Book picks similar to
Wild Spirits by Rosa Jordan


calibre-import-17
middle-grade
wildlife
young-adult

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night


Joyce Sidman - 2010
    Welcome to the night, where mice stir and furry moths flutter. Where snails spiral into shells as orb spiders circle in silk. Where the roots of oak trees recover and repair from their time in the light. Where the porcupette eats delicacies—raspberry leaves!—and coos and sings. Come out to the cool, night wood, and buzz and hoot and howl—but do beware of the great horned owl—for it’s wild and it’s windy way out in the woods! This Newbery Honor-winning picture book combines beautifully written poetry with facts of the forest and elaborate illustrations to form a marvelously engaging collection.

Dancing Through the Snow


Jean Little - 2007
    No mother. No birth certificate. Not even a real birthday. Now, after four different foster families, Min's not surprised when she's dumped back with Children's Aid the week before Christmas. Still, a small part of her can't help aching for a miracle... and now she has an injured dog that needs a miracle too.

Grace and the Drawl


Dale Cusack - 2008
    She sees the nightmarish creatures that inhabit higher dimensions. Creatures that secretly feed on people, her parents her friends. Grace is not alone in seeing these monsters, however, cats not only see them but they are our only protection from the menace attacking us.Grace's adopted stray Boot, knows Grace is special and can see the creatures, now he wants her help in the fight against the Drawl. Grace is transported to Boot's world where cats are waging a war against the enemy. Grace is no hero, however. She is too small and weak, bullied and timid she struggles to find herself. Will Grace survive long enough to return to her own world? Or will she be another casualty in the battle to survive?

Oculum


Philippa Dowding - 2018
    Nominated for the OLA Forest of Reading Silver Birch Award 2020; SYRCA Diamond Willow Award 2019-2020As far as Miranda1 knows, there is one world: Oculum. Its dome, its walls and its garden are all there is. That's what the residents have been taught since birth. But William1 shows her something: a door in Oculum's wall. And if there is a door, there must be something on the other side...What they don't know is that there is a shattered world outside where a ragged few, such as Mannfred, Cranker and their friends, struggle to survive among the ruins. These people have heard of a paradise within Oculum. And they, too, have found a door.

The Evil Wizard Smallbone


Delia Sherman - 2016
    H. White, a lost boy finds himself an unlikely apprentice to the very old, vaguely evil, mostly just grumpy Wizard Smallbone.When twelve-year-old Nick runs away from his uncle’s in the middle of a blizzard, he stumbles onto a very opinionated bookstore. He also meets its guardian, the self-proclaimed Evil Wizard Smallbone, who calls Nick his apprentice and won’t let him leave, but won’t teach him magic, either. It’s a good thing the bookstore takes Nick’s magical education in hand, because Smallbone’s nemesis—the Evil Wizard Fidelou—and his pack of shape-shifting bikers are howling at the borders. Smallbone might call himself evil, but compared to Fidelou, he’s practically a puppy. And he can’t handle Fidelou alone. Wildly funny and cozily heartfelt, Delia Sherman’s latest is an eccentric fantasy adventure featuring dueling wizards, enchanted animals, and one stray boy with a surprising knack for magic.

The Wind in the Willows


Kenneth Grahame - 1908
    Toad, Badger, and Ratty--have enchanted children of all ages. Whether the four friends are setting forth on an exciting adventure, engaging in a comic caper, or simply relaxing by the River Thames, their stories are among the most charming in all English literature.

The Mouse and His Child


Russell Hoban - 1967
    "We must wait and see."So begins the story of a tin father and son who dance under a Christmas tree until they break the ancient clock-work rules and are themselves broken. Thrown away, then rescued from a trash can and repaired by a tramp, they set out on a perilous odyssey to follow the child's dream of a family and a place of their own. What happens to the mouse and his child in their search for the magnificent doll house, the plush elephant, and the tin seal they had known in the toyshop is a tale to remember and return to.

