Summer&Reading&List&for&Class&of&2016&Before&Eighth&

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MIDDLE&SCHOOL&READING&LIST&PRAIRIE&HILL&WALDORF&SCHOOL&

*Recommended&for&Eighth&Grade&because&of&mature&content&and&sensibilities.&

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!American&History&Fiction&

Discovery&

MORNING!GIRL!by!Michael!Dorris!Dorris’s!novel!is!written!from!the!point!of!view!of!Morning!Girl!and!Star!Boy,!two!Taino!siblings!living!on!a!Bahamian!island!in!1492.!Strange!looking!visitors!appear.!!They!are!welcomed,!but!at!a!cost.!!Colonial&America&

THE!MATCHLOCK!GUN!!by!Walter!D.!Edmonds!In!1756,!New!York!State!was!still!a!British!colony,!and!the!French!and!the!Indians!were!constant!threats!to!Edward!and!his!family.!When!his!father!was!called!away!to!watch!for!a!raid!from!the!north,!Edward!was!left!to!protect!Mama!and!little!Trudy.!His!father!had!shown!him!how!to!use!the!huge!matchlock!gun,!an!old!Spanish!gun!that!was!twice!as!long!as!he!was,!but!would!Edward!be!able!to!handle!it!if!trouble!actually!came?!!THE!COURAGE!OF!SARAH!NOBLE!by!Alice!Dalgliesch!In!1707,!young!Sarah!Noble!and!her!father!traveled!through!the!wilderness!to!build!a!new!home!for!their!family.!“Keep!up!your!courage,!Sarah!Noble,”!her!mother!had!said,!but!Sarah!found!that!it!was!not!always!easy!to!feel!brave!inside.!The!dark!woods!were!full!of!animals!and!Indians,!too,!and!Sarah!was!only!eight!!&A!GATHERING!OF!DAYS!by!Joan!Blos!This!novel,!written!in!diary!form,!tells!of!“a!pivotal!year!for!19th\century!New!Englander!Catherine!Cabot!Hill–one!of!change,!loss,!and!leave!taking!.!.!.!a!low\key,!intense!and!reflective!book.!!*A!LIGHT!IN!THE!FOREST!by!Conrad!Richter!!!It!is!the!fall!of!1764,!and!the!relations!between!white!settlers!of!western!Pennsylvania!and!Indians!of!the!Ohio!area!are!strained.!Nevertheless,!the!ambitious!white!Colonel!Bouquet!and!his!troop!of!1,500!men!march!into!Indian!country!and!demand!the!return!of!whites!who!have!been!kidnapped!by!the!Delaware!

Indians.!True!Son,!a!fifteen\year\old!white!boy!who!has!been!raised!by!Indians!since!the!age!of!four,!is!one!of!the!white!prisoners!who!is!going!to!be!returned.!True!Son!loves!his!Indian!way!of!life!and!considers!himself!to!be!Indian;!he!has!been!raised!to!view!whites!as!enemies!and!cannot!imagine!living!with!them.!But!although!the!Indians!love!their!adopted!white!relatives,!they!agree!to!give!them!back!so!that!they!will!be!able!to!keep!their!land.!!!Revolutionary&War!

JOHNNY!TREMAIN!by!Esther!Forbes!Johnny,!an!apprentice!silversmith!in!colonial!Boston,!shows!great!promise.!!He!thinks!he!will!be!a!great!craftsman!until!a!tragic!accident!leaves!one!of!his!hands!permanently!injured.!!Alone,!and!without!future!prospects,!Johnny!falls!in!with!a!group!of!revolutionaries;!people!who!will!change!the!course!of!history!and!of!Johnny’s!life.!!&&WOODS!RUNNER!by!Gary!Paulsen!Though!his!parents!are!city!folk!trying!to!hack!out!a!life!on!the!frontier!in!Pennsylvania,!13\year\old!Samuel!is!entirely!at!home!in!the!woodland!wilderness!that!surrounds!their!little!settlement.!Soon!after!word!arrives!of!the!uprising!in!Concord!and!Lexington,!Samuel!returns!home!from!a!jaunt!in!the!forest!to!find!his!home!burned!down,!the!neighbors!slaughtered,!and!his!parents!missing.!!*THE!ASTONISHING!LIFE!OF!OCTAVIAN!NOTHING,!TRAITOR!TO!THE!NATION,!VOL.!1:!THE!POX!PARTY!by!M.T.!Anderson!In!this!fascinating!and!eye\opening!Revolution\era!novel,!Octavian,!a!black!youth!raised!in!a!Boston!household!of!radical!philosophers,!is!given!an!excellent!classical!education.!He!and!his!mother,!an!African!princess,!are!kept!isolated!on!the!estate,!and!only!as!he!grows!older!does!he!realize!that!while!he!is!well!dressed!and!well!fed,!he!is!indeed!a!captive!being!used!by!his!guardians!as!part!of!an!experiment!to!determine!the!intellectual!acuity!of!Africans.!!!*THE!ASTONISHING!LIFE!OF!OCTAVIAN!NOTHING,!TRAITOR!TO!THE!NATION,!VOL.!2:!THE!KINGDOM!ON!THE!WAVES!by!M.T.!Anderson!Octavian!and!his!tutor!escape!from!Octavian’s!master!to!relative!safety!in!Boston!where!Octavian!finds!work!as!a!violinist!in!a!military!band.!After!hearing!of!Lord!Dunmore’s!promise!of!freedom!for!slaves,!he!enlists!in!the!Royal!Ethiopian!Regiment.!Following!a!loss!at!Norfolk,!they!then!take!up!quarters!aboard!British!ships,!barely!fending!off!starvation!and!smallpox.!!!Early&United&States&

FEVER!1793!by!Laurie!Halse!Anderson!In!the!foreground!of!this!story,!based!on!an!actual!yellow!fever!epidemic,!is!16\year\old!Mattie!Cook,!whose!mother!and!grandfather!own!a!popular!coffee!house!on!High!Street.!Mattie’s!comfortable!and!interesting!life!is!shattered!by!the!epidemic,!as!her!mother!is!felled!and!the!girl!and!her!grandfather!must!flee!for!their!lives.!!!THE!TRUE!CONFESSIONS!OF!CHARLOTTE!DOYLE!by!Avi!Not!every!thirteen\year\old!girl!is!accused!of!murder,!brought!to!trial,!and!found!guilty.!But!I!was!just!such!a!girl,!and!my!story!is!worth!relating!even!if!it!did!happen!years!ago.!Be!warned,!however:!If!strong!

ideas!and!action!offend!you,!read!no!more.!Find!another!companion!to!share!your!idle!hours.!For!my!part!I!intend!to!tell!the!truth!as!I!lived!it.!!SLAVE!DANCER!by!Paula!Fox!One!day,!thirteen\year\old!Jessie!Bollier!is!earning!pennies!playing!his!fife!on!the!docks!of!New!Orleans;!the!next,!he!is!kidnapped!and!thrown!aboard!a!slave!ship,!where!his!job!is!to!provide!music!while!shackled!slaves!“dance”!to!keep!their!muscles!strong!and!their!bodies!profitable.!As!the!endless!voyage!continues,!Jessie!grows!increasingly!sickened!by!the!greed,!brutality,!and!inhumanity!of!the!slave!trade,!but!nothing!prepares!him!for!the!ultimate!horror!he!will!witness!before!his!nightmare!ends!–!a!horror!that!will!change!his!life!forever.!!Westward&Expansion&

BY!THE!GREAT!HORN!SPOON!by!Sid!Fleischman!Jack,!and!his!aunt’s!butler,!Praiseworthy,!head!west!to!the!California!goldfields!hoping!to!strike!it!rich!and!restore!Aunt!Isabella’s!forturne.!!Travelling!by!ship!from!Boston!they!meet!others!hoping!!to!strike!it!rich!too,!and!run!into!some!shady!characters,!like!Cut\Eye!Higgins,!who!would!thwart!their!dreams.!!MR.!TUCKET!by!Gary!Paulsen!Francis!Tucket!is!14!years!old!when!he!strays!from!his!family's!wagon!on!the!Oregon!Trail!and!is!captured!by!the!Pawnee.!With!the!help!of!Mr.!Grimes,!a!one\armed!trapper!who!maintains!an!uneasy!truce!with!the!Pawnee!by!trading!them!guns!and!ammunition,!Francis!escapes!and!spends!a!winter!learning!to!survive!by!living!off!the!land.!The!boy's!admiration!and!respect!for!Mr.!Grimes!causes!him!to!question!his!role!in!"civilized"!society!and!delays!his!return!to!his!family.!!First!book!of!The$Francis$Tucket$Books$!$BALLAD!OF!LUCY!WIPPLE!by!Karen!Cushman!Arvella!Whipple!and!her!three!children,!Sierra,!Butte,!and!11\year\old!California!Morning,!make!a!fresh!start!in!Lucky!Diggins,!a!town!of!mud,!tents,!and!rough\hewn!residents.!It's!a!far!cry!from!Massachusetts;!as!her!mother!determinedly!settles!in,!California!rebelliously!changes!her!name!to!Lucy!and!starts!saving!every!penny!for!the!trip!back!east.!Ever!willing!to!lose!herself!in!a!book!when!she!should!be!doing!errands,!Lucy!has!to!fight!to!find!her!own!path!in!life.!!Civil&War&

ACROSS!FIVE!APRILS!by!Irene!Hunt!The!“war!between!the!states”!has!begun,!and!friends!and!relatives!are!joining!up!in!Jethro’s!southern!Illinois!community.!While!his!brothers!go!off!to!war!–!each!to!fight!on!a!different!side—Jethro!must!stay!at!home!and!wait!to!see!what!will!be!the!outcome!as!the!war!plays!itself!out!across!five!Aprils.!!BULL!RUN!by!Paul!Fleischman!Sixteen!different!characters!(black!and!white!and!of!both!sexes)!tell!their!stories!of!the!battle!of!Bull!!Run.!!!!!

