Book picks similar to
At Top Speed by Kiersi Burkhart


completed-series
classroom-library
elementary
4-level

Riding Freedom


Pam Muñoz Ryan - 1998
    She doesn’t like playing with dolls, she can hold her own in a fight, and she loves to work in the stables. Charlotte has a way with horses and wants to spend her life training and riding them on a ranch of her own. The problem is, as a girl in the mid-1800s, Charlotte is expected to live a much different life – one without freedom. But Charlotte is smart and determined, and she figures out a way to live her dreams with a plan so clever and so secret – almost no one figures it out.

The Double Life of Zoe Flynn


Janet Lee Carey - 2004
    Ages 8-12.

A Smidgen of Sky


Dianna Dorisi Winget - 2012
    Four years after the plane Piper's daddy was piloting disappeared, her mama is remarrying. The way Piper sees it, Mama's being plain disloyal. Besides, who'd want to get stuck with a prison guard for a stepdad and that weenie, Ginger, for a stepsister? But when Piper Lee hatches a foolproof plan to get the wedding called off, it quickly spirals out of control. And by the time Piper realizes what she’s done—and just how much she really cares about her new family—it might be too late. With a perfect blend of heartbreak and humor, this refreshing middle-grade debut explores opening one’s heart and learning to let go.

Weeping Under This Same Moon


Jana Laiz - 2008
    Her anguished parents send her away on a perilous escape during the exodus of thousands of Vietnamese refugees known as “Boat People.” In Mei’s words we learn of the dangers she faces caring for her two younger siblings on a sea journey fraught with hunger, thirst and deprivation, leaving behind everything she loves, to find refuge for her family.Hannah is an angry seventeen-year-old American high school student. Friendless, neurotic, a social misfit—her passion for writing and the environment only intensify her outcast state. Through Hannah’s voice, we get inside her head, there to discover a gentle soul beneath all the anger and turmoil.When Hannah learns of the plight of the “Boat People,” she is moved to action.Destiny brings Mei and Hannah together in a celebration of cultures and language, food and friendship, and the ultimate rescue of both young women from their own despair. Weeping Under This Same Moon is a testament to the power of love and the spirit of volunteerism; affirming that doing for others does so much for one’s self.

White Fur Flying


Patricia MacLachlan - 2013
    There is always the sweet smell of dog and a warm body looking to cuddle or play. There is always a new dog to be saved and loved. Fur flies everywhere. It covers everything. Zoe’s house is never silent.But the house across the street is always silent these days. A new family has moved in and Phillip, the boy, has stopped speaking. He doesn’t even want to try.Zoe knows that saving dogs and saving boys are different jobs, but she learns that some parts are the same. Both take attention and care, understanding and time. And maybe just a bit of white fur flying.

A Horse Called Trouble


C.K. Volnek - 2011
    At thirteen she finds herself skeptic and suspicious, with no family, no friends, and forced to participate in horse therapy. Horse therapy “will teach trust, perseverance, respect and the value of teamwork,” or so says the program’s instructor. Tara is unconvinced. Trust only got her heart broken, perseverance only gets her put down, and no one respects or wants to team up with the misfit foster kid. At the stable, Tara meets Trouble, an angry horse bent on destroying everything and everyone around him. When Tara realizes he’s just as misunderstood and untrusting as she is, she pushes aside her fear and a special relationship is formed. Trouble trusts Tara, and Tara in turn finds hope and acceptance as well as the will to love and trust again herself. But Tara’s confidence is shaken as a great challenge looms ahead. Trouble’s manipulative owner is determined to have him destroyed because of his ‘dangerous’ nature. Tara must overcome her own limitations and fight to save the horse that has freed her heart and given her life value and meaning.

Karma's a Bitch


J. Gail - 2006
    Labeled the "asshole of West Philly," Tony holds no shame in having other women in his girlfriend Quanisha's bed. There is little remorse after he knocks off a convenience store and beats the cashier down with a gun. He'll rob from his girl, his friends, people he doesn't know and ya mama. He doesn't care who he hurts. The question is when will Tony figure out that Karma's a Bitch? Maybe when he starts getting his Karma instantly and mercilessly he'll get the hint.Will a heavy dose of 'Instant Karma' show him that not contributing to society in any positive way is guaranteed to get him a one way ticket to no where? Or will he just keep digging himself deeper in a hole that could end up being his final resting place...This book will give you a chuckle, a laugh -- or at the very least a smile. But hey, don't laugh too hard... Karma is one persistent bitch that doesn't rest.Want more J.Gail books? Check out Thugs Are for Fun on Amazon (a 3-part series).

