4.5/3 The Barn ­ Avi. To fulfill their dying father's last request, Ben and his siblings build a barn in the Oregon Territory.

4.7/2 Chocolate Touch ­ Catling, Patrick S. The Chocolate Touch is a take-off of the King Midas story. Instead of turning everything he touches to gold, John Midas finds that everything he touches with his lips, turns to chocolate.

3.6/4 Crash ­ Spinelli, Jerry. Seventh grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

3.8/7 Good, the Bad, and the Ugly­ Scieszka, Jon. The Time Warp Trio find themselves in the Wild West of yesteryear, rubbing elbows with cowboys and Indians.

3.7/1 It's All Greek to Me ­ Scieszka, Jon. Fred, Sam, and narrator Joe are innocently performing a school play about Mount Olympus when "The Book" (a magic tome so dangerous it had been locked away) whirls them into the Greek underworld. Armed with little but a fake thunderbolt and a spray-painted golden apple, they find themselves at the gates of Hades, confronting a slavering, three-headed, not at all mythical Cerberus. After a lucky escape, they get to the "real" Olympus only to be embroiled in an increasingly dangerous series of disagreements with the cheeky, wise-cracking, bickering immortals. Will they ever find "The Book" on Olympus, as they must in order to get safely back to opening night?

3.4/3 Spaceman ­ Cutler, Jane. Ten-year-old Gary, who is failing the fifth grade and has trouble getting along with the other students, tries to adjust to his learning disability and his assignment to a special education class.

3.4/4 Superfudge ­ Blume, Judy. Twelve-year-old Peter's brother, Fudge, is a bigger pain than ever. Then, he learns that his mom is going to have a baby and the whole family is moving to Princeton for a year. It will be bad enough starting sixth grade in a strange place and going to the same school as Fudge, but Peter can imagine something even worse: what if the new baby is a carbon copy of Fudge?

3.3/3 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing ­ Blume, Judy. Nine-year-old Peter Hatcher's biggest problem is his little brother, Fudge. Funny complications follow as Peter tries to cope with Fudge.

4.2/2 Tut, Tut ­ Scieszka, Jon. The Time Warp Trio is back, and up to hieroglyphic high jinks in the land of pyramids and Pharaohs! When Joe's sister Anna accidentally opens The Book, Joe, Sam, and Fred suddenly find themselves in ancient Egypt. Soon the Time Warpers are dodging crocodiles on the Nile, outwitting the evil high priest, and searching for an escape route from the mummy-making chamber. Can their new friend Thutmose III, the boy king, help them?

3.9/2 Whipping Boy ­ Fleischman, Sid. A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.