100 Young Adult Books Too Good To Miss

Edgar Huang, Ph.D.

SAT/PSAT English Enhancement Class (SEEC)
⼤学升学指导
Web site: https://talenthotbed.com/
Phone: (317) 804-4060
Email: [email protected]
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Dr. Huang would like to share with you the following book list from his local high
school—Carmel High School for K-12 children and beyond. Many of these books are
probably also available in your local public libraries.

These are some books that Young Adult Services staff members have read and loved. We know that not every
book is right for every person at every age, so our feelings won't be hurt if you don't love every single one of
these books as much as we do. We don't expect you to! We DO hope that there is at least one book on this list
that is right for you this year, and which you might have overlooked. Below are some hints if you are wondering
about age appropriateness.
In general:
"The Children's Department (J, JM, J PBK, J Cass, and J CD) collects books and books on tape or CD for up
through 8th grade, based on content rather than reading level.
"The Young Adult Services Department (HS, HS PBK and HS plus Dewey Decimal call numbers) collects books
for 9th-12th grade, based on content rather than reading level.
"The Reference Department (Fic, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Large Print, and plain Dewey Decimal call
numbers) collects books for adults.
"The Audio-Visual Department (Cass or CD) collects books on tape or CD for teens and adults.

A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

HS Three girls, one a high school freshman, another who thinks she is in control by choosing which boy to
sleep with, and a third who sees herself as different but sensible, all get "played" by the same smooth jock.
The first girl decides to warn other girls by writing a warning in the back of the library's copy of Judy Blume's
Forever. Written in verse, this is a short, powerful, but not preachy book.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

HS PBK This novel is an intriguing blend of ghost story and romance. It is the story of Helen. She has been
dead for 130 years and is currently haunting an English teacher who shares her love of literature. No one has
ever been able to see Helen until a student begins to talk to her.

A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Moreland Indiana by Haven Kimmel

HS B, B Born in 1965 in Moreland, Indiana, Zippy (named after a frenetic monkey) lived in a world filled with a
loving family, peculiar neighbors, and a multitude of animals. Her story is filled with good humor, fine
storytelling, and acute observations of small town life.

A Tangled Web by L. M. Montgomery

HS PBK When Aunt Becky, the eccentric old matriarch of the Dark and Penhallow families, dies everyone
wonders to whom she will leave her prized possession: a legendary heirloom jug. But the name of the jug's
new owner will not be revealed for one year. Over the course of the year, both the Penhallows and the Darks
face many changes as they scheme and plot to win the jug.

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

HS, HS PBK Duncan works in the Toronto subway system in the lost and found office, a job he considers
excruciatingly boring until the day he begins to read a lost journal. The journal turns out to be the plans of a
would-be serial killer, which details his past and possibly future crimes. Duncan, suffering from guilt because of
a tragic event in his life, and depressed over breaking up with his girlfriend, feels he is meant to figure out who
the journal belongs to and stop him.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

HS Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with a chaperone,
search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's
surface.

Anyone but You by Lara M. Zeises

HS A story told in the alternating voices of fifteen year old Seattle and her seventeen year old stepbrother,
Critter. Seattle lives with Critter, his mother and another brother after her father walked out on them. Seattle
and Critter's relationship gets complicated when Critter falls first for a rich lifeguard and then for Seattle, but
Seattle has feelings for an older skateboarder. To make matters worse, Seattle's father returns.

Are We There Yet? by David Levithan

HS 17-year-old Elijah and his 23-year-old brother, Danny, are total opposites and have completely lost touch
with each other. Their parents offer both of them a free trip to Italy, but with the condition that they must go
together. While in Italy, Elijah and Danny think about the relationship they used to have and what kind of one
they want to have in the future.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

HS PBK, J, J PBK, J CD, J Cass When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by
capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a
particularly nasty troll.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

HS Having moved to Annapolis, Maryland, with her medievalist parents, high school junior Ellie enrolls at
Avalon High School where several students may or may not be reincarnations of King Arthur and his court.

Black Storm Comin' by Diane L. Wilson

HS Colton, the son of a black mother and a white father, takes a job with the Pony Express in 1860 after his
father abandons the family on their California-bound wagon train, and risks his life to deliver an important letter
that may affect the growing conflict between the North and South.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

HS, HS PBK, CD, Cass Vivian Gandillon is a teenage werewolf struggling to live in both the human and
werewolf worlds. She becomes even more torn when she falls in love with "meatboy" (the werewolf term for
humans) Aiden.

Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis

HS, CD All Luther T. Farrell wants to do is win the science fair, get a girlfriend, and be a philosopher; but, first
he has to get out from under the thumb of "The Sarge", his cynical, loan shark, slum lord mother.
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
HS, HS PBK Jinsen, the school outcast, has been dubbed "Buddha Boy" because of his strange appearance
and monkish ways. After being paired with Jinsen for a school project, Justin reluctantly befriends him, as he
finds out that they have more in common than he thought.

Bull Run by Paul Fleischman

HS PBK, J, CD, Cass Through the alternating viewpoints of 16 characters from various walks of life, readers
gain insight into the first battle of the Civil War and into the nature of war in general.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

HS, HS PBK, Fic, Cass This entertaining novel is filled with scientists, G-men, and even ordinary folks caught
up in the game. These assorted characters chase each other around in search of the world's most important
and dangerous substance, a new form of ice that freezes at room temperature.

Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton

HS PBK Chanda Kabelo, a sixteen-year-old in a small South African town, faces down shame and stigma in
her efforts to help friends and family members who are dying of AIDS.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

HS, Fic, Cass Benny and Eve have been best friends since childhood, but when the girls leave their small,
Irish town to go to college in Dublin they find themselves quickly growing up, meeting new people, and facing
life-changing events.

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

HS, J, J PBK, J CD, J Cass There are rumors going around the city of Ember that supplies and food are
running low. Also, no one can explain why the lights keep going out, leaving the city in pitch black darkness.
12-year- old Lina and her friend Doon are determined to find out what is happening to their city and what will
happen if the lights go out for good, even if it means going to areas that are beyond city limits into complete
darkness.

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

HS Draper Slavers shatter Ashanti girl Amari's happy life and ship her off to North Carolina, where she is
bought by a rice planter for his teenaged son. There she and a white indentured servant form a bond to survive
the brutal realities of their lives.

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

HS, J Teenagers in a small town in the 1960s experience new thoughts and feelings, question their identities,
connect, and disconnect as they search for the meaning of life and love.

Damage by A.M. Jenkins

HS, HS PBK High school senior Austin Reid seems to have it all. He's the star of the football team and dates
the prettiest girl in school. He's also extremely depressed. A riveting story told unusually but effectively in the
second person.

Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles

HS, HS PBK Fourteen-year-old Sunny is stunned when a total stranger shows up at her house posing as her
older sister Jazz, who supposedly died out of town in a fire months earlier.
Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede
HS, HS PBK, J, J PBK, J Cass Fic Princess Cimorene is not a proper princess; she wants to learn how to
fence, how to cook, and how to do magic. Her father always puts a stop to it, telling her it is just not what
princesses do. When he tries to marry her off to a prince, Cimorene runs away and becomes the princess of a
powerful dragon. Being the princess of dragon means she gets to cook, read, meet witches and wizards and
even learn a little magic.

Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams

HS, JM, CD 13-year-old Ingrid, a big fan of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, finds herself secretly involved in the
town murder mystery since she was the last person to see the murder victim alive. A number of circumstances
surrounding the murder make Ingrid decide to not confide in anyone and to attempt to solve the mystery
herself.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

HS, Fic, CD, Cass When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London
house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client. Soon afterward, disturbing incidents unfold in England
- an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby, strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck, and a
lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his "Master"-culminating in a battle of wits between
the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries.

Electric Dreams by Caroline Kettlewell

HS 629.229, NF 629.229 This nonfiction work is subtitled "One Unlikely Team of Kids and the Race to Build the
Car of the Future." It is about a North Carolina school that decided to enter into an Electric Car Competition to
build the best electric car. The school was in a very poor and rural area so no one thought the school had a
chance. The students overcome many tough odds and with the help of two dedicated teachers win the race.

Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories about Being a Guy by ed. Nancy E. Mercado
HS 808.83 A great collection of short stories about teen guys dealing with life that runs the gamut from funny to
poignant. There are stories by YA regulars like Walter Dean Myers, David Lubar, and Terry Trueman, as well
as a couple by first time authors like Paul Acampora.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

HS PBK, SciFi, CD, Cass A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book
burners suddenly realizes their merit.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

HS, HS PBK, J, J Cass In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother,
learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever
epidemic.

Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher

HS B, B, CD B, Cass B The heartbreaking but hopeful true story of Antwone, who was born in prison and
spent the next eighteen years in abusive foster homes and on the street. Joining the Navy turns his world
around and ultimately leads him to the family he always dreamed of.

