Bilz, Rachelle Lasky. LIFE IS TOUGH: GUYS, GROWING UP AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE. This professional book examines the roles of the male protagonist in historic and contemporary YA novels. (PROF)
Bloor, Edward. STORY TIME. George and Kate are sent to the new
Bott, C. J. THE BULLY IN THE BOOK AND IN THE CLASSROOMS. This professional book offers loads of advice for setting up your classroom to be a welcoming place for ALL students. Lots of suggestions for books, too. (PROF)
Brashares, Anne. GIRLS IN PANTS. Third and final installment in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series finds the 4 friends the summer before college. (HS)
Chodlenko. Gennifer. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. Set in 1935 on
Coville, Bruce. HAMLET. This prose retelling of the classic play is perfect for a first introduction to the Bard. (PB)
Crews, Nina. THE NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHER GOOSE. Beautiful photographs of children accompany the familiar rhymes. (PB)
Curtis, Christopher Paul. BUCKING THE SARGE. Luther Farrell has a former drill sergeant mother and a whole heap of trouble when he dares to challenge her. (MS)
DOG: FROM ARF ARF TO ZZZZZZZZZ.Alphabet book featuring some of the most adorable dogs ever. (PB)
Frank, Hilary. I CAN’T TELL YOU. Communicating only in notes and scribbles, Jake has to convey complicated feelings to friend (or is she more than a friend?), Xandra. (HS)
Gallo, Donald R. (ed). FIRST CROSSING: STORIES ABOUT TEEN IMMIGRANTS. Award winning YA authors write stories about teens facing more than the usual problems. (MS/HS)
Gelman, Rita Golden. DOODLER DOODLING. Great way to teach some useful grammar lessons. (PB)
Giles, Gail. PLAYING IN TRAFFIC. Another intense novel from this talented author examines how responsible one person must be for the safety and sanity of another. (HS)
Going, K. L. LIBERATION OF GABRIEL KING. Gabe and his best friend Frita spend the summer confronting their fears. Little do they know that their biggest act of courage is still in front of them. (INT/MS)
Greene, Rhonda Gowler. THIS IS THE TEACHER. Cumulative story about a tough day at school. (PB)
Greenfield, Eloise. IN THE
Hale, Marian. THE TRUTH ABOUT SPARROWS. Historical fiction set during the Depression in
Hannigan, Katherine. IDA B. For the first time, Ida B must leave home and attend the school in her neighborhood. Can she manage to deal with this new environment? (INT)
Hartinger, Brent. ORDER OF THE POISON OAK. Summer camp means finding true love and having your heart broken for a young man determined to get away from his classmates after he has come out. (HS)
Hautman, Pete. INVISIBLE. This slender, taut novel will compel readers from page one to the end as they struggle to find the truth behind the story. (HS)
Hautman, Pete. GODLESS. What begins as a prank has terrible consequences for a group of friends who invent a new religion, one that worships the ten legged goddess, the Water Tower. (HS)
Janeczko, Paul. TOP SECRET: A HANDBOOK OF CODES, CIPHERS, AND SECRET WRITING. Want to communicate in secret? Make invisible ink? Solve cryptological puzzles? This book can help. (INT/MS)
Jones, Casey. LYRICAL LIFE: A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STORY TOLD IN 200 SONG LYRICS. Title says it all. (HS)
Jung, Reinhardt. BAMBERT’S BOOK OF MISSING STORIES. Bambert sets his stories aloft to see if they can travel to far away places and find their own settings. (HS)
Konigsburg, E. L. OUTCASTS OF
Lamb, Sue. GIRL, 15, CHARMING BUT INSANE. This humorous coming of age story with a British accent is sure to please older readers. (HS)
Leavitt, Martine. HECK SUPERHERO. Heck’s mother tends to lose herself from time to time. He has learned to fend for himself, but this time he feels as if his whole world is crumbling. (MS)
Leitich Smith, Greg. TOFU AND T. REX. Two teens, one vegan, one carnivore, find themselves unusual allies. (MS)
Lowry, Lois. MESSENGER. The final book in the GIVER story brings the story full circle. See what happens to Jonas and Kira. (MS/HS)
Lynch, Chris. THE GRAVEDIGGER’S COTTAGE. Two children worry when their father lapses into unusual behavior. It’s bad enough living in the old gravedigger’s cottage. (INT/MS)
