Assignments
“It may be short, but it ain’t easy.”
(Quote from student)
Adler, C. S.
Carly’s Buck
Carly’s friend Chet is almost perfect except that he wants to hunt the buck deer that Carly wants
to protect. Must Carly choose between the deer and Chet? (176 p.)
Armstrong, Jennifer
The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan
During the Civil War, Mairhe dreams as she tends bar in the Irish slums of Washington, D.C.
Suddenly, her brother enlists in the Union Army and she is left with an ailing, brokenhearted father.
(119 p.)
Arrick, Fran
Chernowtiz!
Everyone followed Emmett’s lead and when he decided he did not like Bobby because he was
Jewish, a terrifying, tormenting campaign of prejudice and hatred was started. (181 p.)
Bach, Richard
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
A delightful adventure about freedom and light. (93 p.)
Barrett, William
The Lilies of the Field
On impulse, Homer Smith stops to help four nuns and stays to build them a church. (92 p.)
Bennett, Jay
Skeleton Man
Ray knows a deadly secret that is worth $30,000 to him, but it could cost him his life if the
murderous gamblers catch him. (170 p.)
Block, Francesca Lia
Missing Angel Juan
A tangly-haired girl named Witch Baby loves a guy named Angel Juan who is missing in New
York. So she heads to the city of garbage, Chinese food, drug dealers, and subways to find him. (138 p.)
Blos, Joan W.
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-1832
Life of a young girl in New England and the changes she faces when her father decides to
remarry. (144 p.)
Bowler, Tim
Midget
Subject to strange fits, physically abnormal, and psychologically disturbed by the constant abuse
of his older brother, Midget finds himself in control of his life for the first time when he gets a sailboat
and discovers untapped mental powers. (159 p.)
Brancato, Robin
Winning
Gary had everything – friends, looks, and athletic prowess. Then, in one simple tackle, he is alone and paralyzed. (164 p.)
Burks, Brian
Soldier Boy
Johnny “The Kid” McBane is the best bare-knuckle boxer, but when he refuses to throw a fight,
he must leave town in a hurry. He joins the army --- where he thinks he will make good money and see
the West for free. (151 p.)
Cadnum, Michael
Breaking the Fall
Stanley feels like his life is spinning out of control so he joins Jared in a dangerous game of
breaking and entering, because the fear makes him feel alive. (131 p.)
Rundown
As a game, Jennifer pretends that she has been attacked by a serial rapist, but then she finds
herself getting more attention from the police and her parents than she wanted. (168 p.)
Cormier, Robert
The Rag and Bone Shop
Trent, an ace interrogator from Vermont, works to procure a confession from an introverted
boy accused of killing his seven-year-old neighbor. (154 p.)
Dank, Milton
Red Flight Two
Edward is eighteen and a pilot in World War I who has to handle dogfights in the air and the
responsibility of commanding other men in deadly battle. (181 p.)
Eckert, Allan
Blue Jacket : War Chief of the Shawnees
Based on the true story of a white man who longed to be an Indian and actually became the
chief of the tribe. (177 p.)
Fine, Anne
The Tulip Touch
Tulip led and Natalie followed even when Tulip made up games that targeted other people.
But when the games started to become menacing and Natalie became increasingly alarmed; she knew
that breaking away from Tulip would cause Tulip to play the most dangerous game of all. (147 p.)
Fleischman, Paul
Mind’s Eye
Courtney is sixteen and paralyzed, but her eyes can do what Elva’s can’t --- read the old woman’s account of her 1910 journey. Reluctantly, Courtney agrees to Elva’s request to lead a
journey that takes place solely in the mind’s eye. (108 p.)
Whirligig
Brent causes Lea’s death in his quest to be popular. As penitence, he must travel to the four
corners of the U.S. and place a whirligig there in honor of Lea. (133 p.)
Fox, Paula
The Eagle Kite
Liam has kept the memory hidden of seeing his father on the beach with someone. But when
his mother says his father is sick – from a blood transfusion – Liam knows the truth. His father has
AIDS. (127 p.)
Greene, Constance
Getting Nowhere
“Sometimes the rage gets its hand around my throat in the morning, and all day long it tightens
its grip until by dinner, I can hardly breathe.” Mark’s frustration threatens to destroy a once happy
household. (121 p.)
Hawes, Louise
Rosey in the Present Tense
“There are times when two people become so deeply and perfectly snuggled within each other’s
life that it is as if they have become one being. When one loses the other, the road to acceptance seems
impassible.” (128 p.)
Ishii, Takayuki
One Thousand Paper Cranes
Ten years after the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako died as a result of the atomic
bomb disease. Her classmates were inspired by her determination to fold one thousand paper cranes,
symbolizing peace, so they started a national campaign to build a peace statue in her memory. (92 p.)
Kellogg, Marjorie
Like the Lion’s Tooth
Ben, Madeline, Ray, and all of the others have always been abused by their parents; so they are
sent to “the School” for problem children.
Kerr, M. E.
