Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death

Blossom Culp has her hands full, keeping her friend Alexander out of the clutches of arch-rival Lottie, saving the job of the new suffragette school teacher and getting her Ancient Egypt grave robbery project done.  She’s not very happy when the ghost of an Egyptian princess appears to her and demands to be restored to her tomb.  It’s Illinois, after all, so getting to Egypt might be challenging.  But the ghost is a princess, who expects to be obeyed, so Blossom and Alexander figure out how to help her and save the day.

Author: Richard Peck
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): girl
Part of a series: yes
Where: Rural Illinois
When: 1914

Note: hard-to-find

This is the fourth of four Blossom & Alexander books. The others are:

• The Ghost Belonged To Me (#1)
• Ghosts I Have Been (#2)
• The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp (#3)

The Ghost Belonged To Me

Thirteen-year-old Alexander has girl problems, but not the kind you think.  His neighbor, Blossom Culp, asks to walk home with him after school so she can inform him that he has supernatural powers, and horribly, she’s right.  The ghost of a dead girl appears to him and warns him of an impending trolley wreck.  Then, when he saves the trolley riders and tells the truth about the ghost, his mother and sister are mad at him for getting in the newspaper and taking all the glory away from his sister’s big coming-out party.  Sheesh!  How’s a guy to get a little peace?

Author: Richard Peck
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): boy
Part of a series: yes
Where: Rural Illinois
When: 1913

Note: hard-to-find

This is the first of four Blossom & Alexander books.  The others are:

• Ghosts I Have Been (#2)
• The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp (#3)
• Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death (#4)

Time Warp Trio: Tut Tut

Joe, Fred & Sam manage to get their Ancient Egypt school projects all done without having to use their time-traveling book to check out the time of the pharaohs in person — or so they think. Joe’s little sister happens to open the book and all four of them are swept into the past and have to battle evil priests, crocodiles and collapsed tombs before they can get back. Quick, fun read!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie is a poor kid living with his parents and both sets of very old grandparents.  For his birthday, all he gets is a chocolate bar from the nearby chocolate factory belonging to the mysterious Mr. Willy Wonka.  When Charlie and his Grandpa Joe are invited to the visit the chocolate factory with four other children (all horrid in their own ways), they find that the factory, while wondrous and magical, can also be extremely dangerous!

Author: Roald Dahl
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): boy
Part of a series: yes
Where: England
When: present

Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator

Charlie, Mr. Wonka and Grandpa Joe take on space aliens and hopelessly useless government officials!  Some of Roald Dahl’s very best rhymes are in Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator.  Laugh out loud funny!

Author: Roald Dahl
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy
Part of a series:  yes
Where: England and outer space
When: present day

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Heidi

The story of Heidi is over a hundred years old, but still is a fun read, especially for kids who like books about special grandparents.  Heidi’s grandfather is reserved at first, but her cheerfulness wins him over.  The two really learn how much they love each other when Heidi is taken away from him and the Alps to live in the city.

Author: Johanna Spyri
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Girl
Part of a series:  yes
Where: Switzerland
When: long ago

Heidi is a free ebook you can download from Gutenberg.org

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The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Calpurnia Tate (known as Callie Vee by her family) can’t figure out how to get a hold of a copy of Darwin’s scientific book Origin of Species.  It’s Texas in the late 1900’s and the book was thought to be an argument against God, which upset the religious communities.  Imagine Callie’s surprise to learn that not only does her own grandfather own a copy, but it’s signed, which means her grandfather knew Mr. Darwin himself!  Grandfather Tate is a gruff, distant character, but Callie earns his respect and the two even create their own unique brand of fun in the hunt for a brand new species.

Author: Jacqueline Kelly
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Girl
Part of a series:  yes
Where: Texas
When: 1899

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The Children Of Green Knowe

Tolly’s great-grandmother is very old, but she and Tolly understand each other right away when he goes to visit her on a school holiday.  And as Tolly discovers more friendly family members in their castle home (ones who died 400 years before!), he is excited to learn that his Granny knows about them too.  And, interestingly, they have a Granny who, in an old family portrait, looks just like Tolly’s Granny.  Hmmm!

Author: L.M. Boston
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy
Part of a series:  yes
Where: England
When: present day

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Who Was Milton Hershey?

A real-life Mr. Wonka, Milton Hershey created an empire out of candy.  This biography, from the popular Who Is? series, tells about the creative ideas and hard work that led to the creation of the Hershey bar and the chocolate and candies that are over a hundred years old and still part of everyday American life today.

Author: James Buckley Jr.
Ages: 9 – 12
Part of a series: yes

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The Secret Series

Cass, who is prepared for any disaster, and her friend Max-Ernest battle a club of villains dedicated to eternal life in this five-book series.  The third book, This Book Is Not Good For You, has chocolate as a key ingredient.  While you can read it by itself, I recommend you start with the first book in this exciting, fun series and save the chocolate book for the middle course.

Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy and Girl
Part of a series: yes

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1. The Name of This Book is Secret
2. If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late
3. This Book Is Not Good for You
4. This Isn’t What It Looks Like
5. You Have To Stop This