Library & Resources
	Middle School Supplemental Reading List

This list contains many suggestions of books that you can read this summer. They are listed in three groups-books for younger middle school students, young adult and adult books, and some cool biography suggestions. Most annotations come from the Library of Congress CIP (Cataloging in Publication) located in the front of the book. Older readers should check out the younger list for some good reads they may have missed. In addition, at the end, there are addresses for several web sites that provide book lists and suggestions. If you find a book on the list that you like (or that you have read already and enjoyed), you may want to read another book by the same author. Remember that you may also choose books from the summer reading list for your grade. Happy reading!!!

Younger Middle School Students

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

Alanna, The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.

Alanna has always yearned to become a warrior, and she is not about to let gender or her mysterious power known as the Gift get in her way.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Guided only by a mysterious flyer, Bud sets off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never met. And, being ten, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl."

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.

Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce.
While studying with her teacher Frostpine in the northern lands, Daja helps the twin daughters of their host family discover their magic, and uses her own powers to uncover a deadly arsonist.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi.
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.

Dangerous Skies by Suzanne Fisher Staples.
A gripping tale in which the events of one spring day change the lives of two teenagers forever. A novel that deals with issues of racism and hypocrisy in an unflinching and powerful manner.

Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.
An adventure story about a boy, his dad, and a daring pheasant-snatching expedition.

Dave At Night by Gail Carson Levine.
Eleven-year-old Dave is orphaned and placed in New York's Hebrew Home for Boys. Eager to run away, but unwilling to leave the Home without retrieving a stolen Noah's Ark carved by his father, Dave takes nighttime sojourns into nearby Harlem, where he's befriended by an elderly fortune teller and a wealthy African-American girl. The book captures the noise, excitement, and culture of the Harlem Renaissance.

Downsiders by Neal Shusterman.
When fourteen-year-old Lindsey meets Talon and discovers the Downsider world, evolved from an abandoned subway tunnel built in New York in 1867, she and her new friend experience the clash of their two cultures.

Dragon and Thief: A Dragonback Adventure by Timothy Zahn.
Jack Morgan's efforts to be cleared of a theft he didn't make are complicated when he allows Draycos, a symbiotic dragon, to take up residence on his back in the form of a moving tattoo.

Francie by Karen English.
When the sixteen-year-old boy whom she tutors in reading is accused of attempting to kill a white man, Francie gets herself in serious trouble for her efforts at friendship.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Koenigsburg.
Claudia and Jamie run away from home and wind up living at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There they are privy to the introduction of a new statue and immediately are suspicious of its authenticity.

Gracie's Girl by Ellen Wittlinger.
As she starts middle school, Bess volunteers to work on the school musical in hopes of fitting in, but when she and a friend get to know an elderly homeless woman, Bess changes her mind about what's really important.

Green Thumb by Rob Thomas.
While spending the summer in the Amazon rain forest of Brazil doing botanical research , thirteen- year-old Grady discovers a secret language used by the trees to communicate with each other and runs afoul of the dictatorial Dr. Carter, whose motives are questionable.

Half-Human edited by Bruce Coville.
A collection of stories about such creatures as mermaids and centaurs, who are part human and part animal or plant, and their struggles to understand their identity.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him shape a life for himself in the wilderness. (Recommended by Phil Kassen, Director.)

House with a Clock in its Walls, Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs.
An eccentric professor and his orphaned nephew solve dangerous mysteries. There are several other books in this series.

How Angel Peterson Got His Name: And Other Outrageous Tales About Extreme Sports by Gary Paulsen.
Gary Paulsen relates a series of bizarre and daredevil feats attempted by his friends during their childhood in Minnesota.

Indian in the Cupboard, Return of the Indian, Secret of the Indian, Mystery of the Indian by Lynn Reid Banks.
A miniature plastic Indian chief does not seem like much of a birthday present, but when it comes to life in a magical cupboard, things begin to change.

Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes.
Jazmin, an African American teenager who lives with her older sister in a small Harlem apartment in the 1960's finds strength in writing poetry and keeping a record of the events in her sometimes difficult life.

Journey to Jo'burg by Beverly Naidoo.
Two black South African children must make a two day journey on foot to get help for their gravely ill baby sister.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.
In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.

Mable Riley: a reliable record of humdrum, peril and romance by Marthe Jocelyn.
In 1901, fourteen-year-old Mable Riley dreams of being a writer and having adventures while stuck in Perth County, Ontario, assisting her sister in teaching school and secretly becoming friends with a neighbor who holds scandalous opinions on women's rights.