RED!MOON!AT!SHARPSBURG!by!Rosemary!Wells!India!is!unusual!for!girls!of!her!time.!!She!has!convinced!her!father!to!let!her!study!natural!science!with!a!tutor,!but!the!Civil!War!interrupts!her!studies,!and!when!her!father!disappears!she!begins!a!harrowing!journey!to!find!him.!!THE!TAMARACK!TREE!by!Patricia!Clapp!Rosemary!Leigh!has!come!to!America!from!England!to!join!her!brother!in!Vicksburg!just!before!the!start!of!the!Civil!War.!She!is!thus!caught!up!in!the!war!and!its!causes!as!well!as!deeply!involved!in!the!seige!of!Vicksburg.!!*RED!BADGE!OF!COURAGE!by!Stephen!Crane!Henry!has!been!recruited!to!fight!with!the!304th!Regiment!of!the!Union!Army.!!War!seems!glorious!at!first,!but!after!weeks!in!camp,!it!seems!boring!and!frightening!at!the!same!time.!Will!he!have!the!courage!to!fight!when!battle!comes?!!!!Immigration&

THE!ARRIVAL!by!Shaun!Tan!Tan!captures!the!displacement!and!awe!with!which!immigrants!respond!to!their!new!surroundings!in!this!wordless!graphic!novel.!It!depicts!the!journey!of!one!man,!threatened!by!dark!shapes!that!cast!shadows!on!his!family's!life,!to!a!new!country.!The!only!writing!is!in!an!invented!alphabet,!which!creates!the!sensation!immigrants!must!feel!when!they!encounter!a!strange!new!language!and!way!of!life.!!If!you!want!a!break!from!reading,!this!book!is!for!you.!!The!story!is!told!entirely!through!pictures.!!DRAGON’S!GATE!by!Laurence!Yep!Foxfire!dreams!of!following!his!adored!uncle!across!the!ocean!to!the!Golden!Mountain!(California).!!When!at!last!his!dream!comes!true!and!he!joins!his!uncle!to!work!on!“Snow!Tiger”!(the!railroad)!he!finds!that!life!in!America!is!nothing!like!he!thought.!!A!book!in!the!Golden$Mountain$Chronicles!series.!!!THE!DRAGON’S!CHILD:!A!STORY!OF!ANGEL!ISLAND!by!Laurence!Yep!Novelist!Yep!combines!fact!with!fiction!to!tell!the!story!of!his!own!family’s!immigration!from!China!to!California.!!ESPERANZA!RISING!by!Pam!Munoz!Ryan!Esperanza's!expectation!that!her!13th!birthday!will!be!celebrated!with!all!the!material!pleasures!and!folk!elements!of!her!previous!years!is!shattered!when!her!father!is!murdered!by!bandits.!His!powerful!stepbrothers!then!hold!her!mother!as!a!social!and!economic!hostage,!wanting!to!force!her!remarriage!to!one!of!them,!and!go!so!far!as!to!burn!down!the!family!home.!!The!only!way!to!stay!together!is!to!flee!to!California,!but!there,!Esperanza!is!not!a!wealthy!girl,!but!a!farm!worker.!!Industrial&Revolution&

LYDDIE!by!Katherine!Patterson!In!1843,!three!years!after!her!father!abandons!his!failing!Vermont!farm,!10\year\old!Lyddie!and!her!younger!brother!Charles!are!hired!out!as!servants.!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.!!

!THE!TEMPERING!by!Gloria!Skurzinski!The!summer!of!1911!is!a!decisive!one!for!three!young!men!in!a!Pennsylvania!steel!town!as!they!find!and!lose!jobs,!fall!in!love,!and!begin!to!shape!their!adult!lives.!!20TH&CENURY&

ROLL!OF!THUNDER,!HEAR!MY!CRY!by!Mildred!Taylor!Nine\year\old!Cassie!Logan,!growing!up!protected!by!her!loving!family,!has!never!had!reason!to!suspect!that!any!white!person!could!consider!her!inferior!or!wish!her!harm.!But!during!the!course!of!one!devastating!year!when!her!community!begins!to!be!ripped!apart!by!angry!night!riders!threatening!African!Americans,!she!and!her!three!brothers!come!to!understand!why!the!land!they!own!means!so!much!to!their!Papa.!“Look!out!there,!Cassie!girl.!All!that!belongs!to!you.!You!ain’t!never!had!to!live!on!nobody’s!place!but!your!own!and!long!as!I!live!and!the!family!survives,!you’ll!never!have!to.!That’s!important.!You!may!not!understand!that!now!but!one!day!you!will.!Then!you’ll!see.”!!*FALLEN!ANGELS!by!Walter!Dean!Myers!Perry!is!a!Harlem!teenager!who!volunteers!for!the!service!when!his!dream!of!attending!college!falls!through.!Sent!to!the!front!lines,!Perry!and!his!platoon!come!face\to\face!with!the!Vietcong!and!the!real!horror!of!warfare.!But!violence!and!death!aren't!the!only!hardships.!As!Perry!struggles!to!find!virtue!in!himself!and!his!comrades,!he!questions!why!black!troops!are!given!the!most!dangerous!assignments,!and!why!the!U.S.!is!there!at!all,.!!ONE!CRAZY!SUMMER!by!Rita!Garcia\Williams!It!is!1968,!and!three!black!sisters!from!Brooklyn!have!been!put!on!a!California\bound!plane!by!their!father!to!spend!a!month!with!their!mother,!a!poet!who!ran!off!years!before!and!is!living!in!Oakland.!Cecile!reacts!to!her!daughters'!arrival!without!warmth!or!even!curiosity.!Instead,!she!sends!the!girls!to!eat!breakfast!at!a!center!run!by!the!Black!Panther!Party!and!tells!them!to!stay!out!as!long!as!they!can!so!that!she!can!work!on!her!poetry.!Over!the!course!of!the!next!four!weeks,!Delphine!and!her!younger!sisters,!Vonetta!and!Fern,!spend!a!lot!of!time!learning!about!revolution!and!staying!out!of!their!mother's!way.!!!&

American&History&NonIFiction&BEFORE!COLUMBUS:!THE!AMERICAS!OF!1491!by!Charles!Mann!Was!the!New!World!really!new?!Why!were!the!Europeans!successful?!What!ecological!impact!did!Natives!have!on!their!surroundings?!From!the!pre\Columbian!genetic!engineering!of!maize!to!the!existence!of!pyramids!older!than!the!Egyptian!variety,!Mann's!lucid!answers!to!these!questions!represent!current!scholarly!opinion!and!point!the!way!toward!future!exploration!and!discovery.!!GEORGE!WASHINGTON,!SPYMASTER:!HOW!THE!AMERICANS!OUTSPIED!THE!BRITISH!AND!WON!THE!REVOLUTIONARY!WAR!by!Thomas!B.!Allen!A!riveting!tale!of!intrigue,!spies,!counterspies!and!secret!agents,!this!compelling!narrative!reveals!the!surprising!role!played!by!the!first!commander\in\chief,!General!George!Washington!in!the!War!of!Independence.!!

INTO!A!NEW!COUNTRY:!EIGHT!REMARKABLE!WOMEN!OF!THE!WEST!by!Liza!Ketchum!Presents!the!history!of!the!West!through!eight!biographies!of!women.!!ACROSS!AMERICA!ON!AN!EMIGRANT!TRAIN!by!Jim!Murphy!In!1879!the!famous!Scottish!author!Robert!Louis!Stevenson!(Kidnapped,$Treasure$Island)!traveled!from!Scotland!to!California!against!his!family’s!wishes!to!reach!the!side!of!the!woman!he!loved!(this!is!true!).!!He!traveled!first!by!boat,!then!by!train,!in!a!perilous!journey!across!America.!!Murphy!tells!not!only!Stevenson’s!story,!but!the!story!of!the!railroad!and!America’s!westward!expansion.!!WE!RODE!THE!ORPHAN!TRAINS!by!Andrea!Warren!They!were!“throwaway”!kids,!living!on!the!streets!or!in!orphanages!and!foster!homes.!Then!Charles!Loring!Brace,!a!young!minister!in!New!York!City,!started!the!Children’s!Aid!Society!and!devised!a!plan!to!give!these!homeless!waifs!a!chance!at!finding!families!they!could!call!their!own.!Thus!began!an!extraordinary!migration!of!American!children.!!HEART!AND!SOUL:!THE!STORY!OF!AMERICA!AND!AFRICAN!AMERICANS!by!Kadir!Nelson!This!is!the!story!of!the!men,!women,!and!children!who!toiled!in!the!hot!sun!picking!cotton!for!their!masters;!it's!about!the!America!ripped!in!two!by!Jim!Crow!laws;!it's!about!the!brothers!and!sisters!of!all!colors!who!rallied!against!those!who!would!dare!bar!a!child!from!an!education.!It's!a!story!of!discrimination!and!broken!promises,!determination,!and!triumphs.!!TO!BE!A!SLAVE!by!Julius!Lester!To!be!a!slave,!to!be!owned!by!another!person,!as!a!car,!house,!or!a!table!is!owned.!To!live!as!a!piece!of!property!that!could!be!sold...!This!book!is!about!how!it!felt.!The!words!of!black!men!and!women!had!themselves!been!slaves!are!here,!accompanied!by!Julius!Lester's!historical!commentary!and!Tom!Feelings's!powerful!and!muted!paintings.!!WE!ARE!THE!SHIP:!THE!STORY!OF!NEGRO!LEAGUE!BASEBALL!by!Nelson!Kadir!Nelson’s!history!of!the!Negro!Leagues,!told!from!the!vantage!point!of!an!unnamed!narrator,!reads!like!fiction.!An!old\timer!regales!his!grandchildren!with!tales!of!baseball!greats!Satchel!Paige,!Josh!Gibson,!and!others!who!forged!the!path!toward!breaking!the!race!barrier!before!Jackie!Robinson!made!his!historic!debut.!The!narrative!showcases!the!pride!and!comradery!of!the!Negro!Leagues,!celebrates!triumphing!on!one’s!own!terms!and!embracing!adversity,!even!as!it!clearly!shows!the!“us”!and!“them”!mentality!bred!by!segregation.!If!the!story!is!the!pitch,!though,!it’s!the!artwork!that!blasts!the!book!into!the!stands.!!THEY!CALLED!THEMSELVES!THE!K.K.K.:!THE!BIRTH!OF!AN!AMERICAN!TERRORIST!GROUOP!by!Susan!Bartoletti!This!is!the!story!of!how!a!secret!terrorist!group!took!root!in!America’s!democracy.!Filled!with!chilling!and!vivid!personal!accounts!unearthed!from!oral!histories,!congressional!documents,!and!diaries!this!is!a!book!to!read!and!think!about.!!FIELDS!OF!FURY:!THE!AMERICAN!CIVIL!WAR!by!James!M.!McPherson!Pulitzer!Prize!award\winning!historian!James!M.!McPherson!has!written!for!young!readers!a!stirring!account!of!the!greatest!conflict!to!happen!on!our!nation's!soil,!the!Civil!War,!bringing!to!life!the!tragic!struggle!that!divided!not!only!a!nation,!but!also!friends!and!family.!!!!

