Chanda's
War by Allan Stratton (HarperCollins, 2008)
Chanda Kabelo,
a teenage African girl, must save her younger siblings after they are kidnapped
and forced to serve as child soldiers in General Mandiki's rebel army. Chanda's
Wars is the unforgettable story of a young woman who risks everything to save
her brother and sister. Epic in its sweep, intimate in its humanity, here is a
gripping tale of family intrigue, love and courage, forgiveness and hope.
Stratton is also the author of the internationally acclaimed Michael L. Printz
Honor Book Chanda's
Secrets (Annick Press, 2004)
Emperors
of the Ice: a True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910
–1913 by Richard Farr (Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2008)
Apsley Cherry-Garrard shares his adventures as the youngest member of
Robert Scott's expedition to Antarctica in the 1910s, during which he and Edward
Wilson try to learn the evolutionary history of emperor penguins. Consider
pairing this historical fiction with another Antarctic adventure by Victoria
McKernan, Shackleton’s
Stowaway 2005. If you would prefer a non-fiction account, try Trial by Ice: a
Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton by K.M.Kostyal, 1999 or Endurance:
Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 1999.
The Graveyard
Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, 2008)
Nobody Owens is
a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the
graveyard. “Bod’s” earthly family is murdered by “a man named Jack”. Bod is only
18 months old as he climbs out of his crib and toddles out the front door to the
graveyard next door. The story follows Bod's progress as he grows from baby to
teen, learning life’s lessons amid the long-dead, ghouls, witches and a
nocturnal guardian named Silas who ensures that Bod receives food, books, and
anything else he might need from the human world. By juxtaposing the world of
the dead with the world of the living, Gaiman creates a fantastical world where
the thoughtful protagonist comes to understand the power of family as he
experiences the fear, pains, confusions, and joys of growing up. This thought
provoking and entertaining book won the 2009 Newbery Award.
Nation by
Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, 2008)
After a tsunami destroys all that
they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English
girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their
community and the things that matter to them. As the characters grapple with
questions of leadership, humanity, and survival, Pratchett explores fundamental
ideas about religion and culture. Quirky wit and broad vision make this a
fascinating survival story on many levels. Other recommended books by Pratchet
include The
Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, 2001, The Wee Free Men
and A Hat
Full of Sky, 2004.
The Unnameables
by Ellen Booraem (Harcourt, 2008)
On an island where only
useful objects are named and the unnamed (like art and poetry) are ignored or
forbidden, thirteen-year-old Medford encounters an unusual and powerful
creature, half-man, half-goat and totally out of control. Together they attempt
to bring some changes to the community. One of the funniest stories of
friendship you will ever read, with a cast of unforgettable characters.
The Underneath
by Kathi Appelt (Antheneum, 2008)
There is nothing
lonelier than a cat that has been loved, at least for a while, and is then
abandoned on the side of the road. The pregnant calico hears another lonely
creature howling in the dense forest of the bayou, the hound dog, Ranger…
chained, starved and abused by his master, Garface. The cat has 2 kittens, and
with the dog rears them in the safety of the “underneath”. But one kitten’s
curiosity unleashes a series of events that brings together shapeshifters,
ancient magic and the power of love leading to a heart pounding ending. This
book is for lovers of hauntingly beautiful prose who enjoyed Shiloh, Old Yeller
and the Yearling. Santa Clause in Baghdad: And Other Stories about Teens in the
Arab World by Elsa Marston (Indiana University Press, 2008) A collection of
eight stories about what it is like to grow up in the Middle East today. Marston
says, “As a New England Yankee who resides in Indiana, with many sojourns in the
Middle East, I know that American young people need fair, accurate and engaging
literature about the Arab world … rather than the stuff of headlines, my book
offers glimpses of ‘real life’—challenges that teenagers face everywhere—against
the background of Middle Eastern societies”.