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.
The adventures of an ingenious Egyptian slave girl who undertakes a dangerous assignment as a spy in the royal palace of Thebes when Queen Hatshepsut ruled.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee.
In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min records her struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure, and make friends over the course of a tumultuous summer.

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes.
When Martha's classmate, Olive, is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Martha sets out to accomplish the things that Olive never had the chance to finish herself. A Newbery award winner.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother. A National Book Award winner.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.
A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.

The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.
While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland. A Newbery Honor title.

P.S. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin.
Best friends Elizabeth and Tara Starr now live in different towns, but they continue their friendship through letters. Paula Danziger writes in Tara's voice, and Ann M. Martin in Elizabeth's voice, in this complex and emotionally rich novel about two friends coping with overwhelming change.

Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen.
After soldiers kill his family, twelve-year-old Santiage and his four-year-old sister flee Guatemala in a kayak to try and reach the United States.

Storm Warriors by Eliza Carbon.
In 1895, after his mother's death, twelve-year-old Nathan moves with his father and his grandfather to Pea Island off the coast of North Carolina where he hopes to join the all-black crew at the near-by life saving station, despite his father's objections.

Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen.
Assassins, treachery, and sorcery abound in this inventive version of King Arthur's early days of rule, including the magician's very risky staging of the test of the sword in the stone.

The Canning Season by Polly Horvath.
Ratchet Clark is quite surprised when her mother sends her off to spend the summer with her twin aunts PenPen and Tilly -the last thing she expects to find is a real home. Winner of the 2004 National Book Award for children.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
On his birthday, Will discovers he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil - the Dark. His quest is filled with wonder, terror, and delight.

The Exchange Student by Kate Gilmore.
When her mother arranges to host one of the young people coming to Earth from the planet Chela, Daria is both pleased and intrigued by the keen interest shown by the Chelan in her work breeding endangered species.

The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean.
In 13th-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongo ruler Kublai Khan.

The Planet of Junior Brown by Virginia Hamilton.
"Two black eighth-grade boys in New York--one a neurotic, obese, musical prodigy, the other a homeless, tough-minded child of the streets--are the protagonists in an extraordinary story of heroism and survival and the interdependence of human beings."

The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle by Avi '55.
Feeling constrained by 19th-century standards for young ladies, Charlotte responds quickly to near disaster on a ship crossing to New England. Returning home, she has difficulty returning to the structure of traditional values.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer.
After Jack becomes apprenticed to a Druid bard, he and his little sister Lucy are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen, leading Jack to undertake a vital quest to Jotunheim, home of the trolls.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.

The Wind Singer by William Nicholson.
After Kestral Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and is forced to flee, she, along with her twin brother Bowman, follow an ancient map in search of the legendary silver voice of the wind singer, in an attempt to heal Amaranth and its people.

The Woman in the Wall by Patrice Kindl.
Because she suffers from extreme shyness, Anna retreats into herself and her secret rooms where she attempts to remain hidden from the outside world. Until a secret note from an unexpected source coaxes her out.

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson.
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.
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 Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt.
During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen- year-old Toby and his best friend Cal befriend the star of a sideshow act, six-hundred pound Zachary Beaver, the World's Fattest Boy.

Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs.
After fourteen-year-old Andy slips away from his kayaking group to visit the wilderness site of his archeologist father's death, a storm strands him on an Alaskan island where he manages to survive and find traces of prehistoric humans.

Young Adult and Adult

145th Street: Short stories by Walter Dean Myers.
Ten heartfelt stories, some funny and some tragic, portray life on a block in Harlem.

Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle.
Chronicles a teenage boy's humorous attempts to fit in at his Minnesota high school by becoming a macho, girl-loving heterosexual, despite his growing suspicion that he is indeed gay.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
The American masterpiece of a young girl's coming of age and beginnings of wisdom in turn-of-the-century New York. A profoundly moving novel.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin.
The first book of the Earthsea Trilogy, this is the story of Ged who, while studying to be a wizard, is sent on a quest to control his pride and temper and to destroy the forces of evil that have been accidentally unleashed on Earthsea.

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
Ultima, a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic, comes to Antonio Marez's New Mexico family when he is six-years-old, and she helps him discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past.

