57 1997 children's books

A to Z Mysteries is a popular series of mysteries for children, written by Ron Roy, illustrated by John Steven Gurney, and published by Random House. The series is generally considered among the best "easy readers" for young children. There are twenty-six books in the original series; one for each letter of the alphabet. The series begins with The Absent Author (1997) and ends with The Zombie Zone (2005).

The Adventures of Captain Underpants is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, the first novel in the Captain Underpants series. It was published on September 1, 1997, and became a hit with children across America.

Beaver Towers: The Dark Dream is a 1997 novel by British author Nigel Hinton. It is the fourth and final installment in the Beaver Towers series. It follows the story of Philip on his travels with Mr Edgar and the animals of Beaver Towers when a monster called Retsnom tried to control them.

Chasing Redbird is a book by Sharon Creech published in 1997. The book centers on Zinnia Taylor. Zinny sometimes mentions her friend Sal, which is a reference to Salamanca Hiddle, the protagonist of the 1995 Newbery Medal-winning Walk Two Moons.

Cocoa Ice is a 1997 illustrated children's book by Diana Appelbaum, illustrated by Holly Meade. It was published by Orchard Books.

Daffy Duck for President is a children's book, published by Warner Bros. and the United States Postal Service in 1997 to coincide with the release of the first Bugs Bunny U.S. postage stamp. The book was written and illustrated by Chuck Jones, edited by Charles Carney, and art directed by Allen Helbig.

The Dark Side of Nowhere is a children's book written by Neal Shusterman and published by Little Brown and Company in 1997. This 256 page science fiction book is for readers aged 12 and up and is about a boy who is tired of being normal, living in a normal town and how all of that changes quite suddenly.

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is a book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, first published in 1997 by White Wolf Publishing. It was republished in 2004 by Harper Children's with a new cover and afterword. The story is a retelling of the old tale of an object that gets swapped from person to person, until the original owner needs it back—and then has to swap possessions back again, step by step, to retrieve it.

The Deptford Mice Almanack is a companion book to The Deptford Mice and Deptford Histories trilogies by Robin Jarvis, presented in an in-universe style. It was first published in 1997 by Macdonald Young Books in the United Kingdom.

The Door in the Lake is a children's science fiction novel by Nancy Butts, first published in 1997. It is a story about loss of time and identity.

Dragon Rider is a 1997 German children's novel by Cornelia Funke. Originally translated by Oliver Latsch, Dragon Rider was published in English in 2004 by The Chicken House in the UK and Scholastic Inc. in the US, using a translation by Anthea Bell. Dragon Rider follows the exploits of a silver dragon named Firedrake, a brownie named Sorrel, and Ben, a human boy, in their search for the mythical part of the Himalayas mountain range called the Rim of Heaven to find a safe place for Firedrake's kin to live when the dragon finds out that humans intend to flood the valley where he and his fellow dragons live.

Ella Enchanted is a Newbery Honor book written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. The story is a retelling of Cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. In 2006, Levine went on to write Fairest, a retelling of the story of Snow White, set in the same world as Ella Enchanted. In 2018, Levine published Ogre Enchanted, a prequel to Ella Enchanted.

Eye to Eye is a 1997 young adult science fiction novel by Catherine Jinks. It follows the story of Jansi who while scavenging in the desert comes across a damaged star ship which contains a computer that has the ability to project thought, expression and friendship.

Fire, Bed, and Bone by Henrietta Branford is a historical novel for older children set at the time of the Peasants' Revolt. It was published by Walker Books in 1997. Branford won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children's writers.

The Gardener is a picture book by American children's book author Sarah Stewart, illustrated by her husband, David Small. The story, about a young girl and her rooftop garden in the city, is set in the Depression era and told through an epistolary style. It was published in 1997 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Ginger is a children's picture book by Charlotte Voake. In 1997 it won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award. It is about a pampered house cat who resents the sudden appearance of a kitten in her life. The book is followed by Ginger Finds a Home, a prequel, and Ginger and the Mystery Visitor, in which Ginger and the kitten confront a stranger.

Grizzly is the fifteenth novel in World of Adventure series by Gary Paulsen. It was published on October 6, 1997 by Random House.

