GRADE SEVEN
Tuck Everlasting
Of Mice and Men
The Prince and the Pauper
Fahrenheit 451
Call of the Wild
GRADE EIGHT
Little Women
To Sir With Love
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Lord of the Flies
The Old Man and the Sea
All Creatures Great and Small
Flowers for Algernon
Billy Budd
Never Cry Wolf
Motown & Didi
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Night
Swiss Family Robinson
Delsea Middle School
Suggested Reading List
Acampora, Paul. DEFINING DULCIE. Dulcie works along with her father and
grandfather as janitors at her high-school. When her father dies as a result
of a cleaning chemical accident Dulcie’s mother decides she is picking up and
moving to California. Dulcie doesn’t want to leave everything she knows, but
travels across country with her mom in her father’s pick-up truck. When her
mother decides to sell her father’s truck, Dulcie can’t bear to lose the only
thing left of her father’s. She takes the truck and drives back to her
grandfather’s home in Connecticut, sending postcards to her mother along the
way. When she gets there her punishment is to work for free as a janitor
with her grandfather and Roxanne, a girl with an abusive mother. A humorous
and witty adventure. (FICTION)
Anderson, Laurie Halse. FEVER, 1793. In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old
Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and
self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever
epidemic. (Fiction)
Auch, Mary Jane. ASHES OF ROSES. Margaret Rose Nolan comes to New York with
her family to begin a new life in America. When her baby brother is denied
entry when he is examined on Ellis Island, her father returns to Ireland with
him, with plans to return to America as soon as possible. Her mother and one
sister return a few days later when inhospitable relatives make life in
America too difficult to bear. Margaret Rose and her sister Maureen stay
behind. This historical novel chronicles their struggles and triumphs as
immigrants in America including a description of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory fire in which 146 lives were lost. (Fiction)
Ayres, Katherine. STEALING SOUTH: A STORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
Sixteen-year-old, Will Spencer is leaving home to become a peddler. He has
been a driver on the Underground Railroad and on his final trip promises a
runaway slave that he will try to bring the rest of his family to freedom in
Canada. He risks life, limb and his fortunes to keep his promise.
(Fiction)
Barrett, Tracy. COLD IN SUMMER. Ariadne’s family moves from her home in
Florida to a small college town in Tennessee during her seventh grade year.
She misses her old home and friends. One day when she is especially down she
meets an odd-looking girl, May Butler, who has a long braid and wears a faded
blue dress and brown boots. It turns out that May is a ghost from the 1850’s
who wants to return to where she belongs, a place where it is “cold in summer
and warm in winter”. This is great ghost story with some twists and turns
that make it an exciting read.
Barron, T. A.. THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN. A young boy who has no identity
nor memory of his past washes ashore on the coast of Wales and finds his true
name after a series of fantastic adventures. [Includes a series of books]
(Fiction)
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. KIDS ON STRIKE! Describes the conditions and
treatment that drove workers, including many children, to various strikes,
from the mill workers strikes in 1828 and 1836 and the coal strikes at the
turn of the century, to the work of Mother Jones on behalf of child workers.
(Non-Fiction)
Bauer, Joan. HOPE WAS HERE. Sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has
raised her move from place to place working as a waitress and cook in diners
around the United States. Their next stop is Mulhoney, Wisconsin, where they
will find excitement, friendship, and even romance. (Fiction)
Beattie, Owen. BURIED IN ICE. Probes the tragic and mysterious fate of Sir
John Franklin’s failed expedition to find the Northwest Passage in 1845.
