Listed below are Suggested Reading books that share a similar theme and reflect the focus of the literature read during the year. Students are encouraged to read a book from this list as one of their five books for summer reading.
The English Department and school librarians compiled this list of contemporary and classical literature. We invite you to browse the links for reviews and interviews of the authors.
Students are required to read five books in conjunction with the Required Reading for their grade.
The majority of these titles are readily available at your local library, or may be purchased at local bookstores such as Longfellow Books, Nonesuch Books, and Borders. Alternatively, they may be purchased both new and used at BetterWorldBooks, PowellsBooks, or Amazon.com.
Printable list of recommended books
Recommended for Grades Six and Seven
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
A Letter from Brian Selznick:
Dear readers,
When I was a kid, two of my favorite books were by an amazing man named Remy Charlip. Fortunately and Thirteen fascinated me in part because, in both books, the very act of turning the pages plays a pivotal role in telling the story. Each turn reveals something new in a way that builds on the image on the previous page. Now that I’m an illustrator myself, I’ve often thought about this dramatic storytelling device and all of its creative possibilities. More about Hugo Cabret from Amazon.com
Weedflower by Cynthia Kodahata
“When Pearl Harbor is attacked, the lives of a Japanese-American girl and her family are thrown into chaos. Sumiko, 12, and her younger brother, Tak-Tak, live with their aunt and uncle, grandfather Jiichan, and adult cousins on a flower farm in Southern California. Though often busy with chores, Sumiko enjoys working with the blossoms, particularly stock, or weedflowers (fragrant plants grown in a field). In the difficult days that follow the bombing, the family members fear for their safety and destroy many of their belongings. Then Uncle and Jiichan are taken to a prison camp, and the others are eventually sent to an assembly center at a racetrack, where they live in a horse stable. When they’re moved to the Arizona desert, Sumiko misses the routine of her old life and struggles with despair. New friends help; she grows a garden with her neighbor and develops a tender relationship with a Mohave boy. She learns from him that the camp is on land taken from the Mohave reservation and finds that the tribe’s plight parallels that of the incarcerated Japanese Americans. Kadohata brings into play some complex issues, but they realistically dovetail with Sumiko’s growth from child to young woman. She is a sympathetic heroine, surrounded by well-crafted, fascinating people. The concise yet lyrical prose conveys her story in a compelling narrative that will resonate with a wide audience.”–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA, from School Library Journal
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
“The earnest and likable 15-year-old narrator is the principal thing not seen in Clements’s (Frindle; The Jacket) fast-paced novel, set in Chicago. As the book opens, the boy discovers that he has turned invisible overnight. Bobby breaks the news to his parents who, afraid of being hounded by the media, instruct him to share his dilemma with no one. But when Bobby ventures out of the house and visits the library, he meets Alicia, a blind girl to whom he confides his secret. Their blossoming friendship injects a double meaning into the book’s title. As preposterous as the teen’s predicament may be, the author spins a convincing and affecting story, giving Bobby’s feeling of helplessness and his frustration with his parents an achingly real edge. As his physicist father struggles to find a scientific explanation for and a solution to his son’s condition, husband and wife decide that they will tell the investigating truancy officials and police that Bobby has run away. Bobby, however, becomes increasingly determined to take control of the situation and of his own destiny: “And I want to yell, It’s my life! You can’t leave me out of the decisions about my own life! You are not in charge here!” Equally credible is the boy’s deepening connection to Alicia, who helps Bobby figure out a solution to his problem.” From Publishers Weekly
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
“Unwillingly keeping a journal at the behest of her brother, a monk, Birdy (daughter of a 13th-century knight) makes a terse first entry — “I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say”-but is soon confiding her pranks and troubles in fascinating detail. Her marriage must suit her drunken father’s financial needs, and though the 14-year-old scares off several suitors (she pretends to be mad, sets fire to the privy one is using, etc.), in the end she’s “betrothed and betrayed.” Meanwhile, she observes Edward I’s England with keen curiosity and an open mind, paints a mural in her chamber, evades womanly tasks whenever possible, reports that — ladylike or no — “I always have strong feelings and they are quite painful until I let them out,” and chooses her own special profanity, “God’s thumbs.” At year’s end she makes peace with her family and acquires, beyond hope, a possibly compatible betrothed (they have yet to meet). Birdy’s frequent saint’s day entries begin with pithy summaries of the saints’ claims to fame; their dire deaths have a uniquely medieval tang, as do such oddities as St. Bridget turning bathwater into beer. Much else here is casually earthy — offstage bedding among villagers, home remedies, pissing out a fire — while death is commonplace. The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy’s yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient naivete are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight.” From Kirkus Reviews
