Reading List - 2006

This list, which were compiled by your librarians, Mrs. Li, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Schwarz, are suggested titles for summer reading. For more recommendations, come to the library!

Fiction

Abraham, Susan Gonzales. Surprising Cecilia. In the 1930s as she ventures from her small and poor New Mexican farming community to go to high school in the city, teenaged Cecilia finds herself challenged in unexpected ways.

Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The story of a British earthling plucked from his planet, and his subsequent adventures elsewhere in the universe.

Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. A fifteen-year-old drug user chronicles her daily struggle to escape the pull of the drug world.

Austen, Jane. Emma. Young, beautiful and wealthy Emma Woodhouse spends her time matchmaking others with little concern for her own romantic life.

Baldwin, James. Go Tell It on the Mountain. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935. Baldwin's rendering of his protagonist's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention opened new possibilities in the American language and in the way Americans understand themselves.

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. The Killer's Tears. A young boy, Paolo, and the man who murdered his parents, Angel, gradually become like father and son as they live and work together on the remote Chilean farm where Paolo was born.

Brashares, Ann. Girls in pants : the third summer of the sisterhood. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants graduates from high school and spends their last summer before college learning about life and themselves.

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Tells the tale of Heathcliff, a young orphaned gypsy boy, who is brought to the windswept moors of Yorkshire by Mr. Earnshaw, the master of Wuthering Heights. The master's daughter, the precocious and untameable Cathy, becomes his ally -- and a childhood fondness for one another grows to a great passion.

Budhos, Marina Tamar. Ask Me No Questions. A moving story about two teenage sisters, originally from Bangladesh, whose family lives illegally in New York city. After 9/11, immigration regulations change, forcing the family to seek asylum.

Carr, Dennis. Welcome to Wahoo. After being told that she must leave her European boarding school to live in Nebraska under an assumed name to be safe from Mafia assassins, Victoria Van Wyck tries to stop a smear campaign directed at her new friend by the school's popular clique.

Castellucci, Cecil. Boy Proof. Feeling alienated from everyone around her, high school senior and cinephile Victoria Denton hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies.

Castellucci, Cecil. The Queen of Cool. Bored with her life, popular high school junior Libby signs up for an internship at the zoo and discovers that the "science nerds" she meets there may have a few things to teach her about friendship and life.

Coben, Harlan. Tell No One: a novel. When she joins her sister on the West Coast at their father's, Anna begins to understand that telling true love from true lust is far more easily said than done.

Coburn, Jake. LoveSick. After an accident seems to end his college and athletic dreams, Ted is offered a second chance at school if he agrees to spy on a classmate and help her father monitor her bulimia

Cohn, Rache. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Davidson, Dana. Played. Kylie Winship is overwhelmed by the attention she is getting from handsome Ian Striver; however, when the relationship begins to heat up, Kylie must decide whether to listen to her heart or her head.

Dean, Zoey. Back in Black. The Hollywood girls make a getaway to the Palms Casino in Las Vegas where they put to the test the universal pact, whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Dent, Grace. LBD: live and fabulous. Now fifteen years old, Ronnie, Fleur, and Claude, with Fleur's sister as their chaperone, are having the time of their lives at the Astlebury music festival when Fleur suddenly disappears while crowd surfing.

Draper, Sharon M. Copper Sun. Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.

Elliott, Patrica. Murkmere. A village girl, newly companion to the Master's ward in the days following the Ministration, challenges the motives of the religious leaders of the Divine Beings, the birds.

Frank, E.R. Friction. Alex, suffering a bit of a crush on her eighth-grade teacher Simon, becomes confused about what is true when a new girl at Forest Alternative claims Simon has been molesting her and Alex.

Funke, Cornelia Caroline. The Thief Lord. Orphaned brothers Prosper and Bo, having run away from their cruel aunt and uncle, decide to hide out in Venice where they fall in with the Thief Lord, a thirteen-year-old boy who leads a crime ring of street children.

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. A novel of one man condemned to die for a crime he did not commit and a young man who visits him in his cell. In the end, the two men forge a bond as they both come to understand the simple heroism of resisting--and defying--the expected

Griffin, Adele. Where I Want to Be. Two teenaged sisters, separated by death but still connected, work through their feelings of loss over the closeness they shared as children that was later destroyed by one's mental illness, and finally make peace with each other.

Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Hearn, Julie. The Minister's Daughter. In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her granddaughter of witchcraft to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials their lie has unexpected repercussions.

