Owen & Mzee (DCF)

The true story of a hippopotamus orphaned by the December, 2004 tsunami and his friendship with a giant Aldabra tortoise.

Other Book Recommendations

Have you read any other good books--other than the DCF or GMBA books? Share them here!

Counting on Grace (DCF)

It’s 1910 in Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must go to work in the mill, helping their mothers work the looms. Together Grace and Arthur write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in the mill. A few weeks later Lewis Hine, a famous reformer, arrives undercover to gather evidence.

The King of Attolia (DCF)

Eugenides, still known as the Thief of Eddis, faces palace intrigue and assassins as he strives to prove himself both to the people of Attolia and to his new bride, their queen.

Listen! (DCF)

During her solitary convalescence from a crippling accident, twelve-year-old Charley finds a wild dog, and the arduous process of training him leads her to explore her feelings about her mother's death two years earlier.

The Case of the Missing Marquess (DCF)

Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother.

The Dream-Maker's Magic (DCF)

Kellen’s mother insisted her only child was born a male and raised her as a boy till she was forced to go to school. Then she became friends with Gryffin who would become the new Dream-Maker of their village.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair (DCF)

At the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, eleven-year-old Maud is adopted by three spinster sisters moonlighting as mediums who take her home and reveal to her the role she will play in their séances.

All of the Above (DCF)

Four urban middle school students, their teacher, and other community members relate how a school project to build the world’s largest tetrahedron affects the lives of everyone involved.

Higher Power of Lucky (DCF)

Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.

Bread and Roses, Too! (DCF)

Jake and Rosa form an unlikely friendship as they try to survive and understand the 1912 Bread and Roses strike of mill workers in Lawrence, MA and later are sent to Barre, Vermont.

A Small White Scar (DCF)

Fifteen-year-old Will Bennon's brother Denny has Down syndrome, but when Will is ready to leave his family’s ranch and become a professional cowboy, Denny unexpectedly joins the journey.

Gossamer (DCF)

While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an eight-year-old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the frightening Sinisteeds.

Rules (DCF)

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.

Black Duck (DCF)

Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend’s family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.

Keturah and Lord Death (DCF)

When sixteen-year-old Keturah follows a legendary hart into the forest she becomes lost, and eventually Lord Death comes to claim her, but when she is able to charm him with her story she gains a reprieve of twenty-four hours, if she can find her one true love.

Gemini Summer (DCF)

Danny’s grief over the death of his older brother Beau is eased when a stray puppy adopts him, but he soon decides that Beau is somehow in the dog, and sets out to make his brother’s dream of seeing a rocket launch at Cape Kennedy come true.

Hattie Big Sky (DCF)

After inheriting her uncle’s homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself.

The Story of Salt (DCF)

The story of the only rock we eat, including its origin, the other discoveries made because of it, and tales of salt and the people who have been involved with it through the ages.

Alabama Moon (DCF)

After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life.

Weedflower (DCF)

After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an interment camp on an Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of owning a flower shop.

Crossing the Wire (DCF)

Fifteen-year old Victor Flores journeys north in a desperate attempt to cross the Arizona border and find work in the United States to support his family in central Mexico.

The Adventures of Marco Polo (DCF)

A beautifully illustrated look at Marco Polo’s life, journeys, including a discussion about what was true in his tale and what was not.

Alphabet of Dreams (DCF)

Fourteen-year-old Mitra, of royal Persian lineage, and her five-year-old brother Babak, whose dreams foretell the future, flee for their lives in the company of the magus Melchior and two other Zoroastrian priests, traveling through Persia as they follow star signs leading to a newly-born king in Bethlehem.

The White Elephant (DCF)

In old Siam, young elephant trainer Run-Run and his old charge, Walking Mountain, must deal with the curse of a sacred white elephant.

Escape! (DCF)

A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926.

Odd Man Out (DCF)

Twelve-year-old Kip goes to his grandmother’s house in British Columbia while his mother and stepfather are on their honeymoon, and finds an unexpected treasure hidden within the walls of the attic.

Phineas L. MacGuire...Erupts! (DCF)

Fourth-grade science whiz Phineas L. MacGuire is forced to team up with the new boy in class on a science fair project, but the boy’s quirky personality causes Phineas to wonder if they have any chance of winning.

Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (DCF)

Looking forward to a vacation, Katie, Lily and Jasper attach their flying Gyroscopic Sky Suite to Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort, where they mingle with other child heroes found in books, and where they become embroiled in a mystery involving lederhosen-clothed quintuplets and a screaming ventriloquist.

One-Handed Catch (DCF)

A strong sense of purpose, leavened by generous doses of humor and post-World War II period detail, drives this story of a resilient middle-grader who demonstrates that having one hand is an opportunity rather than a handicap.

Firegirl (DCF)

A middle school boy’s life is changed when Jessica, a girl disfigured by burns, starts attending his Catholic school while receiving treatment at a local hospital.

I Am the Messenger (GMBA)

After capturing a bank robber, nineteen-year-old cabdriver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness.

American Born Chinese (GMBA)

This graphic novel alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture.

A Certain Slant of Light (GMBA)

After benignly haunting a series of people for 130 years, Helen meets a teenage boy who can see her, and together they unlock the mysteries of their pasts.

The Glass Castle (GMBA)

The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family’s nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities.

Runaways (GMBA)

When six young friends discover that their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, they run away together and find strength in one another to overcome their evil legacy.

Finding Lubchenko (GMBA)

When his father is framed for murder and bioterrorism, high-school junior Evan, using clues from a stolen laptop, travels from Seattle to Paris with two friends to find the real culprit.

How I Live Now (GMBA)

To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land.

When the Emperor Was Divine (GMBA)

A story told from five different points of view chronicles the experiences of Japanese Americans caught up in the nightmare of World War II internment camps.

Airborn (GMBA)

Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.

Looking for Alaska (GMBA)

Sixteen-year-old Miles′ first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (GMBA)

Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind.

The Truth About Forever (GMBA)

The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work as the library and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and finally faces her grief.

Candyfreak (GMBA)

Almond follows his delicious obsession across America, chewing on such weighty matters as product placement, mega-corporations, and the dilemma posed by chocolate-covered coconut as he dips into the stories behind a handful of regional specialties, including Vermont's own Lake Champlain Chocolates. A hip and sometimes flip voice enrobes a sometimes dark and rocky road story.

Come Back to Afghanistan (GMBA)

The author describes his experience as an American teenager when he traveled to Afghanistan to see his father, who was the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai and then became the governor of Kunar.

Anansi Boys (GMBA)

A semi-realistic fantasy that blends African myth and contemporary Afro-American/Afro-British culture in a story about an accountant who loses the father who caused him terminal embarrassment, gains a brother he never knew he had, and finds true love.