Mackler, Carolyn. VEGAN VIRGIN VALENTINE. Mara is a senior and in a close race for valedictorian of her class. It does not help matters any when her cousin V comes to live with her family. (HS)
MacLachlan, Patricia and Emily. BITTLE. Bittle is the new baby who at first upsets Nigel the cat and Julia the dog. (PB)
Martin, Ann M. HERE TODAY. Ellie (short for Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman) faces obstacles at home and at school. Her mother, Doris Day Dingman, seems to be at the center of all the struggles. (INT/MS)
Mc Whorter, Diane. A DREAM OF FREEDOM: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMNET FROM 1954 TO 1968. Nicely detailed nonfiction. (PB)
Micklethwait, Lucy. I SPY SHAPES IN ART. Children’s game using classic pieces of art. (PB)
Moriarty, Jaclyn. THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS. Told entirely in letters and emails, this look at a pen pal program examines two different schools that are rivals. (MS/HS)
Moses, Sheila P. LEGEND OF BUDDY BUSH. Finalist for eh National Book Award recounts the story of a young black man accused of raping a white woman in NC in 1947. (MS/HS)
Myers, Walter Dean. SHOOTER. In the aftermath of a school shooting, two teens are interviewed by various officials. (HS)
Myracle, Lauren. TTYL. This novel is told entirely in email and IM. (HS)
O’Keefe, Susan Heyboer. DEATH BY EGGPLANT. Bertie wants to become a famous chef. His teachers and parents want him to pass 8th grade. His archenemy wants him to die. (MS)
Palatini, Margie. Moo Who? Hilda Mac Heifer loses her moo. Other animals help her find it again. (PB)
Parker, Daniel and Lee Miller. BREAK THE SURFACE: WATCHING
Paulsen, Gary. TIME HACKERS. Slim sci-fi novel examines what happens when some hackers break into time and transport people and things to a different historical eopch. (MS/HS)
Peck, Richard. THE TEACHER’S FUNERAL. From the opening line to the last chapter, this historical novel is filled with warm humor and wickedly sharp observations. (INT/MS)
Perez, Marlene. UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT. Megan’s mandatory essay on how she spent her summer vacation includes some rather unique events not the least of which is her decision not to have breast-reduction surgery. (HS)
Peters, Julie Anne. LUNA. Finalist for the 2004 NBA award, this is an incredibly told story of a transgendered boy and his thirst to become the person he knows he needs to be. (HS)
Raimondo, Joyce. IMAGINE THAT: ACTIVITIES AND ADVENTURES IN SURREALISM. Examples of classic surrealism are accompanied by activities for tudents to do. (PB)
Riley, Andy. THE BOOK OF BUNNY SUICIDES. Reminiscent of 101 USES FOR A DEAD CAT, this comic book is perfect for reluctant readers with dark senses of humor. (HS)
Rosen, Michael and Jane Ray. ROMEO AND JULIET. An illustrated and elaborated picture book version of the classic play. (PB)
Rosoff, Meg. HOW I LIVE NOW. A teen, stranded in
Scanlon, Elizabeth Garton. A SOCK IS A POCKET FOR YOUR TOES. Rhyming text tells of lots of interesting pockets. (PB)
Shahan, Sherry. SPICY HOT COLORS. Text in English and Spanish about colors and Hispanic culture. (PB)
Showers, Paul. A DROP OF BLOOD. Part of the LET’S READ AND FIND OUT SCIENCE series, this book explores the circulatory system. (PB)
Sierra, Judy. WILD ABOUT BOOKS. Since the animals love to read so much, they create a zoo-brary. (PB)
Sones, Sonya. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. Novel in verse tells the story of how Ruby’s life changes when her mother dies and she is forced to go to Hell-A to live with her superstar father. (HS)
Stanley, Diane. THE GIANT AND THE BEANSTALK. The giant searches for Jack after he steals his hen. He encounters lots of Jacks but not the one he seeks. (PB)
Stine, Catherine. REFUGEES. Alternate narrators, one in NY and one in
Truss, Lynne. EATS SHOOTS AND LEAVES: THE ZERO TOLERANCE APPROACH TO PUNCTUATION. This warm and humorous adult bestseller tackles the tricky problems that arise when one does not punctuate properly. (HS/AD)
Woods, Brenda. EMAKO BLUE. Multiple narrators tell of the miraculous and too-short life of one of their classmates. (MS)