Literature for Adolescents

(Last update: September 14, 2009) Table of contents Adventure and survival Autobiography Biography Contemporary life and problems Coming of age Coping with death Family life and problems Physical and emotional problems Romance Sexual identity Social issues Ethnic diversity African American Asian American Latino/Latina Native American Interactions/intermingling of cultures Fiction/poetry set in other countries Fantasy Historical fiction Medieval times Salem witch trials Colonial days/Revolutionary war The Industrial Revolution and early 19th century Civil war Westward migration/pioneer life Turn of the Century WWI The Roaring Twenties The Great Depression Holocaust World War II/the 40s The 50s The 60s Vietnam War

Horror Humor Mystery Poetry Science fiction Collections of short stories Sports

Compiled by Jean Boreen, Northern Arizona University

Adventure and Survival

Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. NY: Avon Books, 1990. 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle boards a boat to America in 1832, never dreaming that she will become involved in an intrigue that will force her to re-examine her life, her identity, and her loyalties. The great adventure book for girls that boys will also love. A must for middle school. Bodeen, S. A. The Compound. NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2008. Elis father, a scientific genius who has turned his gifts into a financial bonanza, prepares for all possibilities, even the end of the world as we know it. When the nuclear war happens, some of Elis family makes it to the compound, but his brother and grandmother are accidentally left behind. With the promise of 15 years ahead of them in the compound until the radiation dwindles to safe levels, Eli and his sisters try to make the best of their situation. But as time passes and the family found supply begins to dwindle, the family faces bizarre choices for survival. And when Eli makes contact through his brothers computer to the world outside, he begins to question his fathers motivesand if his father has actually been honest about what happened six years before. A strong and startling read. High school. Bunting, Eve. Jumping the Nail. New York: Harcourt Brace, Jovanovich, 1991. Jumping from a cliff almost 90 feet above the Pacific Ocean becomes a peer pressure sport for Scooter and Elisa. The book does an exceptionally good job getting into the characters heads as they face different issues, including the death of one of their friends. A good middle school book. Butcher, A. J. Spy High: Mission One. Little, Brown, 2004. Deveraux Academy is a front for one of the most prestigious spy schools in the world. Students asked to come to Deveraux either become successful spies or have their memories wiped. The six students featured all have their own strengths and weaknesses, but until they understand how to work WITH each other, theyll never become the Bond Team. Fun read for middle school. Casanova, Mary. When Eagles Fall. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. Alexis Castille-Reed, reacting badly to her parents separation, gets drunk and almost drowns. At her wits end, her mother sends her to spend the summer with her biologist father who happens to be working in Minnesota studying bald eagles. Unable to talk honestly to each other since the separation, Alex grudgingly spends time with her father. Finally, determined to prove to him that she is capable, Alex decides to rescue an eaglet on her own, but when she and the young eagle are stranded on an island during a storm, Alex learns that her father is not the only one she needs to prove something to. A female version of Hatchet, although on a smaller scale. A solid upper elementary/middle school read. Clements, Andrew. A Week in the Woods. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Mark Chelmsley is the new kid at school, but not just any new kid. His parents have just bought the factory in town so everyone knows hes RICH. Combined with Marks apparent apathy about school and his new life in Whitson, NH, teachers and students alike at Whitson Elementary think that Mark is no good. But during the schools annual Week in the Woods, Mark shows all those involved that he really does care and is capable of being part of the school. (Great upper elementary/middle school read, and would work especially well for older ESL students who need a story line that will interest them.) Colfer, Eoin. The Artemis Fowl Series: Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident, The Time Paradox. (2001-2009). NY: Scholastic. The series follows the adventures of maniacal teenaged genius Artemis Fowl and his battles against and with Captain Holly Short from the LEPrecon Special Forces. Great reads one and all! Upper elementary/middle school! Cormier, Robert. We All Fall Down. New York: Delacorte Press, 1991. Buddy, one of the thrashers of a home, sees the incident as a lark until his friends throw Karen, the teen-aged girl who lives in the house, down the stairs, causing her to go into a coma. When Buddy falls in love with Karens sister, he is torn between telling her the truth and lying to keep her in his life. A high school read. Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. (2000). NY: Scholastic. 13-year-old Sophie is the only female crewmate on board the Wanderer. Along with her three uncles and two male cousins, Sophie traverses the Atlantic, learning about her cousins, what it means to be part of a family, and how to deal with her own past, one filled with loss. A Newberry Honor Book. An upper elementary/middle school book. Easley, MaryAnn. I Am the Ice Worm. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 1996. Allison survives a plane crash in Alaska, is befriended by an Inupiat trapper who brings her to his village and from there, begins a thousand mile journey to the Alaskan coast and her mother. Not only is this an adventure story, it is also the story of how Allison comes to appreciate a culture very different from her own. A good middle school read.

Farmer, Nancy. The Sea of Trolls. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Jack and Lucy are captured by Norseman berserkers shortly after their attack on Lindsforne Abbey. But in capturing Jack, Olaf the One-Eye gets more than he bargains for as Jack has been in training with the Bard and is capable of no small amount of magic. Although Jack and Lucy endear themselves to Olaf and his wives, their lives are endangered when Thorgil, a female Norsewoman intent on getting herself sent to Valhalla in death, gives Lucy to the troll princess and Jack inadvertently curses her. Jack and his loyal crow, Bold Heart, with the help of Thorgil, must travel to the queen of the trolls and find Mimirs Well, which will enhance Jacks magic. A rollicking adventure from one of YAs best. Middle school. Farmer, Nancy. The Land of the Silver Apples. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2007. This sequel to Sea of Trolls finds Jack once again trying to protect his little sister Lucy. But things are different now, especially after their father admits that Lucy isnt really his daughter but a founding he ran into in the forest. Lucy is actually an elf, and she has been taken back to her people by the Lady of the Lake. Accidentally casting himself down a knocker hole, Jack encounters some friends from his first adventureThorgilas well as a new groups of charactersPega and Bugaboo, the hobgoblin prince who would like to woo Pega. Even though this is the second book in the series, it certainly stands on its own. Another great adventure from Nancy Farmer. Middle school. Gould, Steven. Wildside. NY: Tor, 1996. Charlie finds the door to another world, a world where passenger pigeons and saber-toothed tigers still exist. A born entrepreneur, Charlie enlists his friends in a money-making scheme selling passenger pigeons and mining for gold that will make them all rich. But can they outsmart the CIA, FBI, and their parents as they pursue their goals? A high school read. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 1998. Luke is a third child; his parents cannot acknowledge that he exists because if they do, he will be taken away, probably killed, and they will be fined and possibly imprisoned. But when the government opens up a housing development around his parents farm, Luke sees a girls face looking out from a window, and he begins to wonder if there are other shadow children like himself and what they can do to break into the sunlight. An excellent upper elementary/middle school read. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Imposters. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 2002. Picking up with Lukes life as he becomes Lee Garner, Luke finds himself begin taken to Hendricks School for Boys by his friend Jen Talbots father. But Hendricks isnt what Luke expected, and he finds himself in a tension-filled situation where he still cannot trust those around him An excellent upper elementary/middle school read. Higson, Charlie. (2005). Silverfin. NY: Miramax for Hyperion. This first book in the series highlights a young James Bond and how he came to be The Spy Who Loved Me. This story does a great job of creating dimension to the personality of the young James. A sure hit with male readers. Middle School. Higson, Charlie. Blood Fever. NY: Miramax for Hyperion. The second in the series about a teen-aged James Bond, this story finds James visiting his Uncle Vincent in Sardinia. James quickly becomes involved in an intrigue which pits villagers against villains, schoolteacher against schoolteacher. As James struggles to figure out the mystery of Count Ugo Carnifex, he inadvertently discovers the whereabouts of Amy, the sister of a school chum who had mysteriously disappeared from her familys yacht. Can James save Amy and himself from the evil surrounding them? Middle School. Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Dell, 1967. Ponyboy tries to survive in a world of brothers and gangs and must cope with the death of his best friend. The great classic of a boys world written by, at the time, a teen-aged girl. A must read for middle and high school students. Hinton, S. E. That Was Then, This Is Now. New York: Dell, 1971. Bryan discovers love and wants to retreat from a life of fights and violence. All of that is complicated, though, by the discovery that his best friend is a drug dealer. Bryans loyalties are tested, and when he finally makes his decision, he discovers that regret and doing whats right are often in conflict. A middle/high school book. Hobbs, Will. Jackies Wild Seattle. NY: HarperTroophy, 2005. Shannon and her younger brother, Cody, are sent to stay with their uncle Neal for the summer when their parents go to Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders. Expecting a summer at the beach, the kids are surprised to find out that theyll be living with Neal at a wildlife reserve called Jackies Wild Seattle and working with him to rescue wild animals who have been injured by the amenities humans take for granted. Along the way, Shannon befriends Tyler, who is fighting a pattern of parental abuse at home,

and finds out that her uncle has been hiding a pretty big secret from the family. Great read for upper elementary and middle school students. Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. NY: Philomel Books, 2002. Alex Rider senses that something is very wrong concerning the reports of his uncle's death. Shortly after, he discovers that his uncle was actually a spy for the British Secret Service MI6 and that he, Alex, is the only one who can avenge his uncle's death and solve MI6's problem. Armed with gadgets James Bond might envy, Alex sets out on a world-wide chase to find his uncle's assassins. Middle/Lower high school. Horowitz, Anthony. Eagle Strike. NY: Philomel Books, 20042. Alex Rider was simply trying to enjoy his school vacation when he noticed the nefarious Yasson Gregorivich lounging around a caf; hours later, the house in which Alex is staying is bombed, injuring the journalist father of his friend Sabina. Alex has one clue; hes able to look at Yassens phone and finds the phone number of the man who paid Yassen to bomb the house. Alexs relentless searching turns up the frightening fact that British popstar Damian Cray is planning something eviland only Alex can stop him, especially when MI6 turns their back on Alex and his investigation. Another great read in the Alex Rider serious. Middle/Lower high school. Horowitz, Anthony. Point Blank. NY: Philomel Books, 2002. Alex Rider, teen-age spy, returns in Point Blank to solve the mystery surrounding the deaths of two rich and powerful men who had one thing in common: both had sons attending the Point Blanc School for Boys. Blackmailed by masterspy Alan Blount into attending the school, Alex faces life and death situations as he deals with Dr. Grief and his strange "right-hand woman" Mrs. Stellenbosch. Great adventure story--as one critic put it--teen-age James Bond--that will have reluctant readers bemoaning the fact that they have to wait for book 3 in the series. Middle/Lower high school. Horowitz, Anthony. Scorpia. NY: Philomel Books, 2004. Alex Rider, teen-age spy, returns once again, this time to go up against the mysterious Scorpia group, a group for whom his father supposedly worked before Alex was born. Alex is both intrigued and upset by his interactions with the group, especially as he learns their truths about his father and his fathers death. But can he really believe Julia Rothman, the head of Scorpia? Or is Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt still his allies. Another strong offering in the series. Middle/Lower high school. Horowitz, Anthony. Snakeshead. NY: Philomel Books, 2007. Alex Rider is unwittingly pulled in to another adventure against the mysterious Scorpia group when the Australian version of MI6 pulls him in with the lure of getting to work with his godfather. But Ash is not exactly what Alex expects, and he is torn between his desire to learn more about his parents and his concerns about Ashs trustworthiness. The book works well and provides Alex devotees, as well as Alex, more information about his life and identity. Middle/Lower high school. Howell, Troy. Bone Dry. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. Matthew Morrissey, young aid to the eminent phrenologist Dr. Asa B Cornwall, embarks on the adventure of a lifetime: find the skull of Alexander the Great somewhere in the Sahara Desert. With the help of local guides, Matthew learns a great deal about the wonder of the Sahara and the lore of the Jinn. When the group is overtaken by slavers, Matthew must put what he has learned together with his natural cunning to save himself, Asa, and Hussein from a fate worse than death at the hand of slaveholders in the depths of the African jungle. A great middle school read! Ibbotson, Eva. Journey to the River Sea. NY: Dutton. Orphaned Maia travels with her new governess Miss Minton to Brazil to join her relatives. What she uncovers there is the missing son of a nobleman, a young actor out-growing his parts as his voice chances, and a family who only wants her for her money. But when Maia and Miss Minton put their heads together to help both boys, they find adventure and friends along the Amazon. A great upper elementary/middle school read. Korman, Gordon. Everest: the series: The Contest, The Climb, The Summit. NY: Scholastic, 2002- 2003. When Summit Athletics decides to offer a group of teenagers the training as well as a chance at climbing Mount Everest, they offer a contest so that five lucky winners can take their chance and ask fifteen other known teen hikers to take part in the training. That number is whittled down to a lucky fourbut even with the expertise of Cap Cicero, can they really make it to the top of Everest? (Great middle school adventure.) Marsden, John. Tomorrow, When the War Began, The Dead of Night, A Killing Frost. New York: Laurel-Leaf, 1993,1994,1995. When Ellie and six friends return from a weekend camping trip in the Australian bush, they find that nothing is the way they left it. Their families gone, houses deserted, pets and livestock dead, they slowly realize that

Australia has been invaded by a foreign force. Through the three novels, the teens set up guerrilla raids to keep their antagonists busy, all the while trying to find out what the world outside is doing to help them. An engrossing trilogy where boys and girls are equally smart, courageous, athletic. A high school read. Mikaelsen, Ben. Red Midnight. NY: 2003. When Santiagos village is destroyed by Guatemalan guerrillas and his parents and family are killedwith the exception of his little sisterhe must figure out a way to get them to safety. Trained by his uncle Ramos to sail, he also remembers how Ramos talked about taking his boat and sailing it to the U.S. With Ramoss map in hand, Santiago decides to do just that. However, the trip is difficult; can Santiago and Angelina actually make it to Miami. Solid middle school read. Mooney, Bel. Voices of Silence. New York: Delacorte Press, 1997. Living in Communist Ceausescu Romania, Flora knows that an innocent word to the wrong person can bring punishment and possibly even death to those she loves. But when Daniel joins Floras class, offering friendship and support, she is suddenly caught up in circumstances beyond understanding, and finally, it is Flora herself who stands between her father and death. A middle school read. Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, NY: Little, Brown, 2005. Maximum Ride is the leader of a small group of kids who are very unique: they are 98% human, 2% bird. When Angel is kidnapped from the kids mountaintop hideout by the same nefarious group of scientists who created all of them, Max, Nudge, Iggy, Fang, and the Gasman know what they have to do. But none of them are ready for the danger of their quest, nor are they prepared to find out what each of them most wants: who their parents are and why they let them be turned into birdpeople. A phenomenal adventure from James Patterson, one of the king of adult adventure. A hit with middle and high school readers. Patterson, James. Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever. NY: Little, Brown, 2007. Max and the rest of the flock find themselves living with an FBI agent after Fang is injured by a group of Erasers. While living with Anne the FBI agent, the kids attend school, an experience that is both strange and exciting for them. But Avi, Jed, and the Erasers are never far behind, and if the group is going to solve the mystery of their previous lives and the expectations theyre expected to meet, it will take all of their smarts and humor to survive. Mddle and high school readers. Paulsen, Gary. The White Fox Chronicles. Delacorte Press, 2001. In the year 2057, the United States is under the dominion of the powerful and evil CCR. Cody Pierce, a 14-year-old streetwise teen, has managed to survive the CCR, but when his friend and mentor is killed in front of him, he decides he must do more. His rebellion again the CCR, with the aid of a group of teens like himself, earns him the title White Fox, and paves the way for greater rebellions against the enemy. An exciting middle school read. Paulsen, Gary. Brians Winter. New York: Delacorte Press, 1996. This story continues Brians sojourn in the wilderness (Hatchet); chronicles what might have happened to Brian if he hadnt been rescued. Another great middle school read. Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York: Puffin Books, 1988. After the pilot of the small plane Brian is flying in has a heart attack mid-flight, Brian must land the plane and then fend for himself for 54 days in the Canadian wilderness. His only aida hatchet. The great upper elementary classic. Paulsen, Gary. The River. New York: Delacorte, 1991. In this sequel to Hatchet, Brian repeats his experience in the wilderness for a government study; however, when the government psychologist sent to study Brian becomes paralyzed in an accident, Brian must try to secure assistance. Another great upper elementary/middle school read. Paulsen, Gary. Transall Saga. Delacorte Press, 1998. While backpacking in the desert, 13-year-old Mark falls into a tube of blue light and is transported into a more primitive world, forcing him to use his knowledge and skills to survive. A fantasy Hatchet and a great middle/high school read.. Richards, Justin. The Invisible Detective. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2005. Arthur Drake finds himself in the present and in 1936 as he attempts to solve a mystery in 1936 and solve the riddle of who the earlier Arthur Drake is. A charming mystery with an unexpected ending. Middle school. Riordan, Rick. The Battle of the Labyrinth. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2008. In this fourth book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy and his friends are back to find the missing god, Pan, and to try to stop a group of vampires aligned with Kronos from trying to use Daedaluss labyrinth against Camp Half-blood and the Olympians.

Middle school. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . NY: Scholastic, 1997-2007. A must read series for everyone who considers him or herself well-read. The story of the boy who lived, his friends, and those who would work to destroy him on behalf of Lord Voldemort. Sacher, Louis. Holes. The ultimate survival book, Stanley Yelnats and his co-horts at Green Lake Boys Camp struggle to survive against the elements, nasty adults, and each other as they try to figure out the mystery of the holes at Camp Green Lake. One of the most enjoyable books for students in years; a surefire favorite that is also an excellent readaloud book for all ages over 10. Sacher, Louis. Small Steps. NY: Delacorte Press, 2006. In this sequel to Holes, Sachar picks up with Armpit, who has left Camp Green Lake but is finding it difficult to stay on track when everyone expects the worse from him. The one person always in his corner, though, is Ginny, his disabled ten-year-old neighbor. When X-Ray shows up with a surefire moneymaking plan involving the concerts of teen sensation Kaira DeLeon, Armpit lets himself be talked in and for a while, the scheme works well. But when the police become involved and Armpit actually gets to meet Kaira, he realizes that sometimes, a scheme is just a short-term solution, but self-honesty will last a long time. An excellent read for middle and high school. Smith, Roland. Cryptid Hunters, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. When their parents come up missing, twins Grace and Marty go to live with their Uncle Wolfe and become involved in the years-long feud with Wolfes nemesis (and father-in-law) Dr. Blackwood. Through a series of adventures in the jungles of the Congo, both young people find out answers to questions that had never been answered, and realize that adventure should be both their middle names. An engaging book that also allows some discussion of the humane treatment of animals. Tomlinson, Theresa. The Moon Riders. NY: HarperCollins, 2003. Myrina is invited to join the all-female Moon Riders on her 13th birthday. Known as the Snake Lady because of the tattoo on her arm, Myrina befriends the Trojan princess Cassandra, daughter of Priam. Through this friendship, Myrina and the Moon Riders become involved in what would become the Trojan War. This story provides an interesting perspective on the Trojan War from the female perspective. An excellent book to use in conjunction with the Odyssey. Turner, Megan Whalen. The Thief. NY: HarperCollins, 1998. Named after the god of the thieves, Eugenides, Gen has made a name for himself stealing anything that catches his fancy. Finally caught and thrown into the Kings prison, he is at last released by the Kings scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of the kingmaker stone, Hiamathes Gift. Needing the young thiefs expertise, the Magus frees him from prison with the promise of freedom IF he obtains the stone; but Gen has some ideas of his own as to his fate. A wonderful read and the 1997 Newbery Honor Book. Turner, Megan Whalen. The Queen of Attolia. NY: HarperCollins, 2000. Eugenides adventures continue as he is asked by the Queen of Eddis, his cousin, to help her save their country and preserve their neutrality with Sounis and Attolia. But when he is captured by the Queen of Attolia and she has his hand severed as punishment, the thief is thrown into doubt and depression concerning his usefulness to Eddis. A powerful sequel to The Thief and appropriate for both middle and high school. Turner, Megan Whalen. The King of Attolia, 2005. Once again we pick up with Gen as he takes on the responsibility of king to the people of Attolia. Using an elaborate set-up, Gen supports his new wife, the Queen of Attolia, as she struggles to protect both her people and her country from the intrigues of some of her less noble nobles and the various countries who would like to destroy Attolia. A great read for middle and high school. Waddell, Martin. The Kidnapping of Suzie Q. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. During what should be an uneventful trip to the grocery story, Suzie Quinn is kidnapped by a group of inept robbers. However, their ineptitude proves deadly and Suzie realizes quickly that it will be sheer intelligence that saves her day. Middle/high school. Yan, Mah, Adeline. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. NY: HarperCollins Childrens Books, 2004. CC is treated horribly by her fathers new woman, and when her father sides with the woman he claims is CCs stepmother, CC leaves home and finds a group of street children with whom to live. They are all members of the Secret

Dragon Society, and they help CC develop her unique talents, talents that come in handy during World War II as the Society helps the allies as they work to defeat the Axis. A strong read for middle school students.

Autobiography
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1971. Angelou shares both the good and the bad of her childhood: the horror of rape and family separation versus the love of a very special grandmother who taught Maya how to be a strong and fearless young woman. Appleman-Jurman, Alicia. Alicia: My Story. New York: Bantam, 1988. This is the amazing story of Alicia Jurman, a young Jewish girl to woman who survives the Nazi occupation of her home town in Poland, receives a certificate of heroism from the Russian army when she saves a group of Russian partisans, creates an orphanage for Jewish children who have survived concentration camps, and joins Brecha, a Jewish underground agency who helps Jewish Holocaust survivors escape from Europe to Eretz Israel. Bauman, Janina. Winter in the Morning: A Young Girl's Life in the Warsaw Ghetto and Beyond, 1939-1945. New York: The Free Press, 1985. Janina Bauman recounts her growing up years during WWII as her family first lives in and then escapes from both the concentration camps and the Warsaw ghetto. A prosperous Polish-Jewish family, the Baumans are able save themselves after leaving the ghetto because they have the financial resources and the "Aryan" friends necessary to survive amidst the horror of Nazi tyranny and Polish apathy. Bergman, Tamar. Along the Tracks. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Polish-born Yankele and his family leave Nazi-controlled Poland soon after it is annexed and head for what they hope will be freedom and a better life in Russia. But after the Nazis begin their march into Russia and Papa goes to fight with the Russian army against the Nazis, Mama decides that heading further east is the only real option. Along the way, however, Yankele becomes separated from his mother and sister and begins a four year odyssey which takes him around most of Russia and its provinces. Bode, Janet. New Kids on the Block: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens. New York: Franklin Watts. An amazing collection of true-life stories from todays new citizens. Breznitz, Shlomo. Memory Fields. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1992. In this biography, Breznitz recounts his childhood during the Holocaust and the effect of it on his adolescent and adult life. In a back and forth narrative, he describes his life in the Catholic orphanage his parents place him and his sister in and then discusses how, as an adult, he began to understand and/or work out for himself some of the incidents of his youth and their impact on his present day life. Cleary, Beverly. A Girl from Yamhill. New York: Dell, 1989. Cleary describes her childhood in Oregon and its impact on her years of writing. Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography. NY: Greenwillow. Our favorite author discusses his childhood and adolescence in his own inimitable style. Readers will enjoy finding out where many of the Crutcher characters originated even as they laugh heartily at his stories of life in Cascade, Idaho. A must-read for Crutcher fans. Middle/high school. Filipovic, Zlata. Zlatas Diary: A Childs Life in Sarajevo. New York: Penguin Books, 1994. Inviting comparisons to Anne Frank, this diary describes a young girl in Bosnia trying to cope with bombs, death, and the destruction of a way of life. Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1952. Probably the most famous book to come out of the Holocaust era, Anne's diary tells of her own experiences as a Jewish girl; in addition, the reader is given a sense of Anne's growing up, and young readers "leave" the book with the sense that Anne is very much like them in her feelings of growing into young womanhood, having difficulties with the parent-child relationship, and dealing with the difficulties of first love. Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life. NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002. Jack Gantos reflects on his experiences as an accidental hashish smuggler, a situation that landed him in prison but proved to be the awakening he needed to become a more solid citizen. Gantos shares what he learned from his various experiences, and very subtly, sends a message to

young people about taking responsibility for ones life, understanding ones family, and considering the role of identity and what it means to know oneself. An important read for teens. Gies, Miep. The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987. Miep Gies, one of the people who helps hide Anne Frank and her family during WWII, tells her story of hiding Anne and her family. Not only do we get a sense of the difficulties many Dutch citizens went through in an effort to help Jewish friends, we also learn more of the courage of the entire Frank and vanDaan families as they struggle to survive amidst their own concerns about the safety of Miep, Mr. Koophuis, and Mr. Kraler as those three develop intricate plans necessary to save the lives hidden in the attic. Jiang, Ji Li. Red Scarf Girl. A vivid memoir of twelve-year-old Ji Li Jians experiences in 1966 during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and its impact on her family and education. Her change from a true believes in Mao to a free thinker will appeal to all. Jordan, Michael. I Cant Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. Jordan describes his success and encourages others to be motivated to be their best. Lyons, Mary. Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. A slave girl tells in diary form of her wish to be free and her eventual escape to the North. Mathabane, M. Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youths Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. New York: NAL/Dutton, 1986. This book describes the racism in South Africa from a teens viewpoint. Parks, Rosa with Jim Haskins. Rosa Parks: My Story. New York: Dial, 1992. Rosa Parks describes her own role in the Civil Rights movement. Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die. New York: Random House, Inc., 1972. Peck describes his own childhood of farm life and a dying father. Reiss, Johanna. The Upstairs Room. New York: Thomas Y Crowell Company, 1972. Ten-year-old Annie and her family are Dutch Jews who, like Anne Frank and her family, thought that being Dutch citizens would save them much of the horror Jews in Germany were facing. Like the Franks, Annie's family also went into hiding; but Annie and her family are hidden in the Dutch countryside by various families, and this seems to be the thread that keeps them safe and hidden opposed to the many Jews who were captured in Amsterdam and other larger cities. Through the account of Annie and her sister Sini's hiding with the Oostervelts' the reader is given another look at hiding and secret rooms, and like Anne's diary, transcends the horror of the war to give the reader a sense of how individual people grew up and lived a day to day life in spite of what was happening around them. Rhodes-Courter, Ashley. Three Little Words, 2008. This often harsh but ultimately hearth-warming story of Ashley, who moves through 14 different foster homes in 9 years, shows both the possibility and challenges of foster care. Ashley ultimately has a happy ending, but her story will stay with younger readers for a long time. Middle school. Roth-Hano, Renee. Touchwood. New York: Four Winds Press, 1988. Renee Roth and her sisters are forced to go into hiding twice: the first time occurs after the Germans invade and annex Alsace and the second after the invasion of France and the occupation of Paris. Roth's parents decide to place the girls in a Catholic women's residence where their backgrounds will not be questioned. For almost three years, the girls are taken care of by the nuns, and Roth recounts her fears and questions about religion as well as the nature of hatred in this story well-suited for younger adolescents because it lacks the violence of other Holocaust stories. Rylant, Cynthia. But Ill Be Back Again. New York: Orchard, 1989. This young adult author tells about her childhood experiences in a West Virginia town in the Appalachian Mountains. Seabrooke, Brenda. Under the Pear Tree. NY: Cobblehill. The narrators reminiscences about her eleventh summer in Fizgerald, Georgia. The pear tree is used as a centering point for the author as her adventures, and misadventures, seem to begin and end in this safe, sometimes personally mystical spot. Sender, Ruth Minsky. The Cage. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986. In this memoir, Ruth Minsky, formerly Riva Minska, number 55082, recounts her life in Lodz, Poland as she and her brothers practice survival in the

ghetto and then in the concentration camp Mittelsteine in Germany where she, on her own, combines luck and writing talent to save herself from death. The astonishing aspect of this story is the poetry that Riva wrote in Lodz and later in Germany and its importance in buoying her brothers during the difficulties of life in the ghetto and keeping her alive in the camps, literally; in a strange twist, Riva is saved from death by a female Nazi prison commandant who is touched by a public reading of some of Riva's poetry. Tec, Nechama. Dry Tears: The Story of a Lost Childhood. Westport, Conn: Wildcat Publishing Co, Inc., 1982. In this non-fiction account, Nechama Tec relates how she and her sister "passed" as Polish Christians during the Holocaust while her parents hid--sometimes in locations far away, sometimes in the same home--in order to save themselves from Nazi tyranny. Tec recounts the relationships developed with the various Polish families who sheltered the family, for money of course, and her personal difficulty understanding how these people could, in essence, put their lives on the line for her while they continued to dislike Jews as a group and were quite vocal in their contempt. Additionally important is the continued prejudice felt by the family after the war when they returned home and tried to take back the factory and home that was rightfully theirs. An excellent counterpart to Anne Frank's diary, the Maus books, and those by Corrie ten Boom in terms of Gentiles helping Jews. Toll, Nelly S. Behind the Secret Window: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood. New York: Dial Books, 1993. In this diary, Toll recounts her childhood memories of her time in hiding. The one childhood joy that allowed Toll to hold onto the trusting side of her nature was her love of watercolor painting, and a large collection of these watercolors survived, as did Toll, and present a vivid recollection of the trials and tribulations, fears and joys, sorrows and triumphs of the lost years. Weill, Sabrina Solin. Were Not Monsters: Teens Speak Out About Teens in Trouble. NY: HarperCollins, 2002. Real teens talk about the problem students they know on an everyday basis.

Biography
Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. New York: Clarion, 1994. This book describes the first presidential spouse to have her own career and public life. Haskins, Jim. One More River to Cross. New York: Scholastic, 1992. This book includes stories of twelve African Americans who overcame obstacles despite racial discrimination. Haskins, Jim. Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle. New York: Putman, 1988. This story describes the wife of a Civil rights leader in South Africa and how she herself became an activist. Giblin, James Cross. Charles A. Lindbergh). NY: Clarion Books, 2007. The life of American aviator Charles Lingbergh. Very well done. Keller, Bill. Tree Shakes: The Story of Nelson Mandela. NY: Kingfisher, 2008. The story of Nelson Mandela, South Africas famed freedom fighter. Morrisette, Mikki. Nancy Kerrigan: Heart of a Champion. New York: Bantam Books, 1994. This is the story of Nancy Kerrigan and her route to the 1994 Olympics. Shields, Charles J. I am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2008. Wonderful look at the life of the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Taylor, Theodore. The Flight of Jesse Leroy Brown. NY: Avon Books. This is the story of Jesse Leroy Brown, the first black man to enter the Navys Air Training School and also, the first black to fly a Navy fighter and make a carrier landing.

Contemporary Life and Problems

Coming of Age
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Catalyst. Penguin, 2002. Chemistry whiz Kate has her heart set on MIT; shes got the grades, the determination, the desperation to leave her minister father and irritating brother. And shes so sure of her choice that she only applies to MIT, lying to friends and family about what she might do IF MIT doesnt take her. Moving through large portions of her life on autopilot, Kate is forced to stop and look around her when her father brings Teri LitchKates nemesisand her little brother to stay with them after their house burns. In finally looking at Teris situation, Kate begins to realize that her fixation on MIT is not nearly as important as actually having to live ones life. High School. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Prom. NY: Viking, 2005. Ashley Hannigan is one of those normal students who probably wont go to college, probably will get married young, probably wont move further than five miles from her parents home. But when shes forced to take over prom planning when the teacher in charge embezzles the money collected AND her best friend Nalisha is injured in another prom-related activity, Ashley starts to realize that there may be more to her future than even she planned. A hilarious story of senior year and the ordeal of moving beyond high school. High School. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted. NY: Viking, 2007. When Tyler planned a stunt at the end of his junior year of high school, he couldnt have known how it would impact his senior year, especially if he got caught. When that happens, hes put on probation helping the school janitors and developsphysicallythrough the work. Eventually noticed by THE Bethany Milbury, Tyler thinks his life has changed. But when pictures of a nearly naked Bethany show up online, Tyler is accused. Can he prove his innocence to Bethany, his parents, and his schoolmates, or will Tyler look for another way out of his dilemma? High School. Bell, William. Death Wind. NY: Orca Book Publishers, 2002. Allie is dealing with a lot: shes just broken up with her boyfriend, found out she might be pregnant, brought home a failing report. On top of that, she feels responsible for the constant bickering between her parents. Her solution: take off with skater friend Jazz and tour the skateboard circuit. But when a tornado hits her hometown, Allie knows that she has to go back to find out what has happened to her parents; in doing so, Allie finds herself. A quick read for reluctant middle and lower high school students. Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. NY: Delacorte Press. Tibby, Carmen, Lena, and Bridget are the best of friends. This summer, though, will be the first they wont be spending together. However, the pants that Carmen found at a second-hand store become the symbol of their friendship when the girls decide that the pantswhich fit each one of them even though they have very different body typeswill travel to and with each girl during the summer. A fabulous read for teen-age girls. Brian, Kate. The V Club. NY: Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing, 2004. After a reclusive woman dies and leaves money to Ardsmore High School for scholarships for students who exemplify purity of soul, spirit, and body, the rush is one to qualify. Kai, Mandy, Debbie, and Eva create the V club, a club for virgins (the assumed caveat of the scholarship). But each girl finds that the expectations of the club impact them in different ways, and their friendships are challenged in ways none could expect. Strong early high school read. Broach, Elise. Desert Crossing. NY: Henry Holt, 2006. Lucy, her brother Jamie, and Jamies friend Kit are driving through New Mexico to Phoenix for spring break when they run something over in the road. Accused of running over a girl whose body is found along the road, the teens are dazed and then determined to find out what really happened, especially Lucy. An interesting story of the impact of a random act. High school. Caletti, Deb. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. 2008. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Indigo has a good job, a devoted boyfriend, and a wonderful family. And she hasnt taken a lot of time to dwell on the fact that her family doesnt have much and that college is probably a non-issue unless something amazing happens. Something does, in the form of a 2.5 million dollar tip from a customer who has taken Indigos advice about enjoying your work and having time to get a

life. Indigo lavishes her newfound wealth on herself and her family and friends, but with the realization that she is beginning to change because of her windfall, she also realizes that shes going to have to figure out a way to deal with all of this money in a way that doesnt compromise her identity and her principles. Great high school read. Cohn, Rachel. Pop Princess. Simon and Schuster, 2004. Wonder Blake loves to sing, but never imagined it would come. So its a huge surprise to her that Tig, her dead sisters former musical manager, thinks that she has the potential to become the pop singer her sister Lucky never got to be. A demo tape later, Wonder finds herself signed, singing, and making videos. But as fame comes to her, Wonder starts to question the trappings of success, and it is in her hard look at the pop life that Wonder comes to truly understand herself and her aspirations for herself. Coleman, Michael. On the Run. Dutton Childrens Books, 2005. Luke is a thief by genetic disposition, or so he thinks until hes caught. Given the benefit of the doubt by the girl he inadvertently saves from the other group of thieves that were working the same car he was, he finds that there is more to him than he thought when he becomes Jodis running partner. Jodi is blind and must have a running partner so that she can compete in races, etc. As Luke develops a relationship with Jodi, he begins to realize that not everything in his life is all black and white, and this allows him to reconceptualize his future. A strong read for middle and lower high school. Cooney, Caroline. The Voice on the Radio. New York: Delacorte Press, 1997. In this third installation of the Janie series, Janie must face the betrayal of boyfriend Reeve as he tells her amazing story on his campus radio station. Can Janie ever forgive himdoes she even want to? Middle school. Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Dell Publishing, 1974. Jerry Renault decides to defy the system by refusing to sell chocolates for the school; his heroism earns him the wrath of Archie, the leader of the Vigils. The classic read for high school students. Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs. New York: Greenwillow, 1989. Jennifer and Dillon, intense athletes, help each other fight the pain of their personal lives as they search to discover their own identities. But this is not an easy quest, especially after Dillon finds out that Jennifer is being sexually molested by her own father. A fabulous high school read. Davis, Terry. If Rock and Roll Were a Machine. New York: Bantam, 1992. A rock-and-roller and a motorcyclist, Bert tries to speed through life, but his English teacher tries to help him search for his real goals. High school. Fletcher, Christine. Tallulah Falls. NY: Bloomsbury, 2006. When Tallulah gets a phone call from her friend Maeve asking Tallulah to bring her her journals, Tallulah jumps into actioneven though she lives in Portland and Maeve is staying with friends in Orlando. But Tallulah is dumped by her would-be boyfriend and traveling partner in Tennessee, and when Maeve finds a dying dog by an interstate underpass, her life takes a turn for the better. Befriended by the local vet and his staff, Tallulah finds a purpose to her life that she hadnt known before. This is a great book for many reasons, but its focus on bipolar issues is offered in a way that may help teens understand what some of their friends are going through. High School. Fogelin, Adrian. The Real Question. Atlanta, Peachtree, 2006. Fisher Brown is a straight-A student whose father, a school guidance counselor, has his sons future all planned out. But when Fisher goes with new neighbor Lonnie to reroof Lonnies girlfriends house, Fisher begins to question the rigid life he has been living. Befriending Sissy and her young son Charlie, Fisher begins to understand his own family dynamic and what drives his father to expect so much of his son. Solid high school read. Fritz, April Young. Praying at the Sweetwater Motel. NY: Hyperion Books, 2003. Sarah Janes father has been beating on her mother for the better part of five years, but when he hits Sarah Jane, her mother decides she has had enough. Stealing away in the night, Sarah Jane, her sister Alice, and her mother drive to Ohio, where they find a temporary sanctuary at the Sweetwater Motel. But Sarah Jane soon finds that she resents her label as motel girl and she misses everything that is familiar about home. But when she calls home to talk to her dad, she creates a situation that could undermine everything her mother has tried to accomplish. A solid middle school read. Gallo, Don, ed. On the Fringe. (2001). NY: PenguinPutnam. Fabulous collection of short stories about kids on the fringe, kids who dont make the popular groups, kids ostracized because of poverty, sexual identity, etc. Of special import are the short stories by Ron Koertge (popular girl who finds that she isnt so different than those kids on the edges), Jack Gantos (student who talks about being on Prozac), and Chris Crutcher (the original storyline from Whale

