*Alegria, Malin. Estrella’s Quinceanera. Estrella’s mother and aunt are planning a gaudy, traditional quinceanera for her, even though it is the last thing she wants. Her childhood friends accuse Estrella of abandoning them since she won a scholarship to a private school in the ritziest neighborhood in San Jose. Then Estrella falls for Speedy, a former grade-school classmate who is also Mexican American, and she feels increasingly conflicted as she moves between her wealthy school friends and her big crazy family.

*Allison, Peter. Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: Confessions of a Botswana Safari Guide. NON-FICTION. While presenting tales from a safari guide about his encounters with big cats, elephants, hippos, and other unpredictable animals, the author’s infectious enthusiasm for both the African bush and his job showing its wonders to tourists is really apparent.

*Angelou, Maya. All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. NON-FICTION. Recounts Angelou’s stay in Ghana, together with other African Americans, and her discoveries and reflections concerning her ancestors, Africa, American society, and herself.

*Armstrong, Lance. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. BIOGRAPHY. The inspiring journey of world-class hero Lance Armstrong, from the dark night of advanced cancer through his dramatic victory in the 1999 Tour de France and beyond.

Atkins, Catherine. When Jeff Comes Home. Two years ago, Jeff was abducted at a rest stop. Now he has been found and his family is thrilled to have him home — but Jeff isn’t talking about what happened to him while he was gone.

Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road. Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds strength to face her alcoholic father. Especially for those who enjoyed Elizabeth Berg on the Freshmen list.

*Blais, Madeleine. Uphill Walkers: Portrait of a Family. NON-FICTION. In 1952, Blais’s father died suddenly, leaving his pregnant wife and their five young children to face their future alone. This story of how an Irish-American family pulled together to survive and ultimately thrive in an era when a single-parent family was almost unheard of is full of wonderful insights about sisterhood, brotherhood, and the ties that bind us together.

Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. Weetzie Bat is sixteen and lives in L.A. She hates high school and she’s looking for love. This book follows the wild adventures of Weetzie Bat and her quirky Los Angeles friends: Dirk, Duck, and My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man. First in a unusual series followed by Witch Baby.

Bloor, Edward. Tangerine. Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.

*Brooks, Terry. Sword of Shannara. FANTASY. An epic fantasy of gnomes, trolls, dwarves and elves in which a simple man, Shea Ohmsford, is pitted against the greatest power of evil the world has ever known in the first of a classic series. For J.R.R.Tolkien and Margaret Weis (Freshmen List) readers.

Canada, Geoffrey. Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence. GRAPHIC NOVEL. THIS TITLE IS NOT A CHOICE FOR STUDENTS TAKING AP OR HONORS ENGLISH. This graphic adaptation of Canada’s memoir of growing up in the South Bronx in the late 1950s explains how violence surrounded and informed his life from a young age. Adapted by Jamar Nicholas.

*Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game or Ender’s Shadow. SCIENCE FICTION.
Ender’s Game is set against a backdrop of aliens, computers, and orbiting battle stations. This award-winning story describes Andrew “Ender” Wiggins’ attempts to create an honest life for himself in a world that offers few respectable choices.
Ender’s Shadow begins and ends at roughly the same time as Ender’s Game, and it chronicles many of the same events. In fact, the two books tell an almost identical story of brilliant children being trained in the orbiting Battle School to lead humanity’s fleets in the final war against alien invaders known as the Buggers. This book centers on Bean, Ender’s second in command.

*Cart, Michael. My Father’s Scar. Andy Logan is a gay college student who recalls a painful adolescence involving an abusive father, a weight problem, and a love of books that sets him apart. When an older boy acknowledges that he is gay, the community response is cruel and influences Andy’s decisions.

*Cashore, Kristin. Fire. FANTASY. In a kingdom called the Dells, Fire is the last human-shaped monster, with unimaginable beauty and the ability to control the minds of those around her, but even with these gifts she cannot escape the strife that overcomes her world. Prequel to Graceling (Junior list) but can be read in any order.

Chan, Gillian. A Foreign Field. ROMANCE. In a quiet WWII story that combines the intensity of love with the horrors of war, 14-year-old Ellen meets Stephen, a young Royal Air Force trainee at her nearby Canadian airbase, and their friendship deepens and turns into love.

