Required Reading for Ninth-Grade Students: 

Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird.

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet.

Homer.  The Odyssey.

Ninth-grade students may also choose from the 10th grade book list.   Ninth-grade students may choose a 8th grade book  and receive 90% of the grade.   Ninth-grade students may choose a 7th grade book  and receive 80% of the grade. Ninth-grade students may choose a sixth-grade and receive 70% of the grade. Ninth-grade students may not choose a fifth-grade book  without a specific IEP.

		Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  Classic Autobiography 246 pgs, 1070L In English Room.
Quiz Ready!		Anonymous. (Beatrice Sparks) Go Ask Alice. 188 pgs, 1010L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Molly, 9th grade  Go Ask Alice,” Is a book that will keep you wanting to read more and more until the book is finished. The book shows the reader that what you’re going through in life is not as bad as it really could be. It is a true story that tells about the life of a young girl who gets hooked on drugs, with just one use, and she is unable to stop and get her life back on track. This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. My overall rating of the book is five stars. ÙÙÙÙÙ Hailey B., 9th grade  I thought this was a particularly good book because most of the things that occurred were things that could occur in real life. It wasn’t really a good book for the younger age to read since it talked a lot about how these teens get addicted to drugs and such, but for older readers it’s alright. Older people have the ability to read about something and then be able to keep that out of their life, while younger people are curious and they want to know what it’s all about, so they try it out. ÙÙÙÙÙ Morgan, 10th grade Go Ask Alice is a good story of how drugs influence every aspect of a person’s life. In this case it is a real life diary of a young girl who gets hooked on drugs. She ends up running away and has to deal with adult decisions on her own. She realizes that this way of life is not the way to go and faces the challenge of resisting drugs everywhere she turns. She realizes that getting out of the drug scene is harder than she thought. This book is real and takes you almost day by day of the life of a young drug user and how she has to deal with the every day challenges of life and drugs together.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Caleb S, Eleventh grade This book is the Diary of a young girl. It tells the trials and temptations that a young girl, growing up during the hippie era, goes through. It shows the unimagined things that teens faced back then and even now. I would recommend this book for anyone at least fifteen. Also I would recommend this to someone that enjoys reading about people. This book is a diary and sometimes it can be a little graphic. ÙÙÙÙÙ Tymon, 9th grade ÙÙÙÙÙ Marie, 8th grade  ÙÙÙÙÙ Michael, 10th Grade ÙÙÙÙÙ Robert Chmb, 10th Grade  ÙÙÙÙÙ Darcy, 10th Grade ÙÙÙÙÙ Michi, 10 grade  ÙÙÙÙÙ Arial, ninth grade  ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade  ÙÙÙÙÙ Melissa, senior  ÙÙÙÙÙ Scott R., junior ÙÙÙÙÙ Jason P., senior
Quiz Ready!		Benchly, Peter Deep
Quiz Ready!		Bernall, Misty.   She Said Yes AR: 5.6  Lex: 10.3 142 pgs	ÙÙÙÙÙ Peyton, 9th grade “She Said Yes” is a novel that explains the life and death of young Cassie Bernall. Cassie was seventeen when she was murdered at her high school, and her mother, Misty, has written a martyrdom of her. This book is one of the better books I’ve read in the last few years. I would rate this book four out of five stars.
Quiz Ready!		Bitton-Jackson, Livia. I Have Lived a Thousand Years.  And its sequel My Bridges of Hope In English Room	ÙÙÙÙÙ Peyton, 9th grade I Have Lived a Thousand Years is an emotional novel about the Holocaust. A young girl and her family of Jewish descent are forced to leave everything they have and live in concentration camps across Germany. After months upon months of torture and starvation, she and the remains of her family are liberated by American troops, and sent home where they would eventually migrate to America. I would rate this novel four out of five stars.
Quiz Ready!		Callahan, Steven Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea
		Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game.
		Cisneros, Sandra House on Mango Street 870L, 178pgs	Growing up in "The Hood" seems quite different when viewed from the inside.  This is a very easy book with incredibly short chapters - a page and a half in many cases.   Many of the chapters are about different people the main character observes around her.  however, many common expectations in a novel - such as a conflict - lay obscured, leaving the book with the flavor of a volume of poetry.  The House on Mango Street lies somewhere between The Nick Adams Stories and Spoon River Anthology.
		Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising. Newberry Honor Book & Newberry Medal for one of its three sequels 244 pgs, 920L In English Room.	Unexplainable things are happening to a young man named Will Stanton.  The forest near his farm house in southern England seems filled with supernatural dangers; the ravens aren't acting right; his neighbors behave strangely; even the radio is acting up.  But when he meets a group of ageless beings that call themselves "The Old Ones", they tell him that he is one of them, and that he has a quest to fulfill.         If it were possible to give six stars, this book would have it.  Cooper creates a mood and atmosphere in this novel that make it unforgettable.  Read it in November or December.