Generation
Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life by
Linda and Tosh Sivertsen (Simon Pulse, 2008)
This book provides
information on issues such as global warming and overflowing landfills; offers
tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way; and shows that being
environmentally conscious can be a natural part of life. This is a fun and smart
read filled with great tips, facts, stories, and interviews.
The Boys of Winter: The
Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
by Wayne Coffey (Crown, 2005)
This book looks back at one
of the greatest moments of twentieth-century sports history, the victory of the
U.S. hockey team over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games. It
assesses the meaning of the triumph and the paths of the players and coaches on
both sides since 1980.
On
Writing: a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (Scribner,
2000)
Stephen King is one of the most popular and prolific writers of horror
and mystery of our time. In this memoir, the author shares his insights into the
craft of writing, offers a humorous perspective on his own experience as a
writer and recounts some wonderfully personal anecdotes from his childhood.
Side
by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art From Around the World by Jan
Greenberg (Abrams, 2008)
This collection examines the connections
between an artist’s work and a poet’s response, placing both poem and picture on
the same page. An English translation accompanies each poem in its original
language. This international collection of art and the written word inspires
original thinking and deep reflection.
Three Cups
of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace …One School at a Time by
Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin, 2006)
Mortenson recounts
the experiences he had while trying to help impoverished villages in Pakistan's
Karakoram Himalaya build schools for their children. “Here we drink three cups
of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a
friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared
to do anything – even die.”
The
Invention of Hugo Cabret: a novel in words and pictures by Brian
Selznick
- When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing
clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toy
seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are
jeopardized. This 2008 Newbery Gold Medal book is a compelling story told in a
new and innovative style and should not be missed! Scholastic, 2007
Home of the
Brave by Katherine Applegate
– A recent immigrant from the
atrocities wrought in Africa, Kek comes to Minneapolis and sees snow for the
first time. Kek may have no immediate family, his father and brother slaughtered
in a raid … his mother separated from him as they fled for their lives in yet
another assault. But here in America he finds hope. Beautifully written in free
verse, with harsh truths and heart-rending emotions. Feiwel and Friends, 2007
The
Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous by Suzanne Crowley
- This story takes place in the small town of Jumbo, Texas, where
thirteen-year-old Merilee, who has Asperger's Syndrome, tries to live a "very
ordinary existence", but disruptions begin when an outspoken boy and his poet
father arrive in town and the youngster makes himself a part of the family.
Greenwillow, 2007
The Wednesday
Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
- On Wednesday afternoons when
all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader
Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in the school stays in Mrs. Baker's
classroom, where among other “chores” they read the plays of William
Shakespeare. To his surprise, Holling learns much of value from these plays
about the world that he lives in. Poignant and humorous, this is a Newbury honor
book and a Printz Honor book. Clarian, 2007
Lawn
Boy by Gary Paulsen
- Once again Paulsen delights us with
his humor and his keen insights into the human species as our 12-year-old
narrator becomes the local “lawn boy” and makes big money by investing in the
stock market with the help of an aging hippie client. This book is plot driven
and will appeal to those who love a “Cinderella story” where the poor boy with a
good attitude finds success. It is a lighthearted read but it raises some
questions for discussion about family and decision making. Random House, 2007.
Dovey
Coe by Frances O’Roark Dowell
- . “My name is Dovey Coe,
and I reckon it don’t matter if you like me or not. I’m here to lay the record
straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I
aim to prove it too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I
didn’t kill him.” Dovey is a straight talker with tenacious family loyalty and a
keen sense of an outsider’s intentions. During the summer of her 12th year, in a
North Carolina town in 1928, Dovey’s mettle is tested and her future depends
upon its strength.
Notes
From the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
– After
drinking some vodka, taking his mother’s car for a spin and winding up in the
neighbor’s front yard, Alex is assigned to perform community service at a local
nursing home. He befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart
about jazz guitar playing, love and forgiveness. This story introduces a
memorable cast of characters, not the least of which is Alex’s fresh and funny
voice.
