Please choose one title that you would like to read for book club!  To refresh your memory, the titles, lexile levels, and a brief description of each book are listed for you below.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P.  Figg by Rodman Philbrick - Historical Fiction --950L
In this Newbery Honor-winning page-turner, twelve-year-old orphan Homer runs away from Pine Swamp, Maine, to find his older brother, Harold, who has been sold into the Union Army. With laugh-aloud humor, Homer outwits and outruns a colorful assortment of civil War-era thieves, scallywags, and spies as he makes his way south, following clues that finally lead him to Gettysburg. Even through a hail of gunfire, Homer never loses heart--but will he find his brother? Or will it be too late?
With engaging wit and comical repartee reminiscent of Mark Twain, master storyteller Rodman Philbrick introduces us to the unforgettable character of Homer in his latest groundbreaking novel.  The 2010 Newbery Honor Book

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko - Historical Fiction - 600L
Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. It is a time when the federal prison is home to notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone. Depressed about having to leave his friends and winning baseball team behind, Moose finds little to be happy about on Alcatraz. He never sees his dad, who is always working; and Natalie's condition-- her tantrums and constant needs--demand all his mother's attention. Things look up for Moose when he befriends the irresistible Piper, the warden's daughter, who has a knack for getting Moose into embarrassing but harmless trouble.

Mudshark by Gary Paulsen - Realistic Fiction -- 1080L
In this very short grade-school mystery, Paulsen introduces readers to Mudshark (real name Lyle Williams), a student with astonishing powers of observation, an iron-clad memory, and an ice-cool demeanor. Whenever something goes missing, Mudshark’s the guy to find it. So when all the erasers disappear from the classrooms, the principal enlists Mudshark to uncover the culprit.

Surviving Brick Johnson by Laurie Myers - Realistic Fiction -- 410L
Fifth-grader Alex believes he has run afoul of the new kid, Brick Johnson, whose name says it all. Brick is a lot taller and bigger than the other kids in the class, and in Alex's mind, he's a terrifying bully. To protect himself, Alex decides to sign up for karate classes, and when Brick also signs up, Alex fears the worst.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - Historical Fiction -- 950L
Describes the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal: to reach the man he, on the flimsiest of evidence, believes to be his father, jazz musician Herman E. Calloway.