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Summer Reading Suggestions
from the Champaign Public Library
FOR INCOMING 9TH GRADERS AT CENTRAL & CENTENNIAL
Theme: Identity, including family, race, gender, class, (dis)ability. The following novels have
strong main characters whose identities are in some way brought into focus through the work.
1. As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins (Teen Fiction). A
comic tale of one teen’s escalating mishaps after he gets stranded in the middle of nowhere.
2. * The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to
Manhood by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Biography). A boy comes of age in Baltimore.
3. Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (Nonfiction). An experienced
outdoorsman is trapped against a canyon wall in this true survival story.
4. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Teen Fiction). An autobiography in verse
shares the author’s childhood growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York.
5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Teen Fiction). In 1943, a British fighter plane
crashes in Nazi territory and the survivor is captured.
6. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Teen Fiction). Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars
wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court.
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (Fiction). A
gifted autistic teen investigates the murder of his neighbor’s dog.
8. *Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose (Nonfiction). A high school girl
struggles with addiction, bullying, and a deadly secret in this heartrending published diary.
9. *Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (Teen Fiction). A bi-racial boy and an outspoken girl
from the wrong part of town meet in this unusual love story.
10. *Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (Teen Fiction). In 1967, a Harlem teen just out of
high school enlists in the Army and is sent to Vietnam.
11. Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri (Teen Fiction). Cole is taken to live with a father he has never
known, and starts working with a group of "cowboys" who rescue horses.
12. *Imani All Mine by Connie Porter (Teen Fiction). A teen mom struggles to establish a safe
life for herself and her baby amidst a world of violence.
13. An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski (Nonfiction). The true story
of an 11-year-old panhandler, a busy sales executive, and an unlikely meeting with destiny.
14. *The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Mystery). A boy pushed into a life of crime because of
his lock-picking skills tries to break free in this thriller.
15. *The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Fiction). A murdered girl finds it hard to let go and
keeps a watch from “above” on the investigation into her own death.
16. The Most Human Human: What Artificial Intelligence Teaches Us About
Being Alive by Brian Christian (Nonfiction). Person vs. machine—which is more “human”?
17. My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (Biography). Sotomayor describes her inspirational
journey from a Bronx housing project to the U.S. Supreme Court bench.
18. My Brief History by Stephen Hawking (Biography). The brilliant scientist looks at his early
life and the challenges he faced after being diagnosed with ALS at age 21.
19. *Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Fiction). A bullied student kills ten people at his high
school and a surviving witness must try to remember exactly what she saw.
20. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Fiction). An old man goes to sea and
hooks a very big fish in this classic novel.
21. *Orphan Train by Christine Baker Kline (Adult Fiction). A Native American foster teen
discovers an unexpected friend during her community service hours with an elderly widow.
22. *Room by Emma Donoghue (Adult Fiction). Five-year-old Jack tells his story of living
captive with his mother in a small room.
23. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (Teen Fiction). An accident leaves
sixteen-year-old Jessica an amputee but she still dreams of running on the track team.
24. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Fiction). A girl and the woman who takes
care of her leave their racist town and find an unusual haven.
25. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar (Teen Fiction). Scott navigates the tricky
waters of high school in this comic diary written for his unborn brother.
26. * A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. (Biography) An 11-year-old girl kidnapped by a stranger
and abused for 18 years writes of her ordeal and eventual triumph.
27. Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox (Nonfiction/797.21/Cox). A young woman shares
how she is able to swim astonishing distances in this true story.
28. *Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand (Nonfiction). A World War II story of survival,
resilience, and redemption.
29. Victor Cruz: Out of the Blue by Victor Cruz (Biography). The wide receiver tells how he
beat the odds.
30. *Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green (Teen Fiction). Two teens who share the
same name find their paths intertwining when one dates the other’s best friend.
31. *Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (Fiction). This novel of the plague follows Anna in
1666 as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease.
*These books may contain more mature content or provide additional challenges for readers.