New & Noteworthy
Chime by Franny Billingsly
In the early twentieth century in Swampsea, seventeen-year-old Briony, who
can see the spirits that haunt the marshes around their town, feels responsible
for her twin sister's horrible injury until a young man enters their lives and
exposes secrets that even Briony does not know about.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice
Prior must choose among five predetermined
factions to define her identity for the rest of
her life, a decision made more difficult when
she discovers that she is an anomoly who does
not fit into any one group, and that the society
she lives in is not perfect after all.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Rory, of Boueuxlieu, Louisiana, is spending a year at a
London boarding school when she witnesses a murder
by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with
the very unusual investigation.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruth Sepetys
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled
from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia,
where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she
fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands
like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on
the author's family, includes a historical note.
Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff
Sixteen-year-old Kid, who lives on the streets
of Brooklyn, loves Felix, a guitarist and junkie who
disappears, leaving Kid the prime suspect in an arson
investigation, but a year later Scout arrives, giving
Kid a second chance to be in a band and find true
love.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Sixteen-year-old Jacob, having traveled to a remote island after a family tragedy,
discovers an abandoned orphanage, and, after some investigating, he learns
the children who lived there may have been dangerous and quarantined and may also still
be alive.
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
CHRONICLES THE HISTORY OF PROHIBITION IN THE UNITED
STATES, A PERIOD FROM 1920 TO 1933 DURING WHICH IT
WAS ILLEGAL TO SELL OR DRINK ALCOHOL, DISCUSSING HOW
WHAT BEGAN AS A MOVEMENT TO HEAL SOCIAL ILLS, BECAME
A BURDEN TO ORDINARY CITIZENS AND A BOON TO
CRIMINALS.
The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill
Arthur Kipps returns to north London to attend the funeral of Mrs.
Alice Drablow and settle her estate, but the formalities of his job
soon give way to a series of sinister and terrifying events on the
isolated English moors
Classics
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A satirical novel about the utopia of the future, a
world in which babies are decanted from bottles and the
great Ford is worshipped.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells's story of a scientist, who learns how to make his body
become invisible, but becomes violently insane when he cannot
reverse the effect.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
In a future time when government policy decrees that all books must be burned, a few
courageous individuals memorize as many books as possible.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
The spacecraft Discovery journeys to the outer
edge of the solar system and two navigators
become uneasy when Hal, the craft's talking
computer system, demonstrates unusual behavior.
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
After the Civil War sweeps away the genteel life to
which she has been accustomed, Scarlett O'Hara
sets about to salvage her plantation home.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to
manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his
conflicting emotions about war.
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
Sir Percy Blakeney defies the French revolutionaries in order
to save innocent men and women from being put to death in
the guillotine.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Young Francie Nolan, having inherited both her father's romantic and her
mother's practical nature, struggles to survive and thrive growing up in
the slums of Brooklyn in the early twentieth century.
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
Wang Lung, a peasant in China in the 1920s, becomes a prosperous
landowner with the help of his humble wife, O'Lan, with whom he
shares a devotion to duty, land, and survival.
Realistic Fiction
The Ten Things I Hate About Me by Ronda Abdel-Fattah
Lebanese-Australian Jamilah, known in school as Jamie,
hides her heritage from her classmates and tries to pass
by dyeing her hair blonde and wearing blue-tinted
contact lenses, until her conflicted feelings become too
much for her to bear.
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Feeling left out since her long-time best friend started a serious
relationship, sixteen-year-old Emily is looking forward to a summer
program at the Philadelphia College of Art, but is not sure she is up to
the challenges there, including finding herself and learning to balance
life and art
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Marvin is stuck in New York City for the
summer working at her quirky family's historic hotel, but her brother's
attractive new friend and a seasonal guest who offers her an intriguing
and challenging writing project improve her outlook.
Mismatch by Lensey Namioka
Their families clash when a Japanese-American teenaged boy
starts dating a Chinese-American teenaged girl.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau
Banks: A Novel by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks attempts to take over a secret, all-male society
at her exclusive prep school, and her antics with the group soon draw
some unlikely attention and have unexpected consequences that
could change her life forever.
High Heat by Carl Deuker
High school sophomore and star pitcher Shane Hunter's life of affluence
and private school begins to fall apart when his father, owner of a Lexus
dealership, is arrested for money laundering.
MONSTER BY WALTER DEAN MYERS
While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-
year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in
prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film
script as he tries to come to terms with the course
his life has taken.
Historical Fiction
Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli
Fourteen-year-old Calogero Scalise and his Sicilian uncles and cousin live
in small-town Louisiana in 1898, when Jim Crow laws rule and anti-
immigration sentiment is strong, so despite his attempts to be polite and to
follow American customs, disaster dogs his family at every turn.
The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoom
In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a
conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil
rights for African-Americans and his older brother, who has joined
the Black Panther Party.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible
shipwreck leaves him and his four companions
castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old
Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns
new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese
person to set foot in the United States.
The Book Thief Markus Zusak
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War
II, Death relates the story of Liesel a young
German girl whose book stealing and story-
telling talents help sustain her family and the
Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their
neighbors.
Elephant Run by Roland Smith
Nick's father and others are taken prisoner when his
plantation in Burma is invaded by the Japanese in 1941,
leaving Nick and his friend Mya to risk their lives in order to
free them from the POW camp.
Witch Child by Celia Rees
(Sorceress)
In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her
voyage from England to the New World and her experiences living as
a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem, Massachusetts.
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life
returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who
seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated
web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family
forever.
Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
Following orders from the United States Army, several young
Japanese American men train K-9 units to hunt Asians during
World War II.
FALLEN ANGELS BY WALTER DEAN MYERS
Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school,
enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year
on active duty in Vietnam.
Mystery & Adventure
The Life of PI by Yann Martel
Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry,
India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the
age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a
marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving
him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the
curious murder of millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett
in a locked compartment aboard the Orient Express
while the train is stranded by a snowdrift. He must find
the murderer before he decides to strike again.
So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
Hunter Braque, a New York City teenager who is paid by
corporations to spot what is "cool," combines his analytical skills
with girlfriend Jen's creative talents to find a missing person and
thwart a conspiracy directed at the heart of consumer culture.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences
of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and
arousing the wrath of the school bullies. (Beyond the Chocolate
War)
Peak by Roland Smith
A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to
reach the top of Mount Everest.
Code Orange by Caroline Cooney
While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an
envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has
infected himself and all of New York City.
The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones
After a disturbing freshman year at New York University, Mimi is happy to get away
to her father's remote Canadian cottage only to discover a stranger living there who
has never heard of her or her father and who is convinced that Mimi is responsible
for leaving sinister tokens around the property.
The
Beekeeper’s
Apprentice
by
Laurie
King
Mary Russell, an intelligent young woman, becomes
the apprentice of Sherlock Holmes. (The God of the Hive)
Fantasy
Snow in August by Pete Hamill
Eleven-year-old Irish Catholic Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah
Hirsch form a wonderful, if unlikely, friendship in Brooklyn in
1947, but the actions of a group of anti-Semitic thugs soon have
them trapped in a spiral of hate and hoping for a miracle.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin After fifteen-‐year-‐old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to "live."
A Great and Terrible Beauty
by Libba Bray
After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-
year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in
India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware
of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world.
(Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing)
Keeper by Mal Peet
South American journalist Paul Faustino begins his interview with World Cup Soccer star
El Gato and learns a fantastic story of a young, lonely boy growing up in the middle of a
rain forest who wandered upon a mysterious soccer field and an apparition that
appeared to him daily.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage
called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into
an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with
dragons, elves, and monsters. (Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance)
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
Gwyna is forced to flee her village, but when she is
discovered hiding in the woods by Myrddin, a bard, he
swears to protect her as long as she agrees to bind
herself to his service while he transforms
young Arthur into a heroic king.
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
When Nick and Allie are killed in a car crash, they end up in Everlost, or
limbo for lost souls, where although Nick is satisfied, Allie will stop at
nothing--even skinjacking--to break free. (Everwild, Everfound)
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Charlie Nancy was leading a comfortable life until his father died and
discovered that dear old dad was a human form of Anansi, the African
trickster god, and that he had a brother, Spider, who inherited some of his
father's godlike abilities.
Science Fiction
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway, an
earthman is saved by his friend. Together they journey through the galaxy. (The
Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; So
Long and Thanks for all the Fish)
Timeline by Michael Crichton
When a group of scientists learns how to travel through time, they
enter life in fourteenth-century feudal France and threaten the history
of the world.
Feed by M.T. Anderson
In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to
control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious
trouble.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have
made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-
old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory
lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence. (The Fox
Inheritance)
Rash by Pete Hautman
In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than
free," sixteen-year-old Bo's anger management problems land
him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his
running skills and an artificial intelligence program named
Bork.
The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to
introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat
climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year
of rationing as her family spirals out of control. (The Carbon
Diaries 2017)
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the daughter of the
Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of its own, decides to help a young
prisoner escape. (Sapphique)
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on
the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the
globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with
Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning
to fly genetically-engineered beasts. (Behemoth, Goliath)
Epic
by Conor Kostick
On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-
year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual
gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the
futures of each of their families. (Saga, Edda)
Non-Fiction
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Describes how three men worked together to turn a rough-hewn, undersized horse
into one of the fastest horses in racing history.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ismael Beah
Ishmael Beah describes his experiences after he
was driven from his home by war in Sierra Leone
and picked up by the government army at the age of
thirteen, serving as a soldier for three years
before being removed from fighting by UNICEF and
eventually moving to the United States.
Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox
Distance swimmer Lynne Cox describes her emotional and spiritual
need to swim and about the mythical act of swimming itself, and
chronicles some of her more memorable swims.
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson
A graphic novel adaptation of "The 9/11 Commission Report,"
the results of the investigation of the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the United States.
10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam Way by Philip Caputo
PRESENTS A COLLECTION OF ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHS
AND MAPS DEPICTING THE WAR IN VIETNAM FROM ITS
BEGINNING UNDER FRENCH CONTROL TO THE FALL OF
SAIGON IN 1975, AND CONTAINS ACCOUNTS FROM
SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS, PROFILES OF THOSE INVOLVED,
THE ROLE OF WOMEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD, AND MORE.
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant, offers an inside look at
his life, describing how his rare condition, which gives him
incredible mental powers and a compulsive need for order
and routine, has influenced every aspect of his life and
what challenges he has faced while trying to be
independent.
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All- American Meal by Eric Schlosser
Traces the history of the fast food industry and
discusses how it arose in postwar America.
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
A biography of English naturalist Charles Darwin that provides an
account of the personality behind evolutionary theory and the affect of
his work on his personal life, such as his relationship with his religious
wife.
Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel
A biography of rock musician Janis Joplin, with photographs
and anecdotes from those who knew her, covering her work
to improve as a singer, struggle against authority, and love
for her mother.