*Collins, Billy. ed. Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry. POETRY. Inspired by America’s former Poet Laureate Billy Collins’s poem-a-day program with the Library of Congress, Poetry 180 is the perfect anthology for readers who appreciate engaging, thoughtful poems that are an immediate pleasure and represent the richness and diversity of the form.

*Conroy, Pat. The Water is Wide. NON-FICTION. As a young teacher, the author spent a year educating poor black children on Yamacraw Island off the coast of South Carolina. In this heartfelt story, the children, the author, and the adult community all learn important lessons when mainland pollution threatens the island’s livelihood and culture.

*Conway, Jill Ker. The Road from Coorain. BIOGRAPHY. Former Smith College president Conway relates a moving inspirational account of her journey to adulthood in this wonderful memoir that travels from the wilds of Australia to the heart of academia.

Cormier, Robert. Rag and Bone Shop. Seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett has been discovered brutally murdered, and twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant is the last one to have seen her alive. Jason‘s interrogation itself becomes the center of the novel, a cat-and-mouse chase where the truth is less important than the outcome.

*Croke, Vicki Constantine. The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China’s Most Exotic Animal. NON-FICTION. Ruth Harkness, a dress-designing socialite, captured the first giant panda to be seen in the West. The adventure, strong writing, and fascinating personalities make a thrilling, deeply, satisfying story.

Crutcher, Chris. Ironman or Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.
Ironman. Bo Brewster has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember. Following angry outbursts at school that cost Bo his spot on the football team and move him dangerously close to expulsion, Bo is sent to Mr. Nak’s Anger Management Group.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Eighteen-year-old Eric’s success on the swim team and the weight loss that is the by product of his strict physical regimen are so threatening to his long-standing friendship with Sarah Byrnes that he forces himself into gluttony in order not to jeopardize their relationship.

*Dallas, Sandra. Persian Pickle Club. This novel explores the ties that unite women through good times and bad. It is the 1930s, and hard times have hit Harleyville, Kansas, where crops are burning up and there’s not a job to be found. For one young farm wife, the highlight of each week is the gathering of the Persian Pickle Club, a group of locals dedicated to improving their minds, exchanging gossip, and putting their well-honed quilting skills to good use.

*Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. A 12-year-old girl leaves her native Haiti to live in New York City.

*Dash, Joan. We Shall Not Be Moved. NON-FICTION. Dash offers a compelling story of the women’s shirtwaist factory strike of 1909. In addition to descriptions of the individuals who fought the inhumane conditions in the lower Manhattan factories, the author includes black-and-white archival photos of the event.

*Davis, Seth. When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball. NON-FICTION. The book traces the pivotal ways in which the careers of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird positively influenced the NCAA and the NBA, chronicling the dramatic 1979 NCAA finals and the rivalry that rendered college basketball a multi-billion-dollar event.

*Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. HISTORICAL FICTION. In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiancé, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story, also told in Theodore Dreiser’s classic, An American Tragedy.

*Dowd, Siobhan. Bog Child. MYSTERY. In 1981, the height of Ireland’s “Troubles,” eighteen-year-old Fergus is distracted from his upcoming A-level exams by his imprisoned brother’s hunger strike, the stress of being a courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl whose body he discovered in a bog.

*Farmer, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm or The House of the Scorpion. SCIENCE FICTION.
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika’s three children are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them.
House of the Scorpion. In this Newbery Award-winner, in a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patron, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.

*Feist, Raymond E. Magician, Apprentice. FANTASY. Pug, a young apprentice to a master magician, comes of age during a war between the medieval fantasy kingdom of Midkemia and an alien army from across the universe. First in Riftwar Saga series.

*Flinn, Alex. Nothing to Lose. A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

*Flynn, Sean Michael. The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unti’s Journey From Ground Zero to Baghdad. NON-FICTION. Presents a dramatic comparison of the Fighting 69th Infantry before and after the September 11, 2001 attacks, describing how a unit of largely untrained and unequipped immigrants became a battle-hardened troop in one of Baghdad’s most dangerous regions. Graphic language and violence.

