Capricorn (Cap for short) had lived every day of his life on Garland Farm growing fruits and vegetables.  He was homeschooled by Rain, the only person he knew in the world. Life was simple for Cap. But when  Rain falls out of a tree while picking plums and is hospital-ridden, he has to attend the local  middle school and live with his new guidance counselor and her irritable daughter. While Cap knew a  lot about Zen Buddhism, no amount formal education could ready him for the trials and tribulations of  public middle school.  Funny look at everything we take for granted.  Realistic fiction.

Claudia and her brother, Jamie run away and live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Claudia would  not return home until she discovered the maker of a statue at the Museum.  Funny, heartwarming, and a bit of a mystery.  

In the middle of an Iowa cornfield, four children find a magic wall that enables them to travel through  time and space.  Fantasy.

As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative,  Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real  friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.  Humorous realistic fiction.

Eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in his building laundry room and discovers the dark Underland beneath the city.  There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats and Gregor's arrival soon throws everything out of balance.  Exciting Fantasy.

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life.  Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability.  She's spent years trying to teach David the rules so he can behave somewhat normal-it's her own behavior that falls into question as she meets two new potential friends; Jason and Kristi.  Realistic fiction.