I’LL!PASS!FOR!YOUR!COMRADE:!WOMEN!SOLDIERS!IN!THE!CIVIL!WAR!by!Anita!Silvey!Anita!Silvey!explores!the!fascinating!secret!world!of!women!soldiers:!who!they!were,!why!they!went!to!war,!how!they!managed!their!masquerade.!!!WHEELS!OF!CHANGE:!HOW!WOMEN!RODE!THE!BICYCLE!TO!FREEDOM!(WITH!A!FEW!FLAT!TIRES!ALONG!THE!WAY)!by!Sue!Macy!Take!a!lively!look!at!women's!history!from!aboard!a!bicycle,!which!granted!females!the!freedom!of!mobility!and!helped!empower!women's!liberation.!Through!vintage!photographs,!advertisements,!cartoons,!and!songs,!readers!are!transported!to!bygone!eras!to!see!how!women!used!the!bicycle!to!improve!their!lives.!Witty!in!tone!and!scrapbook\like!in!presentation,!the!book!deftly!covers!early!(and!comical)!objections,!influence!on!fashion,!and!impact!on!social!change!inspired!by!the!bicycle,!which,!according!to!Susan!B.!Anthony,!"has!done!more!to!emancipate!women!than!anything!else!in!the!world."!!SKYWALKERS:!MOHAWK!IRONWORKERS!BUILD!THE!CITY!by!David!Weitzman!Through!a!narrative!text!and!gorgeous!historical!photographs!David!Weitzman!explores!Native!American!history!and!the!evolution!of!structural!engineering!and!architecture,!illuminating!the!Mohawk!ironworkers!who!risked!their!lives!to!build!our!cities!and!their!lasting!impact!on!our!urban!landscape.!!Read$any$of$the$fine$biographies$or$books$about$American$History,$which$cover$our$history$up$to$the$present$and$from$many$points$of$view,$by$these$authors:$Jean!Fritz,!Russell!Freedman,!Milton!Meltzer,!Jim!Murphy,!James!Haskins,!James!Cross!Giblin,!and!Judith!and!Dennis!Fradin.!$!!THE&WORLD&during&THE&WAR&YEARS&FICTION&AND&NONIFICTION&

World&War&I&

AFTER!THE!DANCING!DAYS!by!Margaret!Rostkowski!Annie!is!both!fascinated!and!repelled!by!the!wounded!soldiers!whom!she!sees!being!wheeled!off!of!a!train!in!her!small!Kansas!town!at!the!end!of!World!War!I.!When!her!father,!a!doctor,!begins!to!work!in!the!veterans!hospital,!and!her!grandfather!reads!to!a!blind!vet!there,!Annie!has!the!opportunity!to!visit!and!make!friends!with!two!soldiers.!!Fiction&!*TO!SERVE!THEM!ALL!MY!DAYS!by!R.!F.!Delderfield!David!Powlett\Jones!returns!from!World!War!I!injured!and!shell\shocked.!He!is!hired!to!teach!history!at!Bamfylde!School,!where!he!rejects!the!formal!curriculum!and!teaches!the!causes!and!consequences!of!the!Great!War,!greatly!disturbing!the!school’s!Board!of!Governors.!!As!David!falls!in!love!and!finds!true!to!his!beliefs!as!the!specter!of!another!great!war!looms.!Fiction!!!THE!WAR!TO!END!ALL!WARS!by!Russell!Freedman!The!tangled!relationships!and!alliances!of!many!nations,!the!introduction!of!modern!weaponry,!and!top\level!military!decisions!that!resulted!in!thousands!upon!thousands!of!casualties!all!contributed!to!the!"great!war,"!which!people!hoped!and!believed!would!be!the!only!conflict!of!its!kind.!NonIFiction&&

TRUCE!by!Jim!Murphy!On!July!29th!1914,!the!world’s!peace!was!shattered!as!the!artillery!of!the!Austria\Hungary!Empire!began!shelling!the!troops!of!the!country!to!its!south.!What!followed!was!like!a!row!of!falling!dominoes!as!one!

European!country!after!another!rushed!into!war.!But!who!could!have!guessed!that!on!December!25!the!troops!would!openly!defy!their!commanding!officers!by!stopping!the!fighting!and!having!a!spontaneous!celebration!of!Christmas!with!their!"enemies"?!!NonIFiction&!

Holocaust,&World&War&II,&the&bomb&

THE!LAST!MISSION!by!Harry!Mazer!In!1944,!as!World!War!II!is!raging!across!Europe,!fifteen\year\old!Jack!Raab!dreams!of!being!a!hero.!Leaving!New!York!City,!his!family,!and!his!boyhood!behind,!Jack!uses!a!false!I.D.!and!lies!his!way!into!the!U.S.!Air!Force.!From!their!base!in!England,!he!and!his!crew!fly!twenty\four!treacherous!bombing!missions!over!occupied!Europe.!The!war!is!almost!over!and!Hitler!near!defeat!when!they!fly!their!last!mission!\\!a!mission!destined!for!disaster.!Shot!down!far!behind!enemy!lines,!Jack!is!taken!prisoner!and!sent!to!a!German!POW!camp,!where!his!experiences!are!more!terrifying!than!anything!he'd!ever!imagined.!!CODE!TALKER!by!Joseph!Buchac!When!Navajo!boy,!Ned!Begay,!is!six!years!old!he!is!sent!to!a!government!boarding!school!where!his!native!language!is!forbidden.!!When!he!is!sixteen!he!enlists!in!the!United!States!Marines!to!fight!during!World!War!II,!and!the!Navajo!language!becomes!one!of!the!most!valuable!weapons!in!the!U.S.!arsenal.!!A!BOY!AT!WAR:!A!NOVEL!OF!PEARL!HARBOR!by!Harry!Mazer!Adam!Pelko!moves!to!Hawaii!because!his!father!is!stationed!there.!!!On!December!7,!1941!he!goes!out!fishing!with!some!friends!near!where!the!fleet!is!anchored.!!When!the!Japanese!bomb!the!harbor,!Adam!becomes!involved!with!the!rescue!effort,!but!what!he!wants!desperately!to!know!is!if!his!father!has!survived.!!JOURNEY!TO!TOPAZ!by!Yoshiko!Uchida!Yuki’s!family!is!evacuated!from!their!comfortable!home!in!California!to!a!bleak!camp!in!the!Utah!desert!because!the!Japanese!have!bombed!Pearl!Habor.!!SADAKO!AND!THE!THOUSAND!PAPER!CRANES!by!Eleanor!Coerr!Sadako!loves!to!run.!!While!preparing!for!a!big!race,!she!falls!ill!of!radiation!sickness.!!Perhaps!if!she!can!just!fold!a!thousand!origami!cranes!she!will!have!good!fortune!and!live.!!Sadako’s!perseverance!became!an!example!of!heroism!for!the!Japanese!people!and!inspired!the!Peace!Park!in!Hiroshima.!!!!THE!DEVIL’S!ARITHMATIC!by!Jane!Yolen!When!12\year\old!Hannah!is!transported!back!to!a!1940's!Polish!village,!she!experiences!the!very!horrors!that!had!embarrassed!and!annoyed!her!when!her!elders!related!their!Holocaust!experiences.!!ISLAND!ON!BIRD!STREET!by!Yuri!Orlev!A!Jewish!boy,!Alex,!lives!with!his!family!in!Warsaw,!Poland!at!the!outbreak!of!World!War!II.!!Knowing!that!horrific!things!were!happening!to!Jews,!Alex’s!dad!creates!a!hiding!place!in!their!house!on!Bird!Street.!!He!tells!Alex!that!if!anything!happens!he!is!to!hide!there!until!his!father!can!come!for!him.!!One!day,!all!the!Jews!are!evacuated!and!Alex!goes!into!hiding.!!When!no!one!comes!back!Alex!must!survive!on!his!own.!!!

*THE!BOY!IN!THE!STRIPED!PAJAMAS!by!John!Boyne!Bruno’s!family!suddenly!moves!from!Berlin!to!a!place!called!Out\With!in!Poland.!There,!not!50!feet!away,!a!high!wire!fence!surrounds!a!huge!dirt!area!of!low!huts!and!large!square!buildings.!From!his!bedroom!window,!Bruno!can!see!hundreds!(maybe!thousands)!of!people!wearing!striped!pajamas!and!caps,!and!something!made!him!feel!very!cold!and!unsafe.!Uncertain!of!what!his!father!actually!does!for!a!living,!the!boy!is!eager!to!discover!the!secret!of!the!people!on!the!other!side.!He!follows!the!fence!into!the!distance,!where!he!meets!Shmuel,!a!skinny,!sad\looking!Jewish!resident!who,!amazingly,!has!his!same!birth!date.!Bruno!shares!his!thoughts!and!feelings!with!Shmuel,!some!of!his!food,!and!his!final!day!at!Out\With,!knowing!instinctively!that!his!father!must!never!learn!about!this!friendship.!!*THE!BOOK!THIEF!by!Marcus!Zusak!Death!himself!narrates!the!World!War!II\era!story!of!Liesel!Meminger!from!the!time!she!is!taken,!at!age!nine,!to!live!in!Molching,!Germany,!with!a!foster!family!in!a!working\class!neighborhood!of!tough!kids,!acid\tongued!mothers,!and!loving!fathers!who!earn!their!living!by!the!work!of!their!hands.!The!child!arrives!having!just!stolen!her!first!book–although!she!has!not!yet!learned!how!to!read–and!her!foster!father!uses!it,!The&Gravediggers&Handbook,!to!lull!her!to!sleep!when!she’s!roused!by!regular!nightmares!about!her!younger!brother’s!death.!!The!grim!subject!matter!and!occasional!rough!language!makes!this!a!book!for!mature!eighth!graders!only.!!NonIFiction!*DIARY!OF!A!YOUNG!GIRL!by!Anne!Frank!(autobiography)!This!is!classic!true!diary!of!a!young!Dutch!Jewish!girl!who!is!force!into!hiding!in!a!family!friend’s!attic.&&!*THE!GOOD!FIGHT:!HOW!WORLD!WAR!II!WAS!WON!by!Stephen!Ambrose!Veteran!adult!historian!Ambrose!(D\Day!June!6,!1944;!Citizen!Soldiers)!hits!the!mark!with!this!patriotic!photo\survey!of!America's!involvement!in!WWII.!His!highly!visual!and!textually!concise!approach!make!clear!the!giant!scope!of!a!war!that!truly!spanned!the!world.!NonIFiction&&

