Recommendations based on Turtle in Paradiseby Jennifer L. Holm

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Moon Over Manifest

    by Clare Vanderpool
    A young girl's adventure through 1920s America, uncovering family secrets and finding her identity.

    The main character in the book is Abilene Tucker, a nice, adventurous girl from 1936. Her father sent her to a small town called Manifest, Kansas while he worked a railroad job somewhere else. She ... (Wikipedia)

  2. 11 Birthdays

    by Wendy Mass
    Two best friends, Amanda and Leo, are stuck in a time loop, reliving their 11th birthday party until they learn to forgive each other.

    Amanda and Leo have been best friends since they were born, but on their 10th birthday, she hears Leo saying terrible things about her and she stops speaking to him. Their 11th birthday does not go ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  4. One for the Murphys

    by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
    A young foster child's struggles to find her place in a tumultuous world.

    Twelve-year-old Carley Connors can take a lot. Growing up in Las Vegas with her fun-loving mother, she's learned to be tough. But she never expected a betrayal that would land her in a foster care. ... (Goodreads)

  5. One Crazy Summer

    by Rita Williams-Garcia
    A young girl's summer adventure in Oakland, California, as she learns about her family's past.

    Delphine, aged eleven, Vonetta, nine, and Fern, seven, live with their father and grandmother in Brooklyn , New York. However, the girls’ father sends them to Oakland, California one summer to stay ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Bud, Not Buddy

    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    A young boy searches for his father during the Great Depression, encountering adventure and unexpected kindness along the way.

    The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses'. Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their 12-year-old son, who teases him mercilessly and calls him Buddy. After a fight with Todd, ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Out of the Dust

    by Karen Hesse
    A poetic story of a young girl's endurance through a time of great hardship.

    When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it ... (Goodreads)

  8. Sunny Side Up

    by Jennifer L. Holm
    Sunny spends the summer of 1976 with her grandfather in Florida, uncovering family secrets and learning about life.

    When is a summer vacation not really a summer vacation? Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun – it is the ... (Goodreads)

  9. Raymie Nightingale

    by Kate DiCamillo
    An unlikely trio of girls embark on an adventure to win a beauty pageant, learning valuable life lessons along the way.

    Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who ... (Goodreads)

  10. Rain Reign

    by Ann M. Martin
    A young girl with Asperger's navigates her world through her love of homonyms while dealing with family issues.

    From Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin, who wrote the Baby-sitters Club series, comes a, New York Times,-bestselling middle grade novel about a girl, her dog, and the trials of growing up in a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Diary of a Worm

    by Doreen Cronin
    A humorous look at life as a worm, with adventures and lessons to be learned.

    #1 New York Times Bestseller! This hilarious picture book from the bestselling, acclaimed author-illustrator team of Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss tells the adventures of a worm through his daily ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Hattie Big Sky

    by Kirby Larson
    A young girl's adventure of resilience, determination and courage in the wilds of Montana.

    The novel is set during World War I . Hattie Brooks, a sixteen-year-old orphan who has tired of being shuttled between relatives she hardly knows, receives a letter from an uncle who has recently ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    by Brian Selznick
    An orphaned boy's journey to unravel the secrets of a mechanical man and find his place in the world.

    In 1930s Paris, young Hugo Cabret and his father repair an automaton at the museum where his father works. When Hugo's father dies in a fire, his uncle brings him to live and work at the train ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Hope Was Here

    by Joan Bauer
    A teenage girl's journey to find a better life, and a better version of herself.

    When Hope and her aunt move to small-town Wisconsin to take over the local diner, Hope's not sure what to expect. But what they find is that the owner, G.T., isn't quite ready to give up yet - in ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Candymakers

    by Wendy Mass
    Four children compete in a candy-making competition, but secrets and surprises threaten to unravel their plans.

    Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Mysterious Howling

    by Maryrose Wood
    A magical world of adventure and danger, as a young girl discovers a talking dog and mysterious secrets.

    The first book in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place—the acclaimed and hilarious Victorian mystery series by Maryrose Wood, perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Trenton Lee Stewart—has a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The Lions of Little Rock

    by Kristin Levine
    A 12-year-old girl faces the racial tensions of 1958 Arkansas during the Little Rock Nine integration crisis.

    Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958 Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new ... (Goodreads)

  18. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

    by Grace Lin
    A young girl named Minli embarks on a journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family's fortune.

    By a bare mountain, where the Jade River runs through, lies a poor, mud-covered village known as the Village of Fruitless Mountain, where the protagonist, Minli lives. Minli is a young ten-year-old ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Out of My Mind

    by Sharon M. Draper
    A young girl with cerebral palsy struggles to overcome obstacles and prove her ability.

    Melody Brooks is a girl who was born with cerebral palsy . Also, who is ten years old. Her parents have done everything they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often frustrating for ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Savvy

    by Ingrid Law
    A family discovers the power of their special inherited magical gifts.

    For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Fourteenth Goldfish

    by Jennifer L. Holm
    A girl uses science to discover the power of family, friendship, and second chances.

    Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer. Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far? Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Wild Robot

    by Peter Brown
    A robot's journey of self-discovery and its transformation from a machine to a living creature.

    Wall-E, meets, Hatchet, in this, New York Times, bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. The Great Gilly Hopkins

    by Katherine Paterson
    A foster child, Gilly, struggles to find her place in the world and learns the true meaning of family.

    Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins is a mean, brat 11-year-old girl who is headed for yet another foster home . She hates living with different people all the time and just wants to settle in with her birth ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Pax

    by Sara Pennypacker
    A fox and a boy form an unlikely bond as they embark on a journey of survival and friendship.

    New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year * National Book Award Longlist Finally in paperback! This handsome edition features French flaps. From bestselling and award-winning author ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

    by Jacqueline Kelly
    A young girl in rural Texas discovers her passion for science and nature.

    In the summer of 1899, Calpurnia Virginia Tate is about to turn twelve and worries about the adult responsibilities that loom on the horizon. She would much rather swim in the river near her family's ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Elijah of Buxton

    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    A young boy's adventures in a pre-Civil War free-town, learning the true meaning of freedom.

    Newbery Medalist and CSK Award winner Christopher Paul Curtis's debut middle-grade/young-YA novel for Scholastic features his trademark humor, compelling storytelling, and unique narrative voice. ... (Goodreads)

  27. Roller Girl

    by Victoria Jamieson
    Twelve-year-old Astrid discovers her passion for roller derby and learns about friendship, perseverance, and growing up along the way.

    For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s, Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby. Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Last Juror

    by John Grisham
    A small-town journalist's journey to uncover the truth of a decades-old murder case.

    In 1970, a 23-year-old college dropout named Willie Traynor realizes that his dreams of becoming a Pulitzer -winning journalist will never come true. He moves to Clanton, Mississippi for an ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

    by Jon Scieszka
    A humorous reimagining of the classic fairy tale, as told from the wolf's side of the story.

    You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young ... (Goodreads)

  30. A Year Down Yonder

    by Richard Peck
    Young girl moves to her grandmother's for a year, discovering life's hard lessons and unexpected joys.

    The year is 1938, and the Great Depression has hit the Dowdel family hard. 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent downstate to live with Grandma Dowdel while her mother and father remain in Chicago. Her ... (Wikipedia)