The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the “poor-ass” Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons, and hanging with his pal Rowdy. When a teacher recognizes that Arnold is capable of more, he rides two buses to get to the rich white school and becomes as much an outcast in this community as he is on the reservation. This book deals with stereotypes in a way that will make you laugh. (230 pgs) F ALE
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson Wintergirls is a book that is unflinchingly honest about anorexia. Lia has just heard that her best friend Cassie was found dead alone in a motel room. She left Lia thirty-three messages but she didn’t listen to them until it was too late. These two friends share an obsession about not eating that is beyond obsessive. Lia is launched into total self-destruction. We see what she thinks of herself and her body and all the attempts of others to reach her that never quite connect. Powerful! (278 pgs) F AND
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Katniss does what she has to so that her family can survive in District 12. Every year in Panem (what used to be North America) 2 people– a boy and a girl are picked from each district to play in the televised Hunger Games. It is a fight to the death – reality TV at its most brutal. Katniss and Peeta, the baker’s son who’s been in love with Katniss since she was 5, must kill the others and then each other to survive. You won’t be able to put this one down! First of a trilogy. (374 pgs) F COL
Bait by Alex Sanchez Having punched out a classmate who said he was gay, 16-year-old Diego finds himself on probation for fighting and faces doing prison time if it happens again. Diego seems like a lovable, intelligent young man who helps his mom take care of his little brother but he’s filled with anger and has scars from self-inflicted cutting. Diego’s probation officer, Mr. Vidas, tries to help him find the source of his anger. If you like psychology—this is the book for you! (239 pgs) F SAN
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork Marcelo is a teenager on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. He prefers an ordered existence, which includes taking care of the ponies at Paterson, his special school, reading religious books, and listening to the music in his head. Then his father, an attorney, insists that Marcelo spend the summer working in his law firm. Marcelo has a hard time communicating with his father who wants Marcelo to be able to function in the real world. This book is a fascinating look at the way someone with Asperger’s approaches the world. (312 pgs) F STO
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers Robin Perry joins the army during his senior year in high school because “I felt like crap after 9-11 and I wanted to do something, to stand up for my country.” Soon he ends up in Iraq. He writes letters home to his uncle Richie (Fallen Angels); and to his mother and through his eyes we experience what a young soldier thinks and feels as he wonders what the war is really about and what is really important. For all those who know a soldier overseas and want a glimpse into what they’re facing. (286 pgs) F MYE
Newes from the Dead: Being a True Story of Anne Green Hanged for Infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650, Restored to the World and Died Again 1665 by Mary Hooper is a chilling novel inspired by something that actually happened in 1651. Anne Green, a shy young English servant, is framed for murder by her wealthy employer and publicly hung. But she’s not dead. Her mind replays the events and the forbidden affair that ends on the scaffold and it is not until she is sold for medical dissection that they discover she is still alive. (245.p) F HOO
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman While a killer murders his family, a baby, unaware, pulls himself out of his crib and toddles out of the house and down the road into a graveyard. The baby is discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a stable and caring couple with no children of their own—who just happen to be dead. The graveyard’s occupants name the baby “Nobody” and raise him among the dead to protect him from the killer who still wants him dead. (312 pgs) F GAI
La Linea by Ann Jaramillo 15-year-old Miguel lives in Mexico with his younger sister Elena. He has not seen his parents for seven years since they crossed la linea—the border between Mexico and the United States. Miguel’s parents are in the United States illegally and on his 15th birthday he is told that it is time for him to try to cross. Miguel’s dangerous journey becomes nearly impossible when his younger sister Elena refuses to stay behind. How will they both survive the smugglers, train trip and desert crossing that may lead them to their parents if they are very, very lucky. If you’ve taken your citizenship for granted, you need to read this book. (125 pgs) F JAR
Sold by Patricia McCormick Lakshmi is a 13-year- old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. She is sold by her stepfather to cover his debts. Lakshmi is led to believe that she will work as a maid for a wealthy woman but she is sent to work in a brothel in Calcutta. A glimpse into a very miserable existence. (263 pgs) F MCC
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