(Non-Fiction)
Blackwood, Gary L. THE YEAR OF THE HANGMAN. A historical novel that
explores what would happen if events of the Revolutionary War did not turn out
the way they did. When a Creighton, a spoiled fifteen-year-old British
aristocrat, is banished to the colonies to be taught discipline by his uncle,
a colonel in the British army, many adventures ensue. From encounters with
pirates, work with Ben Franklin, and a mission with Benedict Arnold to release
a captured George Washington, Creighton comes to terms with his personal
loyalties and does a bit of growing up in the process. (Fiction)
Bunting, Eve. THE PRESENCE. Seventeen-year-old Catherine's parents are away
over the Christmas holiday and she is sent to her grandmother's in Passadena,
CA for the holiday. While visiting her grandmother's church she meets Noah,
who tells her he can communicate with her dead pen pal. The only problem is
Noah is a ghost who has lured girls who look like Catherine into the basement
of the church for years. Will Catherine become his next victim? (Fiction)
Cappo, Nan Willard. CHEATING LESSONS: A NOVEL. Bernadette Ternell, an
academically gifted student, is challenged with conflicted feelings when she
discovers that answers and test results have been changed by a favorite
teacher. The stakes are high in a state-wide Jeopardy-like tournament that
promises a $10,000 college scholarship to each member of the winning team.
Should she play along, throw her answers, or expose the cheating? (Fiction)
Carbone, Elisa Lynn. STEALING FREEDOM. A novel based on the events in the
life of a young slave girl from Maryland who endures all kinds of mistreatment
and cruelty, including being separated from her family, but who eventually
escapes to freedom in Canada. (Fiction)
Choldenko, Gennifer. NOTES FROM A LIAR AND HER DOG. Ant, is so
misunderstood. She is stuck in a family she does not like and copes by
pretending that her “real” parents are coming to rescue her. She loves her
dog Pistachio, and tries to do what she believes to be right, but always
seems to mess up. Of course, her habit of bending the truth doesn’t always
help her situation either. (Fiction)
Clements, Andrew. THINGS NOT SEEN. Fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up one day
and he is invisible. His father (a physicist) worries that if his son is
discovered by authorities he will be lost to his family for ever and swears
him to secrecy as he tries to find a scientific reason for his invisibility.
This book explores Bobby’s adventures as he goes out to explore the world and
makes friends with a blind girl. (Fiction)
Coleman, Penny. ROSIE THE RIVETER. Describes the extraordinary job
opportunities for women brought about by World War II. (Non-Fiction)
Cooley, Beth. OSTRICH EYE. Fifteen-year-old Ginger lives with her mother
and step-father Tony, and her young step-sister Vivian. Ginger helps out alot
around the house, and is even recruited to help out with Vivian's Sunbeam
Scout group. Ginger notices a stranger around town and suspects it is her
long lost father, someone she wishes to get to know better. She allows this
stranger into her family only to learn that he isn't who she thinks he is
when he kidnaps her younger step-sister. (Fiction)
Cooney, Caroline. HIT THE ROAD. Brittany has just passed her driver’s test,
her mother and father are off on a trip to Alaska, and she is sent to stay
with her 86-year-old grandmother, Nannie. Her grandmother wants to attend a
65th reunion with her college roommates but all of the roommates children have
placed roadblocks in their way. The grandmothers are not going to let that
stop them. Brittany is elected to be the driver of a rented van and she and
her grandmother pick up friends in this sometimes sad, sometimes funny
adventure. (Fiction)
Croutier, Alev Lytle. LEYLA: THE BLACK TULIP. An historical novel set in
Istanbul in the 1720's finds twelve-year-old Laleena unknowingly selling
herself into slavery to help her poor family. She winds up in the Sultan's
harem where she works in the garden and makes friends with some powerful
people. The customs and events described do much to make this period of
history come alive. (Fiction)
Curtis, Christopher Paul. BUD, NOT BUDDY. Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless
boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad
foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father –
the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. (Fiction)
Deuker, Carl. HIGH HEAT. Shane Hunter, star baseball pitcher for his
private school team, finds his perfect world shattered when his father commits
suicide after being arrested for money laundering. His family is forced to
move into public housing and he attends a public school. His anger at his
situation causes him to lose interest baseball and he gets into trouble. As
part of his probation, he must repair a local baseball field and in doing so
he is drawn back into the game. Great baseball action is found throughout the
book with realistic play-by-play descriptions. (Fiction)
Elliott, Laura. UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY. This historical novel is based on
some of the author’s own father’s experiences during WWII. Nineteen-year-old
Henry Forester is a pilot who is shot down and must work his way back to
freedom through Nazi-occupied Europe. The book chronicles his adventures
with the individuals who helped him on his journey. (Fiction)
Fama, Elizabeth. OVERBOARD. Based on an actual ferry accident off the coast
of Sumatra; Emily,is a fourteen year old girl forced to leave Boston when her
parents volunteer to serve as doctors in a foreign land. Emily feels
neglected and when her uncle invites her to visit him on a nearby island she
“runs away” to see him without her parent's permission. She boards an
overcrowded ferry that sinks. The book involves her survival in this
life-threatening situation. (Fiction)
Feinstein, John. LAST SHOT: A FINAL FOUR MYSTERY. Stevie Thomas and Susan
Carol are the winners of a U.S. Basketball Writer's Association writing
contest. Their prize is a trip to the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament
in New Orleans. As they explore the arena looking for story leads they
overhear a star player being blackmailed into throwing the championship game.
