SCASL 2009-10
Junior Book Award Nominee
Adam Canfield, Watch Your Back! by Michael Winerip
The Big Field by Mike Lupica
Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein
Elephant Run by Roland Smith
Fire From the Rock by Sharon Draper
Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko
Leepike Ridge by Nathan D. Wilson
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
by Jennifer Holm
by Jennifer Holm
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Elizabeth Miller
Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury
The Redheaded Princess: A Novel by Ann Rinaldi
The Seer of Shadows by Avi
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Taken by Edward Bloor
Toby Wheeler: Eighth Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring
When I Crossed No-Bob by Margaret McMullan
MIDDLE SCHOOL READING LIST
SIXTH GRADE
Adventure of Ulysses Bernard Evslin
Lexile Number: 860
ANNOTATION
The leader of the Greek forces returning from Troy encounters the Cyclops, the beautiful sorceress Circe and more, as he tries to ward off the anger of the gods.
FROM THE CRITICS
AWARDS
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit Paula Danziger
Lexile Number: 610
ANNOTATION
When the unconventional English teacher who helped her conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, thirteen-year-old Marcy Lewis uses her new found courage to campaign for the teacher's reinstatement.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot
In some ways the book is a painful read, because it seems so autobiographic, but the humor helps and kids will gain insights into family dynamics and come to admire Marcy. 1998 (orig.
AWARDS
Catherine, Called Birdie Karen Cushman
Lexile Number: 1170
ANNOTATION
The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly (May 15, 1995)
A Newbery Honor Book, this witty and wise fictive diary of a 13th-century English girl, according to PW, ``introduces an admirable heroine and pungently evokes a largely unfamiliar setting.'' Ages 12-up. (May)
AWARDS
Newbery Honor Book
Horn Book Fanfare award
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary
Lexile Number: 910
ANNOTATION
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.
FROM THE CRITICS
New York Times Book Review
A first-rate, poignant story ... a lovely, well-crafted, three-dimensional work.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Egypt Game Zilpha Keatley Synder
Lexile Number: 1010
ANNOTATION
Melanie and her friend, April, convert an abandoned junk yard into an Egyptian temple where they have fun and "fit in" in a way they never can at school. When it is revealed that a murderer is roaming the neighborhood, they have more excitement than they bargained for.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Books and Their Creators
edited by Anita Silvey - Provided by Houghton Mifflin Books through the Google Books Partner Program
Page 478
... with as much originality as ZI LPH A KEATLEY SNYDER'S The Egypt Game (1967).
Fascinated with Egypt, an ethnically diverse group of neighborhood children ...
... with as much originality as ZI LPH A KEATLEY SNYDER'S The Egypt Game (1967).
Fascinated with Egypt, an ethnically diverse group of neighborhood children ...
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
The Golden Goblet Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Lexile Number: 930
ANNOTATION
A young Egyptian boy struggles to reveal a hideous crime and reshape his own destiny.
FROM THE CRITICS
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson
Lexile Number: 800
ANNOTATION
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.
FROM THE CRITICS
AWARDS
1979 Newbery Honor Book
Winner, 1979 National Book Award for Children's Literature
Notable Children's Books of 1978 (ALA)
1979 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
1979 Christopher Award
1979 Jane Addams Award Honor Book
1980–81 Children's Choice Award (Iowa)
1981 Georgia Children's Book Award
1981 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1980–81 Children's Book Award (Massachusetts)
1981 William Allen White Children's Book Award
NY Public Library Books and Recordings 1978
Winner, 1979 National Book Award for Children's Literature
Notable Children's Books of 1978 (ALA)
1979 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
1979 Christopher Award
1979 Jane Addams Award Honor Book
1980–81 Children's Choice Award (Iowa)
1981 Georgia Children's Book Award
1981 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1980–81 Children's Book Award (Massachusetts)
1981 William Allen White Children's Book Award
NY Public Library Books and Recordings 1978
Hatchet GaryPaulsen
Lexile Number:1020
ANNOTATION
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
FROM THE CRITICS
Stranded in the Canadian wilderness with only the clothes on his back and a hatchet, Brian Robeson must put his bitter thoughts of his parents' divorce behind and deal with trying to stay alive. "Plausible, taut, this (survival) story is spellbinding".--Kirkus Reviews.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis
Lexile Number: 940
ANNOTATION
Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
FROM THE CRITICS
Gale Research
In this opening volume, Lewis "presents a world corrupted with powerful evil, full of dangerous temptations; humanity is seen as often weak and prone to erring ways," David L. Russell explained, "but with the capacity for devotion and even heroism if guided by the unconditional love of the godhead."