The
Everglades by Wayne Lynch
– Dr. Lynch is a popular guest
lecturer and an award-winning science writer. His very readable book is chocked
full of interesting, sometimes little-known facts, augmented with his own
eye-catching photographs and complete with index and web site suggestions. If
you can’t get to Florida this summer, try this wonderful book instead.
Northword, 2007.
Tiger
Ladies: A Memoir of Kashmir by Sudha Koul
– The author
recounts a childhood in the 1950s and ‘60s in the Kashmir Region of India where
Muslim and Hindu lived peacefully, respectfully and supportively side by side.
Filled with cultural gems of myth, religion and social practice, this book
paints an incredible picture of landscapes backed by Himalayan Mountains, dotted
with glacial lakes, green with high meadows and hills and vividly portrays a
conflict that spoils and taints both the land and populous forever. Beacon
Press, 2002
Healing
Our World: Inside Doctors Without Borders by David Morley
– Morley has served as executive director of the Canadian section of this
international organization that is dedicated to helping children and families in
need of life-saving care. At the end of each day in the field, David wrote about
the organization’s work, about the patients they served and about what the
volunteers were seeing and feeling. This is an eye-opening account of people who
share a passion for helping those suffering from war, disaster, disease and
poverty. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2007
The
Signing of the Magna Carta by Debbie Levy
– This slim
volume is part of the “Pivotal Moments in History” Series and is an easy,
accessible read for the immerging history buff. The Magna Carta would become the
foundation for many of the freedoms people enjoy in modern times including the
right to a fair trial and the notion that the punishment should fit the crime.
Complete with index, glossary, Who’s Who and Web Site suggestions, this book is
a gem! Lerner Publishing, 2008
For more great summer reads, try these authors:
Mike Lupica for sports
action and author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Travel Team
Joan
Bauer for a strong female protagonist with humor and smarts as in Hope Was
Here
Christopher Poalini and Cornelia Funke for great fantasies such as
Eldest and Inkheart
D. J.
MacHale for the 8th installment of his Pendragon Series, The Pilgrims of
Rayne
Lisa See for her young adult historical fictions of China, Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love
Keeper by
Mal Peet
El Gato, the greatest goal keeper in the world, has just won
the World Cup and is being interviewed by sports journalist, Paul Fautino.
Imagine Paul’s surprise to find that El Gato grew up in the rainforest, worked
for the local logging company and in his teens wandered upon a mysterious soccer
field in the middle of the forest where he was trained by an apparition. Is this
great sportsman under too much stress? This is a truly different sports story
…where personal growth trumps even the game.
Leonardo da Vinci
by Kathleen Krull
This is a very readable biography
about the most famous “Renaissance Man” and about the end of the Middle Ages in
which he lived. In a time when pig manure was a cure for nosebleeds and people
believed in magic, Leonardo’s life-long craving for knowledge yielded hundreds
of drawings and notebooks. It is claimed that the notebooks’ survival would have
changed the history of the world.
Gossamer
by Lois Lowry
This is a haunting, memorable story that
floats between reality and imagination. From where do dreams come? In this tale,
they come from dream makers – stealthy, kind, night-workers who enter a house in
dark to feel out warm memories and who leave before daylight. In the story a
very old, lonely woman and a very angry, damaged little boy who comes to live
with her are desperately in need of good dreams. But dark horrors sometimes find
their way into dreams – brought by the “sinisteeds”, who prey on the vulnerable.
They fall upon a house in great fiery hordes! How will the gentle dream makers
succeed? This short novel will stay with you for weeks to come.
New Boy
by Julian Houston
Fifteen year old Rob Garrett, bright
and gregarious, is leaving his segregated Virginian town and packing for a
Connecticut boarding school. He will be the first and only black student on
campus. Both he and his parents know what an opportunity this is, but Rob is not
prepared for the subtle prejudice and the loneliness that he experiences his
first term. The South is changing, and when he returns home for Christmas break,
Rob finds his former high school classmates planning a sit-in at the local lunch
counter. He also meets a girl he wants to get to know better. Will he… can he go
back North? This historical novel is filled with quiet courage ... a great read.