Talk about a student who brings a gun to school and kills three classmates before being brought done by the narrator of the story and his brother TJ and then how everyone deals with the murders). A strong collection. High school. Hautman, Pete. No Limit and All-In. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2005, 2007. The story of Denn Doyle, teenaged gambler, follows him from his hometown gambling exploits to Las Vegas in book two. Ancillary characters are a strong factor in understanding Denn and his gambling habit. The high points as well as the low points of his life are followed in two fast-paced, generally exciting reads. High school. Ingold, Jeanette. The Big Burn. (2002). NY: Harcourt Brace. During the summer of 1910, Montana and Idaho face one of the largest sets of forest burns ever to hit the state. The fire sets the background for the stories of three teens, Lizbeth, Jarrett, and Seth, who together and separately, each play a part in bringing the fire to a close. Lizbeth, who loves the family farmstead, hopes to keep her aunt from taking both of them back east. Jarrett, who finds his father impossible to live with, goes in search of a job with the firefighters and is reunited with the brother who left home years ago after a falling out with their father. And Seth, a member of the all-black 25th Infantry, hopes that his stint in the army will give him something that many black men around the turn of the century were looking for: respect. Remarkable story for middle and high school readers. Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park. NY: Dial, 2008. One of my favorite books of 2008, this follows the lives of three young people who are feeling their way through friendships, family issues, sexual orientation concerns, death, and foster issues. Each has to deal with different issues in his or her own way, but as the three stories intertwine, the reader ends up with a great group of characters and side plots involving Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins), baseball at Fenway Park, and love. A wonderful read for middle and high school. Korman, Gordon. Jake, Reinvented. Hyperion Books, 2003. This homage to The Great Gatsby works, mainly because Korman stays true to his 21st century characters even as he remains loyal to Fitzgeralds text. The story is told through the eyes of Rick, who introduces us to the mysterious Jake Garrett, football long snapper extraordinaire and snappy dresser. While it becomes obvious that Jake could have any girl he wants, he only wants Didi, the beautiful and vacuous girlfriend of F. Scott Fitzgerald High Schools quarterback, Todd Buckley. Great high school read, especially as an introduction to Gatsby. Law, Ingrid. Savvy. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008. Everyone in Mibs family gets their savvy (secret talent or power) when they turn 13. One of Mibs brothers can cause hurricanes while the other can create electricity. But shortly before Mibs birthday, her father is injured in a car accident and lies in a coma in a hospital in Salina, KS. Mibs is sure that her soon-to-appear talent can help her father come back to the living, but in order to have any impact on him, she has to get to Salina. With the help of Will (the preachers son) and his irritating sister and a number of other amusing characters along the way, Mibs makes her way to Salina. But will her talent really help her father, or she setting herself up for disappointment? Elementary and middle school readers. Lockhart, E. The Disreputable History of Frank Landau-Banks. NY: Hyperion, 2008. The book follows two years in the life of the title character. In the beginning, shes a quiet debater whom no one notices; but one summer and a new school year later, Frankie has blossomed and is the girl every boy wants to be with. Choosing Matthew, or letting Matthew choose her, allows Frankie access to the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound a secret male-only society at their school. Access makes her realize that shes the natural leader of the group, but to accomplish that, shes going to have to use stealth, the Internet, and her amazing cunning. But if she takes over, what will she lose? An interesting story of gender impact. High school. Lyga, Barry. Fanboy and Goth Girl. NY: Houghton Mifflin for Children, 2006. Donnie thinks his life just doesnt cut it: he has a LIST of people who he thinks have done him wrong and he adds to it on a regular basis, hes sure that hes unattractive to girls, and his mother is having a baby with his step-fascist. But when Donnie meets Kyra, who is much angrier than hes ever imagined being, Donnie begins to look more carefully at his life and how he would like it to be, and begins to realize that he must put his anger in perspective. High School. Mack, Tracy. Drawing Lessons. NY: Scholastic, 2000. Rory, like her father, is an artist, a painter of great ability. But when she finds her father kissing one of his models and he subsequently leaves Rory and her mother, Rory turns her back on her painting. In doing so, however, Rory begins to realize that shes lost a bit of herself. A solid middle school read about coming to terms with separation and divorce. Moriarty, Jaclyn. The Year of Secret Assignments. NY: Scholastic, 2004. When the Ashbury High English 10 class is

asked to write to pen pals at Brookfield, no one even imagines the sparks that will fly between Lydia, Emily, and Cassie and their respective male pen pals. For students who like Rennisons Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging, this one will definitely be a winner. Early high school. Mass, Wendy. Leap Day. NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2004. Josie is a leap-year baby, and this story chronicles the day of her 4th birthday (16 years old) and the impact it has on her, her family, and her friends. The story is interesting in the way in which Mass switches from Josie chapters to other chapters where we get the thoughts and what happens to the characters into which she comes into contact. Great middle/lower high school read. Morgenroth, Kate. Jude. NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Children. 2004. Jude, the son of a drug dealer, finds his life upended when his father is killed and he finds out that the mother he thought had died is actually the district attorney in the city to which they have recently moved. They begin an uneasy relationship that is damaged when Jude is accused by his stepfather of selling a classmate heroin. Sent to jail, the innocent Jude must figure out why he has been set up to take this particular fall, and the answers to his questions lead him to truths very difficult to handle. Definitely a strong read, but for upper high school. Murphy, Rita. Night Flying. NY: Delacorte, 2000. Georgia, like all of the women in her family, is a flyer, literally. But flying is something taken seriously by all of the Hansen women, especially Grandmother, who rules Georgia, her mother, and her aunts with an iron reserve that none can penetrate. But on the eve of Georgias 16th birthday, her aunt Carmen returns home, Carmen, who has been outcast from the family for years because of some rule she has broken. And it is with Carmens return that Georgia must decide the king of woman she will be in the future and whose rules she will follow. An excellent middle, high school read. Nolan, Han. Born Blue. NY: Harcourt, 2001. Born Janie but rechristened, by herself, as Leshaya, this is a girl who has had everything stacked against her and in trying to drag herself out of the muck that is her life, makes some pretty severe mistakes along the way. But thanks to her amazing voice, Leshaya, who is white, may actually have the means to make a better life for herselfif she can come to terms with her heroin-addicted mother, her cruel foster parents, the African-American family who would like to foster her in a positive way, and the talented songwriter, Paul, who might actually provide the means for Leshayas professional success. A high school read. Norris, Shana. Something to Blog About. NY: Amulet Books, 2008. Libby Fawcett cant seem to catch a break. From setting her hair on fire in chemistry to the bullying she experiences at the hands of Angel Rivera, Libby is sure that her luck will never turn. In an attempt to control some aspects of her life, she begins a private blog delineating her fears, her crush on Seth, things going on at school. But when her mom starts dating Angels dad, more trouble comes for Libby when Angel finds the blog and sends it out to the world. Middle school. Okimoto, Jean Davies. The Eclipse of Moonbeam Dawson. New York: Tor, 1997. Moonbeam Dawson just wants to be normal. But its not easy when you have a first name like he does, a mother who moves from commune to commune, and a biracial background. How Moonbeam handles his problems, especially his name, is only part of what makes this a delightful coming-of-age story. Middle/high school. Okimoto, Jean Davies, To JayKae: Life Stinx. New York: Tor, 1999. For Jason Kovak, life couldnt get much worse: his best friend has moved to California, his surrogate grandmother is dead, and his father is remarrying Doreen and forcing Jason to share his house and his life with his perfect new stepbrother, Josh, the basketball star. Jason turns to a computer chat room for teens for solace, but finds that anonymity isnt always what its cracked up to be. Middle/high school. Padian, Maria. Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress. NY: Knopf, 2008. Brett has always taken for granted that people will accept her; after all, shes a soccer phenom, a vocab ace, and a generally friendly person. But when a phone prank goes wrong, Brett is ostracized and as she reacts, she gets into more trouble. Added to that, something is wrong with her beloved grandmother and her best friend, Michael, is acting weird about their relationship. As Brett works to figure out how to make amends to those she has inadvertently as well as deliberately hurt, she also starts to understand what is important in her lifeand why. Great middle school read. Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. New York: Crowell, 1980. A teen girl fights back when she feels her twin sister has deprived her of schools, friends, and parents. A truly wonderful book that will follow the reader long after the last page of the book. Its a classic for upper elementary and middle school.

Peck, Richard. Remembering the Good Times. New York: Dell, 1987. The frustrations of a group of gifted high school students in an apathetic but affluent community lead to tragedy when one of the trio decides to kill himself. The two who are left behind must struggle with their own sense of self and how to move past the suicide. Rapp, Adam. The Buffalo Tree.(1999.) NY: HarperCollins. Sura, a juvie with an attitude, is shipped to Hamstock Detention Center where he is forced to explore the depths of his own spirit amid violence and degradation. This is a tough book, authentic in voice, but not my choice for students 9th grade and younger. Sonnenblick, Jordan. Notes from the Midnight Driver. NY: Scholastic Press, 2006. Alex gets drunk, steals his mothers car, and decapitates the lawn gnome in his neighbors yard. As punishment, Alex is sentenced to work at an old folks home with the terminally irascible Solomon Lewis. But as Alex and Sol get to know each other, Alex also begins to understand some of his own actions and his new and quite uncomfortable feelings for his best friend, Laurie. This book is filled with humor and gentle emotion as Alex learns to appreciate Sol and his personal history. Middle/high school. Sonnenblick, Jordan. Zen and the Art of Faking It.. NY: Scholastic Press, 2007. After Sans father is sent to prison for bilking people and companies out of large sums of money, San and his mother move to Pennsylvania and San is faced with having to fit in at a new school. A chance conversation about Zen Buddhism turns San into the new Zen master of his school; this causes him to gain the attention of Woody, the cool girl in his class as well as her overprotective brother. Can San keep the faade going and keep Woody as his friend? Great story about personal identity and fitting in in school. Middle school. Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. (2000). NY: Scholastic. Stargirl Caraway comes to Mica High School and changes life for everyone, especially Leo, the boy she eventually falls in love with. Happy to be an individual, Stargirl, self-named because Susan simply didnt fit her anymore, entertains her peers with ukulele music, birthday cards, and little notions that have everyone questioning their commonplace lives. But when she begins cheering for the opposite teams to make them feel better when theyre losingStargirl becomes an outcast, and Leo, who has to decide between her and the safety of his high school friendships, finds that life in the headlights of Stargirls fading popularity, is not what he had in mind when he began dating her. Spinelli, Jerry. Love, Stargirl. (2007). NY: Scholastic. Stargirl Caraway has left Mica High School and Leo and as this book starts, is dealing with her depression at Leos inability to live up to her expectations. Stargirl writes letters to Leo (ones that she is not sure she will ever send) as a way of working through her emotions, but it is not until she is forcefully befriended by 5-year-old Dootsie that she begins to come to terms with her own sorrows. Her connection to Dootsie leads to other friendships with reclusive Betty Lou, widowed Charlie, feisty Alvina, and petty thief Perry. Not as strong as Stargirl, but still, a strong novel. Middle/high school. Voigt, Cynthia. Diceys Song. New York: Fawcett Juniper, 1982. In this sequel to Homecoming, the Tillerman children learn that they will have to cope with a strong-minded grandmother if they truly want the family they have been searching for. A wonderful middle school book. Voigt, Cynthia. Homecoming. New York: Fawcett Juniper, 1981. When their mentally ill mother leaves them, the four Tillerman children decide to walk to their grandmothers house, a long journey to another state. Beautiful must read for upper elementary and middle school. Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade. New York: Scholastic, 1993. 13-year-old Evonne learns about life when she babysits for an unwed 17-year-old mother named Jolly who already has two children. Evonnes mom is worried about what her daughter may learn from the unpredictable Jolly, but Evonne simply finds herself more committed to making good choices. A wonderful novel in verse read for middle school. Zarr, Sara. Sweethearts. NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Jennifer and Cameron were the elementary outcasts who had only each other to depend upon for support. When Cameron disappears one night with his family, Jennifer is left along. A few years later, Jennifer has recreated herself into Jenna and has the expected high school boyfriend; shes popular and smart and seems to have everything going for her. But when Cameron turns upJennifer thought he had been killedand reenters her life, not only does Jenna have to deal with old fears and memories, she also has to decide if she can continue on as Jenna. High school. Zindel, Paul. The Pigman. New York: Bantam Books, Inc., 1968. A teen boy and girl trade off writing chapters as

they describe their adventures with Mr. Pignatti, whom they nickname The Pigman. An adolescent classic.

Coping with Death

Cohn, Rachel. You Know Where to Find Me. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008. First cousins Laura and Miles were raised like sisters, but even Miles didnt know that Laura intended to commit suicide. In the aftermath of Lauras funeral, Miles struggles to understand Lauras motives. She must also deal with the reality of her best friend, with whom she is secretly in love, falling in love with one of Lauras friends (and the person who most made Miles feel like an outcast). A strong story of dealing with loss and personal identity. High School. Creech, Sharon. Chasing Redbird. NY: Scholastic, 1997. Zinny feels that she may have caused the death of her beloved aunt. As she struggles to sort through her feelings, she finds a weed-covered path leading from her familys farm tothe end is a mystery. Intent on discovering where the trail leads, Zinny begins a journey that will help her accept both her aunts death, her familys unique characteristics, and the unwanted advances of Jimmy. A wonderful upper elementary/middle school read. Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. (2000). NY: Scholastic. 13-year-old Sophie is the only female crewmate on board the Wanderer. Along with her three uncles and two male cousins, Sophie traverses the Atlantic, learning about her cousins, what it means to be part of a family, and how to deal with her own past, one filled with loss. A Newberry Honor Book. Crutcher, Chris. The Sledding Hill. (2005) NY: Greenwillow. When Eddie Proffit loses his dad and his best friend, Billy Bartholemew within three months of each other, he retreats into silence as he struggles to make sense of the deaths. Eddies musings are made more interesting by the fact that Billy has decided to hang around to watch how Eddie deals with the Reverand Tartar and his insistence on banning the Chris Crutcher book Warren Peece. This story is a wonderful blending of a young person dealing with death against the back drop of a school censorship case. While students will love this one, it feels like Chris really wrote this for the teachers who love to teach HIS books. For High school readers. Crutcher, Chris. Deadline. (2007) NY: Greenwillow. When Ben Wolf finds out that he has one year to livehis senior year of high schoolhe decides to make the most of it. He goes out for football, woos the beautiful Dallas Suzuki, and drives his government teacher nuts when he decides to make a push to have a street in Trout, Idaho renamed in honor of Malcolm X. He also decides NOT to tell anyone that hes going to die. Told with typical Crutcher humor and honesty, this book provides an intriguing look at how one teenager looks at death and what his loss will mean to his family and friends. In addition, Crutcher brings the main character of his first bookLouie Banks from Running Loose to serve as Bens football coach, surrogate father, and mentor as Ben moves closer to his own death. For High school readers. Deaver, Julie. Say Goodnight, Gracie. New York: Harper and Row, 1992. Morgan and Jimmy have been friends forever. But when Jimmy is killed in a car accident, Morgan finds that many of her feelings about him are unresolved and coming to terms with his death takes the support of her family and friends in ways she had not envisioned. Middle/high school read. Downham, Jenny. Before I Die. NY: David Fickling Books, 2007. When Tessa goes out of remission with her leukemia, she begins to make a list of the things she wants to do before she dies. And so starts the biggest adventure of Tessas life. During the months she has left, Tessa falls in love, reunites her parents, befriends her little brother, becomes famous, and comes to terms with her own mortality. A strong book with a powerful ending. High school. Irwin, Hadley. So Long at the Fair. New York: McElderry, 1988. When her best friend commits suicide, the main character questions her own security and material values. Middle/high school read. Jocelyn, Marthe. Would You. Natalie and Claire have always been close, but with Claire getting ready to head off to college, both girls realize they have different goals for the summer. Shortly after Claire decides to break up with her boyfriend, she runs into the street and is hit by a car. The rest of the book follows Natalie as she considers life and death as well as the banal everyday things. This is an effecting book for younger high school students. Lester, Julius. When Dad Killed Mom. (2001). NY: Harcourt. When Jenna and Jeremys father kills their mother on a public street in their hometown, the two are forced to take sides. With Jenna firmly allied with her father, who she sees as misunderstood, and Jeremy taking his mothers side, the two siblings find it difficult to help each other through their

respective grief and anger. But when Jeremy finds his mothers diary, it is inevitable that the truth of their parents life together will be made public, and the reality of their life and marriage shock everyone involved. A fabulous read for middle and high school students. McDaniel, Lurlene. Until Angels Close My Eyes. New York: Bantam Books, 1998. Leah, a cancer survivor, finds herself dealing with her beloved stepfathers cancer even as she develops a romantic relationship with Ethan, a young Amish man whose own cancer-stricken sister befriended Leah when they were both in the hospital. Another middle/high school text. Nicholls, Sally. Ways to Live Forever. NY: AAL, 2008. Sam has leukemia, and despite the best efforts of his doctors, nurses, and parents, he probably doesnt have long to live. But Sam wants to make the most of every minute he has, and this book becomes his journal of what he wants to and does accomplish. Written with gentle humor and raw emotion, this is a strong book for middle school readers. Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Avon Camelot Books, 1978. A young boy and girl form a close, special friendship, but when the girl dies trying to teach Terabithia, their secret hideaway, the boy is plunged into grief. One of those special books that stays with the reader because of the vivid development of character. Upper elementary/middle school. Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The Dead and the Gone. NY: Harcourt. After an apocalyptic event devastates the earth, Alex Morales and his sisters must face life in NYC without their parents, without stable governmental support, and without consistent food and electrical supports. An interesting story with strongly built characters. High school. Rodowsky, Colby. Remembering Mog. NY: Avon, 1996. Two-years after her sisters murder, Annie is still dealing with her feelings of guilt and loss. On the verge of her high school graduation, Annie wonders if she can ever truly get on with her own life without giving up her memories of Mog. Middle/high school. Scott, Elizabeth. Love You/Hate You/Miss You. NY: Harperteen, 2009. After a car accident in which her best friend, Julia, is killed, Amy plunges into months of depression because she cant get over the reality that she killed her friend. However, through the letters Amy writes to Julieordered by the number of days since Julia died, the reader and Julie begin to untangle the real relationship and the events that led up to the accident. A strong book focusing on how one does or doesnt cope with the various problems in life. High School. Taylor, Brooke. Undone. NY: Walker, 2008. When Kori is killed in a car accident, her friend Serena deals with her grief by trying to fulfill Koris dreams list, an assignment given by their teacher asking them to list the 5 items they would never dream could happen. As Serena goes about Koris tasks, though, she finds that she might be fulfilling some of her own dreams at the same time. A strong book about dealing with teen-age death. High school. Vrettos, Adrienne Marie. Sight. NY: McElderry Books, 2007. Dylan has the unique and generally unwanted gift of being able to visualize the last moments of a childs life. Dylan works with the police, but even they cant make her feel safe when she begins to suspect that the Drifter, a serial killer who terrorized their community and then disappeared, has returned. A suspenseful novel with a solid ending. High school. Wittlinger, Ellen. Blind Faith. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2006. When her grandmother, Bunny, dies, Liz Scattergood knows shes lost someone important in her life, but she doesnt know that she will also lose her mother to depression, and, eventually, to a group of spiritualists who promise Lizs mom that they can help her talk to Bunny from beyond the grave. Liz uses her friendship with new neighbors Courtney and Nathan, who are dealing with their own mothers illness, to try to figure out how to respond to the issues of death and dying that surround her. A wonderful middle/high school read. Zevin, Gabrielle. Elsewhere. NY: Square Fish, 2005. When 15-year-old Liz is killed by a hit-and-run driver, she does elsewhere, and it is to that place that the reader follows. Liz finds out that the dead live their lives backwards so that hey can go back to earth and have another life. But Liz finds that life in reverse is also life, and she experiences love and caring for others in her death. An interesting take on life after death that raises some interesting issues for the reader. Middle school.

Family Life and Problems

Adoff, Jaime. The Death of Jayson Porter. NY: Hyperion, 2008. Sixteen-year-old Jayson lives with his abusive mother and yearns for a strong relationship with his drug-addicted father. Despite those issues, he tries his best to make it an school and keep out of trouble in his predominantly white school. But as he realizes more and more often that he cant count on his parents, Jayson slips into a depression from which he decides the only relief is suicide. But when his attempt fails, Jayson finds that in a different environment and with different relatives involved in his life, he can get a grip on his life. A strong story of a teen who wants to succeed despite everything that works against him. High school. Bauer, Joan. Backwater. G.P Putnams Sons/Puffin, 1999. Born into a family of lawyers, Ivy Breedlove longs to connect with someone in her family who wont expect her to become one. By accident, she learns of a mysterious aunt who no one in the family wants to discussmainly because shes not a lawyer! Ivy determines that she will find her aunt Jo, for herself, her father, and her family, and the ensuing adventure is one of delight and enlightenment. Middle/high school. Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road. G.P Putnams Sons, 1998. 16-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chian of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas so that she can confront the son who is trying to force her to retire. Along the way, Jenna hones her talents as a sales representative even as she finds the strength to confront her alcoholic father. High school. Beale, Fleur, I Am Not Esther. Hyperion, 2002. Kirby and her mother have always had each other and thats it. So when Ellen announces that she is going to Africa and that Kirby must spend the next three months or so with Ellens brother, Kirby is dumbfounded. Strongly resistant, Kirby is left, literally, with her uncle Caleb, who announces to the teenager that she will join his family of eight (with a ninth on the way) and will go by the name Esther from this point on. As Esther, Kirby is forced to follow the extremely narrow religious convictions of Uncle Calebs family and in doing so, slowly unravels the mystery of her cousin Miriams death even as she begins to lose her own focus on her identity. An excellent read for middle/high school students. Brooks, Bruce. Midnight Hour Encore. New York: Harper Trophy, 1986. A talented 16-year-old cellist uses a trip to audition for a famous teacher to meet her mother. But it is the trip to the audition with her father that proves to be the real learning experience. High School. Brooks, Kevin. Kissing the Rain. 2004. NY: The Chicken House. Moo Nelson, overweight and the object of much ridicule at school, has one place where he feels safe: the bridge down the road from his house. But one night on the bridge, he becomes the only witness to an apparent road-rage murder, only to realize later that an overzealous police officer actually set up a gangster to take the fall for the murder. Used by both sides to get what they want, Moo finds himself torn between telling the truth and getting the horrible Keith Vine off the hook or lying in order to keep his father out of jail, put Vine away, and know forever that he told a lie. An interesting dilemma for older readers to consider. Casanova, Mary. When Eagles Fall. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. Alexis Castille-Reed, reacting badly to her parents separation, gets drunk and almost drowns. At her wits end, her mother sends her to spend the summer with her biologist father who happens to be working in Minnesota studying bald eagles. Unable to talk honestly to each other since the separation, Alex grudgingly spends time with her father. Finally, determined to prove to him that she is capable, Alex decides to rescue an eaglet on her own, but when she and the young eagle are stranded on an island during a storm, Alex learns that her father is not the only one she needs to prove something to. A female version of Hatchet, although on a smaller scale. A solid upper elementary/middle school read. Cohn, Rachel. Gingerbread. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Cyd Charisse, a sixteen-year-old rebel without a clue, returns home to California after getting kicked out of boarding school for having sex with her boyfriend in a closet. When her mom and stepfather cant control her to their satisfaction, they send Cyd to New York to meet and stay with her biological father. Although her relationship with him is neutral at best, she gains a brother and sister who give her a sense of place and identity, necessary ammunition when the former boyfriend shows up and confronts Cyd about the abortion she had. A high school read. Cohn, Rachel. Shrimp. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. In this sequel, we rejoin Cyd Charisse, who has returned home to California after getting to know her bio dad and half siblings. She gets back together with former boyfriend, Shrimp, but faces many of the same issues with him that doomed their relationship the first time: can she trust him, will he be

there for her. And then theres Cyds mom, who seems to want to trust her daughter but isnt quite sure how. Girls will identify with Cyds issues with both the boyfriend and the mom issues. A high school read. Cooney, Caroline. The Face on the Milk Carton. New York: Bantam, 1990. During a school lunch, Janie recognizes the face on the milk carton as her own. The book follows her attempts to find out the truth about her kidnapping and the family from whom she was stolen. Middle school. Cooney, Caroline. What Happened to Janie. New York: Bantam, 1993. The saga of Janie continues as she moves in with her real family and tries to adjust to a new life without the family and friends she grew up with. Middle school. Cooney, Caroline. Voice on the Radio. New York: Bantam, 1997. In the third installment of the Janie story, Reese finds himself a college DJ with nothing interesting to share with his listening audienceuntil he gives them the story of Janiewithout telling Janie. Middle school/high school. Corrigan, Eireann. Splintering. Scholastic Press, 2004. Told in alternating poetic verse by Paulie and her brother Jeremy, this is the story of a random act of violence against a family in their own home and the repercussions of that attack on each member. As Paulie comes to terms with her heroics and Jeremy with his sense of guilt that he wasnt able to protect his mother or sisters, the family must also face its own demons in how each member has treated the others, both before and after the attack. Solid high school read. Sarah Dessen. Lock and Key. NY: Viking, 2008. After Ruby's mother abandons her, she is surprised when her sister, Cora, who she hasn't seen for ten years, shows up to take custody of her. Confused, Ruby looks for a way out of her suddenly wonderful situation: she goes from a run-down abandoned rental to a fabulous house in the suburbs where she can actually be part of a family with Cora and her husband, Jamie. With the help of Nate, her neighbor and might-be friend, Ruby begins to accept her situation. But can she be there for Cora, Jamie and Nate when they need her? Solid high school read. Dessen, Sarah. The Truth About Forever. NY: Speak, 2004. Macy is trying to help herself and her mother deal with the unexpected death of Macys dad, but doesnt find herself coming to terms until she takes a catering job with Wish, and meets the zany group of people who make up the group. As she finds herself relying more on Delia, her boss, for support and falls for Wes, Macy realizes that she can take greater control of her life, but at what cost to her relationship with her mom. Good high school read. Dessen, Sarah. Keeping the Moon. NY: Puffin, 1999. Colie, the daughter of fitness guru Kiki Sparks, wonders how much longer shell have to be an outcast. First overweight, then misjudged by a girl at her school after she loses weight, Colie gets her lip pierced, dyes her hair, and generally decides to BE the delinquent so many consider her to be. But the summer spent with her eccentric aunt and her job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill helps Colie come to terms with herself and those who once made her feel inferior. Middle/high school. Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. NY: Puffin, 2000. Caitlins family is thrown into trauma when older sister Cass runs away from home on Caitlins 16th birthday. Unconsciously, Caitlin tries to make life for her parents better by doing the types of things Cass would have: become a cheerleader, take a photography class with her mom, date. But Rogerson, Caitlins boyfriend, begins using Caitlin as a punching bag, and in her confusion and despair over Cass and her parents, Caitlin tells no one. Excellent read for middle/high school. Dessen, Sarah. Someone Like You. NY: Puffin, 2000. Halley and Scarlett are the best of friends, but their loyalty to each other is put to the test after Scarlett finds out that she is pregnant days after her boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident and as Halley begins dating Macon. Facing pressure to have sex with the unpredictable Macon and worried that Scarletts mother will never be able to offer her daughter the support she needs, Halley questions her own relationship with her mother and her own sense of identity as she struggles to be everything to everyone. Finally deciding that she has to be true to herself, Halley emerges in a new role that better fits the important relationships in her life. Good middle/high school read. Dessen, Sarah. This Lullaby. NY: Speak, 2002. Remy is a champion daterand breaker-upper. Never wanting to get too serious about anyoneafter all, shes witnessed her mother through five weddingsRemy only wants one thing: to go away to college and leave her relationship-impaired mother behind. But when Remy meets Dexter, she finds that all the things about relationships that she has taken for granted in the past dont seem to make sense when shes with Dexter. Not about to let a summer relationship ruin her plans, Remy determines that she must get rid of him. But doing

so may be a great deal harder than she thinks. Good high school read. Dessen, Sarah. That Summer. NY: Puffin, 1998. Havens summer is being ruined by two weddings: the first is her fathers to local weather girl Lorna Queenfor whom he dumped Havens motherand the second is her sister Ashleys to boring Lewis Warsher. As Haven tries to understand these relationships, she meets up again with Sumner Lee, one of Ashleys former boyfriends and the one Haven thinks Ashley should have married and finds out that love and relationships are not always what they seem. Good middle school read. Friedman, Aimee. The Year My Sister Got Lucky. Point, 2008. Katya has always looked up to her beautiful sister Michaela, wanting to be as good a ballerina, as comfortable with their mother, and as confident in her choices as Michaela. But when their mother gets a new job at a university in upstate New York, Katie and Michaelas lives are turned upside down, and Katie watches Michael turn into the popular girl at their new school while she fails to fit in, mourning her lost life in New York. Can Katie make peace with herself, her sister, and Fir Lake, NYs inhabitants? Middle/high school read. Glenn, Mel. Split Image. NY: HarperTempest, 2000. Laura Li is the most popular girl at Tower High School, but no one can quite pinpoint why. Lauras story, told through various voices in poetic forms, outlines Lauras school life and her home life, a home life that fills Laura with despair. Will Laura be able to break free of the almost claustrophic hold of her family on who she is and who she wants to be, or will Laura give in to her darker fears? A solid high school read. Grant, Cynthia. The White Horse. New York: Atheneum, 1998. Raina spends most of her life on the street with her drugged out boyfriend; the only sane moments of her life come at school, where she elicits the positive attention of her teacher, Ms Johnson through the journal writing she hands in. When Raina finds out she is pregnant and that she will get no support from either her family or her late boyfriends, she turns to Ms Johnson. But can Ms Johnson save anyone as far gone as Raina? Definitely a high school read. Harmon, Michael. The Last Exit to Normal. NY: Knopf, 2008. Ben Campbells dad came out when he was fourteen, throwing Bens life as he knew it into chaos: his mom leaves and his dad brings home, Edward, his boyfriend and Bens soon-to-be stepdad. When his dads decide that hes gotten into one scrape too many, they move the three of them to Eastern Montana, where Edward grew up. Not only does Ben have to deal with a new town where everyone knows what his fathers are, he also has to figure out how he moves forward with a possible girlfriend and the kid next door who Ben knows is being beaten by his father. Strong read for high school. Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. NY: Dell, 1999. During Tobys 13th summer, everything changes. VietNam claims the brother of his best friend, his mom leaves him and his dad for a more exciting life in Nashville, and Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world, gets dumped in the parking lot of the local bowling alley. Upper elementary/Middle school. Kephart, Beth. House of Dance. Harper Teen, 2008. Rosies dad left them years ago and her mother is too focused on her own life to pay much attention to Rosies, so when Rosie decides to help her grandfather organize his life, she begins to find things out about her mother and grandparents that she had never known. The further she organizes, the more she comes to understand the importance of music and dance in her grandfathers life, leading her to the House of Dance, dance lessons, and a new outlook on her life. A warm and wonderful story for middle and high school. Kinsey, Warnock, Natalie. Gifts from the Sea. Knopf, 2003. After the death of her mother, Quila MacFarlane, who lives with her father in the lighthouse on Devils Rock, knows that shes looking for something to make her life meaningful again. That moment comes when she rescues a baby from a horrific shipwreck which kills everyone else on the boat. Naming the baby Cecelia and making her a member of their family, Quila and her father begin to reconstruct the happy family life they had lost. But when Margaret Malone comes to visit the grave of her sister, one of the people killed in the shipwreck, she threatens the happy life Quila has created for herself, Celia, and her father. An excellent quick read for upper elementary and middle school. Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob. NY: Hyperion, 2002. Vince Luca just wants to be a normal teenager; no easy feet when your dad is a mob boss and your mother thinks shes June Cleaver. Then Vince finds himself in a steamy clutch with Kendra Bightly and decides to just ignore his family situation and enjoy the romance. But when Kendra reveals that her father is an FBI agent, Vince puts two and two together and realizes that Kendras dad is the agent sent to put his dad away. Middle/lower high school read.

Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle. NY: Hyperion, 2004. Vinces adventures in attempted normalcy continue as he heads off for college in California with Kendra and Alex in tow. But when he gets to Santa Monica, he finds that his new roommate is the son of a well-known politician and that hes landed the girl beyond any of their dreams: Willow. Vince and Kendra begin to have problems, Tommy shows upapparently taking a vacation from Mob lifeas do the Uncles, and Vince suddenly finds himself on the fringes of a union kidnapping. Great fun for all involved. Middle/lower high school read. Les Becquets, Diane. Season of Ice. NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. When Genesiss father fails to return from his shift at a lumber company and a desperate search fails to reveal a body or her father, Genesiss family is plunged into a daily nightmare as they struggle first with his disappearance, then with the reality that because there is no body, there is also no insurance settlement. Genesis takes on more responsibility at home and work, but these interactions lead her to rumors concerning her father: that he faked his death, that he ran off with a secret love. Desperate for answers, Genesis embarks on her own search to find her father and who he really was. Solid high school read. Levitan, Sonia. Strange Relations. NY: Knopf, 2007. Marne is desperate to show her parents that she is a young adult capable of taking care of herself; her parents have, understandable, kept close tabs on Marne in the wake of the kidnap of their younger daughter, Jody (whose fate is uncertain). So when her aunt in Hawaii expresses a willingness to have Marne come and stay with her family on Oahu, Marne jumps at it. Marne is surprised, though, by her Aunt Chaya and Uncle Yitzs very conservative take on being Jewish and is shocked by how nave her cousins, especially Becca, are about life outside the religion. Marne must try to balance her interest in her aunts work at a day care and her desire to be independent; her confidence in her ability to do so is shaken when her friend Kim arrives with her party-girl sisters and Marne finds herself in a situation that challenges her control. Solid book for middle/younger high school readers. Mack, Tracy. Birdland. NY: Scholastic, 2003. When Jeds teacher assigns his class to create something that captures the New York City sub-community in which they class, Jed and his buddy Flyer decide to make a video documentary. But when Flyer drops out to deal with his own confusion at his mothers desertion of his family, Jed is left to make sense of his own life against the backdrop of his brothers death (diabetes) and the seeming estrangement of his own family as they individually try to make sense of Zekes death. Jed finds a book of poetry that Zeke had written in the year before his death, and using the poetry and the videocam, begins to see New York through Zekes eyes, opening up possibilities and issues Jed had never considered previously. An excellent book for middle and high school students. Martin, Ann. M. A Corner of the Universe. NY: Scholastic, 2002. When 12-year-old Hatties Uncle Adam returns home after spending most of his adult life in a schoolan institution for the mental disabled, Hattie learns things about her family that both surprise and disappoint her. She also learns a great deal about her own ability to emphathize with others as she works to help Adam adjust to life on the outside. A wonderful read for middle school aged students. McCormick, Patricia. My Brothers Keeper. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. Toby Malone is doing his best to keep everything at home on an equal keel: he doesnt tell his mother that his brother, Jake, is taking acid; he covers for Jake even when Jake doesnt seem to want that. But when Jake starts stealing from both Toby and his mom, Toby realizes that there are things he cant control, for good or for bad. An interesting story of family dynamics. Middle school. Nelson, R. A. Breathe My Name. NY: Razorbill, 2007. When Frances Jelks was a child, her mother murdered three of her children and attempted to kill Frances. In the years since, Frances was adopted by a family who strove to make her life as peaceful and normal as possible. But now, as an eighteen-year-old, she decides that she has to understand what drove her mother to murder. With the help of her boyfriend, Nix, Frances retraces her life, finding her father and reconnecting with the adults who saw Afton, Frances mother, slide further and further into depression. A powerful book about family and mental illness. High school. OKeefe, Susan Heyboer. My Life and Death by Alexandra Canarsie. Freestone, 2002. Allie and her mom have moved from town to town for as long as Allie can remember. But on this particular move, Allie decides to begin attending funerals. While she cant articulate why she needs to attend the funerals of strangers, she knows she has to go, and on one such occasion, finds herself mourning the passing of Jimmy Muller, a boy who would have been her classmate at school if he hadnt drowned. Obsessed with the idea that Jimmy has been killed, Allie decides to find his murderer. Is this just another of Allies strange hobbies, or is there something behind Jimmys death. High school read. Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. NY: Laurel-Leaf, 2000. Told in three voices, this is the story of Hannah, who

gets pregnant and is then summarily rejected by her boyfriend, Milo, who is much too rich and good-looking to deal with a 15-year-old pregnant girlfriend. When Milos rejection turns physical, Hannah loses control and ends up in the psych ward of the local hospital. Hannahs self-discovery during this time helps her to understand why she turned to Milo in the first place, why her mother has been unable to help her in her time of need, and how she will deal with her child after he is born. A solid read for middle and high school students. Reinhardt, Dana. How to Build a House. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2008. Harper knows that she cant stand staying home for the summer with her dead in the immediate aftermath of his divorce from her stepmom. Joining a volunteer program set to build houses for familys who have lost their homes to a tornado, Harper finds that new friends and a stronger understanding of what it means to be part of a family, whether that family is your by chance or by choice. Harper also comes to terms with her own trust issues when she falls in love for the first time. Hgh school readers. Reinhardt, Dana. A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. Simone has known that she was adopted, but has never been very curious about her birth parents. The Rivka calls, wanting to meet the daughter she gave up sixteen years before. As Simone struggles with her parents desire to have her meet Rivka and her own ambivalence, she gradually begins to realize that she needs to know Rivka and understand the circumstances around her birth. Rivka is not at all what Simone expects, but becomes an integral part of her life in a short time. But can this happiness last in the face of Rivkas cancer? An extraordinary book about identity and adoption. Middle and high school readers. Salisbury, Graham. Lord of the Deep. (2001). NY: Delacorte. Mikey Donovan wants to be just like his stepfather, Bill Monks. The captain of his own ship and a devoted father to Mikey and Mikes brother Billy-Jay, Bill represents everything Mikeys biological dad never was. Mike is thrilled to be Bills deckhand, and proudly works alongside Bill as they take out customer-fisherman to fish for marlin in Hawaiis blue waters. But Mikeys feelings about Bill are tested when, in desperation after a fishing trip has delivered no trophy fish for the unappreciative customers, Bill allows the fishermen to take credit for the landing of a record-size mahi mahi when Mikey was really the one to strike the fish. An excellent read for middle/high school students, especially those interested in deep-sea fishing. Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. NY: HarperTempest, 1999. In poem form, Cookie tells the story of her sisters mental breakdown and its impact on her family. A pheonomenal read with great humor and great pathos. Middle/high school. Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Scholastic, 2004. Steven is a great drummer and class clown, neither of which prepare him to deal with finding out that his five year old brother has leukemia. At first, Steven doesnt think that hes responding all that badly to the familys new focus on Jeffreys illness. But when he starts failing his courses at school and breaking down emotionally, he and his family realize that while Jeffrey has the illness, its impact on the rest of the family is toxic, too. This book is full of great humor and pathos, making it a wonderful upper elementary, middle school read. Williams, Lori Aurelia. Shaylas Double Brown Baby Blues. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Shaylas 13th birthday is marred by the birth of her little sister, who seems to be set to take over Shaylas shaky place in her fathers heart. On top of this, Shayla, known as a fixer to all, tries to help her friend, Kambia, come to terms with the physical and sexual abuse dealt her at the hands of her mothers various boyfriends. A powerful book about a young woman coming to terms with finding her identity and understanding how she can help others about whom she cares. Middle and high school readers. Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush. NY: Putnam, 2001. The life of the Green family is disrupted when Toswiahs father, one of the few African-American police officers in Denver, witnesses who white policemen kill a young African-American teen without provocation. Their arrest forces the Greens to leave Denver for a large mid-western town where they assume new names and new lives. But can their family hold up under the strainThis is a wonderful book for teachers looking to deal with issues surrounding ethics and racism. Middle/high school. Wyeth, Sharon Dennis. A Piece of Heaven. NY: Dell Yearling, 2001. When Haleys mom has a nervous breakdown on Haleys birthday, Haley and her brother, Otis, find themselves on their own with very little money and sporadic support from their neighbor. Haley finds a job helping a music teacher clear out his backyard and revision it, and it is this opportunity that provides Haley the support to deal with the uncertainties of her life, especially after Otis is arrested for selling stolen goods. Great middle school read.

Physical and Emotional Journeys

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. NY: Puffin Books, 2001. Told through the grading periods of the school year, this is the story of a young woman traumatized by an event that took place at a party between her 8th and 9th grade years of school. Outcast because she called the police to come and break up the party, Melinda finds its easier not to explain herself to anyone than to deal with the pain of the truth of the summer incident. An excellent middle/high school read, although very blunt in some ways for middle school. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. NY: Viking, 2009. When Lias former best friend Cassie dies by herself in a motel room, Lia is left to puzzle out why. . . especially since Cassie left message after message on Lias cell phone the night she died. At the same time, Lia is dealing with coming home after her second stint in rehabilitation due to her anorexia. Unwilling to share her insecurities with her parents, counselor, or friends, Lia uses her journal to track her eating/calorie consumption and her life problems. A strong book focused on the day to day struggle of a teenager confronting eating and emotional disorders. Middle/high school. Bennett, Cherie. Did Your Hear About Amber? NY: Puffin Books, 1993. Amber Harkin is one of those girls who commands attention because of her beauty and athleticism. As head of the popular dance group, Sizzle, she seems to have everything going for her. Then she begins experiencing strange pains in her joints. How will this impact her plans for the future? Good middle school read. Bennett, Cherie. Life in the Fat Lane NY: Delacorte Press, 1998. Lara Ardeche is one of those nice popular girls who seems a shoe-in for a future Miss America. But after taking medication for allergies, she finds herself gaining weight at an alarming rate, even though she is eating less and exercising more than ever. Great middle/high school book. Brothers, Meagan. Debbie Harry Sings in French. NY: Henry Holt, 2008. Johnnys normal life disappeared the night his dad was killed in a car accident, and his new life became one of drinking, questionable friends, and an unaware mother. When Johnny accidentally ODs on ecstasy, his mother sends him off to live with his uncle in North Carolina. His new friend, Maria supports him when he says that Debbie Harry of Blondie has saved him at one level; she even encourages him to try on a dress that reminds both of them of a Debbie Harry costume. Johnny feels totally together in the dress, which makes him wonder if he might not be gay after all. An interesting book about sexual ambivalence. High school. Cormier, Robert. We All Fall Down. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1991. Buddy, one of the thrashers of a home, sees the incident as a lark until his friends throw Karen, a teen-aged girl, down the stairs, causing her to go into a coma. Buddy then falls in love with Karens sister and agonizes over how to come clean about his role in Karens accident. Great high school read. Cormier, Robert. The Rag and Bone Shop. (2001). NY: Delacorte. In Cormiers last novel, 12-year-old Jason is accused of the murder of his 7-year-old neighbor girl. Detective Trent, a master at getting confessions from the most unwilling and vicious of murderers, is called in to work his magic on Jason. The conclusion of this book will shock and horrify all readers. A short masterpiece from one of our greatest. High school read. Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. (2000). NY: Scholastic. 13-year-old Sophie is the only female crewmate on board the Wanderer. Along with her three uncles and two male cousins, Sophie traverses the Atlantic, learning about her cousins, what it means to be part of a family, and how to deal with her own past, one filled with loss. A Newberry Honor Book. Middle school read. Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs. New York: Greenwillow, 1989. Jennifer and Dillon, intense athletes, help each other fight the pain of their personal lives as they search to discover their own identities. But this is not an easy quest, especially after Dillon finds out that Jennifer is being sexually molested by her own father. A fabulous high school read. De Vries, Anke. Bruises. NY: Front Street Books, 1995. Judiths mother blames her for everything, and when shes drunk, beats on her daughter mercilessly. Judith wont tell, though, not to Michael who she trusts more than anyone or to Mr. Beekman, who suspects something but cant prove it. However, through Judiths growing relationship with Michael, who has his own parent issues, but teens come to find that adults dont always know best but that teens have responsibility, too, in taking charge of certain aspects of their life. A strong read for high school students.