AWARDS
ALA | Books for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America List
My Side of the Mountain Jean C. George
Lexile Number: 810
ANNOTATION
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
FROM THE CRITICS
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Sing Down the Moon
Scott O’Dell
Scott O’Dell
Lexile Number: 820
ANNOTATION
A young Navajo girl recounts the events of 1864 when her tribe was forced to march to Fort Sumner as prisoners of the white soldiers.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
This resonant Newbery Honor book chronicles the Navajo experience of the 1860s through the eyes of 14-year-old Bright Morning. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Sounder W. H.. Armstrong
Lexile Number: 900
ANNOTATION
Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and through his relationship with his devoted dog Sounder.
FROM THE CRITICS
New York Book Review
The author writes in details that glow alive.
AWARDS
Winner, 1970 Newbery Medal
Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)
1970 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1969 (NYT)
Best for Young Readers (NYTBR)
1970 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Children's Books of 1969 (Library of Congress)
Children's Books of the Year (CSA)
Some Select Children's Books of 1969 (Publishers Weekly)
Notable Books for the Portrayal of the Black in Children's Literature (Top of the News)
Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
1973 Nene Award (Hawaii)
1975 Sue Hefley Children's Book Award (Louisiana)
Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)
1970 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1969 (NYT)
Best for Young Readers (NYTBR)
1970 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Children's Books of 1969 (Library of Congress)
Children's Books of the Year (CSA)
Some Select Children's Books of 1969 (Publishers Weekly)
Notable Books for the Portrayal of the Black in Children's Literature (Top of the News)
Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
1973 Nene Award (Hawaii)
1975 Sue Hefley Children's Book Award (Louisiana)
Tuck Everlasting Natalie Babbitt
Lexile Number: 770
ANNOTATION
The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing older.
FROM THE CRITICS
Horn Book
. . . It is rich in imagery and punctuated with light fillips of humor. The author manipulates her plot deftly . . .
AWARDS
ALA | Suggested Books for RIF List
The Whipping Boy
Sid Fleischman
Sid Fleischman
Lexile Number: 570
ANNOTATION
A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
With his flair for persuading readers to believe in the ridiculous, Fleischman scores a hit with his new creation.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare
Lexile Number: 850
ANNOTATION
In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Book Watch
Barry Moser illustrates this reissue of a Newbery Award-winning story of a girl marked by suspicion from the moment she enters colonial Connecticut in 1687. Her unconventional ways lead to conflict and trouble for the lonely girl in this moving story which combines a powerful plot and strong characterization with insights on social change.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L’Engle
Lexile Number: 740
ANNOTATION
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
FROM THE CRITICS
"Two children, accompanied by an older boy, go on a search for their missing scientist-father-a dangerous search that takes them through space by means of a 'tesseract,' or wrinkle in time, to the dark planet Camazotz, whose puppetlike inhabitants are controlled by IT, a disembodied brain."-Booklist
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Hans Christian Anderson Award
Sequoyah Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
SEVENTH GRADE
Among the Hidden Margaret Peterson Haddix
Lexile Number: 800
ANNOTATION
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
This futuristic novel focuses on a totalitarian regime and the Internet. PW noted, "The plot development is sometimes implausible and the characterizations a bit brittle, but the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep readers hooked." Ages 8-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 02/11/99
Bearstone Will Hobbs
Lexile Number: 780
ANNOTATION
A troubled Indian boy goes to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways help the boy become a man.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Sylvia Firth
This is the paperback edition of a wonderful story about a troubled, young Native American boy coming of age. Cloyd Atcitty is fourteen and totally miserable. In hopes of helping him turn his life around, his parents send him to work for the summer for an old farmer named Walter Landis. Hobbs really knows the area and the culture of its native people. Readers are sure to be drawn to his many other adventure stories, including Beardance and Downriver. 2004 (orig. 1989), Aladdin Paperbacks, Ages 10 to 14.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Because of Winn Dixie Kate Dicamillo
Lexile Number: 610
ANNOTATION
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Childrens Literature
