Book picks similar to
Miracle at Willowcreek by Annette LeBox


contemporary
grade-school
read-for-school
environment

The Angel of Nitshill Road


Anne Fine - 1992
    ‘Fat.’ ‘Freak.’ ‘Smelly.’ Barry Hunter was bullying them and everyone at Nitshill Road School knew it. But the angel brings a clever solution. Life at school is going to be very different from now on.

I See a Bear, but...


K.A. Morgan - 2015
    A crafty bear, a timid bunny, a curious raccoon, and a few other forest animals--all peeking out from the pages of this book. Children will get caught up in the beautiful digital illustrations and laugh at the humorous text as they respond eagerly to the clues that keep them turning the pages as they try to figure out what the animals are doing out on in the woods.

Goodnight, Boy


Nikki Sheehan - 2017
    Tragic, comic and full of hope, thanks to a dog called Boy.The kennel has been JC’s home ever since his new adoptive father locked him inside. For hours on end, JC sits and tells his dog Boy how he came to this country: his family; the orphanage and the Haitian earthquake that swept everything away.When his adoptive mother Melanie rescues him, life starts to feel normal again. Until JC does something bad, something that upset his new father so much that he and Boy are banished to the kennel. But as his new father gets sicker, JC realizes they have to find a way out. And so begins a stunning story of a boy, a dog and their journey to freedom.

Zero Tolerance


Claudia Mills - 2013
    While there, Sierra spends time with Luke, a boy who's known as a troublemaker, and discovers that he's not the person she assumed he would be--and that the lines between good and bad aren't as clear as she once thought. Claudia Mills brings another compelling school story to life with Zero Tolerance.

The Last Wild


Piers Torday - 2013
    Locked away in a home for troubled children, he's told there's something wrong with him. So when he meets a flock of talking pigeons and a bossy cockroach, Kester thinks he's finally gone crazy. But the animals have something to say. And they need him. The pigeons fly Kester to a wild place where the last creatures in the land have survived. A wise stag needs Kester's help, and together they must embark on a great journey, joined along the way by an overenthusiastic wolf cub, a military-trained cockroach, a mouse with a ritual for everything, and a stubborn girl named Polly. The animals saved Kester Jaynes. But can Kester save the animals?

Ellie's Chance to Dance


Alexandra Moss - 2005
    For Ellie, ballet isn't just a dream, it's become a way of life. She's danced for almost as long as she can remember and started ballet lessons when she was four. Now Ellie is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime-a chance to audition for a spot to dance with the Royal Ballet. But Ellie knows that even if she won a place, it would mean moving to London and leaving her ill-stricken mother behind with no one to care for her. When the day of the audition finally arrives, Ellie must decide between pursuing her dreams or sacrificing her goals of joining the Royal Ballet to be with her mother. What will Ellie do?

The Horsemasters


Don Stanford - 1957
    She could hear them stamping and pawing restlessly as they awakened. She could smell them, too; and she drew in the deepest breath she could hold, filling her nostrils with the wonderful, exhilarating stable smell of sweet hay and ammonia and warm, strong life... horses!

The Serpent's Egg


J. Fitzgerald McCurdy - 2002
    Tolkien, The Serpent's Egg begins as Ottawa lies under siege. Parliament Hill has fallen to dark forces. A group of children, led by Miranda, searches through the maze of caves and tunnels under the Library of Parliament. They are in quest of the magic needed to save our world and another, older world from Hate, the Demon, and her crazed minions. For Miranda and her companions, it's also a journey of self-discovery, where friendships and personal courage are put to the ultimate test in the never-ending war between good and evil.

Born to Run


Michael Morpurgo - 2007
    There was something inside it, squeaking and squealing in terror. Patrick didn't think about it. He shrugged off his school bag and leaped into the canal.For Best Mate, being rescued from drowning as a young puppy is only the start of his adventures. From unwanted burden to favourite companion, and from pet to champion race dog, this remarkable greyhound proves that it's not just cats who have more than one life. Cast aside, kidnapped, adopted or living rough on the streets, Best Mate can always find a way to survive. But will he ever find a real home?

Tuscan Dreams at the Cornish Confetti Agency


Daisy James - 2020
    The Cornish Confetti Agency is heading to Tuscany!Why not join Lexie as she co-ordinates Isla and Nico’s wedding in gorgeous Florence?

Daisy's Dilemma


Debbie Viggiano - 2021
    Boyfriend Dominic has proposed marriage!However, Dominic isn’t in any rush to buy a ring, and meeting the parents is looong overdue. What is the problem? After all, Daisy’s mum has already bought her big hat and wants to know the wedding date!Then careless words plant seeds of doubt and, like weed, Daisy’s concerns begin to multiply. Is Dominic hiding something?Meanwhile, sexy ex Harry is back on the scene and begging Daisy for a reconciliation. He thought the grass was greener with HER but now says he made a mistake. Is Harry – for once – being genuine, or simply leading Daisy up the garden path?New neighbour Seth seems like a fun guy, but a single throwaway comment has Daisy mimicking a species of Calla Lily – Red Alert! It’s time to do some digging. But even she never anticipated a mad car chase across London or unearthing a shocking secret that changes everything.

The Great Escape


Megan Rix - 2012
    And as the air raid sirens sound over London, the frightened animals are sent to be put down.Buster, Tiger and Rose make a daring escape but with danger at every turn, can the trio make it across the country as it prepares for battle - and cheat death for the second time?

The Year Without Michael


Susan Beth Pfeffer - 1987
    But somewhere between home and the softball field, 16-year-old Jody Chapman’s younger brother disappeared, and now the family is falling apart. Her parents hardly speak to each other, her younger sister is angry and bitter, and Jody’s friends, always so important to her, are slowly slipping away. It seems that all anyone can do is wait. Wait—for Michael to walk in the door. Wait—to stop missing him. Wait—to stop waiting. When a private detective can’t uncover a single clue about Michael’s disappearance, Jody’s urgent need to find him drives her to make a last desperate attempt to hold her family together.

Pax


Sara Pennypacker - 2016
    Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds. Told from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi


Rudyard Kipling - 1894
    Rudyard Kipling's dramatic tale, here excerpted from the greater volume of The Jungle Book, is the story of the loyal mongoose, Rikk-Tikki-Tavi, and the lengths to which he must go to protect his adoptive human family.