.

In the first book of this modernized version of the famous girl detective series, Nancy Drew gets caught up in not one, but two mysteries. While trying to determine who has been destroying the neighborhood zucchini patches and keep the neighbors from turning on one another, she meets a new neighbor, who kindly welcomes Nancy and her friends into her home. But things take a turn for the worse when her new neighbor discovers that her priceless Faberge egg is missing! Could the two crimes be linked? With the help of her friends Bess and George, Nancy is determined to get to the bottom of both of them, no matter what!

Silberling, Brad. (Director). (2005). Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures. Ages 9-12.

***Beware! This is not a happy movie!*** The Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, think their life can’t get any worse after finding out their house burned down and their parents were killed. But when they are taken to live with their nearest relative, Count Olaf, life most certainly does. Putting the children to work, he is determined to try and kill them, and no one will listen or believe them when they ask for help. After a close call on some train tracks, the children are finally taken away and live with a series of new guardians. But Count Olaf will stop at nothing to get what he wants—he’ll trick, kill, or even marry anyone who gets in his way, including three poor little orphans. Based on the first three novels in the series by Lemony Snicket.

MacDonald, Betty. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. HarperCollins, 1947. ISBN 978-0064401487. Ages 9-12.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, with her upside-down house and wild imagination, is the love of children everywhere. But it is the grown-ups who turn to her in their time of need to find the cures for all of their children’s bad habits—something only she seems to know how to do. Like other famous nanny characters, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is no-nonsense when it comes to certain things, and full of fun and imagination when it comes to others. Younger tweens will respond enthusiastically to her ability to balance discipline with entertainment, and parents will love the underlying message of each individual story.

Burton, Tim. (Director). (2005). Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures. Ages 9-14.

Based on Roald Dahl’s classic story by the same name, this movie tells the story of a young boy named Charlie Bucket, a kind caring boy who has very little but who has a very big heart. When he and four obnoxious and spoiled children find golden tickets in their Wonka chocolate bars and win a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, it is a dream come true. But the eccentric Wonka is unsympathetic when one by one, the children break the rules and lose out on the grand prize, leaving Charlie to take over the chocolate factory. And Charlie is able to give Wonka something back in return—a real family and reconciliation with his father.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory contains some violence and verbal insults from both Wonka and the Oompa-Loompas at the expense of the misbehaving and spoiled children and their parents. The film uses classic Burton style, pairing dismal blacks and grays with bright, colorful scenery, making his vision a perfect pairing with Dahl’s eccentric story. Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Wonka is first-class and stays true to the version of Wonka found in the text. While the film is entertaining, it does teach lessons about being humble and giving, not greedy and self-centered. The film is a wonderful companion to the book, and could be shown in both the age-appropriate classroom or in a library.

Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking. Puffin Books, 1950. ISBN 978-0142402498. Ages 9-12.

When Pippi Longstocking returns from sea to live on her own at Villa Villekula, it is much to the delight of Tommy and Annike, who are taken to Pippi immediately. For while she may refuse to act and behave like a normal child, that is what makes her special. The three embark on many adventures, including avoiding policemen, going to school, climbing trees, and saving the day. There are very few characters that can live up to Pippi’s legacy, for she is certainly one of a kind. Though the book leans slightly in favor of girls, the gender neutral plots and wild adventures are sure to appeal to both boys and girls.

Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses. Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1944. ISBN 978-0152052607. Ages 9-12.

Wanda Petronski is different—she has a different name, she is plain and poor, and she is shy and quiet. But Peggy, Maddie, and the other girls tease her because she claims she has one hundred dresses, even though she wears the same drab one every day. Maddie wishes they wouldn’t tease her, but does not speak up until it is too late and the Petronskis leave due to their poor treatment. Written for younger tweens, even reluctant readers with little experience reading chapter books will sail through this simple story. Girls may identify with the story more, and can learn about the cattiness and bullying that often occurs between them in real life. All readers will take away from the story the moral that just because someone is different does not make it right to tease and bully them.

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Knopf, 1964. ISBN 978-0375815263. Ages 9-12.

Poor Charlie Bucket wants more than anything to find a golden ticket in a Wonka bar, so that he can be one of the five to see Wonka’s magnificent chocolate factory. When he does, he is accompanied by four other naughty children who, one by one, lose their right to Wonka’s real intention—to find someone to replace him as the chocolate maker. Dahl’s is a tale of morals, and the consequences that must be paid when children are naughty and misbehave. But it is also a magical adventure into a world that is quite unlike anything children have ever experienced.