Slap Your Sides
Life in their Pennsylvania hometown changes for Jubal Shoemaker and his family when his older
brother witnesses to his Quaker beliefs by becoming a conscientious objector during WWII. (198 p.)
Kherdian, David
Bridger: the Story of a Mountain Man
Jim Bridger, only 18 years old, joined the other mountaineers to try to find the source of the
Missouri River; two years later, he found the Great Salt Lake.
Lester, Julius
Othello
The riveting saga of two doomed, passionate souls, in a bloodbath born of lies and self-delusion
--- a modern retelling with added characters and stories. (151 p.)
Matas, Carol
After the War
After being liberated from Buchenwald, Ruth joins the underground organization Brichah who
risk their lives smuggling illegal immigrants to Palestine. (133 p.)
The Garden
After leading a group of refugees into Palestine, Ruth wants to forget her past and forge a new
life, but violence is escalating as Arabs and Jews disagree over the portioning of Palestine. (148 p.)
The Burning Time
Rose Rives’s simple life is shattered when her mother, the midwife and healer for the town is
turned over to authorities and tortured for being a witch. (113 p)
Neufeld, John
Lisa, Bright and Dark
“What do you do when you are 16 years old and know you are losing your mind … and your
parents think you are faking?” (122 p.)
O’Dell, Scott
My Name is Not Angelica
Raisha is snatched from Africa and carried to the West Indies to be sold as a slave. Later, as
‘Angelica,’ she joins the slave revolt of 1733. (130 p.)
Peck, Robert Newton
Arly’s Run
“All I could think of was that I, Arly Poole, was finally escaping from Mr. Broda, the field boss,
and his guns and blood-dogs wouldn’t be dragging me back to Shack Row with his rope burning me
fearful. I was free.” (160 p.)
Spinka, Penina Keen
Mother’s Blessing
“He will be a great one when he grows up.” So spoke the Old Man of the tribe as they awaited
the birth of the chief’s son. But instead of a son, Swordfish had daughter. He was furious and cast
aside the mother and her baby, but her destiny could not be denied. (177 p.)
Strasser, Todd
The Wave
Based on a true incident that occurred in a high school history class, The Wave shows how group
pressure from cults or political movements can cause people to willingly give up their freedom of choice.
(143 p.)
Thomas, Joyce Carol
Marked by Fire
Abby grew up with the love of her parents and community. Then a tornado hits and drives Abby’s family apart; a deranged neighbor targets her for a campaign of terror; and a physical assault
all but breaks her will. (171 p.)
Thompson, Julian F.
The Trials of Molly Sheldon
A group of self-appointed moralists want the Sheldons to stop carrying anything in their store
that threatens ‘American Family Values.’ Molly is so wrapped up in her new boyfriend that she doesn’t
notice how threatening the censors have become until her life is in danger. (176 p.)
Towne, Mary
Paul’s Game
Two friends with the power of ESP get involved with a boy named Paul who wants to use
their powers for evil purposes in this tale of psychological suspense. (186 p.)
Trembath, Don
The Tuesday Café
It all started with a small fire in a garbage can. Unfortunately, the can was in the hallway of
Harper’s school. So now the judge has ordered Harper to write an essay on how he is going to turn
his life around. (121 p.)
Turner, Ann
Third Girl from the Left
1885 --- Independent and rebellious Sarah leaves Maine to become a mail-order bride of a
Montana rancher. She survives loneliness and the harsh winter but finds herself a widow in the
spring with a 2,000 acre ranch to manage. (153 p.)
Voigt, Cynthia
When She Hollers
Tish, who has been enduring abuse from her adoptive stepfather since she was a small child,
finally decides she must do something to stop him. (177 p.)
Wartski, Maureen
Candle in the Wind
On the night of a party celebrating his acceptance into Harvard, Harris Mizuno, a Japanese-
American, is shot dead by an elderly white man. Soon, the town erupts into hatred, bigotry, and
vigililantism, and white supremacists descend on the town. (185 p.)
Wesley, Valerie Wilson
Where Do I Go from Here?
A powerful novel of a young African-American girl’s struggle to find her place at a top-notch,
almost exclusively white, private school. (138 p.)
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Fast Talk on a Slow Track
How can Denzel, who gets straight A’s and is valedictorian, tell his family that he has left
Harvard? He takes a summer job, selling door-to-door, and finds himself up against Mello, the star
salesman, an illiterate ex-con. Denzel is forced to look at how much farther he could fall. (182 p.)
Wittlinger, Ellen
The Long Night of Leo and Bree
On the anniversary of his sister’s brutal murder, Leo escapes from his mother’s rage. When he
sees Bree on the street, he kidnaps her. (111 p.)
Woodson, Jacqueline
Miracle’s Boys
Lafayette’s close relationship with his older brother changes after Charlie is released from a
detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother. (131 p.)
Zindel, Paul
A Begonia for Miss Applebaum
Discovering that their beloved teacher is terminally ill, Henry and Zelda accompany her on her
excursions to the colorful parts of New York City and join her in confronting death with quiet
courage. (180 p.)