Ask Me No Questions
by Marina Budhos
As part of a U.S. government crackdown
on illegal immigration after 9/11 Muslim men were required to register with the
government and many were arrested because their visas had long-since expired.
Families who had lived and worked in this country were suddenly and forcibly
reminded of their illegal status without any likelihood of changing it. For
18-year-old Aisha, this means the end of her dream of going to college and
becoming a doctor. For 14-year-old Nadira, her younger sister, it means coming
out from behind the shadow of her perfect older sister to reveal her own
strength and find a way to reunite her nearly shattered family … a timely read.
The Boy Who
Spoke Dog by Clay Morgan
Jack, a shipwrecked orphan, is
marooned on a mysterious island where a flock of sheep is herded and cared for
by sheepdogs, but no humans are to be found. Jack struggles to survive as he
encounters in the forest another pack of dogs ... vicious, accomplished hunters
of sheep, dogs and man. To stave off loneliness, Jack must form a bond with the
narrator of the story, Moxie, the youngest of the border collies. With
imagination, the lasting themes of self reliance and loyalty are explored in
this suspenseful tale.
Jimi and
Me by Jaime Adoff
Keith James is moving with his Mom out
of Brooklyn, NY to a small town in Ohio. Keith's musician father was shot in a
variety store hold-up ... wrong place, wrong time. All Keith has left is a trunk
filled with his dad's psychedelic clothes and a zealous appreciation of his
dad's favorite musician, Jimi Hendrix, guitarist extrordinaire. Keith finds
comfort in Jimi's music, wisdom in his lyrics, and he manages to keep his dad’s
memory close until powerful secrets from the past come to light and everything
changes.
Sleeping
Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
A terrific novel! High
School freshman, Scott Hudson, is expecting a baby brother/sister. He writes a
journal to this unborn sibling about how to survive high school as he negotiates
the perils of his own first year. The journal entries are heartwarming and
hilarious. Scott's inspiring English teacher keeps the pace of the story moving
as he challenges his classes with thought provoking assignments.
Under
the Baseball Moon by John Ritter
Andy's trumpet-playing
ability goes through the roof whenever Glory is watching. And her softball
pitches smoke the batters if Andy's in the bleachers. It seems almost too good
to be true. Or is it all due to the elegant, eerie man in black who promises
fame and fortune? Can this man really deliver? Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth
Pfeffer - Miranda's world begins to change overnight when an asteroid pushes the
moon closer to Earth. Tidal waves destroy cities, volcanic ash blots out the
sun, and people are panicking in the streets. Is this the end of the world?
Cheating
Lessons by Nan Willard Cappo
Can honesty be the worst
policy? Bernadette Terrell has always known the right thing to do. Not the most
popular girl in school, her focus has always been on academic, not social,
success. When her favorite teacher names her to Wickham High School's state
championship quiz bowl team, she believes that she has reached the pinnacle of
her high school academic career. However, her elation quickly fades as she
begins to suspect that perhaps someone cheated to get Wickham into the contest
and is cheating still. Cappo's blend of suspense and humor makes Cheating
Lessons a riveting story about right and wrong -- and the downside of trust.
The
Higher Power of Lucky by Cassandra Campbell
This 2006
Newbery Award winner is filled with superb characterizations and can be read on
many different levels. The loveable, eccentric heroine feels she has run out of
luck as she contemplates the loss of her guardian, a move to a California
orphanage and parting with her beloved dog, HMS Beagle.
Wolf Brother
by Michelle Paver
Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks
the land. According to legend, only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub
companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests,
across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. This fast-paced
adventure delves into a world of spirits and mysticism. It is the first book of
the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Don’t miss Book 2, Spirit
Walker (2005) and Book 3, Soul Eater
(2006).
The
Great Brain Book: An Inside Look at the Inside of Your Head by H.
