Readers are
Leaders
Avalon
High, by Meg Cabot
Having moved to
Full
Tilt, by Shusterman, Neal
When
sixteen-year-old Blake goes to a mysterious, by-invitation-only carnival
he somehow knows that it could save his comatose brother, but soon
learns that much more is at stake if he fails to meet the challenge
presented there by the beautiful Cassandra.
Eragon,
by Paolini, Christopher
In Alagaesia, a
fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious
stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic,
and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.
Eldest,
by Paolini, Christopher
After
successfully evading an Urgals ambush, Eragon is adopted into the
Ingeitum clan and sent to finish his training so he can further help the
Varden in their struggle against the Empire.
Drums,
Girls, 8 Dangerous Pie, by
When his younger
brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to
deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to
support his family
City
of Embers, by DuPrau, Jeanne
In the city of
The
Watsons go to Birmingham, by Curtis, Christopher Paul
The ordinary
interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American
family living in
The
Angel Factory, by Blacker, Terence
Spurred on by
his best friend, twelve-year-old Thomas uncovers two major family
secrets: that he was adopted, and that his perfect-seeming family is
part of an other-worldly organization.
The
Thief Lord, by Funke, Cornelia Caroline
Orphaned
brothers Prosper and Bo, having run away from their cruel aunt and
uncle, decide to hide out in
High
Heat, by Deuker, Carl
When sophomore
Shane Hunter's father is arrested for money laundering at his Lexus
dealership, the star pitcher's life of affluence and private school
begins to fall apart.
Heartbeat,
by Creech, Sharon
Twelve-year-old
Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes
pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and
running partner) becomes distant.
The
outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place,
by Konigsburg, E. L.
Upon leaving an
oppressive summer camp, twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane spearheads a
campaign to preserve three unique towers her great-uncles have been
building in their backyard for more than forty years.
Shakespeare
Stealer, by Blackwood, Gary L.
A young orphan
boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe
in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers
instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.
Black
Eyed Suzie, by Shaw, Susan
Suzie's stay in
a mental hospital helps her tear down the walls of a devastating
psychological prison that she calls "the box."
Picture
Perfect, by Alphin, Elaine Marie
A gap in his
memory the afternoon that his best friend disappears in a redwood forest
has a fifteen-year-old photographer wondering about his own role in the
mystery, and who he can turn to for help.
Lightning
Thief, by Riordan, Rick
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a
mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a
summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest
to prevent a war between the gods.
Maximum
Ride, by Patterson, James
After the mutant
Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids",
who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and
find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.
So
B It, by Weeks, Sarah
After spending
her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic neighbor,
12-year-old Heidi sets out from
Kissing
Doorknobs, by Hesser, Terry Spencer
Fourteen-year-old
Gifted,
by Evangelista, Beth
Arrogant,
mentally gifted George Clark has dreaded the eighth-grade class camping
trip and its inevitable bullying, but a hurricane and a friend's loyalty
make him realize what is important in life.
Flipped,
by Van Draanen, Wendelin
In alternating
chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves,
each other, and their families have changed over the years.
Silent
to the Bone, Konigsburg, E. L.
When he is
wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister,
thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend
Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really
happened.
Flush,
by Hiaasen, Carl
With their
father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger
sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating
casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around
their
Mick
Harte was Here, Park, Barbara
Thirteen-year-old Phoebe recalls the death of her younger brother Mick
in a bicycle accident, which might not have been fatal had he been
wearing his helmet, and how she and her family reacted to the tragedy.
Closes with an appeal to bikers to wear protective bicycle helmets.
True
Sight, by Stahler, David
In a distant frontier world, thirteen-year-old Jacob is uncertain of his future in a community that considers blindness a virtue and "Seers" as aberrations.
The
Doll People, by Martin, Ann
A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for one hundred years is taken aback when a new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor.
The
Girls, by Koss, Amy Goldman
Each of the
girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold
one of the group exerts on the others, and the hurt and self-doubt that
it causes them.
Lion
Boy, by Corder, Zizou ( a
trilogy)
In the near
future, a boy with the ability to speak the language of cats sets out
from
Among
the Hidden, by Haddix, Margaret Peterson
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.
Redwall,
by Jacques, Brian
When the
peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of
the evil rat
Sammy
Keyes, by Van Draanen,
Wendelin
Seventh-grade
sleuth Sammy Keyes investigates mysterious happenings
Alex Rider, by
Horowitz, Anthony ( After the death of the uncle who had been his
guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his
uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.
Bartimaeus
Trilogy, by Stroud, Jonathan (the first book in the trilogy is The Amulet of
Samarkand) Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, becomes caught in a
web of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion, after he summons the
djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand
from the powerfuI magician Simon Loveland
Series
of Unfortunate Events, by
Snicket, Lemony
Violet, an adept
inventor, Klaus, the researcher, and Sunny, the culinary master find
themselves in the safety of a hotel with lots of strange and interesting
diversions where they decide to keep a journal of events just in case
they need it later. (This is one summary from a book in this series)
Artemis
Fowl, by Colfer, Eoin
When a
twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by
capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back
with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
Know a good book? Send an
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your favorites on the site too!
Mrs. Cato
Mrs. Neely