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon.
This tale of an eleven-year-old's struggle between innocence and evil begins with the discovery of a gruesome murder and ends with the revelation that, even in Zephyr, Alabama, life is not safe and simple--and most people are not what they seem to be. (Recommended by Phil Kassen, Director.)

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.
High school sophomore Paul lives in a present-day gaytopia, where boys come out of the closet to become class president, and the Gay-Straight Alliance has more members than the football team. Paul meets artistic Noah in the bookstore, and they fall in sweet, realistic teenage love, unencumbered by gay bashing, sexual-identity crises, and parental rejection. With these real-world plot constraints removed, the narrative is driven completely by colorful, literate characters at their unfettered best.

Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja.
Justin spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom the school bullies torment and call Buddha Boy, and ends up making choices that impact Jinsen, himself, and the entire school.

Caucasia by Danzy Senna.
Throughout the novel, Senna superbly illustrates the emotional toll that politics and race take on one especially gutsy young girl's development as she makes her way through the parallel limbos between black and white and between girl and young woman. (Recommended by Heather Brandstetter, 5th grade Core teacher, to older middle school students.)

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.
A beautifully told and profoundly compassionate story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set in the troubled and changing South Africa of the 1940s. (Recommended by Sarah Barlow, 8th grade Core teacher.)

Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes.
In free-verse narratives, one biblical and one modern, teenagers Ishmael and Sam introduce themselves and relate their parallel problems with their fathers.

Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad by Rob Thomas.
Each of these ten short stories focuses on a high school student's mandatory two-hundred hours of community service and the youth's response to the required project. Surprising, funny and sad, these stories will force you to look at community service in a whole new way!

Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas.
Describes the passionate, painful search to validate his manhood. He has done it all in Harlem's mean streets and gone on from machismo to manhood, acquiring during the journey an understanding of man.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
With his secret drug, Dr. Jekyll becomes the evil Mr. Hyde.

East by Edith Pattou.
Rose agrees to travel far from her home on the back of the mysterious White Bear, a journey that leads her "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" on an adventure she never imagined.

Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris.
Eighteen-year-old John must confront his own sexuality when he goes to rodeo school and finds himself strangely attracted to an older boy who is smart, tough and gay.

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan.
While attending a summer institute, fifteen-year-old Nic struggles with her feelings of attraction for another girl.

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.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys.
Mentally retarded Charley becomes a genius through a medical experiment.

Full Service by Will Weaver.
In the summer of 1965, teenager Paul Sutton, a northern Minnesota farm boy, takes a job at a gas station in town, where his strict religious upbringing is challenged by new people and experiences.

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.
After starting to publish a 'zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents' divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets Marisol, a young lesbian who shares his passion for writing.

How I live now by Meg Rosoff.
ifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she's never met. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. The war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way. Printz award winner.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
During six turbulent years in 1934, seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family.

Imani all Mine by Connie Porter.
Tasha, a young woman who lives in inner-city Buffalo, struggles with the trials of teen motherhood and schoolwork while trying to stay clear of the drug activity in her neighborhood.

Ironman by Chris Crutcher.
Bo desperately wants to win the Iron Man Triathalon, but his personal life and problems are really getting in his way.

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen.
Insecure fifteen-year-old Colie spends the summer working as a waitress in a beachside restaurant, staying with her eccentric Aunt Mira and befriending two older waitresses who teach her about love, life and friendship.

Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett.
Sixteen-year-old Lara, winner of beauty pageants and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she contracts Axle-Crown syndrome.

Looking for Alaska by John Green.
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 after a fatal car crash. Printz award winner.

Meely Labauve by Ken Wells.
Wells' charming and touching first novel is the story of a young boy growing up in the Louisiana bayou. (recommended by Kitty Highstein, LREI nurse)

The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn.
In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her granddaughter of witchcraft to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials the repercussions of their lie condemn one of them as a witch.

Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson.
Twelve-year-old Lafayette's close relationship with his older brother Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers.
While on trial as an accomplice to 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.

Mortal Engines: A Novel by Philip Reeve.
In a future so bleak that cities travel on huge tank-like tracks hunting and consuming smaller towns, four teens uncover a diabolical plan to reconstruct the very weapons that killed civilization as we know it.

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.
The original, deeply moving story of Asher Lev, a devoutly religious boy with an overwhelming need to draw, to paint, to render the world he knows and the pain he feels, on canvas for everyone to see. It is this need that he must learn to master without shaming his people or relinquishing any part of his deeply felt Judaism.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.
In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story. Printz Honor winner.

