| Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
At the end of the summer before she enters high
school, Melinda attends a party at which two
bad things happen to her: She gets drunk and
she is raped. She withdraws into herself, rarely
talking, cutting classes, ignoring assignments
and becoming more apart from the world each
day. Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, works with
her to express what she has so deeply repressed.
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
Jerry Renault is trying to get through his freshman
year of high school. All he wants to do is fit
in until one day a secret society, the Vigils,
changes that. In this story, a harmless chocolate
sale turns into a war.
Staying Fat for
Sarah Byrnes by Chris
Crutcher
Eric and Sarah are school friends with a lot
in common: both are misfits — Eric because
he’s grossly fat and Sarah because of
hideous scars from a childhood accident. When
Eric starts losing weight, he fears he’ll
lose Sarah’s friendship.
Ironman
by Chris Crutcher
Bo Brewster, through his letters to talk show
host Larry King, tells of his problematic relationship
with his father. Instead of having conflict
with his father, he lashes out at his English
teacher/football coach and is forced to go to
an anger management group where interesting
things start to happen in his life.
Whale Talk
by Chris Crutcher
There’s bad news and good news about the
Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is
that they don’t have a pool. The good
news is that only one of them can swim anyway.
A group of misfits trying to find their places
in a school that has no place for them, the
Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to carve out
their own turf.
The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton
See what happens when two rival gangs, the Greasers,
from the wrong side of the track, and the Socs,
the preppy crowd, clash. See and feel how Pony’s
life is changed by the death of his friend,
Johnny.
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Scout, a young girl in a quiet southern town,
is about to experience dramatic events that
will affect the rest of her life. She and her
brother Jem are being raised by their widower
father Atticus and by a strong-minded housekeeper
Calpurnia. Wide-eyed Scout is fascinated with
the sensitively revealed by people of her small
town but, from the start, there’s a rumble
of thunder just under the calm surface of life
here. The black people of the community have
a special feeling about Scout’s father
and she doesn’t know why. A few of her
white friends are inexplicably hostile and Scout
doesn’t understand this either. Unpleasant
things are shouted and the bewildered girl turns
to her father. Atticus, a lawyer, explains that
he’s defending a young Negro wrongfully
accused of a grave crime.
The Call of the
Wild by Jack London
The Call of the Wild tells the story of a dog
named Buck. He is stolen from his home in California
and taken to the Alaskan gold fields to be a
sled dog. This story tells the life of Buck
as he is passed from owner to owner. He eventually
finds a kind master, John Thornton.
Touching Spirit
Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Within Cole Matthews lies anger, rage and hate.
Cole has been stealing and fighting for years.
This time he caught Peter Driscal in the parking
lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk.
For his punishment, Cole is offered Circle Justice,
a system based on Native American traditions
that attempts to provide healing for the criminal
offender, the victim and the community.
Hatchet by
Gary Paulsen
A boy named Brian is on a trip to the Canadian
oilfields to spend the summer with his dad.
When the pilot of the small plane in which Brian
is traveling suffers a heart attack and dies,
Brian must land the plane and learn to survive
in the wilderness. He faces many dangers including
hunger, animal attacks and even a tornado. This
book gives the reader a better understanding
of what it is like to survive in an untamed
land.
Dogsong by
Gary Paulsen
A 14-year-old Eskimo youth named Russel prepares
to escape the modern-day world and to embrace
the old ways. He is helped in his quest by Oogruk,
an old shaman of the village, who gives him
a sled, dogs and spiritual and practical guidance.
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
After realizing their desire for freedom, the
animals of Manor Farm chase Mr. Jones off his
property and take control. They struggle to
create an ideal community. (Animal Farm is a
parody of the events of the Russian Revolution
and the years following it.)
Where the Red Fern
Grows by Wilson Rawls
Billy and his two dogs form a strong, loving
bond while hunting together for raccoons. Victory
comes to the three of them, as well as great
sorrow.
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
Two migrant workers, George and Lennie, have
been let off a bus miles away from the California
farm where they are due to start work. Overcome
with thirst, the two stop in a clearing by a
pool and decide to camp for the night. As the
two converse, it becomes clear that Lennie has
a mild mental disability and is deeply devoted
to George and dependent upon him for protection
and guidance. George finds that Lennie, who
loves petting soft things but often accidentally
kills them, has been carrying and stroking a
dead mouse. He angrily throws it away, fearing
that Lennie might catch a disease from the dead
animal. George complains loudly that his life
would be easier without having to care for Lennie,
but the reader senses that their friendship
and devotion is mutual. He and Lennie share
a dream of buying their own piece of land, farming
it and, much to Lennie’s delight, keeping
rabbits. George ends the night by treating Lennie
to the story he often tells him about what life
will be like in such an idyllic place.
The Pearl
by John Steinbeck
Kino, a poor Mexican pearl fisher, finds a valuable
pearl. Yet instead of bringing blessings, the
pearl acts as a harbinger of misfortune to Kino
and his wife, Juana. Ultimately, it is returned
from whence it came.
|
