Search for Belle Prater by Ruth White

The last anyone had seen of Belle Prater, she was dressed in her son's clothes and leaving in the middle of the night. They say she was crazy. Must have been to leave like that. Her son Woodrow is now living with his grandparents but he still longs to find Belle. And this longing will not go away. He just knows that the mysterious phone call on New Year's Eve must have been Belle. And now Woodrow, his cousin Gypsy and the new girl, Cassie, are determined to find out where Belle is. Along the way, they make some new friends and go on a Search for Belle Prater.

Tales Told in Tents by Sally Pomme Clayton

Have you ever heard of a magic carpet? I bet you have. And I bet you enjoy folk tales too. This is a collection of folk tales from Central Asia. You may not be familiar with many of them. These are the tales told by the nomads who live in tents and travel from place to place. Tales from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhtan, Kyrgyzstan, Jajikistan and Afghanistan. Come on and lift the tent flap and enjoy these unique tales.

Swimming to America by Alice Mead

Linda knows there are secrets. Secrets that her parents keep from her. At 13, she is becoming angrier about the secrets. But she has her own secrets. Her secret hideout that she and her friend Ramon have built. The stranger who claims to have jumped off a ship in the harbor. The thugs who are looking for Ramon's brother. Linda knows it isn't good to keep secrets but what can she do? Her parents won't talk so why should she. Until a school assignment brings things out in the open.

Ida B. by Katheine Hannigan

Hannigan, Katherine.
IDA B. : AND HER PLANS TO MAXIMIZE FUN, AVOID DISASTER AND (POSSIBLY) SAVE THE WORLD

Ida B's first days at school were not what she expected. In fact, she was miserable. When her mother spends the day in school with her, she agrees that it is not where Ida B belongs. So, for the next few years, Ida B is home schooled. She loves spending her free time outdoors talking to the trees and the brook. And she loves spending time with her parents. But then the unthinkable happens. Her mother is diagnosed with cancer. Now her mother is too tired to teach her and her father is too busy taking care of the farm and his family. So Ida B has to go back to public school. Will fourth grade be as bad as she believes? Can Ida B adjust to all the changes happening in her life?

Escape to West Berlin by Maurine Dahlberg

After World War II, the country of Germany was divided up and ruled by four different countries. The Soviet Union took control of East Germany and the United States, Great Britain and France took control of West Germany. The country of West Germany prospered while the country of East Germany became poorer. The Soviets dreamed of creating the perfect socialist society in East Germany but it did not happen. For the first few years, people were allowed to cross between the two countries with little problem. But in 1961, the East German government decided to close the border and not allow any more crossings. For Heidi and her family, this posed a very big problem. Her father had been working in West Berlin for many years and loved his job. But now he was being told that he could no longer work in the west. When the family decides to escape to West Berlin, they must be very secretive about their plans. But the crossing is going to be a lot harder than they thought.