Norwich Technical High School
Freshman Class
2013 Summer Reading List
Students are required to read two books. One book must be from the class list
and one may be from the Faculty Suggested List
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.
Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first young adult novel is a semiautobiographical
chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian from Wellpinit, WA. The bright 14-year-old was
born with water on the brain, is regularly the target of bullies, and loves to draw. He says, "I think the
world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He expects disaster
when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself
making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Meeting his old
classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity,
and tribe. The daily struggles of reservation life and the tragic deaths of the protagonist's grandmother,
dog, and older sister would be all but unbearable without the humor and resilience of spirit with which
Junior faces the world. The many characters, on and off the rez, with whom he has dealings are
portrayed with compassion and verve, particularly the adults in his extended family. Forney's simple
pencil cartoons fit perfectly within the story and reflect the burgeoning artist within Junior. Reluctant
readers can even skim the pictures and construct their own story based exclusively on Forney's
illustrations. The teen's determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the
handicaps of birth, circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner. Alexie's
tale of self-discovery is a first purchase for all libraries.—School Library Journal
Anderson, Laurie. Twisted.
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeenyear-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to
go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts. – Summary from Request
Anderson, M.T. Feed.
Television and Internet are hardwired directly to your brain – Does it sound good to you? Find out what
Titus thinks.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
In the author’s frightening vision of the future, firemen don’t put out fires- they start them in order to burn
books. The hero, according to Mr. Bradbury, “is a book burner who discovers that books are flesh and
blood ideas and cry out silently when put to the torch.”
Brooks, Kevin. iBoy.
Sixteen- year –old Tom Harvey was an ordinary Londoner until an attack that caused fragments of an
iPhone to be embedded in his brain, giving him incredible knowledge and power, but using that power
against the gang that attacked him and a friend could have deadly consequences. - - Summary from
Request.
Coben, Harlan. Fade Away.
Sports agent Myron Bolitar had once aimed for a career in the NBA, until an injury cost him his chance to
go pro, but when the star player for the New Jersey Dragons disappears without a trace, Bolitar takes the
undercover assignment of his dreams—a position on the team. -- Summary from Request
Crowe, Chris. Getting Away with Murder: the True Story of Emmett Till.
Presents a true account of the murder of fourteen –year-old, Emmett Till, in Mississippi, in 1955.
Crowe, Chris. Mississippi Trial, 1955.
In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues
surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African American from Chicago
Crutcher, Chris. Stotan.
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.
Draper, Sharon M. Just Another Hero.
As Kofi, Arielle, Dana, November, and Jericho face personal challenges during their last year of high
school, a misunderstood student brings a gun to class and demands to be taken seriously. --Summary
from Request,
Giles, Gail. Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters.
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. -- Summary from Request
Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World.
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly 300 pounds, gets a new perspective
on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius on guitar wants Troy to be the drummer in his rock
band.
Gunther, John. Death Be Not Proud.
A father's account of his teenage son's courageous fight for life during the fifteen months he was dying
from a brain tumor.
Halpern, Julie. Have a Nice Day.
When Anna returns from a three-week-stay in a mental hospital she struggles to resume a normal life in
the face of her parents’ arguments and peers who are afraid to ask her what happened.
Hayden, Torey. One Child.
Six-year-old Sheila never spoke, she never cried, and her eyes were filled with hate. Abandoned on a
highway by her mother, abused by her alcoholic father, Sheila was placed in a class for the hopelessly
retarded after she committed an atrocious act of violence against another child. Everyone said Sheila was
lost forever -- everyone except teacher Torey Hayden.
Kagawa, Julie. The Immortal Rules.
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city, until she too becomes an
immortal vampire. Forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls, she joins a ragged band of
humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and
created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
Lu, Marie. Legend.
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen- year-olds Day, a famous
criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common
enemy. –- Summary from Request
Lubar, Scott. Sleeping Freshman Never Lie.
Scott Hudson chronicles the ups and downs of his eventful freshman year in high school, as he joins the
newspaper, works as a stage manager for the spring play, learns a lot from his English teacher, tries to
help a student who attempts suicide, is beaten up because of a girl, and goes to the spring dance. Along
the way, he discovers that his mother is pregnant, and he writes a series of insightful letters to
his soon-to-be sibling. By the end, Scott has outgrown his freshman insecurities, realizing that he has
carved out a place for himself in the high-school world. The story delivers many messages as Scott learns
one important lesson after another. Still, most readers will find plenty of amusing, accurate observations
about freshman life, from the insecurities of first dates to the dangers of walking the hall between classes.
---Publisher’s Note
Lupica, Mike. Heat.
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little
League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer
them proof. – - Summary from Request
Mayberry, Jonathan. Rot & Ruin.
In a post-apocalyptic world where fences and border patrols guard the few people left from the zombies
that have overtaken civilization, fifteen-year-old Benny Imura is finally convinced that he must follow in his
older brother’s footsteps and become a bounty hunter. -- Summary from Request
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster.
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. –- Summary from Request
Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah.
Robin Perry, from Harlem, is sent to Iraq in 2003 as a member of the Civilian Affairs Battalion, and his
time there profoundly changes him.
Sparks, Nicholas. A Walk to Remember.
A romance featuring a troublesome teenager in South Carolina who is changed for the better by the love
of girl. She is the angelic daughter of a local minister and the boy joins her in doing good deeds. But she
has a secret, which will break his heart.
Westerfield, Scott. The Uglies
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. Uglies is set in a world in which everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen, making
them supermodel beautiful. -- Summary from Request