Historical Fiction
Cracker – Cynthia Kadohata – historical fiction – about a Vietnam war dog whose “soldier” fights to have
him returned following the war. OBOB
Kira-Kira (3) –Cynthia Kadohata - Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American
sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one
sister becomes terminally ill.
Esperanza Rising (3) - 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
Dark Dude – Oscar Hijuelos - In the 1960s, Rico Fuentes, a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager,
abandons drug-infested New York City for the picket fence and apple pie world of Wisconsin, only to
discover that he still feels like an outsider and that violent and judgmental people can be found even in
the wholesome Midwest.
Belle Prater’s Boy – Ruth White-Woodrow's mother, Belle Prater, disappears so he goes to live with his
grandparents in coal Station, Virginia. His cousin, Gypsy becomes his friend and they share secrets about
their lives and come to understand each other.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon- Grace Lin - Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a
magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in
hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.
The Fifth of March (3) – Ann Rinaldi - Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh, an indentured servant in the
Boston household of John and Abigail Adams, is caught up in the colonists' unrest that eventually
escalates into the massacre of March 5, 1770.
Summer of My German Soldier – Bette Greene - Sheltering an escaped prisoner of war is the beginning
of some shattering experiences for a twelve-year-old girl in Arkansas
A Break With Charity (3)- Ann Rinaldi - While waiting for a church meeting in 1706, Susanna English,
daughter of a wealthy Salem merchant, recalls the malice, fear, and accusations of witchcraft that tore
her village apart in 1692.
The Invention of Hugo Cabaret – Brian Selznick - When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and
repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his
goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.
The Call of the Wild (3) – Jack London - An adaptation of the classic story of Buck, a half-St.
Bernard/half-Scotch shepherd, that is abducted and taken to the Klondike where it reverts to the wild
and becomes a leader of a pack of wolves.
White Fang (3)- Jack London - A young man befriends a wolf-dog in the Yukon while trying to fulfill his
father's dying wish of finding gold.
Milkweek (3) – Jerry Spinelli - A street child, known to himself only as Stopthief, finds community when
he is taken in by a band of orphans in Warsaw ghetto which helps him weather the horrors of the Nazi
regime.
A Year Down Yonder – Gregory Peck In 1937, during the Depression, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice, initially apprehensive about leaving Chicago
to spend a year with her fearsome, larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois, gradually begins to
better understand and admire her grandmother's unusual qualities.
Bud Not Buddy - - Christopher Curtis- Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan,
during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to
be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
Soldier’s Heart – Gary Paulsen - Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after
experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate – Jacqueline Kelly - In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee
Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from the older three of her six brothers,
and studies the natural world with her grandfather, the latter of which leads to an important discovery.
Lyddie (3) – Katherine Paterson - Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to gain
her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.
A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park - Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a
bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.
The Golden Goblet – Eloise MacGraw -A young Egyptian boy struggles to reveal a hideous crime and
reshape his own destiny.
Homeless Bird – Gloria Whelan - 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.
Wolf Brother- Michelle Paver -6,000 years ago, twelve-year-old Torak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out
on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of
the World Spirit to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.
Julie of the Wolves – Jean Craighead George - While running away from home and an unwanted
marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by
a wolf pack.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry- Mildred Taylor - A black family living in Missippippi during the Depression
of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break (3)- Linsey Namioka - Ailin's life takes a different turn when she defies the
traditions of upper class Chinese society by refusing to have her feet bound.
The Cay – Theodore Taylor - When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German
submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old
black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage,
and love from his old companion.
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle- Avi - Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger on a
voyage from England to America in 1832, must take serious matters into her own hands when she learns
that the captain is murderous.
The Sign of the Beaver – Elizabeth George Speare - Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in
eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.
The River Between Us – Richard Peck - During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in
two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.
Flames of the Tiger (3) - - John Wilson - Dieter grows to be a young man in Germany believing in the
pronouncements and policies of Hitler and the Nazis, but as World War II intensifies and he is called
upon to fight for his country, Dieter begins to question everything he once believed.