Will he do it or not? This is a great story for college basketball lovers.
(Fiction)
Fisher, Leonard Everett. TRACKS ACROSS AMERICA: THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN
RAILROAD, 1825 - 1900 : WITH PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS AND DRAWINGS. Examines the
development of the railroad in the United States from its nineteenth-century
beginnings to the end of this century. (Non-Fiction)
Fletcher, Susan. SHADOW SPINNER. When Marjan, a thirteen-year-old crippled
girl, joins the Sultan’s harem in ancient Persia, she gathers for Shahrazad
the stories which will save the queen’s life. (Fiction)
Fogelin, Adrian. CROSSING JORDAN. Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new
African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families’ prejudices
become friends. They build their friendship around their talent for running,
forming the racing team called “Chocolate Milk” and reading Jane Eyre.
(Fiction)
Freedman, Russell. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: HOW THEY INVENTED THE AIRPLANE.
Follows the lives of the Wright brothers and describes how they developed the
first airplane. (Non-Fiction)
Fridell, Ron. AMPHIBIANS IN DANGER: A WORLDWIDE WARNING. Describes the
alarming worldwide disappearance of amphibians and its possible link to such
conditions as erosion of the ozone layer, greenhouse effect and global
warming, and environmental pollution. (Non-Fiction)
Friedlander, Mark P. OUTBREAK: DISEASE DETECTIVES AT WORK. Describes the
field of epidemiology and its history, presenting historical and modern case
studies and biological explanations of some diseases. (Non-Fiction)
Friend, Natasha. PERFECT. Isabelle Lee’s family is suffering from the sudden
death of her father. Her mother has withdrawn and refuses to talk about the
death and her younger sister doesn’t know what to do. Isabelle begins binging
and purging as a way to cope. She is discovered and is enrolled in an eating
disorder class. There she discovers that a girl she considers to be “perfect”
suffers from Bulimia as well. Isabelle learns that all is not fine and by
the end of the book she and her family find ways to face their sadness and
move forward with their lives. (FICTION)
Giff, Patricia Reilly. PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS. Abandoned at birth Hollis
Woods has lived in about half a dozen homes and has always wished for a
family. When she runs away from the Regans, a family who wants to adopt
her,she is placed with Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher. The two bond and
when Hollis’ social worker plans to remove her to another home when she
discovers Josie’s failing memory, they both run away to stay at the Regan’s
summer home. In the end they both get the help that they need. (Fiction)
Gilmore, Kate. THE EXCHANGE STUDENT. In 2094, when her mother arranges to
host one of the nine young people coming to Earth from the planet Chela,
Daria is both pleased and intrigued by the keen interest shown by the Chelan
in her work breeding endangered species. (Fiction)
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. AMONG THE HIDDEN. In the future where the
Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children,
Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family’s
farm, until another “third” convinces him that the government is wrong. (Fiction)
Haddix, Margaret Perterson. JUST ELLA. In this continuation of the
Cinderella story, fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince
Charming’s proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and
royal etiquette, so she plots to escape. (Fiction)
Hahn, Mary Downing. THE OLD WILLIS PLACE. Diana and her little brother
Georgie live on the grounds of the old Willis place. They don't go to school
and are free to do whatever they want every day. The Willis house is
dilapadated and supposedly haunted. Diana And Georgie watch as a new
caretaker moves into the trailer on the grounds with his daughter, Lissa.
