SHS Library

Prepared by library staff for Mrs. Stangherlin’s 1^st, 6^th, and 8^th Periods.

All materials on this bibliography are available in the SHS library.

Biography

Allen, Paula Gunn and Patricia Clark Smith.  As Long As the Rivers Flow.  New

York : Scholastic, 1996.

920                  Nine Native Americans from diverse backgrounds and times are profiled

Allen                here: Weetamoo, Geronimo, Will Rogers, Jim Thorpe, Maria Tallchief,

Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Wilma Pearl Mankiller, Michael Naranjo, and Louise Erdrich.  These extraordinary individuals have made important contributions to the arts, politics, sports and other aspects of American life.

Cooper, Ilene.  Jack: The Early Years of John F. Kennedy.  New York : Dutton,

2003.

921                  He would be a symbol of power, grace, and tragedy-but before he was

Kennedy          JFK, he was sickly and scrappy, troubled and charming; he was a boy called Jack. To Jack, it seemed as if his brother Joe, not quite two years older, would always triumph-in school, on the playing field, in his father's affections. Jack was the sloppy second son, the witty, disorganized dreamer who could never seem to stay well long enough to muster his talents-a risky failing in the success-driven Kennedy family. Young readers cannot help but be fascinated by this sympathetic portrait of a complex youth who, as he struggled with the pressures of father-son dynamics and the shadow of ill health, discovered within himself an intensity for living and a profoundly ironic humor.

Green, Michelle Y.  A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson.

New York : Dial, 2002.

921                  Johnson played professional ball for the Indianapolis Clowns for three Johnson  years in the waning days of the Negro Leagues. She succeeded as a

professional athlete, competing on an equal footing against some of the best male ballplayers in the country. As her story makes clear, even though Jackie Robinson had broken the major-league color barrier a few years before, the U.S. was still mired in segregation and prejudice, and Johnson faced an equally pervasive bias against female athletes. She never let any of this stand in her way, however, and her love of baseball kept her going. This isn't an autobiography, but the author, who obviously interviewed her subject extensively, wisely tells the story in the first person.

Nir, Yehuda.  The Lost Childhood: A World War II Memoir.  New York :

Scholastic, 2002.

921                  Julek Grunfeld was eleven in 1941 when his father as killed in a mass

Nir                   execution of Jewish men in their Polish town.  Julek, his mother, and his

sister escaped detection by the Nazis using false baptismal documents.  They lived with gentile families and worked in close proximity to Germans, with the constant fear that their true names and identities would be discovered.

Note: For more Biographies, go to the 920’s and 921’s.

Fairy Tales

Napoli , Donna Jo. Beast.  New York : Atheneum Books, 2000.

FIC                  Orasmyn, a young Persian prince, makes a poor decision because he is too

Napoli               proud to seek advice.  This angers a fairy who then transforms Orasmyn

into a lion on he day his father begins a lion hunt.  Using his human mind and animal instincts, Orasmyn escapes.  He wanders through Asia and across Europe to France , where he finally finds love and redemption.  This story answers the question: Who was Beast before he met Beauty?

Napoli , Donna Jo.  Zel.  New York : Dutton Children’s Books, 1996.

FIC                  Why would a mother confine her beloved daughter to a remote tower and

Napoli               use magic powers to keep her there?  The psychological drama behind the

Rapunzel legend is told from the viewpoints of Zel’s mother; the young

nobleman who gives up everything to search for his love; and Zel herself, who is trapped in a devastating situation.  Set in long-ago alpine Switzerland .

Fantasy

Jordan, Sherryl.  Secret Sacrament.  New York : HarperCollins, 1996.

FIC                  The empire of Navora borders the land of the Shinali clan but the two

Jordan               nations have been estranged for many years.  Gabriel, the eldest son of a

Navoran shipowner, is fourteen when his father dies.  He is expected to take over the family business but declares his intent to become a healer instead.  Gabriel’s decision puts him on the path to fulfilling a prophecy that predicts a reunion of the Navoran and the Shinali peoples.

Levine, Gail Carson.  Ella Enchanted.  New York : HarperCollins, 1997.

FIC                  Given the “gift” of obedience at birth by a peevish fairy, Ella wants

Levine              nothing more than to be free and belong to herself.  But how can she if at anytime, anyone can order her to hop on one foot, cut off her hand, or betray the prince she loves – and she’ll have to obey?  Tackling trolls, giants, and her awful stepsisters’ schemes, Ella sets out to break the curse.  A 1998 Newbery Honor Book.

Philbrick, Rodman.  The Last Book in the Universe.  New York : Blue Sky Press,

2000.