*Fredericks, Mariah. The True Meaning of Cleavage. When Jess and Sari, best friends since seventh grade, begin their freshman year of high school and Sari becomes obsessed with a senior boy, Jess wonders if their friendship will survive.

*Gaiman, Neil. Anansi Boys. FANTASY. His past marked by his father’s embarrassing taunts and untimely death, Fat Charlie Nancy meets the brother he never knew and is introduced to new and exciting ways to spend his time after he finds out that his father was the West African trickster god, Anansi.

George, Madeleine. Looks. Two high school girls, one an anorexic poet and the other an obese loner, form an unlikely friendship to get revenge on a popular girl.

*Gibbons, Kaye. Charms For the Easy Life or On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon.
Charms For the Easy Life. World War II serves as a backdrop for Margaret’s coming-of-age in a family of strong-willed Southern women.
On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon. This story of Emma Garnet Tate Lowell, a Southern lady who came of age in the years leading up to the Civil War, takes place on the occasion of her 70th birthday as Emma decides the time has come to tell all.

*Gilbert, Elizabeth. Stern Men. Set on two small islands off the coast of Maine, this first novel chronicles the coming-of-age of Ruth Thomas, the eighteen-year-old daughter of one of the greediest lobstermen in Maine, and her decision to try to bring peace and prosperity to the feuding islanders around her. Author of Eat, Pray, Love.REVIEW.

Glenn, Mel. Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A Mystery in Poems. POETRY. When a popular high school teacher is shot, the “whodunit” is played out in a series of interlocking poems representing the stories of different characters.

*Hunt, Linda Lawrence. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America. NON-FICTION. In 1896, a Norwegian immigrant and mother of eight children was behind on taxes and the mortgage when she learned that a mysterious sponsor would pay $10,000 to a woman who walked across America. Hoping to win the wager and save her family’s farm, Helga and her teenaged daughter traveled a route that would pass through 14 states, but they were not allowed to carry more than five dollars each.

*Johnson, Angela. First Part Last. Bobby’s carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.

*Kamkwamba, William. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. NONFICTION. Young teen William, who taught himself enough physics and engineering to build a windmill and bring electricity to his drought-stricken village, discovered the magic of his Malawi homeland in the miracles of science.

*Kephart, Beth. Undercover. ROMANCE. While operating an undercover business ghostwriting love messages for inarticulate boys, Elisa develops deeper feelings for one of her clients. This is a moving story of a young teen whose first powerful crush is tempered by the aching sense that her family is falling apart.

Kerr, M.E. Gentlehands. Love and reality clash when romance and a search for Nazi war criminals affect the teens in the story.

*Kimmel, Haven. A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana. BIOGRAPHY. In this lovingly-told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back in time to when small-town America was still trapped in the amber of the innocent post-war period—people help their neighbors, go to church, and keep barnyard animals in their backyards.

*King, Stephen. Cell. HORROR. What if a pulse sent out through cell phones turned every person using one of them into a zombie-like killing machine? Clayton Riddell, who is cell-less, is in Boston to meet with publishers in hopes of selling his graphic novel series, and soon teams up with others who have eluded the evil transmission. They embark on a quest to save themselves from the violent changed beings who once owned cell phones.

Klass, David. California Blue This novel tackles environmental issues, cancer, and growing to adulthood in a sensitively crafted book. Hard to Find or Buy.

*Krakauer, Jonathan. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest disaster. NON-FICTION. In May 1996, the author participated in an ill-fated climb that resulted in the death of his climbing mates.

*Le Guin, Ursula K. Gifts: Annals of the Western Shore; bk.1. SCIENCE FICTION. When a young man of the Uplands blinds himself rather than use his gift of “unmaking”–a violent talent shared by members of his family–he upsets the precarious balance of power among rival, feuding families, each of which has a strange and deadly talent of its own. Followed by Voices & Powers in the series.

*Luttrell, Marcus with Patrick Robinson. Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. NON-FICTION. The leader, and only survivor, of a team of U.S. Navy SEALs sent to northern Afghanistan to capture a well-known al Qaeda leader chronicles the events of the battle that killed his teammates and offers insight into the training of this elite group of warriors. Graphic language and violence.