Lissa and Diana become friendly and venture into the Willis house. When they
do they discover more than they hoped to and solve a mystery that has
surrounded the old Willis place for many years. (Fiction)
Han, Jenny. SHUG. Annamarie Wilcox is a seventh grader whose family calls
Shug (short for Sugar). She has a beautiful older sister, a father who is
always away working, and an alcoholic mother who feels confined in the
southern town they live in. The life she has known is changing as her
feelings toward others change as well. She is hurt by rejections from her
best neighborhood friend Mark and the changing attitudes of the people she
goes to school with. Shug endures the trials of middle school and gains a
better sense of her self worth along the way. (FICTION)
Hesse, Karen. WITNESS. A series of poems is used to express the views and
happenings in a small Vermont town in the early 1920’s when the Ku Klux Klan
tries to infiltrate the town. (Fiction)
Hobbs, Valerie. TENDER. Fifteen-year-old Liv has lived with her grandmother
in New York City since she was a baby. Her mother died in complications from
her birth and her father left her with her grandmother when he moved to
California. When her grandmother dies suddenly she goes to live with her
gruff, fisherman father. She struggles to fit in the small-town world she
enters and through a series of events, city-slicker Liv becomes tender on her
father’s boat. (The person who makes sure the air-compressor is working
properly while her father is diving for abalone). (Fiction)
Horowitz, Anthony. STORMBREAKER. When 14-year-old Alex Rider’s uncle and
legal guardian is mysteriously killed in a car crash Alex learns that his
uncle was actually a spy, working for Britain’s intelligence agency, MI6.
Alex is recruited to continue his uncle’s work. He undergoes a training
session and learns to use all types of James Bond-like gadgets and his wit in
order to save Britain’s school children from a murderous plan using computers
for biological warfare. A mystery filled with cliff-hangers and non-stop
adventure. For more adventure also try the other titles in the Alex Rider
series. (Fiction)
Jones, Charlotte Foltz. FINGERPRINTS AND TALKING BONES: HOW REAL-LIFE CRIMES
ARE SOLVED. Describes the different methods used to solve crimes, including
skeletal and facial reconstruction, botanical or geological information,
voiceprints, and hypnosis. (Non-Fiction)
Kaaberbol. Lene. THE SHAMER’S DAUGHTER. When wrong doers look into a
Shamer’s eyes they are forced to tell the truth and share all of their
secrets. In this fantasy, Dina has inherited her mother’s gift and when her
mother refuses to use her powers to convict an innocent man a very powerful
and evil man has her sentenced to death. Dina’s efforts to save her mother
take her through castles and dragons and dungeons. This is a book you won’t
want to put down. The series continues with THE SHAMER’S SIGNET and THE
SERPENT’S GIFT. (Fiction)
Karr, Kathleen. SKULLDUGGERY. It’s 1839 and 12 year-old Matthew has been
orphaned by a cholera epidemic. He finds room and board with Dr. Asa B.
Cornwall, an expert in phrenology, “the scientific study of the mind through
the surface of the skull”. Things are looking up for Matthew, he has a roof
over his head and food in his stomach and he gets along with the doctor well
enough. Then he learns that his job will be to dig up the graves of famous
people and remove their skulls. (Fiction)
Koja, Kathe. BUDDHA BOY. There's a new boy in school. He is a very
talented artist, he has a shaved head, and his quiet non-conformist ways get
him singled out by bullies. But he doesn't fight back. He continues leading
his life in the way a Buddist artist has taught him, even after they beat him
up and destroy his art work. How can he not care what others think or do?