FIC                  Spaz lives in a nightmarish future world.  His name represents the

Philbrick           condition he suffers from, epilepsy.  Spaz’s family unit feared he might hurt his sister, Bean, and banished him from home.  While living in an urban area ruled by a gang, Spaz is coerced into robbing an old man named Ryter.  When news comes that his sister is terribly ill, Spaz turns to Ryter for help.

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  New York : Scholastic,

1999.

FIC                  In one of the most hotly anticipated sequels in memory, J.K. Rowling

Rowling            takes up where she left with Harry's second year at the Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Old friends and new torments abound, including a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, an outrageously conceited professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, and a mysterious force that turns Hogwarts students to stone.

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  New York : Scholastic, 2000.

FIC                  Harry is now 14 years-old and in his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of

Rowling            Witchcraft and Wizardry, where big changes are afoot. This year, instead of the usual Inter-House Quidditch Cup, a Triwizard Tournament will be held, during which three champions, one from each of three schools of wizardry (Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beaux-batons), must complete three challenging magical tasks. The competitors must be at least 17 years old, but the Goblet of Fire that determines the champions mysteriously produces Harry's name, so he becomes an unwilling fourth contestant. Meanwhile, it is obvious to the boy's allies that the evil Voldemort will use the Tournament to get at Harry.  This fourth installment, with its deaths, a sinister ending, and an older and more shaken protagonist, surely marks the beginning of a very exciting and serious battle between the forces of light and dark.

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix .  New York : Scholastic,

2003.

FIC                  The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's series follows the darkest year yet for our

Rowling            young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested.

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  New York : Scholastic,

1999.

FIC                  For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous

Rowling            prisoner named Sirius Black.  Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.  Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter’s defeat of You-Know-Who was Black’s downfall as well.  And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, “He’s at Hogwarts… he’s at Hogwarts.”  Harry Potter isn’t safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by friends.  Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  New York : Scholastic,

1997.

FIC                  Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being

Rowling            raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

Somtow, S.P.  The Vampire’s Beautiful Daughter.   New York : Atheneum, 1997.

FIC                  “I’m only twenty-five percent Lakota, and I’m twenty-five percent Polish,

Somtow           and fifty percent Jewish, and leave me alone,” Johnny says of his background.  Then he meets Rebecca, who has a more unusual heritage – part human and part vampire.  Johnny and Rebecca fall in love, and everything seems perfect.  But on her birthday, Rebecca must choose whether to become human or permanently remain a vampire.

Thomson, Sarah L.  The Dragon’s Son.  New York : Orchard Books, 2001.

FIC                  Four lesser-known character from the legend of King Arthur tell their

Thomson          stories.  Nimue is sixteen when she falls in love with the bard who becomes Arthur’s most trusted adviser.  Morgan remembers the night her mother was kidnapped by Arthur’s father.  A handmaid to Morgan’s older sister describes her mistress’s miserable life.  Arthur’s son Medraud recalls the pain of being rejected by his father.

Historical Fiction

Blackwood, Gary .  The Year of the Hangman.  New York : Dutton, 2002.

FIC                  It's 1777-the rebellious American colonies have been soundly defeated by Blackwood   the powerful British redcoats, and the imprisoned General Washington is

to hang from the end of a gibbet. That's the situation that faces Creighton Brown, a seventeen-year-old Britisher who is abducted and arrives in America with nothing but an attitude. Creighton comes to settle in the heart of the rebel stronghold-Benjamin Franklin 's house, where the banned Liberty Tree is secretly published. Creighton is expected to spy for the British, but as he comes to know more patriots, he must consider "turning his coat" and joining the rebels. No boring historical novel, this provocative "alternate history" nearly jumps from the page with nonstop action, including a frigate battle, prison escape, arson, code-cracking, and a bona fide duel.

Lawrence, Iain.  The Wreckers.  New York : Delacorte, 1998.

FIC                  It is a stormy night in 1799, and John, aboard the Isle of Skye , is afraid

Lawrence          that the ship will wreck.  He is relieved to see a rescue light flash near the Cornish coast, directing the boat to shore.  But the ship does not dock safely; it smashes against the rocks, and John is washed ashore.  He is horrified to see local men drown one of the other survivors.  How can John escape?

Rinaldi, Ann.  A Stitch in Time.  New York : Scholastic, 1994.

FIC                  Hannah is the strong one. The one who cares for her brothers and sisters;

Rinaldi              the one who's kept the family together. But now, everything is changing. Her father is more distant, and her siblings are starting lives of their own. That's when Hannah decides to make a quilt. A quilt of fabrics from people who are special to the family; people they trust. And when the sisters are separated, Hannah makes sure they each have a piece of the quilt. The quilt she hopes will bring her family together again.