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. A British nurse and an American ambulance driver fall in love during World War I.

Henry, Chad. DogBreath Victorious. Dogbreath, Tim's alternative Seattle grunge rock band, enters a major battle of the bands contest, but is beaten by The Angry Housewives, a new group fronted by Tim's mother.

Hiaasen, Carl. Flush. With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Amir, haunted by his betrayal of Hassan, the son of his father's servant and a childhood friend, returns to Kabul as an adult after he learns Hassan has been killed, in an attempt to redeem himself by rescuing Hassan's son from a life of slavery to a Taliban official.

Hurston, Zora Neal. Their Eyes Were Watching God. The novel follows the fortunes of Janie Crawford, a woman living in the black town of Eaton, Florida

Jaffe, Michele. Bad Kitty. While vacationing with her family in Las Vegas, seventeen-year-old Jasmine stumbles upon a murder mystery that she attempts to solve with the help of her friends, recently arrived from California.

Jenkins, A.M. Beating Heart: a ghost story. Following his parents' divorce, seventeen-year-old Evan moves with his mother and sister into an old house where the spirit of a teenager who died there awakens and mistakes him for her long-departed lover.

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.

Jones, Patrick. Nailed. An outcast in a school full of jocks, sixteen-year-old Bret struggles to keep his individuality through his interest in drama and music, while trying to reconnect with his father.

Korman, Gordon. Born to Rock. High school senior Leo Caraway, a conservative Republican, learns that his biological father is a punk rock legend.

Krovatin, Christopher. Heavy Metal and You. High schooler Sam begins losing himself when he falls for a preppy girl who wants him to give up getting wasted with his best friends and even his passion for heavy metal music in order to become a better person.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake: A Novel. A young man born of Indian parents in America struggles with issues of identity from his teens to his thirties.

LaRochelle, David. Absolutely, Positively Not. Chronicles a teenage boy's humorous attempts to fit in at his Minnesota high school by becoming a macho, girl-loving "playboy" pinup-displaying heterosexual.

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Paul's simple high-school life is confused by his desire for another boy who seems unattainable, until Paul's friends help him find the courage to pursue him.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 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.

Lubar, David. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie. While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable. High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

Martel, Jann. Life of Pi. Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company.

McCall Smith, Alexander. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate. Isabel is asked to fill in at her niece's gourmet delicatessen where she meets Ian, who is haunted by visions of a man he comes to believe must be the murdered donor of his transplanted heart.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. Eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove - a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others - who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops. Lonnie and the rest of his Harlem ghetto basketball team learn the fine art of playing and winning like pros from Cal, who once was one.

Myers, Walter Dean. Slam. "Slam" Harris is a talented basketball player whose dreams of fame and fortune in the NBA can come true--if he can control his anger.

Myracle, Lauren. Kissing Kate. Sixteen-year-old Lissa's relationship with her best friend changes after they kiss at a party and Lissa does not know what to do, until she gets help from an unexpected new friend.

Na, Ann. Wait for Me. As her senior year in high school approaches, Mina yearns to find her own path in life but working at the family business, taking care of her little sister, and dealing with her mother's impossible expectations are as stifling as the southern California heat, until she falls in love with a man who offers a way out.

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. The famous satire on Soviet communism depicted as a revolutionized barnyard in which "some animals are more equal than others".

Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. After successfully evading an Urgals ambush, Eragon is adopted into the Ingeitum clan and sent to finish his training so he can further help the Varden in their struggle against the Empire.

Portman, Frank. King Dork. High school loser Tom Henderson discovers that "The Catcher in the Rye" may hold the clues to the many mysteries in his life.

Price, Charlie. Dead Connection. A loner who communes with the dead in the town cemetery hears the voice of a murdered cheerleader and tries to convince the adults that he knows what happened to her.

Reed, Kit. Thinner Than Thou. Rev. Earl's luxury spa, Sylphania, is the rage for those with severe eating disorders until Jeremy Devlin enters and discovers the dark secrets at the core of Earl's empire.

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Incinerated by the Nazis in 1933, this famous war novel depicts the horror of the front with deliberately brutal realism.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Novice wizard Harry Potter, now sixteen-years-old, begins his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the midst of the battle between good and evil which has heated up with the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Sacher, Louis. Small Steps. Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying hard to keep his life on track, but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some easy money scalping concert tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along.

