1. Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes; in 1773, a 14-year-old boy’s desire to be a master silversmith is dashed.

2. I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino; the slave of the Spanish painter, Velasquez, becomes a famous and accomplished artist, too.

3. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott; an autobiographical tale about the apparent–and not so overt–difficulties within the March family.

4. Silver for General Washington, by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft; an account about how the Continental soldiers survived the winter at Valley Forge without adequate food, clothes and warmth.

5. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak; young Liesel Meminger steals books during the Holocaust, and shares them with her neighbors, and the Jewish man hidden away in her basement.

6. Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge; even though a pair of siblings have primitive ice skates, they hope to win a village competition.