The Tree House that Jack Built by Bonnie Verburg illustrated by Mark Teague

Written in the style "The House that Jack Built",  readers will love the illustrations of a tree house and the fun everyone has there.
My favorite aspect of the book was the illustrations.

Wodney Wat's Wobt by Helen Lester illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Rodney cannot pronounce his "r's" so the book is full of "w's" for "r's" which made reading aloud a bit annoying!  His robot repeats everything he says, correctly.
Rodney's robot saves the day when the bully, Camilla Capybara returns to school.

The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern

First I loved the cover.  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/the-meaning-of-maggie.html

While reading it, I adored the main character Maggie.  Ms. Sovern developed a believable, likable character with lots of depth.  All the characters are well developed.  Love the footnotes "Maggie" includes throughout the book.
This book focuses on one year of a family's fight to as they adjust to life with a father suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.  It seems like the book is a bit of a memoir.
*Highly recommend for older readers-see below:
Points to discuss/warnings: references to marijuana (medical and otherwise); french kissing, making out and sex mentioned (in junior high manner/point of view);  the attitude that God is too busy to hear and answer their prayers; cocktails and other alcohol references

Moonday by Adam Rex

What if the moon came down to your backyard and would not move across the sky?
I loved the stunning illustrations.

Torosaurus and other Dinosaurs of the Badlands Digs in Montana by Dougal Dixon illustrated by Steve Watson and James Field

Great layout-compares the dinosaurs to other animals alive today.
Part of a series
Text features: table of contents, size comparisons, headings, fact boxes, photographs, glossary, learn more, index

The Copper Lady by Alice Ross and Kent Ross illustrated by Leslie Bowman*

This fictional account shares of the Statue of Liberty is built and transported via the eyes of French boy Andre.
*Highly recommend.

Ant Plays Bear by Betsy Byars illustrated by Marc Simont

Ant's older brother must tolerate his younger brother's antics-playing bear with him, pretending to be a dog, being scared of a noise at night and growing up.
Cute and funny!
Perfect for transitional readers and for developing stamina