7th+and+8th+grade+titles

You can read other titles by a listed author, other volumes in a series, non-fiction about a topic that interests you, titles recommended by your parents, titles recommended by your local librarian, titles from the Readers' Advisory links on MS Library page...
 * 2017 Summer Free Choice Reading – grades 7 & 8**

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. //Does My Head Look Big in This?// Outspoken and funny 16-year-old Amal, lover of shopping and television, decides to wear the hijab full time and perseveres despite resistance from classmates, townspeople, and even relatives.

Abirached, Zeina. //A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return//. This graphic novel memoir focuses on one night during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) during which the author, her brother, and neighbors huddle in the safest corner of their apartment sharing memories, food, and comfort.

Al-Mansour, Haifaa. //The Green Bicycle//. Since girls do not ride bikes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, eleven year old Wadjda has to scheme to get her own.

Alvarez, Julia. //Return to Sender.// When Tyler’s father is unable to maintain the family farm, he hires undocumented workers, resulting in an interdependent relationship that mirrors current social and political conditions in the U.S.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. //Chains//. Sold as a slave to an influential New York Tory family, 13-year-old Isabel spies for the patriot side during the American Revolution in a desperate hope to gain freedom for herself and her 5-year-old sister.

Antony, John. //Five Flavors of Dumb.// 18-year-old Piper becomes the manager for her classmates' rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others, if only she can get the band members to get along.

Arni, Samhita. //Sita’s Ramayana//. Using a graphic novel format, this powerful saga of Rama is told from his abducted and mistrusted wife Sita’s point of view.

Bacigalupi, Paolo. //Ship Breaker//. Nailer, a teenage scavenger, works to take apart ancient oil tankers in a future world where he must choose between harvesting riches or saving a girl.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. //They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group//. The Ku Klux Klan's rise from a club of restless young men into the largest domestic terrorist organization in American history is documented with archival photographs and other primary source material. (YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults)

Basking, Nora Raleigh. //Anything But Typical//. Jason, a 12-year-old with autism spectrum disorder, finds life in a “neurotypical” world daunting but achieves success through his creative writing online.

Beckhorn, Susan Williams. //The Wolf's Boy//. Two outcasts, a boy and a wolf, band together to survive the harsh, Ice-age winter.

Blumenthal, Karen. //Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition//. Lively prose and interesting anecdotes make the history of Prohibition accessible while the examination of unintended consequences make this chronicle relevant to today's political world.

Blumenthal, Karen. //Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different//. From birth, early adoption, and early education through his failures and successes. (2013 YALSA Finalist for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults)

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. //A Time of Miracles//. Tr. by Y. Maudet. A young refugee searches for identify, safe haven and truth in a journey from war-torn Caucasus to the freedom of France. (Batchelder Award)

Bowles, David. //The Smoking Mirror.// In an action-packed fantasy novel that combines Aztec and Mayan mythology with life in contemporary South Texas and Mexico, 12-year-old twins descend into the Land of the Dead to find their mother. (Belpre Author Honor Book)

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. //Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children//. Told from the point of view of three young slaves, two of them fathered by Thomas Jefferson, this well-researched and moving novel provides insight into their lives as it raises important and difficult questions.

Bragg, Georgia. //How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous//. A wildly humorous collective biography featuring horrifying medical treatments and deaths of nineteen famous men and women, this surprisingly heavily researched compendium is terrific book bait for reluctant readers.

Brooks, Martha. //Queen of Hearts//. In 1941 Manitoba, Marie-Claire tells the moving story of her coming-of-age as a 16 year-old in a tuberculosis sanitarium.

Brosgol, Vera. //Anya’s Ghost//. This graphic novel tells the story of Anya, a Russian immigrant, whose lack of self-esteem changes when her life is almost taken over a determined ghost.

