Entering Sixth |
Entering Seventh
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choledenko
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend's family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade. Cover Up by John Feinstein (or other book by the author) wo teenagers learn that every player on a professional football team--which is supposed to play in the Super Bowl--has failed their drug test and the owner has covered up the results, and now they must find a way to prove it. Sequel to Last Shot and Vanishing Act. I Wanna be Your Shoe Box by Cristina Garca Thirteen-year-old, Southern California surfer Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch is a unique mix of Jewish, Japanese, and Cuban heritage; and when her grandfather, Saul, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she asks him to tell her his life story in order to better understand her own history. Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1919, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital. London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim. Peak by Roland Smith A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest and build a relationship with his estranged father. Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman In1872 England, recently orphaned Sally Lockhart is looking for facts about death of her Father and becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby. Satchel Page: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm A graphic novel account of the career of Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige, discussing the show he put on as a popular player, as well as the respect he demanded as an African-American. (Graphic Novel) Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan Fifteen short texts, each accompanied by Tan's signature black-and-white and full-color artwork, take the mundane world and transform it into a place of magical wonders. (Graphic Novel) Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York. Zen and the Art of Faking it by Jordan Sonnenblick When thirteen-year-old San Lee moves to a new town and school for the umpteenth time, he is looking for a way to stand out when his knowledge of Zen Buddhism, gained in his previous school, provides the answer--and the need to quickly become a convincing Zen master. |
Entering EighthFiction
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer (fantasy) When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor. Monster by Walter Dean Myers (realistic) While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen (or another book by this author) (realistic) After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen year-old Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the Native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life. After Tupac and D Foster by Jacquenline Woodson (realistic) In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.. Clay by David Almond (fantasy) The developing relationship between teenager Davie and a mysterious new boy in town morphs into something darker and more sinister when Davie learns firsthand of the boy's supernatural powers. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (fantasy) Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster. New Boy by Julian Houston (historical) As a new sophomore at an exclusive boarding school in the 1950s, Rob Garrett, a young black man, is witness to the persecution of other students and wonders about the growing civil rights movement back home in Virginia. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (realistic) Hunter Braque, a New York City teenager who is paid by corporations to spot what is "cool," combines his analytical skills with girlfriend Jen's creative talents to find a missing person and thwart a conspiracy directed at the heart of consumer culture. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (fantasy) Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death. Real Time by Pnina Kass (realistic) Sixteen-year-old Tomas Wanninger persuades his mother to let him leave Germany to volunteer at a kibbutz in Israel, where he experiences a violent political attack and finds answers about his own past. Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher (historical) Exiled from their home country because of their father's plot against King Phraates, fourteen-year-old Mitra and five-year-old Babak, who are of royal descent, live as beggars until it is discovered that the boy can tell the future through his dreams, and the magus Melchoir and two other Zoroastrian priests take the children with them to Bethlehem to witness the coming of a new king. My Mother the Cheerleader by Rob Sharenow (historical) Thirteen-year-old Louise uncovers secrets about her family and her neighborhood during the violent protests over school desegregation in 1960 New Orleans. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (realistic) Graphic Novel - In a series of three linked tales, the central characters are introduced: Jin Wang, a teen who meets with ridicule and social isolation when his family moves from San Francisco's Chinatown to an exclusively white suburb; Danny, a popular blond, blue-eyed high school jock whose social status is jeopardized when his goofy, embarrassing Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, enrolls at his high school; and the Monkey King who, unsatisfied with his current sovereign, desperately longs to be elevated to the status of a god. Nonfiction Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang The author tells about the happy life she led in China up until she was twelve-years-old when her family became a target of the Cultural Revolution, and discusses the choice she had to make between denouncing her father and breaking with her family, or refusing to speak against him and losing her future in the Communist Party. Secrets, Lies, Gizmos, and Spies: A History of Spies and Espionage by Janet Wyman Coleman Published in association with the Spy Museum, this book is an illustrated exploration of espionage that discusses famous and notorious spies, spy technology, tactics, and notable missions in history. Letters to a Bullied Girl by Olivia Gardner with Emily and Sarah Buder Presents a selection from the thousands of letters written to offer comfort and support to Olivia Gardner, a girl who became the victim of bullying after suffering an epileptic seizure in school, and whose story was heard by sisters Emily and Sarah Buder who took it upon themselves to start the letter writing campaign. Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein Tells the story of David Hahn, the Michigan teenager who built a nuclear breeder reactor in his backyard in 1994, endangering the residents of his Michigan hometown and raising the ire of the federal government. Pedro and Me by Judd Winick In graphic art format, describes the friendship between two roommates on the MTV show "Real World," one of whom died of AIDS. An Inconvenient Truth by Albert Gore An adaptation of the book in which former Vice President Al Gore examines the climate crisis that is threatening the future of the planet, describes what the world's governments are doing to correct the problem, and explains why the problem should be taken more seriously. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman Tells the life story of singer Marian Anderson, describing her famous 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance and explaining how she helped end segregation in the American arts after being refused the right to perform at Washington's Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin. 19 Varieties of Gazelle : Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye Sixty poems present a balanced yet intimate view of both the Middle East and Arab Americans. Many poems are autobiographical in nature. Almost Astronauts : 13 women who dared to dream by Stone, Tanya Lee Chronicles the efforts of 13 women to win admission into NASA's initial astronaut training program in the early 1960s. They were resisted from all directions-including NASA regulations, which were weighted toward men; media coverage that reflected contemporary gender expectations; political maneuvering by then vice president LBJ and other officials; and the crushing opposition expressed by renowned aviatrix Jackie Cochran in a 1962 Congressional hearing. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman A biography of English naturalist Charles Darwin that provides an account of the personality behind evolutionary theory and the affect of his work on his personal life, such as his relationship with his religious wife. Let Me Play : the Story of Title IX, the Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal Examines Title IX, the 1972 legislation which mandated that schools receiving federal funds could not discriminate on the basis of gender. and focuses on its effects in schools, politics, sports and the culture as a whole. Three Wishes : Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis Presents the words of young people between the ages of eleven and eighteen in which they share what it is like to live in the midst of the upheaval and violence of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Twelve Rounds to Glory : the Story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Rap-inspired verse and illustrations describe the life of Muhammed Ali, discussing his bouts, struggles with societal prejudice, Islamic faith, Olympic glory, and more. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose Presents an account of fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin, an African-American girl who refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks, and covers her role in a crucial civil rights case. |