Birney, Betty G. Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs.
“Eben McAllister searches his small town to see if he can find anything comparable to the real Seven Wonders of the World.”
Blackwood, Gary. Shakespeare's Spy.
Widge is back in London with his company, and Shakespeare's scripts are missing. It looks like an inside job and Widge, being a former thief, is the prime suspect.
Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker.
“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 WWII in their native tongue.”
Canales, Viola. Tequila Worm.
High school freshman, Sofia, earns a scholarship to an elite boarding school which causes her to leave her barrio home and the stories of Dona Clara, but enables her to use her family’s traditions to “illuminate her path” in the mundo.
Carman, Patrick. Land of Elyon Book I: Dark Hills Divide.
12-year-old Alexa spends the summer in the walled town of Bridewell, attempting to solve the mystery of what lies beyond the walls. Her discovery of an ancient enchantment threatens to destroy all that she loves. This series is popular!
Donnely, Jennifer. Northern Light.
In 1906, 16-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.
Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion.
A literary masterpiece! This novel has won three medals and honorary awards for young adult literature. Please give this one a chance...look into the story line and know that the first mention of the main character sounds disturbing, but the story line does not focus on the description of the character.
Fleischman, Paul. Zap.
Unconventional, enigmatic, incredible! This is multi-genre performance bridges their differences at the finale. Flesichman imitates Christie, Chekhov, Shakespeare, and more! Very funny!
Fleischman, Paul. Seek.
“Rob becomes obsessed with searching the airwaves for his long-gone father, a radio announcer.”
Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart.
When Meggie’s father reads aloud to her from a book entitled, Inkheart, a cruel, evil ruler jumps from the pages into Meggie’s life, and she is caught up into an adventure only like those she has experienced through reading.
Henkes, Kevin. Olive’s Ocean.
“On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage by the ocean, 12-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.”
Hesse, Karen. Aleutian Sparrow.
In sparse, free verse poetry, a young Aleutian girl remembers and longs for her homeland during the 1942-1945 evacuation of Unalaska Island. Beautiful.
Howe, James. Ed. 13: Thirteen Stories that Capture the Agony and the Ecstasy of Being Thirteen.
Using “school either as its setting or as an important reference point in the main character’s life,” each of these stories asks questions like, “What’s wrong with me? Why am I different? What is being popular? What are the rules? Who decides them?”
Layne, Steven L. This Side of Paradise.
“After his father begins working for the mysterious Eden Corporation, Jack uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the existence of his entire family.”
Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn.
“Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existences of mysterious winged creatures above the Earth’s surface.”
Oppel, Kenneth. Skybreaker.
“Matt Cruse, a student at the Airship Academy, and Kate de Vries, a young heiress, team up with a gypsy and a daring captain to find a long-lost airship, rumored to carry a treasure beyond imagination.”
Park, Linda Sue. Single Shard.
Tree-ear, a 13-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters/ village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.
Peck, Richard. River Between Us.
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.
Ritter, John H. Boy Who Saved Baseball.
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game. Hope brings on victory in this heart-warming story.
Simmons, Michael. Pool Boy.
Brett Gerson is an arrogant, smart-mouthed rich kid until his stockbroker father is sent to prison for insider trading. When Brett takes a job as an assistant pool cleaner, he has much to learn about love, forgiveness, and the really important things in life.
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed.
A boy called Jew, Gypsy, Thief, Runt, Happy, Fast, Filthy son of Abraham, discovers that the best way to survive in devastating, Nazi-occupied Warsaw, is to be nobody.
Westerfeld, Scott. Pretties.
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies.
These novels have interesting takes on our concerns regarding appearance.
Wilcox, Leah. Falling for Rapunzel.
A prince tries to get Rapunzel to throw down her hair so he can rescue her, but she mishears him and continually throws down random objects from her room instead. Hilarious!