Fiction

Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch.

Sixteen-year-old Margaret Rose Nolan, newly arrived from Ireland, finds work at New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory shortly before the 1911 fire in which 146 employees died.

Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi.

Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets Bear, a roving Juggler, who holds a dangerous secret.

The Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood.

In 1777, having been kidnapped and taken forcibly from England to the American colonies, fifteen-year-old Creighton becomes part of developments in the political unrest that may spell defeat for the patriots and change the course of history.

For Freedom: the Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Despite the horrors of World War II, a French teenager pursues her dream of becoming an opera singer, which takes her to places where she gains information about what the Nazis are doing–information that the French Resistance needs.

Night Hoops by Carl Deuker.

While trying to prove that he is good enough to be on his high school’s varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents’ divorce and the erratic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.

Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper.

Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris.

A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.

Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one but not the older, are sought by a detective hired by their aunt, but they have found shelter with–and protection from–Venice’s Thief Lord.

Invisible by Pete Hautman.

Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends–one a loner obsessed by his model trains, the other a popular student involved in football and theater–who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever.

Far North by Will Hobbs.

After the destruction of their floatplane, sixteen-year-old Gabe and his Dene friend, Raymond, struggle to survive a winter in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories.

Hunting of the Last Dragon by Sheryl Jordan.

In England in 1356, as a monk records his every word, a young peasant tells of his journey with a young Chinese noblewoman to St. Alfric’s Cove and the lair of a dragon.

Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid.

An adored only child, Annie has lived a perfect life. But when she turns 12 her life changes, in ways that are mysterious to her. Worst of all, she and her mother become adversaries.

Nothing to Fear by Jackie French Koller.

Thirteen-year-old Danny and his family are struggling to make ends meet in New York during the Great Depression. His father leaves to look for work, and Danny and his mother do what they can to survive. With his mother pregnant, Danny is forced to beg for food. They retain their good humor and family pride, and in the end help arrives in a most unexpected guise.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.

When Thomas Peaceful’s older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself.

Handbook for Boys by Walter Dean Myers.

Sixteen-year-old Jimmy, on probation for assault, talks about life with three old men in a Harlem barbershop and hears about the tools he can use to get what he wants.

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan.

Can an alienated, Jew-hating, Neo-Nazi teenager have lived a previous life as a Polish Jewish girl in the Lodz ghetto during the Holocaust? Can a motorcycle accident which lands her comatose in a Jewish hospital be the vehicle for her tumbling through time repeatedly to relive that life while fighting for this one?

Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen.

While backpacking in the desert, thirteen-year-old Mark falls into a tube of blue light and is transported into a more primitive world, where he must use his knowledge and skills to survive.

Sarah’s Ground by Ann Rinaldi.

In 1861, 18-year-old Sarah Tracy comes to work at Mount Vernon, the historic Virginia home of George Washington, where she tries to protect the safety and neutrality of the site during the Civil War, and where she encounters her future husband, Upton Herbert.

Under the Baseball Moon by John H. Ritter.

Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player.

Cruise Control by Terry Trueman.

A talented basketball player struggles to deal with the helplessness and anger that come with having a brother rendered completely dysfunctional by severe cerebral palsy and a father who deserted the family.

Alison Who Went Away by Vivian Vande Velde.

Three years after the disappearance of her older sister, fourteen-year-old Sibyl and her family struggle to continue their lives, separately and together.

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan.

When 13-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s tradition or find courage to oppose it.

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson.

A sister and brother fight over a piano that has been in the family for three generations, creating a remarkable drama that embodies the painful past and expectant future of black Americans.

Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography

Bill Gates by Marc Aronson.

Bill Gates is many things: the richest person in the world; the ruthless businessman who co-founded Microsoft and led it to domination of the computer software industry; and now, the leading global philanthropist.

Close to Shore: the Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo.

Details the first documented cases in American history of sharks attacking swimmers, which occurred along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey in 1916.