P. Newquest
Newquist peels back the layers of the brain to explain what
it's made of, how it works, and how to make your brain work for you. From
eyeballs to neurons, vivid illustrations show pieces of its complex structure.
Brain surgery and brain abnormalities are explained, as is the function of sleep
and dreams. This is an informal and intriguing look inside your head.
For more great read look at some recommended titles from previous years.
Code Talker
by Joseph Bruchac
Ned Begay begins his education at an Anglo
boarding school where he and his peers are forbidden to speak their native
language. By the onset of WWII, only a handful of young Navajo men were fluid
speakers, but that was enough to make a difference in the Pacific theater. Ned
tells of heroic experiences in Guadacanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima and
Okinawa
Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook
Look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Remarkable Life by Candace
Fleming
A lovely hands on biography of a woman with an unhappy
childhood, who grew up to truly be a citizen of the world.
Big
Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
When
sixteen-year-old Matt is falsely accused of threatening to blow up his high
school, his friends turn against him, but an unlikely classmate comes to his
aid. This is a fast moving, timely story with well developed characters and a
page turner plot.
The City of
Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Twelve-year-old Doon and his
acquaintance Lina are intent on finding a way to save Ember, a decaying,
futuristic city, where it is always night, but without moon or stars. Readers
will be fascinated by the haunting setting and mysterious action that propels
this novel. Sequels include The People of
Spark and Prophet of
Yonwood.
The
Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
A
historical narrative about a free spirited 18th century girl brought up in the
shimmering Caribbean islands, who after the death of her parents, finds herself
sent to live with relatives in a stern Puritan community of the Connecticut
Colony. This is a wonderful tale of a thoughtful heroine coming of age in a time
of bigotry and superstition.
Replay
by Sharon Creech
While preparing for a role in the school
play, twelve-year-old Leo finds an autobiography that his father wrote as a
teenager and ponders the ways people change as they grow up. Leo’s boisterous
Italian family makes for a funny, insightful and wonderfully original novel.
Lizzie
Bright And The Buckminister Boy (Honor Book for 2005 Newbery Award)
by Gary D. Schmidt
A powerful novel about an actual event, the
shameful destruction of the African American island community of Malaga, Maine
in 1912. This lyrical and moving story brings to life the courage and unlikely
friendship of a young boy and girl who see beyond color.
Haymeadow
by Gary Paulsen
Fourteen-year-old John spends the summer taking
care of 6000 sheep alone in the meadow except for his dogs. Kije his father and
grandfather before, Gary must find the resourcefulness and ingenuity to care for
the survival of all.
Eagle Strike: An
Alex Rider Adventure by Anthony Horowitz
After a chance
encounter with assassin Yassen Gregorovich in the South of France, teenage spy
Alex Rider investigates international pop star and philanthropist Damian Cray
whose new video game venture hides sinister motives involving Air Force One,
nuclear missiles, and the international drug trade. (Other Alex Rider adventures
include Stormbreaker,’01
Point Blank,’02
Skeleton
Key,’03 Eagle
Strike,’04 Scorpia,’05 Ark Angel ’06.)
The Race to Save the Lord
God Bird by Philip M. Hoose
Tells the story of the
ivory-billed woodpecker’s extinction in the United States, describing the
encounters between species and humans, and discussing what these encounters have
taught us about preserving endangered creatures. Wonderful.
Milkweed by
Jerry Spinelli
The Story of a very young boy’s survival in the Polish
countryside during the grim events of the Holocaust.
Chasing
Vermeer by Blue Balliett
When seemingly unrelated and
strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears,
eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an
international art scandal. Readers who like visual puzzles and mysteries will
love this book. (New sequel The Wright 3)
Bucking The
Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
Deeply involved in his
cold and manipulative mother's shady business dealings in Flint, Michigan,
fourteen-year-old Luther keeps a sense of humor while running the Happy Neighbor
Group Home For Men, all the while dreaming of going to college and becoming a
philosopher.