Shulman, Polly. Enthusiasm. Julie and Ashleigh, high school sophomores and Jane Austen fans, seem to fall for the same Mr. Darcy-like boy and struggle to hide their true feelings from one another while rehearsing for a school musical.

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. Hip-Hop High School. Theresa Anderson and Devon Hampton set out to beat the SAT in order to get into a top college; however, they must also deal with the reality of street violence that could keep them both from realizing their dream.

Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. The Hoopster. Andre Anderson, an African-American teenager enjoying a summer filled with pickup basketball, a new girlfriend, and an internship at a popular magazine, becomes the target of violent bigotry when he writes a powerful article on racism.

Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The American classic about a young girl's coming of age at the turn of the century.

Stone, Tayna Lee. A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl. Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva all fall for the same sexy high school senior, and while they each make different choices, they're all changed by their experiences of love and sex.

Turner, Megan Whalen. The King of Attolia. Eugenides, still known as a Thief of Eddis, faces palace intrigue and assassins as he strives to prove himself both to the people of Attolia and to his new bride, their queen.

Volponi, Paul. Rooftop. Still reeling from seeing police shoot his unarmed cousin to death on the roof of a New York City housing project, seventeen-year-old Clay is dragged into the whirlwind of political manipulation that follows.

Westerfeld, Scott. Peeps: a novel. Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected.

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. In a future where everyone is pretty, Tally Youngblood must betray her best friend to the government or stay ugly forever.

Wooding, Chris. Poison. Cynical teen Poison sets off on a mission to rescue her kidnapped sister, and instead finds a world of treacherous magic that she must learn to control.

Yoo, David. Girls for Breakfast. Nick Park, about to graduate from high school, looks back on his life in upscale Renfield, Connecticut, and wonders how much being the only Asian American in his school affected his thwarted quest for popularity and a girlfriend.

Nonfiction

Baghdad Burning: girl blog from Iraq. Collects the August 2003-September 2004 blog entries of a young Iraqi woman, who presents an eyewitness civilian account of the U.S.-Iraq War's impact on her country, discussing her family life, the war's effect on women's lives, and such events as the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: growing up in Hitler's shadow. A photo-illustrated look at the youth organizations Adolf Hitler founded and used to meet his sociopolitical and military ends; includes profiles of individual Hitler Youth members as well as young people who opposed the Nazis, such as Hans and Sophie Scholl.

Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop, Won't Stop: a history of the hip-hop culture. Traces the history of the hip-hop culture, discussing how hip-hop came to define a new generation of youth rebellion and expression in North America.

Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat: a brief history of the twenty-first century. Contains an overview of the global political and economic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, discussing the rapid developments in technologies that has allowed India and China to become part of a growing supply chain of manufacturing impacting global markets.

Humes, Edward. School of Dreams: Making the Grade at a Top American High School. Profiles Whitney High, one of the best high schools in the United States, discussing how students work around the clock to make good grades and impress their parents, and examining the hidden consequences of students' desire to overachieve.

Karres, Erika V. Shearin. Mean chicks, cliques, and dirty tricks : a real girl's guide to getting through the day with smarts and style. Provides teenage girls with tips and advice to help them get through the school day and deal with bullies, cliques, and mean girls.

Manoy, Lauren. Where to park your broomstick : a teen's guide to witchcraft. A guide to witchcraft and the working of Magick, explaining how to get in touch with your own sacredness and create and cast various spells.

Menzel, Peter. Hungry Planet: what the world eats. Presents approximately two hundred color photos of thirty families from twenty-four countries and the foods they eat over the course of one week, and discusses their eating habits; shopping, farming, fishing, or hunting practices; and cooking methods. Each profile includes a family recipe.

Partridge, Elizabeth. John Lennon: all I want is the truth: a photographic biography. Presents a biography of musician John Lennon, chronicling his life and times from his troubled childhood in Liverpool, England, through his career writing, recording, and performing as a member of the Beatles. Includes 140 black-and-white photographs.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. Contains black-and-white comic strip images in which the author continues the story of her life, discussing her move from Iran to Vienna in 1984, her feelings of alienation in the foreign country, and her return home where she starts college, falls in love, and questions whether she can continue to live in the repressive society.

White, Shane. The Sounds of Slavery: discovering African American history through songs, sermons, and speech. Contains an overview of the history of slave music, through anecdotes and first-hand accounts, and includes information on the complex soundscape of African-American culture from the 1700 through the 1850s. Includes an eighteen track music CD.