How will he survive in school? (Fiction)
Lasky, Kathryn. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROOF IN THE WORLD: EXPLORING THE
RAINFOREST CANOPY. Describes the work of Meg Lowman in the rainforest
canopy, an area unexplored until the last ten years and home to previously
unknown species of plants and animals. (Non-Fiction)
Levitin, Sonia. THE CURE. Gemm 16884 is a boy living in the future in a
society without individuality, freedom, or emotions, where everyone lives
behind a mask. When he dreams of music and thinks and talks of emotions the
Leaders try a last resort to make him conform to the society. He is given
“the cure” and transported back in time where he will be able to experience
the past and learn to appreciate the society in which he lives. (Fiction)
Limb, Sue. GIRL 15, CHARMING BUT INSANE. Follows the trials and triumphs of
fifteen-year-old Jess Jordan's life. She uses her wit, good humor and
friends to get through some pretty embarassing situations. As you read this
bookthere will be times you will groan with sympathy or laugh right out loud.
(Fiction)
Lubar, David. DUNK. Chad, hoping to work out his frustrations and his anger
by taking a summer job as a dunk tank Bozo on the boardwalk at the Jersey
shore, comes to a better understanding of himself and the uses of humor as he
undergoes training in the fine art of insults. (Fiction)
Lubar, David. SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE. Scott Hudson begins his first
year of high school unsure of how he will fit in. This is a funny book with
various situations and events that will ring true with many readers. From
the "adventures" of riding the school bus, going to dances, joining various
school activities, and keeping an advise journal for his soon to be born
sibling, Scott keeps readers laughing and pulling for him. (Fiction)
Lupica, Mike. TRAVEL TEAM. Danny Walker is a very talented basketball
player but when the coaches of the seventh grade travel team decide they want
a "big" team Danny doesn't make the cut because he is short. It is especially
hardfor Danny because his father, a former NBA player, once led his town's
seventh grade travel team to a national championship. When his dad returns to
town he decides to form his own travel team and include his son and any other
kid who wanted to play on the team. (Fiction) (If you like baseball, try
HIGH HEAT by the same author.)
Lynch, Chris. GOLD DUST. It is 1975, and twelve-year-old Richard loves
baseball. He lives, breathes, and dreams of the game every waking hour of
every day. He befriends and new boy from an island in the Caribbean and
tries to teach him the game. They both end up learning a lot. (Fiction)
Mah, Adeline Yen, CHINESE CINDERELLA: THE TRUE STORY OF AN UNWANTED DAUGHTER.
The author tells the story of her painful childhood in China where she lived
until the age of fourteen with her father, stepmother, and siblings, all of
whom considered her bad luck because her mother died shortly after giving
birth to her. (Non-Fiction)
Manns, Nick OPERATING CODES. A ghost story with a twist. Graham and his
five-year-old sister Matty are uncomfortable in their new home. Their
father,a computer-software expert for the government, is too busy designing a
state of the art weapons system to pay attention to their tales of ghosts.
