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A Light in the Forest
Conrad Richter
Kidnapped by the Lenape Indians at age four, 15-year-old John Cameron Butler
must now be returned to his white family as decreed by treaty. But though his
heritage may be white, John has become True Son in his soul; he considers
himself Lenape and the hates whites his enemies. Finally making his escape from
his white family's Pennsylvania farm, True Son faces his destiny-- who
is he and where does he really belong?
A Single Shard
Linda Sue Park
Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge
in a potters' village and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon
ceramics himself. Newbery Medal Winner.
Airborne
Kenneth Oppel
“Matt, 15, only feels alive when he's aloft working as a cabin boy aboard the Aurora,a
luxury airship that is part dirigible, part passenger cruise ship. When wealthy
Kate and her chaperone come aboard, Matt soon discovers that she is determined
to prove her grandfather's claims that he saw strange creatures flying in the
sky in that area the year before…” (School Library Journal)
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Gennifer Choldenko
“12-year-old
Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island where
his father gets a job as an electrician at the prison and his mother hopes to
send his autistic older sister to a special school in San Francisco. When
Natalie is rejected by the school, Moose is unable to play baseball because he
must take care of her, and her unorthodox behavior sometimes lands him in hot
water. He also comes to grief when he reluctantly goes along with a moneymaking
scheme dreamed up by the warden's pretty but troublesome daughter…” (School
Library Jounrnal) 2005 Newbery Honor Book
Arabian Nights
Kate Douglas Wiggin
To amuse the sultan, Scheherazade tells stories of powerful kings and princes,
magical genies, and wicked magicians including “Aladdin and the Wonderful
Lamp,” and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.”
Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer
A great book for younger people. It is an exciting fantasy with great plots and
characters.
Matt Johnson '08
Baseball
in April
Gary
Soto
Soto remembers growing up Mexican American in California’s Central
Valley. The small events of daily life reveal big themes--love and friendship,
youth and growing up, success and failure. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
& Booklist Editor's Choice
Bronx
Masquerade
Nikki Grimes
When
Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class and reads it aloud,
poetry-slam-style, he kicks off a revolution. Soon his classmates are clamoring
to have weekly poetry sessions. One by one, eighteen students take on the risky
challenge of self-revelation. Award-winning author Nikki Grimes captures the
voices of eighteen teenagers through the poetry they share and the stories they
tell, and exposes what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the
masquerade.
Bud, Not Buddy
Christopher Paul Curtis
Bud is a 10-year-old black boy on the run. He is searching for his father after
his mother dies. It is based in 1936 in Flint, Michigan. Instead of finding his
father, he finds his grandfather, Herman E. Calloway.
Drew Tompkins '10
Call of the Wild
Jack London
Buck, a large domesticated dog,
is stolen from his California home, and shipped to Alaska. Buck is harnessed,
beaten, and forced to work as a sled dog in this wild uncivilized environment.
Relying on instinct, he slowly adapts to a savage new life of beatings, violent
dogfights, and survival of the fittest. By the end of the book, Buck’s
association with humans has ended, and he joins a pack of wild wolves.
Carver:
a Life in Poems
Marilyn Nelson
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Honor Award, this biography of fifty-nine poems
traces the life of Carver, kidnapped in infancy, through his earning advanced
degrees, and opening the agriculture department at Tuskegee Institute.
“Throughout his life, he teaches, he paints, he dreams. In the final poem,
Carver dies as the Tuskegee Airmen (among them the poet's father) make 'a
sky-roaring victory roll' in the Alabama sky.”
Crash
Jerry Spinelli
Ever since first grade, Crash Coogan has been making fun of dweeby Penn Ward, a
skinny vegetarian Quaker boy who lives in a tiny former garage with his old
parents. Now that they're in seventh grade, Penn becomes an even better target.
He joins the cheerleading team. But even though Crash becomes the school's star
football player and wears the most expensive stuff from the mall, he still can't
get what Penn has--his parents’ attention and the best looking girl in the
school.
Hudson Magee '10
Crispin
Avi
In medieval England, 13-year-old Crispin has no home, family, or possessions.
