A CAT'S LIFE IN EAST L.A.

Chato is a hungry “low-riding” cat from East Los Angeles, whose new neighbors are a family of tasty mice. At first, the mice are afraid of Chato, but he pretends to be friendly and invites the family to dinner. Chato and his equally hungry friend Novio Boy are delighted that so many mice are coming to be their dinner and they prepare a huge fancy feast to accompany the main course. Both cats are very surprised at the mice family's special guest! CHATO'S KITCHEN by Gary Soto does a wonderful job of integrating the multilingual heritage of Chato and the other characters throughout the book. Especially helpful is the glossary at the front of the book, explaining certain Spanish words that appear at various times in the book, and also describes some of the food Chato and Novio Boy prepare for the feast. A great story for 2nd - 4th grades .

SAMMY OUT IN THE WILD

Sammy is back, but this time with some new classmates who invite her on a hiking and camping trip to help save some endangered condors. When the condors go missing and the ranger's look out tower is trashed, her friend is determined to find them. Sammy and the rest of the group must go search for her before she gets lost in the mountains or worse, suffer some unknown fate like the condors.

A little mystery, a little camping, a little romance, and a lot of detecting are involved in Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen. Perfect for middle school readers.