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez.
With humor and occasional despair, Manuel tells his story of growing up in a poor Mexican neighborhood, in a family full of problems and strengths.

Poison by Chris Wooding.
When Poison leaves her home in the marshes of Gull to retrieve the infant sister who was snatched by the fairies, she and a group of unusual friends survive encounters with the inhabitants of various Realms, and Poison herself confronts a surprising destiny.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.
When Thomas Peaceful's older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself. (Tearfully recommended by Jennifer Hubert Swan, Middle School Librarian.)

Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford.
The classic coming-of-age story set during World War II about the enduring spirit of youth and the values in life that count. "No brief review can do justice to Mr. Bradford's book." (Recommended by Sarah Barlow, 8th grade Core teacher.)

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.
Francesca battles her mother, Mia, constantly over what's best for her. All Francesca wants is her old friends and her old school, but instead Mia sends her to St. Sebastian's, an all-boys' school that has just opened its doors to girls. Now Francesca's surrounded by hundreds of boys, with only a few other girls for company. (Highly recommended by Jennifer Hubert Swan, Middle School Librarian.)

Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig.
As fourteen-year-old Leslie begins to shed the weight she feels makes her imperfect, she finds it increasingly difficult to reach out for the help she knows she needs.

Shiva's Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples.
In India, a talented dancer sacrifices friends and family for her art.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar.
While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

Sounder by William Armstrong.
Moving story of a close-knit black family in the rural South and the injustices they suffer.

Stormwitch by Susan Vaught.
In this forceful blend of fantasy and historical fiction, a girl calls on the magic of her African ancestors to fight racism and dark spiritual forces in 1969 Mississippi.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor.
Despite his thick glasses, Paul can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool (Recommended by Phil Kassen, Director)

The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One by Jonathan Stroud.
A brilliant, self-taught young magician named Nathaniel aims to take revenge by conjuring up a powerful djinni named Bartimaeus and commanding him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, the magician who was responsible for humiliating Nathaniel.

The Ear, The Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer.
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm are detectives who possess paranormal powers but dubious detecting skills. They provide comic relief in this suspenseful story set in an imaginative future time.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
Chronicles the hardships and misadventures of the Joad family as they search for stability in the Depression-era Dustbowl.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
In a hilarious science-fiction comedy, the first of a trilogy, Englishman Arthur Dent wakes up to find he is hitchhiking through space with an intergalactic crew.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
The classic story of time travel, good, and evil that is as thrilling today as any modern science fiction novel.

Time and Again by Jack Finney.
Transported from the mid-twentieth century to New York City in the year 1882, Si Morley walks the fashionable "Ladies' Mile" of Broadway, is enchanted by the jingling sleigh bells in Central Park, and solves a 20th-century mystery by discovering its 19th-century roots. Falling in love with a beautiful young woman, he ultimately finds himself forced to choose between his lives in the present and the past. (Recommended by Phil Kassen, Director)

White Fang by Jack London.
Alone on a frozen wilderness, a wolf-dog feels himself torn between his wild and domesticated natures.

Some cool biographies...

Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven.
A poignant companion to the Diary this book fills in the details of Anne Frank's life before, during and after her experiences in hiding. A wonderful historical achievement that gives readers a broader context in which to place Anne Frank's life.

Ben Franklin's Almanac: being a true account of the Good Gentleman's Life by Candace Fleming.
Modeled on his own Poor Richard's Almanack, this unique scrapbook captures Franklin's countless accomplishments. Biography and anecdote, cartoon and etching mesh to create a fascinating portrait of this most fascinating man.

Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell.
The funny and sometimes sad, real life diary of a fifth-grade teacher during her first year teaching in inner city Chicago.

Geeks: how two lost boys rode the Internet out of Idaho by Jon Katz.
The author, an expert on pop and internet culture, documents how two guys raised on the Internet reacted when it was time to get off their computers and meet the world face to face.

George Washington, Spymaster: how the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen.
he concise narrative traces Washington's use of spies and makes a convincing case for the pivotal role that espionage played in defeating the British. Laced with details about invisible ink, codes, and double agents, the discussion often draws parallels between eighteenth-century deceptions and the methods and vocabulary of modern espionage. See our founding father in a new light!

