Tween/Young Adult Books I've Read

Students often ask how many books I've read and which are my favorites.  A common question is, "Have you read all the books in our library?"  I sometimes answer dishonestly, with a smirk..."Why yes I have, so don't ever try to fake reading a book!  I'll catch ya!"   And then I have to smile and they know I'm joking.  But seriously, I have read a lot of books.  So, I sat down last year and made a list of all the books I could remember reading and many of the books I've read in my 5 years of working as LMS.  I've taken the time and space to record them here to satisfy my students' curiosity and to get them recorded for posterity.  I've marked my absolute favorites in red.  Enjoy!  Remember, these are tween or ya fiction.  I haven't included all the children's picture books, adult fiction, nonfiction or tween nonfiction I've read.  Whew!  No wonder I wear glasses!  These titles are in no particular order.  And let's just pretend I underlined the book titles, shall we?  Plus, I haven't included any books I've read this school year that have appeared on my blog.

On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Levitt
Holes by Louis Sachar
Small Steps by Louis Sachar
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Elenor Coerr
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Maximum Ride Books 1-5 by James Patterson
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
Peak by Roland Smith
Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney
Cracker by Cynthia Kadohata
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon
Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury
Hiroshima Dreams by Kelly Easton
Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
The City of Ember by Jean DuPrau
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Maze of Bones 39 Clues book 1 by Rick Riordan
One False Note 39 Clues book 2 by Gordan Korman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn
Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
The People of Sparks by Jeanne du Prau
Trials of Kate Hope by Wick Downing
The Diamon of Darkhold by Jeanne du Prau
The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne du Prau
Gone by Michael Grant
Cricket Man by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The Sword Thief 39 Clues book 3 by Peter Lerangis
The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong
A Horse of Her Own by Anne Wedekind

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Game by Walter Dean Myers
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Daniel X #1 by James Patterson
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Magician by Michael Scott
The Sorceress by Michael Scott
Beyond the Grave 39 Clues book 4 by Jude Watson
The Black Circle 39 Clues book 5 by Patrick Carman
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Seer of Shadows by Avi
Hunger by Michael Grant
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
Eli the Good by Silas House
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Faith, Hope and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Blood Lust by Hannah Wilson (student author)
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Harry Potter #1-7 by J.K. Rowling
The Series of Unfortunate Events books 1-5 by Lemony Snicket
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Crispin by Avi
Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Silver Cup by Constance Leeds
The Chronicles of Narnia books 1-7 by C.S. Lewis
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
39 Clues books 6-7
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Little House in the Big Woods (books 1-9) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Knucklehead by Jon Sciezka
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Trouble by Betsy Byars
Keeper of the Doves by Betsy Byars
Beastly by Alex Finn
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
All Rivers Flow to the Sea by Alison McGhee
Defiance by Jennifer Holm
Leepike Ridge  by N.D. Wilson
Lush by Natasha Friend
Bounce by Natasha Friend
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Magpie Gabbard by Sally Keehn
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Spidewick Chronicles books 1-5 by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickins
Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Treasure Island by Jonathan Swift
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Pearl by John Steinbeck


So far, 172 titles!


And, I know I've forgotten some.
Maybe you should take some time to write down everything you can remember reading...you'd be surprised!

Happy Reading!
RC

Girl With a Pearl Earring

Oh my goodness...what a refreshing reading experience I had this weekend!  After many weeks of reading young adult literature, I was able to pick up an adult novel I'd been wanting to read for some time now...Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.  I literally absorbed it!  I read this deluxe edition and enjoyed the paintings included...I'm such a visual learner!  Anyhow, not only had I been entranced by Johannes Vermeer's painting for some time now, but I had fallen in love with the movie a few years ago.  And if I purchase a movie, then I absolutely love it!  

Usually, I don't enjoy reading books that have already been "ruined" by the movie version.  Although I knew the story, I had to experience the novel for myself.  And it was a fantastic experience!  And once I learned more about the history of Holland during the late 1600s, and the inaccuracies and mysteries of this painting, I became even more amazed at the beauty and intrigue.  I understand the author's undying need to figure out who this girl may have been.  She is nothing like his other subjects.  There HAS to be a personal connection between this young girl, who only appears in one painting in unique clothing.  She isn't in the "corner" as so many of Vermeer's subjects are.  She isn't wearing anything of his wife's or anything like any other subject.  In fact, my research has indicated her turban must be something she threw together because there aren't any other turbans like it found in any of that period's art.  Plus, look at the background.  Nothing.  Vermeer's other paintings are busy.  I think he was infatuated with this maid.  I believe they had some personal relationship and I love how the author created the subject's world around this painting.  