Accused of a crime he didn't commit, he takes his mother's cross of lead and
begins an amazing and terrifying journey across the English countryside. Newbery
Medal
D'Aulaire's
Book of Greek Myths
Ingri D'Aulaire
Mighty Zeus, with his fistful of thunderbolts, Athena, goddess of wisdom, Helios
the sun, greedy King Midas--here are gods, goddesses, and legendary figures of
ancient Greece brought to life in the myths that have inspired great literature
and art throughout the centuries.
Dragon's
Gate
Laurence Yep
In rural China in1865, 14-year-old Otter begins his journey to America to meet
his father and legendary uncle on the transcontinental railroad. In the freezing
mountains of the Sierras, Otter gains a true understanding of his father and
Uncle Foxfire who are considered heroes in the their old Chinese village.
Eragon
Christopher Paolini
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky
discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the
winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has
stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple
life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic,
and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for
guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain
and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can
Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire
may rest in his hands.
First Part Last
Angela Johnson
In this story of love and sorrow, set in New York City, Bobby, a 16-year-old
artist and single parent, raises his daughter alone. In short, alternating
chapters between ‘now’ and ‘then,’ Bobby struggles to balance the rigors of
fatherhood in the absence of Nia, Feather's mother.
Mrs. Salladay
Flame
Hilari Bell
“Steeped in Persian mythology, the story is set in Farsala, a peaceful land
now targeted for invasion by the Hrum, who have already conquered 28 other
countries. As the enemy advances, routing the overconfident Farsalan army, three
young people caught up in the fray move inexorably toward new futures in which
they will play leading roles in the outcome and aftermath of the war… Soraya,
the spoiled daughter of the Farsalan army's high commander; Jiaan, the high
commander's peasant-born bastard son; and Kavi, an itinerant peddler and
sometime con artist. Intrigue builds upon intrigue, with a history of Farsala
woven into the story's main events…” (Booklist)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman
FDR was president of the United States from 1933 to 1945. Under his leadership
the U.S. became the most powerful nation in the world. Carefully selected
photographs and meticulously researched text combine to tell the life story of
an extraordinary man, and of the era that was perhaps the most momentous in
American history.
Holes
Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats, a boy who has bad luck due to a curse from his
great-great-grandfather, is sent to Camp Green Lake, a camp for people who have
done bad things, for a crime he did not do. Stanley and the other boys at camp
are forced to dig holes to find buried treasure from Kissing Kate Barlow, but
they do not know that they are digging for that purpose.
Jay Brooks '10
Iron Man
Chris Crutcher
Bo Brewster has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember.
Following angry outbursts at school that cost Bo his spot on the football team,
Bo is sent to an anger management group. There he meets a hard-edged pack of
survivors whose own defenses are rigged as high as his.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Scott O'Dell
Island of the Blue Dolphins is about a girl named Karana whose fellow villagers
are almost completely killed by Aleutians for their seal skins. Luckily,
pastors from the mainland find them and take them aboard a ship to go to the
mainland to live and learn about Christ, but Karana and her brother are stranded
for almost twenty years on an island of danger and adventure.
Davis Mastin '10
Johnny Tremain
Esther Forbes
A story filled with danger and excitement, Johnny Tremain tells of the turbulent
passionate times in Boston surrounding the Revolutionary War. Johnny, a young
apprentice silversmith, is caught up in a dramatic involvement with James Otis,
John Hancock, and John and Samuel Adams in the Boston Tea Party and the Battle
of Lexington.
Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
A thrilling story of genetically made dinosaurs. On the private island
of Isla Nublar, hundreds of monsters are being made, 50-ton monsters that is!
Join Alan Grant in the adventure of a lifetime in a race to keep the world safe
from these gigantic monsters. An awesome and thrilling read!
Sam Webb '10
Lincoln: A Photobiography
Russell Freedman
This 1988 Newbery Medal Book tells the story of Abraham Lincoln with photographs
and prints, providing a vivid look at the life and times of one of the nation's
great leaders.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Gary D. Schmidt
“Turner, the rigid minister's son, doesn't fit in when his family moves from
Boston to the small town of Phippsburg on the coast of Maine in 1912. It's not
only that Maine baseball is different from the game he knows; he's just plain
miserable. Then he makes friends with a smart, lively young teen, Lizzie
Griffin, living in a small, impoverished community founded by former slaves on
nearby Malaga Island. When the town elders drive Lizzie's people off the island,
Turner stands up for them…” (Booklist) 2005 Newbery Honor Book
Locomotion
Jacqueline Woodson
Through his own poetry, 11-year-old Lonnie shares his heartbreak over his
parents, killed in a fire four years ago, and his love for his younger sister
Lili, separated from him when they were placed in foster care.