Having Our Say by the Delaney Sisters.
Warm, feisty, and intelligent, the Delaney sisters speak their minds in a book that is at once a vital historical record and a moving portrait of two sisters who love, laugh, and embrace life after one hundred years of living side-by-side.

Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos.
The award winning young adult author relates how, as a young adult, he spent time in prison for drug smuggling, but when on to college after his release in hopes of becoming a writer.

John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge.
Award-winning biographer Elizabeth Partridge dives into Lennon's life from the night he was born in 1940 during a World War II air raid on Liverpool, deftly taking us through his turbulent childhood and his rebellious rock'n'roll teens to his celebrated life writing, recording, and performing music with the Beatles.

King of the Mild Frontier: an ill-advised autobiography by Chris Crutcher.
Like his novels, Crutcher's autobiography is full of heartbreak, poignancy, and hilarity. Candid and casual, Crutcher shares stories from his childhood and adolescence in Cascade, Idaho.

Maritcha: A Nineteenth century American Girl by Tonya Bolden.
Based on an actual memoir written by Maritcha Rémond Lyons, who was born and raised in New York City, this poignant story tells what it was like to be a black child born free during the days of slavery. Everyday experiences are interspersed with high-point moments, such as visiting the U.S.'s first world's fair. The book concludes with her fight to attend a whites-only high school in Providence, Rhode Island, and her triumphant victory, making her the first black person in its graduating class.

Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life by Candace Fleming.
Through anecdotes and archival photos drawn from an assortment of sources, Fleming invites readers into a camaraderie with the timid, neglected little girl who grew up to become the woman many nicknamed "copresident," and whose flouting of accepted gender roles earned her admiration and ridicule in equal measure.

Red Scarf Girl: a memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-Li Jiang.
The author's frightening first hand account of how her family and life changed during China's cultural revolution 1966-1969.

Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan.
Runaway Girl provides a distinctive, intimate look at the life and work of sculptor Louise Bourgeois (b. 1911). Known for her graphic, sometimes disturbing, yet always personal artworks, Bourgeois broke down barriers for women in the male-dominated art world as she struggled to make sense of her own troubled past.

Seen and Heard: teenagers talk about their lives by Mary Motley Kalergis.
A photo essay of teens from all walks of life who share their thoughts in words and pictures about what it means to be an adolescent in today's world.

The Shared Heart: portraits and stories celebrating lesbian, gay and bisexual young people by Adam Mastoon.
This collection of personal stories focuses on the lives and coming out process of GLB teens, many of which are pictured with their parents and family.

Story of My Life by Helen Keller.
Inspirational story of pioneering learning methods that helped Helen Keller to speak and read though she had been blind and deaf from infancy.

Teen Anst? Naaa by Ned Vizzini.
A collection of essays written by the author, a Stuyvesant student, from age fifteen to seventeen, in which he shares his impressions of school, sports, cool people, friends, family, money, music and other teen obsessions.

This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge.
Bolstered by lyrics, quotes, and sketches (including some by Guthrie), the text follows the musician from his tragic dust-bowl childhood to his death. Partridge is careful to show Guthrie's complexities--his talent, his drive, his restless wandering, his open heart and troubled relationships.

Web Sites with Additional Book Suggestions

•  http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/index.html This site, "Reading Rants" was created by our middle school librarian Jennifer Hubert. Best for readers 7th grade and above.

•  http://www.teenreads.com/ TeenReads is a great site to find reviews of the latest, greatest books for teenagers.

•  http://www.grouchy.com/angstbooks.html "Favorite Teenage Angst Books" is a good place to visit when you're feeling moody.

•  If you would like to check out some of the books nominated for the 2006 Best Books for Young Adults Committee that HS Librarian Karyn Silverman is chairing, go to: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bestbooksyoung.htm

•  Check out the winners of the 2006 Michael L. Printz award for the best Young Adult title of the year (Middle School Librarian Jennifer Hubert Swan was a member of the 2006 committee) http:// www.ala.org/yalsa/printz

•  Do you like to read graphic novels? Check out this great website, "No Flying, No Tights: a website reviewing graphic novels for teens": http://www.noflyingnotights.com/index2.html

•  And its little sister-site, "Sidekicks: a website reviewing graphic novels for kids": http://www.noflyingnotights.com/sidekicks/index.html

•  Need more suggestions? Try the Internet Public Library's Teen Space: What to Read? page: http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/teenread/