Brown, Don. //Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans//. Heroes surface, and people find courage in this exceptional graphic novel that addresses incompetence, racism and the resilience of the people of the Crescent City. (Sibert Honor Book)

Brown, Skila. //To Stay Alive: Mary Ann Graves and the Tragic Journey of the Donner Party//. Follow Mary Ann Graves and her family as they travel across the country in a tale of survival against all odds. Powerful, first-person narration characterizes this novel in verse.

Bruchac, Joseph. //Killer of Enemies//. In a world that has barely survived an apocalypse that leaves it with pre-twentieth century technology, Lozen is a monster hunter for four tyrants who are holding her family hostage.

Camper, Cathy. //Lowriders to the Center of the Earth//. The Lowriders journey to the center of the earth to retrieve their beloved cat, Genie, in this energetic graphic novel. (Belpre Illustrator Medal Book)

Card, Orson Scott. //Ender's Game//. Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.

Carmichael, Clay. //Wild Things//. Spunky eleven-year-old Zoe comes to live with Uncle Henry who is a metal sculptor and learns that a safe home and acceptance are possible, even for wild things like her.

Carriger, Gail. //Etiquette & Espionage//. In this madcap, steampunk-mystery, Sophronia Temminnick learns that etiquette and espionage go hand-in-glove when she is covertly recruited from Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. A paranormal mashup set in Victorian England.

Christopher, Lucy. //Flyaway//. While Isla’s father is in the hospital, she befriends another patient, Harry. In this touching story, Isla tries to help Harry, her father and a swan, all of whom are struggling to survive.

Davis, Kenneth C. //In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives//. The lives of five enslaved people owned by four U.S. presidents reveal the contradictions of a land founded upon the idea of freedom.

de Graaf, Anne. //Son of a Gun//. Translated by the author. Told through the eyes of a young sister and brother caught up in the Liberian Civil War, this story depicts the lives of child soldiers. (2013 Batchelder Honor Book)

Deem, James M. //Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past//. In this exploration of the archaeology of glacier science, Deem’s visual presentation engages readers through period newspaper illustrations, paintings, maps and photographs of ice mummies and artifacts from four continents.

Diaz, Alexandra. //The Only Road//. Travel with Jaime and his cousin Angela, as they make the heartbreaking and life-changing journey from Guatemala to New Mexico. (Belpre Author Honor Book)

Dinerstein, Eric. //What Elephants Know//. Nandu grows up in an elephant stable in the jungles of Nepal. When the stable is threatened with closure, Nandu must convince his father to transform it into an elephant-breeding center.

Dionne, Erin. //The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet.// Hamlet's attempts to be a "normal" 8th grader become increasingly difficult when her genius 7-year-old sister and her eccentric Shakespeare scholar parents both begin to attend her school.

DiTerlizzi, Tony. //The Search for WondLa//. Living in isolation with a robot on what appears to be an alien world populated with bizarre life forms, a 12-year-old human girl called Eva Nine sets out on a journey to find others like her.

Doctorow, Cory. //Little Brother//. After being interrogated by Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, 17-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

Ellis, Sarah. //Outside In//. Lynn’s life is full — choir practice, school, shopping for the perfect jeans, and dealing with her free-spirited mother. Then one day her life is saved by a mysterious girl named Blossom, who introduces Lynn to her own world and family — both more bizarre, yet somehow more sane, than Lynn’s own.

Engle, Margarita. //Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir.// The daughter of an American father and Cuban mother, poet and novelist Engle describes her childhood living between two countries during a time of political tension for Cuba and the U.S. (Belpre Author Medal Book)

Engle, Margarita. //Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck.// This historical novel in verse is the story of Quebrado, son of a Taino Indian mother and a Spanish father, who is kidnapped in 1510 from his island village (present-day Cuba) and enslaved on a pirate's ship. (2012 Belpre Author Honor Book)

Erskine, Kathryn. //Mockingbird//. Ten-year-old Caitlin, who struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome, seeks closure following the murder of her brother.

Eulburg, Elizabeth. //Prom & Prejudice.// People aren't always what they seem.