HARLEM!HELLFIGHTERS:!WHEN!PRIDE!MET!COURAGE!by!Walter!Dean!Myers!The!"Harlem!Hellfighters,"!the!African!American!soldiers!of!the!369th!Infantry!Regiment!of!World!War!I,!redefined!heroism!\\!for!America,!and!for!the!world.!At!a!time!of!widespread!bigotry!and!racism,!these!soldiers!put!their!lives!on!the!line!in!the!name!of!democracy.!!HITLER!YOUTH:!GROWING!UP!IN!HITLER’S!SHADOW!by!Susan!Bartoletti!By!the!time!Hitler!became!Chancellor!of!Germany!in!1933,!3.5!million!children!belonged!to!the!Hitler!Youth.!It!would!become!the!largest!youth!group!in!history.!Susan!Campbell!Bartoletti!explores!how!Hitler!gained!the!loyalty,!trust,!and!passion!of!so!many!of!Germany's!young!people.!!THE!LIFE!AND!DEATH!OF!ADOLF!HITLER!by!James!Cross!Giblin!Many!people!believe!Hitler!was!the!personification!of!evil.!In!this!Sibert!Medal\winning!biography,!James!Cross!Giblin!penetrates!this!façade!and!presents!a!picture!of!a!complex!person—at!once!a!brilliant,!influential!politician!and!a!deeply!disturbed!man.!&

There$are$many$notable$nonEfiction$titles$about$the$Holocaust$for$Middle$School$Students.$$Two!are!NEVER!TO!FORGET:!THE!JEWS!OF!THE!HOLOCAUST!and!RESCUE:!THE!STORY!OF!HOW!GENTILES!SAVED!THE!JEWS!IN!THE!HOLOCAUST!both!by!Milton!Meltzer.!!!

French&Revolution&

THE!RED!NECKLACE!by!Sally!Gardner!As!the!first!embers!of!the!French!Revolution!begin!to!burn,!Yann!Margoza,!a!14\year\old!voice!thrower!and!mind!reader,!watches!his!simple!life!as!a!magician's!assistant!disappear!before!his!eyes.!During!one!fateful!midnight!performance!at!the!chateau!of!an!overindulgent,!debt\ridden!marquis,!a!string!of!irreversible!events!unfurls.!Jolted!from!the!only!world!he's!known,!Yann!becomes!inextricably!intertwined!with!the!marquis's!12\year\old!daughter!and!lecherous,!treacherous!Count!Kalliovski.!!THE!SILVER!BLADE!by!Sally!Gardner!With!his!beloved!Sido!safely!in!England!and!the!Reign!of!Terror!at!its!height,!mysterious!Yann!returns!to!revolutionary!France!to!smuggle!out!aristocratic!refugees!who!will!otherwise!face!the!guillotine.!But!while!the!two!are!apart,!Yann's!Gypsy!origins!prejudice!Sido's!guardian!against!their!marriage,!spoiling!their!reunion.!When!Sido!is!kidnapped!under!strange!circumstances,!Yann!must!use!all!his!strength!and!courage!to!outwit!the!evil!count,!rescue!Sido,!and!save!all!of!France.!!PALE!ASSASSIN!by!Patricia!Elliott!!Spoiled,!beautiful,!fourteen\year\old!Eugenie!de!Boncoeur!is!accustomed!to!outrageous!privilege.!The!French!Revolution!may!rage!around!her,!but!Eugenie's!luxurious!lifestyle!is!only!improved!by!visits!from!her!brother,!Armand,!who!is!especially!doting!since!the!two!were!orphaned.!What!Eugenie!doesn't!know!is!that!their!guardian!has!promised!her!in!marriage!to!the!wealthy,!vengeful!Le!Fantome,!a!revolutionary!who!is!nursing!a!secret!grudge!against!her!family.!As!the!Revolution!becomes!increasingly!violent,!Eugenie!is!shipped!off!to!convent!school.!!Read!a!biography!of!Robespierre!or!Marie!Antoinette;!or!read!a!history!of!the!French!revolution!!Russian&Gulag$

THE!ENDLESS!STEPPE!by!Esther!Hautzig!The!author!of!this!deeply!moving!personal!narrative!spent!her!years!between!ten!and!fourteen!as!a!Polish!deportee!in!a!remote,!impoverished!Siberian!village.!Taken!prisoner!by!the!Russians!in!1941!and!shipped!by!cattle!car!to!a!forced\labor!camp,!Esther,!her!mother,!and!her!grandmother!managed!to!stay!together!and!to!keep!each!other!alive!through!near!starvation!and!arctic!winters.!!BETWEEN!SHADES!OF!GRAY!by!Ruth!Septys!Fifteen\year\old!Lina!is!a!Lithuanian!girl!living!an!ordinary!life\\until!Soviet!officers!invade!her!home!and!tear!her!family!apart.!Separated!from!her!father!and!forced!onto!a!crowded!train,!Lina,!her!mother,!and!her!young!brother!make!their!way!to!a!Siberian!work!camp,!where!they!are!forced!to!fight!for!their!lives!!*ONE!DAY!IN!THE!LIFE!OF!IVAN!DENISOVICH!by!Aleksander!Solzhenistsen!Ivan!Denisovich!lives!his!day,!just!as!he!has!lived!every!other!day!since!being!imprisoned!in!a!labor!camp!in!Siberia.!!Biographies!of!Josef!Stalin!or!Vladimir!Lenin!!!

Stories&of&Adventure&and&Survival&

THE!BLACK!PEARL!by!Scott!O’Dell!A!16\year\old!boy!does!battle!with!an!enormous!devilfish!that!guards!a!rare,!black!pearl.!PW!said!this!1968!Newbery!Honor!Book!reverberates!with!"proud!admiration!of!the!courage!of!the!human!spirit.!

CALL!IT!COURAGE!!by!Armstrong!Perry!Mafatu!has!been!afraid!of!the!sea!for!as!long!as!he!can!remember.!Though!his!father!is!the!Great!Chief!of!Hikueru!\!an!island!whose!seafaring!people!worship!courage!\!Mafatu!feels!like!an!outsider.!All!of!his!life!he!has!been!teased,!taunted,!and!even!blamed!for!storms!on!the!sea.!Then!at!age!fifteen,!no!longer!willing!to!put!up!with!the!ridicule!and!jibes,!Mafatu!decides!to!take!his!fate!into!his!own!hands.!With!his!dog,!Uri,!as!his!companion,!Mafatu!paddles!out!to!sea,!ready!to!face!his!fears.!What!he!learns!on!his!lonesome!adventure!will!change!him!forever!and!make!him!a!hero!in!the!eyes!of!his!people.!!!HOMECOMING!by!Cynthia!Voigt!The!four!Tillerman!children!are!abandoned!by!their!mother!somewhere!in!the!middle!of!Connecticut.!They!have!to!find!their!way,!somehow,!to!Great\aunt!Cilla's!house!in!Bridgeport,!which!may!be!their!only!hope!of!staying!together!as!a!family.!But!when!they!get!to!Bridgeport,!they!learn!that!Great\aunt!Cilla!has!died,!and!the!home!they!find!with!her!daughter,!Eunice,!isn't!the!permanent!haven!they've!been!searching!for.!!Their!only!other!relative!is!a!grandmother!they’ve!never!met,!and!she!lives!in!Maryland.!!So!they!start!walking.!Can!they!make!it?!!And!will!they!like!it!if!they!do?!!BANNER!IN!THE!SKY!by!James!Ramsey!Ullman!The!last!great!summit!of!the!Alps!is!still!unconquered.!!The!last!man!who!tried!the!ascent!died.!!Sixteen!year!old!Rudi!Matt!is!determined!to!reach!the!summit,!but!before!he!can!reach!it!he!must!pass!through!the!chasm!where!the!last!man!who!attempted!the!climb!died.!!!That!man!was!Rudi’s!father.!!Adventure&&JULIE!OF!THE!WOLVES!by!Jean!Craighead!George!Miyax,!a!thirteen!year!old!Inuit!girl,!has!grown!up!torn!between!the!culture!of!whites!and!of!the!Inuit.!!After!her!mother!dies!she!is!forced!to!live!in!circumstances!that!are!hard!to!bear.!!Fleeing!from!an!arranged!marriage,!she!tries!to!run!away!to!San!Francisco.!!Alone!in!the!Arctic,!how!can!she!survive?!!!!ISLAND!OF!THE!BLUE!DOLPHINS!by!Scott!O’Dell!When!her!tribe!leaves!their!island!home!to!find!a!better!life,!Karana!and!her!little!brother!Ramos!are!accidentally!left!behind.!!Alone!on!the!island,!Karana!must!use!all!her!abilities!to!survive.!!!!WHERE!THE!LILIES!BLOOM!by!Vera!and!Bill!Cleaver!Mary!Call!has!promised!her!dying!father!to!keep!her!brother!and!sisters!together!forever!on!the!mountain,!and!never!to!take!any!help!from!strangers.!She!is!determined!to!keep!her!word!\\no!matter!what.!At!first!she!is!sure!she!can!manage.!Romey,!Ima!Dean,!and!Devola!help!gather!herbs!to!sell!in!town;!the!riches!of!the!mountains!will!surely!keep!the!family!clothed!and!fed.!But!then!winter!comes,!fast!and!furious,!and!Mary!Call!has!to!learn!that!the!land!where!the!lilies!bloom!is!also!a!cruel!and!unforgiving!place,!and!it!may!take!more!than!a!promise!to!keep!her!family!together.!!!!!!

