LACA Library Mid-Year Book Recommendations
High school and middle schoolBeing Henry David by Cal Armistead “Good tie in with Walden”
Graphic novels – Spider-Man, Batman and Superman “Good for MH students at the high school level.
The Incredible Hulk was not popular”
I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Where’d You Go, Bernadette: a Novel by Maria Semple “Students said it reminded them of their
mothers and gave them a new appreciation of their mothers”
Unwind (Unwind Dystology) by Neal Shusterman “Dystopia. Used with middle school students but
definitely good for high school. Good for book club because of the discussion it brings about”
My friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf- Graphic novel format
Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard “Can be paired with “My friend Dahmer.”
With Their Eyes: September 11th—The View from a High School at Ground Zero by Annie Thomas“monologue”
Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
“WWII and the Soviet Union”
The Diviners by Libby Bray “Has a good book trailer. Set in the 1920s”
Social Issues in Literature Series- Titles include Social and Psychological Disorder in the Works of Edgar
Allen Poe, Industrialism in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Political Issues in J.K. Rowling’s
Harry Potter Series. Titles can be found by a series search of Social issues in Literature at Granville HS.
Grief Girl by Erin Vincent “Memoir, a girl loses both parents. Can be a tough read.”
Blood on the River: Jamestown, 1607 by Elisa Carbone –“ 5th grade, middle school though HS, boys and
girls”
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker (Exceptional
Social Studies Titles for Intermediate Grades) “Can be paired with Blood on the River”
34-Ton Bat: The story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks…. By Steve Rushin –
“collection of essays about the history of baseball”
Zom-B by Darren Shan “ 5th book in the series. Gender of main character is not mentioned until the
end of the book”
No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin “True stories in their
own words, Popular with HS boys”
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin –
“Nonfiction about the development of first atomic bomb, done as an investigative story, good for middle
school as well as high school and was a Newbery Honor Book”
All the Truth that’s in me by Julie Berry - “historical fiction, early 1800s, could work for middle school
as well as high school”
Cinder by Marissa Meyer - “a Cinderellaesque story. Scarlett is the second in a series”
Under the Never Skies by Veronica Rossi - “Dystopia, beginning 7th and 8th grade. Part of a series”
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool - middle school fiction, 2nd book after Moon over Manifest
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – WWII book set in Nazi occupied France and is a survival story
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein -- another survival story and can be paired with Code Name Verity,
Rose is an American pilot
Night by Elie Wiesel
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by
Marcus Luttrell - popular before the movie and popular with non-readers
The 1940 Cincinnati Reds: A World Championship and Baseball’s Only In-Season Suicide by Brian
Mulligan
I am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier by Howard E. Wasdin -- Not very long
and popular with boys
Vietnam Series by Chris Lynch -- middle school boys will read. Some titles are Vietnam #1: I Pledge
Allegiance, Vietnam #2: Sharpshooter, and Vietnam #3: Free-Fire Zone.
QB 1 by Mike Lupica -- based on the Manning boys
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber -- teen thriller. A senior boy has a foreign exchange
student come to live with his family. He is to take the student to the prom but she turns out to be
something unexpected. Each chapter begins with an essay topic you might find on a college application.
Book #4 in The Giver Series – Son by Lois Lowery -- Prequel with a mature content and could be a
standalone book
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey – “the new Hunger Games, middle school”
Monster’s Proof by Richard Lewis -- “genius boy as main character, tons of plot elements”
For 6th grade – Children’s Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
Cookbooks – more health conscience books available which includes gluten-free
ElementaryDiary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney –“All books are popular.” The newest is Hard Luck, Book 8
Origami books on different service areas – “Kids follow directions” Titles include Fold your own origami
Air Force, Fold your own origami Navy, and Fold your own origami Army.
Weird Sea Creatures by Erich Hoyt -- “ good photographs that makes students read the text”
Gail Gibbons books – A few examples are “The Planets,” “Tornadoes!” and ‘Hurricanes.” The newest is
“Beavers” copyright 2013. “Students love the graphics.”
Mo Willems’ Pigeon books “We are in a book! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) is popular.”
This is not a Good Idea! is another Mo Willems. “Written like a silent film”
Redwoods by Jason Chin - He has several good nonfiction books - “Boy reads a story about redwoods
and is taken away by his imagination to the forest”
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud – “can be found
at the Readers’ Garden book store in Granville”