Farrar, Josh. //A Song for Bijou//. When Alex falls head over heels in love with the mysterious Bijou, he is going to have to break out of his shell to woo her.

Fleming, Candace. //Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart//. In her clear, readable style, Fleming shows how Earhart captured the public imagination. Chapters of background information alternate with the chilling account of her final flight. Enhanced with maps, archival documents, news photos, and other contemporary sources.

Fleming, Candace. //Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented the Wild West//. Fleming digs for truth behind the myth of showman William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the development of the Wild West, and the treatment of the American Indians during the late nineteenth century.

Flores-Galbis, Enrique. //90 Miles to Havana//. The author’s experience, as one of 14,000 children moved from Cuba to a refugee camp in Miami in 1961, is told through engaging, fast-paced writing and well-developed characters.

Freedman, Russell. //Lafayette and the American Revolution//. This compelling biography of Lafayette looks at the whole of his life and illuminates the role he played in the American Revolution. (Sibert Honor Book)

Freedman, Russell. //We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler//. In this impeccably researched history, drawn from primary sources, readers learn about Hans and Sophie Scholl, former members of the Hitler Youth, who sacrificed their lives to spread the truth about the Nazi regime. (Sibert Honor Book)

Frost, Helen. //Hidden//. Six years have passed since Darra's father stole a car in which Wren was hiding. Now 14, Darra and Wren once again cross paths. A suspenseful verse novel, told in two distinct voices.

Gantos, Jack. //Dead End in Norvelt//. An achingly funny romp through a dying New Deal town. While mopping up epic nose bleeds, Jack narrates this screw-ball mystery in an endearing and believable voice.

Gidwitz, Adam. //The Inquisitor's Tale; or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog//. On a dark night in 1242 France, travelers tell the story of three mysterious children: William, Jacob, and Jeanne, and their dog Gwenforte, recently brought back from the dead. (Newbery Honor Book)

Gino, Alex. George. George identifies as a girl; if only the rest of the world would too. With the help of best friend Kelly, George takes the first steps to becoming Melissa, her true self.

Gourlay, Candy. //Tall Story//. Andi’s half brother is finally joining the family from the Philippines. Eight feet tall, it’s obvious that Bernardo is going to have trouble fitting in. A poignant and humorous novel.

Grove, Tim. //First Flight around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race.// In 1924, a group of brave men faced violent weather, unreliable navigation, crashes, and unfamiliar foreign cultures in their goal to win the race to be the first to circumnavigate the globe by plane.

Hale, Shannon. //Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends//. In this fairy tale world, Raven Queen does not want to be evil like her mother, and Apple White, daughter of Snow White, is willing to be a little bad.

Hale, Shannon. //Princess Academy.// While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, 14-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.

Hardinge, Frances. //Cuckoo Song//. After almost drowning, Triss deals with gaps in her memory, her brother's ghost, a vengeful sister, and The Architect who seems to be orchestrating so much of her life. A cinematic and spine-tingling tale.

Hardinge, Frances. //The Lie Tree//. In Victorian Britain, Faith Sunderly investigates the mysterious murder of her father, discovering a tree that feeds upon lies and gives visions to those who eat its fruit.

Hardinge, Frances. //The Lost Conspiracy//. A complex political puzzle filled with subterfuge and intrigue is at the center of this enticing fantasy set on a remote tropical island about two sisters who must grapple with an unknown evil.

Hartman, Rachel. //Seraphina//. In Goredd, dragons and humans live in uneasy peace. Seraphina is a half-human/half-dragon teen musician. (YALSA 2013 William C. Morris Award Book)

Haston, Meg. //How to Rock Braces and Glasses.// When popular middle schooler Kacey Simon gets glasses and braces and is rejected by her crowd, she befriends a boy who is in a punk rock band and discovers some things about friendship, relationships, and herself.