Deaver, Julie. Say Goodnight, Gracie. New York: Harper and Row, 1992. Morgan and Jimmy have been friends forever. But when Jimmy is killed in a car accident, Morgan finds that many of her feelings about him are unresolved and coming to terms with his death takes the support of her family and friends in ways she had not envisioned. Middle/high school read. Deaver, Julie Reece. The Night I Disappeared. NY: NY: Simon Pulse, 2002. Jamies boyfriend is spending the summer in Europe and her mother is the lead lawyer defending a teen-aged girl who has, supposedly, killed her stepfather because of his continued sexual and physical abuse. Moved to Chicago for the summer to be with her motherat least for the occasional mealJamie begins to have daydreams that last for long pieces of time. When the daydreams cause her to have a number of accidents that actually threaten her life, Jamies new friend Morgan (of Deavers Say Goodnight, Gracie) forces Jamie to get help from Morgans aunt, a noted psychologist. A strong high school read.) Delaney, Mark. Pepperland. (2004). Atlanta: Peachtree. When Star loses her mom to cancer, she sinks into a depression that frightens her stepfather; his insistence that she talk to a psychologist about her mother and their life together is framed within her mothers devotion to John Lennon and a letter she wrote to him when SHE was a rebellious high school student. Star comes to know her mother and herself through her conversations with those around her. Middle and high school. Dessen, Sarah. Just Listen. NY: Puffin, 2006. Annabel seems to have the perfect life; she and both her sisters have been models and Annabels recent shoot for Kopfs Department Store shows her as popular high school girl. But in reality, her older sisters are fighting over ones eating disorder and Annabels former best friend Sophie is telling everyone that Annabel put the moves on Sophies boy friend. Alone at school, she meets Owen, master of music, and begins a friendship that might lead to romance: IF Annabel can be honest with Owen and her family about what she really wants out of life. Excellent read for middle/high school. Dessen, Sarah. Keeping the Moon. NY: Puffin, 1999. Colie, the daughter of fitness guru Kiki Sparks, wonders how much longer shell have to be an outcast. First overweight, then misjudged by a girl at her school after she loses weight, Colie gets her lip pierced, dyes her hair, and generally decides to BE the delinquent so many consider her to be. But the summer spent with her eccentric aunt and her job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill helps Colie come to terms with herself and those who once made her feel inferior. Middle/high school. Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. NY: Puffin, 2000. Caitlins family is thrown into trauma when older sister Cass runs away from home on Caitlins 16th birthday. Unconsciously, Caitlin tries to make life for her parents better by doing the types of things Cass would have: become a cheerleader, take a photography class with her mom, date. But Rogerson, Caitlins boyfriend, begins using Caitlin as a punching bag, and in her confusion and despair over Cass and her parents, Caitlin tells no one. Excellent read for middle/high school. Dessen, Sarah. Someone Like You. NY: Puffin, 2000. Halley and Scarlett are the best of friends, but their loyalty to each other is put to the test after Scarlett finds out that she is pregnant days after her boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident and as Halley begins dating Macon. Facing pressure to have sex with the unpredictable Macon and worried that Scarletts mother will never be able to offer her daughter the support she needs, Halley questions her own relationship with her mother and her own sense of identity as she struggles to be everything to everyone. Finally deciding that she has to be true to herself, Halley emerges in a new role that better fits the important relationships in her life. Dickinson, Peter. Eva. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1988. After a 13-year-old girls body is destroyed in a car accident, her brain is transferred to the body of a chimpanzee. The novel provides a thought-provoking look at animal treatment, experimentation, zoos, and other topics as the girl must deal with a mind that thinks in human terms and a body that reacts with the instincts of an animal. Primarily a high school read. Ferris, Jean. Of Sound Mind. NY: Ferrar, Straus, Giroux, 2001. Theo is the only hearie in his family. His mother and brother were both born deaf; his father lost his hearing after an illness when he was eight. Theo typically finds himself in the uncomfortable situation of being translator to the world for his family and has unconsciously accepted it until he meets Ivy, and begins to consider what life could be like for him as a person, not as the person whose sole use to his family is a protective one. A wonderful read for high school students. Fleischman, Paul. Whirligig. Henry Holt and Company, 1998. As he travels each corner of the country building a whirligig in memory of the girl who death he caused, sixteen-year-old Brent enriches the lives of four diverse people

while finding for himself forgiveness and atonement. Great middle and high school read. Fleischman, Paul. Minds Eye. Henry Holt and Company, 1999. Courtney, recently paralyzed in a riding accident, finds herself stuck in a convalescent home where her only company is the elderly Elva. But when Elva asks Courtney to take a trip with her to Italy using a 1910 edition of Baedekers Italy, Courtney is transported to another time where she can once again walk and dance. High school. Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater. NY: HarperTempest, 2002. Nick Andreas seems to have everything: money, looks, the adoration of a beautiful girlfriend. But Nicks father hits him, regularly, and Nick begins to take his frustrations out on Caitlin, his girlfriend. At first, Cat takes his abuse, but when he hits her repeatedly after unfairly accusing her of double-crossing him, Cat goes to the police and obtains a restraining order against him. As part of his punishment for hitting Cat, Nick also has to attend a class for men who abuse their girlfriends/wives. At first resistance, Nick begins to see his own actions more clearly and begins the road to creating the type of man he wants to be. An excellent high school read. Flinn, Alex. (2005). Nothing to Lose. NY: HarperTempest. Michael Daye left his home in Miami to escape the abuse his stepfather dished out to his mother. However, after spending the year with the carnival, Michael finds himself back in Miami looking at news articles about his beautiful mother and the husband she killed. Can Michael find the courage in himself to face his past and possible help his mother, or will his stepfathers abuse continue to overshadow all the good he has managed to accomplish for himself. An excellent novel about family and responsibility. High School. Friesen, Jonathan. Jerk California. NY: Speak, 2008. Sam Carrier has Tourettes Syndrome, and that has made his life miserable; his stepfathers constant verbal abuse pushes life to almost unbearable. But when Sam is befriended by George, a former friend of his fathers, and he begins to find out about who his dad really was, life takes a turn. When George dies, his will suggests to Sam that he needs to take a trip to Jerk, California and that hell find many of the answers to his questions about his parents and himself on the journey. High School. Gallo, Don, ed. On the Fringe. (2001). NY: PenguinPutnam. Fabulous collection of short stories about kids on the fringe, kids who dont make the popular groups, kids ostracized because of poverty, sexual identity, etc. Of special import are the short stories by Ron Koertge (popular girl who finds that she isnt so different than those kids on the edges), Jack Gantos (student who talks about being on Prozac), and Chris Crutcher (the original storyline from Whale Talk about a student who brings a gun to school and kills three classmates before being brought done by the narrator of the story and his brother TJ and then how everyone deals with the murders). A strong collection for high school. George, Madeleine. Looks. NY: Viking, 2008. Meghan often feels like no one sees her at school, which seems odd since shes extremely large physically; however, because of her bulk, no one seems to consider her important enough to consider. On the flip side is Aimee, thin and obsessive about her eating, who becomes too visible when Cara becomes aware of Aimees amazing poems. Aimee and Meghan are brought together because Cara has used them both, and as a team, they work on a way to get back at Cara. But will their plans for public humiliation for Cara actually give them the satisfaction they both seek? Middle/high school read. Giles, Gail. Right Behind You. NY: Little, Brown, 2007. When he was nine, Kip McFarland set a 7-year-old fire, killing the boy and putting himself into a psych ward where he would live for four years. When hes finally released, after dealing with what he did and why he did it, Kip changes his name and moves with his father and stepmother to the Midwest. While he initially moves into the new world of school and friendship fairly easily, he sabotages himself during his junior year, forcing his family to move to Texas. Kip understands that his guilt undermines him, but is he really at a place where he can trust people with his secret? Great read. High School. Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. (2004). NY: Speak. When we meet 300 pound Troy Billings, hes on the edge of the subway track, seriously considering jumping in front of the next train. Pulled out of his reverie by Curt MacCrae, semi-homeless high school guitar legend, Troy finds his life changed by his unlikely friendship with Curt. Curt insists that Troy has a soul for punk and decides that Troy will be his new drummer. Pulled along by Curts enthusiasm and restless energy, Troy finds himself taking up drumming, hanging out at a local club learning to be punk, and reassessing his relationships with his dad and brother. A remarkable novel of a young man struggling to find himself. High school. Green, John. Paper Towns. NY: Penguin, 2008. Quentin Jacobsen, nicknamed Q, is in love and has been forever with his neighbor, the beautiful and unpredictable Margo Roth Spiegelman. However, hes never done anything that would let her know that; in fact, hes pretty sure that shes forgotten that he even exists. When she enlists him to take part in a

night time adventure during which she takes revenge on pretty much everyone who has wronged her in the previous three months, Q is in heaven. When she disappears the morning after their adventure, though, Q takes it upon himself to find her, and in doing so, finds that Margo the person who a mystery to more people than he could have ever guessed. High School. Halpin, Brendan. Forever Changes. NY: Brianna should be focused on her senior year of high school and her college plans, but the cystic fibrosis that has made her life difficult for her entire eighteen years seems to be gaining ground and forcing Brianna to face the fact that she may not make nineteen. But just as Brianna finds herself overly focusing on her possible death, a very smart teacher and her devoted dad help her realize that life cant be lived for the what mights but needs to be focused on the what cans. Solid high school read. Hartnett, Sonya. Surrender. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Books, 2006. Gabriel is dying, and as he is, he relives his life with his parents, brother, and friend/enemy Finnigan. Through back and forth narratives from Finnigan and Gabriel, the reader gets to see a young Gabriel victimized by a psychotic mother who cant get over the fact that her eldest son is brain-damaged and a distant father who refuses to deal with any of the messy details of life. When Gabriel meets Finnigan shortly after Gabriel has accidentally killed his brother, Finnigan offers to become the sinner to Gabriels saint. But when Finnigan begins an arson campaign against the town and Gabriels father, how will Gabriel respond. This is a taut psychological thriller with a difficult ending. Definitely a high school read. Hemphill, Stephanie. Things Left Unsaid: A novel in poems. NY: Hyperion, 2005. Sarah is one of those girls who gets the good grades, doesnt need a curfew because her parents trust her, and already has her life after high school mapped out. But when Robin begins to take an interest in Sarah, Sarah finds herself intrigued by this girl who seems totally untouched by societys expectations. Letting Robin lead her into a world of class-cutting, hard-partying, and no-limits, Sarah is, at first, overjoyed by her new freedoms. But when Robin tries to commit suicide, Sarah is forced to come to terms with her friendship with Robin and what it means to her own self-definitions. An important book on friendship and its impact on teens. High School. Hesse, Karen. The Music of Dolphins. Scholastic, 1996. When teen-aged girl is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida, she is found to be a feral or wild child. Raised by dolphins, Mila has little memory of her life in Cuba with her parents or of the airplane accident that killed her mother and sister and left Mila stranded in the ocean. When Dr. Beck is given the charge to turn Mila back into Olivia, Mila is forced to learn English and begin interacting with other teens. But can she really forget her life with the dolphins? Middle school. Heuston, Kimberly. The Book of Jude. NY: Front Street, 2008. Judes mother, an academic, wins a Fulbright to study in the Czech Republic during 1989. Jude has always been sensitive to change, but this move absolutely puts her over the edge, and under the shadow of the repressive Czech regime, she finds herself making decisions that puts her into danger. After a car accident following another impulsive act, Judes family takes her to Germany for a psychological exam, and Jude is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Judes road back allows her to understand what made her react in the first place. High school. Hopkins, Ellen. Identical. NY: Margaret McElderry Books, 2008. Told in the alternating voices of Kaeleigh and Raeanne, this is the story of sexual and emotional abuse stemming from a car accident that injures their politician mother to the point that she has little to do with the family, especially her husband, the alcoholic judge that caused the accident in the first place. Keileigh is sexually abused by their father but hides it; Raeanne is the sexually promiscuous twin who sees whats happening to the family but cant figure out how to make the situation public. A strong but difficult read at times about the destructive forces of incest and a familys emotional breakdown. High School Hoban, Julie. Willow. NY: Dial, 2009. Convinced that she is responsible for the death of her parents, Willow tries to cover her emotional pain through cutting herself. Thinking that shes successfully keeping it from her brother and sister-in-law and from the students and teachers at her new school, shes stunned when she realizes that new classmate Guy knows her secret. As she and Guy become closer, Willow is faced with the decision to stop her cutting or lose Guy and possibly David forever. But can she really give up the only thing she feels in control of in her life? High School Ingold, Jeanette. The Window. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996. After her mother is killed and she is blinded in a car accident, 16-year-old Mandy finds herself taken in by relatives she has never met. Although her aunts and uncles are kind, Mandy senses that all is not right, and it is through her bedroom window that Mandy seesin her mind? In reality?the history of these aunts and the woman Mandy realizes will one day be her grandmother. Middle/ high school.

Irwin, Hadley. Abby, My Love. New York: Antheneum, 1985. Abby shares the secret of her fathers sexual abuse with her friend, Chip, leaving him to decide how to best help the girl he cares about as a girlfriend. The first YA book to deal with incest. A YA classic for middle/high school readers. Knowles, Jo. Lessons from a dead girl. Candlewick Press, 2007. When Leah chose Laine as her friend forever, Laine is thrilled. But Leah wants to practice kissing and touching with Laine, and Laine is often confused by the act itself and the violence Leah enacts on the person who is supposedly her friend. Laine realizes at some level tha Leah is being sexually abused by family friend Sam, but is too young and insecure to help Leah. Realizing this, Leah turns on Laine and makes her life miserable to the point that Laine wishes that Leah would just go away or die. When Leah does just that, Laine has to deal with a new kind of quilt. High school. Konigsburg, E. L. Silent to the Bone. NY: Simon Pulse, 2004. Connors best friend, Branwell, has been accused of hurting his baby sister, but Connor doesnt believe it. However, Branwell refuses to speakabout anythingand so Connor is forced to become a detective of sorts to figure out what really happened in the house the day Nikki was hurt. In the course of this tightly written story, Connor learns a great deal about human nature, love, and friendship. Good middle school read. Lubar, David. Dunk. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Chad is enthralled by the Bozo at the boardwalk who eggs people on through back-handed humor to buy balls in order to knock him off his perch. Chad knows hed be perfect, but he cant convince his mother to let him take a job. But when he finds out that the Bozo is his familys new tenant, he begins to understand that the bozo is just a role, and that he needs to figure out why being the Bozo is so attractive to him. An interesting book about using humor for good and evil, about figuring out ones identity against the backdrop of myriad friend and family issues. Middle/High school. Lynch, Chris. Whitechurch. HarperCollins, 1999. In a series of short stories and prose poems, we see the relationships between Pauly the incorrigible troublemaker, the enigmatic Lilly, and the usually stable narrator Oakley as they deal with each other and with their own inner problems. High school. Mayfield, Sue. Drowning Anna. Hyperion, 2002. Anna Goldsmith is smart, pretty, and athletic. But when she moves from London to a new school in a small Yorkshire town, she falls prey to popular Hayley Parkin, a girl who can make or break others reputations, and, thus, their lives. Anna attempts suicide early in the book, and it is through her diary that her mother begins to see how her beloved daughters life self-destructed, so subtly that no one noticed. An excellent read for high school girls. Mazer, Norma Fox. Out of Control. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1993. Three males attack a 16-year-old girl school. The strength of the story comes from hearing how the girl and one of her attackers who has an attack of conscience feel about the situation and what happened because of it. Middle/high school. Neufeld, John. Boys Lie. New York: DK, Ink, 1999. Assaulted in a pool in New York, Gina must contend with not only her loss of self both physically and emotionally, but, when her family moves to California to start over, deal with a new set of classmates who make assumptions about her because of her bodyshes stackedand the rumors swirling about the reasons she left New York. High school. Nolan, Han. A Face in Every Window. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999. JP OBriens life begins unraveling with the death of his grandmother, quickly followed by his mothers winning of a farmhouse. Mams good fortune is extended to all manner of societal outcasts, and JP finds himself and his father being pushed from his mothers life. JPs ability to accept and the situation provides the impetus for his eventual understanding of life and his place in it. High school. Peters, Julie Anne. Define Normal. MT Books, 2003. When Antonia joins the new peer counseling program at school, she never dreams that shell be chosen to help Jazz, who Antonia perceives as a punked-out druggie gang hanger. But Jazz isnt what Antonia thought, and the opposite is also true as Jazz begins to find out that Antonia doesnt have the perfect life she tries to fool people into thinking she has. As the two girls get to know each other, they begin to realize that where their parents cant help them, the other can. A wonderful ready for middle and high school readers. Philbrick, Rodman. Freak the Mighty. New York: Scholastic, 1993. A giant and a midget pair up in a middle school to show others that they can survive together. A great adventure leads to grief, but the learning is well worth the

effort for both characters. A fabulous book, much better than the movie, and one that will certain provide a great deal of discussion in class. A wonderful middle school read. Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. NY: Laurel-Leaf, 2000. Told in three voices, this is the story of Hannah, who gets pregnant and is then summarily rejected by her boyfriend, Milo, who is much too rich and good-looking to deal with a 15-year-old pregnant girlfriend. When Milos rejection turns physical, Hannah loses control and ends up in the psych ward of the local hospital. Hannahs self-discovery during this time helps her to understand why she turned to Milo in the first place, why her mother has been unable to help her in her time of need, and how she will deal with her child after he is born. A solid read for middle and high school students. Reynolds, Marilyn. No More Sad Goodbyes. NY: Buena Park, CA, 2008. Autumn thinks her life is pretty good; shes an all-star volleyball player with close friends and a great father and grandmother. But when Autumn gets pregnant after one mistaken encounter with her best male friend and her father and grandmother are killed in a car accident, Autumn is thrust into chaos. Forced to live in the county home, Autumn realizes quickly that she is turning into someone she never wanted to be. Aided by her volleyball coach, Autumn is able to come to terms with her pregnancy and her future. A strong book about decision-making and pregnancy. High School. Roe, Monica. Thaw. NY: Front Street, 2008. Talented Nordic skier Dane thinks that he can handle anything and push through to victory. But when hes stricken with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and faces paralysis, he has plenty of time to reconsider his choices and his relationships with his family, friends, and girlfriend. When his parents eventually send him to a neurological treatment center for physical therapy, Dane is condescending to everyone who tries to help him; he knows the prognosis for GB and that in 75% of cases, the person can make a full recovery. What Dane doesnt realize is that he cant make that recovery happen on his own, and it is through what he considers first the humiliation of having to be helped by others and then the realization of how he hasnt seen the people around him very clearly that helps him to make both a physical and emotional recovering. High School. Rorby, Ginny. Hurt Go Happy. NY: Starscape, 2006. Joey Willis is deaf and generally unable to communicate with anyone but her mother as her mother has refused to let her learn sign language. This changes when Joey meets Dr. Mansell and his baby chimp, Sukari--who use sign language to communicate with each otherand who offer to teach and communicate with Joey in this manner. Even though her ability to communicate helps Joey experience more of the world and have greater success in school, she still has to fight her mothers resistance to signing and, eventually, deal with the death of Dr. Mansell and what will happen to Sukari without someone to look out for her. This becomes a wonderful story of a teen creating her own identity even as it is a story of how we need to honor and protect animals like Sukari. Middle/high school read. Ruby, Laura. Good Girls. NY: HarperTempest, 2007. Amber considers herself to be a pretty normal teenaged girl: she has a kind of boyfriend, tolerable parents, decent grades, and the desire to generally fit in. But when her picture is taken without her knowledge while shes in a sexually compromising situation, Amber has to deal with how other people want to define her. The picture is sent to EVERYONE, including her dad, and Amber struggles to come to terms with people calling her slut in the hallway, the boyfriend turning away from her in the confusion, and her parents attempts to both support and understand her even though theyre horrified by what shes done. This is a strong book, but teachers should keep in on their shelves carefully because Ambers compromising position is extremely compromising. High school only. Schmidt, Gary D. Trouble. Clarion Books, 2008. When Henrys brother is hit while hes running own the road, the Smith family reacts in different ways. As Franklin sinks into a coma, the family must deal with the trial of Chay Chouan, the Cambodian teen who hit him and with daughter Louisas sudden withdrawal into herself. Then, out of the coma, Franklin says Katahdin and Henry decides that he must climb Mr. Katahdin, although hes not completely sure why. As Henry heads out on his quest, he gets more than he bargained for when he and his best friend Sanborn encounter Chay, who seems to be running away from town. High school. Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What happened when my big sister went crazy. NY: HarperTempest, 1999. In poem form, Cookie tells the story of her sisters mental breakdown and its impact on her family. A pheonomenal read with great humor and great pathos. Middle/high school. Supplee, Suzanne. Artichokes Heart. NY: Dutton, 2008. Rosemarys mom has been on her forever to lose weight, but Rosemary cant seem to make herself, until Mrs. McCutcheon has a heart attack directly related to her weight. But Rosemary wants the quick drop, so she begins her diet by making herself sick and then turning to diet bars. Along the

way, however, she allows herself to accept the help and advice of others, and in doing so, comes to terms with her weight and her family issues. Great read. High school. Tashjian, Janet. Faultline. NY: Henry Holt, 2003. Budding stand-up comic Becky meets Kip a true rising star in the San Francisco comedy club scene. At first, they simply support each others good work, but when the relationship moves into romance, Becky begins to realize that Kip has a troubled side. As Kips verbal and physical abuse of Becky escalates, Becky must find it within herself to stop him, before its too late for both of them. A remarkable story for high school readers. Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neutral. NY: HarperTempest, 2000. Shawn McDaniel was born with a severe case of cerebral palsy, so severe that he has no muscle control whatsoever. To the outside world, he is the intellectual equivalent of a 3 month old with virtually no ability to communicate whatsoever. However, Shawn IS an intelligent teen with total recall, which makes his situation all the worse as he realizes that his well-intentioned father, who has become famous for the poem he wrote about Shawn and his condition, has begun talking publicly about putting people like Shawn out of their pain and misery. Excellent middle/high school read. Trueman, Terry. Cruise Control. NY: HarperTempest, 2004. Shawns story continues but with his brother, Paul, taking over the role of main character as we watch Paul struggle to understand his family situation, especially his fathers seeming lack of concern for Shawn and the familys welfare. Paul is a star basketball player, and as he contemplates his future at college, he also feels guilt at the reality that he will be leaving Shawn and his mother behind to take care of themselves. The anger eats at Paul, and eventually, he has to come to terms with the depth of his hatred and the violence it brings out in him. Solid high school read. Vaught, Susan. Trigger. NY: Bloomsbury, 2006. Jersey Hatch tried to commit suicide and is almost successful; but his lack of success leaves him damaged in mind and body. When Jersey recovers enough to go home, he is plagued by whys. Why did he try to kill himself; why is his best friend made at him; why is his mother acting as she is. As Jersey tries to put his history back together, he is added by his neighbor, Leza, and her grandmother, Mama Rush, friends from BEFORE. But can Jersey live with the fact that hell never really know why he tried to kill himself? An interesting story of life after recovery and the difficulties of moving on. High school. Vizzini, Ned. Its a Funny Kind of Story. NY: Hyperion, 2006. When Craig Gilmer gets into the prestigious Manhattan Executive Pre-professional High School, he thinks that his life is sethes on the road to the college of his choice. But at MEP, hes just one of many smart kids, and his ability to rise to the top puts Craig into a tailspin and he ends up in the psych ward of a local hospital where he can finally come to terms with his depression and the strange path his life has taken. A solid book on teen-age depression. High School. Vrettos, Adrienne Maria. Skin. NY: Margaret McElderry Books, 2006. Donnie and his family are being torn apart by the joined forces of sister Karens anorexia and their fathers inability to accept the family dynamic as it is. This story, through the eyes of Donnie, helps the reader understand the impact on familys when one member succumbs to the lure of anorexia. Excellent high school read. Voigt, Cynthia. Izzy, Willy-Nilly. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986. Sixteen-year-old Izzy loses a leg after her drunken date smashes his car into a tree. In the ensuing weeks, Izzy learns who her real friends are, and also comes to a greater understanding of what kind of woman she will be. Middle/high school. Whitney, Kim Ablon. See You Down the Road. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Bridget Daughertys life as a Travelera group of nomadic con artistshas her questioning so many things in her life: her family dynamic, her feelings for her arranged fianc Patrick, her sense of ethics because of the manner in which her family makes money. Can she escape the arranged marriage and certainty of a life very much like her mothers by running away to her sisters non-Traveler life, or are her feelings about Patrick enough to keep her a Traveler. An interesting book on a group of people for whom most of us have little knowledge. Good high school read. Willey, Margaret. Saving Lenny. New York: Bantam, 1990. Jesse and Lenny seem to have the perfect romance, and shortly after high school graduation, begin living together. However, Lenny begins acting strangely, and Jesse finally finds out from Lennys mom that he suffers from clinical depression. Alternating chapters are told from the point of view of Jesse and her friend Kay. Middle/high school.

Romance
Blume, Judy. Forever New York: Pocket Books, 1975. Blume provides a picture of romantic and sexual first love that many teachers and parents disapprove of. However, its the book that most high school students love to talk about, love to pass around the room with specific passages marked. High school. Caletti, Deb. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Ruby, quiet and conscientious, finds herself unintentionally involved with thrill-seeker Travis Becker. Intrigued by his bad-boy ways and rich family, Ruby struggles to hang onto her own values when what Travis offers is so intriguing. When her librarian mother finds out about Rubys relationship, she insists that her daughter join the senior book club she runs. Eventually charmed by the 60 and 70-something Casserole Queens, Ruby becomes involved in a truly romantic caper that makes her realize that love comes in all different packages. Great high school read. Davis, Jenny. Sex Education. New York: Bantam, 1988. For a class project, a boy and a girl are asked to create a sex education project based on caring for someone. They help to care for a young pregnant woman in their neighborhood, but the simple project turns painful when they find that their new friend is the victim of an abusive husband. Middle school. Ferris, Jean. Once Upon a Marigold. Harcourt, 2002. Taking yet another view of fairy tales, Ferris gives us Christian, a child roaming the forest who is found and raised by Edric the Troll. Years later, Christian takes his telescope, and while checking out the neighborhood castle, falls for Marigold, the youngest daughter of the doddering King and his treacherous Queen. Corresponding with her by pigeon, Christian decides that he must meet Marigold, but all of this is complicated by the fact that Marigolds mother has other ideas for Marigold and the role of Queen of Country. Can Christian save Marigold from her mothers treachery? Its a fun read in the finding out. Great read for middle school. Martin, Ann. Just a Summer Romance. New York: Holiday House, 1987. A 14-year-old has a summer romantic fling. Later, when she finds out that her fling is actually a teen idol, she tries to renew the romance, and finds out that summer dreams do not always translate into real-world actuality. Middle school. Miller, Sarah. Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn. NY: St. Martins Press, 2007. Gideon doesnt know what to expect of Midvale Prep. When he becomes roommates with Cullen and Nicholas, two of the most popular and sexually active guys at school, he struggles to understand what they expect of him and what he should expect of himself. Life gets even more complicated when Nicholas and Cullen bet on when Gideon will lose his virginity. But what does Gideon really think of his situation? We know every thought, thanks to the fact that a girl at Midvale is sharing every thought in Gideons head: but who is she, and how is she connected to Gideon. Fun and interesting book for high school readers. OConnell, Jenny. The Book of Luke. NY: MTV Books, 2008. For students who liked the movie John Tucker Must Die, this book takes a similar premise in that nice girl Emily decides to be a bad girl upon returning to the high school she started at after a two year break to live in Chicago. With two of her friends, she decides to get revenge on Luke, the boy who broke Josies heart and come up with an intriguing addition to the senior class time capsule. But when she starts to fall for Luke, Emily finds herself at odds with her plans, her friends, and her dreams for the future. Middle school/lower high school. Plummer, Louise. The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman. NY: Laurel-Leaf, 1999. Kate writes a romance novel the way she thinks real teen-age girls should want it to be written. Smart, humorous, and yes, romantic, this book is a winner for teachers who would like to pry their students away from those silly bodice busters. Middle/high school; great book to read in conjunction with Pride and Prejudice. Rennison, Louise. Angus, thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. London, HarperTempest, 1999. The adolescent version of Bridget Jones Diary. Middle/High School. Rennison, Louise. On the Bright Side,Im Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God . London, HarperTempest, 2000. Georgias life picks up as she works hard to become Robbies girlfriend and then keep him, all the while dealing with the impossible life choices of Mati and Vati, Libbys bad hygiene habits, Anguss typical tantrums, and the daily life of school. Another humorous installment. Middle/High School. Rennison, Louise. Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas. London, HarperTempest, 2001. Nunga-nungas, otherwise

known as breasts! become Geogias main concern as she finds herself balancing Robbiethe most wonderful snogging partner in the world, and Dave the Laugh, a former boyfriend whose reentrance into Georgias life throws her into a quandary. Which guy to choose? Or can she have both. The third book in the Georgia Nicolson series.. Middle/High School. Rushtan, Rosie. The Dashwood Sisters Secrets of Love. NY: 2005. This contemporary retelling of Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility follows Ellie, Abby, and Georgie as they come to terms with their fathers death and subsequent relinquishing of the family home to their despised stepmother. Forced to move from their beloved Brighten, the girls find that new experiences and new loves are both a joy and a pain. A nice little read for middle school through 9th grade. Scott, Elizabeth. Perfect You. Simon Pulse, 2008. Kates dad suddenly quits his job and starts selling vitamins at the malland expects Kate and her brother Todd to help him. Kate hates the situation, and then it takes a turn for the worse when she realizes that obnoxious Will, who embarrassed her on the first day of freshman year, also works at the mall. However, when a chance meeting in the alley behind the mall turns into a hook-up, Kate has to rethink Will as well as situations at home and school. Middle school. Shaw, Tucker. Flavor of the Week .(2004). NY: Hyperion. This amusing take-off of the Cyrano de Bergerac story finds Cyril, chef extraordinaire, pining after the lovely vegetarian, Rose. When Cyrils friend Nick enters the picture and finds out that Rose loves great cooking, Cyril helps Nick wine and dine her, all the time in anguish. But when the truth comes out, look out! Fun read, with great recipes throughout the text! Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesnt Know. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2002. Written in poetic form, this is a delightful story in poems of Sophies first, second, and third loves, all from Sophies point of view. A charming read for girls in middle and high school. Sones, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesnt Know. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2007. Picking up from the end of What My Mother Doesnt Know, this story picks up with Robin Murphy and his take on his relationship with Sophie. The reader agonizes with Robin when Sophie becomes an outcast at school but cheers both of them as they work to overcome other students prejudices. A great read for boys and girls alike, especially in the sense that getting inside the guys head is a real treat when it comes to the romance category. Middle/high school. Van Draanen, Wendelin. Confessions of a Serial Kisser. Knopf, 2008. One boring night at him, Evangeline finds one of her mothers romance novels hidden under a bed. The book inspires her to search out a spectacular kiss; however, finding the guy who will bestow that kiss becomes a painful project that creates problems for Kate with her friends, her parents, and the guys with whom shes been kissing! Funny and insightful, female readers will certainly enjoy this one.

Sexual identity
Bauer, Marion Dane, ed. Am I Blue? Coming Out from Silence. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. This book contains short stories in which the characters must face the issue of homosexuality with family members, friends, or themselves. Although some selections could work with middle school, especially the title story, the majority of this book is really aimed at high school students. Chambers, Aiden. Dance on My Grave. New York: HarperCollins, 1982. A young gay male must cope with the death of his love but is arrested for fulfilling his friends desire for him to dance on his grave. This book has been acclaimed for its depiction of deep emotional feelings by males. High school. Ferris, Jean. Eight Seconds. NY: Puffin, 2000. John cant wait to get to rodeo camp; to be away from his clutchy girlfriend, his four know-it-all sisters, his over-protective mother. And camp is all he expects and more, especially in his new friendship with Kit, the best bull-rider of the group. But when his sister, Caro, confides to him that Kit is gay and active in a political organization on campus, John doesnt know how to feel. Suddenly uncomfortable with Kit, hes not sure if its because hes a little bit homophobic or because hes actually attracted to Kit that way. A solid high school read. Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1982. Liza discovers that her feelings for Annie go beyond friendship. Garden sensitively describes the romantic emotions of two young girls and the resulting chaos when Lizas private school realizes their relationship. High school.

Garden, Nancy. Lark in the Morning. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1984. Another story of growing up and dealing with lifes problems even as the protagonist of the story works through her romantic feelings for another young woman. High school. Greene, Bette. The Drowning of Stephen Jones. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. A female teen stands by and does not intervene when a group of young men harass and eventually kill a homosexual male; the trial that follows forces her to consider her own sense of identity as well as others. Based on a true story. High school. Hartinger, Brent. The Order of the Poison Oak, HarperCollins, 2005. This sequel to Geography Club reintroduces us to Russ and his friends Gunnar and Min. Russ, who is gay and out of the closet, has agreed to be a camp counselor, and while he has a wonderful summer learning a great deal about himself as a mentor to younger kids, this is also the summer where he finds that love and romance can be difficult. A strong book for students looking for a balanced view of gay love. Kerr, M.E. Deliver Us from Evie. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Parr must cope with farm life, his own hormones, and his sisters lesbian relationship with the daughter of the towns most powerful family. An undercurrent throughout the book is religious intolerance. High school. Levithan. David. Wide Awake. NY: Knopf, 2006. When the first gay Jewish president is elected, Duncan is elated: gay and Jewish himself, Duncan has campaigned religiously for Abraham Stein and his running mate, Alice Martinez. But when the governor of Kansas calls the votes from his state into question and Stein encourages his supporters to go to Kansas, Duncan has to decide how far hes willing to take his beliefs. When his boyfriend, Jimmy, insists they go, Duncan is torn: his parents arent thrilled about this trip and hell certainly miss school. When he does finally make the decision to go, he finds that maybe he and Jimmy arent as solid as he thought they were. This is a wonderful story about political activism, love and romance, and friendship. High School. Peters, Julie Ann. Luna. Little, Brown, and Company, 2004. Liam to his family but Luna to the world outside, one young man struggles with his own personal truth: he is a girl stuck in a boys body. With the support of his sister, Regan, Liam begins the transformation into Luna, and in doing so, this truly becomes Regans story as Peters allows us insight into what her life is like in the shadow of the brilliant Liam who is bent of becoming Luna. An interesting read for high school aged readers. Peters, Julie Ann. Far From Xanadu. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2005. Mike thinks that nothing much happens in her little town of Coalton. But when Xanadu, mysterious and beautiful, comes on the scene, Mike falls, hard, even though she knows that Xanadu is straight and not interested in a romantic relationship with her. Can Mike be satisfied with her friendship? For high school students. Reynolds, Marilyn. Love Rules. Buena Park, CA: Morning Glory Press, 2001. Kit and Lynn have been spirit sisters for years, which means they have no secrets from each other. When Kit tells Lynn that shes a lesbian, Lynn accepts Kit after a bit of self-doubt, and the two work together to make sure that Kit feels comfortable with her decision to not only share this information with Lynn, but also with other high school students making the same realization. A powerful story of how two girls can make a difference in their school with the support of positive, proactive teachers. A very worthwhile read for high school students. Wilson, Martin. What they Always Tell Us. NY: Delacorte Press, 2008. Alex has always been in James shadow, but in the aftermath of an attempted suicide (Alex isnt sure if he meant to hurt himself or not), Alex becomes to focus of everyones attention, although not in a way that makes him happy. But when James best friend Nathan encourages Alex to go out for cross country, Alex finds a sense of himself again. That sense grows as he comes to realize that hes attracted to Nathan, and that Nathan returns those feelings. But how will that fly with James? A story of brothers and romance. High school. Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. Simon Pulse, 2001. John, the narrator of this story, says that he feels nothing for anyone or anything in his life until he comes across Marisols zine when he is dropping his ownBananafishat Tower Records. Struck by her writing style and her total honesty about herselfincluding her coming out as a lesbian to her friends and familyand her parents, John is determined to meet her. When he does, he tries to maintain the idea that they are friends, but knows that he feels for her in a romantic sense. When Marisol rebuffs him, John has to figure out how to stay in her life, even though he knows that she doesnt need him in the way he needs her. A meaningful read for

high school students. Woodson, Jacqueline. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. New York: Blue Sky Press, 1995. This powerful story describes an African American teenager named Mel and how to he comes to terms with his mothers declaration of love for a white woman. High school.

