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Elementary Books - Grades K-4
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Alvarez, Julia. How Tia Lola Came to Stay.
Knopf, 2001. Gr. 3-6.
Although ten-year-old Miguel is at first embarrassed by his colorful aunt, Tia Lola, when she comes to Vermont from the Dominican Republic to stay with his mother, his sister and him after his parents' divorce, he learns to love her.

Arnosky, Jim. Little Champ.
Putnam, 1995. Gr. 3-5.
Bobby and Gina visit their grandparents on Lake Champlain and learn about the legendary monster that supposedly inhabits the lake.

Bacon, Katharine Jay. Pip and Emma.
Atheneum, 1986. Gr. 4-7.
Twelve-year-old Pip and his younger sister Emma find the summer spent with their grandmother in Vermont affecting them in different ways as they share both pleasant and unpleasant experiences and adventures.

Coblentz, Catherine C. Blue Cat of Castle Town.
Longmans, 1949. Reprinted by Countryman's Press, 1983. Gr. 3-6.
A Vermont town in the Revolutionary War, a kitten and the song of a river.

Crompton, Anne Eliot. Deer Country.
Little, 1973. Gr. 4-6.
Human and animal relationships are interwoven as two men and a boy sight the same huge buck and each goes after it with his own private dream.

Danziger, Jeff. The Champlain Monster.
Lanser Press, 1981. Reprinted by New England Press, 1983. Gr. 3-5.
From a chance discovery on an ice-fishing line to the startling climax, it's one surprise after another for Tracy and her brother.

Budbill, David. Bones on Black Spruce Mountain.
Dial, 1978. Gr. 4-7.
Seth's & Daniel's camping trip to a lonely mountain top becomes a journey into a painful past that Daniel must confront.

Budbill, David. Snowshoe Trek to Otter River.
Dial, 1976. Gr. 4-7.
Three short stories in which Daniel and Seth practice their survival skills in the Northern Vermont Woods.

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield. Understood Betsy.
Holt, 1917. Reprinted by Holt, 1999. Gr. 4-7.
A small and timid girl discovers her own abilities and the world around her when she goes to live with relatives on a farm in Vermont.

Frost, Frances M.
Fireworks for Windy Foot. McGraw, 1956. Gr. 4-6.
Maple Sugar for Windy Foot. McGraw, 1950.
Sleighbells for Windy Foot. McGraw, 1948.
Windy Foot at the County Fair. McGraw, 1947.

Four perennial favorites by a Vermont author, about the adventures of three children and their pony on a farm near Crooked River (one of the Indian names of Otter Creek).

Gasque, Dale Blackwell. Pony Trouble.
Hyperion, 1998. Gr. 2-4.
Amy envies her cousin Rebecca's skill at gymnastics and swimming, not knowing that Rebecca wishes she had Amy's way with animals.

Gauthier, Gail. The Hero of Ticonderoga.
Putnam, 2001. Gr. 4-7.
When Teresa is chosen to do the coveted report on Ethan Allen, she learns a great deal about the Vermont hero and also discovers what pleasure she gets from writing and presenting the report.

Haas, Jessie. A Horse Like Barney.
Greenwillow, 1993. Gr. 4-8.
Finally given permission to have a horse of her own, Sarah looks at a series of Morgans and finds herself being scared, being bored, and falling in love with too many horses.

Haas, Jessie. Keeping Barney.
Greenwillow, 1982. Gr. 4-8.
When Sarah moves to a small Vermont farm, all she wants is a horse of her own.

Haas, Jessie. Uncle Daney's Way.
Greenwillow, 1994. Gr. 4-7.
When his great-uncle Daney comes to live with Cole's family after being crippled in a logging accident, the two work together all summer to find a way to make enough money to buy feed so they can keep Daney's old horse.

Hayford, James. Gridley Firing.
New England Press, 1987. Gr. 4-8.
Martin Patch, with the help of a pet skunk and his music teacher helps his family fight off the bank foreclosure on their Vermont farm.