Quiz Ready!		Cormier, Robert. After the First Death. 233 pgs, 740L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Onaca, 9th grade After the First Death was a very interesting read. Throughout the entire book there were about three different storylines going on, though all interconnected, and they all had an astoundingly different pace and mood. On the bus with the terrorists it was tense and stuffy, the boy getting swept up into the operation with his father was quick moving and terrifying, and then there was the present time storyline. In that, it was a horribly slow, pained pace that was simply the boy’s thoughts most of the time. All the plotlines pulled together in the end though, each with a startling realization of their own, and made the book really leave an impact. ÙÙÙÙÙ Thomas R Sophomore After the first death is a thrilling action book about four men who have trained their whole life to be soldiers in a war. These men were sent to the United States to be terrorist and to do little objectives like blow up buildings and kill random people. One day these four men were sent out to do a bigger task. This task was to raid a school bus that was filled with harmless little children and take the bus out onto a bridge and hold them hostage until the demands they wanted were met. The main character Miro a young man who was one of the terrorists was supposed to kill the bus driver as his right of passage. But complications come up when he finds out that the bus driver is a woman. Every other chapter in this book switches between a young boy who’s father is a general and is trying to stop the terrorists, and the terrorists.  This book is a pretty easy read and is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read if not the best book I’ve Ever read I highly suggest anyone who is capable of reading this book to read it. ÙÙÙÙÙ Shelbie, 9th grade  A boy whose parents don’t really pay that much attention to him goes to a rich and preppy boarding school. He is typing the story on his computer and sometimes that really throws the reader off. The story is about two main characters, Kate, a young bus driver, and Miro, a young but very smart terrorist. Miro and three other terrorists take over a bus full of young kids. They have sent notice to a general saying what their demands were, and what they wanted for all the kids and the woman to come out alive. Miro has never killed someone in his career, and the bus driver is supposed to be his first, but with some unexpected problems, what will happen to all the kids, Kate and the four terrorists? ÙÙÙÙÙ Michi The words that I would use for this book are: sadness, excitement, love, murders, distrust, and no sympathy.  This book is about a high school girl who filled in for her uncle as a bus driver for 16 pre-school kids headed to day camp when four hijackers took over the bus.  Miro was the youngest out of the four; he was 16 year old.  To keep the children quiet and calm the hijackers gave them drug candy. What I really like about this it is well detailed and well written; it’s like a movie every chapter it changes between the two major characters. It’s make the reader want to read more and more every chapter.  What I dislike it’s really slow when first reading the first chapters, the writer takes too long to tell what going, the conflict. He is giving out too much information that’s not really necessary. It’s a good book and really like it and I would recommend it to one of my following friends. ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle This book has its good parts and bad parts. The good ones are when it goes through the scenes at the bus. These parts are more exciting. They seem to have more going on in them. But the other parts are when they go through the dad or Ben talking about writing the book. The book has points where it will just start talking about different things and it can start to get the reader extremely confused. They just start talking about random things that fit into the story somehow but at the same time seem like they don’t.       Once I got most of the way through the book, I started to play out how I thought that they book would end. But when I reached the end and finished the book, the ending was so much different from what I imagined it would be like. I still liked it though. The whole book was very good. ÙÙÙÙÙ Kate, ninth grade Four Hijackers, Artkin, Miro, Antibbe, and Stroll, have taken over a bus with young children and a seventeen-year-old girl on it. They make demands from the government. The hijackers threaten that if one of them is killed, a child should die too. Cormier really gets into the minds of Kate, the teenager trapped on the bus, and Miro, the youngest hijacker. While I was reading, I felt as if I knew the characters personally. In this novel, there is a lot more suspense in dramatic, personal or emotional situations than suspense in action situations.  In reading this, I learned most American teens are pretty much oblivious to serious events going on. They are just concerned with minor things. Miro definitely saw this in Kate. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee An amazing account of hijackers taking a bus filled with children.
Quiz Ready!		Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. 188 pgs, 820L and the sequel Beyond the Chocolate War. 277 pgs
Quiz Ready!		Cormier, Robert. I am the Cheese.  216 pgs, 810L In English Room.
Quiz Ready!		Fox, Paula. One-Eyed Cat. 216 pgs, 1000L In our school library in fiction
Quiz Ready!		Gantos. Dead End in Norveldt.
Quiz Ready!		Gardner, Graham. Inventing Elliot. Angus Award 181 pgs,  690L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Morgan, 11th grade  Elliot is a fourteen-year-old boy who hasn’t quite figured out who he really is, in turn he doesn’t really fit in. Transferring to Holmister High brings more challenges into his life when he is brought into a secret group. This secret group changes his mind set about himself, he now is trying to become someone different. He ends up altering his physical appearance, and pretending to be far more confident and 'cool' than he actually is. His aim is to 'stand out just enough to fit in'. Changing yourself to fit in doesn’t always work, especially for Elliot. Does he change himself to much and become the bully he once despised? ÙÙÙÙÙ Fuller C., ninth grade Elliot is a young boy growing up with his mother and father and their going through rough times so money is tight around his house.  The school he goes to he is being bullied around by the bigger kids.  Then his parents decide to switch schools and he transfers to a nicer side of the neighborhood where he is treated well and all the kids are rich.  He makes many friends but then one day after school he overhears his parents talking and saying they can’t afford to keep him in the school and he must transfer again.  His next school is bigger but not so nice, so he comes up with a plan to stay unnoticed so therefore no one can pick on him or make fun of him.  This novel is a great story for all ages I highly suggest it to everyone.  I give this book a five stars and its fairly difficult on the reading scale.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee This is an intense book, similar in some ways to After the First Death by Robert Cormier, although it is easier than that book.  The ending is somewhat abrupt.