The Emergency Zoo


Miriam Halahmy - 2016
    When twelve-year-old Tilly and her best friend Rosy find out that they will not be able to take their beloved dog and cat with them – and that, even worse, their pets will, along with countless other animals, be taken to the vet to be put down – they decide to take action. The two girls come up with the idea of hiding them in a derelict hut in the woods and, when other children find out and start bringing their rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, their secret den turns into an emergency zoo.Inspired by real events during the Second World War, Miriam Halahmy’s novel is a touching tale of courage, resourcefulness and camaraderie in desperate times, as well as a stirring defence of animal welfare.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate


Jacqueline Kelly - 2009
    With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger.As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.

Down the Rabbit Hole, Chicago, Illinois, 1871: The Diary of Pringle Rose


Susan Campbell Bartoletti - 2013
    After her uncle Edward and his awful wife, Adeline, move into the Pringle family's home--making life for her and her younger brother, Gideon, unbearable--Pringle runs away with Gideon to Chicago, seeking refuge from the tragedy, and hoping to start a new life. She becomes a nanny for the children of a labor activist, and quickly finds herself caught up in a web of intrigue and lies. Then, when a familiar figure from home arrives, Pringle begins to piece together the devastating mystery of what happened to her parents, and realizes just how deadly the truth might be. But soon, one of the greatest disasters this country has ever known--the Great Fire of Chicago--flares up, and Pringle is on the run for her life.

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas


David Almond - 2012
    But there’s darkness in the madness, and when Uncle Ernie’s obsession takes an unexpectedly cruel turn, Stan has no choice but to leave. As he journeys away from the life he’s always known, he mingles with a carnival full of eccentric characters and meets the legendary Pancho Pirelli, the man who swims in a tank full of perilous piranhas. Will Stan be bold enough to dive in the churning waters himself and choose his own destiny?

Wild Life


Cynthia C. DeFelice - 2011
    A few days later, Erik is shipped off to North Dakota to live with Big Darrell and Oma, grandparents he barely knows. When Erik rescues a dog that's been stuck by a porcupine, Big Darrell says Erik can't keep him. But Erik has already named her Quill and can't bear to give her up. He decides to run away, taking the dog and a shotgun, certain that they can make it on their own out on the prairie.In this story of adventure and survival, Erik learns about the challenges and satisfactions of living off the land, the power of family secrets, and the pain of losing what you love.

The Pranksters Club: The Wimpy Kid Takeover


J.C. Foster - 2014
    And how can that get any worse for this Wimpy Kid? By finding out that you’re getting the meanest teacher in the school this year AND she just moved down the street.Leave it up to Connor, Max and Milo to turn the miserable first week of school into the biggest and most exciting party ever. All while avoiding the bully squad, outsmarting Molly, the teacher’s pet and staying one step ahead of Mr. Mooger, the principal.But everything is not as it seems and the three soon find out that they haven’t been the only one’s pulling pranks.Join Connor, Max and Milo on their new adventures in middle school, watch them out smart the bullies and stay one step ahead of the teachers. This illustrated book is a humorous and fun ride through middle school, never knowing what's just around the corner or under your seat. Connor's Diary of the Wimpy Kids in his prankster's club will keep you guessing and laughing out loud.Also Available: The Pranksters' Club: Ripped - Book 2 of the Series

Thorns (The Devious Fae, #1)


Katerina Martinez - 2021
    but I kissed him anyway, and now I'm here. My fault.Oh, where's here? It's definitely not the Blind Raccoon, one of Seattle's grungiest, dirtiest, most prestigious dive bars. No, that beautiful stranger at the bar is the reason I'm plucked out of the human world, where most things make sense, and brought to a place called Arcadia - the world of the Fae.A world of monsters.He brings me to a mansion called Emerald Hall, and while it's breathtakingly pretty, I'm a prisoner here, stuffed into a cell and warned not to be seen by the other Fae. I have to try to get out of here, using every trick I learned growing up, but I can't help wanting to know more about the man who stole me from my home and brought me all the way to his.You know, after he tried to kill me.There's something about him, about this place, and about me. Secrets just waiting to be unraveled, if only I cared to pull the threads. But who has time for that when there's escaping to do?

Time Stops for No Mouse


Michael Hoeye - 1999
    But when adventuress and aviatrix Linka Perlfinger walks into his watchmaker's shop, his life becomes anything but ordinary.