Hoose, Phillip. //The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club.// This is a true World War II story of Danish teens who became resistance fighters while most adults in their country reacted passively to the Nazi takeover. Hoose weaves Pedersen's words into an adventurous narrative about the young heroes. (Sibert Honor Book)

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: //Twice Toward Justice//. Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, a 15-year-old girl was arrested for defying the same Montgomery, Alabama bus laws. This is her long-neglected story.

Hoose, Phillip M. //Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95.// B95, a four-ounce shorebird, is the subject of this fast-paced tale of endurance. (2013 Sibert Honor Book, YALSA Finalist for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults)

Hopkinson, Deborah. //Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.// Survivors' accounts bring the Titanic disaster to life.

Humphreys, Jessica Dee and Michel Chikwanine. //Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War//. Chikwanine chronicles the harrowing tale of his life as a child soldier. A graphic-novel biography.

Jarrow, Gail. //Red Madness//. Pellagra, a mysterious disease, affects millions until a public health crusader keeps an open mind while analyzing the results of medical research.

Johnson, Jaleigh. //The Mark of the Dragonfly//. When a plucky machinist piper rescues Anna after a meteor shower, both girls stow away on an armored train to escape the man chasing them.

Keenan, Sheila. //Dogs of War//. This graphic novel tells the unforgettable true stories of three wars heroes from three different eras - World War I, World War II, and Vietnam - and they all happened to have four legs.

Kennedy, Caroline. //Poems to Learn by Heart//. Warm and humorous watercolor paintings accompany this collection of more than 100 familiar and imaginative poems, suitable for families to read aloud and recite from memory.

Kent, Trilby. //Stones for My Father//. In evocative prose, Kent creates a compelling survival story of young Corlie Roux, a Boer girl in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War at the turn of the last century.

Kidd, Chip. //Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design//. Graphic design rock star Chip Kidd introduces his world and encourages readers to new ways of looking and creating.

Knowles, Jo. //See You at Harry's//. Fern's family life revolves around her family's restaurant and upbeat three-year-old Charlie until tragedy strikes. A surprisingly funny book about a family coming together as they grieve.

Lai, Thanhha. //Inside Out and Back Again//. Ha and her family flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South. In spare, vivid verse, she chronicles her struggle to find her place in a new world. (2012 Newbery Honor Book)

Lai, Thanhha. //Listen, Slowly//. California-born Mai learns the true meaning of family and friendship when she travels with her grandmother to her native Vietnam and learns about her grandfather's fate.

Lawrence, Iain. //The Giant-Slayer//. An epic narrative spun for the residents of a polio ward in 1955 becomes personal for the young storyteller Laurie Valentine.

Levine, Kristin. //The Lions of Little Rock//. In 1958, in Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration.

Levinson, Cynthia Y. //We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March.// Four children, who risked their lives in the momentous march, provide their personal accounts of that historic event.

Lewis, Anna. //Women of Steel and Stone//. The personal and professional challenges that face a diverse group of strong and inspiring architects.

Liu-Perkins, Christine. //At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui//. Miniature servants, mysterious silk paintings, scrolls of long-lost secrets, and the best preserved mummy in the world (the body of Lady Dai) are just some of the artifacts that shed light upon life in China during the Han dynasty.

Lowery, Lynda Blackmon. //Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March.// This highly personal account of the historic 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery gives voice to activists participating in Civil Rights history. (Sibert Honor Book)

Lowry, Lois. //Son//. The powerful conclusion of The Giver quartet.

Lu, Marie. //Legend//. For those who like //The Hunger Games,// meet slum-born Day and elite-born June as they fight to save their lives and their world.

Macaulay, David with Richard Walker. //The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body//. The amazing human body gets an equally amazing treatment for all its systems and functions. Thorough explanations, visual and verbal, offer an inside look of the body’s marvels.

Maguire, Gregory. //Egg & Spoon//. Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age - and the two girls' lives collide.