Henry, Marguerite. Justin Morgan had a Horse.
Macmillan, 1954. Gr. 4-8.
Authentic story of the first Morgan horse, with background of early Vermont.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Faraway Summer.
Morrow, 1998. Gr. 4-6.
In the summer of 1910, Dossi, a poor Russian immigrant from the tenements of New York, spends two weeks with the Meade family on their Vermont farm, and all their lives are enriched by the experience.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Llama in the Family.
Morrow, 1994. Gr. 3-6.
Because Adam hopes that the "big surprise" awaiting him at home has two wheels and pedals, he is unprepared for the unusual additional to his Vermont family.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Llama in the Library.
Morrow, 1999. Gr. 3-6.
Fifth grader Adam Fine thinks that his two llamas will be a hit at the grand reopening of the town's library.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Yellow Blue Jay.
Morrow, 1986. Gr. 3-7.
Happy to spend his summer vacation at home in the city, eight-year-old Jay is horrified by his parents' plan to spend two weeks in the Vermont woods sharing a house with another family.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. As Long as There are Mountains.
Cobblehill, 1997. Gr. 4-7.
Thirteen-year-old Iris dreams of one day running the family farm in northern Vermont, but the summer of 1956 holds many shocking changes that threaten the life Iris loves.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. Canada Geese Quilt.
Dutton, 1989. Gr. 3-5.
This intergenerational love story takes place in Vermont in the 1940's.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. A Doctor Like Papa.
HarperCollins, 2002. Gr. 3-6
When the influenza epidemic of 1918 comes to Vermont, eleven-year-old Margaret, who has always wanted to be a physician, finds out what doctoring is like.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. Lumber Camp Library.
HarperCollins, 2002. Gr. 3-6.
Ruby wants to be a teacher, but after her father's death in a logging accident she must quit school to care for her ten brothers and sisters, until a chance meeting with a lonely old blind woman transforms her life.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. The Night the Bells Rang.
Cobblehill, 1991. Gr. 4-6.
The last year of World War I is an eventful one for Vermont farm boy Mason as he helps with the chores, tries to get along with his little brother, and sees an older bully go off the war.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. Sweet Memories Still.
Cobblehill, 1997. Gr. 3-5.
Although she initially resents having to spend time with her ailing grandmother, Shelby gradually recognizes that she has much to learn from this older lady.

Lenski, Lois. Deer Valley Girl.
Lippincott, 1968. Gr. 4-6.
The Vermont background of small farm dairying and the presence of white-tailed deer form the basis of this story about 12-year-old Abby.

Maguire, Gregory. Five Alien Elves.
Clarion, 1998. Gr. 4-7.
On Christmas Eve, a UFO bearing five aliens arrives in Hamlet, VT to free the planet from its evil dictator, a fat man in a red suit and a long white beard.

Maguire, Gregory. Four Stupid Cupids.
Clarion, 2000. Gr. 4-7.
The students' scheme to find a love match for their beloved teacher on Valentine's Day turns into a comedy of errors when four stupid cupids from Ancient Greece try to help.

Maguire, Gregory. Seven Spiders Spinning.
Clarion, 1994. Gr. 4-7.
Seven prehistoric spiders that had been trapped in ice for thousands of years bring excitement to rural Vermont and briefly unite two rival clubs at a local elementary school.

Maguire, Gregory. Six Haunted Hairdos.
Clarion, 1997. Gr. 4-7.
With the help of their favorite teacher, two rival clubs, the all-boy Copycats and the all-girl Tattletales, stop trying to out-do each other long enough to help the ghosts of a baby elephant and a herd of mastodons that appear near their small Vermont town.

Maguire, Gregory. Three Rotten Eggs.
Clarion, 2002. Gr. 4-7.
Fifth in the series about the rivalry between the Tattletales (the girls), and the Copycats (the boys), in Miss Earth's class in rural Vermont.

Meigs, Cornelia L. The Covered Bridge.
Macmillan, 1936. Gr. 4-6.
When Constance visits Vermont for a winter, she learns interesting stories about the state, some of them told by Ethan Allen himself when he visits her school.

Ovecka, Janice. Captive of Pittsford Ridge.
New England Press, 1994. Gr. 4-7.
In 1777 when he rescues a wounded Hessian drummer, young Josiah Freeman is drawn into the fighting at the Battle of Hubbardton near his family's farm in Vermont.

Ovecka, Janice. Cave of Falling Water.
New England Press, 1992. Gr. 4-7.
For each of three girls growing up in different periods of Vermont's history, one Abenaki, one colonial white, and one a modern girl, a cave serves as an important refuge.