Riding Freedom (3)- Pam Munoz Ryan - A fictionalized account of Charley (Charlotte) Parkhurst who ran
away from an orphanage, posed as a boy, moved to California, and fooled everyone by her appearance.
Soldier X- Don Wulfsson - In 1943 sixteen-year-old Erik experiences the horrors of war when he is
drafted into the German army and sent to fight on the Russian front.
A Long Way from Chicago- Richard Peck - A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with
his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.
Number The Stars- Lois Lowry - "Newbery Medal book." In 1943, during the German occupation of
Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her
Jewish friend from the Nazis.
Beyond the Western Sea – Avi – Maura O'Connell, 15, and her brother, Patrick, 12, escape Ireland's
brutal poverty with only the belongings in their bundles and tickets for ocean passage. Sir Laurence
Kirdle, 11, flees a life of privilege to seek justice. When fate brings them together, the three join forces
in a daring scheme that may lead to freedom and glory...or dire consequences.
Night Journeys – Avi - In the spring of 1768, two young indentured servants escape into Pennsylvania
and receive help from an unexpected source
Beyond the Burning Time – Kathryn Lasky - When, in the winter of 1691, accusations of witchcraft
surface in her small New England village, twelve-year-old Mary Chase fights to save her mother from
execution.
Kit’s Wilderness (3) – David Almond - Thirteen-year-old Kit goes to live with his grandfather in the
decaying coal mining town of Stoneygate, England, and finds both the old man and the town haunted by
ghosts of the past.
All the Broken Pieces - Ann E. Burg -Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is
haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a
series of profound events forces him to confront his past.
The Book of the Lion – Michael Cadnum - In twelfth-century England, after his master, a maker of coins
for the king, is brutally punished for alleged cheating, seventeen-year-old Edmund finds himself traveling
to the Holy Land as squire to a knight crusader on his way to join the forces of Richard Lionheart.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Elizabeth George Speare - A young girl's rebellion against bigotry
culminates in a terrifying witch hunt and trial.
Call it Courage- Armstrong Parry - The son of a chief of Polynesians who worshipped courage, Mafatu
sets out alone in his canoe to conquer his fear of the sea.
My Brother Sam is Dead – James Lincoln Collier - Recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family
during the Revolution when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay
neutral in a Tory town.
Heart of a Shepherd – Roseanne Parry – Ignatius "Brother" Alderman, nearly twelve, promises to help
his grandparents keep the family's Oregon ranch the same while his brothers are away and his father is
deployed to Iraq, but as he comes to accept the inevitability of change, he also sees the man he is meant
to be.
Chains – Lori Halse Anderson – a fabulous, well-written story of a young slave girl in New York who finds
herself drawn into the American Revolution, while simultaneously struggling to survive in a cruel
household. ORCA, OBOB, National Book Award Finalist,
Tiger – Jeff Stone – Historical Fiction/Fantasy -When China’s Canghzen Temple is destroyed, only five
young warrior monks survive. The five warriors scattered and begin teaching their formidable fighting
skills and their philosophy of life. This has been a very popular book with boys and girls! OBOB
A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park – Historical Fiction - Tree Ear is an orphan in 12th century Korean village.
Barely surviving on scraps, his life changes when he accidentally breaks a beautiful pot made by the
master potter in the village. He must work to pay the potter back for the expensive piece, and in the
process learns from the potter and embarks on a difficult and dangerous adventure. Newberry
Airman – Eoin Colfer – Fantasy/Historical Fiction - In the 1890’s, Conor and his family live on islands off
the Irish coast. He spends his days studying flight and exploring a castle with his friend, Princess Isabella.
He discovers a deadly conspiracy against the kind, and when he tries to intervene, is branded a traitor
and thrown in a terrible jail. He begins to plot to get off the island, and realizes the only way is to
fly…..OBOB
Al Capone Does My Shirts – Jennifer Choldenko – historical fiction/humor – Moose travels with his
family to live at Alcatraz, where is father will be a guard, and he and his sister can attend a special
school. In the midst of this, he struggles with his sister’s autism, a lack of money, his strange, new
school, and the cute warden’s daughter. He also finds that on Alcatraz, trouble is never far away. ORCA
Enter Three Witches – Caroline Cooney – Historical Fiction – A retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Lady
Mary has a comfortable life as the war of Lord and Lady Macbeth, despite looming war. When her
father is hanged as a traitor, she finds her life in Lord and Lady Macbeth increasingly dangerous and she
must fight to survive. ORCA
Fever 1793 – Lori Halse Anderson - historical fiction – Mattie Cook lives in 1793 Philadelphia with her
widowed mom and grandpa. When fever breaks out and sweeps through the city, Mattie must find the
strength to save her family.