Houdini by Clinton Cox

Drawing from Houdini’s diary and correspondence, as well as period newspapers and reviews of the illusionist’s performances, the author illuminates both the personal and professional sides of Houdini.

Getting Away with Murder: the True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe.

Presents a true account of the murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till, the boy who triggered the civil rights movement in Mississippi in 1955.

Going Solo by Roald Dahl.

As a young man working in East Africa for the Shell Company, Roald Dahl recounts his adventures in the jungle and later flying a fighter plane in World War II.

Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic.

As war engulfs Sarajevo, Zlata Filipovi´c becomes a witness to food shortages and the deaths of friends and learns to wait out bombardments in a neighbor’s cellar. Yet throughout she remains courageous and observant.

The Abracadabra Kid by Sid Fleischman.

The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children’s author who set out from childhood to be a magician. It gives warm insight into what made Fleischman become a writer.

Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos.

The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.

Robert Ballard: Oceanographer Who Discovered the Titanic by Christine M. Hill.

A biography which covers the life and professional work of the man whose numerous missions to study the ocean floor led to the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic.

Sigmund Freud by Kathleen Krull.

Freud was a complicated, often irascible man, who in 19th century Vienna developed his still-controversial ideas and the new discipline of psychoanalysis.

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord.

In this dramatic and historic recreation of the bravery and agony that marked that fateful night the author paints a vivid portrait of the last hours of the Titanic’s first and final voyage.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Mah, Adeline Yen

Adeline Yen Mah’s compelling autobiography in which, like the fairy tale maiden, her childhood was ruled by a cruel stepmother. As the youngest of her five siblings, she suffers the worst.

Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers.

Traces the 1839 revolt of Africans against their Spanish captors aboard the slave ship Amistad, their landing in the United States and arrest for piracy and murder, and trials which ended in their acquittal by the Supreme Court.

The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers.

His talent in the boxing ring and his showmanship earned him international fame, while his refusal to accept the stereotypical role of a black athletic star in the 1960’s and his membership in the Nation of Islam brought him notoriety.

Guts or How I Lived the Same as Brian Robeson by Gary Paulsen.

The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character Brian Robeson featured in Hatchet and Brian’s Winter.

The Chicago “Black Sox” Scandal: a Headline Court Case by Michael Pellowski.

Examines the 1920 trial of eight Chicago White Sox baseball players accused of conspiracy to commit an illegal act when they allegedly took money from gangsters to lose the 1919 World Series.

Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas.

This is the author’s memoir of his coming of age on the streets of Spanish Harlem. It is an unsparing document of Thomas’s plunge into drugs, street fighting, and armed robbery—a descent that ended when the twenty-two-year-old Piri was sent to prison for shooting a cop. He recounts the journey that took him from adolescence in El Barrio to a lock-up in Sing Sing to the freedom that comes of self-acceptance inner confidence.

Fiction

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

After their mother dies, two brothers find a huge amount of money which they must spend quickly before England switches to the new European currency, but they disagree on what to do with it.

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac.

After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

Sliding Into Home by Dori Hillestad Butler.

When 13-year-old Joelle, a star baseball player, moves to a new town where the only option for girls is softball, she starts an all-girl baseball league against the wishes of her school coaches and others in the town.

Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone.

In 1895, after his mother’s death, twelve-year-old Nathan moves with his father and grandfather to Pea Island off the coast of North Carolina, where he hopes to join the all-black crew at the nearby lifesaving station, despite his father’s objections.

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements.

When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney.

While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York City.

Last Shot: a Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein.

After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.

No Small Thing by Natale Ghent.

Twelve-year-old Nat and his sisters find that owning, training, and caring for a pony they acquired for free makes it easier to cope with the poverty they have faced since their father abandoned them.

Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant.