Rinaldi, Ann.  Finishing Becca.  New York : Scholastic, 1996.

FIC                  In 1778, 14-year-old Becca Synge goes to work as the personal maid for

Rinaldi              spoiled society beauty Peggy Shippen. The British are occupying Philadelphia , and the self-absorbed Peggy is seen most often on the arm of dashing Captain Andre. By the time the British decamp, Peggy's father is on the brink of ruin. It's then Peggy meets the notorious General Benedict Arnold, and the rest is history. According to Becca, who narrates the story, it was Peggy Shippen Arnold who was responsible for her husband's betrayal of the American Revolutionary cause.

Rinaldi, Ann.  In My Father’s House.  New York : Scholastic, 1996.

FIC                  Oscie Mason, a proud daughter of the Old South, is infuriated by her

Rinaldi              stepfather's opinions about slavery, the Confederacy, and Oscie's childhood world, and when he moves the family, Oscie learns about battles fought inside the home.

Rinaldi, Ann.  The Coffin Quilt.  New York : Harcourt, 1999.

FIC                  Fanny McCoy has lived in fear and anger ever since that day in 1878 when

Rinaldi              a dispute with the Hatfields over the ownership of a few pigs set her family on a path of hatred and revenge. From that day forward, along the ragged ridges of the West Virginia-Kentucky line, the Hatfields and the McCoys have operated not within the law but within mountain codes of their own making. In 1882, when Fanny's sister Roseanna runs off with young Johnse Hatfield, the hatred between the two clans explodes. As the killings, abductions, raids, and heartbreak escalate bitterly and senselessly, Fanny, the sole voice of reason, realizes that she is powerless to stop the fighting and must learn to rise above the petty natures of her family and neighbors to find her own way out of the hatred.

Horror

Duncan, Lois.  Gallows Hill.  New York : Delacorte, 1997.

FIC                  After a move to a strange town, Sarah is first shunned then is unexpectedly

Duncan              asked to be fortune-teller at a school fair.  What starts as a game becomes real when Sarah sees foreboding visions and learns more than she should about her classmates’ personal lives.  Haunted by dreams of the Salem witch trials, Sarah’s life is threatened when past and present merge in an electrifying climax.

Shusterman, Neal.  Full Tilt.  New York : Simon & Schuster, 2003.

FIC                  Sixteen-year-old Blake has always been the responsible one in his

Shusterman       dysfunctional family -- the one who drives safely, gets good grades, and looks after his wild younger brother, Quinn. Quinn is his brother's opposite -- a thrill-seeker who's always chasing the next scary rush, no matter what the cost. But Quinn and Blake are in for the surprise of their lives when they're thrust into the world of a bizarre phantom carnival -- and their souls are the price of admission. In order to save his brother, and himself, Blake must survive seven different carnival rides before dawn. Seven rides...it sounds easy. But each ride is full of unexpected dangers, because each ride is a reflection of one of Blake's deepest fears. And the last ride is the worst one of all. Because that's the one that confronts Blake with a terrifying secret from his past -- a secret he's been running from for years.

Singer, Marilyn.  Deal with a Ghost.  New York : Henry Holt and Company, 1997.

FIC                  Fifteen-year-old Deal thinks she's pretty sophisticated--smooth talking,

Singer               always in control, and above all, a winner at the so-called Game of attracting any boy she wants. Her composure is shattered, though, when her mother dumps her with a grandmother she barely knows, and Deal finds herself face-to-face with a ghost who calls her by name and seems to be tied to her grandmother's past. She must also handle a new boy, Laurie, who sees through her posturing and helps her recognize that playing the Game isn't satisfying any more. As Deal unravels the story of the ghost, she uncovers some surprising truths about her grandmother and herself.

Note: For more Horror books, see the display of Dean Koontz’s books.

Mystery

Cormier, Robert.  The Rag and the Bone Shop.  New York : Delacorte, 2001.

FIC                  Twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant is shocked when his friend Alicia Bartlett

Cormier            is murdered a few hours after he leaves her house.  The police suspect

Jason of the crime, but have no material evidence.  They ask Jason to help with the investigation and meet with a detective.  Jason doesn’t know that they plan to have him questioned by an interrogator who specializes in eliciting confessions.

Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler.  The Demon in the Teahouse.  New

York : Philomel Books, 2001.

FIC                  In ancient Japan , a series of fires erupts in the capital city of Edo . 

