12TH GRADE: INCOMING ENGLISH 4 STUDENTS SHOULD SELECT AND READ ONE TITLE:
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARD WINNERS
ALEX AWARD WINNERS
Novels specifically written for young adult readers
More challenging novels written for an adult
audience, but have wide appeal for teen readers
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
Aliens sent waves of destructive forces to eradicate the humans.
Cassie, a survivor of the invasion, must rescue her young brother from
the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them.
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
The way Ezra Faulkner sees it, everyone gets one great tragedy, after
which life should roll on predictably. Star athlete and prom king, his
life is irreparably transformed by a tragic accident and the arrival of
eccentric new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
Violet is in love with River, a mysterious stranger renting the house
behind the rotting seaside mansion where she lives. When eerie, grim
events begin to happen, Violet recalls her grandmother's frequent
warnings about the devil and wonders if River is evil.
I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff
Boy Nobody is a coldly dispassionate teenage assassin working for a
mysterious organization. When it assigns him his next mission—to
assassinate the mayor of NYC—it seems at first like business as usual.
But then he meets Sam, the mayor’s beautiful daughter.
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Carey and Jenessa, living in a camper hidden deep in the woods, only
have each other after their mentally ill mother disappears. Then they
are thrust into a perplexing new world where the sisters must face
why their mother kept them hidden for ten years.
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
For the past five years, Hayley and her father have been on the road,
never staying in one place, as he struggles to escape the demons that
have tortured him since serving in the Iraq war. Now they are back in
his hometown so Hayley can attend high school.
How to Love by Katie Cotugno
Sawyer LaGrande's unexplained disappearance rocked Serena
Montero's world; it had been love at first sight, and then he ran away
and left her pregnant. Now he's back and ready to pick up where they
left off. Serena, however, has a steady boyfriend and is now the
mother of a 2-year-old.
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
With their magical powers, Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense
against the Wild Chalklings. Joel longs to be a Rithmatist, but he is 16,
far past the age Rithmatists are chosen. He has missed his chance, or
has he?
Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown
In an attempt to keep his fading attention, Ashleigh sends her
boyfriend Kaleb a naked selfie. However, they soon break up and
Kaleb sends the photo to a friend, who shares it with the world.
Ashleigh is arrested for distributing child pornography and Kaleb, at
18, may go to prison.
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban
While preparing for the most dreaded assignment at his prestigious
school, Duncan gets wrapped up in the tragic tale of Tim Macbeth, a
former student who had a clandestine relationship with the wrong girl,
and his own ill-fated romance with Daisy.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
A mystery set in tech-loving, modern day San Francisco. Clay
Jannon (former web designer) lands a job at a bookstore with
very few patrons and even fewer purchases. His curiosity
leads him to the discovery of a larger conspiracy.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
A boy’s coming of age in the wake of a brutal, racist attack on
his mother. Drawn from real-life statistics about racially
inspired attacks on our country’s Native American
reservations.
LITERARY CLASSICS
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a
fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to
the Belgian Congo in 1959. What follows is a suspenseful epic
of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction
over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
One of the world's great anti-war books, this centers on the
infamous fire-bombing of Dresden and Billy Pilgrim's odyssey
through time, reflecting the mythic journey of our own
fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid
to know.
NONFICTION
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
There are two systems that drive the way we think: #1 is fast,
intuitive, and emotional while #2 is slower, more deliberative,
and more logical. This book reveals where we can and cannot
trust our intuitions and how we can use different techniques
to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into
trouble.
One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at
Harvard Law School Paperback by Scott Turow
It was a year of terrors and triumphs, of depressions and
elations, of compulsive work, pitiless competition, and, finally,
mass hysteria. It was Scott Turow's first year at Harvard Law
School, the oldest, biggest, most esteemed center of legal
education in the United States.
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
In 2007, the infantry soldiers of the 2-16, the battalion
nicknamed the Rangers, helped carry out a new strategy for
the Iraq War. The chronicle of their tour is gripping,
devastating, and deeply illuminating story of how their lives
were forever changed once they returned home.