Mrs. Salladay
Monster
Walter Dean Myers
“Steve
Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem
drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting
trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration.
Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by
telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts
his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene
narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed
within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the
nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many
facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling
both sympathy and repugnance for him. Steve searches deep within his soul to
prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presented
him as to the jury.” (School Library Journal)
National Book Award Finalist, Coretta Scott King Honor Award, Printz
Award
My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George
When Sam Gribley’s dad said that he couldn’t live one day in the wild, Sam runs
away to prove to his dad that he could. He uses a tree as his home and a falcon
as his companion. Sam must rely on himself and his resources to be able to
survive. This book is a very fascinating book with a ton of adventure.
William Dossche '10
Peter and the Starcatchers
Dave
Barry and Ridley Pearson
In
this prequel to Peter Pan, Peter is the leader of a group of orphan boys “being
sent into slavery aboard the Never Land, and Black Stache, a fearsome
pirate, commands a villainous crew. New characters include Molly Aster and
her father. Molly, at 14, is an apprentice Starcatcher, a secret society formed
to keep evildoers from obtaining "starstuff," magic material that
falls to earth and conveys happiness, power, increased intelligence, and the
ability to fly.”
(School Library Journal)
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science
John
Fleishman
This
is the strange true story of Phineas Gage. “Phineas, a railroad construction
foreman, was blasting rock near Cavendish, Vermont, in 1848 when a
thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Miraculously, he survived to
live another eleven years and become a textbook case in brain science…” (Amazon)
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Scorpions
Walter Dean Myers
Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of 12-year-old Jamal,
whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the
experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his
friendship with his best friend.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
Jennifer Armstrong
Armstrong vividly describes how 28 men sailed from England in 1914 on the
"Endurance" to become the first team of explorers to cross Antarctica.
She continues the incredible story of their survival on the ship after
encountering ice, storms, and remote islands.
Soldier's Heart
Gary Paulsen
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, 15-year-old Charlie leaves his farm
and enlists in the First Minnesota Volunteers, not wanting to miss out on a
great adventure. After experiencing the horrors of war, Charlie comes back a man
changed forever. This "stark, utterly persuasive novel of combat life"
(New York Times) by a three-time Newbery Honor winner, explores the
condition of battle fatigue.
Stormbreaker
Anthony Horowitz
A James Bond like action book about a 12-year-old boy whose uncle dies on a
mission for the Secret Service. The boy then has to go through training in preparation
for the mission to find out what a shady character is up to.
Richard Lindeman '10
Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps
Andrea Warren
"Simply told, Warren's powerful story blends the personal testimony of
Holocaust survivor Jack Mandelbaum with the history of his time, documented by
stirring photos from the archives of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Mandelbaum was 12 when the Nazis came to Poland in 1939. At first the thought of
war was 'thrilling.' Then he saw his prosperous, happy home torn apart, and he
spent three years as a teenager in the death camps in Germany, where he survived
by a combination of courage, friendship, and luck." Robert F. Seibert Honor
Book
The Adventures of Ulysses
Bernard
Evslin
Ulysses, a hero of the Trojan War heads for home, unaware that he has incurred
the wrath of the gods. The ten-year journey home is filled with adventure as
Ulysses outwits the one-eyed Cyclops, Polyphemus, encounters the beautiful
sorceress Circe, and barely escapes the monster Scylla and the whirlpool
Charybdis.
The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket
After the death of their wealthy parents, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny
Baudelaire have many adventures to find out more about their parents' lives.
They have to stay away from the evil Count Olaf who will stop at nothing to get
his hands on the Baudelaires' fortune.
Blake Feagans '10
The Education of Little
Tree
Forrest Carter
This bestseller captures a Cherokee boyhood in the 1930's, as seen through
the eyes of a young boy in the Appalachian Mountains.
The Giver
Lois Lowry
Jonas's world is perfect; there are no feelings. When a child reaches a
certain age, he is given a certain gift and assigned a job. Jonas is assigned
the job as the giver. He receives the knowledge of joy and sorrow, pain and
pleasure. This book is good because it is a fictional adventure of a 12-year-old boy learning a new world.