Hoobler            Fourteen-year-old Seikei, the adopted son of the local magistrate,

accompanies his father on an investigation of the matter.  They discover

that the arson might be linked to the recent deaths of several geishas.  At his father’s request, Seikei poses as a teahouse attendant to gather information.

Nixon, Joan Lowery.  Don’t Scream.  New York : Delacorte, 1996.

FIC                  Senior year is looking good for Jess and her new best friend, Lori, when

Nixon               two attractive boys move to their small Texas town.  But their new

friendships do not go smoothly.  Mark has a vicious temper and Scott is sneaking about.  What Jess can’t possibly know is that there is a deadly secret between the two boys which involves the Federal Witness Protection Program.  When Jess plays detective, she puts herself in danger.

Roberts, Gillian.  Caught Dead in Philadelphia .  New York : Ballantine, 1987.

FIC                  Anthony Award winner for Best First Mystery Novel.  Amanda Pepper,

Roberts            English teacher at Philly Prep, does not hate her life. But when a fellow

teacher who's engaged to a senate candidate, begs for rest on Amanda's

couch, then dies, things could be better. Then the police suspect her of murder, she begins her own investigation, and ends by teaching a certain blue-eyed cop a thing or two.

Roberts, Gillian.  I’d Rather Be in Philadelphia.  New York : Ballantine, 1992.

FIC                  This is book three in the Anthony Award-winning mystery series featuring Roberts         Amanda Pepper, the resourceful English teacher at Philly Prep. Amanda is

sorting books for a school fundraiser, when she comes across a book for battered women that contains a special and frightening message from its original, anonymous owner. Desperate to learn who donated the books, Amanda's search leads her to deliberate brutality and its cold-blooded consequences.

Note: More Mystery books, see our display of Mysteries.

Non-Fiction

Adams III, Charles J. and David J. Seibold.  Ghost Stories of the Lehigh Valley . 

Reading : Exeter House Books, 1993.

974.82                          Features true tales of ghosts, haunted houses, and the unexplained in

Adams              Lehigh, Carbon, and Northampton counties.

Bissinger, H. G.  Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream.  Da Capo

Press, 2000.

796.332                      Odessa isn’t known to be a place big on dreams, but the Panthers help

Bissinger           keep the hopes and dreams of this dusty town going.  Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust path of the oil business.  In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets.  But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true.  With frankness and compassion, H.G. Bissinger chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires – and sometimes shatters – the teenagers who wear the Panthers’ uniforms.

Blumenthal, Karen.  Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929.  New

York : Atheneum, 2002.

332.64                          Over six terrifying, desperate days in October 1929, the fabulous fortune

Blumenthal        that Americans had built in stocks plunged with a fervor never seen before. At first, the drop seemed like a mistake, a mere glitch in the system. But as the decline gathered steam, so did the destruction. Over twenty-five billion dollars in individual wealth was lost, vanished, gone. People watched their dreams fade before their very eyes. Investing in the stock market would never be the same. Here, Wall Street Journal bureau chief Karen Blumenthal chronicles the six-day period that brought the country to its knees, from fascinating tales of key stock-market players, like Michael J. Meehan, an immigrant who started his career hustling cigars outside theaters and helped convince thousands to gamble their hard-earned money as never before, to riveting accounts of the power struggles between Wall Street and Washington, to poignant stories from those who lost their savings -- and more -- to the allure of stocks and the power of greed.

Bowden, Mark.  Black Hawk Down: A Story About Modern War.  New York :

Penguin, 2000.

967.7305         Destined to become a classic of war reporting, Black Hawk Down is Mark

Bowden           Bowden's brilliant account of the longest sustained firefight involving American troops since the Vietnam War. On October 3rd, 1993 , about a hundred elite U.S. soldiers were dropped by helicopter into the teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu , Somalia . Their mission was to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take an hour. Instead they found themselves pinned down through a long and terrible night fighting against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy had been badly injured. Drawing on interviews from both sides, army records, audiotapes, and videos (some of the material is still classified), Bowden's minute-by-minute narrative is one of the most exciting accounts of modern combat ever written--a riveting story that captures the heroism, courage, and brutality of battle.

Crowe, Chris.  Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till

Case.  New York : Phyllis Fogelman Books, 2003.

