Book picks similar to
The Night Swimmers by Betsy Byars


young-adult
fiction
national-book-award
children

Henry Reed, Inc.


Keith Robertson - 1958
    While spending the summer with his aunt and uncle, Henry comes up with a sure-fire money-making project: Henry Reed, Inc., Research. Henry's neighbor, Midge Glass, has an even more sure-fire hit: Reed and Glass, Inc. Now with Henry's ingenious mind and Midge's practical reasoning, Reed and Class Inc. turns into a huge success--while creating more bewildering and outrageous schemes than the townfold could have imagined.

Little House on Rocky Ridge


Roger Lea MacBride - 1993
    In a covered wagon containing all their possessions, they make their way across the drought-stricken Midwest to the lush green valleys of southern Missouri. The journey is long and not always easy, but at the end is the promise of a new home and a new life for the Wilders.Little House on Rocky Ridge is the first book in The Rose Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.

Little House in the Highlands


Melissa Wiley - 1999
    It's 1788, and six year old Martha lives in a little stone house in Glencraid, Scotland. Martha's father is Laird Glencaraid, and the life of the Laird's daughter is not always easy for a lively girl like Martha. She would rather be running barefoot through the fields of heather and listening to magical tales of fairies and other Wee Folk than learning to sew like a proper young lady. But between her dreaded sewing lessons, Martha still finds time to play on the rolling Scottish hills.

45 + 47 Stella Street And Everything That Happened


Elizabeth Honey - 1995
    When the Phonies move into 45 Stella Street, the neighborhood is in for a shake-up, explains Henni. Former occupant Auntie Lillie's open-door welcome becomes Mr. and Mrs. Phonies' magazine house of swanky new appliances. Keep Away! The Phonies, through their attorneys, launch an artillery of snottily outrageous letters at the freindly folks at 47 Stella Street, complaining about garbage, blocked driveways, and a magenta fence! Zev, Henni, Danielle and Frank feel as if the sun has stopped shining on Stella Street. When the kids are called in for questioning, they decide to do a little detective work of their own.

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865


Joyce Hansen - 1997
    The two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Book recipient offers a poignant narrative about a freed slave girl during the Reconstruction Era in the South.

The Winged Watchman


Hilda van Stockum - 1962
    Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an "underdiver," a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression. The Verhagen family, who live in the old windmill called the Winged Watchman, are a memorable set of individuals whose lives powerfully demonstrate the resilience of those who suffer but do not lose faith.

The Shrinking of Treehorn


Florence Parry Heide - 1971
    He really was shrinking.Hilarious complications result as he becomes more minuscule by the moment. Treehorn is a bit downhearted when his teacher says, "we don't shrink in this class," and sends him to the principal. Poor Treehorn spends an unhappy day and night until he discovers a magical game that restores him to his natural size. This is a great relief to Treehorn before he notices that he is turning faintly green. . . .An ALA Notable Book

The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods


Ann Cameron - 1998
    Eleven-year-old Amanda Woods is discovering that the person other people think she is and the person she really is are not the same.

Lassie Come-Home


Eric Knight - 1940
    But when Joe's father loses his job, Lassie must be sold. Three times she escapes from her new owner, and three times she returns home to Joe, until finally she is taken to the remotest part of Scotland—too far a journey for any dog to make alone.But Lassie is not just any dog.First published in 1940, Lassie Come-Home has become one of the best-loved dog stories in the world. This beautiful edition showcases the original text and illustrations within a striking new jacket.

Misty of Chincoteague


Marguerite Henry - 1947
    "That horse is fast as the wind. She's escaped from every roundup on the island!"But Paul and Maureen want the beautiful wild mare for their very own."I'm going to capture her myself," says Paul.When Paul finally overtakes the Phantom, he makes a surprising discovery. Running at her side is a brand-new, silvery-gray colt - Misty!

The Seeing Stone


Kevin Crossley-Holland - 2000
    Young Arthur de Caldicot practises his tilting and archery, learns to be a dutiful page to his father, and waits impatiently to grow up and become a knight. One day his father's friend Merlin gives him a shining black stone. When Arthur starts to see stories in the stone, his life quickly becomes entwined with that of his namesake, the boy who pulls the sword from the stone.

The Secret Seven


Enid Blyton - 1949
    It's snowing and the Seven are dressed in disguise, following a lead to a spooky old house - and a mystery.

The Fire-Eaters


David Almond - 2003
    His new school is a frightening place, World War III might be imminent, and then there's the strange fire eater - a devil called McNulty.

Worzel Gummidge


Barbara Euphan Todd - 1936
    But when he turns up at the cottage to warm himself by the fire, they realise this is a very special scarecrow indeed.

The Ship That Flew


Hilda Lewis - 1939
    But this is no ordinary model. The ship takes Peter and the other children on magical flights, wherever they ask to go. Time after time the magic ship takes them on different exciting adventures, to different countries, and to different times.