The Brandon Area Reader Raiders recommends the following books from the 2005-06 "Battle of the Books" reading list for more pleasurable reading. All books are currently available (9-20-05):

While his neighbors the Perlmans are on a research and sightseeing vacation, Andy watches their house. Helping the young detective is Tamika Anderson, who lived with them while her parents were recovering from an accident, but is now staying with the Russells. The children find trash in their neighbors' garbage can and signs that someone is in the house. The police investigate but determine there has been no break-in. Over the next few days, the friends' suspicions are aroused again. When they see a package delivered next door, they decide to call the Perlmans' phone number. They learn that the couple is letting an artist stay in their home. As simple as that, the mystery is solved. As implausible as the plot may be, beginning chapter-book readers and fans of Andy Russell may enjoy this tidy case.

With her brilliantly hued flower-print dresses, her maracas and tambor, and the migrating beauty mark over her lipsticked mouth, Tia Lola stands out in Vermont like a tropical bird in a snowstorm. Her nephew, 10-year-old Miguel, just wants to fit in to his new home. He and his mother and sister have just moved here from New York following his parents' divorce. With his black hair and brown skin, it's hard enough already without the flamboyant antics of his friendly, nutty aunt, visiting from the Dominican Republic. But even while she is dancing her merengues in front of his new friends and painting the white farmhouse purple, Tia Lola is also weaving a magical spell of love and support that Miguel and his wounded family sorely need. Miguel's growing appreciation for his crazy aunt's ways, and the entire town's admiration and respect for an outsider who, without even speaking the same language, wins the hearts of all, is a funny, uplifting story.

Humphrey the hamster enjoys being Room 26's classroom pet. He adores Ms. Mac, and every day brings new learning and experiences. Then Ms. Mac unexpectedly leaves; worse, returning teacher Mrs. Brisbane despises small furry creatures--leaving Humphrey both brokenhearted and worried about his future. Going home on weekends with school staff members and students helps, revealing diverse, often surprising stories and situations that allow both Humphrey and his human caretakers to learn from one another.

Jason is miserable. He's being forced to learn to swim when he'd rather write a horror-film script featuring his sister as the monster. To make matters worse, a staff person at the Rec Center mistakes him for Tank, the neighborhood bully. This gives Jason an idea: he'll take Tank's dance lessons for him, and Tank will take his swimming lessons. What seems simple and fun on the surface is actually a life-changing experience for both boys. Jason learns what it's like to wear Tank's shoes as his reputation gets him in trouble when he's not even there, and the boys end up as reluctant friends.

3AOwen, who has been playing soccer since kindergarten, talks his good friend Joseph into joining a team. Joseph is new at the game and his first attempts to play it are clumsy. When a bully begins to ostracize him on the field, Owen must decide if he will defend his friend. The plot is straightforward and fast paced without any play-by-play action to slow it down.

In this endearing story by Newberry Medal-winner Sharon Creech, a wise old Italian granny skillfully imparts life advice (and cooking lessons) to her winning but sometimes obstinate 12-year-old granddaughter. Rosie's story unfolds first, over making and eating zuppa, and then Granny Torrelli tells parallel stories from her own childhood to help Rosie with her current predicament.

Seventh-grader Whisper can't stand soccer. Her little sister is the family sports star. However, Whisper is the one who is tapped for a contest promotion and she must try to kick a goal past the town's leading professional star in front of a whole stadium full of soccer fanatics. The prize is one million dollars, but Whisper isn't sure the potential humiliation is worth it. She suspects that no one in her family really believes she can do it. Her classmates don't offer much support either. It seems her only ally is Jesse, a self-styled "computer nerd," and Whisper doesn't know if she wants to be seen with him, even if he has created a laptop simulation that could help her succeed.

Thirteen-year old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. He'd never flown before, and he'd never seen the Pacific Ocean. Kyle's perfect vacation becomes a nightmare while he's babysitting his sister, BeeBee. An earthquake hits the coast and starts afire in their hotel. While fighting their way through smoke and flame, Kyle remembers seeing a sign at the beach that said after an earthquake everyone should go uphill and inland, as far from the ocean as possible. Tsunamis, giant waves that often follow earthquakes, can ride in from the sea and engulf anyone who doesn't escape fast enough. Can Kyle and BeeBee outwit and outrun nature's fury to save themselves from tsunami terror?

Quila MacFarlane's father tends the lighthouse on Devil's Rock, a remote island off the coast of Maine, and when her mother dies, the lonely 12-year-old assumes the role of cook and housekeeper. One day, after a ship goes down, she finds two small mattresses tied together. Inside is a baby. Now the girl has more work than ever, but Celia brings new life to the island, even giving some joy to Quila's grieving father. But then a woman arrives, wanting to say good-bye to her sister who died in a shipwreck, and Quila and Papa realize that she is Celia's aunt. Quila is torn between hating this stranger who threatens to take the child away, and loving her for the friendship she brings.

Junebug moves to a new apartment building where his mother is caretaker for a group of senior citizens. Junebug's job is to walk around the Reverend in 6-A daily which is no easy task as the Reverend is grouchy and misbehaves. Other problems Junebug wrestles with include an absent father, a new school, and his mother's new boyfriend.

A 12-year-old protagonist replaces Ernest Hemingway's elderly Santiago in this takeoff on the classic novelette, set this time in coastal Maine. Skiff has lost his mother and, since her death, his father, once a hardworking fisherman locally known for his skills with a harpoon, has sunken into such deep, beer-soaked despair that his son can't seem to rouse him off the couch. As Skiff tries to single-handedly stem the rising tide of slovenly decay threatening to swamp what's left of his family, he also must contend with Tyler Croft, a bullying rich kid who sabotages his efforts to get ahead. Things seem entirely hopeless until the day he sees a giant tuna hauled in from offshore and sold for a large sum as a source for premium sushi. The fish literally and symbolically embodies all of Skiff's ambitions for a better life, and he decides to try to catch one using just a 10-foot plywood boat and a harpoon created by his father. As in The Old Man and the Sea, the ensuing adventure is told through an inner dialogue, one in which Skiff sometimes imagines he is speaking to his mother.

Sixth-grader Jason Percy and his friend Freddy love the TV game show Masquerade Mania: its hosts throw pies and make contestants jump into vats of Jell-O. When Jason's parents decide to drive from their Texas home to Los Angeles for summer vacation, they invite Freddy to go with them. With his friend as his coach, Jason hopes to get on the show and win fabulous prizes. Unfortunately, the trip west involves madcap disasters thanks to the pop-up Camp'otel that attaches to the roof of their SUV, making them the laughingstock of every campground they enter.

Kristine still hasn't recovered from the death of the family's pet horse when her grandfather surprises her with a new puppy on her eleventh birthday. She pretends to be excited, but she is determined not to care for another pet and risk being hurt again. After Kristine learns that her grandfather has some potentially serious health problems, and that her new baby sister may also be ill, she begins to learn how to manage her fears of losing a loved one. A related subplot, Kristine's interest in a sixth-grade boy, further reveals her unwillingness to take a chance on a relationship that might end painfully.