		Grahame, Kenneth. Wind in the Willows. A Classic Youth Novel 920L in the EF section of the Library
		Griffin, John.   Black Like Me. 9.9L  In our Library under 301.451
Quiz Ready!		Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. Pulitzer Prize 127 pgs, 940L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Robert Chm, tenth grade The Old man went eighty four days without a catch, when the future doesn’t look to good, he keeps his head his and on the eighty fifth day he has the fight of his life. This is a great book about and fisherman living and fishing on a Cuban coast. I really liked the descriptions and the character of the old man; in the end of this book you will realize the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. ÙÙÙÙÙ Fuller, tenth grade  Ernest Hemingway has a unique style of writing; his wording helps you understand the book and make you feel almost like your right there with the main character.  Ernest’s stories also help teach you a lesson and there is a moral to the story.  In this particular book an old Cuban fisherman has gone eighty some days with out a catch so he heads out to sea, in the Gulf Stream, in his boat in search for the fish of his life time.  When he lands it he spends many days trying to pull it in. Read along and discover the many tails of Ernest Hemingway and see if the fisherman finally catches a fish of a life time. I give this book four out of five stars and recommend it to readers who are looking for a short and quick read.      ÙÙÙÙÙ Michael, ninth grade The book was a great with only two real characters. The boy was a friend of the old man but he could not fish with him because he never caught fish. When the old man went out far one day he hooked the biggest Marlin he ever saw. This fish fought him for four days straight. All the old man brought was a water bottle so he had to eat his bait or smaller fish he caught. I liked how the old man battled and would not give up on the fish. When he did catch the fish he had to paddle way back in. The sharks ate most of the fish but he still was proud and never gave up. When the men at the docks measured the skeleton it still was the biggest they ever saw. ÙÙÙÙÙ Ben M. , senior  ÙÙÙÙÙ Eric C., senior
		Hickam, Homer. October Sky. AKA Rocket Boys. 482 pgs, 900L  In English Room.	«««««Joe R., 10th grade  October Sky, which is based on a true story, was a very thrilling novel to read. The story portrays the childhood years of Homer Hickam Jr who lives in a small coal mining town in West Virginia. While most of the other teenage boys were getting ready to work in the mines as their fathers, Homer took an interest in building rockets. This tells his story of how he went from blowing up his mothers rose bushes with his first rocket, to eventually working for NASA. ÙÙÙÙÙ Marie, 8th grade October Sky is about a kid who had bigger dreams than the town had ever seen before. He and a few friends started to build rockets getting them thousands of feet in the air. The town was amazed and tried to get them in the science fair, but they didn’t want to at first and finally they decided to go. Would they make it to the national science fair? Some think not because they think the only thing that’s going to make it big was the football team. Also is his dad did not believe in his dream to become a rocket engineer. Could his dad ever believe in him and help him win?
		Higa, Tomiko. The Girl with the White Flag. 130 pgs In Our Library, at 940.53 HIG	ÙÙÙÙÙ Jason, junior This book  is very sad but uplifting, and is a true story.  Its about a young girl at the age of seven that takes place in Okinawa.  Her mother dies when she is young and they loved each other very much.  When she is 7 the war comes to Shuri where she lives.  Her father went out at night to go get food and never came back.  Tomiko the little girl, is left with her 2 older sisters that are ages 17 and 13 and Ninni her brother that is 2 years older.  While sleeping in hallows a few guns were shot and Ninni her brother was shot in the back of the head and died, Tomiko and Ninni were very close.  Then when they were on the run with many other casualties Tomiko got sepa from her sisters.   She is trying to survive and doesn't want to loose her sister like she did with everyone else in her family.  Tomiko has many challenges including food and shelter.  She is an amazing little girl.
Quiz Ready!		Houston, Jeanne. AKA Wakatsuki, Jeanne. Farewell to Manzanar. 145 pgs, 1040L in our library under biography	Mr. Greenlee I enjoyed this memoir of one family in the relocation camps for Japanese living in California during World War II. It gave the vision of what these people were really like, made them individuals, and wasn't the typical accusatory racist polemic of which we've all had too much. One thing that surprised me about this memoir is that I expected it to end when they left Manzanar - after all, the title.  Don't stop there - the story's not over yet!
		Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. Newberry Honor Book 208 pgs, 1100L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Miranda., junior It is a story based upon the time of the Civil War.  It spreads through the five years that the war lasted, describing the struggle a small farming family goes through to keep their family together.  I would suggest this novel to anyone interested in history or the Civil War, since it very accurately describes the war and other events around that time it would be very interesting.
Quiz Ready!		Jian, Ji Li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. 271 pgs, 780L In English Room.
		Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. Newberry Medal Winner 244 pgs, 740L in English room	ÙÙÙÙÙ Hailey A., 8th grade  Kira-Kira is one of my favorite books that I have read in a while. This book really speaks to me because it says that the world is beautiful place and we get what we get. You shouldn’t regret anything you do because everything someone does is a learning experience. When a person falls, they learn how to get back up. When something bad happens to a person, they have to move on. There are many life lessons that are inside of the pages just waiting to be read, and when you read this, you are going to learn all off these examples. The main person in this book even quotes at the end that “The world is a wonderful place.” ÙÙÙ Halee,  8th grade The book Kira Kira is an excellent book, it tells about two sisters and the hard times they encounter while moving to a new house.  This story tells about the problems that can happen in everyday family life.  Kira Kira is a book that I would recommend to anyone because it is easy to read and tells a great story.   ÙÙÙÙÙ Paul W., 8th grade  Kira-Kira is about a Japanese family who moves to America. It is told by Katie who has a sister named Lynn and a brother named Sam. The book is realistic fiction and similar to a biography too. People who are into a story that takes over a long period of time would like this book. ÙÙÙÙÙ Hailey A, 8th  grade  Kira-Kira is one of my favorite books that I have read in a while. This book really speaks to me because it says that the world is beautiful place and we get what we get. You shouldn’t regret anything you do because everything someone does is a learning experience. When a person falls, they learn how to get back up. When something bad happens to a person, they have to move on. There are many life lessons that are inside of the pages just waiting to be read, and when you read this, you are going to learn all off these examples. The main person in this book even quotes at the end that “The world is a wonderful place.” ÙÙÙ Morgan Lee, ninth grade  This is a story of a young Japanese girl who grows up with her family in a small town. Her family had to move from their home town to living in Georgia with her Uncle. She has an older sister and a new born brother. Her older sister is her best friend and she had so many plans with her when they got older. They were going to live together and go see the ocean. When they moved, her sister found another best friend and she changed in some ways that her sister doesn’t understand or like. But when her sister gets very sick, things change. She has to take of her sister and her little brother because the parents are always working to pay her medical bills. Everything changes when she gets sick and it gets worse as the story goes on. This book was really good. I liked it. It was a simply book about a young girl’s life. It was very straight forward. What I liked most about this book was that it seemed real and easy to believe, the ends was also one of the best parts. ÙÙÙÙÙ Shayleen, ninth grade I really like this book. I think it was very well written because most of the time you don’t know what are going to happen next. This book is different from all the rest of the books that I have read, but I really enjoyed Kira-Kira. There is a Japanese family of four that was living in a small apartment. There are two girls and their parents. They ran a Japanese food store. They end up losing the store and calling the mother’s brother that lives in Georgia. He works at a chicken butcher plant. He told them that they needed help in the plant if they wanted to come down and work.  They ended up going to Georgia and working. A few years later the mother ended up having a little boy named Sam. Then one day the older girl Lynne did not feel very well. Her parents brought her to the doctor she was very sick.  Kira-Kira is a Japanese word that means “glittering”. The family kept telling Lynne that because they thought that there would bring miracles and Lynne would get healthier.
Quiz Ready!		Kaysen, Susanna.  Girl, Interrupted. 168 pgs, 760L in our school library under biography	ÙÙÙÙÙ Arial, ninth grade This book is filled with drama and suspense. Girl, Interrupted is about an eighteen-year-old girl, Susan, living in a mental institution. This is a true story written about her life. Other characters in the book play a big role in her sanity. The book isn’t written in chronological order and sometimes gets confusing because it jumps around. Each chapter is about something new, either looking into the past, the future, something happening now, or a hospital report. I loved this book. I could really put myself in the main character’s position. This book made me feel like I was the one who was crazy. It is a wonderful book that gives an insight on life. ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade This is book is told by Susanna Kaysen about when she was 18. For two years, Susanna was locked up in a mental hospital diagnosed with border line personality. This hospital has housed some great people (Ray Charles for instance). During this time, Susanna makes friends with some of the girls that are there. Some of the girls that are there have very severe problems. One of them tried burning herself to death, but others don’t have such bad problems. Susanna is later released. In this book readers really need to pay close attention to what goes on, due to her skipping around. It makes me think that she purposely tried writing the book this way just to make herself sound crazy. This is a great book and I have recommended it to many of my friends.
Quiz Ready!		Kidd, Sue Monk.  The Secret Life of Bees. 302 pgs, 840L In English Room.
Quiz Ready!		Lebert, Benjamin.  Crazy. 192 pgs In our school library in fiction	ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, eighth grade It’s crazy! This book is quite interesting. It takes place in a boarding school that Ben, goes to. When he gets there he meets some new friends. They’re a very different bunch. There’s Janosch- he’s pretty much like the leader of the group, Fat Felix, Skinny Felix, Troy, Florian, and Ben.  Ben is different; he’s a 16 year old that is repeating the 9th grade. He’s different because his left side doesn’t really function. Even though Ben has these disabilities, he finds ways to work with it, and the guys in his group accept him.  Crazy is a pretty good book. When he tells some of the things that he remembers, he really goes into detail. I would say this is a good book for kids that like books that are strange but can still find the humor out of the strange things.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Emily, junior  The novel Crazy is about a boy who has just recently moved to a boarding school.  It is mostly about what happens to him there.  He is sixteen and is repeating the ninth grade.  Benjamin Lebert is also half cripple meaning his left arm and left leg doesn't really work well.  This book is a great book for children 13 and up.
Quiz Ready!		LeGuin, Ursula. Voices. 341  pgs, 890L In English Room.
		LeGuin, Ursula. Gifts. 274  pgs, 830L In English Room.
Quiz Ready!		London, Jack. The Call of the Wild. Classic Novel 102 pgs, 1120L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Will, 10th grade  This is one of the best books I've read that I can remember. If your into the Action/Adventure genre, this book is for you. ÙÙÙÙÙ Andrew, 8th grade  This is the story of a dog that was stolen from his home and thrust into the Alaskan wilderness as a sled dog. He soon learns the law of club and fang. After ridding himself of several rivals he finds himself on top in one the sled dog teams in Alaska. The only problem with this book is that it is somewhat slow in the beginning. Other wise it isn’t bad. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee
Would be easy		London, Jack. White Fang. Classic Novel 192 pgs,  970L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Shelbie M. Do you want an action packed book that makes you never want to stop until you have finished the last page? Then this is the book for you.  A dogsled team of two men and a body that they are supposed to be bringing to a fort and a pack of wolves is following them. When they get to the fort, it stops focusing on them and moves with the pack of wolves. I like this book. However I would not suggest it for kids any younger than I am. It has dog fights and has death. It would not be good for a younger child.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee
Quiz Ready!		Lupica, Mike.  The Big Field. 243 pgs; 970L   formerly in English Room.