Lives&in&Other&Places&

*SHABANU,!DAUGHTER!OF!THE!WIND!by!Suzanne!Fisher!Staples!!A!girl!growing!up!among!camel\dealing!nomads!in!modern!Pakistan,!Shabanu!knows!the!way!her!people,!the!Cholistanis,!have!always!lived:!a!daughter!abides!by!her!father's!decisions,!a!wife!obeys!her!husband's!wishes.!Yet!Shabanu!is!strong\willed!and!independent,!and!her!mother!warns,!"Shabanu,!you!are!wild!as!the!wind.!You!must!learn!to!obey.!Otherwise!.!.!.!I!am!afraid!for!you."!As!the!arranged!marriage!of!Shabanu's!sister!Phulan!approaches,!and!with!her!own!wedding!planned!for!the!following!year,!Shabanu!feels!fear!and!apprehension,!and!then!something!happens!that!changes!everything.!!!AK!by!Peter!Dickinson!Paul,!12,!remembers!no!other!life!than!his!nomadic!existence!as!a!Warrior\\a!junior!member!of!a!guerilla!band!fighting!a!civil!war!against!the!corrupt!government!of!Nagala,!a!fictional!African!nation.!When!peace!is!declared,!Paul's!mentor,!Michael,!assumes!an!important!role!in!the!newly!formed!coalition!government,!rebuilding!the!country!he!loves.!Paul\\now!Michael's!adopted!son\\is!sent!to!school!in!the!north!of!the!country.!When!the!elected!government!is!overthrown!in!a!coup,!Michael!is!put!in!prison!and!Paul,!his!life!in!danger,!flees!from!the!north.!Accompanied!by!two!other!children,!he!journeys!to!the!nation's!capitol,!determined!to!free!his!adoptive!father.!!HOMESICK:!MY!OWN!STORY!by!Jean!Fritz!Acclaimed!biographer,!Jean!Fritz,!writes!in!story!form!of!her!own!up\bringing!as!an!American!girl!in!China.!!*OPEN!YOUR!EYES:!EXTRAORDINARY!EXPERIENCES!IN!FARAWAY!PLACES!edited!by!Jill!Davis!Living!in!a!new!place!is!very!different!from!visiting!one,!especially!when!that!place!is!far!away!from!home.!Traveling!gives!us!the!rare!opportunity!to!see!who!we!might!have!been!if!we!had!been!born!someplace!else.!For!some,!it's!a!chance!to!recreate!ourselves.!For!others,!it's!a!time!to!realize!who!we!already!are.!In!Open&Your&Eyes,!ten!writers!will!be!your!guides!to!the!journeys!that!changed!their!lives:!a!boarding!school!in!England;!parenthood!in!France;!the!most!beautiful!spots!in!Italy;!China!on!the!Yang\tze;!a!tiny!shop!in!Tokyo,!Japan;!and!even!to!Pilzen,!Czechoslovakia!as!World!War!II!is!ending.!Though!each!story!offers!an!original!viewpoint,!all!of!the!stories!reflect!back!on!two!important!themes:!where!we!come!from!and!how!we!become!who!we!are.!&

&

Mysteries&

THE!WESTING!GAME!by!Ellen!Raskin!Multimillionaire,!Sam!Westing,!has!been!found!dead!in!his!mansion.!!Sixteen!people!gather!to!hear!the!reading!of!the!will.!!One!of!them!will!inherit!his!fortune.!!The!one!who!discovers!Westing’s!murderer!!!MASTERPIECE!by!Elise!Broach!After!James!receives!a!pen!and!ink!set!for!his!birthday,!he!wakes!in!the!morning!to!find!an!amazing!drawing!on!his!desk.!!It!is!a!masterpiece.!!Everyone!is!impressed,!but!James!didn’t!draw!it.!!Who!did,!how!can!James!ever!tell!his!family,!and!how!can!James!and!his!new!friend!Marvin!find!out!who!is!stealing!art!from!the!Metropolitan!Museum?!!

SEER!OF!SHADOWS!by!Avi!The!time!is!1872.!The!place!is!New!York!City.!Horace!Carpetine!has!been!raised!to!believe!in!science!and!rationality.!So!as!apprentice!to!Enoch!Middleditch,!a!society!photographer,!he!thinks!of!his!trade!as!a!scientific!art.!But!when!wealthy!society!matron!Mrs.!Frederick!Von!Macht!orders!a!photographic!portrait,!strange!things!begin!to!happen.!Horace's!first!real!photographs!reveal!a!frightful!likeness:!it's!the!image!of!the!Von!Machts'!dead!daughter,!Eleanora.!!Who!was!Eleanora?!!How!did!she!die?!And,!is!there!really!such!a!thing!as!a!ghost?!!THE!EGYPT!GAME!by!Zilpha!Keatley!Snyder!The!first!time!Melanie!Ross!meets!April!Hall,!she’s!not!sure!they!have!anything!in!common.!But!she!soon!discovers!that!they!both!love!anything!to!do!with!ancient!Egypt.!When!they!stumble!upon!a!deserted!storage!yard,!Melanie!and!April!decide!it’s!the!perfect!spot!for!the!Egypt!Game.!Before!long!there!are!six!Egyptians,!and!they!all!meet!to!wear!costumes,!hold!ceremonies,!and!work!on!their!secret!code.!Everyone!thinks!it’s!just!a!game!until!strange!things!start!happening.!Has!the!Egypt!Game!gone!too!far?!!*THE!RUBY!IN!THE!SMOKE!by!Philip!Pullman!“BEWARE!THE!SEVEN!blessings!.!.!.!”!When!she!first!utters!these!words,!16\year\old!Sally!Lockhart!doesn’t!know!their!meaning.!But!when!an!employee!of!her!late!father!hears!them,!he!dies!of!fear.!Thus!begins!Sally’s!terrifying!journey!into!the!seamy!underworld!of!Victorian!London,!in!search!of!clues!to!her!father’s!mysterious!death.!!DON’T!LOOK!BEHIND!YOU!by!Lois!Duncan!April!Corrigan's!life!is!turned!upside\down!when!she!when!she!learns!that!her!father!has!been!working!secretly!undercover!for!the!FBI.!When!his!testimony!convicts!a!notorious!drug!dealer,!the!whole!family!must!relocate!and!enter!the!Federal!Witness!Security!Program.!April's!entire!way!of!life!changes\\not!just!her!name.!And!when!she!attempts!to!communicate!with!her!boyfriend,!an!agent!is!killed.!!THE!LAST!SHOT!by!John!Feinstein!When!Stevie!wins!a!writing!contest!for!aspiring!sports!journalists,!his!prize!is!a!press!pass!to!the!Final!Four!in!New!Orleans.!While!exploring!the!Superdome,!he!overhears!a!plot!to!throw!the!championship!game.!With!the!help!of!fellow!contest!winner!Susan!Carol,!Stevie!has!just!48!hours!to!figure!out!who!is!blackmailing!one!of!the!star!players!.!.!.!and!why.!!!!!!Animal&Stories&

GENTLE!BEN!by!Walt!Morey!The!Alaskan!wilderness!is!a!lonely!place!for!Mark!Andersen,!especially!after!the!death!of!his!brother.!But!Mark!finds!a!friend!named!Ben,!who!happens!to!be!an!Alaskan!brown!bear.!Ben!and!Mark!form!a!special!bond,!but!the!townspeople!are!determined!to!destroy!it.!!!WHERE!THE!RED!FERN!GROWS!by!Wilson!Rawls!Billy!and!his!precious!coonhound!pups!romp!relentlessly!through!the!Ozarks,!trying!to!"tree"!the!elusive!raccoon.!In!time,!the!inseparable!trio!wins!the!coveted!gold!cup!in!the!annual!coon\hunt!contest,!captures!the!wily!ghost!coon,!and!bravely!fights!with!a!mountain!lion.!!

THE!INCREDIBLE!JOURNEY!by!Sheila!Burnford!Instinct!tells!the!two!dogs!and!a!cat!that!the!way!home!is!to!the!West,!so!off!they!head!across!the!Canadian!wilderness.!!Starvation,!predators,!and!even!humans!may!be!their!enemies.!!How!can!they!possibly!make!it!home!to!the!family!they!love?!!INCIDENT!AT!HAWK’S!HILL!by!Allan!Eckert!Six\year\old!Ben!is!very!small!for!his!age,!and!gets!along!better!with!animals!than!people.!One!June!day!in!1870,!Ben!wanders!away!from!his!home!on!Hawk's!Hill!and!disappears!into!the!waving!prairie!grass.!This!is!the!story!of!how!a!shy,!lonely!boy!survives!for!months!in!the!wilds!and!forges!a!bond!with!a!female!badger.!!Contemporary&Issues/Contemporary&Lives&

DEAR!MR.!HENSHAW!by!Beverly!Cleary!It's!not!easy!being!the!new!kid!in!town,!with!recently!divorced!parents,!no!dog!anymore,!and!a!lunch!that!gets!stolen!every!day!(all!the!"good!stuff,"!anyway).!Writing!letters,!first!to!the!real!Mr.!Henshaw,!and!then!in!a!diary!to!a!pretend!Mr.!Henshaw,!may!be!just!what!he!needs.!!BRIDGE!TO!TERABITHIA!by!Katherine!Patterson!Jess!has!been!practicing!all!summer!to!be!the!fastest!boy!in!the!fifth!grade,!but!when!school!starts!there!is!a!faster!runner,!the!new!girl,!Leslie.!!Jess!doesn’t!want!to!like!Leslie,!but!eventually!realizes!she!could!be!a!good!friend.!!Together!they!create!their!own!magic!kingdom,!Terabithia.!!And!then!one!morning!a!tragic!accident!changes!everything.!!HARRIET,!THE!SPY!by!Louise!Fitzhugh!Harriet!wants!to!be!a!writer!when!she!grows!up.!!She!knows!that!writers!need!to!carefully!observe!people!and!see!the!truth!about!who!they!are!and!what!they!are!like.!!To!this!end,!she!becomes!a!spy.!!Watching!all!kinds!of!people,!including!the!kids!in!her!class,!and!recording!her!observations!and!thoughts!in!her!notebook.!!She’s!good!at!spying!too,!until!the!day!disaster!strikes!when!her!notebook!is!discovered!and!read!by!some!of!the!kids!including!her!best!friend.!!!!A!SOLITARY!BLUE!by!Cynthia!Voigt!When!Jeff!Greene!was!in!second!grade!he!came!home!one!day!to!find!a!note!from!his!mother,!Melody.!!It!told!him!she!was!going!away!and!not!coming!back.!!The!note!said!he!was!old!enough!to!take!care!of!himself!now.!!Jeff!was!lonely,!confused,!and!heartbroken,!but!he!got!by.!!Now,!Jeff!is!twelve!and!his!mother!has!called!and!said!she!wants!him!to!come!and!spend!the!summer.!!At!last,!a!whole!summer!with!Melody,!now!everything!will!be!all!right!–!won’t!it?!!SCORPIONS!by!Walter!Dean!Myers!Seventh!grader,!Jamal,!has!troubles.!!Ever!since!his!older!brother,!Randy,!went!off!to!prison!everyone!is!on!his!case.!!Now!Randy!wants!him!to!join!his!gang,!The!Scorpions!and!run!crack.!!Randy!doesn’t!want!any!part!of!it,!but!how!else!will!he!find!the!money!his!family!needs?!!!!ADAM!CANFIELD!OF!THE!SLASH!by!Micheal!Winerip!Adam!is!the!reluctant!new!coeditor!of!the!Slash,!his!affluent!suburb's!"award\winning"!elementary/middle!school!newspaper.!While!he!has!a!precocious!penchant!for!investigative!reporting,!he's!decidedly!less!adept!in!the!interpersonal!arena!and!finds!he!has!much!to!learn!from!his!more!poised!partner,!Jennifer,!about!meeting!the!subtler!demands!of!the!job.!Among!them!is!the!matter!of!how!to!