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
“An engaging story of love and loss, told with humor and suspense. Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s mother leaves home suddenly on a spiritual quest, vowing to return, but can’t keep her promise. The girl and her father leave their farm in Kentucky and move to Ohio, where Sal meets Phoebe Winterbottom, also 13. While Sal accompanies her eccentric grandparents on a six-day drive to Idaho to retrace her mother’s route, she entertains them with the tale of Phoebe, whose mother has also left home. While this story-within-a-story is a potentially difficult device, in the hands of this capable author it works well to create suspense, keep readers’ interest, and draw parallels between the situations and reactions of the two girls. Sal’s emotional journey through the grieving process-from denial to anger and finally to acceptance-is depicted realistically and with feeling. Indeed, her initial confusion and repression of the truth are mirrored in the book. Overall, a richly layered novel about real and metaphorical journeys.” Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME, from School Library Journal, Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, and Kevin Hawkes
“Maia, an orphan, is attending a London girls’ school in 1910 when she learns she has relatives who live on a rubber farm near Manaus on the Amazon River. Excited about living in this exotic location, she boards ship with her new governess and makes friends with Clovis, a child actor who is longing to go home to England. Upon arrival, Maia discovers that the Carters have a strong aversion to anything Brazilian and never go out. It’s also obvious that they’ve taken her in because of her allowance from her wealthy parents’ estate. Worse yet, their twin daughters are conniving and nasty. The gregarious and adventuresome girl perseveres with the help of her supportive governess and befriends the natives she meets when she sneaks out of the house. The plot accelerates when she becomes involved in a plan to save Finn, a boy of both indigenous and English heritage, from being sent back to England and his dreaded relatives. Finn and Maia scheme to have Clovis disguise himself as Finn and return in his place. The plot is rich in drama, suspense, hints of romance, and a sense of justice. The country’s natural beauty and the time period come to life. Maia is a strong heroine who steers her way clear against all odds, including near death. Adventure lovers who enjoyed Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Orchard, 1990) and Sharon Creech’s The Wanderer (HarperCollins, 2000) will devour this one and wish that it would continue.” from School Library Journal
Recommended for Grades Seven and Eight
A Mango-shaped Space by Wendy Mass
“Mia, 13, has always seen colors in sounds, numbers, and letters, a fact she has kept secret since the day she discovered that other people don’t have this ability. Then she discovers that she has a rare condition called synesthesia, which means that the visual cortex in her brain is activated when she hears something. From then on, she leads a kind of double life-she eagerly attends research gatherings with other synesthetes and devours information about the condition, but continues to struggle at school, where her inadvertent pairing of particular colors with numbers and words makes math and French almost impossible to figure out. Her gradual abandonment of her frustrating school life in favor of the compelling world of fellow synesthetes and the unique things only they can experience seems quite logical, although readers may feel like shaking some sense into her. Finally, and rather abruptly, her extreme guilt at her beloved cat Mango’s illness brings her back down to earth and she begins to work on some of the relationships she let crumble. Mia’s voice is believable and her description of the vivid world she experiences, filled with slashes, blurs, and streaks of color, is fascinating. Not all of the many characters are necessary to the story, and some of the plot elements go unresolved, but Mia’s unique way of experiencing the world is intriguing.” from School Library Journal
Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez
“Milly Kaufman is an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont—until she meets Pablo, a new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo’s native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.” Amazon.com Review
Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson
“It is August, 1970, and 17-year-old Jean attends Camp Courage, labeled Crip Camp by her new friend and cabinmate, Sara. Because she has cerebral palsy, Jean depends on others for many things, but she has always felt part of the normal world. This view changes as she sees herself through Sara’s eyes. Sara, an incredibly intelligent, thoughtful teen, talks openly about what it’s like to have a disability, as she herself is in a wheelchair. She maintains that no matter what those who are able-bodied think about their efforts to be helpful, they’ll never really get it. Nowhere is this better depicted than in the skit that Sara writes for Jean and their bunkmates to perform in front of the entire camp. Through Sara’s fierce creativity, the skit turns everything upside down, showing a telethon parody in which the normal people are advocated for, pitied as not being more like the crips. The skit gets them into trouble, but it proves a point. Jean is forever changed by Sara, knowing that with her she can truly be herself. Issues of race, feminism, identity, and sexuality are looked at as well, all relating to Sara’s question, What would happen if we could find our own power? This book is smart and honest, funny and eye-opening. A must-read.” Tracy Karbel, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL from School Library Journal
Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence
“Fourteen-year-old Harold Kline is an albino–white from head to toe, even his hair and his eyes that are like drops of water. His life is made unbearable by the other kids, who call him “snow” or “maggot,” and ever since his father died and his brother was reported missing in Vietnam, his mother has become angry and withdrawn. And so Harold runs away, although it is a wrench to leave Honey, the elderly dog who has been his only comfort. And where would an albino kid on the run end up? In the circus, of course–in this case a down-at-the-heels road show where he is sheltered by a kindly lady midget and her huge man-beast companion and given hugs and unquestioning acceptance by the other “freaks.” There he falls in love with the beautiful but duplicitous trick horseback rider and gains self-respect and the admiration of the other circus folks when he accomplishes the seemingly impossible feat of teaching the elephants to play baseball. But Gypsy Magda forecasts a “great harm” lurking in the future, and it has something to do with Harold’s rejection of the “freaks” who have sheltered him as one of their own.” Amazon.com Review
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
“How do you know who you are when your past has been taken away? This complex coming-of-age story unfolds as Evie Thomas (nee Toswiah Green) tries to make sense of her life, to discover who she is now, while remembering her past happy existence. The younger daughter in a successful African-American family, the 12-year-old’s life is ripped apart when her policeman father testifies against his comrades in a racially motivated shooting, placing his family in jeopardy. Now they are living in a strange city in the Witness Protection Program. They have new names, new identities, no friends, and no history. Evie’s mother has taken refuge in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, her father sits in front of the window day after day, and her older sister is looking for a way to escape this less-than-ideal reality. Evie must come to terms with her new life and create a present and future for herself even though she no longer has a past. This multifaceted novel from the talented Woodson may be too introspective for some readers, but those sophisticated enough to manage the intricacies of the story will come away with images and characters who are impossible to forget.”–Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA, from School Library Journal
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
“Instead of heading to college as his father wishes, Robin leaves Harlem and joins the army to stand up for his country after 9/11. While stationed in Iraq with a war looming that he hopes will be averted, he begins writing letters home to his parents and to his Uncle Richie, the main character from Myers’s acclaimed Vietnam War novel, Fallen Angels (Scholastic, 1988). Robin finds himself in a diverse Civil Affairs unit of both men and women, with a mission to serve as a buffer between winning over the Iraqi people and concurrent military operations. As the war unfolds, the military angle of Robin’s job escalates, and he experiences increasing horrors of violence, death, destruction, insecurity, sorrow, and extreme fear. Ultimately, he comprehends the reasons Uncle Richie never wanted to talk to their family about what happened in Vietnam, saying, “…are there really enough words to make them understand?” Myers brilliantly freeze-frames the opening months of the current Iraq War by realistically capturing its pivotal moments in 2003 and creating a vivid setting. Memorable characters share instances of wry levity that balance the story without deflecting its serious tone. Through precise, believable dialogue as the catalyst, tame compared to that warranted in Fallen Angels, Myers’s expert portrayal of a soldier’s feelings and perspectives at the onset of this controversial war allows the circumstances to speak for themselves.—Diane P. Tuccillo, Fort Collins Regional Library District, CO –Diane P. Tuccillo from School Library Journal
Witness by Karen Hesse
“Using real events, Hesse tells a story of the Ku Klux Klan in a small town in Vermont in 1924 in the same clear free-verse as her Newbery winner, Out of the Dust (1997). This time, however, she uses 11 different voices, each one distinct, including two kids who are new to town–Leonora Sutter, 12, who is black, and Esther Hirsh, 6, who is Jewish. Then there are various adult townspeople: the violent Klan bigots (who attack “those who are not like us” in the name of Protestantism and patriotism), the antiracist crusaders, and the bystanders. Most interesting is Merlin, 18, who starts off in flaming hatred but changes. Then there’s the affectionate married couple–he’s in the Klan; she’s against it. Their comic squabbles about it are fun, until you realize how serious the issue is.” from Booklist Review
