Jefferson High School -Success Books
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian /by Sherman Alexie
FIC ALE
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white
farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
After Ever After /by Jordan Sonnenblick
FIC SON
Although Jeff and Tad, encouraged by a new friend, Lindsey, make a deal to help one another overcome
aftereffects of their cancer treatments in preparation for eighth-grade graduation, Jeff still craves advice from his
older brother Stephen, who is studying drums in Africa.
Beating the Odds: Stories of Unexpected Achievers /by Janet Bode
305.2 BOD
Profiles a series of young people who overcame seemingly impossible odds--drugs, poverty, sexual abuse--and
not only survived but became successes in their own right.
Breaking Through /by Francisco Jimenez
FIC JIM
[Sequel to The Circuit] Having come from Mexico to California ten years ago, fourteen-year-old Francisco is still
working in the fields but fighting to improve his life and complete his education.
Buried Onions /by Gary Soto
FIC SOT
When nineteen-year-old Eddie drops out of college, he struggles to find a place for himself as a Mexican
American living in a violence-infested neighborhood of Fresno, California.
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child /by Francisco Jimenez
FIC JIM
[In this novel], intertwined stories follow a migrant family through their circuit, from picking cotton and
strawberries to topping carrots - and back again - over a number of years. As it moves from one labor camp to the
next, the little family off four grows into ten. Impermanence and poverty define their lives. But with faith, hope,
and back-breaking work, the family endues.
Copper Sun /by Sharon Draper
FIC DRA
Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and
try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
Dairy Queen /by Catherine Murdock
FIC MUR
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football
team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around
her.
The Dream Bearer /by Walter Dean Myers
FIC MYE
During a summer in Harlem, David relies on his mother and a close friend and on an old man he meets in the park
to help him come to terms with his father's outbursts and unstable behavior.
Ellen Foster /by Kate Gibbons
FIC GIB
Casting an unflinching yet humorous eye on her situation, eleven-year-old Ellen survives her mother's death, an
abusive father, and uncaring relatives to find for herself a loving home and a new mama.
Finding Fish /by Antwone Fisher
B Fisher
Baby Boy Fisher was raised in institutions from the moment of his birth in prison to a single mother. He
ultimately came to live with a foster family, where he endured near-constant verbal and physical abuse. In his
mid-teens he escaped and enlisted in the navy, where he became a man of the world, raised by the family he
created for himself. The book shows how, out of this unlikely mix of deprivation and hope, an artist was born-first as the child who painted the feelings his words dared not speak, then as a poet and storyteller who would
eventually become one of Hollywood's most sought after screenwriters.
Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America /by Geoffrey Canada
305.23 CAN
A cogent, chilling analysis of how, through an unforeseen chain of consequences set in motion in the 1960s by
New York Governor Rockefeller's drug laws, everything changed on the streets. And there is a portrait of present
reality - of drive-by shootings, of ever-younger, automatic weapon-toting drug runners, of gun manufacturers'
cold-blooded marketing of guns to children. The author's vision for a changed future for these children, and so for
our nation as a whole, is backed up by descriptions of Canada's acclaimed and innovative inner-city programs for
children and their families - Peacemakers, Beacon Schools, and the Harlem Freedom Schools. His is a vision that
includes governmental, community, and personal innovation and bravery and one that offers indelible stories of
lives lost and of lives turned around.
Homeless Bird /by Gloria Whelan
FIC WHE
When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated
by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it.
A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League /by Ron Suskind
B Jennings
At Ballou Senior High, a crime-infested school in Washington, D.C., honor students have learned to keep their
heads down. Like most inner-city kids, they know that any special attention in a place this dangerous can make
you a target of violence. But Cedric Jennings will not swallow his pride, and with unwavering support from his
mother, he studies and strives as if his life depends on it--and it does.
Hope was Here /by Joan Bauer
FIC BAU
When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to
work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political
campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.
Esperanza Rising /by Pam Ryan
FIC RYA
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor
camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on
the eve of the Great Depression.
I am the Messenger /by Markus Zusak
FIC ZUS
After capturing a bank robber, nineteen-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages
that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of
worthlessness.
The Kite Runner /by Khaled Hosseini
FIC HOS
An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the
monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet
FIC SHE
Growing up with her family in Mumbai, India, sixteen-year-old Jeeta disagrees with much of her mother's
traditional advice about how to live her life and tries to be more modern and independent.
Little Brother /by Cory Doctorow
FIC DOC
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist
attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides
to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
Loser /by Jerry Spinelli
FIC SPI
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's
optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
The Long Snapper: A Second Change, a Super Bowl, a Lesson for Life /by Jeffrey Marx
796.332 MAR
Chronicles the improbable and inspirational journey of Brian Kinchen, a family man and Bible school teacher
three years retired from the NFL who was recalled to play for the New England Patriots in their drive to Super
Bowl XXXVIII.
Losing my Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books beat Hip-Hop Culture /by Thomas Williams
305.235 WIL
Describes how the author's hip-hop culture radically contrasted with his book-loving father's endless pursuit of
knowledge, revealing how the father-son bond eventually overcame the genre's rebellious messages.
Make Lemonade /by Virginia Wolff
FIC WOL
In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother.
A Northern Light /by Jennifer Donnelly
FIC DON
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.
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates /by Wes Moore
B Moore
Traces the parallel lives of two youths with the same name in the same community, describing how the author
grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar and promising business leader while his counterpart suffered a life of violence
and imprisonment.
Peak /by Roland Smith
FIC SMI
A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
The Pursuit of Happyness /by Chris Gardner
B Gardner
Chris Gardner shares the painful yet astounding story of his journey from being the single father of a young son
and homeless on the streets of San Francisco to becoming a self-made millionaire
Running Loose /by Chris Crutcher
FIC CRU
Louie, a high school senior in a small Idaho town, learns about sportsmanship, love, and death as he matures into
manhood.
Stotan! /by Chris Crutcher
FIC CRU
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests
their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.
Tangerine /by Edward Bloor
FIC BLO
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.
Theories of Relativity /by Barbara Haworth-Attard
FIC HAW
When his volatile mother throws him out of the house and he loses contact with his two younger brothers, sixteenyear-old Dylan is forced to live on the streets and beg for money, yet through it all, he finds a way to survive.
This Full House /by Virginia Wolff
FIC WOL
LaVaughn, having overcome many obstacles to obtain admission to the Women in Science program, a steppingstone to college, finds her dreams jeopardized by her attempts to resolve a difficult situation involving people she
cares about.
True Believer /by Virginia Wolff
FIC WOL
Living in the inner city amidst guns and poverty, fifteen-year-old LaVaughn learns from old and new friends, and
inspiring mentors, that life is what you make it--an occasion to rise to.
Whale Rider /by Witi Ihimaera
FIC IHI
As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, struggles to lead in difficult
times and to find a male successor, young Kahu is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly
the ancient bull whale whose legendary rider was their ancestor.
Wintergirls /by Laurie Halse Anderson
FIC AND
Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same
disorder.