Elephant Run – Roland Smith - Nick's father and others are taken prisoner when his plantation in Burma
is invaded by the Japanese in 1941, leaving Nick and his friend Mya to risk their lives in order to free
them from the POW camp. ORCA & OBOB
Elijah of Buxton – Christopher Paul Curtis – historical fiction - Elijah lives with a group of runaway slaves
in Buxton, Canada. Born free, he is seen as a “fragile” child who talks too much. Everything changes
when a former slave steals the money a friend has been saving to buy freedom for his family in the
south. It’s up to Elijah to track down the thief, and return home a hero. ORCA
The Teacher’s Funeral - Richard Peck – Comedy/historical fiction - When Russell Culver’s teacher dies
suddenly, he hopes the school will be closed, and he can strike out for the Dakotas to get work
harvesting crops. Instead, his class gets the worst teacher imaginable. He and his classmates plot to
sink the teacher and the school, resorting to stealing supplies, vandalism, utilizing snakes, and setting a
toilet on fire. ORCA
A Dog’s Life – Ann M. Martin – Contemporary Fiction-A story told from the point of view of a dog,
Squirrel. When she is separated from her mother and brother, she must fight to survive busy freeways,
changing seasons, and unpredictable humans. ORCA
Realistic Fiction
Whales on Stilts! – M.T. Anderson – contemporary fiction/comedy/fantasy – Lily Gefelty is an average
twelve-year old girl who happens to have a father who works for an evil genius planning unleashing an
army of cranky, stilt-walking, laser-beam eyed whales on the world. Lily has to come up with a plan to
stop him!! ORCA – EASY READER
Janey’s Girl (3) – Gayle Friesen - Fourteen-year old Claire spends August on the family farm and learns
her family's secrets.
A Dog’s Life – - Ann Martin - Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and
brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both
gentle and brutal.
Son of the Mob (3) – Gordon Korman - Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the
fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance
with the daughter of an FBI agent.
Schooled – Gordon Korman - Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she
falls from a tree and breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a
public school.
Rules – Cynthia Lord - Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a
normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Monster – Walter Dean Myers - 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.
The Willoughby’s – Lois Lowry - A tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, in
which the four Willoughby children set out to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents
embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
Ida B. – Katherine Hannigan - In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being homeschooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer
and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school.
Deadline (3)- Chris Crutcher - Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben
Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses
through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos.".
Does My Head Look Big in This? (3) – Randa Abdel-Fattah - Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in
the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal
when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without
losing her identity or sense of style
A Dog Like No Other – John Grogan - A special adaptation of the author's book "Marley & Me" for
young readers, in which he shares the story of his golden retriever Marley, and tells of the love his
family has for the dog.
Holes – Louis Sachar - As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a
distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds
his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Small Steps-(3) – Louis Sachar - Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying
hard to keep his life on track, but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some
easy money scalping concert tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary Pearson - Seventeen-year-old Jenna Angeline Fox wakes from a long
coma with no memory of who she is, and is sent home with her mother and inexplicably hostile
grandmother where hours of video recordings of her childhood help spark her memories and send her
on a horrifying quest to learn what really happened to her.
Scat – Carl Hiassen - Nick and Marta are both suspicious when their biology teacher, the feared Mrs.
Bunny Starch, disappears, and try to uncover the truth despite the police and headmaster's insistence
that nothing is wrong.
Hoot – Carl Hiassen -Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's
attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Flush- Carl Hiassen - With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger
sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into
the protected waters around their Florida Keys home.
The Cheat (3)- Amy Goldman Koss -When Sarah gets her hands on the answers to the eighth-grade
geography midterm and decides to share them with some other students, the consequences are farranging.