A Girl named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
“For Nhamo, an 11-year-old Shona girl living in Mozambique in 1981, life is filled with the traditions of her village people. When family circumstances, a ngozi (angry spirit), and a cholera epidemic force her into a horrible marriage, she flees with only her grandmother’s blessings, some gold nuggets, and many survival skills. Still, what should have been a two-day boat trip across the border to her father’s family in Zimbabwe spans a year. Daily conversations with spirits help to combat her loneliness and provide her with sage and practical advice. The most incredible leg of her journey is spent on an island where Nhamo closely observes and is warily accepted by a baboon family only to have one of them destroy her shelter and food supply. She makes mistakes, loses heart, and nearly dies of starvation. Even after she arrives in Zimbabwe where she lives with scientists before meeting her father’s family, Nhamo must learn to survive in civilization and exorcise the demons that haunt her.” from School Library Journal
The Astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation 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. As the fortunes of the Novanglian College of Lucidity change, so do the nature and conduct of their experiments.” from School Library Journal
Godless by Pete Hautman
“Hautman knows how to project a voice. In Sweetblood, (2003), the voice was that of a diabetic who felt a kinship with vampires. Here, the voice belongs to a disaffected 16-year-old, Jason Block, who decides to invent a new religion with a new god–the town’s water tower. Finding converts is surprisingly easy. His small group includes his twitchy friend Shin, a self-styled scribe who is writing the new testament (snippets enticingly appear at the beginning of each chapter), and Henry, a bully who undergoes changes when he is named high priest of the “Chutengodians.” In a smartly structured narrative that is by turns funny, worried, and questioning, Jason watches as his once-cohesive little congregation starts wanting to “worship” in its own ways, some of them deadly. Not everything works here. Shin’s meltdown doesn’t seem real, even though it has been thoroughly foreshadowed. But most scenes are honest and true to the bone, such as the one in which Jason and Harry agree that their dangerous stunts are worth their weight in memories. Anyone who has questioned his or her religion, especially as a teenager, will respond to Jason’s struggles with belief. Many individuals, upon reading this, will consider their own questions once more. Ilene Cooper” from Booklist Review
Troy by Adele Geras
“Geras frames her latest ambitious novel around the Iliad, beginning a decade into the Trojan War. Instead of detailing the battles between gods or men, she imagines the stories of Troy’s women, adding new characters to the archetypes in Homer’s epic. Orphan sisters Xanthe and Marpessa live in Priam’s palace as maids and surrogate daughters to Andromache and Helen, respectively. As the war escalates, pivotal moments from the Iliad’s plot serve as backdrop for Xanthe and Marpessa’s coming-of-age: while the familiar men (Paris, Achilles, etc.) slay one another, the sisters fall in love with the same man and care for their grieving households. Readers, particularly those unfamiliar with the Iliad, may struggle initially with the novel’s multiple plot threads. But Geras cleverly fills in gaps with the words of visiting Gods and Gossips, as she tells a sexy, sweeping tale, filled with drama, sassy humor, and vividly imagined domestic details that will be accessible to most older teens (and adults), particularly fans of historical romances. Readers may want to follow this with Clemence McLaren’s Inside the Walls of Troy (1996) or Waiting for Odysseus [BKL Mr 1 00], both written in women’s voices. Gillian Engberg.” from Booklist Review
The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
“Sade, the 12-year-old protagonist of Naidoo’s sophisticated and emotional novel, must flee her native Nigeria with her younger brother after their mother is killed in a shooting. Their father, a muckraking journalist in trouble with the military government, was the target. Sade and 10-year-old Femi soon find themselves stranded in London, abandoned by the woman paid to smuggle them into the country, and at the mercy of mostly friendly, but foreign government agencies, foster families and teachers.” from Publisher’s Weekly
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
“Inspired by her own family’s stories of living in South Korea during the Japanese occupation in the years preceding World War II, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park chronicles the compelling story of two siblings, 10-year-old Sun-hee and 13-year-old Tae-yul, and their battle to maintain their identity and dignity during one of Korea’s most difficult and turbulent times. In alternating first-person chapters, they relate their family’s troubles under the strict fascist regime. The Kim family is stripped of their cultural symbols, only permitted to learn Japanese history and language, and forced to convert their names to Japanese. Sun-hee, now Keoko, struggles to reconcile her Korean home life with her Japanese school and friends, while Tae-yul, now Nobuo, attempts to convert his growing anger into a more positive passion for flight and airplanes. Both are worried for their uncle, whom they discover is printing an underground Korean resistance paper. When Sun-hee inadvertently puts her uncle’s life in danger, she sets in motion a chain of events that results in her brother volunteering as a pilot for the Japanese near the end of WWII. While Sun-hee and her parents wait in breathless uncertainty to hear from Tae-yul, the war rushes to a close, leaving Korea’s destiny hanging in the balance. This well-researched historical novel is accompanied by a thoughtful author’s note that explains what happened to Korea and families like the Kims after WWII and a bibliography to entice interested young readers into learning more about a topic largely unknown to American audiences.” by Amazon.com Review