Imagine naming a dog "Winn-Dixie" after the grocery store. Your own name causes kids to mock you "Lunch Meat!" That partly describes India Opal Buloni, a preacher's daughter, who tells us about her first summer in Naomi, Florida. Opal adopts the lovable, mangy dog whose personality changes her life and the lives of the quirky characters in this rural community. The kids think Gloria Dump is a witch but Opal discovers a kind, wrinkled old lady with bad eyesight who wins her friendship when she says, "Since I don't see so well, why don't you tell me everything about yourself so I can see you with my heart." Opal couldn't be happier. "I'd been waiting for a long time to tell some person everything about me, I did." A splendid story with heart, humor and hope. This is Newbery quality. Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/15/01
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/19/01
Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson
Lexile Number: 810
ANNOTATION
The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Valerie O. Patterson
Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. practices all summer so that he can be the fastest runner in his rural Virginia fifth-grade class. Despite his practice, however, he loses the race on the first day of school to Leslie Burke, the new girl in school whose hippy parents have moved from Washington, DC. Despite Jesse's lost running dream, he becomes fast friends with Leslie. Together they build the imaginary kingdom of Terabitia in the woods. To Jesse, Leslie is "more than his friend. She was his other more exciting self—his way to Terabithia and all the worlds beyond." When Jesse's favorite teacher takes him to see the art museums in Washington one rainy day, he returns home to find his world permanently changed by tragedy—Leslie's death. Despite his heartache, Jesse moves forward, a stronger and more whole individual for his friendship with Leslie. Written by the author for her then young son whose best friend was killed by lightning, this Newbery Medal winner moves the heart and spirit with its beautiful writing, wrenching honesty, and hopeful ending. 2005 (orig. 1977), HarperCollins, Ages 9 to 12.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/78
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/78
The Cay Theodore Taylor
Lexile Number: 860
ANNOTATION
When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.
FROM THE CRITICS
Saturday Review
A totally absorbing story...starkly dramatic, believable and compelling.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Call of the Wild (accelerated) Jack London
Lexile Number: 1120
ANNOTATION
Tells the story of the magnificent dog Buck, who is a loyal pet until cruel men make him a pawn in their search for the gold of the Klondike, where he breaks free and becomes the leader of a ferocious wolf pack.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
…must-reads for any age. The combination of man and dog against the elements of the then untamed North and the anything-goes adventurous nature of Buck, the protagonist, makes for exciting reading. London, the author, draws on his turn of the century experiences during the Goldrush in Alaska. The important element of the dogs in the life and survival of those adventurers brings an exciting element to the story. Dogs were as important as people, and London is at his best in describing this relationship through thick and thin. There is a reading group guide included for classroom use, but the story is a good one for reading aloud within the family, too. 2003 (orig. 1903),
AWARDS
Johnny Tremain (accelerated) Esther Forbes
Lexile Number: 840
ANNOTATION
After injuring his hand, a silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot
To read Johnny Tremain is to live through two dramatic years of our country's history, and to see these great events through the shrewd eyes of an observant boy. After injuring his hand, this silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution. His new role brings Johnny Tremain in contact with the great men of history: John Hancock, John and Samuel Adams, and other Boston patriots. The story leads up to the Tea Party and Battle of Lexington. Ward has sharpened the drama of the story by adding full-page illustrations. 1944 Newbery Award.
AWARDS
Newbery Award
The Last Book in the Universe
Rodman Philbrick
Rodman Philbrick
Lexile Number: 740
ANNOTATION
In a world where most people are plugged into brain-drain entertainment systems epileptic teenager Spaz is a rare human being who can see life for what it really is. When he meets an old man called Ryter, he begins to learn about earth and its past. With Ryter as his companion, Spaz sets off on an unlikely quest to save his dying sister and in the process, perhaps the world.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
"Philbrick's latest misfit protagonist embarks on an adventure in a fantastic and often frightening alternative world," said PW. "The creation of a futuristic dialect, combined with striking descriptions of a postmodern civilization, will convincingly transport readers." Ages 10-14. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/19/01
Letters From Rifka Karen Hesse
Lexile Number: 660
ANNOTATION
In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to America.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
This story is based on Hesse's great-aunt Lucy's own experiences. In 1919, Rifka, 12, and her family flee Russia but Rifka has contracted scalp ringworm and is detained in Belgium where she must undergo treatment while the others are allowed to emigrate to the U.S. This is a coming of age story with a strong, intelligent, undaunted heroine. Later, her detainment on Ellis Island allows her to develop compassion for someone she considers an enemy. Told in letter format to her cousin Tovah, the spare style is powerful. Don't miss this!