Paterson, Katherine. The Field of the Dogs.
HarperCollins, 2001. Gr. 3-5.
Josh, who has just moved to Vermont with his mother, stepfather, and new baby brother, must deal with the bullying of a neighbor boy and discovers that his dog, whom he hears talking with other dogs, is also facing a bully of his own.

Peck, Robert Newton. Rabbits & Redcoats.
Walker, 1976. Gr. 3-5.
Two young boys secretly mix in with the Green Mountain boys to fight at Ticonderoga.

Peck, Robert Newton. Soup.
Knopf, 1974. Gr. 4-6.

The adventures and misadventures of two boys growing up in a small Vermont town. Sequels include:
Soup & Me. Knopf, 1975.
Soup for President. Knopf, 1978.
Soup's Drum. Knopf, 1980.
Soup on Wheels. Random House, 1981.
Soup in the Saddle. Knopf, 1983.
Soup's Goat. Knopf, 1984.
Soup on Ice. Knopf, 1985.
Soup on Fire. Delacorte, 1987.
Soup's Uncle. Delacorte, 1988.
Soup's Hoop. Delacorte, 1990.
Soup in Love. Delacorte, 1992.
Soup 1776. Knopf, 1995.
Soup Ahoy. Random, 1995.

Peck, Robert Newton. Trig.
Little, 1977. Gr. 3-5.
Adventures and misadventures of mischievous Trig in the imaginary town of Clodsburg, Vermont. Sequels Include:
Trig Sees Red. Little, 1978.
Trig Goes Ape. Little, 1980.
Trig or Treat. Little, 1982.

Seuling,Barbara, illustrated by Paul Brewer, Robert and the Great Escape.
Cricket Books, 2003. Gr. K-4
Robert is invited to go on a ski and snowboarding weekend to Vermont with his best friend Paul and Paul's family, who talk about the trip as an "escape." But the real escape happens when he returns to school in River Edge, New Jersey, andSally, the class snake, is missing from her tank.

Shyer, Marlene Fanta. Blood in the Snow.
Houghton, 1975. Gr. 4-7.
A gun, a flute and an injured silver fox bring Max up against some difficult decisions regarding their relative values.

Thompson, Mary W. Two in the Wilderness: Before Vermont had a Name.
McKay, 1967. Gr. 3-6.
Based on a historical incident that tested the integrity and maturity of two youngsters alone through a wilderness winter.

Thompson, Mary W. Wilderness Wedding.
McKay, 1970. Gr. 3-6.
In the 1770's fifteen-year-old Tabby and eighteen-year-old Nathan of neighboring families in the Vermont wilderness marry and establish a home of their own. Sequel to Wilderness Winter.

Thompson, Mary W. Wilderness Winter.
McKay, 1968. Gr. 3-6.
Entertaining and suspenseful novel of pioneer days. Sequel to Two in the Wilderness.

Towne, Mary. Steve the Sure.
theneum, 1990. Gr. 3-6.
While vacationing with his family at a friendly but somewhat shabby Vermont resort, Steve, who knows he is nearly always right about most things, decides to find a way to help ease the resort's financial plight.

Towne, Mary. Wanda the Worrywart.
Atheneum, 1989. Gr. 3-6.
Wanda's worries become even greater than usual during her family's summer vacation at a Vermont lodge when her divorced step-grandmother develops an interest in a prospective new husband.

Wallace-Brodeur, Ruth. The Godmother Tree.
Vermont Migrant Education Program, 1988 and HarperCollins, 1992. Gr. 4-7.
Resigned to her family's move to yet another farm in Vermont, ten-year-old Laura discovers something very special about the new place and comes to realize that home is a feeling you carry inside you.

Wallace-Brodeur, Ruth. The Kenton Year.
Atheneum, 1980. Gr. 4-6.
After the death of her father, nine-year-old Mandy and her mother move to Kenton, Vermont where they finally learn to relinquish the past and begin a new life.

Wisler, G. Clifton. Mr. Lincoln's Drummer.
Lodestar, 1995. Gr. 4-8.
Recounts the courageous exploits of Willie Johnston, an eleven-year-old Civil War drummer, who became the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.