To become a brave and noble knight one needs 3 things: a warhorse, a fair maiden and a just cause. Will has a horse. Ellie is a fair maiden. King Richard is calling for a Crusade. Will and his brother Gavin will go. The journey is fraught with peril and struggle, but through it all, they have two constants–Ellie and a blood red horse named Hosanna.

Flush by Carl Hiaasen.

With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home.

Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes.

During his summer in Maine, twelve-year-old Homer, together with his new friend Roger, is determined to find the truth about himself, his long-dead father, and a mysterious costumed man.

My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt.

Growing up in Saitter, Louisiana, in the 1950s, twelve-year-old Tiger Ann struggles with her feelings about her stern, but loving grandmother, her mentally slow parents, and her good friend and neighbor, Jesse.

Straydog by Kathe Koja.

Rachel, a teenager with a healthy dose of both aptitude and attitude, begins to feel at home volunteering at an animal shelter.

A Place to Call Home by Jackie French Koller.

Caring for her two younger siblings after their unreliable mother abandons them, fifteen-year-old Anna discovers the difficulties of trying to be a parent.

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.

Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.

Shipwreck by Gordon Korman (Book one of the Island series).

Six kids, Nick, J.J., Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian, are thrown together against their will on a small boat that will make a one-month journey on the Pacific Ocean.

Odysseus by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Imagine Odysseus and his crew traveling across the “world-encircled sea,” seduced by sirens and threatened by gruesome monsters. Just as dramatic is the story of Odysseus’ son and his wife, waiting for his ship that “did not come and did not come and did not ever come.”

Makeovers by Marcia by Claudia Mills.

At the beginning of eighth grade, all Marcia can think about is what nail polish to use, how to lose weight, and whether Alex will ask her to the dance, but after giving makeovers in a nursing home for a school project, she begins to appreciate the value of inner beauty.

Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers.

After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun–until a tragedy occurs.

Slam by Walter Dean Myers.

Sixteen-year-old “Slam” Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

Lyddie by Katherine Patterson.

Ten-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm’s debts. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited.

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.

The story centers on a group of 14-year-old neighbors and friends finding their way to adulthood. Their stories meet, crisscross, diverge, and then come back together again over the course of a summer.

The View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts.

Rob admits having seen a murder, but no one believes him–except the murderer.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt.

In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers–and Turner’s–want to change into a tourist spot.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.

When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family.

Finding the Forger by Libby Sternberg.

Teenage sleuth Bianca Balducci is asked to prove the innocence of Sarah’s latest boyfriend, Hector, who is the prime suspect in the theft of a local art museum’s missing paintings.

Tiger by Jeff Stone.

Five young warrior-monk brothers survive an insurrection and must use the ancient arts to avenge their Grandmaster. Fu-the “tiger”-is this book’s main character; in addition to remaining free, he is determined to reclaim the valuable ancient training scrolls that Ying has taken from the temple.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman.

Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function, relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially as he believes his father is planning to kill him.

Man in the Woods by Rosemary Wells.

14-year-old Helen investigates what she considers the false arrest of a classmate and is nearly killed herself as her findings lead her into big-money drug dealings.

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson.

Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey.

Through a series of dangerous and violent misadventures, teenage loser Alfred Kropp rescues King Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur from the forces of evil.

Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography

The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro.

This gripping account of the Donner party’s infamous 1846 trek from Illinois to the largely unsettled territory of California chronicles the unfortunate choices, travel conditions and personality conflicts that left them stranded in the mountains for the winter.

Give Me Liberty: The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman.

Describes the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence as well as the personalities and politics behind its framing.

The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman.

The author lays out a clear and compelling history of the early aviation experiments that culminated in the legendary flight at Kitty Hawk.

A Strong Right Arm: the Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson by Michelle Y. Green.

With the U.S. mired in segregation and with a bias against female athletes, especially black athletes, Johnson played professional ball for the Indianapolis Clowns for three years; competing on an equal footing against some of the best male ballplayers in the country.

Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1915 by Deborah Hopkinson.

Photographs and text chronicle the challenges facing 5 teen immigrants from Belarus, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania in New York’s teeming tenements at the turn of the twentieth century.

The Wright Sister by Richard Maurer.

A brief biography of the sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Katharine Wright ran the household for her older brothers and their father when Orville and Wilbur were developing and promoting their airplane. A graduate of Oberlin College, she gave up her career as a teacher to help them turn their airplane from a curiosity into a viable business.

In Defiance of Hitler: the Secret Mission of Varian Fry by Carla Killough McClafferty.

At a time when most Americans ignored the atrocities going on in Europe in 1940, American journalist Varian Fry put himself in great danger helping citizens whom Adolf Hitler marked for death sneak out of Nazi-occupied France. He was instrumental in the rescue of more than 2,000 refugees.

Marching to Freedom: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Joyce Milton.

A biography of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped African Americans win many battles for equal rights.

Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy.

An account of Robert Louis Stevenson’s twelve day journey from New York to California in 1879, interwoven with a history of the building of the transcontinental railroad and the settling of the West.

Restless Spirit by Elizabeth Partridge.

A biography of Dorothea Lange, whose photographs of migrant workers, Japanese American internees, and rural poverty helped bring about important social reforms.

Four Perfect Pebbles: a Holocaust Story by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan.

A harrowing and often moving account of the co-author’s family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust

Fiction

The Barn by Avi.

In an effort to fulfill their dying father’s last request, nine-year-old Ben and his brother and sister construct a barn on their land in the Oregon Territory.

Never Mind: a Twin Novel by Avi.

Twelve-year-old New York City twins Meg and Edward have nothing in common, so they are just as shocked as everyone else when Meg’s hopes for popularity and Edward’s mischievous schemes coincidentally collide in a hilarious showdown.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.

When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a valuable Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

Basketball (or Something Like It) by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

Basketball clinics, a revolving door of coaches, outraged parents, and the importance of the right sneakers—is that what the game is about? This novel focuses on the action, drama, and fun of playing ball and explores what it takes to be a winner — both on the court and off.

The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull (or any other in the Johnny Dixon mystery series) by John Bellairs.

When Johnny Dixon takes a tiny skull from a haunted dollhouse, demonic forces are released, capturing Professor Childermass and leading Johnny on achase to a deserted island off the coast of Maine.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.

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.

The School Story by Andrew Clements.

After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoë helps her devise a scheme to get it published. But Natalie’s mother is her editor.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.

When 11-year-old Gregor and his 2-year-old sister are pulled into an underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.

Replay by Sharon Creech.

While preparing for a role in the school play, twelve-year-old Leo finds an autobiography that his father wrote as a teenager and learns about the ways people change as they grow up.

Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell.

Since the death of his mother, Tobin’s family and school life has been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.

The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger’s Apprentice Series, Bk.1) by John Flanagan.

When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke.

After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven. Along the way they encounter friendly and unfriendly creatures, and struggle to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff.

Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic above his grandfather Mack’s room, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped. It brings forth memories from his past, and he’s desperate to find out who he is, and if his beloved Mack is really his grandfather.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.

A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.

Mickey and Me: a Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman.

When Joe travels back in time to 1944, he meets the Milwaukee Chicks, one of the only all-female professional baseball teams in the history of the game.

Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn

When he goes to spend the summer with his great-aunt in the family’s old house, eleven-year-old Drew is drawn eighty years into the past to trade places with his great-great-uncle who is dying of diphtheria.

Silent to the Bone by E. L. Konigsburg.

When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.

Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman.

Aidan and Meg Falconer are the only hope of their parents who are facing life in prison. Can Aidan and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence? But how? They’re trapped in a juvenile detention center – until they escape!

The Capture (Book 1 of the Guardians of Ga’hoole) by Kathryn Lasky.