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Homesick: My Own Story Jean Fritz
Lexile Number: 860
ANNOTATION
The author's fictionalized version, though all the events are true, of her childhood in China in the 1920's. Jean Fritz was born in China and lived there until 1927, when she was twelve. Young Jean had spent her entire life in China, but her parents' memories of home and letters from relatives in Pennsylvania made her feel that she was American—and homesick for a place she'd never seen!
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Fritz's Newbery Honor-winning memoir of growing up during a turbulent time in China's history is "rich in the telling observations of sights, sounds and people," said PW. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/83
Maniac Magee Jerry Spinelli
Lexile Number: 820
ANNOTATION
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In this modern-day tall tale, Spinelli ( Dump Days ; Jason and Marceline ) presents a humorous yet poignant look at the issue of race relations, a rare topic for a work aimed at middle readers. Orphaned as an infant, Jerry Magee is reared by his feuding aunt and uncle until he runs away at age eight. He finds his way to Two Mills, Pa., where the legend of ``Maniac'' Magee begins after he scores major upsets against Brian Denehy, the star high school football player, and Little League tough guy, John McNab. In racially divided Two Mills, the Beales, a black family, take Maniac in, but despite his local fame, community pressure forces him out and he returns to living at the zoo. Park groundskeeper Grayson next cares for the boy, but the old man dies and Maniac moves into the squalid home of the McNabs, who are convinced a race war is imminent. After a showdown with his nemesis, Mars Bar, Maniac bridges the gap between the two sides of town and finally finds a home. Full of snappy street-talk cadences, this off-the-wall yarn will give readers of all colors plenty of food for thought. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/91
The Pearl (accelerated)
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
Lexile Number: 1010
ANNOTATION
For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dreams blind him to the greed that the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors. Baring the fallacy of the American dream--that wealth erases all problems--Steinbeck's classic illustrates our fall from innocence.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
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. Steinbeck's parable, originally published in 1947, is a well-written retelling of an old Mexican folktale. Hector Elizondo, with his fine voice and great diction, reads with sincerity, keeping this simple, tragic tale moving toward its inevitable conclusion. Highly recommended for all collections.-Denise A. Garofalo, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
AWARDS
The River Gary Paulsen
Lexile Number: 1010
ANNOTATION
Because of his success surviving alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian, profoundly changed by his time in the wild, is asked to undergo a similar experience to help scientists learn more about the psychology of survival.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
For fans of Hatchet, Paulsen's popular survival story, come two follow-up adventures. In the first, Brian must rescue a coma victim when stranded on a rapid river in the wilderness. PW called The River "as riveting as its predecessor... the psychological terrain of the sequel is fresh and distinct." Brian's Winter poses the question: what if the hero had not been rescued before the weather turned deadly? "The pace never relents," said PW, "Paulsen serves up one cliffhanger after another." Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
AWARDS
The Secret of Gumbo Grove Eleanora Tate
Lexile Number: 740
ANNOTATION
Raisin Stackhouse doesn't mind doing odd jobs for old Miss Effie Pfluggins, but when Miss Effie talks her into cleaning up the old church cemetery, she has no idea what trouble she might dig up. Mama says Miss Effie talks much too much, but Raisin loves hearing her remember the old days—especially when one of her stories puts Raisin smack in the middle of real-life mystery.