11 Birthdays (3) – Wendy Mass - After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda
and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to
celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their
birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again.
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place – E.L. Koenigsberg - Upon leaving an oppressive summer camp,
twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane spearheads a campaign to preserve three unique towers her greatuncles have been building in their backyard for more than forty years.
Silent to the Bone – EL Koenigsberg - When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister,
thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and
uncover the truth about what really happened.
The Not So Star Spangled Life of Sunita Sen (3) – Mitali Perkins The arrival of her grandparents from
India causes thirteen-year-old Sunita to resent her Indian heritage and to be embarrassed by the
differences she feels between herself and her friends in California.
Little Brother (3) – Cory Doctorow - 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 is
released into what is now a police state, and decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set
things right.
Sasquatch – Roland Smith - Thirteen year old Dylan follows his father into the woods on the slopes of
Mount St. Helens, lwhich is on the brink of another eruption, in an attempt to protect the resident
Sasquatch from ruthless hunters.
Dairy Queen – Catherine Murdock - 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.
I’d Tell You I Love You, but then I’d have to Kill You (3) – Ally Carter - As a sophomore at a secret spy
school and the daughter of a former CIA operative, Cammie is sheltered from "normal teenage life" until
she meets a local boy while on a class surveillance mission.
Skeleton Creek - Patrick Carman -Although housebound following an eerie accident, teenaged Ryan
continues to investigate the strange occurrences in his hometown of Skeleton Creek, recording his
findings in a journal and viewing email video clips sent by fellow detective Sarah.
Elsewhere – Gabrielle Zevin - After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a
place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to
"live."
The Face on the Milk Carton (3)- Caroline Cooney - A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads
Janie on a search for her real identity.
What Janie Found- Caroline Cooney -While still adjusting to the reality of having two families, her birth
family and the family into which she was kidnapped as a small child, seventeen-year-old Janie makes a
shocking discovery about her long-gone kidnapper.
The White Giraffe (3) – Lauren St. John - After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must
leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she
befriends a mythical white giraffe.
Walk Two Moons – Sharon Creech -After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and
her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of
her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
The Wanderer – Sharon Creech -Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic
crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is
en route to visit their grandfather in England.
Marcelo and the Real World (3) –Francisco Stork - Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the
high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice,
when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.
Criss-Cross (3) – Lynn Perkins - Teenagers in a small town in the 1960s experience new thoughts and
feelings, question their identities, connect, and disconnect as they search for the meaning of life and
love.
Love is the Higher Law (3) – David Levithan - Three New York City teens express their reactions to the
bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and its impact on their lives and the world.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks – E. Lockhart - Frankie Landau-Banks attempts to
take over a secret, all-male society at her exclusive prep school, and her antics with the group soon draw
some unlikely attention and have unexpected consequences that could change her life forever.
Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli - Stargirl, a teen who animates quiet Mica High with her colorful personality,
suddenly finds herself shunned for her refusal to conform.
I So Don’t Do Mysteries (3)- Barry Summie - When thirteen-year-old Sherry is visited by the ghost of her
mother, asking Sherry to help solve a case involving rhinoceros poaching at the San Diego Wild Animal
Park, Sherry's involvement not only helps save the rhinos, but it also brings mother and daughter closer
together than ever before.
Jacob Have I Loved – Katherine Paterson - Feeling deprived all her life of schooling, friends, mother, and
even her name by her twin sister, Louise finally begins to find her identity.
Bridge to Terabinthia – Katherine Paterson - The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands
when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach
their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
Maniac Magee – Jerry Spinelli - After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as
he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
There’s a Girl in My Hammerlock- Jerry Spinelli - Thirteen-year-old Maisie joins her school's formerly allmale wrestling team and tries to last through the season, despite opposition from other students, her
best friend, and her own teammates.
Crash- Jerry Spinelli - Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough,
aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make
him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
Surviving the Applewhites- Stephanie Tolan - Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home
schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents
and interests he never knew he had.