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
“The opening sentence sets the tone for this gripping novel–Edgar Mint says, “If I could tell you only one thing about my life, it would be this: when I was seven years old, the mailman ran over my head.” It was an accident, and much of what happens to this half-Apache, mostly orphan kid is a similar combination of accident, cruelty, and kindness. Edgar spends a lot of time in the hospital, but his smashed head is miraculously fixed. He’s really bright, except he can’t write. A hospital pal gives him a typewriter, and Edgar pounds his way to self-expression. He is then horribly brutalized by bullies in a bad school for Indian kids, taken in by a quirky Mormon family, and harassed by the doctor cum drug dealer who initially saved his life. Somehow Edgar just keeps pounding the typewriter. He also keeps looking for the mailman to let him know he’s OK. Udall’s tale is cruel, kind, and well worth reading. — Peggy Barber” from Booklist Review
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
“Death is the narrator of this lengthy, powerful story of a town in Nazi Germany. He is a kindly, caring Death, overwhelmed by the souls he has to collect from people in the gas chambers, from soldiers on the battlefields, and from civilians killed in bombings. Death focuses on a young orphan, Liesl; her loving foster parents; the Jewish fugitive they are hiding; and a wild but gentle teen neighbor, Rudy, who defies the Hitler Youth and convinces Liesl to steal for fun. After Liesl learns to read, she steals books from everywhere. When she reads a book in the bomb shelter, even a Nazi woman is enthralled. Then the book thief writes her own story. There’s too much commentary at the outset, and too much switching from past to present time, but as in Zusak’s enthralling I Am the Messenger (2004), the astonishing characters, drawn without sentimentality, will grab readers. More than the overt message about the power of words, it’s Liesl’s confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth.” from Booklist Review
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and Ellen Forney
“Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the “poor-ass” Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative),à and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one.” from Booklist Review
The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac
“A heartbreaking but exciting story. In a Quebec village during the French and Indian War, 14-year-old Saxso, an Abenaki, is caught in a struggle of survival and rescue when his mother and sisters are kidnapped during a massacre raid by the English Rangers. Bruchac has based this historical novel on an event that took place in the fall of 1759 when Major Robert Rogers of the English forces led a group of 200 men in an attack on St. Francis. For the Abenaki, the struggle to survive, rebuild, and continue throughout the generations was nearly lost. Through Saxso’s own words, Bruchac leads readers through the boy’s pursuit to save his family. He is also depicted as religious, with beliefs that are a mixture of Abenaki and Christian teachings.” from School Library Journal
Crispin by Avi
“After being declared a “wolf’s head” by his manor’s corrupt steward for a crime he didn’t commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal–and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that’s the only world he’s ever known. But before our protagonist escapes, Avi makes sure that we’re thoroughly briefed on the injustices of feudalism–the countless taxes cottars must pay, the constant violence, the inability of a flawed church to protect its parishioners, etc. Avi then folds in the book’s central mystery just as the boy is leaving: “Asta’s son,” as he’s always been known, learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents’ origins–and fates–might be more perplexing than he ever imagined.” from Amazon.com Review
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
“It’s 1906 and 16-year-old Mattie Gokey is at a crossroads in her life. She’s escaped the overwhelming responsibilities of helping to run her father’s broken down farm in exchange for a paid summer job as a serving girl at a fancy hotel in the Adirondacks. She’s saving as much of her salary as she can, but she’s having trouble deciding how she’s going to use the money at the end of the summer. Mattie’s gift is for writing and she’s been accepted to Barnard College in New York City, but she’s held back by her sense of responsibility to her family–and by her budding romance with handsome-but-dull Royal Loomis. Royal awakens feelings in Mattie that she doesn’t want to ignore, but she can’t deny her passion for words and her desire to write.