Marsden, John. Tomorrow, When the War Began. In this survival story, six teenagers return from a camping trip to discover that their families and town have been taken over by enemy soldiers. The teens struggle for their own survival as well as that of their families and realize that the decisions that they make may determine the outcome. First in a series, followed by The Dead of Night. REVIEW.

*Mayes, Frances. A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller. NON-FICTION. What Mayes accomplished in her popularization of Tuscany (Under the Tuscan Sun), she now extends to a larger stage. Befitting her gifts as a poet, the author’s prose shines with evocative imagery, bringing life to every subject she encounters across her travel year.

*Mayle, Peter. Toujours Provence. NON-FICTION. Peter Mayle offers a month by month, humorous account of the joys and frustrations of a year in Provence, France.

Mazer, Harry. The Last Mission. In 1944, a 15-year-old Jewish boy tells his family he will travel in the west but instead, enlists in the United States Air Corps and is subsequently captured by the Germans.

*McKinnon, K.C. Dancing at the Harvest Moon. ROMANCE. After her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Maggie McIntyre sets off on a personal adventure to the Harvest Moon dance hall, the setting of a long ago love affair. Good choices for those who like Nicholas Sparks’ True Believer or any of his other titles. REVIEW.

*Minot, Susan. Monkeys. This critically acclaimed first novel is about the Vincent family and its children, called “monkeys” by their mother who dies tragically in an accident and leaves them, somehow, to carry on.

*Mosher, Howard Frank. The Fall of the Year. After graduating from college during the late 1950s, Frank Bennett returns home to Kingdom Common, Vermont. Despite the impending construction of a nearby ski resort, this small village remains real country.

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Princess Ben. FANTASY/ROMANCE. A girl is transformed, through instruction in life at court, determination, and magic, from sullen, pudgy, graceless Ben into Crown Princess Benevolence, a fit ruler of the kingdom of Montagne as it faces war with neighboring Drachensbett. Appealing to fans of Gail Carson Levine’s Fairest.

*Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: A Memoir. BIOGRAPHY. Young Adult author Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem. He was big, aggressive, and always in trouble in school. With a painful eye toward detail, Myers remembers what it was like to be a teenager who was different and what it took to overcome his own obstacles.

*Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. “Monster” is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience store owner. But was Steve really the lookout who gave the “all clear” to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Na, An. Step From Heaven. A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.

*Niven, Jennifer. The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk. NON-FICTION. This riveting adventure drawn from diaries and firsthand accounts of the scientists and crew is about a ship trapped in a giant ice floe.

*Opdyke, Irene Gut. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. NON-FICTION. Recounts the experiences of the author who, as a seventeen-year-old Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the Holocaust. Her experiences while still in her teens remind everyone that their actions count and that the power to make a difference is in each of our hands.

*Parker, Robert B. Early Autumn. MYSTERY. In this coming-of-age novel, the Boston detective Spenser becomes a surrogate father to a fifteen-year-old boy. This is one novel in a great series.

*Picoult, Jodi. Plain Truth. Ellie Hathaway is a successful but disillusioned defense attorney who needs to get away from the often guilty people she has been defending in court. She flees Philadelphia for Paradise, PA, the small town where she spent idyllic childhood summers. Shortly before Ellie arrives at her aunt’s house, a young Amish girl is accused of murdering her newborn son in her parents’ barn. REVIEW.

Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. When fifteen-year-old Hannah becomes pregnant and her rich, popular boyfriend claims he is not responsible, she is forced to face some hard facts about her life and her dysfunctional family.

*Pratchett, Terry. Nation. FANTASY. After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives. This Printz Honor book raises fascinating questions about identity, life’s necessities, and communication across cultures.

*Robbins, Liz. A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York. NON-FICTION. A narrative account of the 2007 NYC marathon interweaves the stories of professional and amateur participants, from Great Britain’s world-record holder Paula Radcliffe to a young cancer survivor running his first race.

*Rock, Peter. My Abandonment. Based on a true story, thirteen-year-old Caroline and her questionalby sane father live in a nature preserve on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. She only merges with the civilized world once a week when they go into the city, but an encounter with a back-country jogger derails their entire existence.