Social Issues
Bauer, Joan. Best Foot Forward. G.P Putnams Sons, 2006. In this sequel to Rules of the Road, we follow Jenna Boller after she has returned to Chicago from her trip to Texas with Mrs. Gladstone. Although Mrs. G has won the first battle with her sneaky son Elden in his bid to turn Gladstone Shoes into just another rip-off joint, she and Jenna soon find that they will have to vigilant. As changes continue to come forward out of corporate offices, the two must also deal with Tanner, a petty thief who Mrs. Gladstone decides to give a second chance to. Along the way, Jenna joins Al-Anon and her newfound confidence in herself helps her open up to others: including Charlie, who just may be the guy Jennas been looking for. Another excellent read from Bauer: middle and high school. Cooney, Caroline. Burning Up. Delacorte Press, 1999. As 15-year-old Macey researches the history of a burned-out barn across the street from her grandparents home, she discovers that it was the home of the first black teacher in her wealthy Connecticut town and opens her eyes to racism, possibly through the actions of her own family. Middle school. Brande, Robin. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Mena Reece did the right, the ethical thing, but in doing so, she brought down the wrath of her church, her friends, and her parents on her. Starting again, she is befriended by Casey, who loves science and is determined that he and Mena will win Ms Shepherds science prize for the year. While working with Casey and meeting his mom and sister, Mena begins to find herself again, and realizes that she has to be true to herself and her beliefs. But that is made more difficult when the church group decides to make life difficult for Ms Shepherd when she starts the evolution unit in science. A wonderful book! Crutcher, Chris. The Sledding Hill. (2005) NY: Greenwillow. When Eddie Proffit loses his dad and his best friend, Billy Bartholemew within three months of each other, he retreats into silence as he struggles to make sense of the deaths. Eddies musings are made more interesting by the fact that Billy has decided to hang around to watch how Eddie deals with the Reverand Tartar and his insistence on banning the Chris Crutcher book Warren Peece. This story is a wonderful blending of a young person dealing with death against the back drop of a school censorship case. While students will love this one, it feels like Chris really wrote this for the teachers who love to teach HIS books. For High school readers. Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. NY: Tor, 2008. After a terrorist attack on the Bay Bridge, 17-year-old Marcus and his friends are grabbed, tortured, and threatened by Homeland Security because they were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time: close to the area where the bomb went off. Eventually returned home, Marcus is angry and frustrated at the treatment he endured; further, he has no clue where his friend Darryl is and fears that hes been killed by Homeland. To retaliate, Marcus fosters a technological attack of his own in an effort to draw attention to the illegal acts of the U.S. Government against its citizenry. But can Marcus actually get away with this plan? A contemporary thriller for high school readers. Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater. NY: HarperTempest, 2002. Nick Andreas seems to have everything: money, looks, the adoration of a beautiful girlfriend. But Nicks father hits him, regularly, and Nick begins to take his frustrations out on Caitlin, his girlfriend. At first, Cat takes his abuse, but when he hits her repeatedly after unfairly accusing her of double-crossing him, Cat goes to the police and obtains a restraining order against him. As part of his punishment for hitting Cat, Nick also has to attend a class for men who abuse their girlfriends/wives. At first resistance, Nick begins to see his own actions more clearly and begins the road to creating the type of man he wants to be. An excellent high school read. Flinn, Alex. Breaking Point. NY: HarperTempest, 2003. Paul Richmond finds himself in the unenviable position of having to start over again at a new prep school. Considered questionable because hes not a trust-fund baby, Paul endures subtle bullying at his new school. But when Charlie Good decides to make Paul one of his inner circlefor the small price of changing one of his grades, Paul accepts, even though he questions Charlies friendship. Too desperate to care, though, Paul becomes a solid hanger-on, until the day Charlie decides to leave a bomb in one of their teachers classroom. An excellent high school read.

Fredericks, Mariah. Crunch Time. Atheneum, 2006. When their teacher doesnt show up for the SAT prep course, Daisy, Max, Leo, and Jane decide to take their preparation into their own hands and decide to help each other study for the all-important test. As they get to know each better, romance, friendship and family issues complicate their lives. However, nothing prepares them for the reality of how each will be impacted when one of them reveals that s/he managed to cheat on the SAT. A great morality tale for high school students wondering just how important standardized tests are as they prepare themselves for college. An excellent high school read. Galante, Cecilia. The Pataron Saint of Butterflies. Bloomsbury, 2008. Honey and Agnes have lived their entire lives at the Mount Blessing religious compound controlled by faith leaders Emmanuel and Veronica. But Honey has never been comfortably at Mount Blessing, and since becoming a teenager, has consistently rebelled again the rules imposed by Emmanuel; this rebellion has earned Honey several trips to the Regulation Room, where she and other followers are whipped for various indiscretions. When Agnes Nana Pete shows up for her annual visit, Honey ends up telling Nana the truth of what goes on in the Regulation Room. Nana Pete decides to take Honey, Agnes, and Agnes little brother, Bennie, away from Mount Blessing for good, and in doing so, helps Honey to finally discover the truth of her parentage. A strong book about religious cults in America. Middle/high school. Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1982. Liza discovers that her feelings for Annie go beyond friendship. Garden sensitively describes the romantic emotions of two young girls and the resulting chaos when Lizas private school realizes their relationship. High school. Garden, Nancy. Endgame. Harcourt, 2006. 14-year-old Grey was victimized at his middle school; his parents move the family to a different town for a new start. However, Grey is once again chosen as victim and Zorro, his tormentor, is worse than anything he faced in middle school. Zorro trashes Greys drums, costs him his best and only friend, Ross, and kills his dog. So Grey fights backby bringing a gun to school. This is a hard book for a number of reasons; Grey isnt always the most sympathetic character because he does kill innocent people when he shoots up his high school and doesnt seem remorseful enough. The reader can easily hate Zorro and can see the signs of Grey moving in the wrong direction. Greys father is clearly part of Greys problem, and one can see that the teachers/counselors at his school are not being proactive enough or are indulging Zorros bullying of the younger boy. The Columbine overtones are clear, here, and while Greys actions are not excused, the reasons behind his dehumanizing are apparent and easy to discuss. High school. Gardner, Graham. Inventing Elliot. NY: Dial, 2004. Elliot, bullied mercilessly at his old school, determines that he must create a different identity at his new school so as not to draw the attention of the Guardians, a group of young men who decide who will be picked upon and who will not. Surprisingly, the Guardians, not knowing Elliots background, decide that Elliot should become on of them. But can Elliot really become the kind of person he has feared for so long. An excellent middle/high school read. Greene, Bette. The Drowning of Stephen Jones. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. A female teen stands by and does not intervene when a group of young men harass and eventually kill a homosexual male; the trial that follows forces her to consider her own sense of identity as well as others. Based on a true story. High school. Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Dell, 1967. Ponyboy tries to survive in a world of brothers and gangs and must cope with the death of his best friend. The great classic of a boys world written by, at the time, a teen-aged girl. A must read. Howe, James. The Misfits. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001. They are the losers at Paintbrush Falls Middle School, or at least, thats how others seem them. But when Addie refuses to say The Pledge of Allegience and that, in turn, spawns her further interest in politics, especially the 7th grade elections, Bobby and his friends find that there voices can be raised to create change in their school and in the lives of others. A charming middle school book, especially for teachers who want their students to discuss issues around social polarization. Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Sister Wife. NY: Orca Book Publishers, 2008. Celeste lives in a polygamous community where, at fifteen, she will soon be expected to marry a much older man and become a sister wife. But Celeste has other hopes for herself: a career and a life with Jona young man from her community who is her own age. However, when the Prophet demands Celeste marry Johns father, she does because she has been raised to be obedient to the Prophet and to her religious beliefs. But when her mother almost dies giving birth to yet another child and her father seems indifferent to his wifes pain, Celeste begins to realize that there must be something else for her. An excellent read for high school.

Jones, Patrick. Things Change. NY: Walker, 2005. Johanna and Paul seem to be a mismatch from the start: shes smart, driven, and focused on college; hes popular and not so grade driven. Paul also has a secret that drives him into rages that Johanna cant understand; worse, when Pauls agree, he hits. As Johanna struggles to keep Paul happy, the tension at home and school takes its toll. This is an excellent book to use when dealing with the issue of violence in dating. High School. Kerr, M.E. Deliver Us from Evie. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Parr must cope with farm life, his own hormones, and his sisters lesbian relationship with the daughter of the towns most powerful family. An undercurrent throughout the book is religious intolerance. High school. Kerr, M.E. Someone Like Summer. NY: Knopf, 2007. When Annabel meets Esteban, they fall quickly for each other. But Esteban is an undocumented alien who works for Annabels father, and Annabel meets resistance from her father and her brother, Kenyon, when she tries to assert her feelings for Esteban. The romance becomes even more difficult when a local veterinarianfor whom Kenyan is workinggoes out of his way to make the immigrants life more difficult. The dialogue in the text is a bit stilted and formal, but the topic of the text will be an interesting one for high school students. High school readers. Korman, Gordon. The Juvie Three. NY: Hyperion, 2008. Arjay, Gecko, and Terence are all serving time in a juvenile detention center for various reasons: aiding and abetting by driving the get-away car, manslaughter, and theft related to gang activity. When the three are chosen by Mr. Healy, an idealistic social worker determined to make a difference in the lives of kids he believes can be saved, the boys are generally unimpressed but willing to give things a go. However, until Healy is injured and sent to the hospital, the boys dont really understand the concept of team work or looking out for each other. Hoping not to be sent back to juvie, the boys trick the school and their neighbors into thinking Healy is keeping odd hours, do their homework, and find jobs to sustain them through Healys illness. But how long can they keep all of this up? As with any Korman book, there is definitely humor, but the book also has a serious undercurrent concerning the justice system and what happens to kids who are often pulled into a system without adequate care to send them back into society enhanced rather than damaged by the jd experience. High school. Langan, Paul. Bluford High: The Bully. NY: Scholastic, 2007. Darrell is small for his age, but thats never been a problem for him in his Philadelphia neighborhood. But when his mother moves the family to California, Darrell finds himself a prime target for the neighborhood bully, Tyray. Miserable at first, Darrell finally begins to come into his own when his English teacher gives him the book Hatchet to read, and within those pages, Darrell finds the courage to go out for wrestling and make new friends. A great add to the Bluford High series. Middle school. Lecesne, James. Absolute Brightness. NY: HarperTeen, 2008. When Leonard shows up to live with her family, Phoebe is less than impressed with her cousin. His effeminate manner causes issues for her at school, and interest in her mothers hair salon diverts her mothers already limited attention away from her. But when Leonard disappears and his body is finally found weeks later, Phoebe comes to understand how important Leonard was in her life. Determined to find his killer, Phoebe finds herself in the middle of the investigation; it is she who figures out that the seemingly gaybashing guy shes dating is Leonards killer. But is that really the truth? An interesting take on perceptions. Definitely a high school read. Levithan. David. Wide Awake. NY: Knopf, 2006. When the first gay Jewish president is elected, Duncan is elated: gay and Jewish himself, Duncan has campaigned religiously for Abraham Stein and his running mate, Alice Martinez. But when the governor of Kansas calls the votes from his state into question and Stein encourages his supporters to go to Kansas, Duncan has to decide how far hes willing to take his beliefs. When his boyfriend, Jimmy, insists they go, Duncan is torn: his parents arent thrilled about this trip and hell certainly miss school. When he does finally make the decision to go, he finds that maybe he and Jimmy arent as solid as he thought they were. This is a wonderful story about political activism, love and romance, and friendship. High School. Lyga, Barry. Hero Type. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. When Kevin Ross accidentally saves Leah Muldoon from a serial rapist, he is immediately hailed as a hero by everyone in his community. But when a newspaper reporter starts to dig into Kevins life and family situation, things get stirred up in such a way that the hero becomes a zero very quickly. The rollercoaster of emotions that Kevin is forced to respond to makes him more aware of the impact of the media, family, friends, school culture, and war on an individuals life. A strong high school read. Minchin, Adele. The Beat Goes On. NY: Simon and Schuster for Young Readers, 2004. Emma seems the least likely person to come down with AIDS, but when she does, she turns to her cousin Leyla for support. Thus, this becomes the

story of how teens support other teen friends and family in the face of AIDS, and this book provides a clear human face to all those involved. Leyla becomes a stronger character throughout the book as she defends Emma against other family members and townspeople who simply dont want to know the truth about teenage sex and AIDS. High School. Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I Wake. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1994. Hilary Burke is a member of a neo-Nazi gang; but when she is injured after her biker boyfriend crashes his motorcycle one rainy night, Hilary is transported into the mind of Chana, a Jewish girl forced into the Lodz ghetto in Poland. Hilary, at first unwillingly, follows Chanas memories as Chanas family is moved from Lodz to Auschwitz. High school. Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl. NY: HarperTempest, 2003. When Matt Donaghy is arrested under suspicion of attempting to bomb his school, only two people seem willing to talk about the truth of the situation: one is Matt, who knows he hasnt done anything, and the other is Ursula, the girl who seems unafraid of anything in her life. Ursulas very public support of Matt, who she really doesnt know, takes everyone by surprise, but the bigger surprise is how friends, family, and classmates respond to Matt and Ursula in the wake of the police finally admitting that maybe there wasnt anything to the bomb threat. A strong book for teens on the power and abuses of language. Pennebaker, Ruth. Dont Think Twice. NY: Henry Holt, 2001. Anne Harper, popular and now pregnant, has been sent by her family to live in a home for unwed mothers. Alone and angry at her parents and at her ex-boyfriend, Jake, Anne is determined that her life will not be ruined by this mistake. The story is at its best when Anne interacts with the other girls who are in similar situations, especially because each of them reacts to the situation in slightly different ways. A strong read for young women in high school. Reynolds, Marilyn. Love Rules. Buena Park, CA: Morning Glory Press, 2001. Kit and Lynn have been spirit sisters for years, which means they have no secrets from each other. When Kit tells Lynn that shes a lesbian, Lynn accepts Kit after a bit of self-doubt, and the two work together to make sure that Kit feels comfortable with her decision to not only share this information with Lynn, but also with other high school students making the same realization. When a group of homophobic football players decide to play rough with Kit, all of the students involved must comes to terms with the prejudice and mistrust that surrounds them. A powerful story of how two girls can make a difference in their school with the support of positive, proactive teachers. A very worthwhile read for high school students. Tashjian, Janet. The Gospel According to Larry and Vote for Larry. NY: Random House, 2002, 2004. Josh Swenson uses his computer expertise and his amazing views on consumer life and social issues to change his community and the country at large. Under the pseudonym of Larry, Josh provides his gospel on everything from consumerism to war to the environment. But when Larry is outed, Josh has to face the wrath of his stepdad, his best friend, and all those hundreds of thousands of people who have looked to Larry for guidance. In book two, Larry runs for president, with amazing consequences. Excellent books for impressing upon the students the need to be politically active. Tashjian, Janet. Faultline. NY: Henry Holt, 2003. Budding stand-up comic Becky meets Kip a true rising star in the San Francisco comedy club scene. At first, they simply support each others good work, but when the relationship moves into romance, Becky begins to realize that Kip has a troubled side. As Kips verbal and physical abuse of Becky escalates, Becky must find it within herself to stop him, before its too late for both of them. A remarkable story for high school readers. Taylor, Theodore. Lord of the Kill. NY: The Blue Sky Press, 2002. 16-year old Ben is left in charge of Los Coyotes Preserve, the wild game preserve created by his father to protect exotic animals confiscated from zoos or crime syndicates involved in illegal poaching of big game animals or in the manufacture of tiger medicines. Ben must choose at times, between his own life and future and the ethical choices made by his father on behalf of the big cats he has sworn to protect. Great high school read. Vaught, Susan. Big Fat Manifesto. NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. Jamie writes a weekly column for her high school newspaper that focuses on what it means to be a fat girl. Written with sharp humor and an I dare you to take me on spirit, Jamie is very comfortable with her stance until her boyfriend, also fat, decides to have bariatric surgerystomach stapling. As Burke gets thinner, Jamie is forced to confront her own stance on health, beauty, self-identity, and constructive journalism. A great read with wonderful humor throughout. High school. Vaught, Susan. Exposed. NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. Chan Shealy seems to have everything going for her except the perfect boyfriend. So when she goes on-line and finds him, everything seems to be lining up the way she wants. But when her on-line dreamboat starts to make some strange requests of hertopless photos--and her little sister starts to

act out in weird ways, Chan has to deal with the possibility that isnt all she thought. This is a strong book about on-line predators and teenaged girls looking for romance in the wrong place. High school. Woodson, Jacqueline. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. New York: Blue Sky Press, 1995. This powerful story describes an African American teenager named Mel and how to he comes to terms with his mothers declaration of love for a white woman. High school. Yolen, Jane & Bruce Coville. Armageddon Summer. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1998. As the Millenium draws near, Marinas mother and Jeds father decide that they must bring their respective families to Reverand Beelsons sanctuary where the lucky 200 will watch the end of the world and then be ready to follow Gods instructions on starting anew. But as Marina and Jed find each other, two non-believers surrounded by zealots, they come to realize that Beelsons peaceful paradise is not all that it seems. Middle and high school.

Ethnic Diversity
Meyer, Carolyn. Rio Grande Stories. NY: Gulliver Books. The 7th grade class at Rio Grande Magnet Middle School undertake a project focused on discovering their own unique cultural pasts through the stories told to them by elderly friends and relatives. African American, Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo students come together to create an amazing project that touches the lives of those in their community. Middle/high school.

African American
Burg, Shana. A Thousand Never Evers. NY: Delacorte Press, 2008. It is 1963, and Addie Ann Pickett is largely aware of the cruelty of the world. But when Old Man Adams dies and leaves his garden to the town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi to sharewhite and blackAddies family is thrown into the controversy when Addie oversees and hears something she shouldnt and is too scared to tell, even though it means that her brother, Elias, must go into hiding. But as the summer and fall unfold, Addie learns about ethics as she watches the adults around her trying to come to terms with the Adams legacy, and Addie finally realizes that there are times in life when being right is better than being safe. Strong middle school read to use within a Civil Rights unit. Booth, Coe. Kendra. NY: Scholastic, 2008. Fourteen-year-old Kendra has been living with her grandmother all her life, mainly because her mother, who had Kendra at fourteen, has been too busy finishing her education and pursuing a job to take a more active role in her life. Her father, who lives in the neighborhood, isnt much of a father figure, although he enjoys it when Kendra stops by to visit. But when Kendra starts to show interest in boys, she finds herself on the short end of her grandmothers patience and is packed off to live with her mother, a person she hardly knows. Can Kendra and her mother find a way to meet each other halfway? Middle/high school. Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham1963. NY: Yearling, 1995. The Watson family live in Flint, Michigan, and as a family they have all the special quirks that only relatives can appreciate. But when older brother Byron, who seems to be on the road to delinquency, goes beyond what even his parents can tolerate with good humor, the family is bound for Birmingham, where Grandma Sands lives, and where Byron will spent the summer. But no one could have ever expected how their lives would be impacted by the journey to Alabama and the events of a Sunday morning. Wonderful middle school read. Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. NY: Yearling, 1999. This Newbury Award Winner introduces us to Bud, an orphan searching for the father he has never known. With only one obscure clue to follow, he begins his search for Herman Calloway and the Dusky Devastators (his band), sure that his father must be Herman Calloway. And while Buds search does not end as he expects, he does find the answers that he is looking for in order to make sense of his life. A wonderful Depression era read for middle school students. Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. NY: Scholastic Press, 2007. This Newbury Award Winner introduces us to Elijah, the first free black child born in Buxton, Canada during the years preceding the Civil War. While much of the story charts Elijahs (mis)adventures with his friend, Cooter, the story takes a serious turn when a trusted member of the Buxton community steals from a former slave who has been putting his money away to buy his wife and children. Elijah becomes part of an adventure that will take him to the United States to get the money back; his adventure doesnt turn out quite as planned, but Elijah returns home with a strong sense of what it means to be free. A strong upper elementary/middle school text.

Draper, Sharon. Copper Sun. Atheneum, 2006. 15-year-old Amari is kidnapped from her village in Africa and brought on the slave ships to colonial South Carolina. Sold to Mr. Derby as a present for his sons 16th birthday, Amari faces horror and degradation at the hands of the son. However, she finds a friend in Teenie, the plantation cook, and Polly, an indentured servant who has also lost her family. The two girls have to rely on each other even more when they make a desperate escape from the plantation, setting out for freedom at Fort Mose, which may or may not exist. A strong story of history and friendship. Flake, Sharon G. Who Am I Without Him? NY: Hyperion, 2004. This short story collection focuses on a group of African-American girls and the boys who bring stress and hassle, love and celebration, despair and growth into their lives. Solid collection. Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons. NY: Hyperion, 2005. Two stories in poems, one about Ishmael, some of biblical Abraham and the other about Sam, whose father has left his wife to marry a white woman. Both young men fear being displaced in their fathers attentions, and although for different reasons, with a similarity of thought and purpose that binds the stories together. This is a wonderful paired story. Middle/high school. Houston, Gloria. Bright Freedoms Song. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998. Fourteen-year-old Bright Cameron, the daughter of Irish immigrants, becomes a willing conductor in the underground railroad because of her understanding of her fathers own past as an indentured servant and her friendship with former slave, Marcus. Middle/high school. Johnson, Angela. Toning the Sweep. New York: Scholastic, 1993. Three generations of African American women hold onto a truth about life, about death, and about themselves. Could be used in conjunction with the film An American Quilt. Middle/high school. Johnson, Angela. Heaven. Simon and Schuster, 1998. Marley thinks that life in Heaven, Ohio is the bestuntil the day the letter comes asking for information about her real mother and father. Middle school/upper elementary. Johnson, Angela. Songs of Faith. Simon and Schuster, 1998. Doreens family is in chaos since her parents divorce. How can she ever accept her mothers love when she blames her for the break-up. Middle school/upper elementary. Magoon, Kekla. The Rock and the River. NY: Aladdin, 2009. Sam is the son of a well-known civil rights leader in 1968 Chicago. Hes gone to non-violent demonstrations most of his life, but as tensions come to a head in 1968, Sam begins to wonder if the non-violence movement of Martin Luther King, Jr is really feasible, especially after his friend Bucky is brutally attached by two white police officers for no reason. To further Sams confusion, his brother, Stick, has joined the Black Panthers, much to their fathers anger. As Sam struggles to reconcile his fathers stands with his brothers seeming rebellion, tragedy hits his family again, and Sam must decide who he will be in this fight for equal rights. Excellent middle/high school read. McDonald, Janet. Brother Hood. NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2004. Nate Whitely spends his weekdays at a prestigious prep school in upstate New York and spends his weekends at home in Harlem. But while Nate is doing fine at school, he feels a growing apprehension about those at home. His brother, Eli, for example, is a mess, and further complicates his relationship with Nate by sleeping with Nates girlfriend. But his friends at school dont make things easier, and with them he has to deal with a socioeconomic snobbery that hes never before encountered. Nates ability to deal with these various issues makes this novel a very strong read, especially for those students struggling to make sense of moving between cultures. High school. Meyer, Carolyn. Jubilee Journey. Gulliver Books/Harcourt Brace, 1997. Emily Rose Chartier never felt that growing up biracial was a problem until she went to Texas to visit her great grandmother, Rose Lee Jefferson. As she begins to understand how her family fits into the Juneteenth celebration, she also starts to understand how important it is for her to be aware of the African-American part of her self and how it helps to define her. Middle/high school. Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah.. NY: Scholastic Books, 2008. Robin Birdy Perry (nephew of Richie Perry from Fallen Angels) finds himself in Iraq at the beginning of the war as a member of the Civilian Affairs unit. Told to represent themselves as the helpful Americans, Birdy and his company are sent out for photo ops that allow newspapers to show how the Americans are working with or supporting everyday Iraqis. But Birdy and his friends cant be sheltered from the realities of war, nor can they pretend that everything the Coalition Forces are doing in Iraq are ethical. Birdy pours out some of his frustrations to his uncle Richie in letters; although Richie never spoke a great deal about his Viet Nam experiences, Birdy suspects that his uncle will understand his dilemmas in ways others never

would. This is an excellent and timely book. High School. Myers, Walter Dean. What They Found: Love on 145th St. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2007. Fifteen short stories follow the lives of young men and women who learn to live, love, deal with war, death, depression, poverty, parenthood, and so on. The stories are poignant and humorous in turn; my favorites are the ones that follow the Evans family, who represent the empathic core of the stories. Middle/high school. Myers, Walter Dean. Now is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom. Scranton, PA: HarperCollins, 1991. From pre-Civil War to the modern Civil Rights movement, this book describes African American struggles. (Recipient of four awards). Middle/high school. Myers, Walter Dean. Somewhere in the Darkness. New York: Scholastic, 1992. In the midst of Harlem life, Jimmy finds adventure when his recently released (from prison) father takes him on a trip across the country to visit his own boyhood town. Over the course of their travels, Jimmy comes to understand what drove his fathers decisions and begins to understand his own sense of identity against his fathers. (Recipient of seven awards). Middle/high school. Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. The Hoopster, Hip-Hop High School, and Homeboyz. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2004, 2006, 2007. This series follows the stories of siblings Andre, Theresa, Teddy, and Tina as they, with the support of their parents, look to not only find themselves but plan for the future. But these plans arent easy to make because the Andersons dont live in the easiest part of the city nor do they attend a school where many students aspire for anything beyond high school. However, in each case, supportive yet challenging teachers, focused parents, and loyal friends help the main characters make the right choices. That said, there is little sentimentality in these novels, which make them excellent reads for high school students. Taylor, Mildred. Let the Circle Be Unbroken. NY: Puffin Books, 1981. In this sequel, Cassies neighbor and friend, T. J. undergoes a life and death court trial. Middle/upper elementary. Taylor, Mildred. The Road to Memphis. NY: Puffin Books, 1990. As the third book in the Roll of Thunder Series, this story chronicles Cassies continuing struggles, this time as a 17-year-old, as she, her brother, and their friends travel on dangerous roads. Middle/upper elementary. Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. NY: Puffin Books, 1976. Cassie and her family attempt to survive the events of night riders and burnings swirling around them. Through courage and pride, her family holds onto their main possession: the land they love. Middle/upper elementary. Voigt, Cynthia. Come a Stranger. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1986. As the only African-American in a ballet camp, Mina must come to terms with a lost career dream while becoming entangled in a romance with a married minister. Middle/high school. Williams, Lori Aurelia. Shaylas Double Brown Baby Blues. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Shaylas 13th birthday is marred by the birth of her little sister, who seems to be set to take over Shaylas shaky place in her fathers heart. On top of this, Shayla, known as a fixer to all, tries to help her friend, Kambia, come to terms with the physical and sexual abuse dealt her at the hands of her mothers various boyfriends. A powerful book about a young woman coming to terms with finding her identity and understanding how she can help others about whom she cares. Middle and high school readers. Williams-Garcia. Rita. Every Time a Rainbow Dies. NY: HarperTempest, 2002. Thulani, a sixteen-year-old boy who has lost his mother to cancer and lives with his brother and sister-in-law, has purposefully kept to himself, spending most of his days with the rock doves that he keeps on the top of his familys house. But when he finds Ysa in the alley near his home, raped and beaten, he begins to re-enter the world, mainly because he wants to know more about Ysa. However, Ysas continued rejection of him may propel him back into the solitary life he has become all too comfortable with. A strong story of loss and redemption for high school readers. Winston, Sherri. The Kayla Chronicles. NY: Little, Brown, 2008. Kayla is a budding feminist/journalist, and she and her friend, Rosalie, think that theyre on the verge of breaking the big story: that the Lady Lions Dance Team has a bias against small-breasted girls! To get their story, Kayla has to go out for the Lady Lions, where she expects to not get a spot on the team because of her lack of endowment. But when she does land one of the coveted spots, Kayla finds herself between two powerful forces. Is there any way to make both sides see that theyre all working towards the same

goal for young women? A solid middle school read. Woodson, Jacqueline. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun. NY: Blue Sky Press, 1995. This powerful story describes an African-American teenage boy, Mel, as he comes to terms with his mothers declaration of her love for a white woman. Mel is at first angry, then distraught; however, his mothers patience wins out, and Mel begins to understand that we cannot always control who we love in life. High school. Woodson, Jacqueline. I Hadnt Meant to Tell You This. NY: Doubleday Dell, 1994. This book breaks the stereotypes when Maries African-American family encourages her not to befriend Lena, a poor white girl. As Marie gets to know Lena, she finds out that Lena is the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. Middle/high school. Woodson, Jacqueline. Lena. NY: Doubleday Dell, 1999. In this sequel to I Hadnt Meant to Tell You This, Lena and her sister Dion hitchhike from Ohio to Kentucky, running away from their sexually abusive father and searching for their dead mothers family. Middle/high school. Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush. NY: Putnam, 2001. The life of the Green family is disrupted when Toswiahs father, one of the few African-American police officers in Denver, witnesses who white policemen kill a young African-American teen without provocation. Their arrest forces the Greens to leave Denver for a large mid-western town where they assume new names and new lives. But can their family hold up under the strainThis is a wonderful book for teachers looking to deal with issues surrounding ethics and racism. Middle/high school. Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac & D Foster. NY: Putnam, 2008. Woodson uses the career of Tupac Shakur and the two shootings in which he was involved to frame the story of three girls facing life issues that they dont always understand. D is in foster care and is desperate for her mother to get her act together and give D the kind of stability in life she so desperate craves. For Neeka, the concern is her brother who has been sent to jail for something he didnt do. As the unnamed narrator unravels the stories of her two friends in conjunction with the words and music of Tupac, the reader has a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of young people looking for answers in a world that mostly provides questions. Middle school. Wright, Bil. When the Black Girl Sings. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Lahni Schuler is the adopted black daughter of two white parents, something that wasnt really a problem until she began going to a predominantly white prep school. Complicating her life further is her parents impeding divorce. But when Lahni and her mom begin going to church, Lahni finds solace in the gospel choir directed by Mr Marcus and uses her growing ability as a singer to prepare for a talent competition at school. A lovely book about people all trying to do the right thing and the impact that has on teens.

Asian American
Na, An. The Fold. NY: Putnam, 2008. Joyce has gone overboard trying to get cute John Ford King to sign her yearbook, then realizes that he didnt even realize whose yearbook he was signing. So when she is given the opportunity to have plastic surgery to, she thinks, improve her looks by her plastic-surgery crazed aunt, Joyce has to make a decision. Deathly afraid of any type of pain, Joyce has to decide if its worth it to have her eyes done. Middle school. Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuku. Farewell to Manzanar. NY: Bantam, 1990. A young girl describes how she and her Japanese family were interned in a U.S. war camp during WWII. Middle/high school. Irwin, Hadley. Kim/Kimi. Ny: Viking/Penguin, 1988. Feeling out of place as a Japanese-American living in Minnesota, Kim, who lives with her mothers white family, wants to return to San Francisco to meet her dead fathers Japanese family and learn more of the other half of her heritage. Middle/high school. Kadohata, Cynthia. NY: Atheneum, 2004. Katies sister, Lynn, is the person who introduces kira-kira (glittering) into their lives, and it is Lynn who is Katies touchstone when the Japanese-American family moves from their home in Iowa to a new community in Georgia. The move is difficult, and life in Georgia is not as golden as it was presented. With their parents often gone, the two girls and their younger brother, Sammy, have to be there for each other. But when Lynn gets sick and each member of the family must come to terms with her illness, Katie learns that she must find the ability within herself to make kira-kira come back to the family. A lovely read for middle and high school students. Yep, Laurence. Child of the Owl. NY: Harper and Row, 1990. A 12-year-old who knows little of her Chinese heritage is sent to live with her grandmother in San Franciscos Chinatown. Middle school.

Yep, Laurence. Thief of Hearts. NY: William Morrow, 1994. In the sequel to Owl, two girls, one Asian-American and the other a new immigrant from China, try to forge a friendship even as they must prove to their classmates that they are not thieves. Middle/high school.

Latino/Latina
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. NY: Random House, 1984. The semi-autobiographical story of a young girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago, told in poetic vignettes. Middle/high school. Cofer, Judith Ortiz. Call Me Maria. NY: Scholastic, 2004. A series of letters, poems, and prose that tells the story of Maria, a young woman caught between her American father and her Puerto Rican mother and the cultures of each. Born in Puerto Rica but living with her father in New York, Maria has to define herself against her individual parents expectations of who she is and who she can be. Excellent. Middle/high School. Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You. NY: Penguin, 1995. A series of short stories about Latina/os of Puerto Rican descent growing up in both New York and Puerto Rico. Excellent. High School. de la Pena, Matt. Mexican White Boy. NY: Delacorte Press, 2008. Dannys inability to deal with what he sees as the twin problems of his parents different cultural backgroundsmom is white, dad is Hispanicis further impacted by the expectations of those whose expectations of him are based on stereotyping versus who Danny really is. Danny also happens to be an amazing pitcher who cant seem to sustain his abilities when pushed in a public arena. So when he decides to spend the summer with his dads family, Danny finally finds himself in a position to figure out who he wants to be and how he can achieve it. Excellent story of a young man confused by too many family issues and cultural expectations. Middle/high school. Durbin, William. El Lector. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. Bellas grandfather is one of the most well-known lectors in Ybor City, Florida in the early 1930s; he reads novels, newspapers, and social commentaries to the workers at one of the largest cigar factories in town. But when the rollers begin to talk about bringing in the union, the owners bring in the Ku Klux Klan, and Bellas family is thrown into the turbulence of the situation when her amazing Aunt Lola is put in jail for standing up for her rights. Bella comes to understand the importance of family and culture and the nature of social injustice in her hometown. An excellent middle school read. Flores-Galbis, Enrique. Raining Sardines. NY: Roaring Book Press, 2007. In this tale of magical realism, Enriquito and Ernestina live in a part of Cuba where Don Rigol, a wealthy and not very ethical landowner, controls their village with threats/promises of jobs and personal security. But when he wants to cut down the nearby mountain jungle to expand his coffee plantation and entrap the wild ponies who live there, the two young people must take action. Aided by a soothseer and the spirit of Enriquitos grandfather, justice prevails. A lively and entertaining middle school read. Hijuelos, Oscar. Dark Dude. NY: Atheneum, 2009. Rico trades Harlem for Wisconsin when he gets tired of being treated like a punching bagphysically and emotionallyby his parents and his neighborhood. Treated badly because of his light looks in New York, Rico is easily accepted in Wisconsin, but the longer he stays, the more he realizes what hes left behind besides his family: his identity. Can he reconcile being Latino with living in Wisconsin, or does he need to return home to truly find himself. A strong story for high school readers. Martinez, Manuel Luis. Drift. NY: Picador, 2003. 16-year-old Robert Lomos is at a crossroads. His divorced parents seem unable and unwilling to parent him, so he finds himself shuttled off to live with his grandmother. He knows the importance of his education and school, but he desperately wants to make money in order to take care of his mother and thus be back in her life. He deeply wants to be loved but is unable to trust his girlfriend enough to feel safe in their relationship. A wonderful story of struggle and identity awareness. High school. Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15. (2004). NY: Delacorte. Violet first hears about her quinceanero from her abuela who is bound and determined that her granddaughter will follow at least one of the traditional Cuban customs that the family has otherwise scorned. At first unhappy about having to plan for it, Violet and friends find that mixing tradition with contemporary can have interesting results. A delightful read as well as a poignant one, especially in terms of Violets connections with her father over their disagreements about how much Violet should actually know and learn about Cuba under Castro. Middle/high school.

Paulsen, Gary. Sisters/Hermanas. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1984. This book is written in Spanish in one direction and English in the other. The chapters also move back and forth from an Anglo girl who wants to be a cheerleader to an illegal immigrant who is trying to escape prostitution. Middle/high school. Rebolledo, Tey Diane and Rivero, Eliana S. Infinite Divisions: An Anthology of Chicano Literature. Tucson: U of Arizona Press, 1993. Stories by Mexican American authors. Middle/high school. Voorhees, Coert. The Brothers Torres. NY: Hyperion, 2008. Frankie has always idolized his older brother, Steve, who seems to be everything Frankie is not: muscled, smooth with the girls, smart without working at it. But when Steve is involved in a series of fights with a racist student at school, Frankie begins to question loyalty versus common sense, self-preservation versus aggression. This is a smart, funny book for high school readers.

Native American
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. NY: Little Brown, 2007. Junior, a member of the Spokane Indian tribe, wants something more in his life, but hes not sure what that should be until he has a run-in with Mr. P and realizes that hes got to rethink his priorities. He makes the decision to leave the rez school in favor of the white school at the edge of the reservation. But that decision puts him at odds with his best friend, Rowdy, and many of his neighbors on the rez. Can Junior find a way to keep his family and his culture while getting the type of education he knows he will need to forge a better life for himself? An added joy of this book are the cartoons running throughout that highlight different aspects of Juniors life. A must read for middle/high school readers. Burks, Brian. Runs with Horses. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1995. In 1886 at age 16, Runs with Horses is one of the last Apaches continuing to resist capture by the U.S. Army. Middle/high school. Bruchac, Joseph. Geronimo. NY: Scholastic Press, 2006. The story of Geronimo, the great Apache chief, after his final surrender to the U.S. Army as told through the eyes and experiences of his adopted grandson, Little Foot. The story follows the forced move of the Chiricauhua Apache from Arizona to Florida and the mistreatment of their children at the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania. A moving tale of family, culture and loyalty. Middle and high school. Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. NY: HarperCollins, 1994. This book features a story within a story as a young Native American girl, with her grandparents help, comes to terms with her mothers death. Upper elementary/middle school. Curry, Jane. Hold Up the Sky and Other Native American Tales from Texas and the Southern Plains. NY: McElderry Books, 2003. Jane Louse Curry has collected a wonderful grouping of 26 traditional tales of 14 Native American tribes. Currys choices, ranging from the traditional beginning of the world tales to specific stories explaining the importance of certain animals or mythical figures give readers a strong sense of the cultures from which the stories derive. Readers will also enjoy the humorous exploits of Coyote and other animals in the stories that seem to explain power struggles, how fire and other practical earth elements came to exist, and the relationships between man and animal. Curry also provides, at the end of the book, a short history on each of the 14 tribes contributing their stories and an annotated bibliography on each of the storytellers who recorded the tales. Hold Up the Sky should definitely have a place in teacher and school libraries as an important addition to any multicultural collection. Hightower, Jamake. Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey. TrophyNewbery, 1977. Anpao takes on a terrible journey for the love of the beautiful maiden Ko-ko-mik-e-is, who belongs to the Sun. Through his odyssey, Anpao finds the truth about himself, his parents, and his people. Middle/high school. Hobbs, Will. Bearstone. NY: Avon Camelot, 1989. 14-year-old Cloyd is sent by his tribe to a group home for troubled youth, which sets him up for the summer working for an old rancher. He must fight his own inner turmoil and discover the strengths of his ancient ancestors. Middle/high school. Krant, Hazel. Walks in Beauty. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press, 1997. Navajo adolescent Anita must find her own way when she is torn between the desires of her family versus that of her boyfriend. Most importantly, Anita must come to terms with the two cultural influences pulling at her, that of reservation life versus urban Anglo life. Middle/high school.

Kroeber, Theodora. Ishi: The Last of His Tribe. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1964. The true story of the last member of the Yahi tribe in California. Middle/high school. Little, Kimberly Griffiths. The Last Snake Runner. 2002. Kendall is the last member of the Snake Clan of the Acoma. Trained by his grandfather, Armando, to take his proper place in the workings of contemporary Acoma life, Kendall finds himself sent back through time after he angrily leaves his home after his father marries a woman whom Kendall disapproves. Meeting Akish and Jeneum, Acoma ancestors who are also members of the Snake Clan, Kendall finds that he has been sent to the Sky City of the Acoma months before the Acoma will be, essentially, decimated and sent into various exiles by the Spanish conquistadors. Although not written by a member of the Acoma community, the book is well-researched and follows the history of the Acoma well. Middle school. Lipsyte, Robert. The Brave. NY: HarperCollins, 1991. A Native American police officer in New York City must confront gang members in this sequel to The Contender. Middle/high school. Lipsyte, Robert. The Contender. NY: Harper and Row, 1987. A Native American boxer must learn about both athletics and racism. Middle/high school. Okimoto, Jean Davies. The Eclipse of Moonbeam Dawson. New York: Tor, 1997. Moonbeam Dawson just wants to be normal. But its not easy when you have a first name like he does, a mother who moves from commune to commune, and a biracial background. How Moonbeam handles his problems, especially his name, is only part of what makes this a delightful coming-of-age story. Middle/high school.