Kendall Ray '10
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
Walter Dean Myers
An award-winning author presents a riveting account of the extraordinary career
and accomplishments of boxer Muhammad Ali. From his childhood to his rise as a
champion, his politics, and his battle against Parkinson's Disease, this
biography for young readers tells the story of Ali's impact on race relations
inside and outside the sports world.
The Hiding Place
Corrie Ten Boom
Real story about Corrie Ten Boom. Her family was hiding the Jewish people
in the war and got caught. All in her family ended up dead except her. She
spent a lot of time in a German prison and was treated very poorly. This is a
book about forgiveness as Corrie learned to forgive the Germans and their cruel
treatment of her.
Mr. Vining
The Hobbit
J.R.R.
Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins seems content with a quiet evening in
his hobbit hole, a warm fire, and a mushroom dinner. Yet Bilbo also discovers
that he has a an unexpected taste for adventure when the wizard Gandalf appears
and entices him on a quest in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and the
dragon Smaug.
The House of Scorpion
Nancy Farmer
Farmer tackles the provocative topics of cloning, the value of life, illegal
immigration and the drug trade in a coming-of-age novel set in a desolate
futuristic desert. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived
140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common
practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually
destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran's doubles, has been spared
because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family's mansion,
alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El
Patron's favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him.
National
Book Award, Newbery Honor, and a Printz Honor.
The Land
Mildred Taylor
“In this prequel to Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry, readers meet the relatives of the Logan family who lived during
Civil War and Reconstruction times. Paul Edward is the son of a slave and her
white master. He is treated well by his white half brothers and by his father,
who teaches him to read and write. However, he and his sister learn that they
are part of the white family in only certain respects. Early in his life, a
black boy, Mitchell Thomas, who later becomes his best friend, torments Paul for
his mixed racial heritage. The story follows these two young men as
circumstances force them to run away from home and make their way in the
world…” (School Library Journal ) Newbery Honor
The Legend of Buddy Bush
Sheila
P. Moses
“In rural Rich Square, NC, the 1947 arrest, trial, escape, and eventual
acquittal of African-American Buddy Bush rocked a community and sparked
international interest. This fictionalized account is narrated by Pattie Mae,
Buddy's 12-year-old niece, a perceptive eavesdropper who discovers
the depths of prejudice and the strength of family…” (School Library
Journal) 2005 Newbery Honor Book, 2005 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
The Lion, The Witch & The
Wardrobe
C. S
Lewis
A simple game of hide and seek turns into an
adventure when four children find their way into another world through a magic
wardrobe. They meet Aslan, a lion who has come to free Narnia from the
control of the White Witch. Aslan sacrifices his life to save Edmund, one of the
children, who becomes a traitor and joins forces with the Witch.
The Lost Years of Merlin
T. A. Barron
After losing his sight when a burning tree falls over, Emrys (Merlin) is
blessed by second sight. And so he sets off on a mystical and arduous journey
to find who he really is. This book is an amazing magical fantasy about Merlin’s
rise to power.
Jack Powell '10
The Old Man and The Sea
Ernest Hemingway
An old Cuban fisherman named Santiago … finally catches a magnificent
fish after weeks of not catching anything. After three days of playing the fish,
he finally manages to reel it in and lash it to his boat, only to have sharks
eat it as he returns to the harbor. The other fishermen marvel at the size of
the skeleton; Santiago is spent but triumphant. The Merriam-Webster
Encyclopedia of Literature 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction
The
River Between Us
Richard Peck
Richard Peck creates a page-turning tale of mystery and adventure,
set at the beginning of the Civil War. The story actually opens in 1916, as
15-year-old Howard Leland Hutchings recounts his trip in a Model T to visit his
father's childhood home in Grand Tower, IL. When he and his younger brothers
meet the four elderly people who raised their father, the novel shifts to 1861,
and the narrator shifts to 15-year-old Tilly Pruitt, the boys' grandmother. School
Library Journal .
Winner, Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Howard Pyle
In these wonderfully illustrated tales, renowned storyteller Howard Pyle
journeys back to the age of King Arthur and his Round Table to chronicle the
powerful, enthralling story that has delighted generations of readers fascinated
by chivalry, magic, and the unforgettable drama of medieval times.