Manzano, Sonia. //The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano//. In 1969 Spanish Harlem, fourteen-year-old Evelyn is caught in a whirlwind of events led by the revolutionary Young Lords and learns to value her own culture and history. (2013 Belpre Author Honor Book)

Marrin, Albert. //Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience during World War II//. This generously illustrated account of the shameful history of the U.S.' internment of Japanese Americans during WWII is thorough, thoughtful, and provocative. (Sibert Honor Book)

Marrin, Albert. //Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl//. This ecological disaster created by human misdeed forces a grim choice upon the people of the plains during the depths of the Great Depression.

Matti, Truus. //Departure Time//. An eleven-year-old mourns the death of her father and alternates between the real world and a dreamlike hotel staffed by odd creatures.

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. //Under the Mesquite//. The story of 14-year-old Lupita, growing up in a bicultural community in Texas and dealing with her mother's terminal illness, is told in emotionally riveting free verse. (2012 Belpre Author Medal Book)

McCoola, Marika. //Baba Yaga's Assistant.// Using skills learned from her beloved grandma, Masha must pass a series of tests to become a witch's assistant and get her annoying stepsister home safely. Graphic panels magically blend the contemporary with the traditional.

McKissack, Patricia. //Never Forgotten//. A boy captured by slave traders in 18th Century Africa is brought to the Americas. This verse novel answers the questions, “Were we missed?” asked by the descendants of slaves stolen from Africa.

McNeal, Tom. //Far Far Away//. When Jeremy Johnson Johnson's strange ability to speak to the ghost of Jacob Grimm draws the interest of his classmate, Ginger Boltinghouse, the two find themselves at the center of a series of disappearances in their hometown.

Montgomery, Sy. //Temple Grandin: How the Girl who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World//. The author explains the workings of the autistic brain while introducing the life of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman famous for her animal rights advocacy.

Murphy, Jim. //Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting//. In the middle of World War I, British and German forces quit fighting to celebrate Christmas together peacefully. First person details present the human side of this bloody war.

Murphy, Jim and Alison Blank. //Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure//. This meticulously organized and thorough account of the disease tracks its ancient history, its treatments, and the ongoing pursuit of a cure.

Nelson, Kadir. //Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans//. In just 100 pages, Nelson’s narrator tells the story of American history through the eyes of African-Americans. Forty-six luminous oil paintings portray iconic and ordinary images.

Nelson, Marilyn. //My Seneca Village//. Forty-one vivid poems, with voices inspired by actual individuals, present a historical glimpse at Seneca Village, the first thriving African-American community in the U.S., which, before it was razed, stood where Central Park is today.

Nesbet, Anne. //Cloud and Wallfish//. Noah is whisked by his parents to a new life behind the Iron Curtain in 1989 East Germany. Mystery, intrigue, and friendship interweave as he questions everything he knows and loves.

Ness, Patrick. //A Monster Calls: A Novel//. Thirteen-year-old Conor deals with a monster who tells him three stories in exchange for facing his greatest fear.

O'Connor, Barbara. //The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester//. In this summer adventure, Owen is enthralled by his conviction that something amazing has fallen from a train.

Partridge, Elizabeth. //Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, And Don’t You Grow Weary//. Haunting illustrations and moving text tell the story of children leading the way on freedom marches, through voter registration drives, and even to jail during the quest for civil rights.

Pearsall, Shelley. //The Seventh Most Important Thing//. After throwing a brick at the Junk man's head, 13-year-old Arthur is sentenced to assist him. Little does he know that the junk he collects is part of a significant work of art.

Pennypacker, Sara. //Pax.// After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. //Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound//. Take a ride with "the Groove" through Motown. Discover how Berry Gordy Jr. created musical hits and grew his company from a small business in Detroit to a huge studio in California.

Pitcher, Annabel. //My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece//. A painful, sometimes comic, but ultimately hopeful, story about a family coping with grief, while confronting their own biases against Muslims.