After Soren, a young Barn Owl, falls from his nest, his idyllic world transforms into one of confusion and danger, as he is captured by evil chick-snatching owls and taken to the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls.

Journey to America by Sonia Levitin.

A Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938 endures innumerable separations before they are reunited.

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.

Charlie Bone’s life with his widowed mother and two grandmothers undergoes a dramatic change when he discovers he can hear people in photographs talking.

The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Park.

When ten-year-old Howard has to move with his family to a distant state, he is forced to live on a street named Chester Pewe, adjust to a new school, and get used to being shadowed by a little girl in a nearby house.

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck.

A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes–his brother in the Air Force and his father, who fought in World War I.

A Year Down Yonder by Robert Peck.

During the recession of 1937, 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty grandmother in rural Illinois and grows to understand this fearsome woman.

The Scarecrow and His Servant by Philip Pullman.

Lightning brings the Scarecrow to life and he meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant. The Scarecrow sets out for Spring Valley, with Jack at his side. As the valiant Scarecrow plunges them int many dangers–battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands–he never realizes he’s being followed by the Buffalonis who wish he’d never sprung to life.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, 12-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

Magyk by Angie Sage.

This first book in an enthralling series leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells.

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley.

Raised by peasants, Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a knight. Now he wants her back, so Bella is torn from her beloved foster family and sent to live with her deranged father and his resentful new wife. Soon Bella is caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life — and the kingdom — forever.

The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz.

Two young friends stop speaking to each other even though they can’t remember why they argued in the first place, and this is just one more on top of the other problems that each has with her own family.

Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity–Shredderman!

Cabin on Trouble Creek by Jean Van Leeuwen.

In 1803 in Ohio, two young brothers are left to finish the log cabin and guard the land while their father goes back to Pennsylvania to fetch their mother and siblings.

Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles.

Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.

Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography

George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen.

A biography of Revolutionary War general and first President of the United States, George Washington, focusing on his use of spies to gather intelligence that helped the colonies win the war.

Shark Life: True Stories about Sharks and the Sea by Peter Benchley.

Benchley shares many anecdotes of his personal encounters with sharks, including the Great White, in stories that are exciting and sometimes terrifying.

The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden.

Tells the story of Margret and H. A. Rey. Part 1 concerns their childhoods in Germany, their lives together in Rio de Janeiro and Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. Part 2 recalls the Reys’ flight from Paris and the couple’s escape to Lisbon, Rio, and finally New York. They were carrying several illustrated manuscripts, including The Adventures of FiFi, later retitled Curious George.

Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M. Deem.

On the morning of August 24, A.D. 79, Vesuvius began to erupt. Within twenty-four hours, the entire city of Pompeii—and many of its citizens—had been utterly annihilated. It was not until hundreds of years later that Pompeii saw daylight again, as archaeological excavations began to unearth what had been buried under layers of volcanic rubble.

5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft’s Flight from Slavery by Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin.

Ellen and William Craft were two of the few slaves to ever escape from the Deep South. Their escape took them to Philadelphia, then on to Boston pursued by slave hunters, and 5,000 miles across the ocean to England.

Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman.

Life was hard for children during the Great Depression. Kids had to do without new clothes, shoes, or toys, and many couldn’t attend school because they had to work. Even so, life still had its bright spots. Take a closer look at the lives of young Americans during this era.

Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille by Russell Freedman.

A biography of the nineteenth-century Frenchman who, having been blinded at the age of three, went on to develop the system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.

Tutankhamun: the Mystery of the Boy King by Zahi Hawass.

An account of the life, death and burial of King Tut and the unearthing of his tomb. The author sheds new light on the biggest question about Tut—was he murdered?

Hidden Child by Isaac Millman.

The author details his difficult experiences as a young Jewish child living in Nazi-occupied France during the 1940s.

A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy.