When he is arrested for espionage when his weapon design plans are posted on
the internet Graham investigates the history of their new house and uncovers
some interesting facts. The action of the ensuing trial and descriptions of
the history of the house make for an intriguing read. (Fiction)
Mass, Wendy. LEAP DAY: A NOVEL. Josie Taylor was born on February
28, "leap day" so even though she is sixteen she is actually celebrating her
fourth birthday. The book's chapters outline events such as taking a driver's
test,trying out for the school play, and going on a scavenger hunt. A fun
trip through the trials and tribulations of turning sixteen. (Fiction)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. THE KITE RIDER. In thirteenth century China, after
trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage,
twelve-year-old Haoyou has life changing adventures when he takes to the sky
as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler, Kublai
Khan. (Fiction)
Meyer, L. A.. BLOODY JACK: BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF
MARY “JACKY” FABER, SHIP’S BOY. A thirteen year old girl, orphaned by the
plague, escapes a life on the streets of London begging and stealing for
survival by pretending that she is a boy. She is able to sign on to a
British warship, sails the high seas, battles pirates, and becomes
shipwrecked. A wonderful high-sea historic adventure. [If you like this one
check out the sequels too.] (Fiction)
Mikaelsen, Ben. TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR. 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. He is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a
huge Spirit Bear changes his life. (Fiction)
Miler, Brandon Marie. JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED: THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN
MEDICINE. Traces the history of medicine in North America, from the remedies
use by native peoples to the medical advances and health trends of the
twentieth century. (Non-Fiction)
Morpurgo, Michael. KENSUKE’S KINGDOM. When Michael’s parents are laid off
from work, the family embarks on a around the world sailing trip on a yacht.
On a dark night before his twelfth birthday, Michael and his dog Stella are
swept overboard. They are rescued by Kensuke, a Japanese doctor, marooned on
the island since the end of World War II, forty years before. Kensuke keeps
his distance at first, providing food and assistance from afar. Will
Michael survive on this island? Will he be rescued? This is a compelling
read that explores the depths of love, friendship and trust. (Fiction)
Murphy, Claire Rudolf. FREE RADICAL. In Fairbanks, Alaska, in the middle of
the summer Little League baseball season, fifteen-year-old Luke is stunned
when his mother confesses that she is wanted by the FBI for her role in the
death of a student during an anti-Vietnam War protest thirty years ago. By
hiding in Alaska she has avoided one prison and created another. Now she
wants to confess. How will that affect Luke and his life? (Fiction)
Myers, Walter Dean. THE GREATEST: MUHAMMAD ALI. An illustrated biography of
boxing great Muhammad Ali that addresses his politics, his fight against
Parkinson’s disease, and boxing’s dangers. (Biography)
Namioka, Lensey. TIES THAT BIND, TIES THAT BREAK: A NOVEL. Ailin’s life
takes a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese
society by refusing to have her feet bound. (Fiction)
Napoli, Donna Jo. BOUND. This novel is based on Chinese Cinderella tales.
Xing-Xing is a fourteen-year-old stepchild who is left to serve her
step-mother and stepsister when her father passes away. Much of the work of
the household falls upon Xing-Xing since her stepsister suffers terribly from
the binding of her feet. She is sent on a quest to find medicine for her
step-sister’s rotting feet and on her journey learns much. Xing-Xing is bound
by the traditions of her time, but has an independent spirit that is to be
admired. (FICTION)
Nixon, Joan Lowery. NIGHTMARE. Sixteen-year-old Emily Wood has a recurring
nightmare in which she sees a dead woman near a water’s edge. She is
petrified of this dream and it is greatly affecting her life. Her parents, in
an effort to help her, send her away to camp. It turns out that her nightmare
is actually the memory of a murder she observed years ago and she is in great
danger because the murderer wants to eliminate the only witness. A book for
people who like great suspense. (FICTION)
Oates, Joyce Carol. BIG MOUTH & UGLY GIRL. Junior, Matt Donaghy is
overheard threatening to blow up the school if he isn't accepted for the