The Moffats


Eleanor Estes - 1941
    During kindergarten recess, one accidentally hitches a ride out of town on a boxcar. One winds up trapped in the breadbox outside the deli. One offers to escort a Salvation Army man to his destination - and accidentally bumps him from his horse-drawn wagon.

Birthday Girl


Meredith Badger - 2006
    Usually Anabelle loves her birthday party, but this year everything keeps going wrong! Will she be able to make it the best birthday ever, or will it all end in tears?

The Susanna Kearsley Collection


Susanna Kearsley - 2014
    History has a habit of not letting go...From the Cornish coast, to an archaeological dig, to the windswept ruins of a Scottish castle, collected together for the first time are three novels by bestselling author Susanna Kearsley: The Rose Garden; Sophia's Secret; The Shadowy Horses.

Pinkalicious: Pinkie Promise


Victoria Kann - 2011
    Readers can watch Pinkalicious and Peterrific on the funtastic PBS Kids TV series Pinkalicious & Peterrific!#1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Kann brings young readers a Pinkalicious I Can Read story of friendship and imagination.When Pinkalicious uses all of Alison’s pink paint in class, Pinkalicious knows just how to make it up to her best friend!Pinkalicious: Pinkie Promise is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

Madeline in London


Ludwig Bemelmans - 1961
    To help celebrate his birthday, Miss Clavel and the girls pay him a visit. When his mother won't let Pepito keep one of his birthday presents--a horse--Madeline is more than willing to help out.

The Great Escape


Bill Wallace - 1998
    After all, what self-respecting cat (that’s me, Chuck) stays somewhere he doesn’t want to be? And what self-respecting dog (that’s Rotten Willy, who calls me Upchuck) won’t let his best friend (me) goad him into action on a fine spring day? Believe me, it’s not easy getting a lumpy Rottweiler over—or under—a big wooden gate! I figured it was about time I took Willy to my pal Luigi’s restaurant for a great spaghetti and meatball dinner. Problem was, Luigi didn’t understand that some dogs and cats, particularly an exceptional feline like me, can be friends. He was only trying to protect me when he went after Willy with a skillet! Boy, did he run. Then Willy decided to teach me how to chase cows. ME chase cows? Me-ow! I tried to introduce him to something more civilized, like chasing mice, but no go. Then came the skunk. Need I say more? But the real obstacle to a long-lasting friendship was yet to come.

Camp Rolling Hills


Stacy Davidowitz - 2016
    Finally, it's summer! Stephanie—aka Slimey—has been counting the days until she can return to her favorite place in the entire world, Camp Rolling Hills. And this year she's especially happy to be back—she'll have eight blissful weeks away from home, where life has been decidedly rocky.          New kid Bobby, on the other hand, is pretty sure he's in for the worst summer of his life. He does not understand his weirdo cabinmates, the group singing, and the unfortunate nicknames (including his: Smelly). But he does understand Slimey, and the two soon fall in crush. This summer might not be so bad after all!          But then a fight sets off an epic, campwide, girls-versus-boys prank war. Bunks are raided! Boxer shorts are stolen! And it's up to Slimey and Smelly to keep the peace. "Camp Rolling Hills is funny and sweet. It brought me back to those amazing summer camp summers and my very first taste of young adulthood." --Michael Showalter, co-writer of Wet Hot American Summer "Stacy Davidowitz gets the magic of camp and the wonder of being twelve just right. Camp Rolling Hills is both heartwarming and laugh-out-loud hilarious." --Elissa Brent Weissman, author of Nerd Camp

Origami Yoda Pack: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda / Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book (Origami Yoda)


Tom Angleberger
    In these hilarious bestsellers, Dwight's finger-puppet, Origami Yoda, always saves the day, but what happens when Darth Paper appears on the scene?