 |
Welcome
To The Youth Services Department
|  |
111 W. Park Avenue 
| ||||
|
The
following books are recommended as good reading for middle school students Biography
| Historical Fiction |
Horror | Mystery | Non-Fiction BIOGRAPHY Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah. As the youngest sibling, Adeline suffers cruel abuse at the hands of her stepmother Niang and the rest of her family after her birth mother dies in labor. Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers (autobiography). Into a memoir that is gripping, funny, heartbreaking and unforgettable, Walter Dean Myers richly weaves details of his Harlem childhood in the 1940s and 1950s. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers. This biography relates the life story of the famous fighter. Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (in verse). This collection of poems offers a compelling account of the life of African-American botanist and inventor George Washington Carver. This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge. Woody Guthrie, a famous musician, wrote over 3,000 folk songs and ballads while roaming the United States. HISTORICAL FICTION Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian. The horrors of the Armenian genocide become clear when a privileged boy is torn from his home and his family. Sunshine Rider: The Vegetarian Western by Ric Lynden Hardman. In the late 1800s while on a cattle drive which takes him north from Texas, 17-year-old Wylie learns that it is no longer necessary to run from the father he never knew. Witness by Karen Hesse (in verse). A series of poems expresses the views of various people in a small Vermont town during the early 1920s, when the Ku Klux Klan is trying to infiltrate the town. The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle. In 1942, Robert uncovers long-hidden family secrets while staying in his grandparents' Rhode Island town, where he becomes involved with a German artist suspected of being a spy. Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer. Mary Tudor, who would reign briefly as Queen of England during the mid-sixteenth century, tells the story of her troubled childhood as daughter of King Henry VIII. An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi. When her mother dies and her best friend's family is implicated in the assassination of President Lincoln, 14-year-old Emily must go live with an uncle she suspects of being involved in stealing bodies for medical research. The Land by Mildred D. Taylor. After the Civil War, Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, often finds himself a victim of prejudice as he pursues his dream of owning land. Prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris. When 12-year-old Nicola leave Troupe Brufort and serves as the fool for Mary, Queen of Scots, she experiences the political and religious upheavals. Being Dead by Vivian Vande Velde (Short Stories). These seven supernatural stories all have something to do with death. The
Shadow Club Rising by Neal Shusterman. Even though he has disbanded his Shadow
Club (made up of "second best" kids who play anonymous tricks on their
rivals), Jared finds himself suspected when a popular boy at school is targeted
by a trickster. Sequel to The Shadow Club. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong. Describes the events of the 1914 Antarctic disastrous expedition which forced Shackleton and his men to make a long perilous journey across ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land. Ultimate
X-Men by Peter Sanderson. This comprehensive overview describes four decades
of Marvel Comic's monstrously popular mutant superheroes. Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove. A humorous look at the meeting of two very different cultures told through the eyes of a young Peruvian village girl. Tangerine by Edward Bloor. Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Eric, fights the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Thirteen-year-old Sal journeys with Gram and Gramps to find her mother and tells the story of Phoebe, whose mother also disappeared. Love Among Walnuts by Jean Ferris. Born and raised in isolation in a wealthy, eccentric family, Sandy is shocked when his family becomes a victim of a vicious plot to take their money. Seek by Paul Fleischman. Rob becomes obsessed with searching the airwaves for hits long-gone father, a radio announcer. Amandine by Adele Griffin. Her first week at a new school, shy plain Delia befriends Amandine, not anticipating the dangerous turns their friendship will take. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates. You
Don't Know Me by David Klass. Fourteen-year-old John creates alternative realities
in his mind as he tries to deal with his mother's abusive boyfriend, his crush
on a beautiful but shallow classmate and other problems at school. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. After his anger erupts into violence, Cole agrees to participate in an alternative to prison and is sent to remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a Spirit Bear changes his life. Zazoo by Richard Mosher. Amid old secrets revealed and rifts healed, a thirteen-year-old Vietnamese orphan raised in rural France by her aging grandfather learns about life, death and love. A Step from Heaven by An Na. A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America. The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo. Smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother's murder, Sade and her younger brother are abandoned in London when their uncle fails to meet them at the airport. Define Normal by Julie Anne Peters. When she agrees to meet with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle school, Antonia never dreams that this girl with the black lipstick and pierced eyebrow will end up becoming a good friend. Lord of the Deep by Graham Salisbury. Working for his stepfather on a charter fishing boat in Hawaii teaches 13 year-old Mikey about fishing, taking risks, making sacrifices and facing some of life's difficult choices. Zach's Lie by Roland Smith. Jack Osborne begins to make friends and adjust to his new life in Nevada, but the drug cartel his father is to testify against is determined to track them down. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. (In Verse). Sophie describes her relationships with a series of boys as she searches for Mr. Right in this novel in poetry. Hush by Jacqueline Woodson. Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program. Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Covill. Fourteen-year-old Marina and sixteen-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult to await the end of the world atop a remote mountain where they try to decide what they themselves believe. SCIENCE
FICTION AND FANTASY Sabriel by Garth Nix (Fantasy). Sabriel endures exhaustion, violent confrontations and terrifying challenges to her supernatural ability in this mythical underworld on necromancy, magic and the monstrous undead. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy). A talking cat, intelligent rats and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king. The Boxes by William Sleator (Science Fiction). When she opens two strange boxes left in her care by her mysterious uncle, 15-year-old Annie discovers a swarm of telepathic creatures and unleashes a power capable of slowing down time. This
booklist was prepared by the Young Adult Booklist Committee of the Nassau Library
System: Terry Ain, Rockville Centre Public Library; Jennifer Pohl, Long Beach
Public Library; Suzanne Ponzini, Port Washington Public Library; Stacey Preston,
Farmingdale Public Library; Janet Steninger, Bethpage Public Library. |
