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This is the story of an unfortunate cockroach named Crickwing, called this because of a twisted wing earned when fleeing a predator. Crickwing finds he has a talent for food presentation: He is a food sculptor! He builds his creations out of roots, leaves and petals, and then eats them…when he can. Crickwing is constantly thwarted by lizards, ocelots and food-stealing monkeys. As he watches thousands of busy leaf-cutting ants, he wonders, “Why isn’t anyone bothering these little twerps?” Thus, a bully is born. Crickwing harasses the ants until their Queen orders him to be captured and offered as a sacrifice to the army ants. Luckily, kind leaf-cutters set him free, and he redeems himself by using his special talents to rid the leaf-cutters of the army ants once and for all. Cannon’s illustrations are lush and invigorating, guaranteed to enrapture the most reluctant reader.

Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.

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David Schwartz offers the perfect read-aloud for the child who has difficulty conceptualizing a million. Join a magician who specializes in mathematics, as he reveals that it would take a fishbowl the size of a city’s harbor to hold a million goldfish! Steven Kellogg’s illustrations help readers visualize the enormity of this number in an entertaining way. This book will surely tickle your funny bone.

Perfect for: Kids who like numbers.

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Jon Scieszka, a former teacher and a popular author for boys, presents a hilarious read for anyone who suffers from a math phobia. Imagine how you would feel if your math teacher told you, “You can think of everything as a math problem.” Would your head immediately start hurting? Would your heart start to race? Spend the day with a girl who wakes up one morning to find that every event in her life has been reduced to some sort of math problem. Have fun solving the problems she encounters, and see if you agree that she has been cursed!

Perfect for: Kids who like numbers.

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Celebrated children’s author Jean Fritz turns her eye on her own childhood. Born in China of American parents, young Jean feels torn between her homesickness for the America of her grandmother’s letters and the devout love she feels for the Chinese people and their culture.

Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.

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Ten-year-old Alonzo King is an expert about monster movies. He spends hours with Scotch tape and makeup trying to master his beloved monster faces in the mirror. When a mysterious beast is rumored to be stomping on flower beds and scratching up cars, Alonzo is called on for his monster expertise.

Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.

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The year is 1894. Jake Bannock and his father Sam are on the run and hiding out in Blowfly, Nevada. When Sam unexpectedly disappears and is presumed dead, it’s up to Jake and Sam’s dog, Jim Ugly, (who is part wolf and part dog) to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.

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This book tells the story of Bradley Chalkers, a boy who tells enormous lies, picks fights with girls, spits on people and is considered by his teachers to have behavioral issues. Bradley has no friends, is disliked by all the students and teachers in the »ÆÉ«app and, always sits by himself in the last seat, last row. Things start to change when Jeff Fishkin, a new student, arrives and is placed in the only empty seat left in the room, right next to Bradley. The »ÆÉ«app hires a new counselor, Carla, who sees potential in Bradley and works with him to make him see the potential in himself, a difficult task for a boy who sees himself as a monster.

Perfect for: Kids who like realism.

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The author and photographer accompanied scientist Lisa Dabek and her team on a trek through the remote forests of Papua New Guinea in search of the elusive Matschie’s tree kangaroo. Little is known about this rare animal that looks like a bear, has a pocket like a kangaroo and lives in trees. The book is filled with wonderful photographs of the tree kangaroos, their lush forest habitat, and other exotic plants and animals. Information included about Dabek’s background may be of special interest to aspiring young naturalists and biologists. None of her friends, family or teachers encouraged her in her passionate interest in animals when she was growing up, thinking it was strange, and she struggled with the challenge of asthma. This book provides fascinating information about a little-known place on Earth, a newly discovered species and how one woman overcame the odds to follow her dreams.

Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction and animals.

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Like eco-Nancy Drews, the characters of the Gaia Girls series will appeal to girls ready to take on modern-day environmental challenges. Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth is the first in the series and introduces Elizabeth, who possesses the power of “earth” — the ability to work with and command soil, trees and creatures in the soil. Illustrated throughout, this chapter book is for more mature fourth-grade readers, as it does not pull any punches when taking on subjects like factory farming. Highly recommended for its compelling story and sensitivity to current issues.

Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.

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The life-like picture of a rat on the cover of this book will be enough to pique the interest of many kids. “Revolting, revealing, and riveting,” says the book’s back cover, and it’s an apt description of the nine fact-filled chapters about these “champions of survival.” The author provides information about rats’ habits and intelligence, as well as their role as disease carriers, lab animals, predators, pests, pets and even as food. The gross-out factor alone will make this a must-read for many kids.

Perfect for: Kids who like nonfiction and animals.

Find at your local library.