Interactions/intermingling of cultures
Alegria, Malin. Estrellas Quinceanera. NY: Simon Pulse, 2006. Estrella is about to turn 15, and in Hispanic culture, that means its time for her quinceanera. But Estrella is embarrassed by the thought of it, mainly because her friends from the prep school she attends on scholarship would look down their rich noses at the celebration. Torn between family and friends, Estrella has to figure out who she is against these competing groups, but when she does, she surprises herself as much as anyone. Great story for middle and high school female readers. Crew, Linda. Children of the River. NY: Delacorte Press, 1989. A Cambodian teen struggles to adapt to her new school and potential boyfriend in Oregon even as her immigrant family tries to enforce traditional cultural expectations. Middle/high school. Dorris, Michael. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. NY: Warner Books, 1987. A female teen who is half Native American / half African American tries to discover her own identity without losing her sense of each culture. Middle/high school. Glenn, Mel. Split Image. NY: HarperTempest, 2000. Laura Li is the most popular girl at Tower High School, but no one can quite pinpoint why. Lauras story, told through various voices in poetic forms, outlines Lauras school life and her home life, a home life that fills Laura with despair. Will Laura be able to break free of the almost claustrophic hold of her family on who she is and who she wants to be, or will Laura give in to her darker fears? A solid high school read. Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused. NY: PUSH Fiction, 2003. Dimple Lala is an American girl who just happens to come from Indian (India) ancestry and has fought against her parents cultural expectations for years, especially those connected to dating. But when she meets Karsh, she finds herself having to rethink those ideas, especially when she finds herself falling for him and having to compete for his attention with her best friend, an Anglo who is determined to embrace Indian culture in every possible manner. Charming high school read, especially for students looking for books on defining oneself against society/parents/friends expectations. Ingold, Jeanette. The Big Burn. (2002). NY: Harcourt Brace. During the summer of 1910, Montana and Idaho face one of the largest sets of forest burns ever to hit the state. The fire sets the background for the stories of three teens, Lizbeth, Jarrett, and Seth, who together and separately, each play a part in bringing the fire to a close. Lizbeth, who loves the family farmstead, hopes to keep her aunt from taking both of them back east. Jarrett, who finds his father impossible to live with, goes in search of a job with the firefighters and is reunited with the brother who left home years ago after a falling out with their father. And Seth, a member of the all-black 25th Infantry, hopes that his stint in the

army will give him something that many black men around the turn of the century were looking for: respect. Remarkable story for middle and high school readers. Marsden, Carolyn. When Heaven Fell. NY: Candlewick Press, 2007. Binh, a young Vietnamese girl, sells fruit and sodas to help her family make a living. Hers is a hard life, and there is no money for the uniform she must have to attend school. But when her aunt, who was brought up in America because her father was American and her Vietnamese mother knew that she would be outcast, comes to visit Viet Nam, Binh has dreams of the riches her aunt will bring the family. When Di Hai arrives, her family is shocked to find out that for an American, she has relatively little money. But her visit changes Binhs life in ways she cant even imagine. Upper elementary/middle school read. McKissack, Patricia. Run Away Home. NY: Scholastic Press, 1998. 11-year-old Sarah, an African-American girl living in 1888 Alabama, helps Sky, a young Apache, after he escapes from the train taking his people, including the great hero Geronimo, from holding camp to holding camp. In return, Sky helps Sarah and her family deal with the white supremacists trying to force them off their land. Middle/high school. Meyer, Carolyn. Rio Grande Stories. San Diego: Harcount Brace & Company, 1994. A 7th grade class in Albuquerque decides to write a book about the heritage of peoples in New Mexico; this book alternates between the story of the class and the students contributions to the text. Middle/high school. Namioka, Lensey. Half and Half. NY: Delacorte Press, 2003. Fiona Cheng is half Scot, half Chinese, and while this split has always caused her consternation in terms of how she should label herself, that distinction has never been as clear to her as it is when she must decide between dancing with her grandfathers highland dance troupe or performing the role of traditional Chinese maiden at her grandmothers urging. A lovely little tale about definitions and being true to oneself regardless of the labels others try to attach. Upper elementary and middle school. Nolan, Han. Born Blue. NY: Harcourt, 2001. Born Janie but rechristened, by herself, as Leshaya, this is a girl who has had everything stacked against her and in trying to drag herself out of the muck that is her life, makes some pretty severe mistakes along the way. But thanks to her amazing voice, Leshaya, who is white, may actually have the means to make a better life for herselfif she can come to terms with her heroin-addicted mother, her cruel foster parents, the African-American family who would like to foster her in a positive way, and the talented songwriter, Paul, who might actually provide the means for Leshayas professional success. A high school read. Nye, Naomi, Shahib. Habibi. When 15-year-old Liyana Abboud moves from St. Louis to Jerusalem with her family, she feels dislocated. Eventually, her grandmother, Habibi, teaches her Arabic customs and after meeting Omer, an Israeli, she begins to understand the conflict between Arabs and Jews. Middle/high school. Salisbury, Graham. House of the Red Fish. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. Tomi has known his share of hardship in post Pearl Harbor Hawaii; his father and grandfather have been sent to internment camps because of their Japanese ancestry and the familys main financial source lies at the bottom of a canal by a group of American soldiers who mistrust anyone who looks Japanese. Tomi and his friends decide that they will bring up Papas fishing boat, but Anglo former friends like Keet Wilson are determined to stand in their way. Excellent historical novel that will pique the interest of middle school readers Vecinana-Suarez, Ana. Flight to Freedom. NY: Orchard Books. Yara Garcia and her family must leave Communist Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castros reforms of the middle class. Although her father promises that the move to America will be temporary, Yara finds that life in America is strange and exciting. And as Yara becomes comfortable with her new life, her father becomes less happy, worrying that his family of women will become too independent to be good Cuban women. An excellent read for middle school.

Fiction/poetry set in other countries

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does My Head Look Big in This? NY: Orchard Books, 2005. Amal, an Australian-Palestinian girl, makes the decision to wear the hijab (the Muslim head scarf for women) full-time. Born out of a strong desire to test her faith, Amal is not sure that shes totally ready for the reactions she expects from her friends much less the students at her prep school. But Amal finds that being true to ones beliefs can result in some wonderful benefits, too, especially in her friendship with Jewish Adam and her relationship with Mrs. Vaselli next door. An excellent read for middle and high school students.

Dowd, Siobhan. Bog Child. NY: David Fickling Books, 2008. Thought-provoking book set in Ireland in the 1980s finds Fergus dealing with the realities around the Troubles and his familys part in it. While out with his uncle in the peat bogs by his home, Fergus finds the body of a child who has probably been murdered. Around the same time, Fergus finds out that his older brother has become one of the IRA men who has decided to defy the British through a hunger strike. When it is determined that the dead child is actually a young woman from around the time of Christ, Fergus finds himself interacting with an American anthropologist and her daughter, and finds that his world is expanding in ways he could not have foreseen. This is a powerful book of politics, family, and love. A must read for high school students. Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cubas Struggle for Freedom. Henry Holt and Company, 2008. A story in verse of Rosa-freedom fighter and nurse to those victimized by the armies of Cuba and Spainand Leiutenant Death-the man who has sworn to kill her. This is a beautifully written collection with strong voices throughout. Middle to high school. Giovanni, Nikki, (ed.) Grandmothers: Poem, Reminiscences, and Short Stories about the Keepers of OurTraditions. NY: Henry Holt and Co., 1994. The short stories and poems about grandmothers in this collection are a mix of Native American, Vietnamese, African American, Russian, Asian, and others. Middle/high school. Lasky, Kathryn. The Night Journey. NY: Puffin Books, 1981. Rachel listens intently as her great-grandmother tells the story of her familys escape as Jews from Czarist Russia. Middle school. McCormick, Patricia. Sold. NY: Hyperion, 2006. Riveting story about Nepalese teen Lakshmi and her ordeal as an unwilling prostitute in the Happiness House. Given by her stepfather to a glamorous woman who promises money to her familiar and a job as a maid for Lakshmi, the girl is horrified to find out a short time later that she has actually been sold to a brothel in the city. At first, she fights back against the madam by refusing to eat, but eventually, Lakshmi decides that surviving is the most important goal. She endures the prostitution for a year, then a chance meeting with an aid worker convinces Lakshmi that she might be able to escape her bondage; however, if shes caught during the escape, she knows that she will most certainly be beaten and killed. Does she have the courage to flee? This book provides a stark view of what many young girls are experiencing in Southeast Asia in the early 21st century. A National Book Award finalist. Middle and high school. Mori, Kyoko. Shizukos Daughter. NY: Fawcett Juniper, 1993. A young Japanese girl tries to cope with her mothers suicide and her fathers remarriage. With no one to talk to, her life seems impossible; but through her mothers friends, she eventually comes to understand what might have driven her mother to make the decisions she did in her life. High school. Mori, Kyoko. One Bird. NY: Henry Holt, 1995. When her mother leaves her father because of his on-going infidelities, a 15-year-old Japanese girl must deal with traditional customs that force her to stay with a father who doesnt understand her instead of going to live with the mother who adores her. It is finally through her friendship with a female veterinarian that she understands the choices her mother had to make. Middle/high school. Sheth, Kashmira. Keeping Corner. NY: Hyperion, 2007. Twelve-year-old Leeta has always been pampered and petted by her parents, but when her young husband, who she is just getting to know, dies unexpectedly, Leeta is forced to shave her head and give away all of her bangles, one of the most important symbols of marriage and prestige in Gandhiera India, and keep corner for a year to prepare herself for her long-term widowhood. But when her brother and a local teacher decide that her life and brain are too important to sacrifice to traditional custom, Leeta finds herself challenged to become an independent young woman. A wonderful middle school read. Sheth, Kashmira. Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet. NY: Hyperion, 2006. Jeeta watches as her two older sisters are married off in traditional Indian style. But as she watches her sisters marriages unfold and as she spends more time with Sarina and Sarinas professional parents, Jeeta begins to yearn for more than an arranged marriage for herself. Jeetas conflict becomes more intense when she realizes that she has fallen in love with Sarinas cousin Neel. But can Jeeta make her parents understand her hopes and dreams? Excellent book about love and courtship in another culture. High School. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Under the Persimmon Tree. NY: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2005. Najmah, a young Afghan girl, is left on her own when her father and brother are conscribed to the Taliban Army and her mother is killed in a bombing. Her escape from home leads her to Nusrat, an American woman married to an Afghan doctor. Nusrat will not leave Afghanistan until she knows the fate of her husband, and as she waits, she runs a school for your Afghan

children to give them some education while they await a stable government. The plot is okay, but the awareness of Afghan culture is what makes this book a good read. Middle school. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shivas Fire. NY: HarperCollins, 2001. Shiva is born dancing, literally, and while that makes her mother incredibly happy, others blame the baby for the destruction of their village and the death of her father in an elephant stampede. But Shiva has magic within her, and it is not a surprise to her mother when Guru Pazhayanur comes to the village to take Shiva off to be a master dancer in the historic and sacred tradition. Shiva is ecstatic to learn, but continues to be seen as an outsider by those who are jealous of her abilities. But when the Raja invites the Guru to bring his best dancer to Nadipuram and Shiva is chosen, she finds that her life has other possibilities than dancing when she meets the Rajas son. A wonderful read for middle and high school. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind. NY: Random House, 1989. Shabanu, a young Pakistani, must decide whether to follow the tradition of the arranged marriage established by her ancestors or seek the independence she feels in her heart. An excellent read for those looking for a strong multiethnic experience. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Haveli. New York: Knopf, 1993. In this sequel to Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind, Shabanu tries to protect herself and her daughter from her husbands cruel wives and the familys feuding males. Amidst the struggle, Shabanu finds a man worthy of her love. But can she truly trust him in light of the fact that he is her husbands nephew? Middle/high school. Staples, Suzanne Fisher. The House of Djinn. New York: Knopf, 2008. In this third (and final?) book in the Shabanu series, the focus is on Mumtaz, Shabanus daughter. In the ten years since Shabanus (fakes) death, Mumtaz has been raised by her uncle, whom she calls Baba, and his son, Omar, the man Shabanu loved. But Omars wife treats Mumtaz badly when Omar is not around, and Mumtaz lives under the threat of an arranged marriage. Little does she know that Shabanu is keeping an eye on her and has others enlisted in making sure that her daughter is safe. But will all be for naught when Baba dies unexpectedly and leaves the leadership of their people to Mumtazs cousin Jameel? A strong middle/high school read. Taylor, Theodore. The Cay. NY: Doubleday, 1990. Shipwrecked Phillip meets an elderly man named Timothy on a Caribbean island and finds his life changed forever. Blinded during the shipwreck, Phillip finds himself depending on the elderly black man determined to be friends with him, and against the memory of advice given him by his parents concerning blacks, he returns Timothys friendship. Elementary/middle school. Venkatraman, Padma. Climbing the Stairs. NY: G.P. Putnams Sons, 2008. Vidya dreams of going to college, and her father encourages both her dreams and her intelligence. But when he is violently attacked by a British soldier during a peace protest, Vidyas father is rendered unable to speak or function on his own. This causes his family to have to go life with Vidyas grandfather and her uncle and his abusive wife. Treated like a servant by her aunt, Vidya despairs of finishing school much less going on to college. But when a chance discovery of her grandfathers library also results in a meeting with Raman, a potential love interest, Vidyas life changes again. Strong middle/high school text. Whelan, Gloria. Homeless Bird. (2000). NY: HarperTrophy. Kolys parents have agreed to a marriage that will send her to live among strangers. Little do they know that the bridegrooms family only wants Koly for her dowry, enough money to take their son to a holy place where he may be cured of the disease that is slowly killing him. When the sacred water does not cure Hari, Koly becomes little more than a servant in the home of her in-laws and is eventually deserted by her mother-in-law following the death of her father-in-law. On her own, Koly must forge a life for herself without going against the traditions of Indian culture. A wonderful read. Middle school. Zenatti, Valerie. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea. NY: Bloomsury, 2008. Israeli Tal is tired of the perpetual war going on between Israel and Palestine, so one day she decides to thrown a bottle with a note in it over to the Palestinian side of the Gaza Sea. Remarkably, she gets a response from a young Palestinian who calls himself Gazaman and begins their conversation with sarcasm and what seems to be an unwillingness to actually talk to Tal in a sincere way. But over time, both grow into a communication that allows each to share their family and personal concerns in a way that allows each to deal at some level with the on-going hostilities. Interesting high school read. Zephaniah, Benjamin. Refuge Boy. NY: Bloomsbury, 2001. Alems father is Ethiopian and his mother is Eritrian. Both of his parents countries are at war and because his parents have become activists within both countries, Alem is taken to England and left in the care of child protective services in the hopes that he will be granted asylum. However, this process is a long and arduous one, and Alem learns much about himself and the British people who support his cause

during the fight. Excellent book on the plight of political asylum seekers in current day situations. Middle, high school.

Fantasy
Anderson, Janet. Going Through the Gate. NY: Duttons Childrens Books. For Becky and her friends, elementary school graduation marks not only the end of childhood but an entrance to a mysterious place where the students will learn to live with nature in a very unorthodox manner. (Shades of The Giver). Upper elementary/Middle school. Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Midnight Predator, 2002. Turquoise is a vampire hunter with a mission: a former pet human to Lord Daryl, she would like nothing better than to bring him and his kind down. She gets the opportunity when shes hired by an unknown employer to kill the leader of the legendary vampire stronghold, Midnight. But to do so, she must put herself back in the position of a pet and enter Midnight without weapons. And nothing can prepare her for Jaguar, second in command to the evil Jeshickah, who seems to have a soul and compassion for the human pets brought to Midnight. High School. (This book was actually written by an 18-year-old.) Baker, E.D. The Frog Princess (2002) and Dragons Breath (2003). Bloomsbury Childrens Books. Princess Emerelda, heir to the throne, also happens to be a witch with no small amount of power. But even she is not prepared for the accidental spell that turns her into a frog after she kisses the cursed prince Eadric. As Emma and Eadric deal with botched spells in book 1, they eventually manage to get themselves turned back into people for book 2, where Emma is called upon once again to help her aunt find her true love, a wizard who was turned into an otter by Emmas mean and spiteful grandmother, a master witch. A fun and fast read for upper elementary/middle school. Beddor, Frank. The Looking Glass Wars. NY: Dial Books, 2006. Alyss Heart, heir to the kingdom of Wonderland, is orphaned and sent through the pool of tears to another world where she can live safely until she is old enough to return to claim her throne from her evil Aunt Redd. But life in Victorian England is difficult for the young princess, and after she tells Lewis Carroll the story of her life and he fictionalizes it, Alyss realizes that the only want she can survive is to put Wonderland out of mind. But those friends she left behind havent forgotten her, and when Alyss is finally returned to her homeworld, she has to recover her own identity before she can help anyone else. Great middle/high school read. Bell, Hilari. A Matter of Profit. NY: EOS/HarperCollins, 2001. Ahvren, a Vivitare soldier from a family of soldiers, finds that his last war experience has soured him on his chosen profession. Depressed and needing support, he goes home to his family, only to find them embroiled in their own turmoil. Sabri, his foster sister, is to marry the dissolute son of the emperor in a weeks time, and only Ahvren can save her from her fateand only if he can find out who wants to assassinate the emperor. Ahvrens mission takes him all over the T-Chin planet, allowing him to meet the many colorful people who already inhabit that planet. But can they help him solve his mystery? (Solid middle, lower high school read.) Black, Holly. Ironside: A Modern Faerys Tale. McElderry Books, 2007. Kaye, who has recently found out that she is from Faerie and that she was traded with a human child when both were babies, is in the midst of a great deal of trouble. In love with Roiben, soon to be crowned as King of the Unseelie Court, she has publicly proclaimed her love for him. Roiben, concerned for her safety, sends her on an impossible quest, one that if she cannot pull off, will keep her from Roiben forever. But Kaye doesnt give up easily, even when shes pulled into the machinations of the Seelie Court and its queen, Silarial. A fantastic book for young women who enjoy faerie fantasy. High school. Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. NY: HarperCollins, 1989. A fair-tale style is used to describe the lifestyle of a young girl in the modern world where life is almost perfect. (This book has several sequels using the same format.) High school. Calhoun, Dia. Firegold. NY: Winslow Press, 1999. Jonathan has long felt that he is somehow different that those in his village, and its not just because of his blue eyes. But if he isnt really from Stonewater Vale, where is he from? Could he actually be one of the feared and despised Dalriada? A solid fantasy of coming to know oneself despite a number of physical and mythical obstacles. Middle/high school. Calhoun, Dia. Aria of the Sea. NY: Winslow Press, 2000. 13-year-old Cerinthe comes to the Royal Dancing School with one goal in mind: to dance well enough to be asked to join the academy. But obtaining her goal only leads her to

begin questioning other pieces of her life: family, friendships, romance, and the nagging doubt that her true genius lies in being a healer. A middle/high school read. Chabon, Michael. Summerland. Hyperion, 2002. Ethan Feld HATES baseball as much as his father loves it. But when Ethans father is kidnapped and Ethan is recruited by Ringfinger Brown to aid the ferishers and his father against Coyote, Ethan learns that baseball and heroism are synonymous and with his group of faithful friends and allies: Jennifer T. Rideout (pitcher extraordinaire), Taffy the Sasquatch, John the Giant, and Cinquefoil the batting champion of the world, Ethan finds the strength within himself to become the baseball player (and hero) needed to save the world. A charming read for students and adults alike. Chima, Cinda Williams. NY: Hyperion, 2007. Seph is an untrained wizard with no one to really focus his abilities until he is sent to the Havens, a boys school that harbors mysterious secrets. As Seph tries to figure out his alliances, he must choose between the charismatic headmaster, Gregory Leicester, and enchantress Linda Downey, Sephs one link to his dead parents. He is also joined by friends who also have various magical abilities. This is the beginning of a new series that should do well with middle school readers. Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. (2002); NY: Scholastic. Now 13, Artemis Fowl finds out that his father may actually be alive and being held by the Russian Mafiya. At the same time, Captain Holly Short, from the LEPrecon Special Forces, is battling something strange in fairyland. Holly, Artemis, Butler, Foaly and Root band together to do battle against the dark forces in both worlds. Another great read from the Artemis collection! Upper elementary/middle school! (And continue reading the series, which is currently through The Opal Deception.) Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. (2001). NY: Scholastic. Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius, millionaire, and criminal mastermind. Attempting to bolster his millions, he steals the book of the elves and attempts to take from them the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But Captain Holly Short, am elf from the LEPrecon Special Forces, is not prepared to let the treasure go without a fight. A delightful tale for upper elementary/middle school! Colfer, Eoin. The Supernaturalist. (2003). NY: Scholastic. Recently deceased Meg Finn finds herself on the edge of being sent to hell until a case of mistaken identity allows her to go back to Earth to earn enough good deeds to enter heaven. However, accomplishing this isnt remotely as easy as Meg might hope, especially when its Lowrie McCall she must help. A interesting and thought-provoking readas well as being hilariously funny--for middle and high school readers! Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. NY: Scholastic, 2008. Katniss understands exactly what will happen if she is chosen to play in the Hunger Games; shell die. Every year, one boy and one girl from each of twelve districts is chosen to hunt and kill each otherwhile being televisedin order to give the district the opportunity to claim championship in the games. The winner will be given money and prestige. Katniss has never been trained to this type of fighting, but shes lived off the land, and she figures she has a shot. But as the games commence, she has to weigh common sense against loyalty, self-preservation with love, to see if she can create a chance to survive the diabolical games. Exciting high school read. Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Seeing Stone. 2001. NY: Arthur Levine Books. 13-year-old Arthur de Caldicott is a second son during the reign of Richard the Lion-hearted. When Merlin, a friend of his fathers, gives him a seeing stone, Arthur is given the opportunity to look at the life of another Arthur, King Arthur of Camelot. The story weaves back and forth through both Arthurs lives, and Arthur de Caldicott learns a great deal about his life through the challenges faced by his counterpart. An excellent read for upper elementary/middle and high school students. Dalkey, Kara. Water: Ascension. (2001). NY: Avon. Nia of the Bluefin Clan is the mermyd most likely chosen to join the consciousness of one of the Farwolder kings and become the next Avatar of Atlantis. But when her obviously unsuitable cousin is chosen to represent the family instead, Nia begins to question her family ties as well as the choices of the High Council. In her search for the truth, though, Nia may actually bring about the ruin of Atlantis. This is the first in a trilogy about Nia and the lost civilization of Atlantis. Middle/high school. Dickinson, Peter. The Ropemaker. Delacorte Press, 2001. Tilja Urlasdaughter, child of the Valley, finds herself faced with the unenviable task of accompanying her grandmother, Meena, and Alnor and Tahl of the Northbeck to find a magician who may or may not be alive. But their families lives depend upon their success, so the foursome leaves, with Tilja,in particular, wondering how she can be of help to the others, each of whom has magical abilities. As they journey, though, Tilja finds that she has a power that may be even more important than those of her comrades, and in

awakening that power, Tilja begins to understand the girl she is and the woman she may become. A Printz Honor Book suitable for middle and high school students. Duane, Diane. The Young Wizards Series. Harcourt, 1995-2002. Kit and his fellow wizard Nina solve a variety of mysteries with Kits loyal pooch Ponch and a cast of many. Delightful fantasy for those who want a more real-life Harry Potter. DePrau. The City of Ember. Random House, 2003. Lina and Doon, at twelve, have just been assigned their life occupations in the city of Ember. As messenger and pipeworker, they accidentally find out that Ember is running out of electricity, and that if it goes out once and for all, they and their families will probably die. Determined to find out the mystery of the electricity and what lies outside Ember, Lina and Doon embark on an adventure that will change their lives and those of the inhabitants of Ember forever. Solid fantasy that lends itself well to the inevitable next book in a series. For middle school readers. Ewing, Lynne. The Daughters of the Moon series. 2000 - . NY: Volo Books/Hyperion. Vanessa, Catty, Serena, and Jimena all have special powers that allow them to read minds, disappear, travel through time and predict the future. Joined as an alliance in book 1, the girls work together to make the world a safer place against the darkness of the Atrox and his followers. Light read for middle and high school girls. Farmer, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. NY: Firebird Books, 1994. In Zimbabwe, 2194, the children of General Matsika are inadvertently kidnapped by the She Elephant and then a group of traditionalists who think that eldest son Tendai may have spiritual powers. In desperation, their mother hires Ear, Eye, and Arm to find them. Blessed with powers created by a nuclear accident, the three detectives search out the childrenbut can they save them from the dreaded Masks? (Great middle school read.) Fisher, Catherine. The Oracle Prophecies: The Oracle Betrayed, The Sphere of Secrets. NY: HarperCollins, 2005. Mirany and her friends must hold fast against the evil around them, with very little to rely on save their own ingenuity and the haphazard help of a young child who may or may not be a god incarnate. Great fantasy series using much of the mythology of ancient Egypt. Fletcher, Susan. Shadow Spinner. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 1998. Marjan, a young woman who has been crippled in a strange accident, is brought to the palace of the Sultan to help Shahrazad come up with more stories; if Marjan is not successful, Shahrazad will be killed and the country will be thrown back into chaos. Middle/high school. Forsyth, Kate. The Gypsy Crown. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2008. Emilia and her family are gypsies living in England during the Puritan reign of Cromwell. Falsely accused of stealing and threatened with death, Emilia and her cousin Luke escape from jail and return to their grandmother, who tells them that they only way they can free their family and regain the family good luck is to bring back the charms of the Rom; to do that, though, Emilia and Luka will have to find the five other Rom families who live in England. This is a story of high adventure, friendship, and loyalty. An excellent middle school text. Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. NY: Scholastic, 2003. Inkheart is the story of Mo, who can read characters out of books, and his daughter Meggie, whose curiosity about Inkheart puts her and Mo in danger. Cajoling the truth out of Mo, Meggie finds out the truth about her mother and the mysterious Dusterfinger, whose presence is painful for Mo. Add in some truly diabolical evildoers, and you have the wonderful book this is. Middle school to high school. Funke, Cornelia. Inkspell. NY: Scholastic, 2005. In this second book of the Inkheart trilogy, we pick up the story of Meggie and company as the majority of them are read back into the Inkworld. New characters are introduced, and the reader is pulled into the fantasy world and comes to understand the loyalty so many have to the book and its characters. Middle school to high school. Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. NY: HarperTrophy, 2003. With the aid of a magic key, Coraline steps through a door from her house toher house, but, seemingly, a better version of her house. In this house, her parents pay more attention to her and neighbors actually remember her name. But Coraline begins to notice strange occurrences in the better house, and when she stumbles into a closet full of shadowy children, she realizes that sometimes new isnt better. Upper elementary. Gill, David. Soul Enchilada. NY: Greenwillow Books, 2009. Eunice Bug Smoots only physical reminder of her

grandfather is the 1958 Cadillac he left her when he died. Unfortunately for Bug, she doesnt know that the Cadillac is actually promised to the devil himself if Grandpa fails to give up his soul, and when he fails to do that, the devils repo man comes to take the car. What follows is a far-out adventure between Bug and Mr. Beals, aided by various supporting characters of both sides of good and evil. High School. Gutman, Dan. Babe and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure. NY: HarperTrophy, 2000. Joe Stoshack has the amazing ability of holding a baseball card and wishing himself back in time, and in this installation of the Baseball Card series, Joe wishes himself and his dad back to the life and times of Babe Ruth right before the famous called shot during the 1932 World Series. A fun read for sportsters, middle elementary into middle school. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Just Ella. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Think you know the story of Cinderella? Not this time, as we find out what happens to Ella after the ball. Prince Charming is a violent airhead and royal courtiers actually run the country. Ella was chosen at the ball because of her beauty, not because of instantaneous love. The story of how she frees herself from this situation provides a character worthy of todays readers. Middle/high school. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 1998. Luke is a third child; his parents cannot acknowledge that he exists because if they do, he will be taken away, probably killed, and they will be fined and possibly imprisoned. But when the government opens up a housing development around his parents farm, Luke sees a girls face looking out from a window, and he begins to wonder if there are other shadow children like himself and what they can do to break into the sunlight. An excellent upper elementary/middle school read. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Imposters. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 2002. Picking up with Lukes life as he becomes Lee Garner, Luke finds himself begin taken to Hendricks School for Boys by his friend Jen Talbots father. But Hendricks isnt what Luke expected, and he finds himself in a tension-filled situation where he still cannot trust those around him An excellent upper elementary/middle school read. Halam, Ann. Siberia. (2005). NY: Wendy Lamb Books/Random House. When Rosita is a small child, her father disappears and she and her mother are forced to move to a detention camp in the wilderness. As time goes by, Rosita becomes Sloe, loses her mother, and is forced to confront the secrets left by her parents: the mysterious vials that can be turned into animals, the man who seems determined to track her down and bring her toher mother? The authorities? Sloe must depend on her own strength and cunning if she is to survive in a world that seems to have lost all sense of civility and good will. An interesting dystopian view of our world in the not too distant future. High school. Hale, Shannon. Book of a Thousand Days. NY: Bloomsbury, 2007. Based on the story Maid Maleen but set in medieval Mongolia, Dashti is an orphaned mucker girl who becomes ladys maid to Saran, third daughter of the Khan of Titors Garden. When Saran refuses to marry the evil Khan Khasar, her father bricks her into a tower and tells her that she has seven years to come to her senses. Bricked with her, Dashti becomes both girls savior as she keeps their food and their sanity together. When Dashti figures out a way to escape the tower, the girls do, only to find that Titors Garden has been decimated by Khasar. The girls flee to Song for Evela where Dashti hopes to reunite Saran with her betrothed, Tegus. Neither girl tells anyone who she is, and eventually, Dashti is called upon to use her singing charms to save Khan Tegus and, possiblyl the realm from the evil of Khasar.. A wonderful story of survival for middle school. Hale, Shannon. Goose Girl. NY: Bloomsbury, 2003. Based on the fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, this story gives us the life of Anidori-Kiladra, Crown Princess of Kildenree, who has, from birth, the unique gift of understanding the language of animals. However, her abilities are not appreciated by her mother, the Queen, and it is decided that instead of becoming her mothers heir, Ani will be sent to marry the Crown Prince of Bayern, giving up her royal claim in favor of her younger brother. However, on the way to Bayern, traitors within the company try to kill Ani and her guard, hoping to install the seemingly loyal Selia in Bayern as the true princess Ani. Ani does escape and eventually secures a job tending the King of Bayerns geese; her hope is to use this job to figure out how to let the truth about her identity out as well as keep Bayern from going to war against Kindenree. A charming story for middle school. Haydon, Elizabeth. The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme: The Floating Island. 2006; The Thief Queens Daughter, 2007. Haydon, well-known for her adult fantasy series, creates a great YA series. Using most of the worlds she introduced in Destiny in the Symphony of Time series, she begins the journey of Ven, who doesnt know it yet, but it on his way to becoming a grand adventurer. Shadowed by a lucky albatross, Ven has a number of adventures and begins to bring together the troupe of friends who will become his foils as the series continues. Book 2 picks up with Ven and his friends as they come face to face with the Thief Queen, and find out that her daughter is one of them! Middle school

readers. Hill, Stuart. The Cry of the Icemark. NY: The Chicken House/Scholastic, 2005. When her father is killed in battle, 13year-old heir to the crown Thirrin must lead her country against its enemies. But she also understands that she will never be able to defeat the powerful swords of the soldiers of General Belorum without help from those creatures often thought to be fantasy creations of storybooks. Aided by the son of a white witch, Thirrin goes off in search of the King and Queen of the Vampires, the King of the Werewolves, the spirits of the forest, the white leopards. This is a fastmoving tale of growing up/leadership. Middle school through 9th grade. Hoeye, Michael. Time Stands for No Mouse. NY: Putnam, 2002. Hermux Tantamoq, mouse and watchmaker, must helps solve the mystery of the disappearance of Linka Perflinger. Although no Hercule Poirot, Hermux finds that thoughtfulness, friends, and a little bit of luck are all he needs to take down evil cosmetics queen Tucka and bring Linka back to safety. Upper elementary/middle school. Hoeye, Michael. The Sands of Time. NY: Putnam, 2002. The sequel to Time Stands for No Mouse, The Sands of Time is a much stronger mystery as we travel with Hermux, Linka, and formerly long-lost professor Birch to find if the history of the mouse world originated with the mythical cats of legend. But once again, Tucka becomes part of the equation: can Hermux and friends keep Tucka from destroying archeological history even as they try to save the cosmetics queen from a dreadful fate herself. Upper elementary/middle school. Hoffman, Alice. Green Angel. NY: Scholastic, 2003. Green comes from a family with a strong love and appreciation of nature. But one market day, Greens family is killed by an atomic bomb attack and Green is left to fend for herself. In her anger, she begins to tattoo herself with black angry strokes. But when a dog named Ghost and a boy named Diamond come into her life, Green is forced to reconsider her anger and regret and live her life again. A short fantasy with a strong message about war. Middle school. Hoffman, Alice. Indigo. NY: Scholastic, 2002. Eli and Trevor McGill are considered strange by most of the good folks of Oak Grove; after all, they love water, eat an inordinate amount of fish, and have a weird sort of webbing between their fingers and toes. So when the two boys and their best friend, Martha, decide to leave town in search of the ocean, no one is surpriseduntil the boys are able to use their unique gifts to save the town from a flood. A delightfully short fantasy with a great message on tolerance. Middle school. Hoffman, Mary. Stravaganza. NY: Bloomsbury, 2002. 16-year-old Lucien is in the midst of chemo treatments for the cancerous tumor that saps his strength and his hope. When his father brings home a uniquely covered notebook that he finds in an old house, Lucien, who falls asleep holding the book, finds himself transported to 16th century Belleza, a city much like Venice, Italy. While in Belleza, Lucien feels himself again, healthy and adventurous, and through an accidental meeting with Arianna, a young woman looking for adventure, the 21st century boy and the 16th century girl find themselves involved in political intrigue featuring the Duchessa of Belezza and her loyal servant, Rodolfo. In addition, Rodolfo is able to tell Lucien how he can phycially travel time and space. A fabulous adventure in the mode of Harry Potter and The Thief Lord. Hoffman, Mary. Stravaganza. NY: Bloomsbury, 2003. 15-year-old Georgia loves horses, and when she spies a small winged horse in the window of an antique store, she knows she must have it. Falling asleep later that day, Georgia awakens to find herself in Remora, where she meets Paolo and his father, the horsemasters to the duchess of Belleza. This encounter leads to an even more surprising one for Georgia: Lucien is alive and well in this world, even though she knows that in hers, she mourned him for months. The adventures continue as Georgia, Paolo, and Lucien befriend the youngest sons of Niccolo de Chimini and as Georgia learns more about the mysterious winged horse, Merla. Another solid offering in the Stravaganza series. Jacques, Brian. Pearls of Lutra: A Tale from Redwall. New York: Philomel Books, 1996. The Tears of All Oceans are missing, and Tansy, a young hedgehog maid, is determined to find them. But is she ready to face all of the dangers awaiting her on her mission. Upper elementary/Middle school. Jennings, Patrick. The Wolving Time. Scholastic, 2003. Laszlo Emberek and his family live two lives; one as a family of sheephearders in 16th century France and the other as werewolves (not the horror movie variety, though, but simply people who can become wolvesif that can be considered simple). When orphaned villager Muno discovers their secret, she promises not to tell her guardian, the cruel and correct Pere Raoul. But under the threat of torture, can Muno really keep such a secret? A wonderful tale of tolerance for middle and high school readers.