364.15                          The kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till is famous as a catalyst for the

Crowe              Civil Rights Movement. Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old Black teenager from Chicago , was visiting family in a small town in Mississippi during the summer of 1955. Likely showing off to friends, Emmett allegedly whistled at a white woman. Three days later his brutally beaten body was found floating in the Tallahatchie River . The extreme violence of the crime put a national spotlight on the Jim Crow ways of the South, and many Americans-Black and white-were further outraged at the speedy trial of the white murderers. Although the two white men were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury, they later bragged publicly about the crime. It was a galvanizing moment for Black leaders and ordinary citizens, including such activists as Rosa Parks. In clear, vivid detail Chris Crowe investigates the before-and-aftermath of the crime, as well as the dramatic court trial, and places it into the context of the nascent Civil Rights Movement.

Dow, George Francis.  Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  New

York : Dover Publications, 1988.

974.4                              What did they eat? What did they wear? How did they live? This

Dow                 wonderfully informative sourcebook has the answers to all of your questions about everyday life in the colony from c.1600 to c.1750. Within these pages you will find fascinating information on early apparel, manners and customs, building techniques, herbal remedies and much more. In addition to early farming techniques, find out about sports and games, crimes and punishments, and home furnishings. The book begins with a description of the voyage from England to Massachusetts , including the food ration supplied to every passenger, lists of necessary equipment and household implements for families coming to New England , and approximate prices and freight costs for those items. Once they arrived, many people constructed "English wigwams" for shelter. Photographs show reconstructions of these and other shelters, such as a wooden garrison house, a thatched cottage, wattle-and-daub construction, and clapboard houses. Framing detail, latches and window styles are also shown.

Junger, Sebastian.  The Perfect Storm.  New York : HarperTorch, 1997.

974.4                              October 1991.  It was “the perfect storm” – a tempest that may happen

Junger              only once in a century – a nor’easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been worse.  Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour, the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed.  Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat tragically headed towards its hellish center.

Nickerson, Thomas, Owen Chase, et al.  The Loss of the Ship Essex , Sunk by a

Whale.  New York : Penguin, 2000.

910                  In 1820, the Nantucket whaleship Essex , thousands of miles from home in

Nickerson        the South Pacific, was rammed by an angry sperm whale. The Essex sank, leaving twenty crew members floating in three small boats for ninety days. The incident was the Titanic story of its day, and provided the inspiration for Melville's Moby-Dick. The Narrative of the Wreck of the Whaleship Essex, by the ship's first mate, Owen Chase, has long been the fundamental account of the Essex 's doomed voyage. But in 1980, a new account of the disaster was discovered, penned by Thomas Nickerson, the fifteen-year-old cabin boy who was steering the ship when the whale attacked. Now, Nickerson's harrowing tale can be read alongside Chase's in one authoritative edition, which includes more than a dozen other accounts from articles and newspapers, many of which have never appeared in book form.

Paine, Thomas.  Common Sense.  New York : Barnes & Noble Books, 1995.

973.3                              Common Sense became the moral and intellectual touchstone for the

Paine               American colonists struggling for independence from England . It sold over 120,000 copies within three months of its publication in 1776. The United States of America owes its existence in part to the incendiary brilliance of the work. In presenting his case to the American colonists that a break with England was not only inevitable and justified, Thomas Paine convincingly argued that the time for debate was over and that it was now time for the American colonists to raise arms. He ventured the judgment that in a war with England , America would emerge the victor. The striking phrases and clarity of vision of Common Sense continue to resonate with readers today.

Philbrick, Nathaniel.  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship

Essex .  New York : Penguin, 2000.

910                  The ordeal of the whaleship Essex was an event as mythic in the

Philbrick           nineteenth century as the sinking of the Titanic was in the twentieth. In 1819, the Essex left Nantucket for the South Pacific with twenty crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than ninety days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, disease, and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents-including a long-lost account written by the ship's cabin boy-and penetrating details about whaling and the Nantucket community to reveal the chilling events surrounding this epic maritime disaster. An intense and mesmerizing read, In the Heart of the Sea is a monumental work of history forever placing the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon.

Philbrick, Nathaniel.  Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship

Essex .  New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002.

910                  For older readers, Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship

Philbrick           Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick describes a tale worthy of Ahab: on November 20, 1820 , an angry sperm whale took vengeance on the men who would slay it for oil. Adapted from Philbrick's bestselling title for adults, In the Heart of the Sea, the narrative draws from primary sources, including the account of cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, who joined the crew at age 14.

Poetry

Koertge, Ron.  The Brimstone Journals.  Cambridge : Candlewick Press, 2001.

FIC                  The private thoughts of the seniors of Branston High School are revealed

Koertge            in a series of interconnected poems.  Tran struggles with the challenges

that face an immigrant.  Sheila is attracted to a girl.  Damon revels in his jock status but also worries about losing it.  When two students threaten to engage in a killing spree, their classmates must make a difficult decision.