The author presents the life of Joseph Plumb Martin, a fifteen year old Connecticut farm boy who enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776. Experience the young soldier’s excitement and fear during battle, his boredom while marching and the hardships of winter encampment.

Woodsong by Gary Paulsen.

For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in northern Minnesota is a wild experience involving wolves, deer, and the sled dogs that make their way of life possible. Includes an account of the author’s first Iditarod.

Mystery on Everest: a Photobiography of George Mallory by Audrey Salkeld.

Discusses the life of British mountain climber, George Mallory, the discovery of his body seventy-five years after his death, and the debate over whether Mallory was the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest.

Venom by Marilyn Singer.

Learn about venom and the animals that produce it and use it to survive, including spiders, insects, snakes and other reptiles, frogs and toads, fish, and ocean invertebrates.

Fiction

Any book in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander.

Any book in the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Any book in the P.C. Hawke Mysteries series by PaulZindel.

Skellig by David Almond.

Unhappy about his baby sister’s illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger who is something like a bird and something like an angel.

Iron Thunder: the Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac: a Civil War Novel by Avi.

When his father is killed fighting in the Civil War, 13-year-old Tom Carroll takes a job to help support his family. He finds work at a bustling ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where men are frantically pounding together the strangest ship Tom has ever seen.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.

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.

The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs.

A young girl takes a trip with a friend only to get involved with a mysterious letter, a magic ring, and a potent witch.

SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting.

15-year-old Barry O’Neill, traveling from Ireland to America on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, finds his life endangered when the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink.

Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars.

Cat, 11, joins forces with a boy who is ostracized because his family are “Okies,” racing for medical help against weather, prejudice, and time when his little sister is stricken with pneumonia.

Blood on the River by Elisa Lynn Carbone.

When 12-year-old Samuel Collier becomes the page of Captain John Smith bound for the New World, he can’t believe his good fortune. But beginning with the stormy journey and his first contact with the native people, he realizes that the New World is nothing like he imagined.

When Lightning Strikes by Jenny Carroll.

Walking home from school, Jessica Mastriani heads straight into a huge Indiana thunderstorm and emerges with a newfound psychic ability.

Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly.

As he tries to come to terms with his mother’s death, Vernon finds solace in his growing relationship with the neighborhood outcasts, an alcoholic and her retarded son.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper.

On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.

The Skull of Truth by Bruce Coville.

Charlie, a sixth-grader with a compulsion to tell lies, acquires a mysterious skull that forces its owner to tell only the truth, causing some awkward moments before he understands its power.

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech.

Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.

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.

Jacob’s Rescue: A Holocaust Story by Malka Drucker.

In answer to his daughter’s questions, a man recalls the terrifying years of his childhood when a brave Polish couple, Alex and Mela Roslan, hid him and other Jewish children from the Nazis. Based on a true story.

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.

The underground city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she and her friend Doon are sure it holds a secret that will save the city.

Monkey Island by Paula Fox.

Forced to live on the streets of New York after his mother disappears from their hotel room, eleven-year-old Clay is befriended by two homeless men who help him survive.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents and the souls of three others.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.

To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention and controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Thirteen-year-old Nina is imprisoned by the Population Police who give her the option of helping them identify illegal “third-born” children, or facing death.

Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes.

On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage, twelve-year-old Martha learns to deal with the death of a classmate, her relationship with her grandmother, her feelings for an older boy and her plans to be a writer.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

Set in the heart of the Great Depression, this story chronicles Oklahoma’s staggering dust storms, and the environmental—and emotional—turmoil they leave in their path. When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should face.

Jackie’s Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs.

How do you rescue a wild coyote trapped in an elevator in a downtown Seattle office building? How do you save an injured baby seal at the bottom of a cliff with the tide coming in? Fourteen-year-old Shannon Young, visiting from New Jersey, is about to find out.

The Misfits by James Howe.

Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata.

Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.

Worth by A. LaFaye.