Spring Arts Festival. He was just joking, but the authorities aren't and his
friends don't seem to want to have anything to do with him. But, "Ugly Girl",
Ursula Rigg knows the truth. Will anyone believe her? (Fiction)
Paterson, Katherine. THE SAME STUFF AS STARS. Whatever comes Angel Morgan’s
way she can handle it. In nearly twelve years she has been in eight
different schools, has been in foster care twice, has an alcoholic,
irresponsible mother, and a father in jail for theft and murder. But she
always seems to survive. When her mother abandons her with her brother at her
great-grandmother's farm in Vermont, responsible Angel finds a way to keep
things together. With the help and attention of the town librarian, Miss
Lisa, and the mysterious “star man” who lives in the trailer out back, Angel
learns that she is made of star stuff. (Fiction)
Paulsen, Gary. MY LIFE IN DOG YEARS. The author describes how dogs have
impacted his life from childhood through the present day. The books recounts
the stories of his first dog, Snowball, in the Phillippines; Dirk, who
protected him from bullies; and Cookie, the dog who saved his life. (Non-
Fiction)
Peters, Julie Anne. DEFINE “NORMAL”: A NOVEL. When Antonia agrees to meet
with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle school, she never dreams
that this girl with black lipstick and pierced eyebrow will help her deal with
the serious problems she faces at home and become a good friend. (Fiction)
Philbrick, W.R. THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE. After an earthquake has
destroyed much of the planet, an epileptic teenage named Spaz begins the
heroic fight to bring human intelligence back to the Earth of a distant
future. (Fiction)
Roberts, Willo Davis. UNDERCURRENTS. Eight months after Nikki’s mother dies
of cancer, her father remarries Crystal, a young illustrator at the
publishing company where he is an editor. Soon after the marriage Crystal
inherits a house on the California coast. Nikki’s father insists that they
vacation at the house even though Crystal is reluctant. When her father is
called back to work Nikki is left to deal with Crystal’s nightmares and
bizarre behavior. Something has happened in this house that haunts Crystal.
The undercurrent of suspense is held throughout this mystery. (Fiction)
Salisbury, Graham. LORD OF THE DEEP. Thirteen-year-old, Mikey, works with
his step-father on a charter fishing boat. He greatly admires and respects
his step-father and works hard to please him. The boat is chartered by two
competitive brothers, who want to win at all costs. When they lie about what
happens when they bring in a prize-winning catch Mikey learns some of life’s
lessons. (Fiction)
Shinn, Sharon. THE TRUTH-TELLER’S TALE. Adele and Eleda are innkeeper’s
daughters and are identical mirror twins who are reflections of each other.
Each has a special gift. Adele is a “Safe-Keeper” a person who is able to
keep everyone’s secrets, and Eleda is a “Truth Teller” who cannot tell a lie.
Their gifts bring them happiness and heartache and they grow up in the town
of Merendon. [Sequel to THE SAFE-KEEPERS SECRET] (Fiction)
Shusterman, Neal. DOWNSIDERS: A NOVEL. Fourteen-year-old Lindsay is sent
to live with her father in New York. While there she meets Talon, a boy that
lives with others in the world which has evolved under the streets of
Manhattan. A fantasy that poses some interesting questions about truth and
how people can literally overlook others by not wanting to see them.
(Fiction)
Simmons, Michael. FINDING LUBCHENKO. Evan Macalister is fifteen years old
and comes from a very well-to-do family. He goes to a private school, lost
his mother to liver cancer when he was eleven, has no brothers or sisters, and
a father that owns a big company and spends very little time with his son.
Evan is left up to his own devices and rebells in unique ways. In order to
get money, his uses his job in his dad's company to steal equipment like
laptops and printers that he then sells for money. One day his dad gets
arrested for murder and his world is turned upside down. He knows his dad
didn't do it and as he and his friends Ruben and Erika explore clues left on
one of the stolen laptops they find suspense and danger. (Fiction)
Smith, Roland. ZACH’S LIE. Jack Osbourne and his mother and sister are
placed in the Witness Security Program when his pilot father is arrested for
drug trafficking. The family is hiding in a new location with new identities
from the drug cartel that has threatened them if his father testifies.