Freaks Alive, On the Inside by Annette Curtis Klause

HS Klause, CD After leaving home in search of adventure, romance, and riches, seventeen-year-old Abel, the
"normal" son of freak show entertainers, is haunted by a mysterious spirit.
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
HS, HS PBK When high school sophomore Russel Middlebrook discovers there are other gay kids at his
school, including the jock he has a crush on, they form a secret support group called the Geography Club. But
when Russel spurns a girl, his secret gets out and his life gets complicated.

Gifts by Ursula Le Guin

HS, J, CD, Cass In the fantasy Upland world, people are born with special "gifts", such as Gry's ability to
communicate with animals and Orrec's power to unmake with one look. However, Gry refuses to call animals
to the hunt and everyone fears Orrec, whose father blindfolds him to prevent disaster. Are their powers really
gifts?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Fic The sweeping, romantic story of Scarlett O'Hara, a headstrong Southern belle, who survives the hardships
of the Civil War and the changes brought about by the Reconstruction.

Grand and Humble by Brent Hartinger

HS In alternating chapters, readers follow the lives of two high school boys. Harlan is 17 and is the gorgeous,
brilliant son of a rich senator. Manny is also 17, but is a poor theater geek. The two boys couldn't be more
different, but they do have one thing in common - they both have panic attacks and recurring nightmares about
drowning. There is an interesting twist at the end when the connection between Harlan and Manny is finally
revealed.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

HS, HS PBK 16-year-old Ruby falls in love with Travis, a rich and dangerous boy. After a run-in with the law,
Ruby's mother makes her go to a weekly book group to help get her mind off Travis. At the book group, Ruby
meets the Casserole Queens, a group of feisty senior citizens who help Ruby figure out what she wants from
her life.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

HS, J, CD, Cass In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status because he is the young
clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United
States.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosuff

HS Rosuff To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen- year-old Daisy goes to England
to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the
family while devastating the land.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

HS, J, J CD, J Cass In 17th century London, Coriander, a girl who has inherited magic from her mother, must
find a way to use this magic in order to save both herself and an inhabitant of the fairy world where her mother
was born.

Invincible by Robert Kirkman

HS 741.5 This graphic novel focuses on Mark, the teenaged son of the superhero Omni- man. Mark's dad has
been a superhero all his life so his father's job is not a big deal. When Mark's powers develop he decides to
follow in his father's footsteps and fight crime too. Mark tries to balance school, his love life, and fighting crime;
but, life has a few surprises in store for him.
Invisible by Pete Hautman
HS, CD Doug Hanson is intelligent and his observations are witty. Unfortunately, his classmates hate him, his
mother thinks he's troubled, and he's obsessed with the miniature railroad town he's been building from
matchsticks for the past three years. The only person who's there for him is his best friend, Andy. Andy is
Doug's complete opposite, a popular jock, and he's always there when Doug needs him most. But who is Andy
really and why would he want to have anything to do with Doug?

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
HS, HS PBK No one knows about the early life of Jesus the missing years except Biff, the Messiah's best
bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in this hilarious account.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

HS Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and
great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death.

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

HS "Grubbs" Grady's life falls to pieces when he returns home one day and walks in on demons murdering his
family. He's taken in by his mysterious uncle, where he learns about his family's horrible legacy; magic, chess,
and lycanthropy (werewolves) all play into it.

Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris

HS, HS PBK, J Born and raised in isolation in a wealthy, eccentric family, Sandy is shocked when he, his
parents, and their servants become victims of a vicious plot by his greedy uncles to incapacitate them and take
their money.

Make Lemonade by Virgina Euwer Wolff

HS, HS PBK In order to save money for college, her one ticket out of her dismal neighborhood, 14-year-old
LaVaughn takes an after school job babysitting for a 17-year-old girl who has two small children.

Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman

HS 741.5 In these graphic novels, a cartoonist illustrates his father's stories of Nazi Germany using animals for
the different groups, mainly rats for Jews and cats for Nazis. You will never look at the Holocaust the same way
again.

Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

HS PBK When Jessica Day moves to Bixby, Oklahoma, she finds out she is part of a special group of people
that can move around in the 25th hour of the day. Most people spend the hour frozen in place, but Jessica and
her friends can move. They even gain special powers during this hour. They need these special powers
because the 25th hour is full of darklings, the original monsters under the bed. The darklings seem to have
Jessica targeted, but can she find out why before it is too late?