Quiz Ready!		Moore, Christopher. The Stupidest Angel. In our school library in fiction
		Moore-Campbell, Bebe. Sweet Summer. in our library under biography
		Mowat, Farley. Lost in the Barrens. 191pgs, 990L In English Room.	«««««Joe R., 10th grade  Lost in the Barrens was a great outdoor novel. Anyone who enjoys reading about the outdoors and survival should read this book. It is very similar to the Hatchet series by Gary Paulson. ÙÙÙÙÙ Michael, 10th grade  Lost in the Barrens was a good book about two teenagers that get stuck in the wild and have to survive during a cold winter. James and awasin are the two teenagers that have to survive the Barrens. Both boys are very experienced with the outdoors especially Awasin who is an Indian. They run into many problems throughout their time in the Barrens but always seem to have a solution. The two try to escape with the dogs they find but even with nice weather they still run into problems. After deciding to head back to camp they run into a storm and think they are dead for sure. Then they find themselves crawling into a house of their enemy. Later the boys and their enemy is not so bad, they saved their lives and brought them back home.
		Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. 308 pgs, 650L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Michael, ninth grade Fallen Angels was a good book with lots of action. It was narrated by Richard Perry, a guy from New York who joins the army and is sent to Vietnam. He doesn’t think war is that bad until he sees it and really starts to feel sick. Him and the group of guys really start to become friends as the war goes on. Peewee is his best friend and a crazy friend, them two get into some tough situations during this story. There is some great action in the book. If you’re a fan of war books at all this is the book for you.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Thomas R., eighth grade  This is another astounding book that I have read this year. This book is very descriptive book. There is a load of swearing and killing and it really gets into the action scenes and deaths.      This is a pretty difficult book to read and I don’t suggest anyone under eighth grade to read, this not only for the difficulty, but for the profanity and most of the other things the squad does. People above eighth grade who does like action books and think they can handle the goodness of this book, read it.          ÙÙÙÙÙ Robert Chmb., ninth grade  Perry shares the dream of getting out of the Nam alive, along with Peewee, Brunner, Lobel, Johnson, and Monaco. The only way this will be possible is if they work together on the battlefield. This book is about Perry and his struggle to get through the war, his fear of death, and his relationships with the men around him. In this action packed-story, the characters travel through Vietnam and fight many battles against the VC and that is why I liked it so much. I recommend this book to anyone who likes action books and war books. ÙÙÙÙÙ Scott R., junior  Intense, riveting, and inspiring, this is the true story of a band of friends during the Vietnam war. I couldn’t put this book down, as I was completely immersed in its gripping action and driving plot. Readers will develop relationships with the in-book characters and it will hit hard when a beloved character is wasted. This book doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to the brutal realities of war. There are extremely detailed depictions of gore and the soldiers have quite a harsh vocabulary. I strongly recommend this book to those who like war stories, as this is one of the best ones I’ve ever read. Thomas S. , junior
Quiz Ready!		O'Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Newberry Medal  184 pgs,  1000L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Kate, tenth grade  A teenage Native American girl is alone on an island trying to survive with no other person to help her. It wasn’t always like this though; other Indians used to live there with her, until the Russians came and they left in fear.  Now she’s on her own, isolated from humans. She has to fend for herself and become swift and smart in order to find food, make shelter, and stay away from the wild dogs. This novel is told through the young girl’s eyes, and I enjoyed her outlook on situations. It’s an exciting story that will make you adore the unique girl and her adventures. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee
Quiz Ready!		Paulsen, Gary. Dancing Carl. 105 pgs, 1090L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Robert Chmb., 10th Gr Not much is known about Carl, other than he lives in a warming cabin near the ice rinks, but that all changes once the hockey season of 1958 comes along. This first person novel is about a boy and his friend Willy and there Questions about Carl, why does he dance on the ice rinks, why is he living in Minnesota, and why is his behavior so odd. This is a very powerful book because of the story behind Carl and by what the main character finds out about Carl later in the story. I recommend this story to everyone, especially hockey fans. ÙÙÙÙÙ Jeff, eighth grade Dancing Carl is a worthwhile book. This author knew what he was doing. It starts with Marsh and Willy, two young children who love to ice skate. Marsh sees Carl, a mysterious old timer, at the rink one day and is very interested in the way Carl goes about doing his own thing. Marsh and Willy want to find out about Carl and his past. This book was enough to keep me interested and was not too hard.
Quiz Ready!		Paulsen, Gary. The Car. 180 pgs, 900L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ  Colton., 8th grade Well I like reading  Gary Paulsen books. I read The Car to see what it was about and it was good because it was a teen book about cars. Therefore, I will try to read every book that is  Gary Paulsen
		Paulsen, Gary. Dogsong. Newberry Honor Book 177 pgs,  930L in library	ÙÙÙÙÙ Colton., 8th grade Well I like reading Gary Paulsen books. I read Dogsong because I like dogs and it looked like a good book and it was. Therefore, I will try to read every book that is by Gary Paulsen.