Dragon's Gate
by Laurence Yep
When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a
fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to America to join his father, an uncle,
and other Chinese working to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad
through the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1867. A great historical novel by an
excellent young adult author (Sequel to Mountain Light)
Freaky
Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates
Fourteen-year-old Frankie
relates the events of the year leading up to her mother’s mysterious
disappearance and her own struggle to discover and accept the truth about her
parent’s relationship. An abuse theme told with compassion and insight.
Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
After successfully evading an
Urgals ambush, Eragon is adopted into the Ingeitum clan and sent to finish his
training so he can further help the Varden in their struggle against the Empire.
Sequel to Eragon , a
fantastic fantasy adventure.
More Great Authors for Teens: Lloyd Alexander , Joan Bauer , Robert Cormier , Nancy Farmer, Jean Craighead George, Karen Hesse, Ursula Le Guin, Ann McCaffrey, Walter Dean Myers, Beverley Naidoo, Donna Jo Napoli, Scott O’Dell, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mildred Taylor, Ellen Wittlinger.
FICTION
Millions by Frank
Cottrell Boyce
After their mother dies, two brothers find a huge amount
of money which they must spend quickly before England switches to the new
European currency, but they disagree on what to do with it.
The Star Of
Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
After twelve-year-old Annika, a foundling
living in late nineteenth-century Vienna, inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, a
woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother arrives and takes her to live in a
strangely decrepit mansion in Germany.
Al
Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
A twelve-year-old
boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were
housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in
addition to life with his autistic sister.
Bucking The
Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
Deeply involved in his cold
and manipulative mother's shady business dealings in Flint, Michigan,
fourteen-year-old Luther keeps a sense of humor while running the Happy Neighbor
Group Home For Men, all the while dreaming of going to college and becoming a
philosopher.
kira-kira
(Winner of the 2005 Newbery Award) by Cynthia Kadohata
Chronicles
the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters growing up in rural
Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one sister
becomes terminally ill.
Lizzie
Bright And The Buckminister Boy (Honor Book for 2005 Newbery Award) by
Gary D. Schmidt
In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of
Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a
girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town
fathers--and Turner's--want to change into a tourist spot.
Code Talker: A Novel
About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a
useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to
become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native
tongue.
A Northern Light
by Jennifer Donnelly
In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined
to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance,
takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a
guest. Based on a true story.
Dust by Arthur
Slade
Eleven-year-old Robert is the only one who can help when a
mysterious stranger arrives, performing tricks and promising to bring rain at
the same time children begin to disappear from a dust bowl farm town in
Saskatchewan in the 1930s.
Inkheart by
Cornelia Funke
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who
repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life
when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
This author has most recently published Dragon Rider another
adventure-filled fantasy.
Run, Boy, Run: a
Novel by Uri Orlev
Based on the true story of a nine-year-old
boy who escapes the Warsaw Ghetto and must survive throughout the war in the
Nazi-occupied Polish countryside.
NONFICTION
The
Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
Describes the research
that Samuel Marshall and his students are doing on tarantulas, including the
largest spider on earth, the Goliath bird eating tarantula. Striking close-up
photography and a 2005 Sibert Honor Book.
Face
Relations: 11 stories about seeing beyond color edited by Marilyn
Singer
A collection of stories about issues of diversity and race
relations
Race
To Save The Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose
Tells the story of
the ivory-billed woodpecker's extinction in the United States, describing the
encounters between this species and humans, and discussing what these encounters
have taught us about preserving endangered creatures.
Here In Harlem:
poems in many voices by Walter Dean Myers
Inspired by Edgar Lee
Master’s classic Spoon River Anthology, Walter Dean Myers celebrates the voices
and aspirations of the residents of another American town.
A Maze Me: Poems
for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye
Written for a female audience,
this collection captures the wide array of coming-of-age emotion, drama, angst,
and joy through poems dealing with friendship, school, community, love, and
family.