Note:  More Poetry can be found in the 811’s in Non-Fiction.

Realistic Fiction

Bauer, Joan.  Hope Was Here.  New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2000.

FIC                  By the time Hope is sixteen, she and her Aunt Addie, diner cook

Bauer               extraordinaire, have lived in three time zones.  Brooklyn feels like home until Addie’s business partner deserts them.  Financially strapped, the two head for a diner in rural Wisconsin .  Hope doesn’t expect much more than Addie’s good food and a waitressing job in the small town of Mulhoney .  Then the owner of the diner enters a heated mayoral race, and Hope gets caught up in the excitement.  A 2001 Newbery Honor Book.

Brashares, Ann.  The Second Summer of the Sisterhood.  New York : Delacorte,

2003.

FIC                  The four friends of the delightful Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants are

Brashares         back for another summer of friendship, family, fun, and love with the magic pair of shopworn jeans. The pants travel with Bridget to Alabama , where she reestablishes a bond with her maternal grandmother; then they go with Tibby to a special summer program at Williamston College . The pants are with Lena at home during her on-again, off-again relationship with Kostos, and they are with Carmen as she tries to navigate her own and her mother's love lives. But this year the pants preside over a sadder, more tumultuous summer, as all four girls mature and realize that love and family are far more difficult to sustain than they had thought.

Brashares, Ann.  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  New York : Delacorte,

2001.

FIC                  Carmen buys a pair of jeans at a thrift store and almost throws them away,

Brashares         but when first her friend Tibby and then Lena and Bridget take an interest, all four girls try the pants on.  To their amazement, the jeans flatter each of them – despite their different builds.  The pants are pronounced “magical.”  This summer, the girls will be apart, so they decide to mail each other the jeans to stay connected.  Lena takes them first, to Greece .

Brooks , Martha .  True Confessions of a Heartless Girl.  New York : Farrar, Straus

and Giroux, 2003.

FIC                  In the midst of a heaven-rattling summer storm a young stranger blows

Brooks             into a small prairie town. On the run after taking her latest boyfriend’s truck, with a pocketful of stolen money and a heart full of pain, seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall seems to invite trouble. And trouble comes soon enough as Noreen’s new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake: Lynda Bradley, a divorced mother and owner of a failing café who’s given up on life and love; Dolores Harper, the village elder who, in spite of her signature sweatshirt that says MEDDLING FOR JESUS, has lost her enthusiasm for helping others; and Del Armstrong, a middle-aged bachelor farmer who is still paying for the tragic events of his own seventeenth summer.  Set against the vast skies of a prairie landscape, with a rich cast of unforgettable characters and an unlikely heroine as endearing as she is tough, this affecting novel reminds readers that it’s never too late for forgiveness – and that sometimes the most unlikely messenger can deliver a small miracle.

Buffie, Margaret.  Angels Turn Their Backs.  Toronto : Kids Can Press, 1998.

FIC                  Paralyzed by panic attacks and afraid to tell anyone, Addy cannot leave

Buffie               the house where she and her mother have moved.  In an empty apartment across the hall, Addy finds a beautiful tapestry, left unfinished by Lotta, the room’s former occupant.  Addy has visions of Lotta and feels compelled to complete the tapestry.  Doing so may trap Addy inside the house forever.

Cabot, Meg.  The Princess Diaries, Volume III: Princess in Love.  New York :

HarperCollins, 2002.

FIC                  It would seem that 14-year-old Mia Thermopolis ("five foot nine inches

Cabot               tall, with no visible breasts, feet the size of snowshoes") has the kind of life every Manhattan teenager could only dream of: She is, in her spare time, the princess of the European country of Genovia. Alas, the Royal Privilege is more like a Predicament. Not only does she have to endure daily princess lessons from her critical Grandmère ("It isn't as if I'm going to show up at the castle and start hurling olives at the ladies-in-waiting"), but her new stepfather is also her algebra teacher, her mother is pregnant and vomiting, she doesn't like her boyfriend very much, and she's convinced the real love of her life--her best friend's older brother--thinks of her as a kid.

Note: We also have The Princess Diaries and Volumes II: Princess in the Spotlight.

Cappo, Nan Willard.  Cheating Lessons.  New York : Atheneum, 2002.

FIC                  Bernadette Terrell has always known the right thing to do. Not the most

Cappo              popular girl in school, her focus has always been on academic, not social, success. When her favorite teacher names her to Wickham High School 's state championship quiz bowl team, she believes that she has reached the pinnacle of her high school academic career. However, her elation quickly fades as she begins to suspect that perhaps someone cheated to get Wickham into the contest and is cheating still. In her search for answers, Bernadette must contend with a situation that isn't black and white, where a community's hope, hard work, and pride are on the line. Is a team -- and a school -- implicated by one person's behavior? Cappo's blend of suspense and humor makes Cheating Lessons a riveting story about right and wrong -- and the downside of trust.