Jones, Diana Wynne. Deep Secret. NY: Starscape, 1997. Rupert Magrid, junior Magid (magician and wizard) is given the unhappy task of replacing his mentor, Stan, after Stans death. To make matters worse, war has come to the Empire of Korfyros and Rupert is the magid in charge of bringing balance back to that world, or so he thinks. In reality, a number of forces seem to be constantly working against him, but when he brings all of these forces together, he finds out that there are no coincidences in life, and that the successful magid is always quick on his feet! A delightful early high school read. Jordan, Robert. The Wheel of Time Series. 1990-current. For fans of Tolkienn, Jordans sage is must-read as we follow the challenges and adventures of Rand AlThor and his friends as they leave the sanctuary of their beloved Two Rivers to journey to Tar Valon and beyond in search of the Light and the best way to vanquish the Darkfriends once and for awhile. A fabulous series with memorable characters. Middle/high school. Kaye, Marilyn. Last on Earth: The Vanishing (Book One). New York: Avon. Thanks to a relic 1950s bomb shelter, the geometry class at Madison High survives the freak vanishing of the rest of civilization. But what will happen to them as they try to form a new way of life? Might be used in conjunction with Lord of the Flies. Middle/high school. Kesel, et all. Meridian; Flying Solo. CrossGen, 2003. Issues 1-7 of the fantasy series Meridian finds orphaned Sephie, the daughter of the Minister of Meridian, trying to understand her new role in the running of Meridian. Sent away from the planet by her evil uncle, Sephie learns of his treachery and determines to fight back. Her success lies in her own abilities as well as the loyalty of those around herbut all too often, Sephie finds that her trust is misplaced, leading her to realize that she may well have to save Meridian herself. Fabulous illustrations and a great story makes this series a winner with teen readers. Keyes, J. Gregory. The Waterborn. NY: DelRey, 1996. Hezhi, a princess of the River, finds her life in danger as she reaches her teen years and finds the magic of the Rivergod flowing in her veins. Must she succumb to the life the Priests of the River have decided for her, or can she forge a new life with the help of an unlikely group of comrades. Middle/high school. Keyes, J. Gregory. The Blackgod. NY: DelRey, 1997. In this sequel to The Waterborn, Hezhi, finds that escape from Nhol does not guarantee happiness. Used by the mysterious Blackgod, Hezhi finds that she must count on herself and her friends to keep the River in his boundaries and fight the seducing power of the Blackgod. Middle/high school. Keyes, J. Gregory. Newtons Cannon. NY: DelRey, 1998. Mixing both history and fantasy, Keyes creates a what might have happened tale around the development of a weapon from Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Only apprentice Ben Franklinyes, the famous oneand Frenchwoman Adrienne de Montchevreuil, the object of King Louis XIV affections, can save London and much of the worlds population from certain disaster. High school. Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss. NY: Delacorte Press, 1990. A teen romance becomes complicated when Zoe finds out that her new boyfriend is a vampire. But could she use his unique abilities to save her mother from a terminal illness? Middle/high school. Leitich Smith, Cynthia. Tantalize. NY; Candlewick Press, 2007. Orphaned Quincie Morris co-owns an Italian restaurant that needs to re-create itself in order to stay in business. She and her uncle decide to open a vampire-themed restaurant and all seems to be going smoothly until their chef is found murdered in the restaurant. Tasked with finding a new chef, Quincie does so and finds herself intrigued with her new hire Henry Johnson. Complicating the issue is Quincies relationship with her best frienda hybrid werewolfwho has recently become her boyfriend. And then there is the issue that Henry just may be a vampire...This is a page-turner with a lot of surprises. Definitely high school. Leverich, Kathleen. The New You. NY: Greenwillow, 1998. Once the popular cheerleader and popular person type, Abigail moves to a new school where she feels alone and isolated. Nothing she does seems to be right or in sync with the girls she would like to make friends with. In desperation, she decides to get a new hairdo, and the three women she meets helps her put a whole new spin on her life. But when she goes back to find them a day later, they dont seem to exist. Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. NY: Scholastic, 1997. At birth, a fairy godmother gives Ella the gift of obedience; however, the naively given gift causes Ella nothing but trouble as it forces her to do whatever is asked of her, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous. So Ella sets off to find the fairy who has given the curse in order to

make her take it back. Along the way, Ella encounters danger and romance. Lewis, C. S. The Narnia Chronicles. NY: MacMillon, 1950 +. The series of six books about Narnia, Aslan, and the children who make it come to life can be read as simply fantasy or as Christian allegory. As fantasy, it is one of the best to start students onin anticipation of their moving towards Harry Potter and friends. Elementary/middle school. Little, Kimberly Griffiths. The Last Snake Runner. 2002. Kendall is the last member of the Snake Clan of the Acoma. Trained by his grandfather, Armando, to take his proper place in the workings of contemporary Acoma life, Kendall finds himself sent back through time after he angrily leaves his home after his father marries a woman whom Kendall disapproves. Meeting Akish and Jeneum, Acoma ancestors who are also members of the Snake Clan, Kendall finds that he has been sent to the Sky City of the Acoma months before the Acoma will be, essentially, decimated and sent into various exiles by the Spanish conquistadors. Although not written by a member of the Acoma community, the book is well-researched and follows the history of the Acoma well. Lowell, Susan. The Boy with Paper Wings. NY: Milkweek, 1995. When eleven-year-old Paul is confined to bed with a fever, he is in for the adventure of lifetime, one that he accidentally creates for himself through the various creations he makes using paper, clay, wood, glue, plastic solider, and so on. (A delightful adventure for younger readers.) Lowry, Lois. Gathering Blue. (2000). NY: Houghton Mifflin. Left orphaned and crippled in a society that shuns imperfections, Kira faces almost certain death at the hands of her neighbors. But when she is summoned to judgment by the Council of Guardians, Kira is, instead, brought to the court palace and given the special responsibility of refurbishing the Singers robe. Kira finds that she is not the only person with magical powers: the Singer and the Carver are also endowed with special gifts. But with the knowledge of the gifts comes new mysteries. MacHale, D. J. The Pendragon Series. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002-current. Bobby Pendragon is a Traveler, a person from a specific time period chosen to travel through time and space to protect those spaces from the evil mind and work of Saint Dane. A wild mix of characters/planets/and travelers make each book unique and many actually teacher aspects of history to the unsuspecting middle school reader. A fun read for middle school readers. McCaffrey, Anne. Dragon Flight and Dragon Trilogy Series. These two series from McCaffrey focus on a futuristic place where dragons have super intelligence and use it to help humans, not destroy them. Often, the stories are told from the dragons point of view. Challenging reading but action-packed. McCutchen, H. L. Lightland. NY: Orchard Books, 2002. Lottie Cook and her friend Lewis Weaver are considered odd by everyone but Lotties father. Lottie wears pajamas to school every day and Lewis refuses to speak to anyone but Lottie. But when Miss dAvignon comes to teach at their school and asks the class to write down everything they know, Lottie and Lewis, enabled by a cherry box of memories that Lotties father made for her, find themselves in Lightland, a fantasy world where the fearful Nightking steals ones memories. When Lottie and Lewis discover the true identity of the Nightking, they have no choice but to take action and help the citizens of Lightland...but can they do so without losing themselves? Great middle school read. Marillier, Juliet. Wildwood Dancing. NY: Knopf, 2007. In her first book for YA, the author blends vampire and fairy folklore with the tale of the princess who kissed the frog to give readers a story of family love and loyalty. Jena and her four sisters often visit the land of fairy through a portal in their woods, dancing on the evening of the full moon. But when her sister Tati falls in love with a mysterious young man named Sorrow during their fathers absence from home, Jena must deal with adult responsibilities that have real consequences to her family. Further, Gogu, the magical frog who is Jenas best friend, may hold the answers to a number of mysteries that Jenas family have long grappled with. This is a wonderful book; middle and high school readers. McMullan, Kate. Have a Hot Time, Hades! NY: Hyperion, 2002. After discovering that Zeus, his youngest and most obnoxious brother, has shaped mythology to make himself look really good, Hades, god of the Underworld, decides to take it upon himself to correct history. A humorous text that could be used effectively with the Odyssey at the middle school level. Melling, O. R. The Hunters Moon. NY: Amulet Books, 2005. Gwen and her Irish cousin Findabhair have been planning their backpacking trip around Ireland for a year. But when Finn is kidnapped by the King of Faerie, Gwen finds herself in the unenviable position of having to steal Finn back, a harder task when Gwen realizes that her cousin has actually fallen in love with Finnvara, the king. A fun high school read.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound: Simon and Schuster Childrens Publishing, 2004. This retelling of the Cinderella story is set in China, where the smart and honorable Xing Xing shows subservience to her stepmother and stepsister but tends to the mysterious and magical carp in the garden. Hoping for a better life for herself outside the bounds of traditional Chinese culture, Xing Xing searches for the strength in herself to defy her stepmother and find emotional sustenance in the world beyond. High School. Napoli, Donna Jo. Sirena. NY: Dutton Childrens Books, 1998. Sirena, one of the sirens known because of the adventures of Odysseus, considers herself cursed. In order to become immortal, she must make a man love her; but to do so kills him. High school. Nicholson, William. The Wind Singer. NY: Hyperion, 2000. Kestrel Hath hates the world in which she lives, with its focus on competition and outscoring other families in order to gain a home in a white or orange neighborhood. When she rebels on morning in school, Kestrel brings the wrath of the government down on her and her family, and after she is imprisoned in the depths of the sewers running under the city, Kestrel decides that she will escape and find the key to the Wind Singer, the long-defunct statuary on the citys outskirts that once brought peace to Kestrels people. But finding the key is difficult, and Kestrel and her brother Bowman must force strange alliances and defeat sinister enemies as they struggle to make sense of the new worlds they encounter. A delightful upper elem/middle school read. Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie Bone. NY: Orchard Books, 2003. The first in a series, this story follows the progress of Charlie Bone as he realizes that he is one of the descendents of the famed Red King, a nobleman who passed magical powers down to his children and their children. Charlie can actually hear the people in pictures talk, and this strange ability helps him as he begins to solve the puzzle of the missing Emma Tolly. Kids who like Harry Potter will probably enjoy Charlie and his friends, although they wont be the devotees to this series as they are to the Harry books. Nevertheless, a good read for upper elementary and middle school. Nix, Garth. The Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday. NY: Scholastic, 2003. The first book in a great new series by Garth Nix, Arthur Penhaligon finds himself the unwitting heir to the Architects, and with the aid of a Will with attitude and a formerly mortal girl who was stolen from her home by a piper, prepares himself to fight against the control of Mister Monday, who runs Monday. And intriguing premise and a great read for middle and high school students. Nix, Garth. The Keys to the Kingdom: Grim Tuesday. NY: Scholastic, 2004. The second book in the series finds Arthur trying to return to normal life after his fight with Monday, only to be sued by Grim Tuesday, a maniacal art connoisseur who makes copies of all the great art in the secondary realm (earth). In order to save his family from bankruptcy and the earth from chaos, Arthur must return to The House to fight again Grims greed and indifference to the denizens he enslaves. Another great read for middle and high school students. Nix, Garth. Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, Lady Friday. NY: Scholastic, 2005, 2006, 2007. Continuations of Garth Nixs Keys to the Kingdom series. All great reads. Odom. Mel. The Rover. NY: Tom Doherty Associates, 2001. Edgewick Lamplighter is a librarian with dreams of adventure running through his otherwise organized mind. When he is captured by pirates, his true adventures begin, and Wickhis nicknameis surprised to find that he is up to the task of the adventure at hand. Blending his good sense with a strong creative streak, Wick survives with grace and good humor. Good middle school/high school read. Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi. The Shadow Speaker, Hyperion, 2007. Ejiis father, the charismatic leader of the Niger peoples in the year 2070, is beheaded because of his arrogance. Shortly after, Ejii is lured into a quest that will allow her to use her budding magic in conjunction with the amazing technology of the time period to try to save her people from annihilation at the hands of her enemies. But to do so, Ejii must overcome her own insecurities, feelings imbued in her by the father who took her for granted. A fantastic story in the line of Nancy Farmers. Pattou, Edith. East. NY: Harourt, 2004. In a stunning retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story, five voices tell the story of Rose and the White Bear and how they come together to try to break the spell of the Troll King. Using a mix of narrative and poetry, Pattou brings together a number of folk traditions and tales from the Norse, the French, the AngloSaxons and weaves a story of superstition and good sense. Middle/high school read. Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. NY: Knopf, 2003. Eragon, a poor farm boy, finds a strange blue stone forest; the resulting dragonits actually a dragon egg, throws Eragon into an adventure that allows him to reconsider who he is and what

he is supposed to do in his future. Learning that he may well be one of the legendary dragon riders, Eragon decides that he must follow his destiny; but to do that, he must first figure out how he came to have the mysterious dragon and egg and who lost it originally. Middle to high school. Pullman, Phillip. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The AmberSpyglass. Trilogy focused on Lyra, her good/evil parents, and all of their individual quests to control dust in their world. Amazing creatures and characters aid Lyra throughout all three books, including the armored bear Llorak, Will from a parallel universe, and children cut off from their daemons. A fantastic series. Middle school. Reiss, Kathryn. Pale Phoenix. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1994. Miranda begins to question reality when she and her mother hit a young girl with their car on the way to school; the girl is completely unharmed and has an almost ethereal aura about her. Later, Miranda discovers that Abby is actually a 16th century Puritan who escaped a fiery death only to travel through time. Can Miranda help Abby to go back in time before the fire and save her family and betrotheds lives? Middle school. Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. (2005). NY: Hyperion books for children. Percy Jackson always thought that Greek mythology was just that. But when he finds out that he is the son of one, he finds that his life is being impact by an ugly feud among the gods and that he has become an unwitting pawn. Can he, Annabeth (the daughter of Athena), and Grover the satyr unravel the mystery of the feud and bring peace to earth? Or will they all pay for the bad tempers of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon? Fun middle school read. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. NY: Scholastic, 1997. The first in the great series, this is the background of Harrys arrival at the Dursleys to his invite to Hogwarts to his first year at the famed school as he finds himself having to outwit He whose name must never be said. A must read for everyone. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. NY: Scholastic, 1998. The second in the series finds Harry having to deal with his insufferable new teacher Gilderoy Lockhart, the mystery of whats In the Chamber of Secrets, and the annoying Moaning Myrtle. A must read for everyone. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban. NY: Scholastic, 1999. Third in the series, we find Harry battling rumors of an escaped prisoner from Azkeban who is after him. Death Eaters and Sirius Black make his third year at Hogwarts a difficult one, but the loyalty of his friends and an amazing discovering makes it all worthwhile for our hero. A must read for everyone. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. NY: Scholastic, 2000. The best one yet, the fourth installment tells the story of Harrys involvement in the first wizarding championship held in years. An unexpected contestant, Harry must do his best in the trials while fighting his first feelings of love for a girlnot Hermione!and his concerns for his beloved guardian. A must read for everyone. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. NY: Scholastic, 2003. The fifth installment has Harry becoming more of a teenager, complete with angst. Harry fans are happy to push the story forward, but this is a darker tale than weve seen so far and Harry and friendsteen and adultteam up to fight Voldemort and those connected to the ministry of Magic who refuse to acknowledge his return. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. NY: Scholastic, 2005. The sixth installment follows Harry, Ron and Hermione into, possibly, their greatest adventure: romance! Seriously, romantic yearnings offset the dark path this book takes to the confrontation we know Harry must have with Lord Voldemort in Book 7. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. NY: Scholastic, 2007. The final installment follows Harry, Ron and Hermione into the last book of the series and the expected final conflict with Lord Voldemort. Well-written, with consistent joy and sorrows as we say good-bye to many of the characters we have come to love throughout the series. Rowling ends her series well! Middle/high school. Scott, Michael. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. NY: Delacorte Press, 2007. Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perry, found the elixir of eternal life in the early 1400s, but didnt manage to lose their nemesis, John Dee, over the years. Living in California in the year 2007, Nick and Perry inadvertently pull their young neighbors, Sophie and Josh, into their centuries-long fight with evil when John Dee finds them and attempts to take the Book of Abraham the Mage from them. Are Sophie and Josh the twins of prophecy? Or are they simply two kids in the

wrong place at the wrong time. This is the first book in at least a trilogy, so more adventures await. Middle school. Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. NY: Scholastic, 2007. Orphaned Hugo finds a mechanical man, a strange drawing, and a cryptic message from his dead father. Hugo must find the answer to the mystery even as he works to support his friendship with Isabelle and her antagonistic godfather. Told through 284 black and white pictures and text throughout, this is an interesting story about the origins of the movie industry in the city of Paris. Elementary/middle school. Shinn, Sharon. The Truth-Tellers Tale. NY: Viking, 2006. Twin sisters Adele and Eleda each have a special gift: one is a safe-keeper to whom all secrets in life can be told without fear of that secret getting out and the other is a truth-teller to whom all can turn for a truthful and sometimes painfully honest answer to lifes questions. Their lives are painted against the intrigues of the Queens court and her desire to make a financially wise marriage for her son, the wayward, Darian. The twins find that they hold the key to answering both the queens desires as well as many of their friends and familys. But can they find their own happiness, too? A delightful middle school read. Stevermer, Caroline. A College of Magics. NY: Starscape/Tom Doherty Associates, 1994. Duchess Faris Nallaneen of Galazan is sent to Greenlaw College to see if her powers are true and can be enhanced through Greenlaw tutelage. A skeptic herself, Faris finds that her friendship with Jane and Eve-Marie forces her to reconsider her own abilities. More importantly, when Menary of Avarill challenges Faris, Faris finds that she must find it in herself to step up and be a true daughter of Galazan. Middle/high school. Stroud, Jonathan. The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golems Eye, and Ptolemys Gate. NY: Miramax Books/Hyperion. Bartimeaus is djinni whose been around thousands of years; Nathaniel, the teenage magician who summons Bartimeaus to his side to, at first, have revenge on renegade magician Simon Lovelace, and later, protect Great Britain from a resistance that threatens the control of the government magicians. Told mainly by the djinni in high comic style, this is a fantasy series of the first rank. A must read for fantasy lovers! Thompson, Kate. The New Policeman. NY: Greenwillow, 2006. A complex fantasy involving a 15-year-old named J.J. Liddy whose family is known in Kinvara for their musical abilities and for the mysterious murder that one of J.J.s ancestors may have committed. The Good Folk are involved, as is the strange passing of time in Ireland. If J.J. can figure out the answer to the mystery of time loss, he may save both worlds. Middle school read. Wein, Elizabeth. E. A Coalition of Lions. (2003). NY: Viking Press/Penguin. Goewin, daughter of the High King Artur of Britain flees to Africa following the death of her parents and brother to join her betrothed, Constantine of Cornwall, and to save herself from the wrath of her evil aunt, Morguase. But when she gets to the country of Aksum where Constantine serves as regent, she faces new political turmoil as she meets the young son of her half-brother, Medraut, and the family of her devoted ambassador from Aksum, Priamus. To save herself and those for whom she cares, Goewin must find a way to meet with the mysterious Caleb and decide once for all what her future in Britain is to be. A solid read for middle/high school, especially for those students interested in a different view of Arthurian legend and the doomed prince Mordred. Westerfeld, Scott. The Uglies and The Pretties. NY: Simon Pulse, 2005, 2006. In Tallys society, normal-looking people are called the Uglies and those older than 16 who have gone through the operation become the pretties. It is supposed to be everyones goal in life to become pretty, but when Tally meets Shay, who has decided to escape town to go and find her friends in the Smoke, she begins to question her own determination to become pretty. When Shay disappears, the Special Circumstances Captain holds Tallys operation over her to force her to go and look for Shay and the others who have disappeared into Smoke. Tallys journey to Smoke and her relationships with those who have not chosen to go pretty provide the tension in the first book and into the second where Tally eventually returns home to face the pretties and all they stand for. An intriguing set of reads for middle/high school. Wilkinson, Carole. Dragon Keeper. 2005; Garden of the Purple Dragon, 2006; Dragon Moon, 2008, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. A nameless slave girl works for the corrupt dragon keeper of a Chinese Emperor during the Han Dynasty. Her unique ability to communicate with the dragon provides both of them the opportunity to flee the evil keeper and the ambivalence of the emperor so as to save the last dragon egg in existence. The journey to the land of the dragons also provides the slave girl the opportunity to learn who she really is and what her destiny can be, as long as she remains true to herself and her calling. A charming sereis for middle school readers. Wrede, Patricia. Dealing with Dragons. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. A bored princess leaves the

castle to live with dragons and joins them in fighting evil wizards. The first of four books in a series. Especially appropriate for young teens who have expressed little previous interest in fantasy. Yep, Laurence. Dragons War. HarperCollins, 1992. A dragon princess fights a war to rescue her friend and restore the dragons underwater home. Middle school. Yolen, Jane. The Devils Arithmetic. NY: Penguin Books, 1988. A young girl goes back in time and finds herself a prisoner in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Her actions, innocent as they are, are instrumental in saving the lives of others. An excellent text to use in conjunction with other Holocaust texts. Yolen, Jane. The Great Alta Saga: Sister Light, Sister Dark. White Jenna. Tor, 2003, 2004. Jenna, orphaned and raised by the mountain women who serve the Great Alta, only dreamed of being a warrior. But during her year of mission, she saves the future king, Carum, falling in love with him along the way, and finds her true identity, that of the Anna, the promised one sent by the Great Alta to balance the great evil of the world. Great middle school read. Turner, Megan Whalen. The Thief. NY: HarperCollins, 1998. Named after the god of the thieves, Eugenides, Gen has made a name for himself stealing anything that catches his fancy. Finally caught and thrown into the Kings prison, he is at last released by the Kings scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of the kingmaker stone, Hiamathes Gift. Needing the young thiefs expertise, the Magus frees him from prison with the promise of freedom IF he obtains the stone; but Gen has some ideas of his own as to his fate. A wonderful read and the 1997 Newbery Honor Book. Turner, Megan Whalen. The Queen of Attolia. NY: HarperCollins, 2000. Eugenidess adventures continue as he is asked by the Queen of Eddis, his cousin, to help her save their country and preserve their neutrality with Sounis and Attolia. But when he is captured by the Queen of Attolia and she has his hand severed as punishment, the thief is thrown into doubt and depression concerning his usefulness to Eddis. A powerful sequel to The Thief and appropriate for both middle and high school.

Historical fiction
The Ancient World
Graham, Jo. Black Ships. NY: Orbit, 2008. After the fall of the Trojans, a number of young women from that country are taken from Troy and taken to Pylos. There Gull, the main character of this story is born into slavery and given to the Lady of the Dead to be her voice seven years later. As Gull grows, she learns the wisdom of the ages from the Lady and becomes the leader of the lost Trojans as they are finally able to begin the trek to return home. Gulls story is interwoven into the legend of Prince Aeneas and his travels through Egypt, Mount Vesuvius, and the underworld. This is a well-plotted and interesting look at womens lives in the ancient world. High School. Lasky, Kathryn. The Last Girls of Pompeii. NY: Viking, 2007. Sura is the youngest daughter of a wealthy Pompeiian family; Julie is her servant, stolen from Thrace when she was a young child. As her family plans the elaborate wedding of her older system Cordelia, Sura struggles with some newfound knowledge: because of her withered arm and quick wit, she is being given to a religious sect where her parents think she will be trained as a healer. However, her cousin Marcus knows the truth, and he determines that he will marry Sura and take her away from her family. Suras parents are also planning to sell Julie as a concubine to pay for Cordelias wedding. Can Sura and Julia escape? Or will the poisonous gas of the erupting Vesuvius bring their doom. Middle school.

Medieval to Renaissance
Alder, Elizabeth. The Kings Shadow. Laure-leaf, 1995. Evyn, a young Welshman whose tongue was cut out by a band of thieves, is befriended by the future king of England, Harold. As the relationship becomes more of father to son, Evyn sees the world of pre-conquered England through the eyes of the fair and sensible king. But when William of Normandy sets his eye on the island nation, Harold finds himself too weakened by war to adequately defend his country. Harolds loss and eventual death are the final turning points in Evyns walk towards manhood. A wonderful adventure. Middle/high school. Avi. Crispin and the Cross of Lead. Hyperion, 2002. Falsely accused of stealing from his masters overseer, orphaned Crispin finds himself on the run. Taken in by Bear, a man of many trades and just as many mysteries, Crispin learns

how to juggle and play and sing a variety of songs as he and Bear travel together. But when they reach Great Wexley, a town within the borders of land owned by Lord Furnival, Crispins life takes an unusual turn, and he must use his wit as well as the secret found on the cross of lead given him by his late mother to secure the freedom of Bear. An excellent read. Middle school. Newbury winner for 2002. Avi. Crispin at the Edge of the World. Hyperion, 2006. The middle book of the trilogy on Crispin finds the boy and his friend, Bear, attempting to stay one step ahead of the law and the secret brotherhood for whom Bear used to spy. After Bear is injured, he and Crispin find shelter with a girl named Troth and an old healer woman named Aude. When Aude is killed, accused of witchcraft, Troth joins Crispin and Bear on their journey, one that looks to take them to the edge of the known world as they search for freedom and security. A great middle booka great book on its own. Cadnum, Michael. Forbidden Forest: The Story of Little John and Robin Hood. NY: Orchard Books, 2002. An entertaining tale of how Robin Hood and Little John came to meet and earn each others friendship. Interspersed is Johns dilemma concerning his new role as outlaw and his emerging feelings for the Lady Margaret, who he must rescue after she is mistakenly accused of her new bridegrooms death. A middle/high school read. Cadnum, Michael. Raven of the Waves. NY: Orchard Books, 2001. Lidsmod is a Norse marauder in training; Wiglaf, the crippled son of English peasants who is training in the abbey of Athelwulf. Each focused on his own concerns about the families who love them, both learn a dramatic lesson about what it means to be a warrior and a human person during the Dark Ages. A middle/high school read. Cheaney, J. B. The Playmaker. NY: Knopf, 2000. Richard Malory, recently orphaned by the death of his mother, journeys to London in search of someone who might know of the father who deserted his family a decade before. By accident, Richard is overheard talking to a group of ruffians by Star, the maid at the home of one of the main actors in the Lord Chamberlains Players. The story alternates between the mystery Richard encounters as he begins to uncover what happened to his father and life as an actor in the company of William Shakespeare and friends. An excellent read that might be used with any Shakespeare play to create a stronger sense of London and the political climate of England during the time Shakespeare was writing. Middle/high school. Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Seeing Stone. (2001). NY: Arthur Levine Books. 13-year-old Arthur de Caldicott is a second son during the reign of Richard the Lion-hearted. When Merlin, a friend of his fathers, gives him a seeing stone, Arthur is given the opportunity to look at the life of another Arthur, King Arthur of Camelot. The story weaves back and forth through both Arthurs lives, and Arthur de Caldicott learns a great deal about his life through the challenges faced by his counterpart. An excellent read for upper elementary/middle and high school students. Cooney, Caroline B. Enter Three Witches. NY: Scholastic, 2007. Using the historic story of the Scottish King Macbeth, Cooney tells the story of Lady Mary of Cawdor, whose watches firsthand as Lord and Lady Macbeth plot to gain the throne on Scotland. Connected to Mary are a variety of richly-wrought characters who tell the story of how the plotting impacted the poor, the servant class, the soliders, and so on. A great story to use to set the scene for a reading of Shakespeares classic play. Middle and high school. Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy. NY: HarperTrophy, 1994. Birdy is not your typical 14th century maiden. Rather than obeying her fathers wishes to marry one of the suitable(?) noblemen, she consistently comes up with ways to sabotage their interest in her. Between sieges, Birdy writes in her diary, discusses the dreams and aspirations of women with her mother, and dreams up new ways to dissuade her suitors from their intentions. Middle school. Cushman, Karen. The Midwifes Apprentice. NY: Clarion Books, 1995. A nameless, homeless girl seeks an occupation that will let her have a full stomach, someone to belong to, and a little bit of social standing. Her accidental meeting with the midwife of a small village gives her hope that she can achieve her dreams; the reality of fulfilling the dream means that she must put up with the midwifes scorn and apparent disregard for the girls welfare. Middle school. Cushman, Karen. Matilda Bone. NY: Dell Yearling, 2000. Orphaned Matilda is left by the priest who has helped to raise her with Red Peg the Bonesetter. Deeply religious because of her upbringing and more educated than those around her, Matilida, at first, has a difficult time accepting her new life. But patience and love from Peg and the others who live on Blood and Bone Alley help Matilda to understand that life has many possibilities that she needs to be open to. A wonderful middle school read. Gregory, Kristiana. The Royal Diaries: Eleanor, Crown Jewel of Aquitaine. NY: Scholastic. Eleanor of Aquitaine

would go on to marry both the kings of France and England, and is considered by many to be the first feminist of medieval times. The diary sets the stage for Eleanors amazing adulthood. Upper elementary/middle school. Holland, Cecelia. The Angel and the Sword. NY: Tor Forge, 2000. Ragny, the heir to the Spanish throne, flees her evil father after her mothers death and heads to France under the guise of Roderick. During her travels, she is forced to defend a group of scholarly monks who are carrying books to the king of France. From that point, her reputation as a swordsman and strategist. But when the king tries to force her to marry his daughter, Ragny knows that she must be honest with those around her. High school. Lasky, Katherine. The Royal Diaries: Isabel, Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen without a Country., 2001. NY: Scholastic. Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland at the tender age of 13 months. Raised in France, far away from Scotland, Mary was little more than a pawn in the political manipulations of her mother, the queen regent of Scotland and the King of France as they both worked to usurp the throne of England. This diary tells the story of Marys French life, up to the point of her marriage to the dauphin of France at age sixteen. Upper elementary/middle school. Meyer, Carolyn. Mary, Bloody Mary. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999. Mary Tudor is heir to the throne of her father, Henry VIII. But her fathers desire for a male heir puts Marys life in jeopardy, separates her from her loving mother, and forces her to care for a baby sister who will take Marys place as heir to the throne. Part of the Young Royals series. Middle school. Meyer, Carolyn. Beware, Princess Elizabeth. NY: Harcourt Brace, 2001. Henry the VIII has died and his young son Edward is poised to take the throne...but what does that mean for his older sisters, Elizabeth and Mary? As court intrigue and the deaths of Edward and Jane Grey put Mary on the throne, Elizabeth lives uneasily from day to day, wondering if her life will be forfeit at the hands of her sister. Part of the Young Royals series. Middle school. Meyer, Carolyn. The Royal Diaries: Isabel, Jewel of Castilla, 2001. NY: Scholastic. Isabel of Castille would eventually marry Ferdinand and, during their reign as two of the most learned and educated monarchs in Europe, send Columbus out to discover a speedier route to India. In these diaries, we gain a sense of the young Isabel as she moves from captive to strong-willed monarch. Upper elementary/middle school. Napoli, Donna Jo. Zel. NY: Dutton Childrens Books, 1996. Zel is a retelling of the Rapunzel story from Zel, Count Konrad, and Mothersthe witch in the original storypoints of view. Zel, at 13, is in love with life, Mother, and animals. When she meets Konrad, Zel entrances him with her liveliness and sincerity. But Mother, who lives in fear of losing Zel, decides that the best way to counter Konrads influence is to imprison Zel in a tower. Middle/high school. Napoli, Donna Jo. Smile. NY: Dutton Childrens Books, 2008. Elisabetta is the daughter of an Italian nobleman and at fifteen, is already concerned about the arranged marriage her father will make for her. But when she meets Guiliano de Medici, she knows she has found love and thinks that because of the Medici name, her father will agree to the marriage. But the Medicis have made some powerful enemies, and when Guiliano is forced to flee Florence, Lisa is given in marriage to another. Eventually, she is painted by Leonardo da Vinci, who told Lisa at an early age that one day he would paint her. Middle/high school. Sturtevant, Katherine. A True and Faithful Narrative. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2006. Meg Moore would like nothing better than to be a writer. But in the 1680s, only questionable women become writers, and Megs father, even though he is a book seller and appreciates his daughters talents, is not about to let his 16-year-old daughter follow such a path. But when Megs friend Edward is captured and he is sold as a slave in Algiers, Meg uses her writing skills to raise his ransom. When Edward returns, a much different young man than the one who traveled away from London a year earlier, he enlists Meg in helping him write his true and faithful account of his experiences. Will she make her dreams come true after all? Great middle/lower high school read. Temple, Francis. The Ramsey Scallop. HarperTrophy, 1997. In 1299, 14-year-old Elenor awaits her betrothed, Thomas, to return from the Crusades. Since they are both unsure about marriage, the village priest suggests they go on a pilgrimage; as they journey, they begin to know and understand each others hopes, dreams, and fears. But is this enough on which to build a future? Wonderful pilgrimage tale. Middle/high school.

Pre-colonial America
Carbone, Elisa. Blood on the River: James Town 1607. NY: Viking, 2006. Samuel Collier is a British orphan who is

offered the chance to accompany the men who have contracted to the Virginia Company to sail to James Town. Samuel is assigned as aide to Captain John Smith, and under Smiths tutelage, Samuel begins to understand what kind of courage and flexibility it takes to be safe and successful in the New World. But dangers exist, and Samuel must reconcile his personal freedoms with this sense of right and wrong. A strong text for middle school readers. Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1992. Morning Girl, a Taino, looks at the world around her with delight and curiosity. Like those in her community, she appreciates the land and the water and community spirit that guides her life. Then one day while she is swimming in the deepest blue to the ocean, she notices a great ship and some oddly dressed people who she, in all politeness, invites to the shore. And so comes Columbus to the American. Elementary. Massie, Elizabeth. 1609: Winter of the Dead. New York: Tor, 1999. This novel about the founding of Jamestown focuses on the lives of two young men who acted as liaisons between the English and the Indians. Middle school.

Salem Witch Trials/Puritan Era

Lasky, Kathryn. Beyond the Burning Time. New York: The Blue Sky Press, 1994. Fourteen year old Mary Chase watches with a mixture of horror and amazement as many of the young girls she grew up with in Salem, Massachusetts suddenly profess to be possessed and distressed by witches. However, when Marys own mother is accused of being one of the devils familiars, Mary realizes that her time at the sidelines is over; if she is to save her mother, she will have to summon up all the courage she has to find someone brave enough to challenge the wrath of the Salem community. But whom? Middle/high school. Petry, Ann. Tituba of Salem. New York: Harper Trophy, 1992. Tituba, the maid of Salems minister, sees visions of herself appearing before groups of angry people. However, the current state of her life gives her no reason to suspect that anything bad could possibly happen to her: she is beloved by the ministers daughter and many of the younger women of the village come to her for information about their future. And then the calls of witchcraft begin to work their way around the village and Tituba must come to terms with her own part in the situation and if she will be able to save herself amidst the terror that would become The Salem Witch Trials. Middle/high school. Rees, Celia. Witch Child. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002. In the year 1659, British Mary Newbury is forced to watch her beloved grandmother condemned and hanged as a witch. Sent to America by the mother who cannot admit that Mary is her child because of her husbands ties to Cromwell, Mary finds herself in the company of a group of Puritans headed to America for religious freedom. At first happy to "blend in," Mary must eventually look to her true self--she knows she has certain abilities that could label her as witch--to survive in this new society. A sober look at Puritan fears concerning "witches" and the relationship among various groups of British settlers. A middle/high school read. Rees, Celia. Sorceress. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2003. In the sequel to Witch Child, we are brought into the 21st century in order to meet Agnes Herne, a young woman who may or may not be a descendent of Mary Newbury. Retreating to her familys sweat lodge, Agnes embarks on a mystical journey that allows her to relive Marys life after she is saved by Jaybird, a young Mohawk, who soon becomes Marys husband. Through Agnes/Mary, we see the history of the American Northeast through the eyes of the white woman living as a Mohawk, understanding the destruction created by the warring English and French as they fought for control of what would eventually become The United States. A solid middle/high school read. Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity: A story about the Salem Witch Trials. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1992. Susanna English, the daughter of a prominent Salem businessman, wanted desperately to be part of the circle of girls who secretly went to Tituba, the ministers Caribbean maid, and heard from her the promise of their futures. When Susanna finally is invited, it is to witness the beginning hysteria that would lead to the witch trials and the deaths of 24 innocent people. Susannas conflict derives from the fact that she knows the calling out of witches cannot be true, yet she is too scared and too superstitious herself to, at first, realize that she must share the truth with those in power. When Susanna finally comes to this realization, it is, for many reasons, too late, and it is her family that must also pay the price for the lies told by people who looked to benefit from the situation. Middle/high school. Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. NY: Dell Publishing Company, 1958. The classic outsider text that introduced many of us to Puritans and their concerns about witchcraft, the story of Kit Tyler and her life with her Puritan relatives in Connecticut Colony also works well as a pre-cursor to the study of the Salem Witch Trials. Like

the heroines of so many of the stories written to showcase this era, Kit is a young woman who looks prejudice squarely in the eye and calls it what it is; her heroism on the part of her friends is what makes her a role model to many younger readers. Elementary/middle school.

Colonial days/Revolutionary war

Avi. The Fighting Ground. NY: J. B. Lippincott, 1984. When Jonathan begins fighting in the Revolutionary War, he also begins fighting a personal war with himself and family traditions. Middle/high school. Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher Collier. My Brother Sam is Dead. NY: Scholastic, 1974. Family members take opposite sides during the Revoluationary War, and it is Sam and his younger brother, the narrator of this story, who pay the highest cost. A must-read. Middle/high school. Draper, Sharon. Copper Sun. Atheneum, 2006. 15-year-old Amari is kidnapped from her village in Africa and brought on the slave ships to colonial South Carolina. Sold to Mr. Derby as a present for his sons 16th birthday, Amari faces horror and degradation at the hands of the son. However, she finds a friend in Teenie, the plantation cook, and Polly, an indentured servant who has also lost her family. The two girls have to rely on each other even more when they make a desperate escape from the plantation, setting out for freedom at Fort Mose, which may or may not exist. A strong story of history and friendship. Lavender, William. Just Jane. NY: Harcourt, 2002. English Lady Jane Prentice, lately orphaned and sent to America to live with her uncle Robert and his wife, Clarissa, finds herself caught between Loyalist and Patriot causes during the American Revolution. From 1776-1781, Jane learns a great deal about her adopted country, her relatives, and herself as she views the war through myriad eyes. Strong-willed Jane also finds herself falling in love with the equally dynamic Simon Coldwyn, a school teacher with a mysterious secret. An excellent story of a family torn by differing views of loyalty. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. Taking Liberty: The Story of Oney Judge, George Washingtons Runaway Slave. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2002. At four, Oney becomes the favored pet of Martha Washington. Eventually becoming Lady Washingtons personal body servant, Oney holds a special place in Mt. Vernon life and meets many of the dignitaries of the time, most notably, the Marquis de Lafayette. But when Washington becomes president and the Washingtons spend most of their time in Philadelphia, Oney is reminded on a number of occasions that she is still very much a slave and property of the family. Finally, at the age of 24, Oney decides that she must be the mistress of her own life, even if it means leaving the security of Mr. Vernon. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. A Ride into Morning: The Story of Tempe Wicke. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. Tempe Wicke has as much revolutionary spirit as anyone in her community, and in that spirit, she refuses to give over her beautiful, speedy horse to the British soldiers who would like to use her against the rebellious colonials. But Tempe never knew that she might have to put her own life in danger to support the rebellion. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. Finishing Becca: A story about Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1994. Beccas mother strikes a deal with the Quaker Shippen family: Becca will become a housemaid for the familys daughter, Peggy, if she can be taught with the Shippen girls. It is during this time that Becca witnesses how the romance between Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold leads the once loyal soldier to betray his country to the British. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. The Fifth of March: A story of the Boston Massacre. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993. Rachel Marsh is an indentured servant to young lawyer John Adams and his wife, Abigail. Although she is happy in her situation, she also finds herself drawn to British soldier Matthew Kilroy who is part of the garrison assigned to Boston during Fall, 1768. By March, 1770, Boston is on the verge of a massive riot against the British, and Rachel finds her loyalties tested when Matthew becomes the first soldier to fire on the Boston citizenry. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. Hang A Thousand Ribbons: The story of Phillis Wheatley. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1996. Phillis Wheatly was raised by a wealthy New England family who taught her to read and write. Wheatley was a natural poet and eventually became the toast of New England the Britain, a novelty because she was an educated black woman. But fame had its price, and Phillis could not have the one thing she really wanted: equal status in the Wheatley family and in the white community she was so much a member of. Middle/high school.

Rinaldi, Ann. Time Enough for Drums. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1986. Fifteen year old Jemima Emerson wears her political leanings on her sleeve; she is an avowed Patriot and has little time for anyone whose loyalty leans toward Britain or King George, especially if that someone is her tutor, John Reid. And when the Revolutionary War comes to Jemimas front door, she finds that appearances are not always to be believed and that in every persons life comes the moment when she has to stand up for her beliefs, regardless of the consequences. Middle/high school.

Industrial Revolution and the early 1800s

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793. NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000. Mattie Cook lives with her widowed mother and grandfather above the coffee shop the family runs in Philadelphia. Life is simple and good, but Mattie finds it all so boring and predictable. Then disease ravages Philadelphia, and everyone is impacted. When Matties mother takes sick, she orders Mattie and her grandfather to leave town and head to a friends farm in the hope that fresh air will keep Mattie safe. But Mattie never reaches the farm; on the road, both she and her grandfather succumb to the fever. Although Mattie recovers, will she ever recover her loved ones and the life she once considered so mundane? A great middle/high school read. Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. NY: Avon Books, 1990. Charlotte Doyle never expected to have her courage tested aboard the Seahawk; after all, she was a thirteen year old American girl who had been brought up properly. However, when she finds herself caught between a ruthless sea captain and his long-suffering crew, she finds that she is old enough to know right from wrong, and she makes her choices accordingly. How could Charlotte have known that following her conscience could put her life in danger? Middle/high school. Bruchac, Joseph. Sacajawea. NY: Scholastic, 2000. Sixteen-year-old Sacajawea, a Shoshone captive married to a French fur trader, joins the Lewis and Clark expedition on their exploration of the lands west of the Mississippi. In this text, she shares the storytelling of the great adventure with William Clark, who befriends her and later provides her son with a European education. Sacajaweas chapters are especially interesting in the way each is prefaced with a story from the Shoshone people and she weaves the stories into her experiences with Lewis and Clark. Middle/high school. Collier, James and Christopher Collier. The Clock. NY: Delacorte Press, 1992. Annie Steele wants to be a teacher; her father has decided she will do her family a greater good by going to work in the new woolen mill in town. Subjected to sexual harassment at the hands of her employer, Annie tries to convince her father that life in the mills is not for her. But her father, already heavily in debt because of his purchase of the inner works of the clock for which the novel is named, cannot afford to let Annie come home, and so the story becomes one of a young woman who becomes the victim of circumstances beyond her control: she cannot escape the mills because she cannot defy her father; she cannot defy her father because her society demands obedience to the patriarch of the family. Middle/high school. Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer. NY: Dell, 1973. Jessie is kidnapped and forced to play his pipe aboard a slave ship to make the slaves dance so as to keep them in good physical condition. Elementary/middle school. Johnson, C. Middle Passage. NY: Plume, 1991. A newly freed slave in 1830 escapes wedlock and debts by stowing away on a ship. Only too late he realizes it is a slave ship bound for African to bring back more slaves. Middle/high school. ODell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1960. This Newbury Award winning story of Karana, the Native American girl who spent eighteen years alone on the island of San Nicolas, is the fact-based story of the Lost Woman of San Nicolas. However, the story of Karana in Blue Dolphins is one of adventure and courage in the face of loneliness and challenge. Karanas beloved younger brother is killed by a pack of wild dogs and she herself must defend herself against the pack, nature, and starvation. Elementary/middle school. ODell, Scott. Zia. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1976. Zia picks up the story of Karana as told by her niece, Zia, but this is more Zias story than Karanas. Like her aunt, Zia is very courageous in the face of obstacles; indeed, it is Zias desire to see Karana once in her life that puts Zia into a variety of situations that challenge her ability to preserve her own sense of right and wrong in the face of those who would keep her from searching out Karana. Zias story takes place in California around the missions, and much of Zia considers the prejudice of the Anglos as they manipulate the Native American peoples for their own good. Elementary/middle school. Patterson, Katherine. Lyddie. NY: Lodestar Books, 1992. In the 1840s, young women who had to earn a living had limited choices. For Lyddie, who is trying to help support her siblings and save the family farm, the choice is to work

in one of the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. Life is not easy, and Lyddie finds it will take all her physical/emotional will to survive. Yet there are friends, time to share books and reading with others, and the wages that Lyddie hopes will eventually set her free from the will of her uncle who is determined to sell the farm and keep the money for himself. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. A Stitch in Time. NY: Scholastic, Inc, 1994. Hannah Chelmsford has always been the glue for her family: she was the one to take over the role of mother to her younger siblings; she was the one to whom her father turned as the spokeswoman of the family in societal affairs. But when Hannah finds herself helping her younger sister elope against the wishes of her father, when she finds that she must be the one to stay at home while her father, brother, and sister journey into the west, she feels that she must create something to hold her family together. In the pieces of the quilt she sends off with her two sisters, Hannah senses she is creating the one piece of history that may bring her family together again in the future. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. The Blue Door. NY: Scholastic, 1996. The third book of The Quilt Trilogy, this is the story of Amanda Videau, granddaughter of Abigail Chelmsford, who must return to Massachusetts to meet the great-grandfather whose iron hand drove his own children to create lives of their own away from the influence of their father. For Amanda, the trip to meet her great-grandfather is fraught with danger and full of despair, but the young Southerner finds a strength within herself that allows her to defend the girls who work in the Chelmsford Textile Mills against the greed of her great-grandfather. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. Wolf by the Ears. NY: Scholastic, Inc, 1991. You can go north...pass as white. You will be free, my daughter, free. Many historians have long believed that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings; this is the story of what might have happened to their daughter, Harriet. Rinaldi speculates as to the dilemma Harriet would have been faced with as she considered the possibility of freedom in the north versus the reality of never seeing her parents again. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. The Education of Mary: A Little Miss of Color, 1832. NY: Hyperion, 2000. 13-year-old Mary Harris narrates the story of the Canterbury Female Seminary, which became the first school to educate girls of color at the same level as the type of girl schools specifically developed by upper class white girls. Prudence Crandall, the schools headmistress, firmly believes that she must educate girls like Mary and her sister Sarawho actually look more white than blackand does so against the suggestions of her family and the townspeople of Canterbury, CT. Racial tensions soon break out, the safety of the girls at the school is compromised, and wise beyond her years Mary must examine her own views about race, education, and the rights of women against this backdrop. An excellent companion piece to Wolf By the Ears or The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Middle/high school. Smith, Roland. The Captains Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999. Told by a dog named Seaman, this is the tale of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Not corny, this is actually a solid historical AND scientific story about the search for the Northwest Passage. Middle/high school.