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

HS, J, J CD When a bag full of money falls out of the sky and lands in his hideout, young Damian thinks it is a
sign from God. He and his brother keep the money a secret from their father while they try to figure out exactly
what to do with it all. As they begin to spend a little of the money, they find out that maybe having a lot of
money isn't exactly the blessing they thought it would be.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

HS, CD, Cass 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.

My Jim by Nancy Rawles

Fic This is the story of Jim, the escaped slave from Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as told by his
wife, Sadie. It's really more Sadie's story as well as an intimate portrait of the tragic lives of slaves.

Nailed by Patrick Jones

HS 16-year-old Bret does not fit in at school, and his father can not understand him and only makes life harder.
Bret copes by playing bass in a band and acting in school plays. When Bret meets Kylee he falls head over
heels in love, but relationships are never easy. Bret has to decide who and what are worth standing up for and
who and what he needs to let go.

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

HS 305.5, NF 305.5 This book offers a revealing undercover look at the plight of unskilled workers in America
who are trying to make it on $7-$7.50 an hour.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

HS PBK, Fic At age 13, Lee decides that she wants to leave her lower-middle class life in South Bend, Indiana
to go to a posh boarding school outside of Boston and is able to do so by receiving a scholarship. Once there,
Lee realizes that though she was a top-notch student in Indiana, she is quite different from the other students
who have always lived a life of privilege and intellect.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie

HS PBK, Fic 15-year-old Kambili is the daughter of a wealthy man in Nigeria. Her father owns several
factories, publishes a newspaper, and has received several human rights awards for standing up to the corrupt
Nigerian government. However, Kambili, her older brother, and mother are the only ones who see the darker
side to her father. He is obsessed with appearances and can be controlling and violent. It is not until Kambili
and her older brother are sent to stay with their aunt that they realize they must break free from him.

Queen Bee by Chynna Clugston

HS 741.5 When 13-year-old Haley transfers schools she is determined to belong to the popular group. But is
their friendship what she really wants? This graphic novel would be a good choice for teens looking for a story
about a girl who has to deal with friends, enemies, psychic powers, a talent show, and a possible romance.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Fic The young, second wife of a widower comes to realize the evil surrounding Rebecca, his mysterious first
wife.

Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

HS PBK, Fic, CD A haunting tale of romantic self- deception, this Victorian novel focuses on mismatched
lovers who see in each other only what they want to see, and decidedly not what is actually there.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan O Malley

HS 741.5 In this graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim's life is completely ordinary, until he falls in love with a girl named
Ramona Flowers. Scott learns he can not date Ramona until he defeats each of her seven evil ex-boyfriends in
combat.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
HS 940.545, NF 940.545, CD, Cass This exciting, fast-paced story chronicles a group of deep sea wreck
divers who discover a German submarine off the coast of New Jersey. After doing some research, they find it
that there is no record of any German submarine ever being sunk in that location. They quickly become
consumed by the mystery of what submarine it actually was, who was on it, and why it was off the coast of
New Jersey. However, to look for clues they must dive again and again into the dangerous wreck. Solving the
mystery may cost them their lives.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

HS Scott Hudson navigates freshman year in high school and learns about friends, bullies,
school/extracurricular workloads, sleep deprivation and love. Added to the mix are his mother's surprise
pregnancy and his delinquent older brother.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

HS, HS PBK, J, J PBK The infant princess Briar Rose is cursed on her name day by Pernicia, an evil fairy, and
then whisked away by a young fairy to be raised in a remote part of a magical country, unaware of her real
identity and hidden from Pernicia's vengeful powers.

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

HS, J, J CD, J Cass Tree, a six-foot-three-inch 12-year- old, copes with his parents' recent divorce and his
failure as an athlete by helping his grandfather, a Vietnam vet and recent amputee, and Sophie, a new girl at
school.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

HS, HS PBK, Cass Eric and Sarah have been best friends for a long time, keeping to themselves since they
are both misfits -- he due to his weight and she due to severe burn scars on her face and hands. When Sarah
stops talking one day, goes into a catatonic trance and won't move from her school desk, she is sent to a
psychiatric hospital. Eric must do what he can to try and figure out what went wrong with Sarah and how he
can help her.