supervise!Phoebe,!a!pesky!third\grade!cub!reporter!who,!though!annoyingly!hyper,!turns!out!to!have!a!remarkably!potent!pen!and!a!disturbing!talent!for!sniffing!out!front\page!scoops.!The!suspenseful!central!plot!begins!when!these!three!journalists!discover!that!their!school's!social\climbing!principal–a!woman!who!likes!to!try!to!dictate!the!paper's!content!and!use!it!as!a!medium!for!feel\good!community!relations–may!have!misused!funds!from!a!bequest!to!install!luxurious!amenities!in!her!office.!Do!they!dare!pursue!the!ugly!story!and!risk!staining!their!"permanent!records?"!!LA!LINEA!by!Ann!Jamarillo!When!Miguel,!15,!leaves!San!Jacinto,!Mexico,!to!join!his!parents!in!California,!his!sister,!Elena,!13,!secretly!follows!him.!Together!with!their!guides!they!barely!survive!a!harrowing!journey!through!the!desert!and!across!la&linea,!the!border.!A!gripping!contemporary!survival!adventure,!this!spare!first!novel!is!also!a!heart\wrenching!family!story!of!courage,!betrayal,!and!love.!!!!*THE!CHOCOLATE!WAR!by!Robert!Cormier!Does!Jerry!Renault!dare!to!disturb!the!universe?!You!wouldn't!think!that!his!refusal!to!sell!chocolates!during!his!school's!fundraiser!would!create!such!a!stir,!but!it!does;!it's!as!if!the!whole!school!comes!apart!at!the!seams.!!NOTHING!BUT!THE!TRUTH!by!Avi!Ninth!grader!Philip!Malloy!finds!himself!unable!to!participate!on!the!track!team!because!of!his!failing!grade!in!English.!Convinced!the!teacher,!Margaret!Narwin,!dislikes!him,!he!concocts!a!scheme!to!get!transferred!from!her!homeroom:!instead!of!standing!"at!respectful,!silent!attention"!during!the!national!anthem,!Philip!hums.!Throughout!the!ensuing!disciplinary!problems!at!school,!his!parents!take!his!side,!ignore!the!fact!that!he!is!breaking!a!school!rule,!and!concentrate!on!issues!of!patriotism.!The!conflict!between!Philip!and!his!school!escalates,!and!he!quickly!finds!the!situation!out!of!his!control;!local!community!leaders,!as!well!as!the!national!news!media,!become!involved.!!*THE!ABSOLUTELY!TRUE!DIARY!OF!A!PART!TIME!INDIAN!by!Sherman!Alexie!Arnold!Spirit,!aka!Junior,!a!Spokane!Indian!from!Wellpinit,!WA!is!a!bright!14\year\old!was!born!with!water!on!the!brain,!and!is!regularly!the!target!of!bullies.!!He!expects!disaster!when!he!transfers!from!the!reservation!school!to!the!rich,!white!school!in!Reardan,!but!soon!finds!himself!making!friends!with!both!geeky!and!popular!students!and!starting!on!the!basketball!team.!Meeting!his!old!classmates!on!the!court,!Junior!grapples!with!questions!about!what!constitutes!one's!community,!identity,!and!tribe.!!!Speculative&Fiction&(including&Sf,&fantasy,&dystopian)&

MANIAC!MAGEE!by!Jerry!Spinelli!Maniac!Magee!is!a!folk!hero!in!the!town!of!Two!Mills.!!People!say!he!could!out!run!dogs,!hit!a!homerun!off!the!best!pitcher!in!the!neighborhood,!and!tie!a!knot!no!one!can!undo.!!This!story!is!“the!history!of!a!kid,!one!part!fact,!two!parts!legend,!and!three!parts!snowball.”!Not&realistic&fiction,&but&not&really&fantasy&!THE!SEARCH!FOR!DELICIOUS!by!Natalie!Babbit!Gaylen,!the!King’s!messenger,!a!skinny!boy!of!twelve,!is!off!to!poll!the!kingdom,!traveling!from!town!to!farmstead!to!town!on!his!horse,!Marrow.!At!first!it!is!merely!a!question!of!disagreement!at!the!royal!castle!over!which!food!should!stand!for!Delicious!in!the!new!dictionary.!But!soon!it!seems!that!the!search!for!Delicious!had!better!succeed!if!civil!war!is!to!be!avoided.!!Fantasy&

&WHERE!THE!MOUNTAIN!MEETS!THE!MOON!by!Grace!Lin!In!this!enchanted!and!enchanting!adventure,!Minli,!whose!name!means!“quick!thinking,”!lives!with!her!desperately!poor!parents!at!the!confluence!of!Fruitless!Mountain!and!the!Jade!River.!While!her!mother!worries!and!complains!about!their!lot,!her!father!brightens!their!evenings!with!storytelling.!One!day,!after!a!goldfish!salesman!promises!that!his!wares!will!bring!good!luck,!Minli!spends!one!of!her!only!two!coins!in!an!effort!to!help!her!family.!After!her!mother!ridicules!what!she!believes!to!be!a!foolish!purchase,!Minli!sets!out!to!find!the!Old!Man!of!the!Moon,!who,!it!is!told,!may!impart!the!true!secret!to!good!fortune.!!Fantasy&!TUCK!EVERLASTING!by!Natalie!Babbit!What!would!it!be!like!if!you!could!live!forever?!!Winnie!Foster!is!about!to!meet!a!whole!family!who!will!never!die.!!If!she!could!find!the!fountain!of!youth,!should!she!drink!from!it?&Fantasy&!RUNNING!OUT!OF!TIME!by!Margaret!Peterson!Haddix!What!if!the!costumed!workers!at!historical!sites!really!lived!there,!and!tourists!watched!them!through!hidden!cameras!rather!than!from!pathways?!What!if!those!workers!and!families!were!not!allowed!to!leave,!ever?!Jessie!lives!in!the!1840s,!or!so!she!believes!until!her!mother!sends!her!on!an!escape!mission!outside!the!fence,!where!it's!1996.!The!suspense!and!the!cataloging!of!differences!as!they!appear!to!Jessie!are!the!best!parts!here.!!Time&travel&and&speculative&fiction&!CITY!OF!EMBER!by!Jeanne!Duprais!Ember,!a!241\year\old,!ruined!domed!city!surrounded!by!a!dark!unknown,!was!built!to!ensure!that!humans!would!continue!to!exist!on!Earth,!and!the!instructions!for!getting!out!have!been!lost!and!forgotten.!On!Assignment!Day,!12\year\olds!leave!school!and!receive!their!lifetime!job!assignments.!Lina!Mayfleet!becomes!a!messenger,!and!her!friend!Doon!Harrow!ends!up!in!the!Pipeworks!beneath!the!city,!where!the!failing!electric!generator!has!been!ineffectually!patched!together.!Both!Lina!and!Doon!are!convinced!that!their!survival!means!finding!a!way!out!of!the!city,!and!after!Lina!discovers!pieces!of!the!instructions,!she!and!Doon!work!together!to!interpret!the!fragmented!document.!Dystopian&Fiction&&THE!WEE!FREE!MEN!by!Terry!Pratchett!Tiffany!Aching,!a!nine!year!old!girl!living!on!a!sheep!farm,!knows!she!has!to!act!fast!when!her!little!brother,!Wentworth,!is!stolen!by!the!evil!faery!queen.!!She’s!assisted!in!her!efforts!by!a!group!of!wee!blue!men,!called!the!pictsies.!Fantasy&&&!THE!AMAZING!MAURICE!AND!HIS!EDUCATED!RODENTS!by!Terry!Pratchett!Keith,!a!boy!piper,!becomes!part!of!a!scheme!devised!by!a!cagey!cat!named!Maurice!and!some!very!intelligent!rats!to!line!their!pockets!by!riding!a!town!of!rats!only!the!plan!doesn’t!work!quite!the!way!they!thought!it!would.!Fantasy&!THE!PRINCESS!ACADEMY!by!Shannon!Hale!Miri!and!all!the!other!girls!from!her!mining!village!are!sent!off!to!an!academy!to!learn!etiquette,!history,!and!other!things!for!one!of!them!will!have!to!marry!the!prince.!!It!sounds!like!Miri!and!her!friends!are!in!a!fairy!tale,!but!things!are!not!as!rosy!as!they!seem.!Fantasy&&THE$DARK$IS$RISING!by!Susan!Cooper!When&the&dark&comes&rising,&six&shall&turn&it&back&Three&from&the&circle,&three&from&the&track;&

