th
9
Grade Summer Reading
2013-2014
Final Four by Paul Volponi
March Madness is in full swing, and there are only
four teams left in the NCAA basketball
championship. The heavily favored Michigan
Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet in the
first game in the semifinals, and it's there that the
fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J. intertwine.
As the last moments tick down on the game clock,
you'll learn how each player went from being a kid
who loves to shoot hoops to a powerful force in one
of the most important games of the year. Which
team will leave the Superdome victorious? In the
end it will come down to who has the most skill, the
most drive, and the most heart.
Ten Miles Past Normal
by Frances O’Roark Dowell
Janie Gorman is smart and creative and a little bit
funky…but what she really wants to be is normal.
Because living on an isolated farm with her modernhippy parents is decidedly not normal, no matter how
delicious the goat cheese. High school gives Janie the
chance to prove to her suburban peers that she’s just
like them, but before long she realizes normal is
completely overrated, and pretty dull.
If she’s going to learn how to live large (and forget
the haters), Janie will have to give up the quest and
make room in her life for things from the fringe—like
Jam Band, righteous chocolate, small acts of great
bravery, and a boy named Monster.
Ten Miles Past Normal is a quirky road map for
life—and also a reminder that detours are not about
missing out, but about finding a new way home.
Go Get Yours
by Ivan James
There is no one blueprint to success, but there are
millions who are considered successful. Go Get
Yours is designed to develop the drive and
encouragement one needs to become a success.
Nothing is more powerful than the minds of our
young people. The purpose of this book is to
impact the minds of our young people to go out and
strive as high as possible.
Go Get Yours is a wake-up call to students and
even the parents of today's generation.
This book reminds us that it's still cool to seek
brilliance at a time when popular culture preaches
negativity. In twelve chapters, James provides the
motivation for anyone seeking to exercise their
potential. Chapters devoted towards education,
staying focused, having a plan, and no excuses are
geared to uplift each reader. Go Get Yours is a
guaranteed must read!
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split
second when a meteor knocks the moon
closer to the earth. How should her family
prepare for the future when worldwide
tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes
rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks
out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic
winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their
mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven
of their sunroom, where they subsist on
stockpiled food and limited water in the
warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in journal entries, this is the heartpounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold
on to the most important resource of all-hope--in an increasingly desperate and
unfamiliar world.
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
by David Lubar
Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your
lunch money. Girls you've known forever are suddenly
beautiful and unattainable. And you can never get
enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scott's
mother to announce she's pregnant? Scott decides
high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it
came with a survival manual, so he begins to write
down tips for his new sibling.
Meanwhile, he's trying his best to capture the attention
of Julia, the freshman goddess. In the process, Scott
manages to become involved in nearly everything the
school has to offer. So while he tries to find his place
in the confusing world of high school, win Julia's
heart, and keep his sanity, Scott will be recording all
the details for his sibling's- and your- enjoyment.
Outcasts United by Warren St. John
This young people's version of the adult
bestseller, Outcasts United: An American Town, a
Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make
a Difference, is a complex and inspirational story
about the Fugees, a youth soccer team made up
of diverse refugees from around the world, and
their formidable female coach, Luma Mufleh.
Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical southern town
until it became a refugee resettlement center. The
author explores how the community changed with
the influx of refugees and how the dedication of
Lumah Mufleh and the entire Fugees soccer team
inspired an entire community.