Author Cynthia Voigt

Read Newbery Medal Author, Cynthia Voigt. Her newest and fabulous book, Young Fredle, just out this year is another great animal story for grades 3-5th. 

Meet Young Fredle, a house mouse, that suddenly finds himself fending for himself in the outside world. He has to learn to survive among the field mice outside. Unfortunately it was a Peppermint Pattie that was Fredle's undoing. A kitchen mouse who was already too curious for his own good, Fredle becomes ill from consuming too much chocolate and is pushed out of the family's nest. The Missus traps him and releases him outside, a terrifying place for a creature with no familiarity with grass and sky, let alone raptors, snakes, and raccoons. Fredle's adventures and attempts to return home (and what is home, anyway?) are chronicled in a way that makes readers begin to grasp what it must be like to be a mouse, and the struggle to understand where he fits in. The allure of the world versus the beauty of belonging is just one of the many complex issues addressed in this engaging story about a plucky little mouse who, after his adventures, returns to his family and sets out to change things for himself and others like him.- Review from School Library Journal

Angus and Sadie for grades 4-6th. Two border collie puppies adopted by a Maine farm couple try to decipher what Mister and Missus really want and how to fulfill their role as faithful and useful companions. The pups are polar opposites. Angus is an alpha male with an abundance of self-confidence. Sadie is submissive, introspective, and dominated by her brother. Of course, Mister quickly believes that Angus is the more talented of the pair but Missus reassures Sadie that she is special, too. When Angus's bossiness reaches a peak, Sadie proves to be courageous and smart and he begins to respect her. There is an old-fashioned style to this story about the different personality traits in siblings and learning to respect those differences. -Review from School Library Journal

Two wonderful reads for the child that is an animal lover. Angus and Sadie are actually two characters in Young Fredle, which makes it important, but not essential, to read Angus and Sadie first. 

Cynthia Voigt is a former teacher and author of more than 20 books, including the Newbery Medal winner, Dicey's Song and A Solitary Blue which was a Newbery honor book. Cynthia lives in Maine with her family where these two books take place. Makes for some great summer reading.