___________________________________________Fiction__________________________________________
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. Atheneum. 2010. 316p. ISBN-13: 9781416905868. Historical.
If an entire nation could seek its freedom, why not a girl? As the Revolutionary War
begins, a thirteen-year-old slave named Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. 2000. 272p. ISBN-13: 978-0689848919. Historical.
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.
Carson, Rae. Walk On Earth a Stranger. Greenwillow. 2015. 448p. ISBN: 9780062242914. Historical.
Leah Westfall, a girl with the ability to sense gold, disguises herself as a boy to make the dangerous journey to
California in 1849.
Crowder, Melanie. Audacity. Philomel. 2015. 400p. ISBN: 9780399168994. Historical.
This novel-in-verse fictionalizes the teen years of Clara Lemlich Shavelson, the leader of the New York
shirtwaist strike of 1909. Fleeing from anti-Semitic Russia, the teen and her family struggle to adapt to their
new home.
Dessen, Sarah. Saint Anything. Viking. 2015. 432p. ISBN: 9780451474704. Realistic.
Sydney lives in the shadow of her older brother—everyone’s favorite. When he makes a terrible choice that
lands him in jail, everything changes. Sydney might be able to escape to a new school and new romance, but
she can’t escape her family’s problems. Disclaimer: some mature topics and themes.
Hellisen, Cat. Beastkeeper. Holt. 2015. 208p. ISBN: 9780805099805. Fantasy.
Sarah’s mother abandons her family, and her father begins to transform into a monster. Fearing
for her safety, he leaves her with her grandparents in a castle in the woods. Surrounded by
magic, she must find a way to unravel her family’s curse.
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Speak. 2006. 224p. ISBN-13: 978-0142407332. Realistic.
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he
can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends
who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the Socs—a vicious gang of
rich kids who enjoy beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends—he knows that he can count on
them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down...
Lai, Thanhha. Listen, Slowly. HarperCollins. 2016. 288p. ISBN-13: 978-0062229199. Realistic.
A California girl born and raised, Mai can’t wait to spend her vacation at the beach. Instead, she has to travel
to Vietnam with her grandmother, who’s going back to find out what really happened to her husband during
the Vietnam War. Mai’s parents think this trip will be a great opportunity for their out-of-touch daughter to
learn more about her culture. But to Mai, those are their roots, not her own. Vietnam is hot, smelly, and the
last place she wants to be. Besides barely speaking the language, she doesn’t know the geography, the local
customs, or even her distant relatives. To survive her trip, Mai must find a balance between her two
completely different worlds.
*****Bookworm Bonus: Read THREE or more books from the list and receive extra credit in September!****
Lee, Stacey. Under a Painted Sky. Putnam. 2015. 384p. ISBN: 9780399168031. Historical.
Samantha and Annamae are thrown together when they are forced to hide from the law and pose as boys as
they travel the Oregon Trail in 1849.
Marshall, Joseph. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse. Abrams. 2015. 176p. ISBN-13: 978-1419707858.
Realistic. Jimmy McClean is a Lakota boy—though you wouldn’t guess it by his name: his father is part white
and part Lakota, and his mother is Lakota. When he embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High
Eagle, he learns more and more about his Lakota heritage—in particular, the story of Crazy Horse, one of the
most important figures in Lakota and American history. Through his grandfather’s tales about the famous
warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately himself.
Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2015. 304p. ISBN: 9780545591614.
Fantasy. Sierra Santiago was amped on her summer of painting murals and hanging with friends, before
noticing the murals were fading faster than normal. Another street artist named Robbie is the only one who
can help her to unlock this mystery.
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life As We Knew It. HMH Books. 2008. 352p. ISBN-13: 978-0152061548. Science
Fiction. When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer to Earth’s orbit, 16-year-old Miranda’s life is
turned upside-down. Miranda, through her diary entries, shows her family’s struggle for survival in a world
where food, warmth, sunlight, and hope are scarce. Even though life goes from bad to worse, Miranda
finds strength and courage in herself and in her family to continue living. Disclaimer: apocalyptic themes.