Westward migration/Pioneer life

Burks, Brian. Soldier Boy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997. Johnny The Kid McBane has made a name for himself as a boxer, but has to give it all up when he refuses to throw a fight. Penniless and down on his luck, Johnny joins the cavalry, only to be sent west to fight with Custer against the Sioux. Middle/high school. Burks, Brian. Runs with Horses. San Diego: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1995. Runs with Horses is a member of the last Apache group continuing to resist capture by the United States army. Middle/high school. Burks, Brian. Wrango. San Diego: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1999. Former slave George McJunkin wants more for his family than basic survival, so he leaves him home and family and sets off to become one of the five thousand black cowboys who helped drive cattle up the Chisholm Trail. Middle/high school. Hermes, Patricia. Westward to Home: Joshuas Oregon Trail JourneyBook 1 and A Perfect Place: Joshuas Oregon Trail DiaryBook Two/ The My America Series. (2001 & 2002). NY: Scholastic. A boys version of the westward migration, these books chronicles Joshuas adventures and concerns as he and his cousins family leave Missouri for a new home in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Their wagon train encounters its shares of challenges and adventures, and death is dealt with in these text. However, the overall thrust of the series is to celebrate the pioneer life in all its facets. Good upper elementary read.

Lasky, Kathryn. Beyond the Divide. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1983. When Meribah Simons father is shunned by the Amish community in which the family lives, he decides to look for a new future out west and Meribah chooses to leave with him because she shares his inability to live within the confines of the close-knit society. Although the trip begins with high enthusiasm by all involved, Meribah and her father soon find out that the dangers of the western trails are real; even more challenging are the dangers created by those making the westward trek. Meribah soon finds that every person might find the courage within herself to survive; one cannot always count on the goodness of others. Middle/high school. Lasky, Kathryn. The Bone Wars. Simon and Schuster, 1991. After his mother is murdered, a 13-year-old boy joins up with Custers army as a scout during Custers expedition through the Black Hills looking for gold. Instead, dinasour bones are turned up, and suddenly, the government and various universities/archeologists scheme to take away the worthless hills from the Sioux nation. Middle/high school. Massie, Elizabeth. 1870: Not with Our Blood. New York: Tor, 1999. In this story of an Irish family living in America, we follow Patrick, a young man who must take his fathers place after his father is killed at Gettysburg. Struggling to pull his family out of poverty and protect them from the prejudice aimed at them because there are Irish, Patrick also has his own secret: he is saving money to go to college so that he can become a writer. Middle/high school. Nixon, Joan Lowry. A Family Apart. NY: Bantam Books, 1987. (Orphan Train Adventure Series) A family of four youngster is on an orphan train headed west after their mother can no longer financially provide for them: the four-part book series describes each characters individual story. Elementary.

The Civil War

Armstrong, Jennifer. The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan. NY: Knopf, 1996. After her brother goes to fight for the Union and the money with which it will reward him, Irish Mairhe finds herself the victim of horribly vivid dreams, almost as if she is seeing what her brother, Mike, is seeing as he fights to survive on the battlefield. High school. Armstrong, Jennifer. Mary Mehan Awake. NY: Knopf, 1997. In this sequel to The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan, the end of the war finds Mary, as she now calls herself, hardly more than a sleepwalker in her own life. Aided by Walt Whitman, Mary moves to upstate New York to become a household domestic in the home of the Dorsetts. In this supportive environment, Mary slowly embraces life, and love, again. High school. Bruchac, Joseph. March Toward the Thunder. NY: Dial, 2008. Louis Nolette, an Abenaki Indian from Canada, joins the Fighting 69th, an Irish brigade of fighters. Lured by the bounty money for joining and a desire to fight for the freedom of the blacks he and his mother routinely help as the slaves head towards Canada, Louis thinks that he understands war; however, as he makes friends with his fellow soldiers about begins experiencing the day to day weariness and fear that accompanies the fighting, he begins to understand better his own sense of freedom and its costs. A strong middle school read. Carbone, Elisa. Stealing Freedom. NY: Dell, 1998. Based on the true story of Ann Maria Weems, this account follows her through her years of slavery and into the daring escape engineered by members of the underground railroad. An excellent read for middle school students. Middle/high school. Durrant, Lynda. My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier. NY: Clarion Books, 2006. Jennie Hodgers, Irish immigrant, has dressed like a boy most of her adolescence in order to work in males jobs so that she can make enough money to survive. Without a reason not to go to war, she does, and experiences the Civil War as a young recruit and eventually, seasoned soldier. The story is in Jennies reaction to the war and how she manages to keep anyone from finding out her secret. Middle school/high school read. Elliott, L. M. Annie, Between the States. NY: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTrophy. Annie Sinclair has been raised to treat people fairly and with regard for their welfare, whether that person is a Southerner, Northerner, or slave. But Annie finds her beliefs tested when the Civil War brings out the best and the worst in those around her. A solidly researched text with a great heroine in Annie. Middle/high school. Fleischman, Paul. Bull Run. NY: HarperCollins, 1994. The first major battle of the Civil War, fought in Manassas, Virginia, is recalled through the voices of 16 participants. Middle and High school

Hanson, Joyce. Which Way Freedom? NY: Avon, 1992. A young man escapes from slavery to join the black Union regiment and finds that racism and prejudice exist in many forms. Middle and high school. Houston, Gloria. Bright Freedoms Song. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998. Fourteen-year-old Bright Cameron, the daughter of Irish immigrants, becomes a willing conductor in the underground railroad because of her understanding of her fathers own past as an indentured servant and her friendship with former slave, Marcus. Middle/high school. Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. NY: Berkley, 1964. In a moving story of family and self-awareness, a youth goes off to war and finds that nobility and courage are not always found on the battlefield. Middle school. Keith, Harold. Rifles for Watie. NY: Bantam, 1957. As a 16-year-old spy during the Civil War, Jeff must decide which side he really wants to join. Middle/high school. McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. Days of Jubilee. NY: Scholastic, 2003. Wonderful combination of text and photographic media that tells the history of and the end of slavery in the United States. Middle school. Rinaldi, Ann. (1993). In My Father House. New York: Scholastic. In this very excellent story of one familys experiences during the Civil War, we meet the McLean family, a family with the dubious distinction of owning the farm on which the first battle of the Civil War was fought and owning the home in which the treaty bringing the war to a halt would be signed. Amidst all this, a father and daughter try to come to terms with each other. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. (1988). The Last Silk Dress. New York: Holiday House. Desperate to help the Confederacy, Susan begins her own campaign to round up enough silk dresses so that Confederate troops can have their own balloon with which to spy on Union troops. However, within this framework, Susan also gains greater knowledge about her family and the secrets they keep, secrets that could endanger the strong bonds that hold the family together. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. (1998). Cast Two Shadows. NY: Gulliver Books. When Caroline finds out that her brother, a Rebel soldier has been injured, she determines that she must retrieve him. Accompanied by Melinda, a slave belonging to her father, Caroline learns of her true ancestry that her mother was a slave her father seducedand must decide how to live with this news. Middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. (2002). Numbering the Bones. NY: Hyperion Books. Everyone around Andersonville knows that Eulinda is the daughter of the master and his slave cook and this reality is a mixed blessing for Eulinda. On one hand, it guarantees an easier life than most of the other slaves on the plantation, but it also brings the wrath of Mr. Hamptons wife down on Eulinda regularly. After Mrs. Hampton is responsible for selling off Eulindas little brother, Zeke, to get back at her husband, Eulindas older brother, Neddy, takes a ruby ring that belong to Mrs. Hampton and leaves to join the Yankee army. When Neddy is captured and brought back to the infamous Andersonville prison, Eulinda tries to figure out what she can do to help him. However, it is not until Neddys death and the arrival, at the end of the war, of Clara Barton to make sure that all of the dead are acounted for, that Eulinda understands how she can truly make Neddys sacrifices meaningful. A wonderful read for middle/high school. Rinaldi, Ann. (1999). Amelias War. NY: Scholastic. Amelia Graftons family are unionists, which isnt always easy when one lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, where the population is squarely divided as to who to favor during the war. Amelia finds herself caught between friendships and family as soldiers from both sides invade Hagerstown. Amelia and her friend, Josh, are typically able to surmount the turmoil and keep their friendship intact, but when Johns uncle, leader of a Conference division, comes to town and demands a ransom from Hagerstown, their feelings are put to the test. A wonderful read for middle/high school that could be used in conjunction with The Red Badge of Courage.

The late 1800s

Avi. The Seer of Shadows. NY: HarperCollins, 2008. Apprenticed to photographer Enoch Middleditch, Horace Carpetine has learned a great deal about the photography business, but nothing prepares him for what happens when he and Enoch go to take pictures of wealthy Mrs. Frederick Von Macht: in the background of the Macht picture is the face of an angry girl. Pegg, the Von Machts black servant, shares the story of Eleanora, the Von Machts adopted daughter, with Horace, and the two young people decide that they must uncover why Eleanora is haunting her parents and

wreaking havoc on those who try to help her. Middle school. Carbone , Elisa. Last Dance on Holladay Street.. NY: Knopf, 2005. 13-year-old Eva, an African-American girl living in 1878 Colorado, must find her biological mother after her adopted parents die. Traveling to Denver, she finds that her mother is actually a white woman who makes a living dancing with and taking men upstairs. When the madam of the house offers to take Eva in, Eva is reluctant but desperate. But when hard times fall on Evas mother and sister because of Eva, she determines that she must find a way to live free of the house on Holladay Street before she came become one of those desperate women like her mother. A wonderfully insightful read. Middle school/high school. Hemphill, Helen. The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones. NY: Front Street, 2008. Prometheus Jones knows that there will be problems when he wins a horse off a raffle ticket that he has been given as payment for breaking a horse, so he and his cousin Omer leave their home and join a cattle drive headed to the Dakota Territory. Prometheus has a number of adventures along the way, ones that help him better define himself, appreciate his family and friends, and give him a future that he can embrace. Loosely based on the autobiography of African-American cowboy Nat Love, this is a great story of the west and one young mans triumph against racism. Middle school. McKissack, Patricia. Run Away Home. NY: Scholastic Press, 1998. 11-year-old Sarah, an African-American girl living in 1888 Alabama, helps Sky, a young Apache, after he escapes from the train taking his people, including the great hero Geronimo, from holding camp to holding camp. In return, Sky helps Sarah and her family deal with the white supremacists trying to force them off their land. Elementary/middle school. Peck, Richard. Fair Weather. NY: Penguin, 2001. When Aunt Euterpe invites Rosie Becket and her family to come visit her in Chicago to see the Chicago Worlds Fair, Rosie cant even fathom what that means. Having gone no further than ten miles from home her entire life, Rosie and her siblings see this as a huge adventurewhich grows when Graddad decides to take Mamas discarded ticket and go with the Becket children. Interactions with Chicagos elite, Buffalo Bill Cody, and the Columbian Exhibition itself is a life-changing event. A wonderful upper elementary/middle school read with a great interview with Peck at the end of the text. Rinaldi, Ann. The Coffin Quilt: The Feud Between the Hatfields and the McCoys, 1999.. NY: Harcourt Brace. Fanny McCoy has lived in fear and anger since the day in 1978 when a disagreement over a couple of pigs set into movement the disastrous and famous feud. Further fueled by her beloved sister Roseannas elopement with Johnse Hatfield, the killings take on a more desperate pace, and Fanny seems to be the only one who understands how this bloodshed is destroying both families. Middle/high school. Taylor, Kim. Bowery Girl. NY: Viking, 2006. Molly Flynn and Annabelle Lee are not the glossy Bowery Girls of romantic pictures; Molly is a pickpocket and Annabelle a prostitute, and both work together to keep life and limb together. When Annabelle realizes that she is pregnant, though, she vows to change her life, and when Miss Emmeline DuPre offers girls like Molly and Annabelle the opportunity to learn how to type and, in Annabelles case, read, they take her up. But the pulls of their old life do not simply disappear, and both young women finds themselves caught between their current reality and their dreams. A good book with strong language at times. High School.

1900 1919
Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. NY: Harcourt, 2003.16-year-old Maggie wants desperately to leave her small town life in in up-state New York for the college life waiting for her in New York City. Convinced by her teacher that she has the makings of a great writer, Maggie goes to work at the Glenmoore on Big Moose Lake in order to earn enough money to leave home yet help to support her family before she leaves. But the summer at the Glenmore forces Maggie to face a number of harsh and wonderful realities in life: the attention of handsome Royal, her friendship with African-American Weaver, also eager to go to college, and most importantly the letters given to her by Grace, a young woman who subsequently drowns while out boating with her beau. But is Graces death really an accident? As Maggie reads Graces letters, she becomes convinced that Grace has been murdered. This book is based on the same turn-ofthe-century murder that Theodore Dreiser wrote about in An American Tragedy. A wonderful high school read. Greenwood, Barbara. Factory Girl. NY: Kids Can Press, 2007. When her father loses his job and heads west, Emily and her mother work hard to keep life normal for the three younger children. But when her fathers checks stop coming and the family has to move to a smaller apartment, Emily realizes that it is she who must figure out how to keep money coming in until her fathers return. Her job as a clipping girl is difficult and the hours are long. Emily dreams of a different life, but when news of her fathers death arrives, she knows that she is stuck. Dispersed throughout the

chapters of Emilys story are the historical underpinnings of the situation Emily and children like her found themselves in around the turn of the 20th century. Middle/high school. Hesse, Karen. Brooklyn Bridge. NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2008. Joseph Michtoms life definitely turn a turn for the better when his parents invented the teddy bear, but hes afraid that hes missing out on all of the excitement that the world has to offer because his parents have become to success-driven. Unlike his friends, who get to go to the new amusement park at Coney Island, Joseph has to work, babysit his siblings and put up with his crazy relatives. In a related subplot, Joseph finds out what really happened the day his cousin died; through this twist, Hesse allows readers to partake of both the joys and sorrows of Josephs family. Middle school. Meyer, Carolyn. The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, The Last Grand Duchess, 2001. NY: Scholastic. Anastasia was made famous by numerous movies telling of her daring escape from the Bolsheviks who wanted to kill her and her family. This diary, which ends shortly before the Russian Royal family is murdered in 1918 at Ekaterinaburg, brings to life the youngest of the Tsars daughters and her concerns about her family and her country during the upheaval that was WWI and the Communist takeover of Russia. Upper elementary/middle school. Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. NY: Clarion Books, 2004. Based on a historical event, this is the story of Turner Buckminster, the white son of a minister, who is befriended by Lizzie Bright, the black daughter of former slaves who lives on Malaga Island. But Malaga is a source of contention for the people of Phippsburg, Maine, who desperately want tourist traffic in their town; their decision to force the black community off Malaga puts Lizzie and Turner into a difficult and increasingly dangerous situation. The message of this book is why people need to get along, and the author, who earned both a Printz and a Newbery Honor with this book, makes the point beautifully. Middle/high school read. Twomey, Cathleen. Charlottes Choice. 2001. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press. When the Orphan Train pulls into Turners Crossing, Missouri in spring, 1905, shy Charlotte Matthews cannot even begin to consider the impact it will have on her life. But when she is asked to befriend Jesse Irwin, who has been taken in by a local widow, she finds for the first time someone she can truly relate to as a friend. However, when Jesse is involved in a shocking interaction with one of the towns citizens, Charlotte has to decide if she truly has the courage to help her friend. An excellent middle school read.

The Roaring Twenties

Bryant, Jen. Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. This story in verse chronicles the Scopes Monkey Trial from a variety of perspectives. A wonderful read that would work well with the movie or play Inherit the Wind. High school. Kanell, Beth. The Darkness Under the Water. Candlewick, 2008. Molly Ballous family has lived in a Vermont town by the river for years, but when the governor of Vermont decides to go after poor citizens in the stateprimarily French Canadians and Native Americansshe begins to question her own identity and what it means in the community. At the same time, she must deal with her mothers pregnancy, the familys lingering grief over the accidental death of Mollys sister, and the feelings she has for Henry, an Abenaki Indian who is also facing discrimination at the hands of the state. This is a powerful story of love, identity, and government interventionism in the name of progress. High School. Levine, Gail Carson. Dave At Night. NY: HarperTrophy, 1999. When Daves father dies and his stepmother decides hes just too much money to keep, Dave ends up at the strict Hebrew Home for Boys in Harlem. But Dave quickly finds that the orphanage is just too oppressive, and on his escape, he meets Solly, Dora, and a smattering of famous Renaissance poets including Lanston Hughes who change his views on a great many parts of his life. Elementary/ middle school. Myers, Walter Dean. Harlem Summer. NY: Scholastic Press, 2007. Mark Purvis meets the greats of the Harlem Renaissance, both in writing and in music, when he gets involved with Fats Waller, piano-player extraordinaire, and the staff of The Crisis, the magazine of the New Negro when his aunt lands him a job there. During this important summer, Mark works on his sax playing, is inspired by Langston Hughes, and is accused of being a bootlegger. All of this leads to a heart-warming and humorous tale. Great upper elementary/middle school read.

The Depression
Curtis, Christopher Paul. (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. NY: Random House. Four years on his own after his mothers death, 10-year-old Bud Caldwell lives among the homeless in Flint, Michigan. Following hints left him by his mother in a cardboard suitcase, Bud takes off for Flint, Michigan, searching for the famous musician Herman Calloway, on the assumption that Calloway is his father. Elementary/middle school. Cholenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. (2004). G. P. Putnam & Sons. When Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island in 1935 so that Mooses dad can make more money (as an electrician and part-time guard), Moose is less than happy. Leaving friends and baseball behind, Moose cant imagine any positives that can arise. In addition, Natalie, Mooses sister, seems more out of control than usual (Natalie has autism, which hadnt yet been diagnosed in 1935). Then theres Piper, with moneymaking schemes galore, including selling laundering services from the prison to classmates. This story, with its blend of Moose coming to terms with his new life even as his mother comes to terms with Natalies issues, is wonderful against its backdrop of Alcatraz prison and the infamous Al Capone, who does come in handy late in the back. A fun and often touching read for middle school. Denenberg, Barry. Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan/The Perkins School for the Blind, 1932. The Dear America Series. (2002) NY: Scholastic. When twelve-year-old Bess Brennan is blinded in a sledding accident, her uncle Ted decides that she should attend the Perkins School for the Blind so that she can both come to terms with her loss and figure out how to be an independent person once again. Besss diary details just how this comes about, as well as the challenges inherent in learning Braille. A lovely upper elementary/middle school read. Durbin, William. El Lector. NY: Wendy Lamb Books. (2006). Bellas grandfather is one of the most well-known lectors in Ybor City, Florida in the early 1930s; he reads novels, newspapers, and social commentaries to the workers at one of the largest cigar factories in town. But when the rollers begin to talk about bringing in the union, the owners bring in the Ku Klux Klan, and Bellas family is thrown into the turbulence of the situation when her amazing Aunt Lola is put in jail for standing up for her rights. Bella comes to understand the importance of family and culture and the nature of social injustice in her hometown. An excellent middle school read. Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. NY: Scholastic, 1997. 14-year-old Billie Jo must come to terms with the loss of her mother and her home during the Dust Bowl that swept through Oklahoma and the Midwest in general. Written entirely in poetic form, this story will create in the readers mind connections to Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath. Middle/high school. Ingold, Jeanette. Airfield. NY: Harcourt, 1999. Beatty stays with her aunt and uncle running the Muddy Springs Airport and hopes for brief sightings of her pilot father. Beatty really wants to learn to fly herself, but her father refuses because her mother, another pilot, was killed flying. Beatty befriends Moss, a young mechanic whose family has also been impacted by the depression. Can Beatty and Moss find their individual callings? High school. Ingold, Jeanette. Hitch. NY: Harcourt, 2005. In this sequel to Ingolds The Airfield, we meet up again with Moss Trawnley. Moss has just lost his job at the airfield and with it, his paycheck home to Ma to help her make ends meet since Pa never sends any money home himself. Moss is recruited into the Civilian Conservation Corps and is sent to Monroe, Montana to help build a new CCC camp. Moss finds that new responsibilities brings out the leader in him, and with his new friends, develops the friendship and leadership skills that will propel him to adulthood. A great story of loyalty and friendship among young men. High school. Kerr, M. E. Your Eyes in Stars. NY: Harperteen, 2006. Jessie, the daughter of the prison warden for Cayuta County, befriends Elisa, a German girl whose father has come to America to be a college professor. Their unlikely friendship is bound up in outsider status and their secret crush on Slater Carr, a bugle-playing prisoner. The dual stories of Slater and the romance that dooms him and the girls friendship comes together when Slater escapes from prison and Elisas mother panics over her daughters safety. Back in Germany, Elisa must face a country that is not familiar; with Hitler firmly in control, academics like her father are under suspicion. Nevertheless, the girls manage to keep the friendship going...and then, Elisa disappears. A strong story for middle and high school readers. Peck, Richard. (1998). A Long Way from Chicago. NY: Puffin Books. Each summer Joey and his sister Mary Alice make the trip from Chicago to Grandma Dowdels place in rural Illinois. And each year, they have an amazing adventure with their amazing grandmother. Upper elementary/middle school.

Peck, Richard. (2000). A Year Down Yonder. NY: Puffin Books. In the Newbery Award-winning sequel to A Long Way from Chicago, Mary Alice goes to live with Grandma Dowdels for a year as her parents struggle to make a living and Joey goes west with the Civilian Conservation Corps to plant treas. As usual, life with Grandma is nothing short of amazing, embarrassing, and enlightening. A wonderful read for upper elementary/middle school.

Holocaust
Aaron, Chester. Gideon. New York: Lippincott, 1982. Chester Aaron, one of the American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau, creates the character of Gideon from a creative mind and a combination of stories told by those who were part of the factual events. Gideon, a young Jewish boy, is exhorted by his father to live through the Holocaust at any cost; to accomplish this, he becomes a thief and, at one point, leads a gang of non-Jewish Poles. After his parents' death (his father blows himself and a band of Nazis up with a grenade while his mother goes with Dr. Korczak and the Orphans' Home to the gas chambers at Treblinka), Gideon joins the Warsaw resistance and finally ends up in Treblinka where he is part of the famed camp break. Middle/high school. Baylis White. Sheltering Rebecca. New York: Lodestar Books, 1989. Sally, a young English girl, is asked to look after a new girl in her school who, it turns out, is a refugee from Hitler's Germany. Through the blossoming friendship with Rebecca, Sally begins to understand what it means for a young Jewish girl like Rebecca to leave her family behind to a fate that is all but certain and move to a place where people take their many freedoms for granted. There is an excellent passage where Rebecca takes her teacher to task for assigning "The Merchant of Venice". Middle/high school. Cormier, Robert. Tunes for Bears to Dance to. New York: Delacorte Press, 1992. Eleven year old Henry discovers evil in post-WWII America when his boss, Mr. Hairston, a bigot who makes fun of anyone whose ethnic background is unlike his, tries to talk Henry into destroying the wood carvings of Mr. Levine. Mr. Levine is a Holocaust survivor who lost his entire family to the Nazis; his therapy for dealing with this is his recreation of the village in which he grew up and raised his family. Henry's sympathies are with Mr. Levine, but Mr. Hairston's blackmail is frightening. This is an excellent "skinny" book for dealing with prejudice and intolerance, especially for younger adolescents who are learning that there are many ways to destroy a human being's self-respect. Greene, Betty. Summer of My German Soldier. New York: Dial, 1973. When a young Jewish girl in the American South befriends a German prisoner of war, she is not thinking of his actions against "her people" in Europe; she is simply reaching out to another human being who is lonely and frightened. But when the prisoner escapes and it is later found out that the girl has helped him, no one understands except the family's colored housekeeper, herself a victim of intolerance. Middle/high school. Kerr, Judith. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., 1971. Anna was a carefree nine-year-old in 1933, far too busy playing to notice the methodical march of Adolf Hitler toward his goal of ethnic cleansing. But when her father, a drama critic, disappears one day and the rest of the family is rushed out of Germany to Switzerland and the life of a refugee--leaving Anna's beloved pink rabbit behind--Anna begins to understand what it means to be Jewish in Europe, and begins the long trek with her family to freedom in England. Elementary/middle school. Kerr, M.E. Gentlehands. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1978. When Buddy Boyle, a middle-class teen, falls in love with upper class Skye Pennington, he realizes that he's going to need something with which to impress her; that becomes his grandfather, a man he hardly knows who is rich, sophisticated and cultured. As Buddy gets to know him, he is impressed by his grandfather's gentleness with animals and his regret over how he has failed Buddy's mother. Then a newspaper article is published claiming that Grandfather is actually a former Nazi named Gentlehands whose cruel psychological torment of prisoners in Auschwitz--he played excerpts from the opera "Tosca" to torment the Italian prisoners--and Buddy must decide between his budding love for his grandfather and his sense of right and wrong. Middle/high school. Laird, Christa. Shadow of the Wall. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1989. The Orphan's Home in the Warsaw Ghetto and its founder Dr. Janusz Korczak became the lifeline for many young children during the years 1939-1942. In this fictional account of the orphanage and its brave residents, we see the world through the eyes of Misha and his younger sister Rachel as they work to survive the cruelty of the Nazis and the Poles who worked against their salvation. The heroism of the good doctor and his mainstay, Mrs. Stefa, are plotted against the work of children like Misha who try to help themselves, loved ones on the outside of the orphanage, and the Jewish resistance. In the end, Rachel, Dr. Korczak, and Mrs. Stefa die in the gas chambers of Treblinka, but Misha is left to carry on his work and to bear witness

to the bravery on those who lived in the Orphan's Home. Middle/high school. Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. NY: Bantam, 1989. Ten-year-old Annemarie and her Danish family help shelter a Jewish girl during the German occupation. When it becomes clear, though, to the Danish citizenry that the Nazis mean to decimate the Jewish population, the country decides it is time to help the entire Jewish population country escape the country. Elementary/middle school. Magorian, Michelle. Good Night, Mr. Tom. NY: HarperTrophy, 1981. An abused boy from London is taken in by an elderly man in rural England during the bombing raids of London. But as both have learned to trust and love each other, the boys alcoholic mother insists that the boy be returned to her. Middle/high school. Matas, Carol. Daniels Story. NY: Scholastic, 1993. Daniel describes his imprisonment in a concentration camp and his eventual liberation. (This text was written by Matas to go along with the main exhibit for children at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.) Matas, Carol. Lisas War. NY: Charles Scribners Sons, 1987. Jewish teens in Denmark, Lisa and her brother courageously distribute leaflets against the Germans and eventually become involved in armed resistance. Middle/high school. Mazer, Norma Fox. Good Night, Maman. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999. Karin Levis world is destroyed as the Germans march on Paris. Survival presents itself in the form of two tickets on a boat bound for America, but Karin knows that if she opts for survival, she may never see her parents again. Middle/high school. Orlev, Uri. The Man From the Other Side. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Marek, a young Polish boy living in Warsaw during World War II, finds himself at a crossroads. Expected to help his stepfather smuggle food and weapons into the Ghetto, he rebels against the hypocrisy he feels his stepfather is acting on and helps two other boys "shakedown" a Jewish man. When his mother finds out, she proceeds to tell him some of the truths of his life: that his father was a Jewish communist who died in prison defending his political beliefs, that his stepfather married his mother knowing about her prior marriage, and that his stepfather really would like to have a "real" father-son relationship. Then, Marek spies a man who crosses himself backwards, and his subsequent involvement with Korek brings Marek into a better understanding of his own family as well as what the lives of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto was really like. Middle/high school. Provost, Gary and Gail Levine-Provost. David and Max. New York: The Jewish Publication Society, 1988. Twelve year old David idolizes his grandfather, Max Levene. Max is everything a grandpa should be: sensitive, fun, clever and well-read. So when Max tells David that he has just seen a friend who he thought had died forty years before, David accepts that and determines that he will find B.B. for his grandfather. This search, in turn, leads David to a greater understanding of the Holocaust, of which his grandfather is a survivor, and the real horror of it. Until a talk with his grandfather about the Holocaust, David had only a hazy sense of death camps and Jewish hardship. After Max speaks out, David comes to an understanding of how his immediate family has been impacted, and he also begins to understand that survivors responded to their liberation in a variety of means. Middle/high school. Voigt, Cynthia. David and Jonathan. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1992. Henry and Jonathan have been good friends since childhood, even though their families are not ones who might normally interact: Jon and his family are Jewish while Henry and his parents are typical WASPs. The two boys feel that nothing could ever shake their friendship, but the arrival of David, Jon's cousin, who survived the Holocaust by passing as a non-Jewish German, severely tests its survival. David, who has been treated by an army of psychiatrists and other specialists, has not been able to deal with the guilt of living through the Holocaust while every other member of his immediate family was killed. Subsequently, David seems bent on making his American relatives "pay" for their survival, also. Although Henry wants to be sympathetic to David because of what he has been through, he soon realizes that David has also been destroyed by the Nazis but in a much different way; his humanity has been forfeited and he has become, in many ways, as evil as the system which created him. NOTE: This is a novel for older adolescents and it is probably one that teachers should conference with students about as the students read. David is not a sympathetic Holocaust survivor, and the reader must come to an understanding that there are many ways to destroy a person's humanity. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Penguin Books, 1981. One of the most powerful books to come from the Holocaust, Night is the autobiographical story of Wiesel, his family, and their destruction in Auschwitz at the hands of the Nazis.

The chronicle of life in Auschwitz is horrifying in its vividness, and few readers come away from this story untouched; in addition, the boy's alternating feelings of guilt and love make his situation even more tragic, especially for the young reader who can relate to the main character. High school. Wiesel, Elie. Twilight. New York: Penguin Books, 1983. In this somewhat sequel to Night, Wiesel considers the life of Holocaust and concentration camp survivors and the guilt they feel because of surviving or because the death of an ailing family member allowed them to be more selfish about their own existence. Flashbacks to the Holocaust experience recreate the sense of horror. High school. Yolen, Jane. The Devils Arithmetic. (See FANTASY) Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. (2006). NY: Knopf. Narrated by death, the novel tells of Liesel Meminger during WWII while living with her foster parents outside of Munich. Death has paid Liesel many visits, and on his various excursions, he witnesses Liesels prowess as a book thief and the impact of her foster parents on her life. When Hans, her Papa, brings home Max the Jew, whose father had once saved Papa, he and Rosa, his wife, help Liesel to see the wider aspects of life, charity, good will, and social conscience. And through it all, death describes the melee that is the Holocaust, depicts his own part in protecting the souls of the destroyed, and shares the one thing that haunts him humans. An amazing book for mature middle and high school students.

World War II and after

Blundell, Judy. What I Saw and How I Lied. NY: Scholastic, 2008. Evies life has been great since her stepfather returned from the war, but her situation takes an unsettling turn when handsome Peter Coleridge, a GI who served with her stepfather, shows up while Evie and her parents are on a family vacation in Florida. Peter is very attentive to Evie, which seems to distress both of her parents; when Peter dies in an accident on the water and her parents are accused of his death, Evie starts to unravel a sordid past for both Peter and her father that forces her to question everything she held true. The National Book Award winner for 2008 and a strong read for high school. Cheaney, J. B. My Friend, The Enemy. NY; Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Hazels friend Jed, a young soldier, tells her to keep an eye on his family and on the skies, looking for clues that might indicate a Japanese invasion of the state of Washington. Instead, Hazels sharp eyes find Sogoli, a young Japanese-American who has been taken in by Jeds father. But can Hazel trust Sogoli; does she want to? A wonderful story of friendship during wartime. Middle School. Cormier, Robert. Heroes. (1998). NY: Laurel-Leaf. Francis goes to war and returns without a face. In his shock and anger, he decides that he has no life to look forward to, and determines to get his revenge upon the man, his childhood hero, who made going to war look so good. Middle/high school. Elliott, L. M. Under A War-Torn Sky. (2001). NY: Hyperion. Nineteen-year-old Henry Forester, an aviator for the Allies during WWII, faces a number of adventures after he is shot down. Aided by the French underground, Henry tries to escape back to Britain, but it is a difficult venture. Henry learns a great deal about himself, his parents, his comrades, and those connected to the underground as he makes his way around France. A great middle/high school read. Fletcher, Christine. Ten Cents a Dance. NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. When Ruby is forced at fifteen to enter the work force, she finds a factory job that bores her to tears and seems to keep her from hanging out with any of her friends. So when bad boy Paulie tells her about the women who dance with men for a living, Ruby is all for it. At first, Ruby is simply enthralled by the idea that getting to danceher favorite thing in the worldwill help her make a living, but the longer she dances, the more she realizes that there are costs attached to everything, and Ruby has to grow up quickly when shes pulled into a lovers quarrel that threatens her safety and her income. High school. Lester, Julius. The Guardian. HarperTeen, 2008. Ansel has grown up in the south in a town where old hatreds are still place. Still, even Ansel is shocked when his father refuses to tell the truth about who attacked and killed a local white girlnot the black man who has worked for Ansels father for years, but the white son of the man who owns most of their town. When Big Willie is lynched, his death sets forth a change in Ansels life, forcing him to see his father for what he really is and to gain a new appreciation of his mother, a woman his father has mistreated during their entire marriage. High School. Salisbury, Graham. House of the Red Fish. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. Tomi has known his share of hardship in post Pearl Harbor Hawaii; his father and grandfather have been sent to internment camps because of their Japanese

ancestry and the familys main financial source lies at the bottom of a canal by a group of American soldiers who mistrust anyone who looks Japanese. Tomi and his friends decide that they will bring up Papas fishing boat, but Anglo former friends like Keet Wilson are determined to stand in their way. Excellent historical novel that will pique the interest of middle school readers Salisbury, Graham. Eyes of the Emperor. (2005) NY: Wendy Lamb Books/Random House. When 16-year-old Eddy Okubo lies about his age to join the U.S. Army to prove his loyalty (called into question because even though he is an American citizen, his parents are Japanese), he doesnt expect that he will be plunged into war so quickly. But when Pearl Harbor happens, Eddy and his friends find that many do not trust them; however, their opportunity to prove their loyalty comes when the group of Japanese American soldiers are sent on a secret mission where dogs are being trained to sniff out the enemy. Engaging book based on a true-life situation. Middle/high school. Slayton, Fran Cannon. When the Whistle Blows. NY: Philomel Books/Penguin, 2009. Jimmy is the son of a railroad foreman who sees that the future of trains and train travel will be much different for his sons than it is for them. Keeping that in mind, he encourages them to look for a different line of work. But Jimmy is sure his dad is wrong, and plans his future around staying in his home town and working the trains. This story focuses on Jims evolution from willful child to teen to young adult and his adventures along the way. Middle School. Smith, Sherri. Flygirl. NY: G.P. Putnams Sons, 2009. Ida Mae Jones has had the love of flying ever since her dad put her in a plane with him when she was a child. So at the beginning of WWII, when the Air Force creates the WASP Women Airforce Service PilotsIda decides to go for it: the problem? Shes black, and the WASP arent accepting anyone but white women. But light-skinned Ida decides to take the chance, and her acceptance to the elite corps is just the beginning of her adventures. Great story! Middle/High school.

The 1950s
Holm, Jennifer L. Penny from Heaven. NY: Random House, 2006. 11-year-old Penny dreams of independence during the summer of 1953, but instead finds her until the overprotective eye of her mother. Penny increasingly turns to her dead fathers family, a lively group of Italian-Americans, who know how to live life with gusto. But when an accident puts Penny in the hospital, she must confront her mothers anger at her fathers family, the truth of what happened to her father, and the possible loss of her independence forever. A wonderful story of the repercussions of intolerance against Italian-Americans and their families during WWII. Krisher, Trudy. Fallout, NY: Holiday House, 2006. For teachings looking for a great contemporary bridge to either the McCarthy Trials or to the Salem Witch Trials, this is it. Gen is confused as she considers her daughterly roles to her mothers Tubberware-organized life and her fathers bomb shelter mentality. Further, her new friend, Brenda, recently arrived from Hollywood, is shaking things up at school with her parents full support, stunning Gen and leaving her to wonder how far one should go in support of a friend, especially when one isnt sure she agrees with that friend. Against the backdrop of an especially active hurricane season and the McCarthy trials, Gens life takes a turn that she doesnt expect, but in responding to it, we get a strong sense of how teenagers made sense of the Cold War. Great for high school. Moses, Sheila P. The Legend of Buddy Bush. 2004. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books. Life is much more exciting when Uncle Buddy comes back home to live. But the excitement turns into danger when Buddy, who has moved aside on the sidewalk so as not to bump a white woman walking down the street, is accused of raping her in 1950 North Carolina. Told through the eyes of his niece Pattie Mae, Buddys story unfolds in a manner that both educates and charms younger readers. (Buddy escapes his captors during a botched KKK attack on his jail.) Middle school read. Park Linda Sue. Keeping Score. NY: Clarion Books, 2008. Maggie is a die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and she religiously keeps track of all of their stats. She also knows that if she just keeps the faith, that she will be able to will the Dodgers to a World Series win. Helping her in her aspirations is her friend and mentor, Jim, a fireman at the firehouse where Maggies dad worked right up until he was injured. When Jim is sent to Korea to fight, he promises Maggie that hell keep in touch. But after a steady stream of mail, Jims letters stop, and Maggie is determined to find out what happened to her friend. A wonderful story of baseball and war; middle school.

Vietnam War

Hamilton, Virginia. Plain City. NY: Scholastic, 1994. A 12-year-old learns that her father is not MIA in VietNam but is alive and living in her hometown. Both must then struggle with the effects of the war on the father. Middle/high school. Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. NY: Scholastic, 1988. This story of five young soldiers presents a true-to-life account of the Viet Nam War. High School. Paterson, Katherine. Parks Quest. NY: Lodestar Books, 1988. 11-year-old Park visits the VietName Wall Memorial and then travels to Virginia to his grandfathers farm to learn more about his father who died in the war. But the farm holds additional questions that Park must respond to before he can truly be at peace with his fathers memory. Elementary/Middle school.

