Read aloud list for Grade 5 and 6

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope--a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.

WHEN BOMBS BEGIN TO FALL, Ali drowns out the sould of war with a pen.

Like other children living in Baghdad, Ali loves soccer, music and dancing, but most of all, he loves the ancient art of calligraphy. When bombs begin to fall on his city, Ali turns to his pen, writing sweeping and gliding words to the silent music that drowns out the war all around him. Gorgeously illustrated with collage, pencil and charcoal drawings and, of course, exquisite calligraphy, this timely and yet universal story celebrates art and history but also offers young children a way to understand all they see and hear on the news.

Silent Music is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

This awesome special edition of Big Nate: In a Class by Himself includes an extra 16 pages full of winter fun, with laugh-out-loud holiday comix, mix 'n' match gift grabs, and Nate-orious wish lists!

Big Nate fans won't want to miss getting their hands on the first Big Nate novel, now jam-packed with extra activities and comics! It's the same great story, now even better!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney says, "Big Nate is funny, big time!"

Ten-year-old Tommy and his sister Annie are intrigued by the new soldiers arriving in their Georgia town. Since the Civil War started, wounded men waiting to be treated at the local church-turned-hospital have been coming in by droves. When Tommy sees a soldier drop his notebook, he sends his dog, Samson, to fetch it. Tommy soon meets the soldier and is faced with the hardest decision he's ever had to make: whether or not he should help a Yankee escape to freedom.

Filled with intriguing suspense and tackling difficult questions about slavery, this story, told in accessible short chapters, will appeal to history buffs as well as those who appreciate a faithful dog.

Lizzie and Karl's mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don't run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead. When the city is bombed, the family flees with thousands of others, but how can they walk the same route when they have an elephant in tow, and keep themselves safe? Along the way, they meet Peter, a Canadian navigator who risks his own capture to save the family.

As Michael Morpurgo writes in an author's note, An Elephant in the Garden is inspired by historical truths, and by his admiration for elephants, "the noblest and wisest and most sensitive of all creatures." Here is a story that brings together an unlikely group of survivors whose faith in kindness and love proves the best weapon of all.

This second book in the Lionboy trilogy is even more action-packed than the first, offering clever escapes, shipwreck, a prehistoric beast named Primo who will prove himself a great hero, and surprises that will shock and delight. It's an exhilarating, suspenseful whirlwind of a story, and readers will be clamoring for more.