GREAT BOOKS

Hope Was Here by 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.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The tale of the summer vacation which separates, for the first time, four high-school-age friends. Despite their four separate stories, their friendships endures in part due to the help of a remarkable pair of body-image-improving pants.

Artemis Fowl : the Opal Deception by Eion Colfer

Watch out Harry Potter, you’ve got a rival in town. Artemis Fowl, a 12 year old genius, is busy trying to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold. Naturally the Lower Element Police Reconnaissance (LEPrecon) fights back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. Prequels Available Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney

Sixteen-year-old Janie feels devastated when she discovers that her boyfriend has betrayed her and her family through his college radio program.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

Trent, an ace interrogator from Vermont, works to procure a confession from an introverted twelve-year-old accused of murdering his seven-year-old friend in Monument, Massachusetts.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager is intellectually and athletically gifted, but dislikes organized sports. He agrees to form a swimming team for his school and recruits some of the school's less popular students as a stab at the jock athletic culture of his high school. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Fresh Off the Boat by Melissa De la Cruz

As a recent immigrant from the Philippines, fourteen-year-old Melissa tries her best to fit in to her new surroundings in busy San Francisco, but despite working hard at her job, buying the right clothes, and learning the language, Melissa still feels like an outsider and worries that she will never make the successful transition she desires.

Double Dutch by Sharon Draper

Three eighth-grade friends, preparing for the International Double Dutch Championship jump rope competition in their home town of Cincinnati, Ohio, cope with Randy's missing father, Delia's inability to read, and Yo Yo's encounter with the class bullies.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patron, the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

While traveling to each corner of the country to build a whirligig in memory of the girl whose death he causes, sixteen-year-old Brent finds forgiveness and atonement.

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes

While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.

Rash by Pete Hautman

In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free," sixteen-year-old Bo's anger control problems land him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his running skills and an artificial intelligence program named Bork. Also available as a Book on CD

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

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.

Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton

Sent to live with his uncle after a violent confrontation with his stepfather, sixteen-year-old Travis, an aspiring writer, finds life in a small Oklahoma town confining until he meets an eighteen-year-old horse trainer named Casey.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

After the death of the guardian uncle, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6, thereby having several James Bond like adventures using high tech gadgetry.

Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques

When Martin the Warrior leaves Redwall Abbey and embarks upon a journey to the place of his birth, he learns about the brave and noble deeds of his father Luke, a real Warrior Chieftain. SERIES

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.

Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones

A collection of sixteen of Diana Jones’s engaging and powerful stories, some magical fantasy, some science fiction. Includes "The Plague of Peacocks," "Aunt Bea's Day Out," "The Fat Wizard," "No One," and "Everard's Ride."

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special momento of her past.

Zazoo by Richard Mosher

Amid old secrets revealed and rifts healed, a thirteen-year-old Vietnamese orphan raised in rural France by her aging "Grand-Pierre" learns about life, death, and love.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

In Alagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, dangerous monsters, rebels, and an evil king. First of a trilogy. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen

After having survived alone in the wilderness, Brian finds that he can no longer live in the city but must return to the place where he really belongs. Sequel Available

Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie. SERIES

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

A thirteen-year-old girl gains a much more sympathetic understanding of her relationship with her mother when she has to spend a day in her mother's body.

Framed by Malcom Rose

The first of a science fiction mystery series called Traces (Luke Harding, forensic investigator). 16 year-old Luke has just passed his final exam and become an FI (Forensic Investigator) and wants to celebrate. Unfortunately, the fun is short lived with his first murder case, involving a classmate, occurs that night at his school. Two more murders follow, all pointing at Luke as the main suspect. Luke, with the help of MALC (Mobile Aide to Law and Crime) is able to figure out what happened (with the tiniest of clues) and nail the real killer. SERIES

Night of the Twister by Ivy Ruckman

A fictional account of the night freakish and devastating tornadoes hit Grand Island, Nebraska, as experienced by a twelve-year-old, his family and friends.

God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant

What would happen if God got a deskjob? Or bought a couch at Pottery Barn? Or found some fudge in his mailbox? Find out in these thought provoking poems that depict God exploring the wonders and pains of the world he has created.

Afterlife by Gary Soto

A senior at East Fresno High School lives on as a ghost after his brutal murder in the restroom of a club where he had gone to dance.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.

How I Spent my Last Night on Earth by Todd Strasser

When a rumor appears on the Internet that a giant asteroid is about to destroy Earth, Legs Hanover scrambles to meet the boy of her dreams, elusive Andros Bliss.

The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

Josh finds himself the leader of an Internet following after developing a popular website campaigning against waste and consumerism, yet when things get out of control, Josh has to devise a plan that will set him free from the masses. Sequel Available