When Raisin is grounded for sneaking a night out, she not only misses her chance to compete in the Miss Ebony Pageant, but her efforts to uncover the famous person buried in the cemetery are brought to a half, too. Somehow Raisin's got to solve the big mystery no one in town wants to talk about. Will her discovery bring her glory, or is the past better off left buried
When Raisin is grounded for sneaking a night out, she not only misses her chance to compete in the Miss Ebony Pageant, but her efforts to uncover the famous person buried in the cemetery are brought to a half, too. Somehow Raisin's got to solve the big mystery no one in town wants to talk about. Will her discovery bring her glory, or is the past better off left buried
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8 Eleven-year-old Raisin Stackhouse is the oldest of three sisters in a black family that lives in Gumbo Grove, S.C. She is intensely interested in finding out about history and heroes, but, when she questions why her class never studies about blacks ``who did stuff around here,'' her history teacher's response is that no blacks there had ever done anything worth talking about. Elderly Effie Pfluggins knows better than that, and she has proof. Raisin soon becomes precariously involved in the past by helping Miss Effie clean up the church's cemetery, where history virtually explodes into their lives. Before long, the entire community is enlightened by revelations from Raisin and Miss Effie. Subplots of peer and family relationships, including sibling rivalry, are masterfully blended to create a warm, humorous, and wonderful story centered around an intellectually curious and spirited black girl. An array of characters draws readers into and out of serious moments and humorous exchanges. The black speech may inconvenience readers unfamiliar with it, but truth requires it to be as it is presentedpoetic in its relevance. An echo of similarity with Virginia Hamilton's The House of Dies Drear (Macmillan, 1968) prevails through the portrayals of black family life and the searches for important historical connections. The outstanding differences are the warmth and humor of Gumbo Grove , which demonstrate the welcomed emergence of another talented and appealing black writer of books for children. Helen E. Williams, University of Maryland, College Park
AWARDS
Scorpions Walter Dean Myers
Lexile Number: 610
ANNOTATION
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun--until a tragedy occurs.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Jamal, who is pressured to become leader of the Scorpions gang, worries about school, family, and the rough kids on the street. When a fellow gang member gives him a gun, Jamal suddenly gains a new level of respect from his enemies. A realistic look at a boy who wants to do the right thing but gets caught up in the culture of violence. A Newbery Honor selection. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/89
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Slave Dancer Paula Fox
Lexile Number: 970
ANNOTATION
Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo.
FROM THE CRITICS
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/74
Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls
Lexile Number: 700
ANNOTATION
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
FROM THE CRITICS
Gr 4 Up--Where the Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Bantam, pap. 1974) is a classic boy and his dog story. ... Via flashback, Billy remembers his early teen years and the impact his pet dogs and his fellow family members had on his growing up. There are many humorous and tragic moments in the story. The pacing of the reading changes appropriately with the action, and the narration reflects Billy's emotions. Billy's youth was spent in the hills of the Ozarks and there are several instances that prove it was not an easy life. While the lifestyle might not be familiar to today's youth, the ups and downs of growing up and the love of a pet will ring true to all pre-adolescent and adolescent listeners. A good addition to school and public library collections.
Source: Braun, Linda W. Review of Where the Red Fern Grows. School Library Journal 41, no. 6 (June 1995): 71.
Source Database: Literature Resource Center
AWARDS
EIGHTH GRADE
A Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Peck
Lexile Number: 690
ANNOTATION
To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who cannot produce a litter.
FROM THE CRITICS
"With plenty of Yankee common sense and dry wit, and some pathos as the boy at 13 takes on the duties of a man. For boys of this age and for the young of any age."—School Library Journal.
AWARDS
Across Five Aprils Irene Hunt
Lexile Number: 1100
ANNOTATION
Young Jethro Creighton grows from a boy to a man when he is left to take care of the family farm in Illinois during the difficult years of the Civil War.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Narrator Terry Bregy adopts an appropriately boyish tone for his reading of Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt, a Newbery Honor Book in 1965. Bregy compels readers to hear young Jethro Creighton's account of how the horrifying events of the Civil War changed life on his family's Illinois farm, even so many miles from the front lines. (Feb.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
The Contender Robert Lipsyte
Lexile Number: 760
ANNOTATION
After a successful start in a boxing career, a Harlem high school dropout decides that competing in the ring isn't enough of life and resolves to aim for different goals.
