Jerry Spinelli
Loser
Age Level: 9-12
Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like "Jabip." Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become "hero."
Eggs
Age Level: 9-12
Thirteen year old Primrose lives with her peculiar, remote mother; nine year old David has just moved to the neighborhood to live with his grandmother. Primrose and David, both fragile, share unusual but memorable adventures as they learn to cope with what is missing from their lives.
Knots in My Yo-Yo String
Age Level: 9-12
The Newbery Medal winning author has vivid recollections of growing up in Norristown, PA, in the 1950s. His recollections are vivid, funny, and episodic and allow fans of Spinelli's novels to glimpse where stories might begin.
Love, Stargirl
Age Level: 12-14
In this sequel (Stargirl, 2000), Stargirl and her family have moved from Arizona to Pennsylvania to a neighborhood with slightly zany people (like an agoraphobic neighbor and an affable thief). Stargirl's diary-like letters to Leo, the boy she still loves who dumped her the previous year, tell her story.
Maniac Magee
Age Level: 9-12
Larger than life Maniac Magee is a modern folk hero, particularly in the small town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania where he brings together people from opposite sides of the track. Unforgettable characters deal poignantly, often humorously, with race, poverty, and more in this contemporary tall tale.
Stargirl
Age Level: 12-14
The new girl in 10th grade at Mica High is unique, from her name to her clothing (and everything else in between). Her nonconformity changes the entire school — at least for a while. Comfortable sameness returns when, rejected by Leo, Stargirl leaves.
Milkweed
Age Level: 12-14
The boy doesn't know his family but survives in Warsaw, Poland in 1939, by stealing food and staying away from the Jackboots, the German soldiers. When he is befriended by Uri, a Jewish boy, he becomes known as Miska. Gradually, Miska and the other orphans discover the horrors that surround them in this naively told, riveting novel.
Smiles to Go
Age Level: 12-14
Will Tuppence is a 14-year old who likes to be in control. Playing chess-a game at which he excels — he likes to see the entire board. Will learns that — unlike chessmen — friends, family, even protons can be beyond one's sway, making this coming-of-age story plausible and unusual.
Wringer
Age Level: 9-12
Most boys look forward to birthdays, but not Palmer. Once he turns 10-years old, he's expected to assume the role of "wringer" in the town's annual pigeon shoot. He doesn't want to strangle wounded birds any more than he wants to be bullied. His dilemma is compounded by the secret he keeps in his room.
Crash
Age Level: 12-14
Seventh grader "Crash" Cogan is a jock who, as he begins narrating this humorous, touching novel, is a downright bully. He takes aim most often at a neighbor and classmate named Penn. Penn not only wears hand-me-downs but joins the cheerleading squad. This is an unusual glimpse at "jockdom."
