The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Imagine being raised a princess- and knowing all the princess things but nothing about how to actually LIVE.  That’s how Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (Ani) Crown Princess of Kildenree feels.  Ani’s been restrained and held back her whole life, and now that her mother has betrayed her she has to go to a foreign country to marry some unknown prince.  But things don’t go as planned as Ani is betrayed again and left for dead.  Ani becomes a master of disguise and becomes a palace goose girl in a foreign country.  Will anybody believe her true identity now that she looks like a goose girl?  Will her new love Geric believe her?  Will she ever see her home again?  And how has she developed the ability to speak to animals?  Read Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl to find out.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Matt has been raised in a house by himself.  The only other human being that he has seen is his nanny.  He watches tv and knows that there are other people out there- but in his home all of the windows and doors are nailed shut.  One day Matt sees children playing outside of his house.  He breaks through a window, climbs a chair, and jumps out onto the broken glass of the window.  The children carry him back to their house where a doctor looks at Matt’s wounds.  The doctor sees that Matt has markings on the bottom of his foot- marking him as a clone.  But clones are less than dogs, so how does Matt have intelligence?  Who’s clone is he?  And how will he survive in a world where clones are less than nothing?  Read House of the Scorpion to find out.  

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

This book is based on a true story.  Karana is twelve years old and her people are being moved from their island home to a new one.  Everyone boards the ships but she cannot find her little brother anywhere.  As the ship leaves she sees her brother standing on the beach.  She jumps overboard and goes to him.  This begins their life of living alone on the island.  It is a story of survival and loneliness, perseverance and determination.  Karana builds weapons, clothing, even a house for her survival.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody “Bod” Owens is the sole survivor of the attack that killed both of his parents- but the knife was meant for him!  As a baby he crawled out of his crib and escaped the murderer by crawling to the graveyard.  Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who happen to be ghosts, take pity on him and raise him.  But how is  a living child raised in a graveyard?  And will the relentless killer ever find his true target?  Read The Graveyard Book to find out.

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.

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?

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!

Peak by Roland Smith

Peak is a 14-year-old boy from New York.  After Peak is caught climbing the Woolworth Building ( a tall skyscraper), an angry judge gives him probation, with an understanding that Peak will leave New York and live with his famous mountaineer father in Thailand. Peak soon learns, however, that his father has other plans for him; he hopes that Peak will become the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Peak is whisked off to Tibet and finds himself in the complex world of an Everest base camp, where large amounts of money are at stake and climbing operations offer people an often-deadly shot at the summit. This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story. Smith includes plenty of mountaineering facts told in vivid detail (particularly creepy is his description of the frozen corpses that litter the mountain).
Grade Level: 6 and up

 

Shock Point by April Henry

Imagine getting kidnapped and taken to a juvenile rehab prison…Cassie Streng’s psychiatrist stepfather prescribed an experimental drug leading to the suicide of three of his patients. When Cassie tries to gather information about the teen deaths, he plants crystal meth in her bedroom and then persuades her mother to send her to “Peaceful Cove”. Coming home from school, Cassie gets handcuffed, thrown into a van, and driven to “Peaceful Cove” in Mexico.