Recommendations based on Countdownby Deborah Wiles

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

  1. Inside Out & Back Again

    by Thanhha Lai
    A young girl and her family flee Vietnam, adapting to a new life in America.

    Inside Out and Back Again is a story about a young girl named Kim Hà and her family, consisting of her Mother and three brothers, being forced to move to the United States because the Vietnam War had ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Trash

    by Andy Mulligan
    Three boys living in a dumpsite in Brazil find a wallet and become embroiled in a dangerous mystery.

    In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

    by Linda Sue Park
    A boy's story of courage and perseverance, as he faces the civil war in Sudan.

    A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ ... (Goodreads)

  4. Yellow Star

    by Jennifer Roy
    A young Jewish girl's harrowing experience during the Holocaust, told through free-verse poetry.

    In 1939, the Nazis invaded Poland and forced that nation's second-largest community of Jews, 270,000 strong, into one section of the city of Łódź , which they later walled off to form a ghetto. ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

    by Jordan Sonnenblick
    A humorous and heartfelt story of a young boy's struggle with leukemia and its effect on his family.

    The protagonist of the book is Steven Alper, a 13-year-old boy living in New Jersey . The Alper family consists of Dad, an accountant; Mom, an English teacher; Steven, an enthusiastic and talented ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Between Shades of Gray

    by Ruta Sepetys
    A young girl's story of survival and resilience in the face of oppression during World War II.

    Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family ... (Goodreads)

  7. The War I Finally Won

    by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
    A young girl with a disability finds the courage to fight for independence and to make her own choices.

    Ada and her younger brother, Jamie, now have a permanent home with their loving legal guardian, Susan Smith. Although Jamie adapts more easily, Ada still struggles with the aftermath of her old life, ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Magician's Elephant

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A mysterious elephant brings together a group of characters in a magical journey of discovery.

    In a highly awaited new novel, Kate DiCamillo conjures a haunting fable about trusting the unexpected — and making the extraordinary come true. What if? Why not? Could it be? When a fortuneteller's ... (Goodreads)

  9. Gregor and the Marks of Secret

    by Suzanne Collins
    Gregor and his sister delve deeper into the Underland to uncover a dangerous secret.

    The novel opens with Gregor 's little sister Lizzie preparing to go to camp , while Gregor and Boots head down to the Underland. Ripred introduces Gregor to the now-teenaged Pearlpelt so Gregor can ... (Wikipedia)

  10. The Diviners

    by Libba Bray
    In 1920s New York City, a group of young people with supernatural abilities must come together to stop a dark force from unleashing chaos on the city.

    SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED… Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, ... (Goodreads)

  11. 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)

  12. The Lucky One

    by Mark Isham
    Sheet music for the main theme of the movie "The Lucky One," a beautiful and emotional piano solo composed by Mark Isham.

    Mark Isham's theme to the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' romantic drama makes a beautiful piano solo. This official sheet music edition allows pianists to bring it to life. ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    by Eric Carle
    A caterpillar's journey of growth and transformation to becoming a butterfly.

    THE all-time classic story, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life? One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar ... (Goodreads)

  14. Peace Like a River

    by Leif Enger
    A young boy's journey of faith, hope, and courage in the midst of tragedy.

    Once in a great while, we encounter a novel in our voluminous reading that begs to be read aloud. Leif Enger's debut, Peace Like a River , is one such work. His richly evocative novel, narrated by an ... (Goodreads)

  15. Year of Wonders

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A small English village grapples with the effects of the bubonic plague.

    When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of ... (Goodreads)

  16. 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)

  17. The Colossus Rises

    by Peter Lerangis
    Jack McKinley and his friends must find seven magical Loculi to save themselves and the world from destruction.

    One Boy Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die. One Mission Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Language of Flowers

    by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
    A young woman's journey of healing and redemption through the power of flowers.

    The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Opposite of Me

    by Sarah Pekkanen
    A woman's life is turned upside down when she discovers her identical twin sister, who she thought was dead, is actually alive and successful.

    Twenty-nine-year-old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her ravishingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on ... (Goodreads)

  20. Gregor the Overlander Box Set

    by Suzanne Collins
    Follow Gregor and his sister as they journey to the Underland, a world beneath New York City, where they encounter giant rats, bats, and cockroaches.

    Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, and Gregor and the Marks of Secret. ... (Goodreads)

  21. Radiance

    by Alyson Noel
    A young girl discovers she has the power to heal people with her touch, but it comes at a cost. She must navigate her new abilities and the consequences that come with them.

    Riley Bloom crossed the bridge into the afterlife following a car crash - with her parents and her beloved dog, Buttercup. The afterlife is situated in - Here & Now . And it turns out that the ... (Wikipedia)

  22. When You Reach Me

    by Rebecca Stead
    A young girl in 1970s New York City receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. She must unravel the mystery before it's too late.

    Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

    by Rachel Joyce
    An elderly man's unexpected quest of faith, discovering the power of hope and love.

    Harold Fry, 65, has cut the lawn outside his home at Kingsbridge on the south coast of Devon when he receives a letter. A colleague of twenty years ago, Queenie Hennessy, has cancer and is in a ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Catalyst

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    Kate Malone is a science-loving high school senior who discovers a family secret that changes everything.

    Meet Kate Malone—straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and ... (Goodreads)

  25. Lost

    by Sarah Prineas
    A young boy discovers a magical world hidden within the city, but must navigate dangerous obstacles to save it from destruction.

    “A page-turner of a fantasy with elements of humor as well as intrigue, swordplay, and librarian-versus-hostile-book combat.” — Booklist “A fast-paced, engaging adventure.” ,—Publishers Weekly, “One ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. I Have Lost My Way

    by Gayle Forman
    Three strangers meet in Central Park and help each other find their way. A story of friendship, love, and self-discovery.

    A powerful display of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay . Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making ... (Goodreads)

  27. Forge

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A young slave fights for his freedom during the American Revolution, facing betrayal and hardship along the way.

    For many readers,, Forge, “will be one of the best novels they have ever read” (starred review from, Kirkus Reviews,)! Blistering winds. Bitter cold. And the hope of a new future. In this compelling ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. Maniac Magee

    by Jerry Spinelli
    A young orphan boy, Jeffrey Lionel Magee, becomes a legend in a racially divided town by bringing people together through his incredible feats of athleticism and kindness.

    Jeffrey Lionel Magee's parents were killed in a trolley accident when a drunk driver crashed and sunk it into the river in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania , orphaning him at age three. After living with his ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The City of Ember

    by Jeanne DuPrau
    A city on the brink of destruction, two young people race against time to unlock its secrets.

    As the book starts off, a coalition of architects, scientists, and doctors known as "The Builders" have built Ember, an isolated, underground city with enough supplies for its inhabitants to survive ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

    by Gabrielle Zevin
    Life of an isolated bookseller is transformed when an unexpected visitor brings unexpected joy.

    “Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—, The Washington Post, A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his ... (Barnes & Noble)