Wood,&bronze,&iron;&water,&fire,&stone;&Five&will&return,&and&one&go&alone.&The!series!includes!a!prequel,!OVER!SEA,!UNDER!STONE,!and!four!other!books.!!Read!them!all!to!find!out!how!an!eleven!year!old!can!be!important!in!turning!back!the!forces!of!the!dark!that!threaten!the!whole!world.!!Fantasy&!THE!HOBBIT!by!J.!R.!R.!Tolkien!The!hobbit\hole!in!question!belongs!to!one!Bilbo!Baggins,!an!upstanding!member!of!a!"little!people,!about!half!our!height,!and!smaller!than!the!bearded!dwarves."!He!is,!like!most!of!his!kind,!well!off,!well!fed,!and!best!pleased!when!sitting!by!his!own!fire!with!a!pipe,!a!glass!of!good!beer,!and!a!meal!to!look!forward!to.!Certainly!this!particular!hobbit!is!the!last!person!one!would!expect!to!see!set!off!on!a!hazardous!journey;!indeed,!when!Gandalf!the!Grey!stops!by!one!morning,!"looking!for!someone!to!share!in!an!adventure,"!Baggins!fervently!wishes!the!wizard!elsewhere.!No!such!luck,!however;!soon!13!fortune\seeking!dwarves!have!arrived!on!the!hobbit's!doorstep!in!search!of!a!burglar,!and!before!he!can!even!grab!his!hat!or!an!umbrella,!Bilbo!Baggins!is!swept!out!his!door!and!into!a!dangerous!adventure.!High&Fantasy&!THE!BOOK!OF!THREE!by!Lloyd!Alexander!Taran!has!dreamed!of!being!a!warrior,!of!wielding!a!sword!and!doing!noble!deeds.!!Instead!he!has!been!made!an!assistant!pig!keeper.!!When!the!pig!in!his!charge!runs!away,!Taran!goes!after!her!and!has!a!little!more!adventure!than!he!had!bargained!for.!This!is!the!first!book!in!“The$Chronicles$of$Prydain”!series,!however,!it!stands!by!itself!and!doesn’t!leave!the!reader!hanging.!!High&Fantasy&&THE!LION,!THE!WITCH!AND!THE!WARDROBE!by!C.S.!Lewis!The!first!book!written!in!Lewis’s!Chronicles$of$Narnia,$The!Lion,!the!Witch!and!the!Wardrobe!introduces!Peter,!Susan,!Edmund,!and!Lucy,!the!kingdom!of!Narnia,!and!it’s!mysterious!and!wonderful!ruler,!Aslan.!!The!children!must!run!for!their!lives!from!the!winter!witch,!and!with!their!friends!must!fight!for!the!good!to!rule!in!Narnia.!High!Fantasy&!A!STRING!IN!THE!HARP!by!Nancy!Bond!Shortly!after!their!mother’s!death!the!Morgan!children’s!father!moves!them!to!the!country!of!Wales.!!It!is!so!different!from!the!life!he!knew!in!the!past!that!Peter!Morgan!is!overwhelmed!with!homesickness!and!with!anger!for!his!father.!!His!sisters!Becky!and!Jen!find!learning!about!a!different!way!of!life!interesting.!!His!dad!thinks!only!of!his!work.!!Miserable!and!bored,!Peter!hates!it!until!one!day!he!finds!a!mysterious!key.!!Soon!he!realizes!there!is!something!very!important!he!has!to!do.!!Fantasy&&THE!TWENTY\ONE!BALLOONS!by!William!Pene!DuBois!Professor!William!Waterman!Sherman!intends!to!fly!across!the!Pacific!Ocean.!But!through!a!twist!of!fate,!he!lands!on!Krakatoa,!and!discovers!a!world!of!unimaginable!wealth,!eccentric!inhabitants,!and!incredible!balloon!inventions.!!Fantasy&&A!WRINKLE!IN!TIME!by!Madeleine!L’Engle!Everyone!in!town!thinks!Meg!Murry!is!volatile!and!dull\witted,!and!that!her!younger!brother,!Charles!Wallace,!is!dumb.!People!are!also!saying!that!their!physicist!father!has!run!off!and!left!their!brilliant!scientist!mother.!Spurred!on!by!these!rumors!and!an!unearthly!stranger,!the!tesseract\touting!Mrs!Whatsit,!Meg!and!Charles!Wallace!and!their!new!friend!Calvin!O'Keefe!embark!on!a!perilous!quest!

through!space!to!find!their!father.!In!doing!so,!they!must!travel!behind!the!shadow!of!an!evil!power!that!is!darkening!the!cosmos,!one!planet!at!a!time.!Science&Fiction&&*UGLIES!by!Scott!Westerfeld!Tally!Youngblood!lives!in!a!futuristic!society!that!acculturates!its!citizens!to!believe!that!they!are!ugly!until!age!16!when!they'll!undergo!an!operation!that!will!change!them!into!pleasure\seeking!"pretties."!Tally’s!friend!Shay!shares!her!enjoyment!of!hoverboarding!and!risky!pranks,but!Shay!also!disdains!the!false!values!and!programmed!conformity!of!the!society!and!defects!with!her!to!the!Smoke,!a!distant!settlement!of!simple\living!conscientious!objectors.!When!Shay!is!found!missing!by!the!authorities,!Tally!is!coerced!to!find!her!and!her!compatriots–or!remain!forever!"ugly."!!Can!she!do!it?!!And,!if!she!does,!can!she!betray!her!friend?&Science&Fiction&&THE!THIEF!by!Megan!Turner!Whalen!"I!can!steal!anything."!After!Gen's!bragging!lands!him!in!the!king's!prison,!the!chances!of!escape!look!slim.!Then!the!king's!scholar,!the!magus,!needs!the!thief's!skill!for!a!seemingly!impossible!task!\\!to!steal!a!hidden!treasure!from!another!land.!To!the!magus,!Gen!is!just!a!tool.!But!Gen!is!a!trickster!and!a!survivor!with!a!plan!of!his!own.&Fantasy&!*ENCHANTRESS!FROM!THE!STARS!by!Sylvia!Louise!Engdahl!Elana,!a!member!of!an!interstellar!civilization!on!a!mission!to!a!medieval!planet,!becomes!the!key!to!a!dangerous!plan!to!turn!back!an!invasion.!How!can!she!help!the!Andrecians,!who!still!believe!in!magic!and!superstition,!without!revealing!her!own!alien!powers?!Science&Fiction&!WESTMARK!by!Lloyd!Alexander!Theo!has!broken!the!new!laws!dictating!what!is!acceptable!to!print!and!what!isn’t.!!Now!he!is!running!for!his!life.!!Falling!in!with!questionable!friends!he!soon!becomes!embroiled!with!rebels!who!want!to!overthrow!the!king.!$The$Westmark$Trilogy$Fantasy&!THE!HOUSE!OF!THE!SCORPION!by!Nancy!Farmer!Matt!is!six!years!old!when!he!discovers!that!he!is!different!from!other!children,!from!other!people.!To!most!people!Matt!isn't!a!boy,!but!a!beast,!dirty!and!disgusting.!But!to!El!Patron,!lord!of!a!country!called!Opium,!Matt!is!the!guarantee!of!eternal!life.!El!Patron!loves!Matt!as!he!loves!himself!\!for!Matt!is!himself.!They!share!the!same!DNA.!As!Matt!struggles!to!understand!his!existence!and!what!that!existence!trully!means,!he!is!threatened!by!a!host!of!sinister!and!manipulating!characters,!from!El!Patron's!power\hungry!family!to!the!brain\deadened!eejits!and!mindless!slaves!that!toil!Opium's!poppy!fields.!Surrounded!by!a!dangerous!army!of!bodyguards,!Matt!longs!for!escape.!But!even!escape!is!no!guarantee!of!freedom.!!Science&Fiction&&*KNIFE!OF!NEVER!LETTING!GO!by!Patrick!Ness!Todd!Hewitt!is!the!only!boy!in!a!town!of!men.!Ever!since!the!settlers!were!infected!with!the!Noise!germ,!Todd!can!hear!everything!the!men!think,!and!they!hear!everything!he!thinks.!Todd!is!just!a!month!away!from!becoming!a!man,!but!in!the!midst!of!the!cacophony,!he!knows!that!the!town!is!hiding!something!from!him!—!something!so!awful!Todd!is!forced!to!flee!with!only!his!dog,!whose!simple,!loyal!voice!he!hears!too.!Dystopian&Fiction&&*THE!HUNGER!GAMES!by!Suzanne!Collins!In!the!not!too!distant!future!the!government!has!collapsed!due!to!drought,!famine,!and!war.!!Katniss!and!her!family!eek!out!their!existence!in!district!12!where!she!and!her!friend!Gale!supplement!their!

families!meager!fare!by!poaching.!!Each!year!two!young!people!from!each!district!are!chosen!for!the!Hunger!Games,!a!gladiatorial!fight!to!the!death.!!When!Katniss!and!a!boy!named!Peeta!are!chosen!they!must!fight!as!a!team,!but!only!one!can!survive.!Dystopian&Fiction&!*ENDER’S!GAME!by!Orson!Scott!Card!!Ender!Wiggin!is!six!years!old.!!He!has!been!selected!for!Battle!School,!a!special!school!where!the!most!select!children!in!the!world!train!to!fight!Earth’s!enemies,!the!Buggers.!!These!children!are!the!world’s!saviors!–!if!they!can!make!it!through!training.!Science&Fiction&!!*THE!WIZARD!OF!EARTHSEA!by!Ursula!LeGuin!Ged!comes!from!the!island!of!Gont,!a!place!that!produces!mostly!illiterates,!but!the!occasional!wizard.!!When!Ged!shows!remarkable!powers!early!he!is!sent!to!study!with!Ogion,!but!he!is!prideful.!!When!in!a!boast!he!calls!up!a!power!that!is!beyond!his!control!he!must!pursue!it!to!keep!the!world!safe.!The$Earthsea$Trilogy;$related$book$Tehanu$Fantasy&!

Classics!