Ritter, William. Jackaby. Algonquin. 2014. 304p. ISBN-13: 978-1616203535. Mystery/Supernatural/
Historical. Newly arrived in New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an
investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural
beings. Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are
convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature
whose very existence the local authorities seem adamant to deny. Doctor Who meets Sherlock in a debut
novel, the first in a series, brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
Schlitz, Laura. The Hired Girl. Candlewick. 400p. ISBN: 9780763678180. Historical. Joan runs away from
her family farm where she cooks and cleans all day for her brusque father and brothers. In Baltimore she is
brought on as a hired girl for the Jewish family, the Rosenbachs. During the time spent under their roof she
learns about herself, religion, and love.
Stead, Rebecca. Goodbye Stranger. Random/Wendy Lamb. 2015. 304p. ISBN: 9780385743174. Realistic.
Bridge survived a bad accident, wears cat’s ears, and has made a rule with her friends: no fighting. To make
seventh grade more complicated, her story intersects with that of both a new friend and a mysterious teenager,
who is dealing with a betrayal. This brilliant novel by Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead explores
multiple perspectives on the bonds and limits of friendship.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 300p. ISBN-13: 9780618260300. Fantasy.
Whisked away from his comfortable life in his hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves,
Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large
and very dangerous dragon.
Van Draanen, Wendelin. The Running Dream. Ember. 2012. 336p. ISBN-13: 978-0375866289. Realistic.
When Jessica is told she’ll never run again, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than
ever before. The acclaimed author of Flipped delivers a powerful and healing story.
Whelan, Gloria. Listening for Lions. HarperCollins. 2006. 208p. ISBN-13: 978-0060581763. Historical.
Africa is the only home Rachel Sheridan has ever known. But when influenza strikes down her missionary
parents, she is left vulnerable prey to her family's wicked neighbors. Surrounded by greed and lies, Rachel is
entangled in a criminal scheme and sent to England, where she is forced into a life of deception. Like the
lion, she must be patient and strong, awaiting the moment when she can take control of her own fate—and
find her way home again at last.
________________________________________Non-Fiction_________________________________________
Brown, Daniel James. The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an
American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics. Viking. 2015. 240p. ISBN: 9780451475923. For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale
of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true
grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University
of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going
on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler.
Ganda, Martin and Alifirenka, Caitlin. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives.
Little, Brown. 2016. 416p. ISBN: 978-0316241335. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class
wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin’s pen-pal letter began a correspondence
that spanned six years and changed two lives. In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount
how they became best friends --and better people--through their long-distance exchange. Their story will
inspire you to look beyond your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.
Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken (Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to
Castaway to Captive. Delacorte Press. 2014. 320p. ISBN: 978-0385742511. In this captivating and lavishly
illustrated young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells
the story of a former Olympian's courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy
territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history's most thrilling survival
epics.
Kamkwamba, William. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William Morrow. 2010. 320p. ISBN: 9780061730337. When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all
of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science
books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his
family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's
windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.
Philbrick, Nathaniel. In the Heart of the Sea (Young Readers Edition). Puffin. 2015. 208p. ISBN: 9781101997765. On November 20, 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry whale. Within
minutes, the twenty-one-man crew, including the fourteen-year-old cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, found
themselves stranded in three leaky boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with barely any supplies and little
hope. Three months later, two of the boats were rescued 4,500 miles away, off the coast of South America.
Of the twenty-one castaways, only eight survived, including young Thomas. Nathaniel Philbrick recreates the
amazing events of the ill-fated Essex through the sailors own first-hand accounts, photos, maps, and artwork,
and tells the tale of one of the great true-life adventure stories.
Romero, Jordan. No Summit out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven
Summits. Simon & Schuster. 2015. 368p. ISBN: 978-1481432764. On May 22, 2010, at the age of
thirteen, American teenager Jordan Romero became the youngest person to climb to the summit of Mount
Everest. At fifteen, he became the youngest person to reach the summits of the tallest mountains on each of
the seven continents. In this energizing memoir for young adults, Jordan, recounts his experience, which
started as a spark of an idea at the age of nine and, many years of training and hard work later, turned into a
dream come true.
—Many titles taken from the Young Adult Library Services Association’s list: 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults.—