| Below are some great books.
Mr.Sullivan's Big Book List (Hopefully, there is something for everyone.)
Heroes
In Books for Middle Schoolers
Public and private, men and women of all backgrounds who face new challenges
with unexpected backbone.
Fiction
Aiken, Joan Is Underground
Is wants to know why the children of London are disappearing and how to
rescue them.
Fletcher, Susan Shadow Spinner
Marjan vows to save the life of Scharazade.
Howker, Janni Nature of the Beast
The moors are unsafe - but one boy knows of the strange beast killing the
livestock.
Philbrick, Rodman Freak the Mighty
In the eighth grade, Max and his classmate Freak, who is the size of a four-
year-old, team up against bullies and fate.
Seidler, Tor Wainscot Weasel
Zeke Whitebelly will be a hero if he saves the beautiful fish, Bridget.
Shannon, Jacqueline I Hate My Hero
When Rachel's best friend saves her from choking, their friendship suffers.
Spinelli, Jerry Wringer
When Palmer turns 10, he must become a "Wringer" for the town's annual
Pigeon Day, or be brave enough to refuse.
Taylor, Theodore The Trouble with Tuck
Helen's dog has saved her life twice - can she save him when he goes blind?
Temple, Frances Grab Hands and Run
12-year-old Felipe and his mother and sister escape from El Salvador to
Canada.
Voigt, Cynthia Jackaroo
Gwen doesn't believe in the masked Jackaroo - until she becomes him.
Non-Fiction
325.2 L578f
Levine, Ellen Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their
Own Stories
Meet some of the children and teenagers who took part in the American Civil
Rights movement in the 1960s.
398.2 H18h
Hamilton, Virginia Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy tales
and True Stories
African-American fairy tales, animal stories, supernatural tales, legends
and true stories of the female kind.
629.13 L578c
Levi, Steven C. Cowboys of the Sky: The Story of Alaska's Bush Pilots
They've flown with felons handcuffed to the seat, corpses strapped to the
wing, and a drugged polar bear in the cargo hold!
796.4 R835k
Krull, Kathleen Wilma Unlimited
The triumphant story of a girl with polio who becomes the fastest woman in
the world, Wilma Rudolph.
808.81 In1d
Steptoe, Javaka (illustrator) In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: An African-
American Celebration of Fathers
Deeply felt and humorous poems accompanied by knockout art create memorable
images of fathers.
919.89 Sh11a2
Armstrong, Jennifer Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The
Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance
In 1914, this Antarctic exploration went deadly wrong. The crew's survival
is a grand triumph over tragedy.
920 B7639at
Bridges, Ruby Through My Eyes: The Autobiography of Ruby Bridges
At six years old, Ruby Bridges gained national attention in the integration
of the New Orleans public schools.
920 C711h
Hart, Philip S. Up in the Air: The Story of Bessie Coleman
In 1920, Bessie Coleman traveled to France to become the first African-
American woman to earn a pilot's license.
920 K261as
Kehret, Peg Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio
The author was 13 when she came down with three different kinds of polio.
920 L64d2
Denenberg, Barry An American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh
Most Americans know the myth of Charles Lindbergh; the real story is both
fascinating and disturbing.
920 Og7b
O'Grady, Scott Basher Five-Two
After U.S. Air Force pilot Scott O'Grady was shot down over Bosnia, he had
to evade capture and survive alone in enemy territory with little water and
no food.
940.5315 M496r
Meltzer, Milton Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the
Holocaust
People of many backgrounds fought bravely to save Jews from Nazi
extermination.
940.54 M217r
McKissack, Patricia and Frederick Red Tail Angels: The Story of the
Tuskegee Airman of World War II
The first African-Americans to fly for the U.S. Air Force brought home 150
military awards, yet they were part of an experiment that many people
expected to fail.
942.01 An29q
Andronik, Catherine M. Quest for a King: The Search for King Arthur
What do we know about this hero? Could he have really lived?
All Kinds of Families
In Books for Middle Schoolers
Families come in many different shapes and sizes. Here are a few . . .
Fiction
Byars, Betsy The Summer of the Swans
When her retarded brother gets lost, a teenage girl gains new insight into
herself and her family.
Choi, Sook Nyul The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
With her mother and little brother, ten-year-old Sookan flees North Korea
during the occupation of the 1940s.
Clarke, Judith The Heroic Life of Al Capsella
Fourteen-year-old Al Capsella, desperately trying to be normal, is
constantly embarrassed by his unconventional parents.
Curtis, Christopher The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
An African-American family from Michigan is drastically changed after
visiting Grandma in 1963 Alabama.
English, Karen Francie
In 1940s Alabama twelve-year-old Francie and her mother work hard to survive
while waiting to move north.
Hesse, Karen The Music of Dolphins
After an adolescent girl raised by dolphins is rescued from the sea,
researchers try to "humanize" her.
Holt, Kimberly My Louisiana Sky
Tiger Ann struggles with feelings about her grandmother, her mentally slow
parents, and her friend Jesse.
Koss, Amy The Ashwater Experiment
How will seventh-grader Hillary deal with her nomadic parents' decision to
housesit for a full year in one place?
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds Reluctantly Alice
Alice weathers the ups and downs of seventh grade while advising her father
and brother on their love lives.
Rocklin, Joanne Strudel Stories
Seven generations of a Jewish family tell their stories as they make apple
strudel in kitchens, separated by years and oceans.