Quiz Ready!		Paulsen, Gary. The Winter Room. Newberry Honor Book 103 pgs, 1170L In English Room.
Should be easy		Rawlings. The Yearling. Pulitzer Prize 428 pgs,  750L In English Room.
Should be easy		Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. Classic Novel. 245 pgs, 1010L In Our Library under fiction
Should be easy		Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. 488 pgs, 810L In Our Library under fiction
		Smith, Kristen  A Geography of Girlhood. In the English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Dana, 8th grade This book is about a girl who is trying to navigate herself through the rough waters of high school. I thought the characters in this book seemed a little unreal at times and the situations they get into can be a little far fetched. However, I could relate to this book. I do not think that I would be upset if I didn’t read this book again. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mackenzie, 8th grade If you like poems, then read the book The Geography of Girlhood. This book is written in poems, and it makes sense. Penny wants’ to be in love. When she finally finds someone she wants to be with, she runs away with him. When he gets out of control, she wants to go back home to her family. ÙÙÙÙÙ Kyra, 8th grade  The Geography of Girlhood is a unique book. The author was very creative and made a complete book of poetry that fit together to tell a story. The storyline moved a little fast for my taste, but it makes my list because of how different it is. I wouldn’t recommend it for anybody who likes details. I wouldn’t read it again, but it was a pretty decent book. ÙÙÙÙÙ Amelia., 8th grade This book is a poem that tells about an average girls life who is trying to escape. She thinkls life is too complicated so she leaves with her sister’s ex-boyfriend. The poems are great, but I don’t understand why she thinks her life is so bad that she has to run away. It teaches other girls to quit and run when something gets to hard for them. ÙÙÙÙÙ Michi, 9th Grade  Penny is a teenage girl who thinks that her life is a mess because when she was a young girl her mom ran away from her family leaving her with her dad.  She thinks her sister doesn’t like her, her stepbrother is a nerd, and she can’t have a boyfriend who she can love.  Penny is sad, lonely, and stubborn and she has a low self-esteem. Penny is haunted by her mom leaving her. She then decided she wanted to be just like her; she wanted to runaway from her family just the same way her mom did and she wanted to look and act like her mom.  This book talks about Penny and the life she is living, what she likes to do and what she doesn’t. I thought is was a good book; very short and fast going. ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, 10th Grade  This book is filled with a clever make-up of a girl’s life. It shows how girls bond with their families, especially their sisters, in more than normal ways.  Throughout this book, you start to pick up the storyline that flows within the poems. Writing a book through poems is a very clever thing to do. The author of this book pulled it all off very well.  This book has done a splendid job of portraying the life of a girl going through their teenage years. These years are usually a very hard and confusing time for a girl. This book does not only tell, but it shows you how hard some of the things they go through really are. ÙÙÙÙÙ Arial, 10th grade  The Geography of Girlhood captures what its like to be a teenager in a perfectly accurate way. This book is a novel about the story of a girl growing up in high school, but its written entirely in poems. The idea to write the book in poems was an excellent idea. There is no other way, unless you wrote a very long book, to describe the life of a girl from eighth-grade to a senior in such an acute way. Penny Morrow dreams of begging like her older sister and going on all her big adventures. As she get older Penny does become quite adventures. Her life is a complete roller coaster, as any teenage girl could understand. Her mother ran away before she could walk, suddenly her Dad is married to a vegan woman, and she now has a new younger brother. From running away, boyfriends, and parties she does it all. This book was amazing a truly captured what it is like to be a teenager.
Quiz Ready!		Swanson, James. L.  Chasing Lincoln's Killer. Newberry Honor Book 194 pgs, 980L AR: 7.5   LEX: 9.8 In English Room
Quiz Ready!		Swarthout Bless the Beasts & Children. 970L	ÙÙÙÙÙ Halee, Junior Bless the Beasts and Children by Glendon Swarthout, was a very interesting book indeed. The boys from camp escape from their cabin in order to get out and go on an adventure. This book is an alright book, it’s not amazing, but it’s not too dull and boring. This book earned three stars. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee It was a camp for rejects, kids who couldn't get along.  In the worst cabin on the camp, the rejects of the rejects, one of the kids went missing during the night.  Cotton knew where he was going . Cotton was the leader, but it took the smallest of them to begin the rescue mission.