EIGHT!COUSINS!by!Louisa!May!Alcott!At!the!age!of!13,!Rose!finds!herself!orphaned!and!living!with!two!elderly!aunts!on!"Aunt!Hill"!where!she!is!treated!as!delicately!as!the!flower!for!which!she!is!named.!But!Rose!soon!finds!her!quiet!world!turned!upside!down!with!the!arrival!of!her!seven!boisterous!boy!cousins!followed!by!her!Uncle!Alec,!a!doctor!and!a!world!traveler.!Upon!meeting!Rose,!Uncle!Alec!quickly!prescribes!fresh!air!and!much!activity!to!help!with!the!girl's!poor!constitution.!Uncle!Alec's!diagnosis!turns!out!to!be!an!accurate!one!and!Rose,!with!the!help!of!her!cousins,!finds!herself!in!the!middle!of!much!hijinx!and!merriment.!!ANNE!OF!GREEN!GABLES!by!L.M.!Montgomery!When!eleven\year\old!Anne!Shirley!arrives!at!Green!Gables!with!nothing!but!a!carpetbag!and!an!overactive!imagination,!she!knows!that!she!has!found!her!home.!But!first!she!must!convince!the!Cuthberts!to!let!her!stay,!even!though!she!isn’t!the!boy!they’d!hoped!for.!!THE!JUNGLE!BOOK!by!Rudyard!Kipling!Mowgli!is!raised!by!a!wolf!family!after!his!parents!are!killed!by!the!evil!tiger,!Shere!Khan.!!Challenge!yourself!by!also!reading!The$Graveyard$Book!by!Neil!Gaiman!and!comparing!and!contrasting!the!two!stories.!!*TREASURE!ISLAND!by!Robert!Lewis!Stevenson!Jim!Hawkins!sets!sail!to!find!a!pirate!treasure!unknowing!that!the!friendly!one!legged!sailor!is!really!an!evil!pirate!who!will!murder!anyone!to!retrieve!the!treasure.!!!!Great&Science&Books!

VOLCANO:!THE!ERRUPTION!AND!HEALING!OF!MOUNT!ST.!HELENS!by!Patricia!Lauber!What!caused!Mt.!St.!Helen’s!in!Washington!state!to!erupt!in!1980!and!what!happened!to!the!surrounding!area!afterwards?!!

ISAAC!NEWTON!AND!PHYSICS!FOR!KIDS!by!Kerri!Logan!Hollihan!Isaac!Newton!was!as!strange!as!he!was!intelligent.!In!a!few!short!years,!he!made!astounding!discoveries!in!physics,!astronomy,!optics,!and!mathematics—!yet!never!told!a!soul.!Though!isolated,!snobbish,!and!jealous,!he!almost!single\handedly!changed!the!course!of!scientific!advancement!and!ushered!in!the!Enlightenment.!Newton!invented!the!refracting!telescope,!explained!the!motion!of!planets!and!comets,!discovered!the!multicolored!nature!of!light,!and!created!an!entirely!new!field!of!mathematical!understanding:!calculus.!The!world!might!have!been!a!very!different!place!had!Netwon’s!theories!and!observations!not!been!coaxed!out!of!him!by!his!colleagues.!!This!book!explores!Newton’s!life!and!includes!!21!hands\on!projects!that!explore!the!scientific!concepts!Newton!developed!and!the!times!in!which!he!lived!are!.!!OVER!THE!MOUNTAINS:!AN!AERIAL!VIEW!OF!GEOLOGY!by!Michael!Collier!The!full\color!photos!in!this!volume!are!uniformly!stunning!and!are!expertly!used!by!Collier!to!illustrate!how!mountains!form,!evolve,!deteriorate,!and!die.!Without!reverting!to!textbook!prose,!the!author!covers!the!fundamentals!of!mountain!geology:!rock!types,!plate!tectonics,!and!erosion,!employing!his!photographs!and!illustrations!to!further!explicate!these!principles.!It!is!one!thing!to!write!about!glaciers,!fault!zones,!plateaus,!erosion,!alluvial!fans,!subduction,!and!volcanoes.!It!is!altogether!a!higher!level!of!accomplishment!to!render!all!of!these!aspects!of!geology!in!photographs!as!beautiful!as!they!are!informative.!!!Collier!has!given!the!same!treatment!to!rivers!and!coasts.!!CAVE!SLEUTHS:!SOLVING!SCIENCE!UNDERGROUND!by!Laurie!Lindop!Scientists!explore!caves!around!the!world!and!learn!about!all!kinds!of!things!from!microbiology!to!geology.!!Any$of!the!superb!science!books!by!Seymour$Simon$or$biographies$of$scientists$like$Edison,!Curie,!Einstein,!Hawking,!Galileo,!Newton,!etc.!!such!as!those!in!“The!Giants!of!Science”!biography!series!by!Katherine!Krull.!!!!Many!of!the!book!summaries!are!excerpted!from!Booklist!and!School!Library!Journal.!!Rev.!HMK!4\14$ !

!

MORE!BOOKS!OF!INTEREST!TO!SEVENTH/RISING!EIGTH!GRADE!!

NON3FICTION!

DATELINE!TROY!by!Paul!Fleischman!–!juxtaposes!a!retelling!of!the!Trojan!War!with!newspaper!clippings!

from!the!20th!Century;!showing!the!relevance!of!the!story!to!our!times.!

OUTCASTS!UNITED:!AN!AMERICAN!TOWN,!A!REFUGEE!TEAM,!AND!ONE!WOMAN’S!QUEST!TO!MAKE!

A!DIFFERENCE!by!Warren!St.!John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The!extraordinary!tale!of!a!refugee!youth!soccer!team!

and!the!transformation!of!a!small!American!town.

BLACK!DIAMOND:!THE!STORY!OF!THE!NEGRO!BASEBALL!LEAGUES!by!Patricia!and!Frederick!

McKissack A!stirring!tribute!to!

the!human!drama,!legendary!heroes,!infamous!owners,!low!pay,!and!long!bus!rides!that!were!the!Negro!

Leagues.!

A!WHOLE!NEW!BALL!GAME:!THE!STORY!OF!THE!ALL3AMERICAN!GIRLS!PROFESSIONAL!BASEBALL!

LEAGUE!by!Sue!Macy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For!12!seasons,!from!1943!to!1954,!the!All3American!

Girls!Professional!Baseball!League!captured!America's!attention!with!top3notch!playing,!and!showed!

everyone!that!a!woman's!place!was!at!home!only!when!she!was!at!bat,!behind!the!plate,!or!scoring!a!run!!

YOU!CAN!NEVER!FIND!A!RICKSHAW!WHEN!IT!MONSOONS:!THE!WORLD!ON!ONE!CARTOON!A!DAY!

by!Mo!Willems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!On!June!1,!1990,!less!than!a!week!after!graduating!college,!

Mo!Willems!embarked!on!a!yearlong!trip!around!the!world.!Traveling!with!only!a!notebook,!pen!and!ink,!

and!one!change!of!clothes,!he!spent!the!next!twelve!months!backpacking!across!more!than!thirty!countries.!

At!the!end!of!each!day,!he!drew!the!one!event!that!stuck!out!in!his!mind!the!most!from!the!sublime!to!the!

ridiculous.!

OPEN!YOUR!EYES:!EXTRAORDINARY!EXPERIENCES!IN!FARAWAY!PLACES!Living!in!a!new!place!is!very!

different!from!visiting!one,!especially!when!that!place!is!far!away!from!home.!Traveling!gives!us!the!rare!

opportunity!to!see!who!we!might!have!been!if!we!had!been!born!someplace!else.!For!some,!it's!a!chance!to!

recreate!ourselves.!For!others,!it's!a!time!to!realize!who!we!already!are.!InOpen%Your%Eyes,!ten!writers!will!be!

your!guides!to!the!journeys!that!changed!their!lives:!a!boarding!school!in!England;!parenthood!in!France;!the!

most!beautiful!spots!in!Italy;!China!on!the!Yang3tze;!a!tiny!shop!in!Tokyo,!Japan;!and!even!to!Pilzen,!

Czechoslovakia!as!World!War!II!is!ending.!Though!each!story!offers!an!original!viewpoint,!all!of!the!stories!

reflect!back!on!two!important!themes:!where!we!come!from!and!how!we!become!who!we!are.!

AMELIA!LOST:!THE!LIFE!AND!DISAPPEARANCE!OF!AMELIA!EARHART!by!Candace!Fleming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In!alternating!chapters,!Fleming!deftly!moves!readers!back!and!forth!between!Amelia's!life!(from!childhood!

up!until!her!last!flight)!and!the!exhaustive!search!for!her!and!her!missing!plane.!

ALMOST!ASTRONAUTS:!13!WOMEN!WHO!DARED!TO!DREAM!by!Tanya!Lee!Stone!and!Margaret!A.!

Weitekamp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What!does!it!take!to!be!an!astronaut?!Excellence!

at!flying,!courage,!intelligence,!resistance!to!stress,!top!physical!shape!—!any!checklist!would!include!these.!

But!when!America!created!NASA!in!1958,!there!was!another!unspoken!rule:!you!had!to!be!a!man.!Here!is!the!

tale!of!thirteen!women!who!proved!that!they!were!not!only!as!tough!as!the!toughest!man!but!also!brave!

enough!to!challenge!the!government.!They!were!blocked!by!prejudice,!jealousy,!and!the!scrawled!note!of!one!

of!the!most!powerful!men!in!Washington.!But!even!though!the!Mercury!13!women!did!not!make!it!into!space,!

they!did!not!lose,!for!their!example!empowered!young!women!to!take!their!place!in!the!sky,!piloting!jets!and!

commanding!space!capsules.!

STEVE!JOBS:!THE!MAN!WHO!THOUGHT!DIFFERENT!by!Karen!Blumenthal!From!the!start,!his!path!was!

never!predictable.!Steve!Jobs!was!given!up!for!adoption!at!birth,!dropped!out!of!college!after!one!semester,!

and!at!the!age!of!twenty,!created!Apple!in!his!parents'!garage!with!his!friend!Steve!Wozniack.!Then!came!the!

core!and!hallmark!of!his!genius33his!exacting!moderation!for!perfection,!his!counterculture!life!approach,!

and!his!level!of!taste!and!style!that!pushed!all!boundaries.

FUN!FICTION! !

Z!FOR!ZECHARIAH!by!Robert!C.!O’Brien!

WORD!CHANGER!by!Haynes!

THE!LONDON!EYE!MYSTERY!by!Dowd!

THE!CHANGEOVER:!A!SUPERNATURAL!ROMANCE!by!Mahy!

THE!SILVER!BOWL!by!Stanley!

LIAR!AND!SPY!by!Stead!

THE!SCREAMING!STAIRCASE!by!Stroud!

HEROES!OF!THE!VALLEY!by!Stroud!

WALK!TWO!MOONS!by!Creech!

SPLENDORS!AND!GLOOMS!by!Amy!Laura!Schlitz!

SHADOW!SPINNER!by!Fletcher!

CORALINE!by!Gaiman!

ON!THE!DEVIL’S!COURT!by!Deuker!

SECRET!LANGUAGE!OF!GIRLS!by!Dowell!

THE!FACE!ON!THE!MILK!CARTON!by!Cooney!

SHIP!BREAKER!by!Bacigalupi!

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