The Wheel on the School

Meindert DeJong's Newbery Medal-winning novel, "The Wheel on the School," tells the charming story of six schoolchildren in the small Dutch fishing village of Shora. When Lina writes an essay questioning the absence of storks, it sparks a community-wide effort to bring these symbols of good luck back. The children discover that the steeply pitched roofs prevent nesting and propose placing wagon wheels on the ridges. Their quest to find enough wheels leads them to interact with various interesting villagers, fostering a sense of community and perseverance. This gentle, character-driven story, beautifully illustrated by Maurice Sendak, is ideal for middle-grade readers aged 10-14, offering lessons in curiosity, collaboration, and the power of collective action.

Six students in a tiny Dutch sea town engage practically the whole population in an effort to attract storks to nest on the town's roofs again.