After breaking his leg, eleven-year-old Nate feels useless because he cannot work on the family farm. When his father brings home an orphan boy to help with the chores, Nate feels even worse

Haunted Sister by Lael Littke.

A sixteen-year-old girl suffers a near-death experience in which her twin sister, who died in an accident twelve years before, returns to forcibly share her body.

Stop the Train! By Geraldine McCaughrean.

In 1893 the new settlers of Florence, Oklahoma, are determined to build a real town, despite the opposition of the owner of the Red Rock Runner railroad

Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

While living with her uncle in a house haunted by the ghost of a young woman, Judith Sparrow wonders if her one small transgression causes mysterious happenings.

Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell.

Bright Morning tells of the Navajo tribe’s forced march by white soldiers and settlers from their homeland to Fort Sumner

Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen.

In Hatchet, Brian was rescued. This story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver.

6,000 years in the past, twelve-year-old Tarak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father–to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit seeking a way to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.

The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck.

In rural Indiana in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell’s dreams of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean old Myrt Arbuckle “hauls off and dies.”

Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury.

Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi’s father and grandfather are arrested. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn’t change: the loyalty of Tomi’s buddies, the Rats.

Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock.

Certain that he is doing the right thing by donating his dog, Wolfie, to the Army’s scout program in Vietnam, thirteen-year-old Mark has second thoughts when the Army refuses to say when or if Wolfie will ever return.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli.

Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff’s optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, a student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.

Now You See It by Vivian Vande Velde.

With Wendy’s new glasses, she sees cheerful corpses, old crones disguised as teeny-boppers, and portals to another world–a place where everyone knows of the glasses’ powers and will do anything they can to get them.

Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography

Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival and the Salvation of the First English Colony in the New World by Kieran Doherty.

This is the remarkable true story of the ship that rescued the struggling Jamestown settlement in 1610 and ensured England’s place in the New World.

The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine by Judith Fradin and Dennis Fradin.

Daisy Bates was a journalist and activist who became one of the foremost civil rights leaders in America. In 1957 she mentored the nine black students who were integrated into Central High School in Little Rock.

In Defense of Liberty: the Story of America’s Bill of Rights by Russell Freedman.

Describes the origins, applications of, and challenges to the ten amendments to the United States Constitution that comprise the Bill of Rights.

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students by Suzanne Jurmain.

They threw rocks and rotten eggs at the school windows; refused to sell Miss Crandall groceries; her schoolhouse was set on fire; the town authorities dragged her to jail. Her crime? Trying to open and maintain one of the first African American schools in America.

Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Ernest Shackleton by K.M Kostyal.

Traces the adventurous life of the South Pole explorer whose ship, the Endurance, was frozen in ice and crushed, leaving captain and crew to fight for survival.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen Krull.

The author discusses his lonely childhood and his insatiable curiosity and craving for knowledge. The author also shows the workings of a scientific mind and the close connection between science and art.

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

For more than a century poor Mrs. O’Leary and her cow have shouldered the blame for Chicago’s infamous Great Fire of 1871. Now the author lays bare the facts concerning one of the greatest disasters in American history.

In the Line of Fire: Presidents’ Lives at Stake by Judith St. George.

Since the office was established, four presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John Kennedy. Seven other attempts have been made on the lives of the presidents. The author examines each assassination, as well as the life and career of the president, the assassin’s motivation, the policies of the newly sworn-in vice-president, and the effect each assassination had on the nation.

Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L.Hunley by Sally M. Walker.

Although divers searched for more than 130 years, the sub was not found until 1995. Over the last 14 years archeologists have raised the sub and sifted through sediment for artifacts and human remains and clues to why, when and how she sank.

The Newbery Medal is awarded in January of each year by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the writer of the best American children’s book of the previous year. It is named after the 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery.
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The Massachusetts Book Awards have been given since 2001 in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature. Continue »