by Patricia Reilly Giff (4th+)
Grace O’Malley has been taking care of her father and her sister Amy ever since her mother died. Now she finds out that her cousin Fiona will be coming to stay with them and help her out in taking care of the family. She doesn’t need Fiona’s help and she certainly does not want her around. Even with her sisters diabetes and her own problems at the school, she still does not feel that she needs help with the family. But, Fiona shows up anyway, and from her Grace learns of the brave pirate queen named Grace O’Malley. Can Grace actually be brave like the great pirate queen in order to help her family and herself through the tough times. To learn about the O’Malley family and the brave pirate queen, read The Gift of the Pirate Queen by Patricia Reilly Giff.
by Debra D. Munn (5th+)
Here are the ghosts of Montana from miners and cowboys, to murderers and even Native Americans. These stories span a long range of places including Bannack, the University of Montana in Missoula, the Big Horn Battlefield, the Big Sky Ski Resort, the Grand Theatre in Helena, mining mansions in Butte, a house in Great Falls, Montana State University theatre in Bozeman, Chico Hot Springs, the town of Garnet, and Virginia City. The stories have to do with silent apparitions, strange noises, footsteps that are heard when no one is there, doors that are locked and unlocked, the feeling of a presence or being touched by a bedside visitor when no one is there, and items moving on their own. For scary and spine-tingling tales of Montana’s ghosts, read Montana Ghost Stories by Debra D. Munn.
by Willo Davis Roberts (4th+)
Have you ever wanted more adventure in your life? Well, that’s how Kaci feels. Everyone in her family is really good at something but her. But, as her grandma always says, “be careful what you wish for.” Kaci and her family are moving into a new house and one day she finds herself at home alone while the house is being robbed. She tries to hide but the robbers find her and decide the best way to deal with her is to use her as a hostage and get rid of her later. She tries to leave clues so her family can find her but will they be in time? Can she survive and outsmart the robbers until her family and the police can find her? For a fast-paced action story, read Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts.
by Dan Asfar (5th+)
There are many spine-tingling and strange stories that come from Montana locations. These stories and tales have been put together as a collection in this book. There are stories of haunted houses, the Little Big HornBattlefield and surrounding area, the Old West and mining towns, the Montana wilderness, and even of Montana colleges. Spine-tingling events include apparitions, mischievous ghosts, strange deaths, phantom hitchhikers, and scary mining ghosts missing limbs. If you are interested in scary stories and enjoy reading of places that perhaps you may have visited, then you will want to read these tales. Places that strange tales and stories have come out of range from large cities like Great Falls, Butte, Helena, and Billings, to less known areas perhaps such as Conrad, Valier, Virginia City, Nevada City, and even Montana highways. For a spine-tingling good read and interesting stories of Montana tales from the Old West to today, read Ghost Stories of Montana by Dan Asfar.
by Jerry Spinelli (4th+)
What is so great about a library? Well, we are about to find out. Come along on a journey with Mongoose, Brenda, Sonseray, and April Mendez, four pre-teens who discover changes in their lives after a mysterious blue library card shows up among their possessions. It begins with Mongoose who finds his library card in his pocket among the stuff he has just stolen from a store. He makes the decision to check out the library and finds his life changing for the better. Brenda is a TV addict, she just can’t get enough of it. But when the school has a Great TV Turn-Off week she thinks she may go crazy. That is until she finds the mysterious blue library card. Curious about the library she visits and also finds her life has changed and she has missed so much of it already. Sonseray lives out of a car with his uncle and he is always so angry with anything and anyone no matter what is done. He finds his library card and one day discovers himself in the library looking for air conditioning. He leaves with much more than he bargained for however, and his life is set on a track for the better. Lastly, April Mendez loved to read and spent every waking hour possible in the New York City library, that is until her family moved to a mushroom farm. Now what is she going to do. She has no friends and she has no library anymore to keep her happy. She has this useless library card that she soon finds will help her in many ways and make her life seem complete. To find out more about how this special library card helped these pre-teens in their sometimes scary and uneventful lives, read The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli and take an adventure of your own through reading.
by Shellie Larios (5th+)
Do you enjoy ghost stories? Do you like reading about places you know about or have visited? Then this may be the book for you. Yellowstone National Park was the worlds first national park and these 20 or so spooky tales come from there. The tales in this collection include ghosts haunting inns with noises and appearances, mysterious disappearances and circumstances, as well as tragic stories of death, murder, and loss. Many of the ghost stories and tales in this collection happened in hotels and areas that are still around in Yellowstone National Park today. So, if you would like to hear of the headless bride who haunts the Old Faithful Inn or of the little ghost boy who wanders lost through the same hallways or perhaps learn of the whispers ofthose who have drowned in Yellowstone Lake and of the mysterious woman who hitchhikes in the rain trying to get to work at a hotel that no longer exists, then read Yellowstone Ghost Stories by Shellie Larios.
Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow Series #12
by Rob Kidd (2nd+)
Captain Torrents is now in possession of Poseidon’s trident. With it he has captured Captain Jack Sparrow and his former crew, who are now crew to Captain Laura Smith, Arabella’s mother. Torrents has them all trapped in the caves of the Merfolk where he has punctured holes in the cave walls in which sea water has begun pouring in and will soon fill the cavern. They must escape in order to get the trident back from Torrents and help the Merfolk gain the freedom they so desperately want. But Jack eventually finds himself fighting alone against Torrent and the Trident when the rest of his crew has become incapacitated in battle. Can he defeat Torrents and if he does can he handle the task of becoming the new leader of the free Merfolk? Read Bold New Horizons, the last book in the Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow series by Rob Kidd.
by Patricia Reilly Giff (4th+)