FROM THE CRITICS
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/99
Wilson's Senior High School 11/01/97
AWARDS
Winner of the 2001 Margaret Edwards Award
Flight 116 is Down Caroline B. Cooney
Lexile Number: 710
ANNOTATION
Teenager Heidi Landseth helps rescue people from a plane crash on her family's property, and the experience changes her life forever.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In PW 's words, ``Using her trademark lightning pace, Cooney depicts the drama and human interest inherent in disaster. This story will keep even the least bookish readers glued to their seats.'' Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Giver Lois Lowry
Lexile Number: 760
ANNOTATION
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal, this thought-provoking novel centers on a 12-year-old boy's gradual disillusionment with an outwardly utopian futuristic society; in a starred review, PW said, ``Lowry is once again in top form... unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers.'' Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
AWARDS
Newbery Medal
The Glory Field Walter Dean Myers
Lexile Number: 800
ANNOTATION
Follows a family's two hundred forty-one year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendants, as their dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina that they call the Glory Field.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
This book is an astounding fictional study of the African-American Lewis family traced through two hundred and forty years. Myers wrote this novel to express the changes he saw in the texture of life from one generation to another. He succeeds brilliantly because of the authenticity of his characters; from Muhammad, brought in leg irons from Sierra Leone, Africa, to Curry Island, South Carolina, in 1753, to his descendant, urban-dweller Malcolm, who blends techniques to compose his own kind of music in 1994, and battles to bring his drug-addicted cousin to their family reunion. Myers never lectures; he only creates a stage for his heros and heroines to tell history. His characters expose differences of culture and sentiment by their actions and decisions, while struggling against the societal constraints of each period. They all show love for, and pride in, a family that builds a reputation of self-respect and determination through successive generations.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes
Lexile Number: 840
ANNOTATION
After injuring his hand, a silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot
To read Johnny Tremain is to live through two dramatic years of our country's history, and to see these great events through the shrewd eyes of an observant boy. After injuring his hand, this silversmith's apprentice in Boston becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty in the days before the American Revolution. His new role brings Johnny Tremain in contact with the great men of history: John Hancock, John and Samuel Adams, and other Boston patriots. The story leads up to the Tea Party and Battle of Lexington. Ward has sharpened the drama of the story by adding full-page illustrations. 1944 Newbery Award.
AWARDS
Newbery Award
Night Eli Wiesel
Lexile Number: 590
ANNOTATION
An autobiographical narrative in which the author describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps, watching family and friends die, and how they led him to believe that God is dead.
FROM THE CRITICS
Curt Leviant
"Wiesel has taken his own anguish and imaginatively metamorphosed it into art." -- Saturday Review
AWARDS
The Outsiders S. E. Hinton
Lexile Number: 750
ANNOTATION
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
FROM THE CRITICS
Wilson's Senior High School 11/01/97
Book Links (A.L.A.) 05/01/95
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Pearl John Steinbeck
Lexile Number: 1010
ANNOTATION
For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dreams blind him to the greed that the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors. Baring the fallacy of the American dream--that wealth erases all problems--Steinbeck's classic illustrates our fall from innocence.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
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. Steinbeck's parable, originally published in 1947, is a well-written retelling of an old Mexican folktale. Hector Elizondo, with his fine voice and great diction, reads with sincerity, keeping this simple, tragic tale moving toward its inevitable conclusion. Highly recommended for all collections.-Denise A. Garofalo, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
AWARDS
Phoenix Rising Karen Hesse
Lexile Number: 610
ANNOTATION
Thirteen-year-old Nyle learns about relationships and death when fifteen-year-old Ezra, who was exposed to radiation leaked from a nearby nuclear plant, comes to stay at her grandmother's Vermont farmhouse.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-A Vermont sheep farm seems an unlikely place to worry about radiation and its effects. However, Nyle Sumner, 13, and her grandmother are completely surrounded by the grotesque results of an accident at a nuclear-power plant. Because of the accident, Nyle's cousin Bethany has radiation poisoning. Then Gran does the unthinkable: she takes in two fugitives who were exposed to the worst of the radiation, Miriam Trent and her son, Ezra, who is also sick with the poisoning. They stay in the back bedroom, the room marked by the death of Nyle's mother and grandfather. Now it seems likely that it will be the place that Ezra dies too. The bleak setting of this book serves as a backdrop for the sensitive interaction among the main characters. Gran quietly acts on her principles, Nyle overcomes her own feelings to help Ezra, and her best friend, Muncie, forgives past wrongs for the sake of friendship. The characters overcome adversity, not through heroic deeds of epic proportions, but through simple acts of kindness. The message is poignant, but not overpowering. Hesse has displayed considerable skill in creating a contemporary tale of hope and love rising, like a phoenix, from destruction and despair.-Marilyn Makowski, Greenwood High School, SC
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Pigman Paul Zindel
Lexile Number: 950
ANNOTATION
Meet Mr. Pignati, a lonely old man with a beer belly and an awful secret. He's the Pigman, and he's got a great big twinkling smile. When John and Lorraine, two high school sophomores, meet Mr. Pignati, they learn his whole sad, zany story. They tell it right here in this book — the truth, and nothing but the truth — no matter how many people it shocks or hurts.
