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The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate Dicamillo
Illustrated by Timothy B. Ering
Candlewick 2003
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
This enchanting tale of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling begins in a castle where the little mouse, who has a romantic spirit, falls in love with Princess Pea and is banished to the dungeon by his own father, the king. There he meets Roscuro, a rat, who desperately seeks light
and craves soup. The fourth character is Miggery Sow, a peasant girl who believes she can become a princess. Kate DiCamillo weaves these incredible characters together with a suspenseful narrative. MORE...
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Ithaka
by Adele Geras
Harcourt Children's Books 2006
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
The famous story of the The Odyssey by Homer is retold, this time from all those who are waiting for Odysseus to return. Primarily told through Klymene, the young handmaiden who is like a daughter to Penelope and who longs for the love of prince Telemachus, this powerful story captures the strength and patience of a woman's enduring love for her husband. It also unveils the corruptions and agony of the Trojan war. MORE...
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New Boy
by Julian Houston
Houghton Mifflin 2005
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
A fifteen year old boy, Rob Garrett, leaves his Virginia home to attend a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut. The story takes place in the 1950's. He is the first African American to attend this school and encounters bigotry as well as many social concerns of the times. He visits Harlem and gets to hear Malcolm X preach. MORE...
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Voices of the Trojan War
by Kate Hovey
Illustrated by Leonid Gore
Margaret K. McElderry 2004
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
The ancient story of Troy seems more relevant than ever today through the voices of the gods, goddesses, warriors and soldiers, kings and the common people. Each poem is prefaced with a quote from one of the original sources, Homer, Ovid, Virgil or Euripides and we enter into the heartaches and horror of the war. MORE...
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Dark Angel
by David Klass
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2005
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
A well written book for teenagers, this gripping and suspenseful story is about a seventeen year old boy Jeff whose brother Troy returns unexpectedly from prison and makes a mess of his life at school, at home and even with his girlfriend, Beth. A multilayered novel about good and evil and the powerful bond of a family, David Klass explores unconditional love, fear, faith and theories of human behavior. It is a chilling read, written skillfully by a master screenwriter, and one which your teenager won't be able to put down. MORE...
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Soldier's Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson
by Sheila Solomon Klass
Henry Holt and Company 2009
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
This is a gripping first-person account of an extraordinary woman who dressed as a soldier and served the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. Based on real-life facts, Sheila Solomon Klass weaves a mesmerizing story that young adults won't be able to put down. MORE...
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Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution
by Moying Li
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2008
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Life in Other Countries
This is a memoir of the wrenching years of the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong. Its even tone allows the terror to stand on its own. The book is written for young readers, but can also be a wonderful novel for adults. In essence, "This is a book about the value of reading - to escape, to learn, to be sustained and to grow." - John Schwartz in Children's Book Review, New York Times , August 17, 2008. MORE...
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Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices
by Walter Dean Myers
Holiday House 2004
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
In this breathtaking book, each resident in Harlem "speaks" in his unique voice telling the story, a memory or recollection in free verse form or blues format. Period black and white photographs from Mr. Myers' own collection add much to this personal portrait and together they etch a lasting impression on the reader. MORE...
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A Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
Yearling 2003
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
Set in 12th century Korea, this novel is a tale of determination, endurance, courage and hope. Great suspense is woven into this novel which conveys the hardships and challenges of an orphan's life, the exquisite beauty of celadon pottery and the culture of an artist community. MORE...
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The Same Stuff as Stars
by Katherine Paterson
HarperTrophy 2004
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
Eleven-year-old Angel Morgan keeps a house key around her neck and some money in her sock, just in case. Even at this tender age, she is in charge of her younger brother until her erratic mother drops them both off at her grandmother's house and never comes back. (Her father is in jail) As she struggles to find hope, Angel makes friends with a star gazer who introduces her to the world above through his telescope and the librarian who feeds her soul with books. The grandma is a solid character in this action packed story which deals with forgiveness and acceptance. MORE...
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The Day of the Pelican
by Katherine Paterson
Clarion Books 2009
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Life in Other Countries
In this compassionate, powerful novel by award-winning Katherine Paterson, we revisit the plight of refugees. This time the Lleshi family escapes from Kosovo as they fight off the Serbs and land in a refugee camp. Thirteen-year-old Meli's life changes abruptly when the family immigrates to America. Their struggle to adjust to a new country is especially relevant to events today and helps us remember how hard it is to start life anew, especially after 9/11. MORE...
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
by Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion Books 2004
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Great Reads for Teenagers and Young Adults
This poignant story of a forbidden friendship between a preacher's son and a dark-skinned girl from a nearby island in Maine (1910) provides an irresistible story that explores themes of powerlessness, possibility, and the important impact one person can make. MORE...
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Add It Dip It Fix It, A book of verbs
by R.M. Schneider
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1995
Ages: 10 and Up
Topic: Especially for your Beginning Readers
An ingenious way of building verbs using illustrations that creatively capture each verb. The word “it” is dipped, fixed, x-rayed and more in this book. Playful way of defining 21 action verbs. MORE...
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