The 1960s
Burg, Shana. A Thousand Never Evers. NY: Delacorte Press, 2008. It is 1963, and Addie Ann Pickett is largely aware of the cruelty of the world. But when Old Man Adams dies and leaves his garden to the town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi to sharewhite and blackAddies family is thrown into the controversy when Addie oversees and hears something she shouldnt and is too scared to tell, even though it means that her brother, Elias, must go into hiding. But as the summer and fall unfold, Addie learns about ethics as she watches the adults around her trying to come to terms with the Adams legacy, and Addie finally realizes that there are times in life when being right is better than being safe. Strong middle school read to use within a Civil Rights unit. Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham1963. NY: Yearling, 1995. The Watson family live in Flint, Michigan, and as a family they have all the special quirks that only relatives can appreciate. But when older brother Byron, who seems to be on the road to delinquency, goes beyond what even his parents can tolerate with good humor, the family is bound for Birmingham, where Grandma Sands lives, and where Byron will spent the summer. But no one could have ever expected how their lives would be impacted by the journey to Alabama and the events of a Sunday morning. Wonderful middle school read. Krisher, Truly. Spite Fences. NY: Laurel-Leaf, 1994. Maggie lives in Kinship, GA on the poor side of town. A loner with a mind of her own, Maggie has friends among the Black population of Kinship, a move guaranteed to place her on the outs with her mother, especially in light of her younger sister Gardenias recent triumph in the Hayes County Little Miss Contest. Maggie additionally finds her relationship with her mother strained when she realizes that she is the only one who can prove the atrocities of the KKK against her friend Zeke. A wonderful middle/high school text. Magoon, Kekla. The Rock and the River. NY: Aladdin, 2009. Sam is the son of a well-known civil rights leader in 1968 Chicago. Hes gone to non-violent demonstrations most of his life, but as tensions come to a head in 1968, Sam begins to wonder if the non-violence movement of Martin Luther King, Jr is really feasible, especially after his friend Bucky is brutally attached by two white police officers for no reason. To further Sams confusion, his brother, Stick, has joined the Black Panthers, much to their fathers anger. As Sam struggles to reconcile his fathers stands with his brothers seeming rebellion, tragedy hits his family again, and Sam must decide who he will be in this fight for equal rights. Excellent middle/high school read. Vecinana-Suarez, Ana. Flight to Freedom. NY: Orchard Books. Yara Garcia and her family must leave Communist Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castros reforms of the middle class. Although her father promises that the move to America will be temporary, Yara finds that life in America is strange and exciting. And as Yara becomes comfortable with her new life, her father becomes less happy, worrying that his family of women will become too independent to be good Cuban women. An excellent read for middle school. Weaver, Beth Nixon. Rooster. NY: Winslow Press, 2001. Kady, the daughter of poor orange growers, thinks shes in love with Jon, the boy who loves her violet eyes, takes her on romantic boat rides, and buys her beautiful things. But her romance is complicated by several factors: Jon lies fairly frequently and is way too fond of sharing his homemade chocolate brownies (the year is 1969 for those of you who need a hint); her mentally handicapped neighbor, Rooster, considers her to be a mother substitute; and Roosters brother, Tony, forces Kady to work on her social consciousness as he shares with her his familys life in Cuba and their escape in the mid 60s. Add to this that Kadys mother refuses to understand her at all and Grampsie, who is slowly losing her mind, is fixated on Walter Cronkite, who speaks to her from the television. A delightful coming of age story for middle and high school age students.

The 1970s
Mackall, Dandi Daley. Eva Underground. NY: Harcourt, 2006. Eva Lott is looking forward to a great senior year with her boyfriend, Matt, and her best friend, Melanie. But when her father announces that the two of them are going to spend his sabbatical year in Communist Poland, Eva is at first angry then determined to get back to the U.S. as quickly as possible. But as Eva meets her fathers new students and comes to understand what it means to be part of the radical underground movement, she also comes to realize that she, too, may have a place and a cause in Poland. And when Tomek offers her his friendship, Eva finds herself wanting to be worthy of his trust. An excellent story for middle and high school age students.

Horror
A note: Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine easily make up the bulk of this category. However, because their plots are so similar from book to book, these texts will not be reviewed. Avi. Wolf Rider. NY: Bantam, 1990. After a mysterious phone call, a teen decides that he is the only one to prevent a murderbut can he find the potential victim before the venomous and anonymous phone caller? Middle/high school. Avi. The Man Who Would be Poe. NY: Bantam, 1988. Two frightened children turn to the tormented author when first their mother, then their aunt disappears in Baltimore. Elementary/middle school. Cohen, Daniel. Raising the Dead. NY: Cobblehill Books, 1997. This non-fiction text tells the tales behind some of the great horror stories of all time. If you want to know where the idea of Frankenstein might have been founded in science, what happened to Evita Perons mummified body, this is the book for you! Duncan, Lois. Daughters of Eve. NY: Bantam, 1979. A teacher manipulates high school girls with frightening results. Middle school. Duncan, Lois. I Know What You Did Last Summer. NY: Bantam, 1980. Four high school students accidentally kill a child and make a pact never to tell. But now, someone who seems to know they did it is making their lives miserable. Can they find out who knowsbefore theyre all punished? Middle school. Duncan, Lois. Summer of Fear. NY: Bantam, 1977. When her cousins parents are killed in a car accident, Jodies parents invite the cousin to come and live with the family. But how is Jodie supposed to act when her cousin attempts to seduce both her boyfriend and her father? And why do strange things keep happening to Jodie and her mom? Middle school. Duncan, Lois. Gallows Hill. New York: Delacorte Press, 1997. When Sarah Zoltanne is asked to tell fortunes at her new schools carnival, she opens up a can of worms concerning witchcraft, religious zealotry, and relationships that threatens not only her relationship with her mother but also her life. Middle/high school. Duncan, Lois. Killing Mr. Griffin. NY: Bantam, 1982. Mr. Griffin, a high school English teacher, really drives his students crazy with his demands for great content and perfect mechanics. So when a group of students decide to play a trick on their teacher, they never expect it to end in murder. Middle/high school. Kehrent, Peg. Horror at the Haunted House. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1992. During a dramatic performance, Ellen is contacted by the ghost of one of the former occupants of the house. Elementary/middle school. VandeVelde, Vivian. Theres a Dead Person Following My Sister Around. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999. Teds life is as bad as he thinks it can beuntil the day he realizes that there ARE ghosts and theyre following his little sister aroundas a way to get to him! Elementary.

Humor
Abbott, Tony. Cracked Classics-Dracula: Trapped in Transylvania. NY: Hyperion, 2002. Devin and Francine consider themselves to be typical teens, which translates for them into being bored with school and obnoxious to their teachers. But when their English teacher sends them to the library to better research Dracula, the students are transported into the book and into the adventure of a lifetime. A fun read for upper elementary and reluctant middle school students. Avi. Romeo and Juliet Together (And Alive!) at Last. NY: Orchard Books. Two junior high students find romance through a staging of Shakespeares classic play. Elementary/middle school. Colfer, Eoin. The Legend of Spud Murphy. NY: Hyperion Books for Children. A hilarious story about two boys and the librarianSpud Murphywho makes them realize how special time spent in the library is. All ages.

Ferris, Jean. Love Among the Walnuts OR: How I Saved My Family from Being Poisoned. NY: Penguin, 2000. Sandy Huntington-Ackerman, the sheltered son of a multi-millionaire and his actress wife, is forced to take a stand against his evil uncles when they poison his parents, his butlers beloved wife, and the family chicken (dont ask). Middle/high school. Hoeye, Micheal. Time Waits for No Mouse. NY: Putman and Sons, 2002. Hermux Tantamoq, mouse/watchmaker, leads a nice, normal, routine life until the morning the mysterious Linka Perflinger comes to his store and asks him to fix her beloved watch, because, she notes danger can occur in minutes, seconds, and not having a timepiece that tells the actual time can cause serious problems. Intrigued, Hermux fixes the watch and then, as he tries to return it, watches as Linka is kidnapped by a mean looking rat and his cronies. The adventure Hermux is flung into shakes his notions about his life forever. A charming read for upper elementary/middle school readers. Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. NY: Amulet, 2007. Greg is the wimpy kid, and he tells his story with a combination of comic pictures and self-deprecating text. Boys eat this one up! Middle School. Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob. NY: Hyperion, 2002. Vince Luca just wants to be a normal teenager; no easy feet when your dad is a mob boss and your mother thinks shes June Cleaver. Then Vince finds himself in a steamy clutch with Kendra Bightly and decides to just ignore his family situation and enjoy the romance. But when Kendra reveals that her father is an FBI agent, Vince puts two and two together and realizes that Kendras dad is the agent sent to put his dad away. Middle/lower high school read. Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. NY: Hyperion, 2000. Wallace Wallace tells the truth about his teachers favorite book Old Shep, My Pal in a book report, and when given detention, cannot force himself to write anything else than another report that tells the honest, unforgivable truth about why he had to write the book report the way he did. Now hes stuck watching the school drama club bring the hated book to the stage, and when he starts to give the actors and actresses advice on their lines and how to snazz up the play, it spells big trouble for everyone! A delightful read for middle schoolers. Korman, Gordon. A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag. Raymond Jardine cant catch a break; he knows the gods are out to get him. So when we gets a chance to win a trip to Theamopolous, the famed lucky Greek isle, he is determined to go at any cost. And the cost is high, mainly for his English partner, Sean! Middle/high school. Korman, Gordon. Son of Interflux. NY: Point fiction, 1986. Hilarity ensues when Simon, the son of the owner of the Interflux company leads his high school in an organized strike against the company. Creating an alter ego to go head-topocketbook against his father, Simon knows that he is the only person who can save his school from being swallowed up by his fathers excesses. Middle/high school. Korman, Gordon. Dont Care High. NY: Point fiction, 1985. Paul Abrams cant believe the school he finds himself in; the students and teachers of Don Carey High simply go through the motions, probably why the school has earned the nickname Dont Care High. So Paul decides to shake things up, most importantly, by running Mike Otis for student body president without Mikes knowledge. Middle/high school. Lowry, Lois. The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline. 1983. Caroline and her brother erroneously think they are targeted to be murder victims at the hands of their mothers boyfriend. Middle school. Paulsen, Gary. Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered. NY: Bantam Doubleday, 1993. Autobiographical story of Paulsens summer spent with his cousin Harris, notable for a variety of pranks, life-lessons, and developing friendships. Elementary/middle school. Spinelli, Jerry. Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? NY: Dell, 1984. Sibling rivalry brings hilarious results. Elementary/middle school. Townsend, Sue. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 . NY: Avon, 1984. British teen Adrian Mole tells in humorous style the trials and tribulations of being an adolescent. (Two more books follow in the series.) Middle/high school. Zable, Rona. Landing on Marvin Gardens. NY: Bantam, 1989. Financially destitute, 15-year-old Katie and her mother reluctantly move in with eccentric Aunt Rose, who is both an inspiration and an embarrassment. Middle/high school.

Mystery
Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer. NY: Scholastic, 2004. Billed as a Da Vinci Code for tweens, this entertaining text follows Petra and Calder as they try to discover who has stolen a Vermeer painting. Using Calders Pentominoes and Petras research, the two work against the odds to figure out who has The Lady Writing. But do they want to know if it means their beloved teacher and maybe even one of their parents is involved? Fun middle school read. Tim Bowler. Storm Catchers. NY: McElderry Books, 2003. When Ella is kidnapped from her own home while babysitting her younger brother, Sam, her family is thrown into turmoil. Finn, the oldest son in the family, blames himself for not being home when Ella was taken and little Sam begins having visions of a girl who wants him to come and play with her. Told using alternating 3rd person limited, Bowler allows us to see Ellas fear and terror during her ordeal even as he shows Finns desperation as he looks for clues to his sisters disappearance. On impulse, Finn creates a magical pendulum that is supposed to provide yes/no answers to questions posed by a person who has enough psychic power; Sam actually emerges as the energy force that provides Finn the clues he needs to find Ella. However, can Finn find Ella before she learns the truth about her kidnapping, a secret that has the capacity to destroy their happy family. A wonderful read for middle/high school. Glenn, Mel. Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A Mystery in Poems. NY: Lodestar Books, 1996. Students and faculty members share their memories of Mr. Chippendale, an English teacher, while the reader tries to discover which of the poets is the murderer. High School. Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas. In Darkness, Death. NY: Philomel, 2004. Seikei and Judge Ooka are a Shogun-era Japanese Holmes and Watson. Because of the mysterious death of Lord Inaba, the two are called in to solve his murder: did he die at the hands of a renegade ninja or is someone else to blame. The mystery unfolds with appropriate tension and middle school-aged readers should understand well Seikeis outsider status in many situations and how he uses that to his advantage to explicate his own identity. Snicket, Lemony. The Beaudelaire Orphans series: The Bad Beginning, The Wide Window, The Reptile Room, The Miserable Mill, The Austure Academy, The Ersatz Elevator, The Carnivorous Carnival, The Penultimate Peril. (19992006). NY: HarperCollins. The Beaudelaire Orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, undergo agonizing adventures escaping their evil Uncle Olaf, who wants to kill them for their family fortune. But through great intelligence and ingenuity and, yes, a little luck, the children consistently outsmart Olaf and his evil henchpeople. This is a wonderful series for upper elementary and middle school, and is a great way to teach children the connotations of words and phrases because of the delightful narration of Lemony Snicket. Springer, Nancy. The Enola Holmes Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Marquess (2005); The case of the Left-Handed Lady (2006); and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2007). Enola Holmes, younger sister of Sherlock, is a mysterysolving force unto herself. Forced into hiding her true identity when her mother disappeared and her brothers suggested that she be sent to a school for young ladies, Enola begins her own investigative service to earn a living. The books in the series follow Enola as she solves mysteries while working on the biggest mystery of all: finding her mother. Middle school reads. Werlin, Nancy. The Killers Cousin. NY: PenguinPutnam. (1998). Recently acquitted of murder, David moves to Massachusetts to start over where no one will know his past. But life with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Lily is strange and unsettling, especially after David begins to get visits from his dead cousin, Kathy. As David tries to find normalcy, he continues to run into roadblocks seemingly set up by his new girl friend, Raina, and his family. And then there is Lilys animosity and strange questions about guilt. A fabulous mystery with a surprising ending. High School. Werlin, Nancy. Black Mirror. NY: PenguinPutnam. (2001). When Francess brother, Daniel, commits suicide, Frances cant help but think its her faultbecause she didnt listen to him enough, because she refused to join the school club that meant the most to Daniel, the Unity Service. In her grief, she decides to join, but meets strong opposition from Daniels girlfriend, Saskia. However, with the aid of a supportive art teacher and the school outcast, she joins anyway, only to discover that there is something wrong with Unity. What will her suspicions lead her to? Werlin, Nancy. Locked Inside. NY: PenguinPutnam. (2000). Marnie, the only child of a recently deceased rock star, finds her new prep school to be less than interesting until she meets Elf in an Internet fantasy/adventure game. However, when she is kidnapped by a strange woman who thinks that she is Marnies long lost sister, Marnies

intelligence and computer acumen are not nearly enough to save her, and Marnie finds that she has to rely on others for the first time in a long time to find her freedom and herself. High School.

Poetry
Bryant, Jen. Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. This story in verse chronicles the Scopes Monkey Trial from a variety of perspectives. A wonderful read that would work well with the movie or play Inherit the Wind. High school. Bryant, Jen. Pieces of Georgia. NY: Yearling, 2006. Georgias life hasnt been easy since her mom died, but when a journal from her guidance counselor and an anonymous membership to the Brandywine River Museum inspires her writing and her artwork, things start to happen. This story in verse chronicles Georgias new friendships, the change in her relationship with her father, and her own new sense of self-respect. Middle Bryant, Jen. Pieces of Georgia. NY: Yearling, 2006. This story in verse chronicles the Scopes Monkey Trial from a variety of perspectives. A wonderful read that would work well with the movie or play Inherit the Wind. High school. school. Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog. NY: HarperTrophy. 2001. Jack doesnt want to write poetry. But after his teacher introduces The Red Wheelbarrow to the class, Jack finds himself hooked, writing back to his teacher in poetic forms that mimic the poetry theyre reading in class. Jacks poems are humorous and personal, and this book is a gem for teachers who want to show the capacity of poetry as art form, testimonial, letter to the world. Great read for middle school. Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow. NY: Frances Foster Books, 2008. Willow, her family members, and animal family members tell the story of Willows family and the culture that sustains them. A beautiful story of growing up in Alaska as a member of the Inuit people. Middle School. Frost, Helen. Keeshas House. NY: Frances Foster Books, 2003. Six teens find Keeshas houseactually Joes house since hes the person who allows these various alienated teenagers to stay in his home until they are able to get back on their feet or return to their homes. Stephie (pregnant), Jason (Stephies boyfriend), Dontay (foster care), Carmen (arrested on DUI), Harris (gay), and Katie (victim of abusive stepfather) all share their stories. However, the added special piece of this text is the adult in their lifes response, in which the reader finds that so much of life is misunderstanding and miscommunication. A wonderful text and a recent Printz Award winner. Glenn, Mel. Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A Mystery in Poems. NY: Lodestar Books, 1996. Students and faculty members share their memories of Mr. Chippendale, an English teacher, while the reader tries to discover which of the poets is the murderer. Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. Knopf, 2007. This novel in versealso a recent Printz Honor bookprovides an amazing take on the novelist and poet, Sylvia Plath. Told through the voices of the many people who interacted with her but never really seemed to understand herher husband, Ted Hughes, her mother, her best friends from college, the myriad men she dated and discardedthis is an extremely provocative look at the life of a literary genius. Additional voices frame Plaths family when she was a child, Plaths college/relationship experiences, Hughes and Plaths difficult marriage, and Sylvias various recoveries from depression and suicide. Hemphills poetry, presented in the style of certain Plath poems, are beautifully written and are, at once, the poets and Plaths. High school. High, Linda Oatman. Planet Pregnancy. NY: Front Street, 2008. Sixteen-year-old Sahara is pregnant and in general denial. She doesnt feel like she can get rid of the baby, but she also cant tell ex-boyfriend Dustin or her mom, who will definitely freak out. But as the months past and she starts to worry about showing, her poetic thoughts turn to finances and education and larger concerns about the paper. High school. Korman Gordan and Bernice Korman. The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom: A Collection of Poems about Winning, Losing and Being a Good Sport (Sometimes). NY: Scholastic, 1996. Jeremy, a middle schooler, seems to have a winning team on each sport until his English teacher shows up and ruins the event. He records his traumas in humorous lyric style. Rocklin, Joanne. For Your Eyes Only. NY: Scholastic Press, 1997. Mr. Moffatt, a sixth grade teacher, often writes

poems or sayings on his Monday morning chalkboard. This book includes Lucys and Andys poetic, pictorial, and journal-written responses to the chalkboard sayings. Smith, Hope Anita. Keeping the Night Watch. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2008. When C.J.s dad up and left the family, C.J. felt like he had to become the responsible male. So when his dad comes back and no one talks about why Dad left in the first place, C.J. is confused and resentful. Can his dad make amends in a meaningful way, or will he and C.J. simply drift apart, tearing the family further apart in the process. Solid middle school read. Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesnt Know. What My Girlfriend Doesnt Know. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2002 2007. Written in poetic form, these two books provide a delightful due of story in poems of Sophies first, second, and third loves and then a second book in which love number 3 shares his insecurities about being with Sophie. Great reads for girls in middle and high school and boys who would like to understand those girls Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books where the Mother Dies.. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004. Written in poetic form, this novel follows Ruby, who, after her mother dies, must go and live in Beverly Hills with her father, a famous actor whom she has never met. Assuming that hes taking her out of guilt only, Ruby determines to make his life miserable for pulling her away from her best friend, Lizzie, and her boyfriend, Ray. But Ruby comes to learn a number of truths about family and friends as she and her father become a family. A great read for high school. Wong, Joyce Lee. Seeing Emily. NY: Amulet Books, 2005. Written in free-verse, this is the story of Emily, a ChineseAmerican teenager who has grown tired of allowing her parents to dictate who she is. Immersing herself in an art project, distancing herself emotionally from her parents, and taking up with a boy who finds her exotic allows Emily to redefine herself, and no one is more surprised than she about the results. A strong book for middle and high school readers.

Science Fiction
Anderson, M.T. Feed. NY: Candlewick Press, 2002. Titus lives in a futuristic society where the majority of the American population is hook up to feeds, transmitters implanted directly into the brain which eventually integrate themselves into nerves, muscles, etc. Feeds also tell people where to shop, how to get the best deals, how to choose the ultimate vacation spots. Titus and his friends never question the feeds...until they meet a girl who is capable of fighting the feed. Intrigued and a bit scared by Violet, Titus and his friends draw her into their world, with disastrous results. A strangely interesting read, the plot doesnt really kick in until about halfway through the book. But when it does, it has great potential to get students in the class to talk about ways in which the future is already here, and how we all may be very much in a feed world. (High school.) Bertagna, Julie. Exodus. Walker Books for Young Readers, 2008. Mara has lived on Wing her entire life and cant imagine the world the elders have told her about that preceded Wing: a world of technology, skyscrapers, and ease in getting the normal every day goods one needs to survive. When the sea around Wing swallows up the island, it is Mara who leads her friends and family out into the unknown based on a garbled message that came to her on an antiquated computer. But when Mara and the island survivors reach one of the sky cities that was created as the ice caps began to melt, they find an inhospitable world where they are not welcome. Can Mara find the messenger who sent her the message? Can she save the islanders and help them reach safety? This is the beginning of a new series that will be a sure hit with middle and younger high school readers, especially those who are environmentally conscious. Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. Penguin, 2002. Bobby Phillips has a pretty normal life until the morning he wakes up and, hes not there. Bobby realizes that hes invisible, and so begins his journey to finding a cure for himself and to making the best friend he could possibly hope for: Alicia, a blind girl who spends a great deal of time at the library. Alicia doesnt realize that Bobby is invisible, so with her, he can be somewhat his normal self. But the longer Bobby is invisible, the more problems he causes for his parents with local authorities who think hes been kidnapped, or possibly murdered. Can Bobby solve the mystery of his invisibility? Great upper elementary/middle school read. Card, Orson Scott. Enders Game. NY: Tom Doherty Associates, 1986. Ender Wiggins is a manufactured child prodigy in the study of warfare. Taken from the sister who loves him, Ender finds himself fighting his peers as well as computer generated enemies in preparation for the ultimate battle. Middle/high school. Carman, Patrick. Atherton: The House of Power (2006) and Rivers of Fire (2008). The world of Atherton was the creation of troubled genius Dr. Harding, but now, as the technology that ran it runs out of control, only Edgar and his

friends seem to have the wherewithal to figure out how the people of Atherton can stem her destruction. Both books in the series have finely detailed characters who make the plot more than plausible. Edgar in particular is an interesting character that most students will respond to because of his quest for his true identity and parentage. A strong middle school series. Fukui, Isamu. Truancy. NY: Tor Teen, 2008. In a futuristic totalitarian world, the Mayor rules the school systems with an iron hand. Students are not taught to think critically but are expected to do well in school and are severely punished when not successful. But when a handful of teens begin to push back, calling themselves the Truancy, Tack finds himself pulled into the fighting and begins seeking revenge when his beloved sister is killed by one of the truants. When Tack infiltrates the Truancy, though, he begins to realize that he believes much of their cause. Can he do what he knows is right philosophically but still gain the revenge he desires for his sister. And interesting high school level text written by a high school-aged student. Fuller, Kimberly. Home. New York: Tor, 1997. After Maran and her friends witness a mysterious streak blazing across they sky, they are determined to find out what it really is. What they discover is a young man known as the Traveler who convinces them that he is from this planet but was sent off into space to survive the invasion of a group of barbarian determined to obliterate his people. How Maran deals with this news and the traveler is found in this marvelous tale of What if?s. Middle/high school. Gould, Steven. Jumper. NY: Tor, 1992. 17-year-old Davy uses teleportation to jump as a means of escaping abuse and then finds it convenient for dating, financial support, revenge, capturing terrorists, and evading government agents. Middle/high school. Gould, Steven. Wildside. NY: Tor, 1996. Charlie finds the door to another world, a world where passenger pigeons and saber-toothed tigers still exist. A born entrepreneur, Charlie enlists his friends in a money-making scheme selling passenger pigeons and mining for gold that will make them all rich. But can they outsmart the CIA, FBI, and their parents as they pursue their goals? Middle/high school. Hautman, Pete. Rash. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. In the late 21st century, teenager Bo Marsten is charged with causing a rash in his high school. Even though everyone involved knows that Bo couldnt have done what he was accused of, he is sold to the multinational company McDonalds (who have left Big Macs far behind) to make pizzas. Recruited to an unusual type of football team, Bo and his fellow prisoners can earn their freedom if they beat another team; if they dont, theyll be eaten by the polar bears who live outside the factory gates. As Bo works on his football skills, his artificial intelligence projectBorkturns himself into a lawyer so that he can free Bo from his situation. A unique take on the future. High school. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. On Jonas 12th birthday, he is chosen to be the Receiver, the one person in his world who will be given all of the memories of pleasure and pain from the Giver. But this job holds challenges that will test Jonas resolve and force him to make decisions that could impact not only him but the entire social structure of his world. Middle school. Nix, Garth. Shades Children. NY: HarperTrophy, 1997. Absolutely phenomenal book about a futuristic city where overlords have decreed that no child live a day past her fourteenth birthday. On that day, the brain of the child is harvested and used to create creatures that kill on command. A few children lucky enough to escape are part of a daring plan to bring the overlords down, but can they really trust Shade, the once man, now hologram intelligence that leads them? High school. Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The Dead and the Gone. NY: Harcourt Books, 2008. An asteroid hits the moon, impacting its rotation with the earth. Tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions immediately begin to disrupt life and crop cycles. For Alex, Bri, and Julie, whose mother never comes home from her nursing job and whose father may or may not be alive in Cuba, reality sets in quickly and the three begin to work on their own survival in New York City. A heart-rending tale of family loyalty and survival. High School. Plum-Ucci, Carol. Streams of Babel. NY: Harcourt, 2008. Told in alternating narratives, this is a fast-moving, all-tooreal story of bio-terrorists attempting to wipe out civilian communities by poisoning the water supply. The main characters are high school students or recent graduates who work together to make the connections as to what is hurting their family members. High school.

Rose, Malcolm. Blood Brother. NY: Kingfisher, 2008. Luke Harding, 16-year-old forensic investigator, and his loyal robot Malc are the best at solving cases in futuristic England. In this case, an excessive number of patients have been dying in hospital, and all signs look to Lukes father as the murderer. Luke, who hasnt spent much time with his parents in years, has to work on that relationship even as he puzzles out who the real murderer is. Solid middle school. Sleater, William. Intersteller Pig. NY: E. P. Dutton, 1984. Barney becomes too involved with his new hid neighbors after they introduce him to a game called Interstellar Pig. When he finally realizes that this game has far-reaching repercussions for Earth and tries to get out of the game, it is too late. Middle/high school. Vizzini, Ned. Be More Chill. NY: Hyperion, 2004. Jeremy has never been popular with the girls, but when he gets turned on to squips, he knows he has to have one. A squip, a supercomputer in pill form that actually talks to the brain in which it resides, can turn the typical dork into a superstar. But no one tells Jeremy about the dark side to the squipan interesting read for high school students, especially young men. Young, E. L. Storm: The Infinity Code. NY: Dial, 2008. A group of young scientific geniuses take on a terrorist group planning to create a weapon that could easily destroy large cities in a single attack. Little do they know that two of their parents are involvedagainst their willand that their actions may directly influence the fate of their loved ones. This is an action-packed story with solid science. Middle and High School readers.

Collection of Short Stories

Armstrong, Jennifer, ed. Shattered: Stories of Children and War. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. This edited collection features short stories by acclaimed Young Adult authors M.E. Kerr, Gloria Miklowitz, Graham Salisbury, and Suzanne Fisher Staples, to name a few. Each story, dealing with various wars in the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, provides insight into how difficult it is to be a child during war time, how painful it is so suffer the loss of loved ones, how bewildering it is for children who do not see the gray areas of war. The majority of the stories do not have satisfying conclusions, which is at once both frustrating for the reader and necessary to evoke the sense of the wastefulness and frustration of war. A solid read. Middle/high school. Angel, Ann. Such a Pretty Face: Short Stories about Beauty. NY: Amulet Books, 2007. Bauer, Marion Dane, ed. Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence. HarperCollins, 1994. Excellent stories of teens coming out and coming to terms with being gay. High school. Brooks, Bruce. All That Remains: 3 Stories. NY: Atheneum, 2001. Three novellas of adolescents dealing with death. High School. Cart, Michael, ed. Necessary Noise: Stories about our families as they really are. NY: HarperTempest, 2004. Middle/high school. Chen, Jeffrey Paul, Frank Chin, Lawson Furas Inade and Shawn Wong. The Big AIIIEEEEE! An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature. NY: Penguin, 1991. Middle, high school. Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You. NY: Penguin, 1995. A series of short stories about Latina/os of Puerto Rican descent. Excellent. High School. Cormier, Robert. Eight Plus One: Stories by Robert Cormier. NY: Bantam Doubleday, 1991. Middle, high school. Coville, Bruce, ed. A Glory of Unicorns. NY: Scholastic, 1998. Twelve fantasy stories about unicorns. Middle. Crutcher, Chris. Athletic Shorts. NY: Greenwillow Books, 1989. The amazing short story collection by one of our greatest adolescent authors. Mostly high school. Emra, Bruce. Coming of Age; Short Stories about Youth and Adolescence. Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company, 1995. Middle, high school. Gallo, Donald, ed. Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories by Outstanding Writers. NY: Bantam Doubleday, 1990. Middle, high school.

Gallo, Donald, ed. Sixteen Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults. NY: Delacorte Press, 1984. Middle, high school. Gallo, Donald, ed. Ultimate Sports. NY: Delacorte Press, 1995. Middle, high school. Gallo, Donald, ed. Visions: Nineteen Short Stories by Outstanding Writers. NY: Delacorte Press, 1984. Middle, high school. Gallo, Donald, ed. Time Capsule; Short Stories about Teenagers throughout the 20th Century. NY: Delacorte Press, 1995. Stories by some of our favorite authors. Middle, high school. Gallo, Don, ed. On the Fringe. (2001). NY: PenguinPutnam. Fabulous collection of short stories about kids on the fringe, kids who dont make the popular groups, kids ostracized because of poverty, sexual identity, etc. Of special import are the short stories by Ron Koertge (popular girl who finds that she isnt so different than those kids on the edges), Jack Gantos (student who talks about being on Prozac), and Chris Crutcher (the original storyline from Whale Talk about a student who brings a gun to school and kills three classmates before being brought done by the narrator of the story and his brother TJ and then how everyone deals with the murders). A strong collection. High school. Giovanni, Nikki, ed. Grandmothers: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories about the Keepers of Our Traditions. NY: Henry Holt, 1994. Middle, high school. Howe, James. The Color of Absence: 12 stories about loss and hope. (2002). Excellent collection on death, loss, divorce, hope, etc. Strong middle, high school collection. Jacob, Iris. My Sisters Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out. (2002). Henry Holt and Company. Collection of stories written by teenage girls of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and biracial backgrounds on topics such as family, friendships, sex, love, racism, loss and oppression. A strong collection for middle/high school girls. Lynch, Chris. Whitechurch. HarperCollins, 1999. In a series of short stories and prose poems, we see the relationships between Pauly the incorrigible troublemaker, the enigmatic Lilly, and the usually stable narrator Oakley as they deal with each other and with their own inner problems. Meyer, Carolyn. Rio Grande Stories. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994. Stories of a group of students in Albuquerque who research the cultural and history of their familys ties to New Mexico. Myers, Walter Dean. What They Found: Love on 145th St. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2007. Fifteen short stories follow the lives of young men and women who learn to live, love, deal with war, death, depression, poverty, parenthood, and so on. The stories are poignant and humorous in turn; my favorites are the ones that follow the Evans family, who represent the empathic core of the stories. Middle/high school. Pettepiece, T. and A. Aleksin, eds. Face to Face: A Collection of Stories by Celebrated Soviet and American Writers. NY: Philomel, 1990. Middle, high school. Rochman, Hazel, ed. Somehow Tenderness Survives: Stories of Southern Africa. NY: HarperCollins, 1988. Middle, high school. Salisbury, Graham. Island Boys. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2002. Short stories for and about boys set on the Hawaiian Islands. Middle, high school. Singer, Marilyn, ed. Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls. NY: Scholastic, 1998. Eleven authors write story about heroines struggling against conformity. Middle, high school. Soto, Gary. Help Wanted: Inquire Within. (2005). NY: Harcourt. Great collection of short stories on teens needing help making sense of their world. Great humor as well as pathos throughout. Stearns, Michael, ed. A Wizards Dozen: Stories of the Fantastic. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1993. Middle, high school.

Thomas, Rob. Doing Time: Note from the Undergrad. Simon and Schuster, 1997. Ten students, each telling his or her own story, learn something about themselves and others when they do community service projects for their senior year. Wallace, Rich. Losing is Not an Option: Stories. NY: Random House, 2005. Nine short stories from one of the top YA authors of sports fiction. Weiss, M.J. & H. Weiss, eds. From One Experience to Another. Fifteen well-known authors for teens offer fictionalized accounts of something that actually happened to them. Not a bad story in the bunch! Wynne-Jones, Tim. Lord of the Fries and other stories. NY: DK Ink, 1999. Humorous short stories based around the short order cook at the Burger Barn! Middle, high school. Yep, Laurence, ed. American Dragons: Twenty-Five Asian American Voices. NY: HarperCollins, 1995. Middle, high school. Young, Cathy, ed. One Hot Second: Stories About Desire. NY: Knopf, 2002. Yes, its got a racy title, but the stories inside are actually a variety of first love, first kiss, first crush stories that remind us all of that first time we felt that funny feeling in our stomach.:) Definitely a high school read.

Sports
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man. NY: Harper & Row, 1984. An African Ameican boy and a Euro American boy form a friendship centered around basketball. Middle/high school. Coy, John. Box Out. NY: Scholastic, 2008. Liam is a sophomore who has been giving the opportunity to play on the varsity basketball team. At first, hes just so thrilled to be on the team that he doesnt think too much about some of the comments coach makes to them about religion and working as a team. But when he has time to consider the implications of prayers before games to kids who arent Christians, he realizes that hes inadvertently standing up for prejudice and intolerance against others. Liam knows that he has to stand up for what he believes it, but at what cost. Middle/High school. Crutcher, Chris. Athletic Shorts, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Running Loose, Stotan, Ironman, Deadline.All Crutcher books are excellent with well-developed and realistic characters. Middle/high school. Dueker, Carl. Night Hoops. NY: HarperTrophy, 2000. Nick has always played second fiddle to his brother, Scott, when it comes to athletics; however, when Scott chooses band and a girl over basketball, Nick finally gets his chance to impress his dad and himself with his abilities. But Nicks dad, hoping that Nick will become a superstar, doesnt provide enough encouragement to Nick to become a team player. And Nick finds that this is exactly what he needs to become a truly great player. But it isnt until Nick understands how to help Trent, social outcast but athlete supreme, that Nick himself is able to become the kind of player he really wants to be. Middle/high school. Dueker, Carl. Heart of a Champion. NY: Avon, 1993. Jimmy is a natural baseball player, and his friend Seth knows that hell end up in the majors some days. Seth, on the other hand, has to work hard just to stay on the team. When Jimmys life starts a downward cycle because of drinking, Seth is the one to whom he turns. But can Seth really save Jimmy from himself? Middle/high school. Dueker, Carl. On the Devils Court . Boston: Joy Street Books, 1988. Struggling with his failures, a 17-year-old thinks he is willing to trade his soul for one perfect season of basketball. So he makes the wager, knowing full well he doesnt believe in the devil. But when strange things began to happen and he becomes the star of the team, hes forced to rethink the deal he may have made. Middle/high school. Flynn, Pat. Out of His League. NY: Walker, 2008. Thanks to an international exchange program, Australian rugby player Ozzie finds himself in Texas playing football. Neither the team nor the coach are sure of what to make of him, but Ozzie dazzles with his fearlessness on the playing field. But as he renown grows, his interactions with his classmates changes and he finds himself tempted by girls and offers the likes of which he could have never

contemplated. Can he be true to his girlfriend in Australia and his own sense of right and wrong, or will he simply be pulled into crazy American excess. An interesting book for high school readers. Gutman, Dan. Satch & Me; Honus & Me; Mickey & Me; Shoeless Joe & Me; Babe & Me. NY: HarperCollins, 20002006. The time travel series where young baseball addict Stosh goes back in time to meet his favorite historic baseball players. Great series for less-motivated readers who are interested in sports. Upper elementary and middle school. Hughes, Pat. Open Ice. NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006. Nick Taglio is a hockey star at his high school, and he has the injuries and the girl friend to prove it. But when Nick suffers an illegal hit during a game and succumbs to his second concussion in six months, his parents and doctor prepare him for the real possibility that he will have to give up hockey forever or face severe brain damage if hes injured again. As Nick struggles with the reality of the concussion and his fickle girlfriendshe only loves Nick as long as hes a hockey starhe is forced to deal with the stark reality that leaving hockey will change his life; but can he accept that? Great middle/high school read. Klass, David. Wrestling with Honor. NY: Scholastic, 1989. When the drug test straight A, Eagle Scout, all-aroundgood-kid Ron takes comes back positive, he must decide whether to submit to a second test. At stake is a scholarship, his own sense of himself as an individual, and his relationships with his mom and girl friend. Middle/high school. De la Pena, Matt. Ball Dont Lie. Delacorte, 2005. Sticky is a foster child who has been through his share of foster situations. But when it comes to basketball, he knows exactly who he is and where he belongs. But can he hang on to the security of basketball when faced with girlfriend issues, family problems, and personal safety concerns. An amazing text for basketball players everywhere. High school. Lynch, Chris. Slot Machine. NY: HarperCollins, 1995. When overweight Elvin Bishop signs up for a summer retreat called Twenty-One Nights with the Knights, he thinks hes signed up for three weeks of fun sports. The reality, however, has him getting bruised, beaten, and humiliated on a regular basis by both friends and foes alike. What he learns from the experience helps him as he reevaluates his life and friendships. Middle/high school. Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen. NY: Graphia, 2006. D. J. has been raised on a farm surrounded by boys, so its no big surprise that she knows football. Talked into helping the quarterback from their rival teamBrian--get into shape, D. J. realizes that she, too, has the desire and ability to be a football player. But if she does go out for football, how will it impact her relationship with her parents, her brothers, and most importantly, Brian? Middle/high school. Myers, Walter Dean. Game. New York: HarperTeen, 2008. Drew Lawson knows that his future depends upon his skill as a basketball player, so as he enters his senior year, hes pushing himself to be a star. But his coaches are focused on teamwork, and Drew finds himself resenting them and questioning his own game as the season wears on. Can Drew find him game within the team? Solid high school read. Myers, Walter Dean. Slam. New York: Scholastic, 1996. Greg Harris is a star on the basketball court, but his grades arent nearly as impressive. Added to his seeming inability to control his temper and his concerns about his moms and his grandmother, Greg, also known as Slam, starts to wonder what his post high school life will be as he comes to understand that hes not making good decisions? Solid high school read. Powell, Randy. Dean Duffy. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995. Dean Duffy became a baseball star in 9th grade and became a has-been by the end of his senior year. His pitching arm is shot and his hitting has gone from stellar to the cellar. With college scholarship opportunities out the windows, Dean is at a loss as to how to proceed. The hes offered a one-semester scholarship from the baseball coach friend of his long-time mentor, Jack Trent. Jacks not to subtle pushing combined with the events of the weeks leading up to the day that Dean has to commit or not to the scholarship provides an interesting look at an older teen who knows that his decisions will impact his future. A thoughtful read for high school students. Ritter, John H. Over the Wall. Puffin Books, 2000. Tyler loves baseball and wants desperately to make the All-Star team, but this may be an impossible task considering that Tyler can never seem to keep his cool during games. Seemingly bent on destruction, Tyler begins to confront some of his own personal issues through his work with Coach Trioli, a Vietnam War vet who has also had to face his own demons. A strong read for middle school boys. Ritter, John H. The Boy Who Saved Baseball. Puffin Books, 2005. Tom Gallaghers passionate plea to Doc to save the Dillontown baseball field results in a challenge; if the Dillontown team can beat the team from down the hill (and with a more modern baseball field), Doc will not sell the field to become a housing development; but if they lose...Tom thinks

its a lost cause until Cruz de la Cruz shows up and then talks Tom into recruiting the reclusive former baseball star, Dante Del Gato, into being their coach. Can they pull off the impossible? Great middle school read. Wallace, Rich. Wrestling Sturbridge. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. A high school wrestler finds he is taking second place to his friends in a number of weight classes, but decides that he must make this year his own, both in the sport and in his relationships with others. Middle/high school. Weaver, Will. Saturday Night Dirt. NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008. Told through a variety of voices: the teenaged stock car drivers (male and female), the unacknowledged manager of Headwaters Speedway (the daughter of the actual owner), the various people who work at the track, this is a fast-moving story of one Saturday at the race track. Each person brings something different to the story: worries that they or their cars wont impress or hold up in actual racing, concerns about keeping the track in the black, attitudes about others at the track, and, of course, a fierce collective sense of competition that drives the whole book. The first in the MOTOR series, this is sure to be a definite winner with boys in particular but anyone interested in stock car racing. Middle/high school