The Gypsy Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder is a 1997 sequel to the Newbery Honor book The Egypt Game. All of the main characters return in a new adventure. This book was followed by a 1998 guide, The Gypsy Game Teacher's Guide.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.

The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale is a 1997 book by Robert D. San Souci and illustrator Jerry Pinkney based on an African American folktale about an itinerant worker who is able to rejuvenate and resurrect people.

Honus & Me is a children's novel by Dan Gutman, published in 1997, and the first in the Baseball Card Adventures series. It was rejected by many publishers before HarperCollins finally accepted. The made-for-television movie The Winning Season, starring Matthew Modine, was adapted from this best-selling book.

How It Was with Dooms is a children's book dictated to Carol Cawthra Hopcraft by her young son Xan Hopcraft. It tells the true story of the young boy's friendship with an orphaned cheetah on the family's game ranch in Kenya. Carol Hopcraft, a wildlife photographer, provided photographs for the book, while her son provided illustrations. It was published in 1997 by Margaret K. McElderry, a division of Simon & Schuster. The book was loosely adapted into a film in 2005, under the title Duma.

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl is a 1997 historical fiction children's book by American author Joyce Hansen, published by Scholastic. The book is part of the Dear America series for young readers. It was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book in 1998.

The Iron Ring (1997) is a fantasy novel for children by Lloyd Alexander. It features a young king Tamar who leaves Sundari Palace on a quest journey in a land of humans and talking animals, which are inspired by Indian mythology. The caste system of India is one ground for conflict in the novel and names are strongly Hindi.

Julie's Wolf Pack is a 1997 novel written by Jean Craighead George. It is the second sequel to the Newbery Medal winner Julie of the Wolves after Julie, and the last in the Julie of the Wolves trilogy. It is the only book in the series whose story is told from the viewpoint of the wolves themselves, rather than from Julie's point of view.

Just Tricking! is the first volume in the Just! series written by Andy Griffiths. Around the world, the book was released with different titles: Just Kidding! for the United Kingdom and Just Joking! for North America.

Kite is a young adult novel about red kites by Melvin Burgess. It contains 15 chapters and was first published in 1997.

Lily's Crossing is a young adult novel by the American author Patricia Reilly Giff published in 1997. It received a Newbery Honor award in 1998.

The Long Patrol is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 1997. It is the tenth book published and the twelfth chronologically in the Redwall series, and it was a New York Times bestseller.

The Lottie Project is a children's novel by English author Jacqueline Wilson. It is illustrated by Nick Sharratt. The book is different from most Jaqueline Wilson books, as they are mostly told by characters who are not popular in school and are usually bullied by the popular students.

Ma Dear's Aprons is a 1997 book by Patricia McKissack about the relationship between a son, David Earl, and his mother, Ma dear.

Merlin Book 2: The Seven Songs is a work of literature by T. A. Barron, published by Penguin. The Seven Songs is the second book in a 12-book series known as The Merlin Saga. This book was originally published as The Seven Songs of Merlin, book two of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, a 5-book series. These books chronicle the childhood of Merlin.

The Million Dollar Shot is a children's story written by Dan Gutman. It is held by over 1100 US and Canadian libraries, according to worldCat.

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure is a book for children and young adults that explores mathematics. It was originally written in 1997 in German by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner. The book follows a young boy named Robert, who is taught mathematics by a sly "number devil" called Teplotaxl over the course of twelve dreams.

Out of the Dust is a verse novel by Karen Hesse, first published in 1997.

Parts is a children's book written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold. It was first published on September 1, 1997. Written in rhyme with cartoon-like watercolor illustrations, Parts is the first in Arnold's trilogy on the theme of body parts. It was followed by More Parts in 2001 and Even More Parts in 2004. In 1998, it won the "Tellable" Stories for Ages 4–7 Award and in 1999, the Colorado Children's Book Award.

A Picture of Freedom is a children's historical novel written by Patricia C. McKissack and published by Scholastic in 1997 as part of their Dear America series.

The Random House Book of Mother Goose: a Treasury of More Than 300 Classic Nursery Rhymes is a 1986 collection of over 300 nursery rhymes by Arnold Lobel. It was republished in 1997 as The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose.

Rapunzel is a book by Paul O. Zelinsky retelling the Grimm brothers' "Rapunzel" story. Released by Dutton Press, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1998.