At the hotel, Mattie gets caught up in the disappearance of a young couple who had gone out together in a rowboat. Mattie spoke with the young woman, Grace Brown, just before the fateful boating trip, when Grace gave her a packet of love letters and asked her to burn them. When Grace is found drowned, Mattie reads the letters and finds that she holds the key to unraveling the girl’s death and her beau’s mysterious disappearance. Grace Brown’s story is a true one (it’s the same story told in Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy and in the film adaptation, A Place in the Sun), and author Jennifer Donnelly masterfully interweaves the real-life story with Mattie’s, making her seem even more real.” Amazon.com Review
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
“Although the work stands on its own as a murder mystery, it is more accurately seen as a questioning of “truth” from theological, philosophical, scholarly, and historical perspectives. The story centers on William of Baskerville, a 50-year-old monk who is sent to investigate a death at a Benedictine monastery. During his search, several other monks are killed in a bizarre pattern that reflects the Book of Revelation. Highly rational, Baskerville meets his nemesis in Jorge of Burgos, a doctrinaire blind monk determined to destroy heresy at any cost.” from The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
“In this World War I story, the terse and beautiful narrative of a young English soldier is as compelling about the world left behind as about the horrific daily details of trench warfare: the mud, rats, gas attacks, slaughter. At 15, Thomas lied about his age in order to follow his beloved older brother, Charlie, to fight in France. Now, nearly two years later, as Thomas sits waiting in the dark for the horror he knows will come at dawn, he remembers it all. Growing up as a poor farm boy in a happy family, he was always close to Charlie and to their brain-injured brother, Joe, a character Morpurgo draws with rare tenderness and truth. Thomas and Charlie even loved the same girl; Charley married her, but she writes to them both. Thomas also remembers British brutality, from the landlord who threatened the family with eviction if Charlie didn’t enlist to the cruel army sergeant who tried to break Charlie’s spirit. Charlie may be too perfect, almost a Christ figure, but it’s Thomas’ viewpoint of the brother he loves. Suspense builds right to the end, which is shocking, honest, and unforgettable.” from Booklist Reviews
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
“Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 11-year-old Parvana has rarely been outdoors. Barred from attending school, shopping at the market, or even playing in the streets of Kabul, the heroine of Deborah Ellis’s engrossing children’s novel The Breadwinner is trapped inside her family’s one-room home. That is, until the Taliban hauls away her father and Parvana realizes that it’s up to her to become the “breadwinner” and disguise herself as a boy to support her mother, two sisters, and baby brother. Set in the early years of the Taliban regime, this topical novel for middle readers explores the harsh realities of life for girls and women in modern-day Afghanistan. A political activist whose first book for children, Looking for X, dealt with poverty in Toronto, Ellis based The Breadwinner on the true-life stories of women in Afghan refugee camps.” from Amazon.com Review
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
“Farmer’s novel may be futuristic, but it hits close to home, raising questions of what it means to be human, what is the value of life, and what are the responsibilities of a society. Readers will be hooked from the first page, in which a scientist brings to life one of 36 tiny cells, frozen more than 100 years ago. The result is the protagonist at the novel’s center, Matt a clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord, born Matteo Alacr n to a poor family in a small village in Mexico. El Patro n is ruler of Opium, a country that lies between the United States and Aztl n, formerly Mexico; its vast poppy fields are tended by eejits, human beings who attempted to flee Aztl n, programmed by a computer chip implanted in their brains. With smooth pacing that steadily gathers momentum, Farmer traces Matt’s growing awareness of what being a clone of one of the most powerful and feared men on earth entails. Through the kindness of the only two adults who treat Matt like a human Celia, the cook and Matt’s guardian in early childhood, and Tam Lin, El Patron’s bodyguard Matt experiences firsthand the evils at work in Opium, and the corruptive power of greed (“When he was young, he made a choice, like a tree does when it decides to grow one way or the other… most of his branches are twisted,” Tam Lin tells Matt). The author strikes a masterful balance between Matt’s idealism and his intelligence. The novel’s close may be rushed, and Tam Lin’s fate may be confusing to readers, but Farmer grippingly demonstrates that there are no easy answers. The questions she raises will haunt readers long after the final page.” from Publisher’s Weekly
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez
“Imenez’s exquisite autobiographical short story “The Circuit” is widely anthologized. Now he has connected it with 11 more stories that are based on his experience as a child in a migrant farmworker family, from the time they leave Mexico to enter the U.S. “under the wire” through the years of moving from place to place, picking cotton, picking grapes, picking strawberries, thinning lettuce, topping carrots, always moving. Panchito’s dream is elemental: to stay in one place, to go to school without months of interruption. His joy is to return to a place that he recognizes. Each of these short stories builds quietly to a surprise that reveals the truth, and together the stories lead to the tearing climax. The characters aren’t idealized: though the family is warm, their bitter struggle creates anger and jealousy as well as love. They meet a migrant worker who had to leave his family behind in Mexico, but Panchito and his parents and his brothers and sisters are “all living at home,” together, even though they are “moving still.” Some teachers are kind; some classrooms and playgrounds are ugly. The simple words are both fact and poetry: the physicalness of the backbreaking work (“When you get tired from squatting, you can pick on your knees”); the yearning for education, for place. Almost nothing has been written for young readers about this Chicano experience, except for Pat Mora’s picture book about Rivera, Tomas and the Library Lady (1997), Ada Flor Ada’s Gathering the Sun (1997), and photo-essays, such as Beth Atkin’s Voices from the Fields (1993). Like Steinbeck’s classic Grapes of Wrath, Jimenez’s stories combine stark social realism with heartrending personal drama.” Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Ann Rinaldi
