Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Robin’s letters to his uncle Richie Perry, hero of Fallen Angels, reflect the fearand horror alternating with boredom of his war experiences as a young soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Questions as to who and why they are fighting are interspersed with gripping action scenes.  Trust if formed within Robin’s unit, notably gunner Marla and guitarist Jonsey.  Readers will feel like they know these  characters and care about their victories and defeats.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

14-year-old Joe has an eventful summer in Brooklyn in 1903. His parents have created the first teddy bear and are successful in their new business. The rest of his family is dealing with drama of their own. This book is told from various viewpoints with viewpoints from several homeless kids living under the Brooklyn Bridge and from Joe himself.  The homeless children are haunted by a ghostly presence that everyone avoids. Why does everyone try to avoid this ghost? Why is this ghost haunting these children? Does he know something that they don’t know?  How is Joe connected to these children and this ghost? Up to the very last chapter, this book will make readers return to the beginning and see everything in a new way.

Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emerson

Have you and your friends ever planned a trick on one of your classmates? That’s just what Trina and her seventh-grade classmates planned for Carlos, a special-needs student. Carlos reveals his fear of aliens when he and Trina are assigned project partners. Now that Trina knows his secret she and her friends can plan their extraterrestrial prank for the class overnight camping trip.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In the tradition of the Giver, Collins has written a novel based on a US of the future where 12 districts are controlled by reality based TV.  Two tributes are chosen yearly to compete in the Hunger Games, which feature glamourous opening ceremonies, sponsorship, training, personal interviews and end in a fight to the death.  District 12 tributes have attracted interest, as Katniss has taken the place of her younger sister, and Peeta has proclaimed his love for Katniss. Brutality characterizes these games. Can humanity survive in this hostile setting?

My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow

Have you ever seen the pictures of 1st grader Ruby Bridges walking into school surrounded by federal marshals? In My Mother… Louise has been yanked out of school by her mother because Ruby Bridges, a black child, is now attending. Every morning Louise’s mom dresses up to stand outside the school to taunt little Ruby with the chant “2, 4, 6, 8, we don’t want to integrate”. Louise really doesn’t have a strong opinion about integration until a very charming and mysterious guest comes to stay at their boarding house.

Seer of Shadows by Avi

Do you like ghost stories that are both frightening and hauntingly mysterious?

Although this book is classified under the historical fiction genre, it is also an intriguing ghost story set in New York City in 1872. Horace Carpetine is a photographer’s apprentice who has a horrifying run-in with a spirit bent on revenge. This spirit shows up in photographs that Horace takes, but why? What is the secret that is being kept by a mysterious family who has something to hide?  Things don’t go as planned and Horace is heavily involved with a ghost and her angry spirit. Who is this ghost and why is she so angry? To find out, you must read Seer of Shadows by Avi.

Grades: 6th and 7th

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Shift

Chris’s journey on a cross country bike
trip with best friend Win, after gradu-
ation, is described in alternating chap-
ters with Chris’s first year in college.
Win has disappeared late in the bike
trip, and Chris receives frequent visits
from an FBI agent hired by Win’s tyran-
ical father, who thinks Chris knows
something about Win’s whereabouts.
Strange postcards begin arriving
forcing Chris to make some hard de-
cisons. Trip descriptions put readers’
in the bicycle seat!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Seventeen year-old Jenna has just
awoken from a year-long coma. She is
recovering from a terrible traffic accident
and can remember nothing about her
old life. Her parents have moved her
across the country, and show her old
movies of her childhood in attempt to
revive her memory. As Jenna starts to
remember, questions arise.
Why is her grandmother so hostile to her?
Who is this new Jenna Fox?