Hatchet by Gary Paulsen After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Karana, an Indian girl, has lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins watching one season pass into another and waiting for a ship to finally take her away.
Jason's Gold by Will Hobbs When news of the discovery of gold in Canada's Yukon in 1897 reaches fifteen-year-old Jason, he embarks on a 5,000-mile journey to strike it rich.
Stranded by Ben Midaelsen Twelve-year-old Koby, who has lost a foot in an accident, sees a chance to prove her self-reliance to her parents when she tries to rescue two stranded pilot whales near her home in the Florida Keys.
The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George Billie Wind ventures out alone into the Florida Everglades to test the legends of her Indian ancestors and learns the importance of listening to the earth's vital messages.
African American & Coretta Scott King Award
Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H. E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper Teenage Gerard, who has spent years protecting his fragile half-sister from their abusive father, faces the prospect of one final confrontation before the problem can be solved.
Heaven by Angela Johnson Fourteen-year-old Marley's seemingly perfect life in the small town of Heaven is disrupted when she discovers that her father and mother are not her real parents.
Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes Jazmin, an African-American teenager who lives with her sister in a small Harlem apartment in the 1960's finds strength in writing poetry and keeping a record of the events in her sometimes difficult life.
Miracles Boys by Jacqueline Woodson Twelve-year-old Lafayette's close relationship with his older brother Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Black Beauty, a powerful but gentle horse, is raised with kindness and respect but is sold into a life and cruelty and pain.
One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox An eleven-year-old shoots a stray cat with his new air rifle, subsequently suffers from guilt, and eventually assumes responsibility for it.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Eleven-year-old Marty Preston wrestles with sending a runaway beagle back to it's abusive owner.
Three Terrible Trins by King-Smith, Dick Three mice brothers, ignoring the class system separation the four clans of rodents in their farmhouse, befriend a lower-class mouse and form a team to fight cats.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Ten-year-old Billy Colman and his two dogs become an inseparable team until a fierce struggle against a mountain lion turns to tragedy.
Biographies and Autobiographies
The Abracadabra Kid by Sid Fleischman The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children's author who set out from childhood to be a magician.
Chuck Close: Up Close by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan A biography of the revisionist artist who achieved prominence in the late 1960s for enormous, photographically realistic, black and white portraits of himself and his friends.
The Greatest by Walter Dean Myers A biography of Muhammad Ali, through his rise as a champion, his politics, and his battle against Parkinson's disease.
Life and Death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman A biography of the Oglala leader who relentlessly resisted the white man's attempt to take over Indian lands.
Sir Walter Ralegh and the quest for El Dorado by Marc Aronson Recounts the adventurous life of the English explorer and courtier who spelled his name "Ralegh" and led many expeditions to the New World.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man, is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.
Call of the Wild by Jack London Buck, a dog, used to living an easy life is kidnapped and forced to work as a sled dog in the wilds of Alaska.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett A young orphan girl is sent to live in England with her uncle and cousin and brings life back to a forgotten garden.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Toad, Mole and Rat have many adventures during the different seasons living on the River.
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto travel over the rainbow and befriend a scarecrow, tin man and lion who help her find her way back to Kansas.
Landry News by Andrew Clements A fifth-grader starts a newspaper with an editorial that prompts her burnt-out classroom teacher to really begin teaching again, but he is later threatened with disciplinary action as a result.
Mrs. Fish, Ape and Me, the Dump Queen by Norma Fox Mazer A friendless girl, teased mercilessly at school because her uncle manages the town dump, finds a friend in Mrs. Fish, the school custodian, and gradually life becomes more bearable.
P.S. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danizer and Ann L. Martin Twelve-year-old best friends Tara Starr and Elizabeth continue their friendship through letter-writing after Tara Starr's family moves to another state.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli In this story the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent the sixth-grade in the Academic Bowl competition.
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knights keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventure beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.
A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska by Susan Bartoletti A diary account of thirteen-year-old Anetka's life in Poland in 1896, immigration to America, marriage to a coal miner, widowhood, and happiness in finally finding her true love.
Dear Ellen Bee: A Civil War Scrapbook of Two Union Spies by Mary Lyons A scrapbook kept by a young black girl details her experiences and those of the old white woman, "Miss Bet" who freed her and her family, sent her north from Richmond to get an education, and then worked to bring an end to slavery. Based on the life of Elizabeth Van Lew.
Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix In the journal she is keeping for English class, sixteen-year-old Tish chronicles the changes in her life when her abusive father returns home after a two-year absence.
Kaiulani: The People's Princess by Ellen Emerson White Follows the life of Victoria Kaiulani Cleghorn from 1889 to 1893 as she studies to be a better princess even as the Hawaii monarchy, and her throne, are being undermined by American businessmen.
At the Crossing-Places by Kevin Crossly-Holland In lat twelfth century England, thirteen-year-old Arthur goes to begin his new life as a squire to Lord Stephen at Holt where crusaders ready themselves.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley Harry, bored with her sheltered life in the remote orange-growing colony of Daria, discovers magic in herself when she is kidnapped by a native king with mysterious powers.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against a childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron A young boy who has no identity or memories of his past is washed ashore on the coast of Wales and finds his true name after a series of fantastic events.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt The Tuck family is confronted by an agonizing situation when they discover a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older.
|
Korman, Gordon (Humor) |
Cushman, Karen (Historical Fiction) |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson (Thriller) | Peck, Richard (Humor) |
| McKinley, Robin (Fantasy) | Deuker, Carl (Sports) |
Cooney, Caroline (Thriller) |
Paulsen, Gary (Adventure) |
| Schusterman, Neal (Science Fiction) | Creech, Sharon (Contemporary Fiction) |
The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman Eleven-year-old best friends Jeff and Wiley, who like to give nicknames to all their classmates, try to find the right one for the new girl Cassandra, while adjusting to the new football coach who has just become their new teacher.
Anastasia, Absolutely by Lois Lowry More adventures of thirteen-year-old Anastasia Krupnik as she tries to deal with a new dog, her school values class and a personal moral dilemma.
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal teenage life in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and heir to the throne.
Romeo and Juliet Together (And Alive!) At Last by Avi The eighth grade's plan to get two very reluctant "lovers" together by means of a classroom production of Shakespeare's play has some very unexpected results.
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck During the recession of 1937, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty, larger than life grandmother in rural Illinois and comes to a better understanding of this fearsome woman.
Cast Two Shadows by Ann Rinaldi In South Carolina, in 1780, fourteen-year-old Caroline sees the Revolutionary War take a terrible toll among her family and friends and comes to understand the nature of war.
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois during the Great Depression with his sister to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.
Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman In medieval England a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of the obstacles and hardships, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a content heart and a place in this world.
Nowhere to Call Home by Cynthia DeFelice When her father kills himself after losing all his money in the stock market crash, twelve year old Frances, now a penniless orphan, decides to hop a freight train and become an orphan.
Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli After being taken by German soldiers from a local movie theater with other Italian boys, including his Jewish friend, Roberto is forced to work in Germany, escapes to the Ukrainian winter, before desperately trying to make his way back to Venice.
Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan Seventeen-year-old April finds her comfortable life changed forever when death threats to her father, a witness in a federal case, forces her family to go into hiding under assumed names and flee the pursuit of a hired killer.
The Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowry Nixon Seventeen-year-old Stacy awakens from a four year coma ready to identify, locate and prosecute the young man who murdered her mother and wounded her.
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen Thirteen-year-old Sammy penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the senior's retirement center where she lives with her grandmother.
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney Sixteen-year-old Laura, an American living in London, tries to find the person responsible for the death of her younger brother Billy, who has been killed by a terrorist bomb.
Voices After Midnight: a Novel by Richard Peck Living with their sister and parents in a rented house for the summer in New York City, Chad and Luke uncover a mystery involving the former tenants of the house when the two brothers slip back in time to 1888.
Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteen-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
The Giver by Lois Lowry Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared only by one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Holes by Louis Sachar As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Parks Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramic himself.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives.
Crazy Lady! by Jane Leslie Conley As he tries to come to terms with his mother death, Vernon finds solace in a growing relationship with the neighborhood outcasts, an alcoholic and her retarded son.
The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen A young boy growing up on a northern Minnesota farm describes the scenes around him and recounts his old Norwegian uncle's tales about an almost mythological logging camp.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner Gen flaunts his ingenuity as thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to the remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
The Dark and Deadly Pool by Joan Lowry Nixon Sixteen-year-old Mary Elizabeth's summer job at an expensive health club turns out to be more exciting than she bargained for when a series of mysterious events culminate in murder.
Doom Stone by Paul Zindel When fifteen-year-old Jackson visits his aunt in England, he becomes caught up in a chase to capture an unknown creature who is stalking and killing people on the plains surrounding ancient Stonehenge.