Stranded in Harmony by Barb Shoup

HS, Cass Lucas Cantrell is a high school senior who seems to have it all. He's captain of the football team with
a cheerleader girlfriend, a scholarship offer, and a position in his dad's company when he finishes college. So
why does he feel so restless to get out of his small town? When he meets his neighbor Allie, with her
mysterious past, he starts to think about his life and the decisions he must make.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman by Terry Trueman

HS, CD, Cass Shawn is funny, intelligent and can remember everything he's ever heard. He also has cerebral
palsy, is completely unable to communicate or control his body in any way, and suffers from grand mal
seizures. When he thinks his father wants to kill him to "end his suffering", Shawn has no way of telling him, or
anyone else, how much he loves life.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

HS, HS PBK, J, J CD, J Cass Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik,
fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that
damaged his eyesight.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

HS, HS PBK, J Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to
steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
HS, HS PBK, Fic This novel is actually the thinly veiled autobiography of Sylvia Plath. Under the guise of the
character Esther Greenwood, the story follows her first knowledge that she suffers from a mental illness, her
stays at several asylums, and then to her return to college during the 1950s.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

HS In this engrossing historical novel, Liesel is a young orphan sent to live with foster parents after her mother
and father, who are Communists, are taken by the German government. Liesel eventually grows to love her
foster parents, especially her father who teaches her to read with a book she has stolen. As Germany enters
World War II, Liesel, her family, and her neighbors face many difficult choices including her family's decision to
hide a young Jewish man in their basement.

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence

HS, J, CD After his father is wrongfully taken to debtors' prison, 14-year-old Tom Tin heads into London to find
his father and the man who put him in jail. Tom soon gets lost in the fog that permeates the London streets and
is mistakenly taken for a street- urchin gang leader called The Smasher. Identified as The Smasher by
members of the court system and others, Tom gets convicted of murder and put on a ship full of convict boys
headed to Australia.

The House of Stairs by William Sleator

HS PBK Five sixteen-year-old orphans of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in a
house of endless stairs as subjects for a psychological experiment on conditioned human response.

The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

HS, HS PBK, J, J Cass Spaz, a boy who lives on the fringes of his surreal future world, partly because
epilepsy prevents him from using the mind probes most people use to blot out reality, sets out on a classic
quest to save his ill foster sister. To do so, he must cross forbidden territory and face frightening gangs and
their leaders. He picks up companions as he travels including, Ryter, a philosophic old man whose treasure is
the book he is writing despite knowing that books and reading are of the past.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

HS PBK, J Percy Jackson is dyslexic, has ADHD, and attends a private school for "troubled" kids. One day on
a school trip, his algebra teacher tries to attack him and somehow, he vaporizes her. It turns out that Percy is
really the son of one of the Greek gods. In Harry Potter-like fashion, Percy is sent to Camp Half- Blood with
others like him. And just like the heroes in Greek mythology, Percy must go on a hero's quest, where he battles
evil, makes the acquaintance of gods and mythological creatures, and learns about himself.

The Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary

HS PBK 16-year-old Shelley leaves her home and friends in Oregon to spend her senior year in sunny,
southern California ready for an exciting school year full of new people and experiences.

The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

HS In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her
granddaughter of witchcraft, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials their lie has unexpected
repercussions.

The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro

HS 979.4, J 979.4 Using letters and diaries written by survivors of the Donner Party, the experiences of that
ill-fated group are relayed as they endured horrific circumstances on their way to California in 1846-47.

The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan

HS When newlywed Marnie's old repulsive husband dies suddenly in a fall, the superstitious villagers suspect
her of being a witch and causing his death. She doesn't help her case by befriending a boy the villagers call
"Raver", whom they suspect of being possessed by demons because of his outbursts. Marnie discovers what
Raver's problem is which convinces the villagers of her guilt, and they act, with terrifying consequences.

The Rifle by Gary Paulsen

HS, HS PBK, J Cass A priceless, handcrafted rifle, fired throughout the American Revolution, is passed down
through the years until it fires on a fateful Christmas Eve in 1994.

The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White

HS Shortly after finishing nursing school, Becky Phillips, 21, goes to Vietnam, where she serves as a nurse.
Exhausted and confused following her return to the States, Becky sets out on a cross-country trip where she
looks up old friends and tries to figure out her future.

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

HS PBK, JM In nineteenth-century London, 16-year- old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly
search for a mysterious ruby.

The Spirit Line by Aimee Thurlo

HS, J When the special rug Crystal Manyfeathers is weaving for her kinaaldá, the traditional Navajo
womanhood ceremony, is stolen from her loom, there are any number of suspects.

The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris

HS, HS PBK, J, J PBK 14-year-old Terence has his world turned upside down when he becomes the squire to
a knight. Terence accompanies him on a long quest, where he has many adventures and learns an important
secret about his own true identity.

