Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Some might consider Max Kane as a thirteen year old "freak". He lumbers; he doesn't speak much; and he lives in the basement of his grandparents house. He also has a dark secret that haunts every day of his life...he might be just like his dad, Killer Kane. Yet when Kevin moves in next door, suddenly Max is not the weirdest kid in the neighborhood. Kevin has the body of a small child but the brain of imaginative adult. Together these two form a friendship through their differences. With Max's huge size and Kevin's quick wit, these two set off on adventures against bullies and their pasts to become "Freak the Mighty".
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Kathrine Paterson
Fighting, stealing, and cursing, Gilly Hopkins is one tough cookie. She has been in and out of foster care homes three times in three years. She is brillant and, more often than not, unmanageable. She knows exactly what to do and what to say to get kicked out of these homes faster than you can Gilly Hopkins. What she wants, though, is to find her beautiful mother Courtney. What she gets is Maime Trotter, a fat illiterate widow who cares for puny, stuttering 7 year old William Ernest. Although she has a hard shell to crack, Gilly Hopkins will find love even in the most unlikely of people and places.
The Word Eater by Mary Amato and Christopher Ryniak
What if you could erase something from the world like thumbtacks or your neighbor's evil dog or the school cafeteria's spinach souffle? In the book The Word Eater Lerner Chase finds a worm that eats words instead of dirt. Whatever this little worm eats disappears forever from the world. It cannot come back. If Fip eats the word thumbtacks, then all thumbtacks in the world currently existing and the ones in the future just simply disappear. No other thumbtack can ever be made again. With great power comes great responsibility as Lerner begins to choose just what should and shouldn't be allowed to exist. Should school exist? Should bullies? Read The Word Eater to see if Lerner can make the right choices before it is too late.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Jess Aarons only wants to be the fastest boy in school, but his dreams are shattered when the new girl daringly races all the boys and wins. This was not supposed to happen. Against the somewhat rough start to a new friendship, Jess and Leslie soon become inseparable. They use their minds to create the magical kingdom of Terabithia. Then one day tradegy strikes, and Jess truly learns the courage and power that Leslie has given him. This book, too, has won the Newberry Medal.
Some might consider Max Kane as a thirteen year old "freak". He lumbers; he doesn't speak much; and he lives in the basement of his grandparents house. He also has a dark secret that haunts every day of his life...he might be just like his dad, Killer Kane. Yet when Kevin moves in next door, suddenly Max is not the weirdest kid in the neighborhood. Kevin has the body of a small child but the brain of imaginative adult. Together these two form a friendship through their differences. With Max's huge size and Kevin's quick wit, these two set off on adventures against bullies and their pasts to become "Freak the Mighty".
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Kathrine Paterson
Fighting, stealing, and cursing, Gilly Hopkins is one tough cookie. She has been in and out of foster care homes three times in three years. She is brillant and, more often than not, unmanageable. She knows exactly what to do and what to say to get kicked out of these homes faster than you can Gilly Hopkins. What she wants, though, is to find her beautiful mother Courtney. What she gets is Maime Trotter, a fat illiterate widow who cares for puny, stuttering 7 year old William Ernest. Although she has a hard shell to crack, Gilly Hopkins will find love even in the most unlikely of people and places.
The Word Eater by Mary Amato and Christopher Ryniak
What if you could erase something from the world like thumbtacks or your neighbor's evil dog or the school cafeteria's spinach souffle? In the book The Word Eater Lerner Chase finds a worm that eats words instead of dirt. Whatever this little worm eats disappears forever from the world. It cannot come back. If Fip eats the word thumbtacks, then all thumbtacks in the world currently existing and the ones in the future just simply disappear. No other thumbtack can ever be made again. With great power comes great responsibility as Lerner begins to choose just what should and shouldn't be allowed to exist. Should school exist? Should bullies? Read The Word Eater to see if Lerner can make the right choices before it is too late.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Jess Aarons only wants to be the fastest boy in school, but his dreams are shattered when the new girl daringly races all the boys and wins. This was not supposed to happen. Against the somewhat rough start to a new friendship, Jess and Leslie soon become inseparable. They use their minds to create the magical kingdom of Terabithia. Then one day tradegy strikes, and Jess truly learns the courage and power that Leslie has given him. This book, too, has won the Newberry Medal.