In
Defense of Liberty: The Story of the Bill of Rights by Russell
Freedman
In a very readable format, Freedman describes the origins,
applications of and challenges to the ten amendments to the United States
Constitution. The founding fathers new the constitution was not perfect and
designed the first 10 amendments to preserve and protect the rights and
liberties of all citizens against a “too strong” government.
Canning
Season by Polly Horvath
Thirteen-year-old Ratchet spends a
summer in Maine with her eccentric great-aunts Tilly and Penpen, hearing strange
stories from the past and encountering a variety of unusual and colorful
characters.
Under the
Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice
While trying to earn money for a
motor bike, fourteen-year-old Joe Pedersen becomes involved with the Mexicans
who work on his family's farm and develops a better relationship with his
father.
And in the Morning
by John Alexander Wilson
When fifteen-year-old Jim Hay's father is
killed in World War I, Jim is compelled to leave his native Scotland to fight,
and struggles with the horrors of war as he tries to survive in the trenches of
France.
Big
Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
When sixteen-year-old
Matt is falsely accused of threatening to blow up his high school and his
friends turn against him, an unlikely classmate comes to his aid. (Teen Oates)
City of
the Beasts by Isabel Allende
When fifteen-year-old Alexander
Cold accompanies his individualistic grandmother on an expedition to find a
humanoid Beast in the Amazon, he experiences ancient wonders and a supernatural
world as he tries to avert disaster for the Indians. (Teen Allende)
Ties
that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka
Ailin's life takes
a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese society
by refusing to have her feet bound.
Storm
Catchers by Tim Bowler
Filled with guilt over his younger
sister's kidnapping, teenaged Fin tries to rescue her and in the process learns
about a dark family secret.
Touching
Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
The Native American form of
“Circle Justice” transforms a teenage bully as he is placed alone on an island
to survive. (Teen Mikaelsen)
After by Francine
Prose
In the aftermath of a nearby school shooting, a grief and crisis
counselor takes over Central High School and enacts increasingly harsh measures
to control students, while those who do not comply disappear.
Things Not
Seen by Andrew Clements
What happens when a perfectly normal
high school kid steps out of the shower one morning and discovers he is
invisible? (Teen Clements)
Eragon by
Christopher Paolini
In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown
lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an
intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves,
and monsters. (Teen Paolini)
City of
Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Ember, a 241-year-old, ruined domed city
surrounded by a dark unknown, was built to ensure that humans would continue to
exist on Earth. But the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker
and the food shelves are getting bare. (J Fic Duprau)
The Tale
of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The winner of the 2004 Newbery
Medal draws the reader into an enchanting account of a smaller-than-usual mouse
in love with music, stories and a princess named Pea. (J Fic DiCamillo)
Non-Fiction
Going
Places: True Tales from Young Travelers by Compiled by Michelle Roehm
McCann
Photographs accompany sixteen real-life stories of teenagers who
describe in their own words a journey that changed their lives.
Harlem
Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick
Hill
Explores the literary, artistic, and intellectual creativity of
the Harlem Renaissance and discusses the lives and work of Louis Armstrong,
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and other notable figures of the era.
The Story of Architecture
by Jonathan Glancey
In this history of world architecture, the
commentator conducts a very readable odyssey through 5000 years of buildings,
from ancient Sumeria to the glass-and-steel towers of today's cityscapes.
After
the Last Dog Died: The True-life, Hair-raising Adventure of Douglas Mawson and
His 1911-1914 Antarctic Expedition by Carmen Bredeson
Describes
the life and career of the Australian explorer, Sir Doulgas Mawson, focusing on
his 1912 scientific expedition to Antarctica.
The
Book of Lists for Teens by Sandra and Harry Choron
Contains
more than 250 lists for teens which offer advice on various subjects and
information on popular topics. (Teen 031.02 C551)
Women
in the Middle East: Tradition and Change by Ramsay M. Harik and Elsa
Marston
In this revised edition, the authors discuss current social
issues with updated information on the topics of religion, veiling and political
participation. This book is a fluid read and a comprehensive look at the women
struggling to incorporate both tradition and change in their everyday lives.