Quiz Ready!		Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit. A Classic Youth Novel 271 pgs, 1000L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Thomas R., eighth grade  JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit the prelude to the lord of the rings is a very good book it is full of adventure and mystical creatures.  There are wizards, Evil Dragons, and hobbits.  Bilbo Baggins the main character of this book is on an adventure with 13 dwarves and a wizard called Gandalf to kill a dragon called Smaug who lives in the Lonely Mountains on the other side of Middle Earth.  On the way, Bilbo and his companions encounter big ugly trolls, Orc’s, Wargs (they are like wolves), Eagles, Giant spiders, and Wood Elves.  I would have to say this is one of my favorite books.  It is a moderate reading level and if you like action, you will definitely like this book.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Jason,  The Hobbit is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings.  It's about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who is a normal quite hobbit that rarely has anything exiting happen in his life.  Until many dwarves appear at his house to tell him their going on a journey.  On the journey Bilbo makes many friends, fights many enemies, and discovers many things.  The one thing he discovers is a very unique ring which can make him invisible, and saves his lives many times.  This is one of J.R.R. Tolkien's best books, and has sold over 7 million copies.  This book is a great success and is a must read for anyone who likes a book with a great imagination and a lot of adventure. ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee It bothers some people that so many of the characters in The Hobbit are undeveloped. It’s true - only Bilbo, Gandalf, and Gollum shine. This, however, is still workable. With Thorin as a distinct personality among the Dwarves, the others function all right as a group with whom Bilbo doesn’t really interact on a personal level. A much more serious problem exists in The Hobbit – the mid-book action is too good! “Riddles in the Dark” makes such a memorable literary impression that following adventures, even if good, would pale. Worse, after Mirkwood, the book just peters out. The interview with Smaug stands out as an island amongst otherwise mediocre action. Tolkien almost skips writing about The Battle of Five Armies, definitely lacking the excitement he instilled by the skirmishes with the Goblins in and beyond the Misty Mountains. Bilbo’s stealthy dealing with the Arkenstone adds some interest, but the end of this otherwise marvelous book just falls down. Nevertheless, don’t mistake criticism for dislike. Even recognizing its shortcomings, The Hobbit stands as an adventure in the same class as Treasure Island or The Wind in the Willows. The stay-at-home off to a grand quest makes for a wonderful beginning, the Trolls are fine, the eagles soar, Beorn is intriguing, and Mirkwood is haunting. The child who misses the experience of The Hobbit must face the only remedy – he or she must read it as an adult!
Quiz Ready!		Wakatsuki, Jeanne. AKA Houston, Jeanne. Farewell to Manzanar. 145 pgs, 1040L in our library under biography	ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee I enjoyed this memoir of one family in the relocation camps for Japanese living in California during World War II. It gave the vision of what these people were really like, made them individuals, and wasn't the typical accusatory racist polemic of which we've all had too much. One thing that surprised me about this memoir is that I expected it to end when they left Manzanar - after all, the title.  Don't stop there - the story's not over yet!
		Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Classic Novel 670L In school library under fiction
		Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. 425 pgs, 770L and its sequel Pretties both in English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Leo, 9th grade  In Uglies most of the worlds population has undergone surgery.  Surgery that changes each person and makes them flawless.  The logic in this was that everyone fought because everyone was different, now they’re not.  The operation takes place at the age of 16, but until then you’re an ugly.  Tally cant wait for the operation because she wants to see her friends and be able to have fun in Pretty town with them, that is until she meets a new friend name Shay who dosen’t believe in the operation.  She runs away causing Tally to second guess everything she has been told and she wonders if the operation is really what it seems to be.—A very good book in my opinion. ÙÙÙÙÙ Adrienne, 8th grade  Beauty is key for Tally’s world.  When people turn sixteen they become beautiful.  Well, for most that is.  Some revolt to a hidden city called The Smoke. There, people aren’t changed and morphed into people that they aren’t.  When Tally’s sixteenth birthday arrives she spends it searching for her friend that left to go to the smoke.  If tally brings back her friend and turns in the Smoke, she will become beautiful.  Tally discovers interesting information while at the Smoke… that could change her life forever.  This is a very good book and I recommend it many readers. ÙÙÙÙÙ Amelia, 8th grade  Uglies is a good book. Tally is a trouble maker who likes to play ticks, and once her best friend Peris leaves to become pretty she’s alone. Then Tally meets a new friend Shay who wants to run away. Tally gets called in for knowing Shay when she ran away and has to make a choice. Either she never becomes pretty, or she betrays her new best friend by leading Specials to the smoke. This book is filled with adventure and suspence which is my favorite kind. ÙÙÙÙÙ Maggie, 8th grade  Tally is just about to turn sixteen, which means she is turning “pretty.” This book takes place in the future. Before the people turn sixteen they are considered ugly and they all live in a town with all the other Uglies, as soon as they turn sixteen they get an operation that makes them pretty and they move to a town with all the other Pretties. Tally’s friend decides to run away, live in the wilderness, and stay ugly, which is illegal. Tally is sent to Special Circumstances and has to decide if she wants to turn pretty and rat out her friend, or keep her friends promise and live her life ugly, forever. ÙÙÙÙÙ Jane, 9th grade ÙÙÙÙÙ Danielle, ninth grade ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee This was not only a fun adventure, it actually had a strong theme and a significant message for people of our time.  Like much science fiction, it is actually a commentary on ourselves rather than a prediction of the future.  I especially liked the use of monoculture as a symbol of our society's values and attitudes.
Quiz Ready!		Wooding, Chris. The Haunting  of Alaizabel Cray. 292 pgs, 970L In English Room	ÙÙÙÙÙ Jeremy, 10th Grade The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is a unique and adventurous novel, the book keeps you on the edge of your seat with more action on every page. The story is full of strange monsters and ghost over-running London, and heroic men and women who are paid to hunt them.   ÙÙÙÙ Danielle, 10th grade Thaniel is a one of a kind guy that is out to help all of the people that he can. But when he finds a strange girl in the old quarter, everything changes.        When he brings the girl home with him, he could never dream of the things that the girl ends up bringing on him. Thaniel and his mentor go through many thing to try and save this girl from the terrible fate that lays a head of her. But once things go out of Thaniel’s control, he doesn’t know what to do with himself.  Thaniel takes his life in his own hands and risks everything he has for this girl. He truly proves that he is in love with her. This story is one that will go straight to your heart. One that shows you what someone who really loves you will go through just to be with you. ÙÙÙÙ Arial, 10th grade Wych-kin are taking over London, and soon the world. Cataline and Thanel have made it their life goal and job, to destroy these creatures. When Thanel finds Alaizabel Cray she is crazy and wicked, but later when she returns to normal she is a perfectly polite lady. Turns out Alaizabel is possessed by an evil sprit, Thach. The sprit inside of her is the key piece to the undoing of the world. This story is all about the adventure the characters go through to try to save the world and themselves. This book is a page turner from beginning to end. The way the author makes you feel about the characters makes you worry for their lives as they hunt, and are hunted by these terrible monsters.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Mr. Greenlee Although Thaniel is a young man, he is one of the few people living in London that can defeat the wych-kin, supernatural enemies that haunt the night.  This surprising cross-over between fantasy and horror provides action and an eerie atmosphere.  Chris Wooing, however, needs to work on plotting.  characters and situations seem less to unfold naturally and more to be suddenly and conveniently appear just in time.  it seems contrived, as if he were making it up as he went along instead of luring the reader into a plot of characters and alliances he had previously crafted.  Still, a cool read.