The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo
Despereaux, a diminutive mouse, is an unlikely hero. "His mother, who is
French, declares him to be 'such the disappointment' at his birth and the rest
of his family seems to agree that he is very odd: his ears are too big and his
eyes open far too soon and they all expect him to die quickly. Of course, he
doesn't. Then there is human Princess Pea, with whom Despereaux falls
deeply...in love. She appreciates him despite her father's prejudice against
rodents" (School Library Journal). Newbery Medal
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
- 1963
Christopher Paul Curtis
1963 is a year that will not be forgotten by Kenny and his wild and wacky
family. This family of five squeezes into the “Brown Bomber” and steers south
from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama. A sidesplitting adventure for the
“weird” Watsons will keep you reading all day long.
Kenny Krecklow '10
The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely
assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they
can claim their inheritance. Newbery Medal Winner.
Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke
Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy, where hidden canals and
crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets. After their mother dies, 12-year-old
Prosper and his brother, Bo, 5, flee from Hamburg to Venice (an awful aunt plans
to adopt only Bo). They live in an abandoned movie theater with several other
street children under the care of the Thief Lord, a cocky youth who claims to
rob "the city's most elegant houses." (Publisher’s Weekly) Mildred
Batchelder Award for an outstanding translated book for children
Time Stops for No Mouse
Michael Hoeye
It is an adventurous story of Hermux Tantamoq trying to solve a mystery of
the mysterious disappearance of Ms. Perflinger. Hermux is also on a
mission of self discovery.
Christopher Rutledge '09
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
Jim Hawkins has led an ordinary life as an innkeeper's son until the day he
inadvertently discovers a treasure map and his ordinary life turns into an extraordinary adventure. In a hunt for buried treasure, he encounters much more
than he bargained for, including the original cast of cutthroat pirates Black
Dog and the infamous Long John Silver.
Unconditional Surrender: U.S. Grant
and the Civil War
Albert
Marrin
“Part history, part biography, this is a fine study of Grant and his
pivotal
role in the Civil War. Marrin points out the many ironies of Grant's life:
educated at West Point and a soldier by trade, he hated war; he seemed a failure
until the war drew him from obscurity and brought his best qualities into
prominence; repelled by the sight of blood since childhood, he led forces into
the Battle of Shiloh, still remembered as a bloodbath; the leader of the Union
army and a man who had freed his slaves, he once said he was not an abolitionist
or even antislavery; anything but a politician, he became president of the U.S…”
(Booklist)
Under a War-Torn Sky
L. M. Elliott
This book is a true story about a 19-year-old All-American Air Force
pilot. His plane gets shot down over occupied France in WWII. As he tries to
find his way to friendly ground, members of the French Resistance protect and
guide him. This adventurous book shows the astonishing, heroic events of these
individuals.
Will Snipes '09
Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee
and the Civil War
Albert
Marrin
“This
biography presents Lee as a gentleman and a soldier. Beginning with Lee's
pivotal decision to refuse command of the U.S. Army, the book fills in the
details of his childhood, education, marriage, and career, and then concentrates
on the Civil War years. Quotations from Lee, his generals, and particularly his
soldiers offer insight into the times…” (Booklist)
Waiting for the Rain
Sheila Gordon
Frikkie and Tengo have been friends since childhood. Frikkie is a white
landowner's nephew. Tengo is black and works on Frikkie's uncle's farm. Tengo
has dreams of freedom, and soon the two friends are torn apart by the dictates
of South African apartheid.
When Zachary Beaver Came To Town
Kimberly Willis Holt
This
National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature tells the story of two
boys who during the summer of 1971 meet the star of a sideshow act that comes to
their small Texas town: 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world. A
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. National Book Award Winner
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls
A story of a boy who wants dogs, but his parents could not afford them. He
wanted the dogs so badly that he worked for two years before he had enough
money. This story shows the best friendship between a dog and a boy.
Matthew Kitsmiller '10
White Fang
Jack London
It is a good book about friendship and dreams.
Sam Daigle '08
Wild Man Island
Will Hobbs
Hobbs takes readers deep into
Alaska's coastal islands in this edgy adventure in which he draws upon his
firsthand Alaskan kayaking experience to create a richly woven, page-turning
story of survival. Outstanding Science Trade Book
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