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen Sent to live with relatives on a farm because of his unhappy home life, an eleven-year-old city boy meets his distant cousin Harris and is given an introduction to a whole new world.
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen Twelve-year-old Sarny's brutal life as a slave becomes even more dangerous when a newly arrived slave offers to teach her how to read.
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn Molly and Michael dislike their spooky new stepsister Heather but realize that they must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers
All American Girl by Meg Cabot Sophomore Samantha Madison stops a presidential assisination attempt, is appointed teen ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son.
Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen After surviving alone in the wilderness, Brian finds that he can no longer live in the city but must return to the place where he really belongs.
Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor While living with her uncle in a house haunted by the ghost of a young woman, recently orphaned Judith Sparrow wonders if her one small transgression causes mysterious happenings.
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transforms a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive garden, and in doing so, the gardeners themselves are transformed.
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function, relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially as he believes his father is trying to kill him.
The Haunted States of America by Joan Holub A state-by-state listing of haunted places and ghost stories. Includes some providences of Canada.
Lock by Paul Zindel Fifteen-year-old Loch and his younger sister join their father on a scientific expedition searching for enormous prehistoric creatures sighted in a Vermont lake, but soon discover that the expedition's leaders aren't interested in preserving the creatures.
The Monster's Ring by Bruce Coville A timid boy, eager to frighten the school bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to turn himself into a hideous monster.
Night Terrors by Jim Murphy A chatting old gravedigger shares chilling tales he's heard from his wanderings from one cemetery to another.
Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace Sent to San Francisco to live with her beloved aunt and uncle, newly orphaned Emily expectantly enters their once-happy mansion only to find unimaginable horrors.
The Ear, The Eye and The Arm: A Novel by Nancy Farmer In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to work on a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them.
The Night the Heads Came by William Sleator When aliens abduct both Leo and his artist friend Tim, Leo tries to determine why these creatures from outer space want particularly to use his friend's talents.
Shade's Children by Garth Nix In a savage post nuclear world, four young fugitives attempt to overthrow the bloodthirsty rule of the Overlords with the help of Shade, their mysterious mentor.
Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski In a future world where global contamination has necessitated limited human contact, three young people with unique genetically engineered abilities are teamed up to wage a war in virtual reality.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Meg Murray and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
Crash by Jerry Spinelli Crash Coogan, the star of the school's football team, becomes friends with his nerdy neighbor, Penn Webb, after Crash's grandfather has a stroke.
Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker Seth faces a strain on his friendship with Jimmy, who is both a baseball champion and something of a irresponsible fool, when Jimmy is kicked off the team.
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker While trying to prove he's good enough to play on his high school varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents' divorce and erratic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.
Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran Travis Cody prepares for the final game of his high school football career, a rematch with his school's chief rival.
Safe at Second by Scott Johnson Paulie Lockwood's best friend Todd Bannister is destined for the major leagues until a line drive to the head causes him to lose an eye and they both must find a new future for themselves.
The Christmas Spurs by Bill Wallace Nick is changed by his younger brother Jimmy's slow death from leukemia, but a small, private miracle at Christmastime helps him accept Jimmy's fate and go forward with new faith.
The Barn by Avi In an effort to fulfill their dying father's last request, nine-year-old Ben and his brother and sister construct a barn on their land in the Oregon Territory.
Petey by Ben Mikaelsen In 1922, Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized; sixty years later, still in an institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joys of life.
What Child Is This? by Caroline Cooney Three high school students come together one Christmas Eve to find a foster child who runs away.
What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman Having fled to a family friend's hillside trailer after his mother's boyfriend tried to throw his baby sister against a wall, nine-year-old Jamie finds himself living an existence of fear and uncertainty.
World War II & Holocaust Books
Bearing Witness: Stories of the Holocaust Offers a multifaceted view of the Holocaust, from a child's bewilderment at having to wear a star and later go into hiding, to the agony of the camps themselves.
Good Night, Maman by Norma Fox Mazer After spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp in Oswego, New York.
The Man from the Other Side by Uri Orlev Living on the outskirts of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, fourteen-year-old Marek and his grandparents shelter a Jewish man in the days before the Jewish uprising.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry In 1942, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friends from the Nazis.
Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury Tomikazu Nakaji's biggest concerns are baseball, homework, and the local bully, until life with his Japanese family in Hawaii changes drastically after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Page Update 8/30/2008