Pratchett, Terry. //Nation// After a tsunami, island native, Mau, and shipwreck survivor, Daphne, construct a nation that blends each other’s customs, science, and faith in a multi-leveled novel of survival and politics.

Preus, Margi. //Heart of a Samurai.// This swashbuckling adventure is based on the true story of Manjiro, the young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, became a samurai.

Preus, Margi. //West of the Moon//. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. She quickly retrieves her little sister, and, armed with a troll treasure, a book of spells and curses, and a possibly magic hairbrush, they set off for America.

Pringle, Laurence. //Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution//. Pringle looks at the evidence from geology, biology, botany, and scientific reason to explain evolution. Readable text, pertinent illustrations matter of factly clarify concepts and the meaning of theory.

Rappaport, Doreen. //Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust//. Filled with abundant photographs and stirring personal accounts, this inspiring, well-researched history reveals and recognizes courageous Jews and righteous Gentiles who fought back during the Holocaust.

Reeve, Philip. //Fever Crumb//. A lone girl sets out on a mission to retrieve lost technology in a bleak and irrational London of the future.

Reichs, Kathy. //Virals//. The niece of famed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, 14-year-old Tory and her 3 friends are exposed to a rare strain of canine parvovirus that gives them special powers which they use to try to solve a murder.

Resau, Laura. //The Lightning Queen//. An unlikely friendship between Esma, a Romani girl, and Teo, a Mixteco boy, underpins an adventurous story that spans several generations and presents insights into two marginalized cultures.

Rhodes, Jewell Parker. //Ninth Ward//. In this story of survival, 12-year-old Lanesha and her adopted grandmother have little choice but to stay in New Orleans and weather Hurricane Katrina. (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book)

Ross, Stewart. //Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air//. How did those great explorers travel? What did they wear? Where did they pee? And what did they find on their journeys? Much is revealed in the text and unfolding cross-sections of this fascinating volume.

Rubin, Susan Goldman. //Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People//. A visually appealing and engaging introduction to the life and the work of an important figure in modern art, muralist Diego Rivera.

Rubin, Susan Goldman. //Music was It: Young Leonard Bernstein//. This exemplary, inspiring biography chronicles the life of Leonard Bernstein from early childhood to his triumphant debut at age twenty-five, as conductor of the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. Engaging social history with appeal beyond music students.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. //The Dreamer//. In language inspired by the Nobel Prize-winner’s own poetry, Munoz Ryan tells the stunning tale of young Pablo Neruda’s self-discovery and the development of his ideologies and artistic voice. (Belpre Author Award)

Rusch, Elizabeth. //The Next Wave: the Quest to Harness the Power of the Oceans//. Journey to the wave-battered coast of the Pacific Northwest to meet some of the engineers and scientists working to harness the punishing force of our oceans, one of the nature’s powerful and renewable energy sources.

Say, Allen. //Drawing from Memory//. Say, an esteemed children’s book creator, engagingly relays his early training, including the influences of his family and his artistic sensei.

Schanzer, Rosalyn. //Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem//. Readers will be stunned by the research and accusations in this pivotal drama of American history. This work presents an account of our past and asks questions of our future.

Schlitz, Laura Amy. //The Hired Girl.// Using diary entries, 14-year-old Joan shares her journey toward a better life. New surroundings and experiences in Baltimore lead to moments of adventure and self-discovery.

Schmatz, Pat. //Bluefish//. The significance of reading is personified by two eighth graders, functionally illiterate Travis and feisty, starved-for-affection Velveeta, who come together in a tenuous, prickly relationship.

Schmidt, Gary D. //The Wednesday Wars.// During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, 7th grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.

Schmidt, Gary D. //Okay for Now//. Unable to read and abused by his father, 13-year-old Doug befriends spunky Lili and a sensitive librarian who shows him how to draw Audubon's birds. Both make a difference in his previously limited world.

Scott, Michael. //The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel//. Siblings Josh and Sophie discover that the owner of a bookstore is none other than the famous Nicholas Flamel.

