by Johanna SpyriConditional Recommendation: A young, orphaned girl touches many lives when she goes to live on the Alps with her gruff grandfather.
Genre: Classic
by Melanie DickersonConditional Recommendation: Loosely based on the folk tale Aladdin, this growing-up-friends-to-lovers romance is a tame, enjoyable read.
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance
by Cornelia FunkeConditional Recommendation: A dragon, a brownie, and a boy set off on a quest to find the Rim of Heaven, a safe place for dragons to live, before humans invade their home or an ancient villain catches them.
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
by Eleanor H. PorterUnconditional Recommendation: Eleven-year-old orphan Pollyanna, full of happiness and love, goes to live with her cold, strict Aunt Polly and turns the household and the town upside down in the best way.
Genre: Classic
by Elizabeth George SpeareUnconditional Recommendation: Katherine “Kit” Tyler must learn to live in a Puritan community with her relatives but befriends the Witch of Blackbird Pond and risks being persecuted as a witch herself.
Awards: Newbery Medal (1959), Dorothy Canfeld Fisher Children’s Book Award (1960)
by Jennifer A. NielsenConditional Recommendation: Orphan boy uses his cunning and wit to stay alive amidst the treacherous plot of a nobleman in this suspenseful adventure.
Awards: E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Honor Book (2013), Lamplighter Award winner (2014)