Becoming Naomi Leon (3) –Paul Munoz Ryan - When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her,
Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
After Tupac and D Foster – Jacqueline Woodson
Heartbeat- Sharon Creech - Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her
mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner)
becomes distant.
No Talking – Andrew Clements - The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the
equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.
Half Moon Investigations – Eoin Colfer - Twelve-year-old Fletcher Moon, the youngest qualified private
detective in the world, receives a diploma and gold-plated detective's shield after completing an
Internet course, and sets out to solve petty crimes at school, but he forced to go on the run when, while
investigating the town's biggest crime family, his badge is stolen and he is framed for several crimes he
did not commit.
Don’t Look Behind You (3) – Lois Duncan - Seventeen-year-old April finds her comfortable life changed
forever when death threats to her father, a witness in a federal case, force her family to go into hiding
under assumed names and flee the pursuit of a hired killer.
Freak the Mighty – Rodman Philbrick - At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his
new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when
they combine forces they make a powerful team.
North of Beautiful – Justin Headley - Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial portwine stain, struggles with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth classmate Jacob.
Science Fiction
When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead - As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s
television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense
of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time
and space.
Fantasy
Kingdom Keepers - Ridley Pearson - Five young teens hired as models for theme park guides find
themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World
and the stability of the world as a whole.
Supernaturalist -Eoin Colfer-Fantasy/Humor– Sometime in the future, fourteen year old Cosmo Hill is
sent by his parents to an institute for “Parentally Challenged Boys”. He is put to work testing highly
dangerous products and realizes he must escape if he is to survive. Along with a crew of kids called the
“supernaturalists”, Cosmo plots to break out and save himself, as well as humanity. ORCA
Scept of the Ancients – Derek Landy - Stephanie leads a quiet existence until she inherits her uncle’s
mansion, makes friends with a skeleton, and begins developing magical powers which she must use to
fight evil. Her biggest challenge is to find the Scepter of the Ancients, before the evil Faceless Ones find
it and destroy the world. ORCA
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo – Obert Skye – Fourteen Year old Leven lives a terrible life in
Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma, until his life changes after he learns of a secret gateway bridging two worlds.
Wolf Brother – Michelle Paver – Six thousand years in the past, Evil stalks the land. According to legend,
only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf cub can defeat it. Their journey is more fraught with peril than
they ever imagined, but what will happen to the world if they fail?
The White Giraffe – Lauren St. John - After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave
England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a
mythical white giraffe. OBOB
Airborn – Kenneth Oppel – Fantasy- Takes place in a world reminiscent of the 1930’s. Matt Cruse is the
cabin boy on a luxury passenger airship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful
creatures drifting through the skies who are real and mysterious….an amazing adventure ensues. ORCA
Princess Academy – Shannon Hale – fantasy - Adorable story about a Miri, from a low class mountain
town, who dreams of making a better life for her family in the lowlands, but must face discrimination
and heartache along the way. When it is decreed that the wife of the crown prince will marry a girl from
her lowly Mt. Eskel, she hopes to be the one chosen. ORCA
Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale – fantasy – a retelling of a little known Grimm’s fairy tale
about a maid and her mistress who are shut in a tower for seven years because of one girl’s refusal to
marry a man she despises. When food runs low, the girls plot a way to escape. ORCA
The Goose Girl – Shannon Hale - Fantasy – Another retelling of a fairy tale, this one about a princess
who, because of her strange gifts, is sent away to marry a stranger in a foreign land. Along the way, she
encounters terrible treachery and is forced to hide her identity and become a “goose girl” in order to
stay alive. OBOB (warning, very troubling and disturbing horse death, so not recommended for intense
horse lovers. However, I do love this book!)
Igraine the Brave – Cornelia Funke –Igraine, a girl, dreams of becoming a knight. She is bored by life in
the family castle. When an evil stranger shows up with plans to ruin her family and steal their magic
books. When her parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs, Igraine must step up and save the day!
ORCA – EASY READER
Savvy – Ingrid Law- fantasy – contemporary fantasy - Mibs can’t wait to turn thirteen, the age when all
Beaumonts discover their supernatural power, or savvy. When Poppa is hurt in a terrible accident, she
learns it will take more than magic to make her family right again. ORCA
Hope Was Here – Joan Bauer - 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.