Sepetys, Ruta. //Between Shades of Gray//. Stalin’s deportation and imprisonment of Lithuanian families in Siberia is brought to vivid life in Sepetys’ searing novel, narrated by Lina, a 15-year-old.

Sheinkin, Steve. //Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon.// A gripping account of the development of nuclear weapons and the global fight for control of power.

Sheinkin, Steve. //Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War.// Daniel Ellsberg, a former Pentagon insider, risks everything in order to reveal the corruption and deception that led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Shulman, Polly. //The Grimm Legacy//. When Elizabeth begins working in the New York Circulating Material Repository, she learns that some of the objects (and people) aren't as normal as they seem.

Shusterman, Neal and Eric Elfman. //Tesla's Attic//. When Nick holds a yard sale to get rid of the junk in the attic of his new home, he realizes too late that all the objects have mysterious powers and he needs to get them back.

Shusterman, Neal. //Unwind//. In a future world where those between the ages of 13 and 18 can have their lives "unwound", 3 teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs - and, perhaps, save their own lives.

Sloan, Holly Goldberg. //Counting by 7s//. Tragedy changes Willow's quirky but comfortable life, and as she adapts, she changes the lives of those around her.

Smith, Hope Anita. //Keeping the Night Watch//. While the rest of the family welcomes his father’s return, thirteen-year-old C.J. cannot hide his hurt and anger over his father’s abandonment. Smith’s graceful poetry delves deeply into C.J.’s emotion life.

Stead, Rebecca. //Goodbye Stranger.// With multiple perspectives, this tale explores the bonds and limits of friendship, as Bridge and her friends navigate the inevitable changes of growing up.

Stead, Rebecca. //When You Reach Me//. Miranda receives a series of mysterious notes, but will she be too late to stop the tragedy the notes predict?

Stelson, Caren. //Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story//. Sachiko was six years old when the atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki, Japan. Her incredible story of survival, loss, and courageous perseverance is one that must be heard. (Sibert Honor Book)

Stiefvater, Maggie. //The Scorpio Races//. Deadly horses emerge from the sea and collide with island inhabitants in a bloody annual race for prize money and the fulfillment of dreams. Rich language portrays characters, action, and setting leading to an intoxicating climax.

Stone, Tanya Lee. //Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream//. In the early 1960s, 13 women endured rigorous testing and training for the space program, as well as prejudice. Numerous photographs and a revealing text chronicle their difficulties and achievements.

Stotts, Stuart. //We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World.// This iconic song, handsomely illustrated here, serves as the framework for new understandings of the Civil Rights Movement.

Stroud, Jonathan. //The Screaming Staircase//. In a London overrun by ghosts, Lucy works with the ghost-hunting agency Lockwood & Co. to combat hauntings.

Sullivan, Tara. //The Bitter Side of Sweet//. Three children band together to escape a life of slavery on a cacao farm in the modern-day Ivory Coast.

Tak, Bibi Dumon. //Soldier Bear//. Translator: Laura Watkinson. Based on a true story and set during World War II, the novel follows the journey of refugee Polish soldiers and the mischievous young bear they acquire in the Iranian desert. (2012 Batchelder Award Book)

Tan, Shaun. //Lost & Found//. By turns mysterious, dreamlike, nightmarish, goofily endearing, and spookily surreal, these stories by Shaun Tan seemingly transport us to three very different worlds. Each page is a work of art.

Tan, Shaun. //Tales from Outer Suburbia.// Fifteen ‘radically’ and surrealistically illustrated tales guide readers in unexpected directions in this quirky, thoughtful, and sometimes even disturbing collection of stories and art.

Telgemeir, Raina. //Drama//. Callie's personal drama on the tech-crew -- unrequited crushes, a first kiss, middle-school cliques.