FROM THE CRITICS
Elizabeth Janeway
As serious as it is funny, as moral as it is tough, as truthful as it is exciting.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Rumble Fish S. E. Hinton
Lexile Number: 680
ANNOTATION
Rusty-James knows he is a tough teen, but he wants to be even tougher, just like his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to stay calm and laugh when things get dangerous, to be the strongest streetfighter and the most respected guy this side of the river.
FROM THE CRITICS
Wilson's Junior High School 09/01/95
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
The Shark Beneath the Reef Jean C. George
Lexile Number: 800
ANNOTATION
On the Island of Coronado, a young Mexican fisherman comes of age as he becomes aware of the politics, corruption, and changes around him.
FROM THE CRITICS
Tomas, 14, must decide whether to continue his education or leave school to become a fisherman; PW praised George's ``sensitive portrayal of social change and its effect on a young per son's dreams'' as ``among her most suspenseful.'' Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
AWARDS
Tex S. E. Hinton
Lexile Number: 710
ANNOTATION
Easygoing, thoughtless, and direct, Tex at fifteen likes everyone and everything, especially his horse, Negrito, and Johnny Collins's blue-eyed sister, Jamie. He thinks life with his seventeen-year-old brother, Mason, in their ramshackle house would be just about perfect if only Mace would stop complaining about Pop. Pop hasn't been home in five months. Mace wants to get out of Oklahoma. Tex just seems to attract trouble and danger . . . Suddenly everything's falling apart. Can Tex keep it all together?
FROM THE CRITICS
Wilson's Senior High School 11/01/02
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
That was then, This is Now S. E. Hinton
Lexile Number: 780
ANNOTATION
Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Catherine Campbell Wright
This unforgettable classic still packs a powerful message even after nearly thirty years in print. Bryon and Mark are two teenagers who have been as close as brothers nearly all their lives. Told from Bryon's point of view, readers are drawn into both boys' lives, lives that are slowly but surely beginning to head different directions. While Bryon remains levelheaded and realistic about his future, Mark becomes more and more self-destructive, disrupting the lives of those who care about him. Finally, Bryon reaches a point where he must make the biggest and most terrible decision of his life-a decision that will change both boys' futures forever. 1998 (orig.
AWARDS
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
Where the Lilies Bloom
Bill & Vera Cleaver
Bill & Vera Cleaver
Lexile Number: 920
ANNOTATION
Mary Call has promised her dying father to keep her brother and sisters together forever on the mountain, and never to take any help from strangers. She is determined to keep her word. No matter what. At first she is sure she can manage. Romey, Ima Dean, and Devola help gather herbs to sell in town; the riches of the mountains will surely keep the family clothed and fed. But then winter comes, fast and furious, and Mary Call has to learn that the land where the lilies bloom is also a cruel and unforgiving place, and it may take more than a promise to keep her family together.
FROM THE CRITICS
New York Times Book Review
This is a story of good people, with real natures, living under conditions of hardship. This is a grand book...
AWARDS
The Watsons Go to Birmingham Christopher Paul Curtis
Lexile Number: 1000
ANNOTATION
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
The author has created a story with so many rich, tender, and hilarious moments that it is easy to believe that the family and events are real. Kenny, 10, tells the story. Kenny's description of brother Byron's antics leaves little doubt that this 13-year-old is on his way to being an "official delinquent." He is the cause of the family's decision to visit Birmingham to leave him with his maternal grandmother. The trip itself is a hoot as Dad decides to save money by making it a non-stop trip from Flint, Michigan. In Birmingham they are soon caught in the maelstrom of events of the emerging Civil Rights Movement. The spectrum of emotions from comedy to tragedy make this a worthy Newbery Honor Book, 1996.
AWARDS
Newbery Medal/Honor
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.)