Roy, Travis & E.M. Swift. Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph. BIOGRAPHY. Boston University hockey player Travis Roy ended his hockey career 11 seconds into his debut game when his neck was broken. Roy’s story is both tragic and inspiring and the local setting only increases its appeal. HARDCOVER only (1999).

*Scott, Elizabeth. Bloom. Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy? It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She’s been holding back. She’s been denying herself a bunch of things because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the “right” thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend? But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice … before one is made for her. Fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy.

*Shapiro, Michael. Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball From Itself. NON-FICTION. Recounts how baseball in the late 1950s reached a critical point in the sport’s history, as Branch Rickey and Casey Stengel—two larger-than-life figures—each embarked on a quest to reinvent baseball both on and off the field.

*Smith, Sherri. Flygirl. HISTORICAL FICTION. During World War II, a light-skinned African- American girl “passes” for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. What is the difference between love and lust? That is the question Sophie must answer. Simultaneously dating sexy Dylan while secretly baring her soul to her cyber-chat buddy Chaz, she must examine what it is that draws her to each. She has to decide for herself what is more important – good looks or a kind heart?

*Sparks, Nicholas. True Believer. ROMANCE. Jeremy Marsh, a science journalist and professional skeptic, finds himself in over his head when he arrives at the small town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, and falls head over heels for the granddaughter of the supposed town psychic. Good companion to McKinnon’s Dancing at the Harvest Moon.

*Staples, Suzanne F. Dangerous Skies. Buck and Tunes are good friends, even though Buck is white and Tunes is black. Life moves along smoothly until events in the town test their friendship and expose the evil that is sometimes wrought by well-respected adults.

*Swanwick, Michael. The Dragons of Babel. FANTASY. Enslaved by a war-dragon of Babel, young Will evacuates to the Tower of Babel where he meets the confidence trickster, Nat Whilk, and becomes a hero to the homeless living in the tunnels under the city. As he rises from an underling to a politician, Will falls in love with an unattainable high-elven woman. Good choice for fans of Margaret Weis (Freshmen List).

*Tsukiyama, Gail. The Samurai’s Garden. HISTORICAL FICTION. Seventeen-year-old Stephen leaves his home in Hong Kong and goes to a small village in Japan to recuperate from tuberculosis just as the Japanese are poised to invade China. He develops friendships with three adults and a young woman his own age that bring him to the beginnings of wisdom about love, honor, and loss.

*Venkatraman, Padma. Climbing the Stairs. HISTORICAL FICTION. In India, in 1941, when her father becomes brain-damaged in a non-violent protest march, fifteen-year-old Vidya and her family are forced to move in with her father’s extended family and become accustomed to a totally different way of life.

*Vlautin, Willy. Lean on Pete. Left homeless by the death of his father, fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson sets off with a racehorse, Lean on Pete, on a perilous trek from Portland, Oregon to Wyoming to find a distant aunt, where he hopes to regain stability in his life.

*Watson, Larry. Montana 1948. The events of a small-town summer forever alter David Hayden’s view of his family in this tale of love and courage, of power abused, and of the terrible choice between family loyalty and justice.

*Wellington, David. Monster Island. HORROR. A global disaster has replaced humankind with a population of zombies. Among the walking dead of New York City is Gary Fleck, who retains his intelligence and his aversion to what he has become. From across the world, an army of schoolgirls and a U.N. weapons inspector, some of the few remaining humans, come to New York in search of medical supplies. What they encounter tests them to their limits and beyond. First in a trilogy.

*Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix or Rules of Survival.
Double Helix. SUSPENSE. Eighteen-year-old Eli discovers a shocking secret about his life and his family while working for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose specialty is genetic engineering.
Rules of Survival. Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.

*West, Dorothy. The Wedding. Set on Martha’s Vineyard during the 1950s, this novel focuses on the black bourgeois community known as the Oval where the Coles are preparing for the wedding of their youngest daughter Shelby, who is marrying a white jazz musician.

Yang, Gene. American Born Chinese. GRAPHIC NOVEL. THIS TITLE IS NOT A CHOICE FOR STUDENTS TAKING AP OR HONORS ENGLISH. This award-winning story alternates between three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to fit into the culture of high school. Coloring by Lark Pien.

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