Teller, Janne. //Nothing//. As classmates struggle to convince a friend that life has meaning, they force each other to prove and provide meaning, with consequences that are deep, dark, and disastrous. (Batchelder Honor Book & YALSA Printz Honor Book)

Thor, Annika. //The Lily Pond//. Translator: Linda Schenck. This sequel to //A Faraway Island// continues the story of thirteen-year-old Stephie Steiner, a Jewish refugee whose parents have sent her from Nazi-occupied Vienna to Sweden. (2012 Batchelder Honor Book)

//Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection//. Ed. Matt Dembicki. This collaborative effort by more than 40 writers and artists presents 21 Native American trickster tales in graphic novel format.

Turner, Pamela S. //The Dolphins of Shark Bay//. Meet amazing dolphins that have learned to use tools to hunt for their dinner.

Vanderpool, Claire. //Moon Over Manifest//. Alternating between World War I and the Great Depression, this tale of the eclectic people and mysteries of Manifest, Kansas is told through a mix of letters, newspaper articles, and a fortune teller’s tales.

Vanderpool, Clare. //Navigating Early//. Sent to Morton Hill Academy after the death of his mother, Jack meets the unusual Early Auden. They set off on a quest that forces them to confront pirates, bears, doubt, loss and grief.

VanHecke, Susan. //Raggin', Jazzin', Rockin': American Musical Instrument Makers//. Steinway on pianos, Zildjian on cymbals, Martin and Fender on guitars...we meet these people and their iconic instruments in this intriguing introduction. Generously illustrated with photographs of the instruments, musicians, and more.

Voorhoeve, Anne C. //My Family for the War//. When 10-year-old Ziska flees Nazi Germany via a secret kindertransport train, she joins an Orthodox Jewish household in London where she gains a new family for the war. (2013 Batchelder Award Book)

Walker, Sally M. //Blizzard of Glass: the Halifax Explosion of 1917//. Clear and compelling description and analysis of scientific evidence and historic events brings this little-known tragedy to life, a history made personal by its focus on five families, some who survived, some who perished.

Wallace, Rich and Sandra Neil Wallace. //Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights//. Jonathan Daniels devoted his life to helping others, leading him to stand up and march for civil rights. Through journal entries, letters, and insight, readers experience his heartfelt fight for human rights.

Westerfeld, Scott. //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.

Weyn, Suzanne. //The Bar Code Tattoo//. Kayla becomes an outcast in her high school because she will not get the bar code tattoo.

White, J.A. //The Thickety: A Path Begins//. When Kara Westfall was five years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic…except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island.

Wiles, Deborah. //Countdown//. A “documentary novel” set in the 1960’s Cold War era; this title captures a girl’s fears about the world around her.

Williams-Garcia, Rita. //One Crazy Summer//. Three girls spend an unforgettable summer in the 1960s with their long-lost mother and learn about Black Power, revolution, and forgiveness. (Newbery Honor Book)

Wolitzer, Meg. //The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman//. Three 12-year-olds from different parts of the country participate in the national Youth Scrabble Tournament in Florida. Their discoveries about themselves, their friends and families turn out to be more important than winning in this perceptive story.

Wolk, Lauren. //Wolf Hollow//. In this coming-of-age story, spunky and courageous Annabelle defends a veteran who has become the target of local bullying attacks. (Newbery Honor Book)

Woodson, Jacqueline. //After Tupac & D Foster//. Bonded by Tupac’s music, three girls explore the lure of freedom and build a friendship that redefines their own identities.

Woodson, Jacqueline. //Brown Girl Dreaming//. Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical memoir chronicles the incidents and emotions she experienced as an African-American girl growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Precise language magnifies moments and connects them to the larger historical narrative. Her elegant and evocative standalone poems weave a story about her development from a struggling reader and dreamer into a confident young woman and writer. (National Book Award, Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award)

Yancy, Rick. //The 5th Wave//. Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them.

Yelchin, Eugene. //Breaking Stalin's Nose//. On the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Sasha's world is overturned when his father is arrested by Stalin's guard. (2012 Newbery Honor Book)

American Library Association. Children’s Notable Lists.