“Rinaldi’s latest contribution to historical fiction tells the story of the first important African-American poet. Since Phillis Wheatley lived in Boston just before the Revolutionary War, readers get a dose of U.S. history as well. Rinaldi freely admits in her author’s note that she has altered many facts to create “my own Phillis.” In her biggest change from reality, she makes Nathaniel Wheatley, irthe handsome, bright, bored son of Phillis’s owners, the girl’s tutor. This teacher-pupil relationship, which develops into a full-scale crush on Phillis’s part, dominates the book. Readers will be drawn in just as Phillis is, and will enjoy their conversations, quarrels, and activities. Unfortunately, Nathaniel is absent during the last few chapters and they consequently limp along, suffering from wordiness and an overabundance of historical data. Phillis’s interview with George Washington, which concludes the novel, is sentimental and didactic-a disappointment rather than a celebration. Rinaldi writes well, gives an engrossing look at pre-Revolutionary War life with numerous interesting details, and brings her characters vividly to life. It’s too bad she couldn’t sustain the novel’s initial excitement and appeal. Those who follow it through should also read Merle Richmond’s Phillis Wheatley (Chelsea, 1988; o.p.), which sticks strictly to the facts and provides a fascinating contrast to Rinaldi’s treatment.” -Ann W. Moore, Guilderland Public Library, NY from School Library Journal
March by Geraldine Brooks.
“Brooks’s luminous second novel, after 2001’s acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves, or “contraband.” His narrative begins with cheerful letters home, but March gradually reveals to the reader what he does not to his family: the cruelty and racism of Northern and Southern soldiers, the violence and suffering he is powerless to prevent and his reunion with Grace, a beautiful, educated slave whom he met years earlier as a Connecticut peddler to the plantations. In between, we learn of March’s earlier life: his whirlwind courtship of quick-tempered Marmee, his friendship with Emerson and Thoreau and the surprising cause of his family’s genteel poverty. When a Confederate attack on the contraband farm lands March in a Washington hospital, sick with fever and guilt, the first-person narrative switches to Marmee, who describes a different version of the years past and an agonized reaction to the truth she uncovers about her husband’s life. Brooks, who based the character of March on Alcott’s transcendentalist father, Bronson, relies heavily on primary sources for both the Concord and wartime scenes; her characters speak with a convincing 19th-century formality, yet the narrative is always accessible. Through the shattered dreamer March, the passion and rage of Marmee and a host of achingly human minor characters, Brooks’s affecting, beautifully written novel drives home the intimate horrors and ironies of the Civil War and the difficulty of living honestly with the knowledge of human suffering.” From Publishers Weekly
Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells
“One word describes 13-year-old India Moody—perseverance. She has heard of a college in Ohio that accepts women and is determined to go there, an unthinkable dream for a girl in 1862. She is tutored by her neighbor, Emory Trimble, an eccentric scientist who teaches her about biology and chemistry, and with whom she later forms a romantic relationship. When her father, an ambulance wagon driver for the Confederate Army, is missing in action, she sets off to find him, ending up in the middle of the Battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest of the war. She faces danger as the Union Army advances toward her home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and sees soldiers leave her town and not return. She witnesses Micah and Ester, slaves and friends of the Trimbles, harbor an injured Yankee soldier, putting their own lives in danger. Wells has created a sense of what the North and the South endured during the Civil War by interweaving stories from both sides, and gives a horrifying picture of medical practices and superstitions of the times. This powerful novel is unflinching in its depiction of war and the devastation it causes, yet shows the resilience and hope that can follow such a tragedy. India is a memorable, thoroughly believable character who faces many losses, yet readers are confident that she will follow her dream and attend Oberlin College.”—Shannon Seglin, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA, from School Library Journal
Adventurous Stories: Eight True Women Who Made a Difference by Penny Colman
“One of a recent flood of collective biographies, this book pulls together eight women adventurers from history, each of whom went beyond boundaries to make a difference. Using such a broad theme is a fine idea, but it makes for a somewhat scattered collection, which ranges, in this case, from Arctic explorer Louise Boyd to daring women who broke new ground closer to home. Some famous women (Mary McLeod Bethune) are featured, but most subjects are relatively unknown, and quick overviews of their exploits are not enough. The spacious layout and the chatty style are inviting, and Colman clearly documents her many primary sources, enabling today’s Web-savvy researchers to find out more for assignments or for personal interest. The best profile introduces Katharine Wormeley, who served on hospital transport ships during the Civil War. With several pages of her letters home about the wounded, her story is worth a book of its own.” Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula leGuin
“A superb four-part fantasy, comparable with the work of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, the “Earthsea” books follow the fortunes of the wizard Ged from his childhood to an age where magic is giving way to evil. As a young dragonlord, Ged, whose use-name is Sparrowhawk, is sent to the island of Roke to learn the true way of magic. A natural magician, Ged becomes an Archmage and helps the High Priestess Tenar escape from the labyrinth of darkness. But as the years pass, true magic and ancient ways are forced to submit to the powers of evil and death.”
Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
“Set 6000 years ago, this fast-paced adventure delves into a world of spirits and mysticism not often seen in children’s literature. Torak, 12, witnesses his father’s brutal attack by a giant, demon-possessed bear and promises to find his way to the Mountain of the World Spirit. Before dying, his father instructs him to avoid other men and tells him that his guide will find him. Sure enough, Torak is soon adopted by a wolf cub, also recently orphaned, with whom he is able to communicate. The bear continues to terrorize the forest, but Torak is able to avoid it with Wolf’s help. They are captured by the Wolf clan, who believes that Torak is the Listener, and will rid the forest of the bear when he fulfills a prophecy by delivering three lost artifacts to the mountain. He must solve an obscure riddle to find the artifacts and traverse dangerous lands, all the while evading the evil bear. Paver’s depth of research into the spiritual world of primitive peoples makes this impressive British import, slated to be the first in a six-book series, intriguing and believable.” – Karen T. Bilton, Somerset County Library, Bridgewater, NJ Review from School Library Journal
Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding
“Golding offers the softer side of adventure fantasy. In the lovely opening scene, Connie plays and talks with seagulls. Living with eccentric Aunt Evelyn, she learns of a secret Society charged with protecting “mythical” beings (actually real) from humanity’s violence. Each Society member is companion to a particular species: water sprites, selkies, unicorns, dragons or one of many others. Might Connie be a companion to the sirens who live on nearby rocks tempting sailors to their deaths? Her destiny is far greater: She’s a universal, a rare human companion to all mythical creatures. Foils include an international oil company poised to pollute the ocean, and Kullervo, a malevolent spirit in the process of taking over the world. Perspective is mostly Connie’s but occasionally shifts to Col, a companion to “pegasi.” Structurally epic but gentle in aura; an easily accessible tale for readers who enjoy mythical creatures.” –Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007
Red Glass by Laura Resau
“Timid and fearful, 16-year-old Sophie finds courage and first love when she and her Bosnian great-aunt Dika join a Guatemalan immigrant and his son to take six-year-old Pablo, sole survivor of his family’s illegal trek into the U.S., back to his Mexican relatives. Arizona-born Sophie’s allergies and fears are tellingly contrasted with the real experiences of Dika, Ángel, and Mr. Lorenzo, survivors of wartime violence in their own countries. The author’s love for the culture and physical setting of rural Oaxaca and northern Guatemala is shown in beautiful, descriptive detail. Rich, poetic language, elements of the hero quest story pattern, and quotations from St. Exupéry’s The Little Prince are braided through this coming-of-age romance as Sophie grows from amorphous onlooker into a strong, risk-taking young woman. Secondary characters, especially the 60-year-old Dika and her “boyfriend,” Mr. Lorenzo, are well developed. Readers will sympathize with Pablo and agonize as he chooses whether to stay in Mexico or return to Sophie’s family in Arizona. The satisfying love stories and moving glimpse of the immigrant experience make this a captivating read.” —Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD, from School Library Journal
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“If there really are only seven original plots in the world, it’s odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn’t tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less 1984 and rather more Death Race 2000, hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one’s humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It’s a credit to Collins’s skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.It’s no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panem—which needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacent—may have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time. What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins’s world, we’ll be obsessed with grooming, we’ll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They’re so unlike people that I’m no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn’t just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch.Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book The Thief and its sequels, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.” The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010.” from Publisher’s Weekly, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Newbery Award Winners:
2009 Medal Winner: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean
Honor Books:
- The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illus. by David Small
- The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
- Savvy by Ingrid Law
- After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Still looking for more? Check out this list of previous years’ recommendations