		Zindel, Paul. Pigman. A Classic Youth Novel 148 pgs, 950L In English Room.	ÙÙÙÙÙ Darcy, ninth grade Lonely old Pigman. John and Lorraine don’t know it in the beginning but The Pigman is a lonely old man who lost his wife and his best friend is a baboon named Bobo. John and Lorraine met him when they made a prank call to his house asking for a donation. When they went to pick up the donation, he invited them in for wine, and he showed them a room full of antique pigs, and that’s how he got his name. After that, John and Lorraine often skip school and go to his house. But one day Pigman has a stroke and is sent to the hospital for a few days. While he is gone, things get out of hand. I would suggest this book to anyone who needs a fun and easy book to read.  ÙÙÙÙÙ Kate, ninth grade      Mr. Pignati is an old, jolly man with a beer belly, bright, twinkling eyes, and a wide smile. But this smile hides his loneliness and his grief. John and Lorraine meet him by accident, and the three of them become best friends. John and Lorraine help chase the Pigman’s loneliness out of him through friendship.        This novel is told almost like a long journal entry. One chapter will be through the eyes of Lorraine and the next chapter through John, and so on. It’s a brilliant story line that deals with relationships, love, responsibility and death. ÙÙÙÙÙ Jason, senior Loraine and John, two sophomores in high school meet an old man that they call "Pigman". This old man changes their lives in many ways and they change his. These two kids have a lot of fun with him and don't mind skipping school to be with him. Loraine and John learn that Mr. Pignati has a secret. They tell the story right here in this book and it is nothing but the truth.

Auel, Jean. Clan of the Cave Bear. 495 pgs, 1000L In English Room	Bradbury, Ray. Dandelion Wine. 234 pgs, 880L in English Room	Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. 680L In our Library, under Fiction	Brin, David. The Postman. 320 pgs, 910L  In English Room.	Brown, Claude. Manchild in the Promised Land. 8.9L  In our Library under 301.451
Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker. 223 pgs, 910L in English Room	Burnett, Frances Hodgson The Secret Garden. 970L   320pgs	Clark, Walter van Tillberg. The Ox-Bow Incident. 216 pgs, 890L  In English Room.	Dillard, Annie. An American Childhood. 252 pgs? 1040L In our Library under Biography	Duder, Tessa. In Lane Three, Alex Archer. 256 pgs, 910L In our school library in fiction
Cox, Clinton. Houdini.  188 pgs, 1090L In our Library under Biography	Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt:  A Life of Discovery. 168 pgs In our Library under Biography	Hunt, Irene. Up a Road Slowly. Newberry Medal 186 pgs, 1130L  In English Room.	Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Books. 151 pgs, 1160L In English Room.	Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. 216 pgs, 910L  In English Room.
King, Stephen. Firestarter. 400pgs, 890L formerly in English Room.	King, Stephen. The Shining. 447pgs, 840L In English Room.	L'Amour, Louis. Mustang Man. 135 pgs In English Room.	Lavender, William. Just Jane. 324 pgs, 740L In English Room	O'Brien, Tim. In the Lake of the Woods. 730L   336 pgs
Osborn, Shane. Born to Fly: The Heroic Story of Downed U.S. Navy Pilot Shane Osborn.  In our Library under Biography	Paulsen, Gary. The Legend of Bass Reeves. 134 pgs, 950L In English Room.	Petry, Ann Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad. 242 pgs, 1000L in our library under biography	Peyton, K.M. Snowfall. In Our Library under fiction	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (4) 880 pgs, 940L In School Library under fiction
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (vol. 5) 870 pgs, 950L In English Room.	Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (vol. 6) 1030L in our library under fiction	Salzman, Mark. Laughing Sutra. 262 pgs In English Room.	Schmidt, Gary. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Newberry Honor Book Printz Award Finalist 217 pgs, 1000L In English Room	Staples, Suzanne Fisher Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind Newberry Honor Book 240 pgs, 970L In English Room
Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony. 119 pgs, 810L In English Room	Taylor, Theodore. Air Raid - Pearl Harbor! 183 pgs In English Room.	Tyler, Anne.  The Accidental Tourist. 800L Tyler, Anne.  Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. 720L   336 pgs	White, Robb.  Deathwatch. 212 pgs, 990L In school library under fiction	Wildeman, John Edgar.  Brothers and Keepers. 850L 256 pgs
Wildeman, John Edgar.  Philadelphia Fire. 860L 208 pgs