Twisted – Laurie Halse Anderson - After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and
his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-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.
If I Stay – Gayle Forman - While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and
younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weights whether to live with her grief or join
her family in death.
Rules of the Road – Joan Bauer - Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of
successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and
along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic
father.
Runt – Marion Dane Bauer - Runt, the smallest wolf cub in the litter, seeks to prove himself to his father
King and the rest of the pack and to earn a new name.
Sahara Special – Esme Codell - Struggling with school and her feelings since her father left, Sahara gets a
fresh start with a new and unique teacher who supports her writing talents and the individuality of each
of her classmates.
Code Orange – Caroline Cooney - While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds
an envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of
New York City.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian – Sherman Alexie - Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his
troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the
only other Native American is the school mascot.
The Beloved Dearly (3) – Doug Cooney - Although his father has forbidden it, Ernie, a twelve-year-old
business tycoon, makes a tidy profit in the pet funeral business, but when he refuses to give his star
employee a raise and the business starts to fall apart, it takes the death of his own dog to bring
everyone back together.
Cuba 15 – Nancy Osa, about a fifteen year old girl of Cuban descent who reluctantly agrees to take part
in a quinceanero, even though she’s half-polish and feels 100% American. In the process, she learns
about her Cuban roots as culture and feelings collide. OBOB
Chasing Vermeer – Blue Balliett – comedy/mystery - Petra and Calder are brought together by
mysterious circumstances when a Vermeer painting owned by an old woman is stolen. The two must
use all of their sleuthing skills to solve the mystery, as everyone around them falls under suspicion. –
The London Eye Mystery – Siobhan Dowd – When Ted and Kat’s cousin, Salim, disappears from the
London Eye, everyone is frantic! How did he just disappear??? Even the police are baffled. Ted and Kat
overcome their prickly relationship to try to solve the mystery and find their cousin! OBOB & ORCA
Science Fair – Ridley Pearson – comedy – After Toby sells his dad’s priceless Star Wars blaster to a
lunatic who thinks he is Darth Vader, he plots to buy it back but needs to win $5000 at his school science
fair. His hopes are put into doubt by the rich kids who will stop at nothing to ensure that their own kids
win. OBOB
Alvin Ho – Lenore Look – Contemporary fiction – Alvin Ho is afraid of everything: girls, school, trains,
teachers, EVERYTHING! He can talk at home in front of his parents, but never at school!!! A story about
an amazing kid with some major struggles and major gifts! ORCA – EASY READER
Peak – Roland Smith – Fourteen year old Peak Marcello’s is given the opportunity to summit legendary
Mt. Everest.
The Willoughbys – Lois Lowry – contemporary fiction – Siblings Timothy, Jane, and twin brother Barnaby
A and Barnaby B are normal kids who love a life of adventure. Unfortunately, their parents don’t like
their own children and are hatching an evil plot to rid themselves of their kids. The kids decide they
must embark on an adventure to create their own happiness. ORCA – EASY READER
Red Kayak – Priscilla Cummings – Contemporary Fiction - Brady’s idyllic life on Chesapeake Bay is
disrupted when a terribly tragedy occurs and impacts their entire town. When Brady discovers the truth
behind the tragic mystery, he must decide whether or not to share his secret. ORCA & OBOB
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life – Wendy Mass - Just before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy Fink
receives a keyless locked box--set aside by his father before his death five years earlier--that purportedly
contains the meaning of life. OBOB
Waiting For Normal – Leslie Connor - Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic
behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go
to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.
Double Identity – Margaret Peterson Haddix - Contemp Fiction/Dystopian – Bethany’s parents become
increasingly strange as she approaches her thirteenth birthday. Things become more mysterious when
she recives a package from her father containing four birth certificates, with four different names, from
four different states. Slowly, the secrets in her past unravel in a shocking way. ORCA
Mistik Lake – Martha Brooks – seventeen year old Odella’s family is haunted by secrets, and when
Odella’s mom runs off, Odella must fight to keep her family together. Recommended for older – adult
themes. ORCA