Clarke, Judith.  Wolf on the Fold.  Asheville : Front Street , 2000.

FIC                  Fourteen-year-old Kenny’s dad has just died, and now Kenny must

Clarke              become the breadwinner. “Be careful going through the flatlands,” his mother warns him. “Don’t stop for anyone.” But Kenny does stop, and what happens next will define the man he becomes. These stories, which track the lives of Kenny, his family, and his friends over decades, are about the place where adolescence collides with adulthood. The second story involves Kenny’s two daughters, who find they must rely on each other despite their differences. The third story is a snapshot of a school bully with a secret; years later, two of her victims meet her in a shop and are forced to reevaluate their feelings about her.

Coleman, Evelyn.  Born in Sin.  New York : Atheneum, 2001.

FIC                  Fourteen-year-old Keisha has always done well in school and plans to

Coleman           become a doctor.  When a counselor removes her from the college-prep track, Keisha is upset.  She resents being judged on the basis of her race and class (she’s black and poor).  Through a program for “at-risk” students, Keisha discovers she has a talent for swimming.  She joins a team that is training for the Olympics, but her priority continues to be college.

Connelly, Neil.  St. Michael’s Scales.  New York : Arthur A. Levine Books, 2002.

FIC                  Keegan Flannery was born a twin, though his brother Michael did not

Connelly           survive birth. Now, two weeks before his sixteenth birthday, he has a dream about how own death. Understanding Michael was supposed to have lived, and it was he who was meant to have died, Keegan sets out to right all the wrongs by planning his own suicide. But in these two weeks, life intercedes in the plan. Keegan joins the wrestling team and a dialogue between him and his father begins. And it may just be enough to change Keegan’s ideas about confession, penance, and the gift of being alive.

Cooney, Caroline B.  Mummy.  New York : Scholastic, 2000.

FIC                  Emlyn is a model student and a great athlete - a girl who doesn't seem to

Cooney            have a dark side. But secretly she's always wondered what it would be like to commit a crime and get away with it. When she gets involved in a prank to steal a mummy, everything goes according to plan. Until Emlyn is forced to save the mummy - and herself.

Cormier, Robert.  The Chocolate War.  New York : Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1974.

FIC                  Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that

Cormier            his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives?

Cormier, Robert.  Beyond the Chocolate War.  New York : Alfred A. Knopf,

1985.

FIC                  The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is past history.

Cormier            But no one at Trinity School can forget The Chocolate War. Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organization called the Virgils, stall has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates. In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled by his right-hand man, Obie, who has started to move away from the Virgils. Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that. But won't Archie be shocked when he discovers the surprise Obie has waiting for him? And there are surprises waiting for others. The time for revenge has come to those boys who secretly suffered the trials of Trinity. The fuse is set for the final explosion. Who will survive?

Crutcher, Chris.  Chinese Handcuffs.  Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1989.

FIC                  When Dillon Hemingway is forced to witness his brother Preston 's

Crutcher           suicide, his life understandably seems to fall apart. His quest to make it whole again involves Stacy Ryder, Preston's girlfriend, who is left with more than a memory of Dillon's dead brother, and Jennifer Lawless, a star high school basketball player with a secret too monstrous to tell and too enormous to keep. His antagonist are a vicious cycling gang, a single-minded school principal, and Jennifer's father, a brilliant lawyer with a chilling disregard for human sensitivity. Chris Crutcher's Chinese Handcuffs is a story about a time when life seems too overwhelming to confront. It is also a story of courage and acceptance, told with power and sensibility.

Crutcher, Chris.  Ironman.  Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1995.

FIC                  Although slow to accept his placement in an anger-management class,

Crutcher           triathlete Bo Brewster learns to control and develop his emotional strength. Powerful, perceptive, and wickedly funny.

Crutcher, Chris.  Whale Talk.  Greenwillow Books, 2001.

FIC                  There’s bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim

Crutcher           team. The bad news is that they don’t have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant), the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to find their places in a school that has no place for them. T.J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket–exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T.J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High–will also be an effective tool. He’s right. He’s also wrong. Still, it’s always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets soon becomes the space where they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to grow. Together they’ll fight for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment’s inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us.

Dessen, Sarah.  Dreamland.  New York : Viking, 2000.