Sleator, William Oddballs: Stories
Stories based on the author's youth are peopled with an unusual assortment
of family and friends.
Voigt, Cynthia A Solitary Blue
Jeff's mother's reentry into his life widens the gap between Jeff and his
father.
Non-Fiction
920 C58g
Cleary, Beverly A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir
Cleary writes of her childhood in Oregon, through high school and young
adulthood, highlighting her family life and her growing interest in reading.
596 N811
North, Sterling Rascal, a Memoir of a Better Era
North describes his life in a small town at the end of World War I--
especially his adventures with his pet raccoon Rascal.
920 G379
Gilbreth, Frank B. Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey Cheaper By the Dozen
What would it be like to have eleven brothers and sisters? The Gilbreths
know, and share the tale.
920 N143w
Warren, Andrea Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story
From 1854-1929 over 200,000 abandoned children were placed in homes in the
Midwest. Here is one boy's story.
War and Peace
In Books for Middle Schoolers
History, memoir, and fiction reveal the courageous and often harrowing
experiences people face when nations are in crisis.
Non-Fiction
Meltzer, Milton Ain't Gonna Study War No More: The Story of America's
Peace Seekers
From Quakers to protest in the streets, the passionate history of war
resistance in the U.S. reveals the high price people pay who dissent.
973.711 M954b
Murphy, Jim The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the
Civil War
Adventure and glory motivate boys twelve to sixteen to face the cruel
realities of war.
920 V325z
Zeinert, Karen Elizabeth Van Lew: Southern Belle, Union Spy
Always under suspicion for her Union sympathies, could a Confederate lady
truly become a spy? She could!
973.82 V811i
Viola, Herman J. It is a Good Day to Die: Indian Eyewitnesses Tell the
Story of the Battle of the Little Big Horn
Native American survivors tell of the events of June 25, 1876.
959.7 H986L
Huynh Quang Nhuong The Land I Lost
Water buffalo, wild hogs, and horse snakes are all part of the exciting
childhood memories in a land later destroyed by war.
946 K159L
Katz, William Loren and Marc Crawford The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture
History
The first fully integrated U.S. army was a group of idealist volunteers
fighting against fascism at the dawn of World War II in the Spanish civil
war. Their bravery is the stuff of legend.
943.086 Ay24p
Ayer, Leanor H. with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck Parallel Journeys
Can a former Hitler Youth and an Auschwitz survivor find peace with each
other forty years after World War II? This is their remarkable story.
920 Su35m
Mochizuki, Ken Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story
The Japanese diplomat is able to save Jewish lives in World War II through
stunning and stealthy moves.
920 Ar64f
Fritz, Jean Traitor, the Case of Benedict Arnold
From Revolutionary War hero to disgrace, Benedict Arnold's life is tragic
and fascinating.
327.1 C245
Carter, Jimmy Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation
What are human rights? The former President reveals what he learned about
conflict resolution and addresses the global challenges we face.
Fiction
Wolff, Virginia Euwer Bat 6
In 1949 the annual 6th grade girl's softball game brings anti-Japanese
sentiment to the field.
Boyd, Candy Dawson Charlie Pippin
Charlie is determined to find out what happened in the Vietnam War to change
her father into such an angry man.
Orgel, Doris The Devil in Vienna
Two girls, one Jewish and one a member of the Hitler Youth, are determined
their friendship can survive world upheaval.
Richter, Hans Peter Friedrich
A boy enthusiastically joins the Hitler Youth while unaware of how this will
change his friendship with his Jewish pal. First published in Germany.
Orlev, Uri The Island on Bird Street
As the Germans remove Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, Alex escapes to survive
all alone in an empty urban landscape.
Lowry, Lois Number the Stars
In the face of Nazi threats, a Jewish girl is hidden and evacuated by the
brave Danish people.
Polacco, Patricia Pink and Say
Based on a true family story, a young free slave soldier aids a young white
soldier only to tragically die because of his color.
Greene, Bette Summer of My German Soldier
A Jewish girl falls in love with a German prisoner of war imprisoned in
Arkansas and the results are heartbreaking.
Marsden, John Tomorrow When the War Began
Seven Australian teenagers return from a camping trip and find their country
has been invaded. They must hide to survive.
Booth, Martin War Dog: A Novel
If you want to know what it is like to be in battle during World War II,
this series of events involving Jet, a black Labrador, will put you there.
Mr. Sullivan's Book List
More CS Lewis Books:
The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Trader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Holes by Louis Sachar
Whirligig by Paul Fleishman
Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
Anne Frank: Diaryt of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (Contact teacher for
permission)
The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane
Call of the Wild, Jack London
Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Earthsea trilogy by Ursula Le Guin
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Go Ask Alice by anonymous
The Book of Three and series by Lloyd Alexander
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Let The Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred Taylor
Anything by Madeleine L'Engle
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
Chloris and the Freaks by Kin Platt
My Side of the Mountain by Jean George
Homecoming, Dicey's Song and A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Rumblefish, Tex, and The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
The Year the Lights Came On by Terry Kay
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
The Watcher by James Howe
Tenderness by Robert Cormier
White Horse and Mary Wolf by Cynthia Grant
Jump Ball by Mel Glenn
Best Little Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron
Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran
Advanced Reading
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Macbeth, William Shakesspeare
Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare
The Pearl, John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
Hamlet, William Shakespear
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
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