The Redwall Map & Riddler is a book published in 1997 as an accessory to the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a 1997 retelling of Rudyard Kipling's classic story by Jerry Pinkney about a mongoose that protects a family from two cobras.

River Boy is a young adult novel by Tim Bowler, published by Oxford in 1997. It is the story of a teenage girl facing the prospect of bereavement. Bowler won the annual Carnegie Medal, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject. River Boy also won the 1999 Angus Book Award.

The Roald Dahl Treasury is an anthology of works of the children's author Roald Dahl. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1997 by Jonathan Cape.

Run Away Home is a 1997 book by Patricia McKissack. Set in the late 19th century, it is about an African-American girl, Sarah Jane, who finds an Apache boy in the family barn and the subsequent affects on their lives.

Seedfolks (1997) is a children's novella written by Paul Fleischman, with illustrations by Judy Pedersen. The story is told by a diverse cast of characters living on Gibb Street in Cleveland, Ohio, each from a different ethnic group. Chapter by chapter, each character describes the transformation of an empty lot into a vibrant community garden, and in doing so, they each experience their own transformations.

Silverwing is a best-selling children's novel, written by Kenneth Oppel, first published in 1997 by HarperCollins. It tells the story of a colony of silverwing bats. The tone and artistic ambition of this series of bestsellers has been compared to the classic animal novel Watership Down. Silverwing is the first installment of the Silverwing series, though it is chronologically the second novel in the sequence after Darkwing.

The Subtle Knife, the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, is a young-adult fantasy novel written by Philip Pullman and published in 1997. The novel continues the adventures of Lyra Belacqua recounted in the first novel, Northern Lights, as she investigates the mysterious phenomenon of Dust. Will Parry is introduced as a companion to Lyra, and together they explore new worlds in the search for Will's father.

Thunder Oak is a 1997 heroic fantasy novel written by British author Garry Kilworth. It is the first novel in the Welkin Weasels series. The novel follows a group of anthropomorphised weasels in their quest to restore balance to their home after the disappearance of humans leaves a power vacuum, which has been filled by aggressive stoats.

Time Benders is the fourteenth novel in World of Adventure series by Gary Paulsen. The novel was published on August 11, 1997 by Random House.

Tomás and the Library Lady is a children's picture book written by Mexican-American writer Pat Mora and illustrated by Raúl Colón. Based on a true story, it details the circumstances behind Tomás Rivera, the son of a migrant farm worker during the 1940s in the Midwest United States. Feeling a little out of place since his family's move to Iowa from Texas and wanting to know more than just his grandfather's stories, Tomás stumbles into a library and is welcomed by the librarian. Through her patience and understanding, Tomás develops a love for books and learning that he always wanted to have. The warmth and graciousness of the librarian was a catalyst to Tomás' lifelong love of learning which culminated in his becoming a chancellor at a university. Wonderfully illustrated and culturally accurate, Tomás and the Library Lady is a great book for a beginning reader and tells of a great story of understanding, patience and perseverance.

Tru Confessions is the first novel by children’s book author Janet Tashjian. It is published by Henry Holt and Company; the paperback is published by Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan. It was the basis of a popular Disney TV movie with Clara Bryant and Shia LaBeouf. The book uses lists, illustrations, and diary entries in a format that’s friendly to reluctant readers. It has been translated into several languages.

Twilight Comes Twice is a children's book of free verse written by Ralph Fletcher and illustrated by Kate Kiesler. It was first published in 1997 and describes the transitions from night to day and from day to night.

The Two Bullies is a 1997 children's picture book by Junko Morimoto. It is based on a Japanese folktale, Ni-Ou and Dokkoi and is about two bullies, one Japanese, the other Chinese who are going to fight one another but through some humorous events do not, much to their relief.

Where's Wally? is a series of children's puzzle books created by British illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things at a given location. Readers are challenged to find a character named Wally hidden in the group.

Who's in a Family? is a children's book which depicts a variety of non-traditional families, including interracial, single-parent, and families with gay and lesbian partners as parents. It intentionally emphasizes the normalcy of different family arrangements.

Wringer is a young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli, first published in 1996. It received a Newbery Honor citation in 1997.