• 1. A Dog Called Kitty
  When the pup shows up at the farm, small and fuzzy with a floppy wet tongue and a bushy tail that's always wagging, no one knows where he's from. Motherless and hungry, he needs to be fed or he'll starve to death.
  Most boys would welcome such a dog into their lives; feed it and train it and raise it to be a good farm pet. But Ricky's different. Ever since he was attacked as a baby by a mad dog, he's been afraid of them.
  This is an unforgettable adventure story about the trust that grows up between a boy and a mongrel.

Awards: Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award.
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Nebraska Golden Sower Award

• 2. Trapped in Death Cave
  
  Everyone thinks Grampa died in a fishing accident, but because of a letter Grampa left behind, Gary is convinced he was murdered. In the letter, Grampa tells a spine chilling story: years before, a group of white men buried stolen gold in a secret tribal meeting place, after killing the Indians worshiping there. But a shaman, in his last dying breath, laid a curse on the gold. Anyone who tried to take it from the cave where it was hidden would die! Since then, many people in search of the treasure had never made it out of "Death Cave" alive. Grampa ends his letter by saying that he has a map leading to the gold. Unfortunately, Gary never sees the map, since it gets stolen a week after Grampa's death.
  Despite the curse, Gary and his friend Brian decide to hunt for the gold. They think that if they find it, they will also find Grampa's killer
  In a hair-raising climax, Gary and Brian almost die before the real secret of death Cave is revealed.

Awards: Utah's Children's Book Award
Florida Sunshine State Children's Book Award
Wyoming Soaring Eagle Award

• 3. Danger on Panther Peak (Alternate Title - Shadow on the Snow)
When Grampa suggests that Tom go exploring in some nearby hills, he warns him to stay away from Panther Peak. "They call it panther Peak because of the panthers-that's how it come by the name," he explains. "... 'Bout ever' ten years or so, somebody driving through the Wichitas late at night will report seeing a big cat, or some farmer in the area will find some of his stock missing." Grampa claims that as quickly and quietly as the cat strikes, it escapes back to Panther Peak.
Tom doesn't believe Grampa's story until he sees a mysterious animal while swimming with a friend. Then a cow and her new calf are found brutally mauled, and Grampa discovers panther tracks in the snow.
All the men from the neighboring farms get together to hunt for the animal, but because of their ages, Grampa and Tom aren't allowed to go. Tom becomes a hero however, when he bravely risks his life in a terrifying and explosive climax.

• 4. Ferret in the Bedroom, Lizards in the Fridge
  "Good luck, Lizard!" Liz is mortified when her nickname is used in front of the cutest new boy in the sixth grade. She has been stuck with the horrible name ever since a lizard she brought to school for Show and Tell escaped in the classroom. Liz's zoologist father has filled their house and yard with homeless animals: two turtles, a hawk, an ibex, a playful ferret named Fred, and a porchful of lizards.
  Now Liz is running for class president against the beautiful and popular Jo Donna. She invites her friends over to her house to help with her campaign. But Mr. T., one of the turtles, has an accident that harms her plans and her popularity. Reluctantly, Liz realizes that she'll never get her classmates to vote for her unless she gets rid of the animals. After two more animal disasters, Liz angrily tells her father that their pets are ruining her life. Even though he loves them, Liz's father agrees to take the animals away.
  How Liz discovers, after a series of other humorous setbacks, that there are more important things to consider than winning a class election, makes this another winner from Bill Wallace.

Awards: Nebraska Golden Sower Award
South Carolina's Children's Book Award

• 5. Red Dog
  The rugged mountains of Wyoming territory in the 1860's are a long way from 12-year-old Adam's native Tennessee. Adam's stepfather Sam has forced him to journey far from civilization and settle in the wilderness with his mother and younger sister. Now, resentful of Sam and lonely in his isolated new home, Adam finds solace only in the company of his beloved red pup. The two spend hours exploring the rough terrain, tracking and trailing wild animals and occasionally treeing a mountain lion.
  But Adam soon learns that mountain lions are'’t the only danger that surround him-there are human dangers, in the shape of greedy gold seekers who will murder anyone who stands in their way. When Sam has to go on a week-long journey to Cheyenne to claim the deed to his land, Adam is left to defend his mother and sister. His courage, and that of his loyal red pup, is put to the test as he battles the menace that threatens to destroy them all. In a heart-stopping chase in the high mountains, Adam must give everything he has to save his family.
  Readers will thrill to this story of action and suspense, loyalty and courage, as a boy combats danger and comes of age.

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