Best Books for Classroom Library?

Which books do you think would be best in an upper primary school classroom library? I'm particularly looking for things that would be of interest to people who don't really like reading, books that are 'classics' that all kids/young teens should read, books which are fairly popular right now and appropriate for 13 and unders (parents won't complain).

I'm creating a list of suggestions for http://outoftheboxteaching.com/Forum , a forum for educators.

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
Any of the Hank the Cowdog books - John R. Erickson
Grasshopper Summer - Ann Turner
Into the Wild - Erin Hunter
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 - Christopher Paul Curtis
Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
In the Stone Circle - Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
The Old Willis Place - Mary Downing Hahn
Wait 'Till Helen Comes - Mary Downing Hahn
Stonewords - Pam Conrad
My Daniel - Pam Conrad

It's a shame that teachers and libraries have to worry so much about parents complaining, but I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here! I'd suggest:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
The Name of this Book is Secret and sequels by Pseudonymous Bosch
Gregor the Overlander and sequels by Suzanne Collins
The Mysterious Benedict Society and sequels by Trenton Lee Stewart
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

It's that they complain when you give books 'for teens' to 13 and under children that aren't 'classics', because they're inappropriate for their age group. I think it can't have too much violence or any sex.

This is my favorite topic ever. I'm trying to build up my classroom library, too, and I'm passionate about teaching my students to love reading.

Here are some of the books that have gone over a treat with my students:

It's not a "classic", but the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books got even my most reluctant readers interested in books. They're given a fifth grade reading level, but I don't think that's entirely accurate. But I'm okay with that because I have a few fifth grade students who can't read other fifth grade books.
Last year I read The Lightning Thief to my class and they looooved it so much I got the rest of the series so they could finish it on their own.
The Judy Moody books are also a hit with the girls in my class.
I'd also recommend the Sideways Stories from Wayside School books by Louis Sachar. The best part is that they're an introduction to Sachar's work--they always want to read more (Holes, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom) after they finished the Wayside books.
The Dive trilogy by Gordon Korman is also a crowd pleaser.

Frindle by Andrew Clements is another good one.

I would also recommend some Roald Dahl.

And, finally, though it's a shame, it is possible to get them excited about a book because it's being (or has been) made into a movie. Guardians of Gahoole is an excellent example of this--the movie sparked an interest in the whole series. Plus, when there's a movie, there's an excellent opportunity to encourage critical thinking and having them write compare and contrast essays!

Rubita, I'd love to invite you to join the website! :) I need more teachers who understand good books! :D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid hey. That sounds alright. I'll be checking out the others too!
Do you get your books 'new' or second hand?

I agree with a lot of that. At that age I liked Running Out of Time by Haddix, Ella Enchanted by Levine, Anastasia: The Last Grand Dutchess by Meyer (which is in a diary form--the only of that style that I've liked, btw), Animorphs by Applegate, Harry Potter by Rowling, Ender's Game by Card, Ramona books by Cleary, Freckle Juice by Blume, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Konigsburg.

Modern wise (of my reading), I'm a terrible judge at age range. So get 2nd opinions on these, please, but possibly Maximum Ride by Patterson, The Princess Bride by Goldman, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Haddon, and/or The Midnighters by Westerfeld.

You might consider comics or manga--a lot of my friends got into reading through them, and sometimes they are similar to their cartoons. Calvin and Hobbes kept me reading at all hours. I read Demon Diary pretty young, but again, bad judge (I was reading really advanced and mature at that age). Oh, and sometimes TV shows and movies have 'juvenile novels' based on them. I can't think of any off the top of my head though.

6: I get my books any ol' way I can. Used, new, from scholastic book order points. I find that thrift stores often have newish children's books for pretty cheap. Also, sometimes people donate books and if I don't want them for the classroom myself, I'll take them to a used bookstore so the books I buy for my kids are "discounted."

Also, I'm heading off to check out the website now...

Ah, "the parents won't complain" bit can be tricky. I find kids like books that someone might object to, and they grow from them too. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson has been incredibly popular with the teens I work with, but it has also been challenged.

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman is a good one for readers who don't want to read. Vocabulary is middle-grade but subject matter is YA.

Stargirl of course. My summer school kids really got into The Demon's Lexicon. The P. C. Cast books are popular with kids, but I haven't read them.

Almost forgot. Soul Enchilada especially if you've got a good Latino population in your classroom.

Many children who "don't like to read", would rather read non-fiction. there are a lot of good high/low biographies out there about sport and pop stars.