FIC                  On the day Caitlin turns sixteen, her older sister, Cass – a model student

Dessen             and athlete – runs away instead of going to college.  Caitlin, who has always lived in Cass’ shadow, is determined to find her own path.  She tries out for cheerleading and dumps her conventional boyfriend for the unusual and fascinating Rogerson.  Then her new relationship becomes dangerous, and Caitlin wishes she knew what Cass would do.

Donnelly, Jennifer.  A Northern Light.  New York : Harcourt, 2003.

FIC                  Mattie Gokey, 16, a talented writer, promised her dying mother that she

Donnelly           would always take care of her father and younger siblings. She is stuck on a farm, living in near poverty, with no way of escaping, even though she has been accepted at Barnard College . She promises to marry handsome Royal Loomis even though he doesn't appear to love her. Now, Mattie has promised Grace Brown, a guest at the Adirondack summer resort where she works, to burn two bundles of letters. Then, before she can comply, Grace's body is found in the lake, and the young man who was with her disappears, also presumably drowned. This is a breathtaking tale, complex and often earthy, wrapped around a true story.

Ferris, Jean.  Of Sound Mind.  New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2001.

FIC                  Theo is fluent in sign language because his parents and younger brother

Ferris               are deaf.  His mother, a self-centered artist, is suspicious of “hearies” and relies on him to interpret and help raise his brother.  Theo feels frustrated by her demands.  At the start of senior year, he meets Ivy, whose father is deaf.  She encourages Theo to consider a future away from home.  Then Theo’s father is suddenly hospitalized, and Theo’s mother seems unable to cope.

Frank, E. R.  America .  New York : Atheneum, 2002.

FIC                  "Where would you like to be five years from now?" Dr. B. asks.

Frank               "Nowhere," America answers.

By age fifteen, America has already been nowhere. Been nobody. Separated from his foster mother, Mrs. Harper. A runaway living for weeks in a mall, then for months in Central Park . A patient at Applegate, the residential treatment facility north of New York City . And now at Ridgeway, a hospital. America is a boy, he thinks to himself, who gets lost easy and is not worth the trouble of finding. But Dr. B. takes the trouble. With abiding care, he nudges America 's story from him. An against-the-odds story about America 's shattered past with his mother and brothers. About Browning, a man in Mrs. Harper's house who saves America , then betrays him. About a bighearted, hardheaded girl named Liza, and Ty and Fish and Wick and Marshall and Ernie and Tom and Dr. B. himself who care more than America does about whether he lives or dies.  Note: Contains graphical content and situations.

Fredericks, Mariah.  The True Meaning of Cleavage.  New York : Atheneum,

2003.

FIC                  Sari and Jess are best friends and total opposites. They've liked each other

Fredericks         ever since they discovered that they are the only two normal people at Eldridge Alternative. As they prepare to face the trials of ninth grade, Sari is psyched. Jess, not so much. How can she face the Prada Mafia, the most evil clique at school? Or Mr. McGuiness's unnervingly long nose hair?  What if something really interesting happens to Sari and nothing whatsoever happens to Jess?  Not even Jess can predict the mayhem when Sari falls madly, psychotically in love with David Cole. David is a senior. David is cool. And he's been dating Thea Melendez for forever. So he can't possibly be interested in Sari. Or can he? Now Jess has a new worry. Because if David is interested in Sari, Sari may not be interested in being Jess's best friend anymore. Cool is cool and geek is geek, and at Eldridge, the two definitely do not mix.

Going, K. L.  Fat Kid Rules the World.  New York : G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2003.

FIC                  Troy Billings at 6'1", 296 pounds, is standing at the edge of a subway

Going               platform seriously contemplating suicide when he meets Curt MacCrae -a sage-like, semi-homeless punk guitar genius who also happens to be a drop-out legend at Troy 's school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. "I saved your life. You owe me lunch," Curt tells Troy , and Troy can't imagine refusing; after all, think of the headline: FAT KID ARGUES WITH PIECE OF TWINE.  But with Curt, Troy gets more than he bargained for and soon finds himself recruited as Curt's drummer. "We'll be called Rage/Tectonic. Sort of a punk rock, Clash sort of thing," Curt informs him. There's only one problem. Troy can't play the drums. Oh yes, and his father thinks Curt's a drug addict. And his brother thinks Troy 's a loser. But with Curt, anything is possible. "You'll see," says Curt. "We're going to be HUGE."  In an outstanding, funny, edgy debut, K. L. Going presents two unlikely friends who ultimately save each other.

Grimes, Nikki.  Bronx Masquerade.  New York : Dial Books, 2002.

FIC            &nbs