(Fiction)
Springer, Nancy. BLOOD TRAIL. Jeremy “Booger” Davis has his world turned
upside down when his best friend Aaron is murdered. Aaron’s last words to
Jeremy were that he was scared to go home. Could the murderer be someone he
knows? (Fiction)
Taylor, Mildred D. THE LAND. Paul-Edward the son of a part-Indian,
part-African slave mother and a white plantation owner father, finds himself
caught between the two worlds of his parents as he pursues his dream of
owning land in the aftermath of the Civil War. (Fiction)
Thompson, Kate. SWITCHERS. When freakish weather grips the Arctic regions
and moves southward, an Irish girl and her strange companion save the world
from disaster through the ability to switch into animal forms. (Fiction)
Tolan, Stephanie S. SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES. Juvenile delinquent, Jake,
gets his last chance with the Applewhite family and their “home-schooled”
children on their farm “Wit’s End”. He has been tossed out of so many
schools there are no other places willing to take him. The eccentric,
creative family gives him a chance and leaves Jake to his own devices,
allowing him to choose when and what to study. The book is filled with quirky
characters and laugh-out loud situations. (Fiction)
Trueman, Terry. STUCK IN NEUTRAL.. Shawn McDaniel is 14 years-old and
suffers from severe cerebral palsy. He can’t speak, or control his body in
any way, but he can remember everything that he hears and is able to read.
His father has difficulty dealing with Shawn’s condition. He feels he suffers
greatly and Shawn fears that his father is planning to kill him. (Fiction)
Tucker, Tom. BRAINSTORM! : THE STORIES OF TWENTY AMERICAN KID INVENTORS.
Reveals some of the amazing inventions of the past and present that have come
from young Americans, ages eight to nineteen. (Non-Fiction)
Van Velde, Vivian. HEIR APPARENT. Fourteen-year-old, Giannine receives as a
present the gift of playing a total immersion reality game. While she is
playing, the equipment becomes damaged and the creators worry that she may
not survive. With each failure she is placed back at the beginning of the
game. She uses what she learns as she works her way through the game each
time, but will her wits be enough to allow her to actually survive the game?
(Fiction)
Vega, Denise. CLICK HERE (TO FIND OUT HOW I SURVIVED SEVENTH GRADE). Erin
Swift is beginning seventh grade. She is upset to learn that she won't be in
the same classes as her best friend. She is good at sports and computers and
keeps her sanity by writing in a private journal on her web site. The only
problem occurs when her private journal get posted on the schools intranet.
How will she survive the embarassment? (Fiction)
Weaver, Will. MEMORY BOY: A NOVEL. An enormous volcanic eruption has
caused global warming and the continual spread of ash. Two years after the
eruption, the Newell family, a jazz drummer father, feisty mother and two
teens must escape their suburban Minneapolis home as the shortages and
conditions following the eruption cause a breakdown in law and order. Miles,
the teenaged son uses the family’s boat and bikes to make a pedal and
wind-powered vehicle that will transport them to their cabin in the woods.
The family faces squatters, and people unwilling to have “outsiders” become a
part of their community as they try to survive. Great characters, nonstop
action, and an intriguing plot make for a great read. (Fiction)
Whelan, Gloria. HOMELESS BIRD. When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into a
il-fatted arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by
India’s tradition or find the courage to oppose it. (Fiction)
WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE: ORIGINAL STORIES ABOUT GROWING UP. Collection of
stories written by authors of books for children and young adults, set in the
time and space of their own childhoods and providing true and fictionalized
accounts of the places, relationships, and emotions of children. (Non-
Fiction)
Wilhelm, Doug. THE REVEALERS. What would happen if kids wrote about
incidents of bullying going on in their school and then posted the
information on their school's Kid-Net system for all to read? Would things
get better or worse? This novel explores the possibilities of what can happen
if those being bullied share their stories. (Fiction)
Winston, Keith. LETTERS FROM A WORLD WAR II G.I. A collection of letters
from Keith Wilson to his wife describing what it was like to serve in the
U.S.Army during World War II. (Non-Fiction)
Woods, Michael and Mary B. Woods. ANCIENT MACHINES: FROM WEDGES TO
WATERWHEELS. Discusses the invention of six simple machines in various
ancient civilizations from the Stone Age to the fall of the Roman Empire.
(Non-Fiction)