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck

HS, J, J CD, J Cass In rural Indiana in 1904, Russell's dream of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing
crew is disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean, old
Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off and dies."

The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner

HS, HS PBK, J, J Cass In this fantasy, a notorious thief is hired by a king to steal a priceless artifact; but, the
thief has a secret of his own.

The Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers

HS Set in a small South Dakota town, the lives of three very different people become intertwined when they try
to rescue three horses a powerful rancher is mistreating.

Traitor by Andy McNab

HS All 17-year-old Danny has ever wanted to do is join the British army. He is an orphan who lives in a group
home and has no money for college. However, when he applies he is told he can not be accepted because his
grandfather was a traitor who betrayed his SAS regiment. Danny has never met his grandfather, but is
determined to try to find him to make him pay for ruining his life. Danny finds his grandfather but learns his
grandfather knows a dangerous secret that certain people in the government would kill to protect. Soon Danny
and his grandfather are on the run dodging bullets and assassins in order to clear his grandfather's name.

Transition Game by L. Jon Wertham

HS 796.323 A journalist from Sports Illustrated, who grew up in Bloomington, IN, returns to the city to follow
the basketball season of a local high school team. He describes the changes he sees in both the players and
how basketball is played at a local and national level.

Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

HS, CD The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library and wait for her brainy
boyfriend to return from camp. Instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends
and finally faces her grief.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

HS The story of star-crossed lovers with a twist: he's a vampire. When Isabella Swan moves to tiny Forks,
Washington to live with her father, she expects to be bored out of her mind. Instead, sparks fly between her
and the mysterious Edward Cullen as soon as they see each other in the school cafeteria on her first day
there. For Edward, the attraction is complicated because he and his family don't prey on humans, yet Bella
(and her blood) are irresistible to him.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

HS Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have
a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

HS, J After her mother's death, Julie goes to live with her Aunt Cordelia, a spinster schoolteacher, where she
experiences many emotions and changes as she grows from seven to eighteen.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

HS 818.3 One of the "great American books", this is Thoreau's masterpiece of reflective philosophizing
including meditations on human existence, society, government, and other topics.

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

HS, HS PBK, J Theo, an apprentice to a printer, finds himself on the run after the king's soldiers kill his master
and destroy their printing press. He meets a mysterious orphan and soon becomes involved in trying to help
solve the puzzle of her past.

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson

HS, J, J CD, J Cass Racing against the clock, shy middle- school student, Lily, and her best friends, Katie and
Jasper, must foil the plot of her father's conniving boss to conquer the world using an army of whales.

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

HS, J, J Cass, J CD With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly
oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture
entirely.

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

HS, Fic, CD A 2003 Alex Award winner, this story of a Japanese American family's internment in a Utah enemy
alien camp during World War II is told through several voices including a young boy and girl who were forced
to leave their Berkeley home in 1942 and spend over three years in a dusty, barren desert camp with their
mother. Occasional, heavily censored letters arrive from their father, who had been taken from their house in
his slippers by the FBI one night and was being held in New Mexico, his fate uncertain. But even after the war,
when they have been reunited and are putting their stripped, vandalized house back together, the family can
never regain its pre-war happiness.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

HS PBK, Fic, Cass Fic This is the "true" story of Elphaba before she became the Wicked Witch of the West in
the land of Oz. The novel traces her career as a nun, nurse, pro- democracy activist and animal rights
defender. It is always good to hear the "rest of the story".

Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

HS PBK, J, J PBK, J Cass After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great
Wizard in order to return home to Kansas. The movie is a pale shadow of the original.

Wonderland: A Year in the Life of an American High School by Michael Bamberger

HS 305.23, 305.23 This book chronicles a year at a large high school in the Philadelphia suburbs where the
biggest event of the year is their outrageous prom. You are taken into the lives of the star quarterback, a young
couple having a baby, a junior who is bent on becoming the class president his senior year and several other
fascinating kids. Their stories are intertwined with the impending prom and the hope that singer, John Mayer
will perform at the dance.

Working Fire by Zac Unger

HS B, B The complete title of this nonfiction book is Working Fire: the Making of an Accidental Fireman. In this
memoir, Unger writes about his decision to join Oakland's Fire Department. In his family of academics and
doctors, this made him the first person not to go to graduate school in a long time. Unger writes about the
culture and lifestyle of firefighters and how it differed from his liberal childhood. He also writes about fighting
fires and how much of his job isn't glamorous, but still important.