500 Books Before Middle School | Park County Library System

Author

Summary

A Swiss orphan is heartbroken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home in the mountains to go to school and to care for an invalid girl in the city. This edition of the classic tale includes illustrations and notes about the life of the times.

2) Little women

Author

Alcott, Louisa May

Summary

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For generations, children around the world have come of age with Louisa May Alcott's March girls: hardworking eldest sister Meg, headstrong, impulsive Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. With their father away at war, and their loving mother Marmee working to support the family, the four sisters have to rely on one another for support as they endure the hardships of wartime and poverty. We witness the sisters growing up and figuring out what role...

3) Sarah, plain and tall

Author

MacLachlan, Patricia

Summary

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When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

4) Skylark

Author

MacLachlan, Patricia

Summary

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When a drought tests the commitment of a mail-order bride from Maine to her new home on the prairie, her stepchildren hope they will be able to remain a family.

5) The cat in the hat

Author

Seuss

Summary

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Two children sitting at home on a rainy day are visited by the Cat in the Hat who shows them some tricks and games.

6) Green eggs and ham

Author

Seuss

Summary

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Sam-I-Am mounts a determined campaign to convince another Seuss character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham. "Limited vocabulary but unlimited exuberance of illustration".--School Library Journal. Full color.

7) The little prince

Author

Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de

Summary

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In the meeting of the narrator who has ditched his plane in the Sahara desert, and the little prince, who has dropped there through time and space from his tiny asteroid, comes an intersection of two worlds, the one governed by the laws of nature, and the other determined only by the limits of imagination. The world of the imagination wins hands down, with the concerns of the adult world often shown to be lamentably silly as seen through the eyes...

8) Are you my mother?

Author

Eastman, P.D

Summary

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Soft pages and a plush baby bird let children move our little hero from page to page as he asks, a kitten, a dog, a hen, and others, "Are you my mother?"

9) Frog and Toad are friends

Author

Lobel, Arnold

Summary

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"One summer day Toad was unhappy. He had lost the white, fourholed, big, round, thick button from his jacket. Who helped him look for it? His best friend, Frog. Another day, Frog was unhappy. He was sick in bed and looking green. Who gave him some tea and told him a story? His best friend, Toad. From the first enchanting story to the last, these five adventures of two best friends are packed with excitement, gaiety, and tender affection. Children...

10) Fox in socks

Author

Seuss

Summary

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A collection of tongue twisters that is an amusing exercise for beginning readers.