"The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same." summary provided by johngroganbooks.com

"Most of us, at some point in our schooling, have had a teacher who had a major impact on our thinking and the way we've lived our lives. What a treat would it be now, all these years later, to reacquaint ourselves with that treasure advisor, to learn again those lessons he or she shared when we were young. Mitch Albom was given that opportunity. He spent several months regularly visiting his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, during the elder man's final year of life. Tuesdays with Morrie is Albom's best-selling tribute to the man who gave him so much." summary provided by bn.com

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A boy summons a monster to help overcome some unexpected events in his life. Strange appearances at 12:07 AM lead him to the truth he must face.

Reading guide

"Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives." overview provided by bn.com

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

Graphic novel recommended by a student about drama within the school involving the school musical - on stage and backstage. LGBTQ themes

"Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There's my sister, Natalie, except she doesn't count. And there are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cook's or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. Plus, there are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to." overview provided by bn.com

Book website

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Historical fiction, 1911, immigration from Ireland through Ellis Island to New York City. One young lady, Rose, worked in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at the time of the devastating fire.

In 1940, the USSR occupied and illegally annexed Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. On June 14, 1941, the USSR performed first mass deportations from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. 1941 - Fictional story of a family split up and forced to leave their home, work in labor camps when Lithuania was taken over. Family ends up in Siberia.

It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him:

He has his own suitcase full of special things.

He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.

His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!!

Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself. (summary provided by goodreads.com)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Historical fiction story of the the town of Dayton, Tennessee seeking publicity with the Scopes-Monkey trial. 

Discussion guide

"Set in a small town in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this powerful, moving novel deals with issues of prejudice, courage, and self-respect. It is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. It is also the story of Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to her family. The racial tension and harrowing events experienced by young Cassie, her family, and her neighbors cause Cassie to grow up and discover the reality of her environment." summary provided by bn.com

 Reading Guide and Questions

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

 1945- War-torn Europe brings an unlikely group of refugees together as they travel west, to the sea, for evacuation.

Reading guide

"After the Civil War, Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own." summary provided by scholastic.com

 Discussion guide

Note: This book is available in our Library.

"A wonderful middle-grade novel narrated by Kenny, 9, about his middle-class black family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Kenny's 13-year-old brother, Byron, gets to be too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up. The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963." summary provided by bn.com

 Reading Guide and Questions

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

"In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft." overview provided by bn.com

 Study guide

YA novel of an American pilot in WWII navigating his way through Europe with the help of civilians and French Resistance fighters.

This is a story of young girl who lived in Lodz, Poland in a ghetto during the Holocaust. The simple language of the story makes the reader vividly imagine the conditions that Syvia's family endured.

 Author website

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

Brodie Lynch, a 13-year-old, must make a tough decision on whether to tell or suffer the consequences.

Fast-read thriller of a 16-year-old girl caught in a perilous position, struggling to remember her past.

Historical fiction written in free verse of an immigrant, Clara Lemlich, turned into union activist in NYC in the early 1900s.

"When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring. Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength." overview provided by bn.com

Scholastic webpage

Discussion guide

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Fictional story if two boys unable to communicate surviving in the Arabian Gulf.

Reading guide

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Author's webpage

Fictional story of Grayson, a sixth-grader, grappling with identity. Reveals the struggles of being a girl trapped in a boy's body.

Reading guide

Survival story of Brian, finding himself in the Canadian wilderness.

Reading guide

"As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt.As Doug struggles to be more than the "skinny thug" that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, a fiery young lady who "smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain."In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon's birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage.In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival." overview provided by scholastic.com

 Discussion guide

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

"Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal." overview provided by bn.com

 Scholastic webpage

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

Paul's struggle with moving to a new state, new schools, new neighborhood.

Reading guide

"How can the great Gilly Hopkins be expected to tolerate an ignorant foster mother, a freaky foster brother, or the poetry-loving black man next door? At first Gilly despises them all, but finds herself slowly drawn into their circle of love." summary provided by scholastic.com

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

Hilarious and sarcastic account of Holling Hoodhood, a 7th grader, during the Vietnam War era through self-discovery. Battles with a bully, friendships, rats, his teacher, and Shakespeare.

Author's webpage

Suspenseful YA about a devastating snow storm that lands 7 students in their high school trying to survive.

Suspenseful young adult novel. Family moved into an underground compound with threats of nuclear attack. After 6 years, secrets come to the surface.

Discussion guide

"Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see. Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love." overview provided by scholastic.com

 Scholastic webpage

 Note: This book is available in our Library.

"By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late." summary provided by bn.com

 Author website

 Note: This book is available in our Library.