Just in case you've never seen the movie or read the book, this novel takes the Girl With a Pearl Earring painting by Vermeer and spins a wonderfully realistic tale of the girl's life and how she came to be his subject.   Griet, the maid, is sent to work at Vermeer's home.  She is hired to clean his studio, a room no one is allowed to enter.  As she works, she forms an attachment to Vermeer and the tension between them is electric!  Catharina, his wife, is pregnant continuously throughout the book.  They eventually have eleven children!  So, the wife is full of hormones and paranoia.  Between her and her daughter, Cornelia, they give Griet a really hard way to go.  After many trials and much tribulation,  Griet is asked to sit for a painting and thus we have the cover image.  

Scarlett Johnsson plays Griet in the movie.  Great casting choice!

Seriously, I truly believe this painting is one of the most intriguing I've ever seen.  I would love to see it in person.  It's currently housed at The Hague and is supposed to be on loan in Tokyo next year.  Wow...wouldn't that be a trip!  

Well, here's one for the bucket list!  Until then,


Happy Reading!
RC

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

 The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is a student favorite at MNMS.  Readers who enjoy realistic and science fiction will truly enjoy this story about the near future in which teens, much like our modern-day teens,  long for identity.  And, how far should we let technology take us?  Is too much knowledge a danger to society?  What happens when we figure out how to successfully clone humans?  Should we even consider it?  Those kinds of questions cause readers to think...that's one of the reasons why I like this book.  Also, I connected with the main character's desire to make her own decisions.  Haven't you ever wondered why you do some of the things you do and/or say some of the things you say???  I have.  Even so, Jenna's situation is a bit different.  You see, she survived an accident she wasn't supposed to and has to deal with memory loss and her family's strange behavior toward her.  Her grandmother's constant aggressive behavior toward her is also a sign that something is just not right.

The original cover above is my favorite.  The butterfly is symbolic and attracts my students immediately.  The paperback version (just below) doesn't "speak" to my female students as much as it does my male students.  Perhaps that was intentional.  If so, bravo!

Because this book is on our Fall Book Frenzy List, I thought it important to reread it and be prepared for possibly leading the round-table discussion.  I'm glad I did.  Through the second reading, I was able to put myself in Claire's (the mother's) situation and I'm not so sure I agree with my first impression of that character.  I believe I like her more now.  

I'm happy to report that one of my students conducted research on Pearson and discovered this book has turned into a series entitled The Fox Chronicles.  The next book, The Fox Inheritance, will be released August 30, 2011.  My students will be so excited!  (see cover to the right)

And I have to admit...I'm excited as well!

Happy Reading!
RC

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven

Meet Alex.  He's the boy who came back from Heaven.  I read his story this weekend, a book written by him and his father.  He's an amazing child with an unbelievable story.  His faith and knowledge of Heaven and of God's grace is so strong.  I have learned so much from his story...namely, to go boldly before the throne, to acknowledge angels in my life more often, to rely upon my faith more, and to cherish my family as I count the blessings God has bestowed upon me.  This story will make you cry, laugh, shout and stand amazed at the power of our Lord.  


I wouldn't dare ruin this story for you, so I'll simply comment on it's structure...Kevin Malarchy, Alex's father, narrates this true story beginning with the morning of the accident.  His relationship with Alex reminds me of my husband's and my son's relationship.  They are so close.  The events of the accident are described and the father's narration is interrupted occasionally by Alex's descriptions of Heaven, angels, Jesus, death, events after his accident, Satan and his demons, and of frequent trips he takes back to Heaven, including discussions he has with God, Jesus and angels.  


I believe this story.  I believe in miracles.  And I believe that if God showed Paul and John glimpses of Heaven and asked them to share (or not to share) then He can and does do that today.  Just as in 90 Minutes in Heaven or 23 Minutes in Hell, both books that describe the afterlife, I believe that Alex's story is being used to warn humanity and to prepare Christians and nonChristians for death. 


If you have the opportunity, please read this book.  It's appropriate for all ages.  In fact, I read some of Alex's descriptions to my children and they were speechless.  


Did I mention Alex was 6 years old when he first had these experiences?  What a testimony!  


May God bless this family and yours.
*Please say a special prayer for a dear family in our church.  They are experiencing a setback and need a miracle.


Happy Reading! (and let's sprinkle our fiction with some Christian literature every now and then)
RC

Brand-New Emily

I finished another book from the Fall Book Frenzy List this weekend.  Had lots of time on my hands in-between ballgames (My son plays for a traveling basketball team.  State tournament this weekend.)  and I'm not much of a shopper unless I have a list.  I know why this book is flying off the shelves!  It's written by a middle school teacher and who knows best how middle school kids act if not for a middle school teacher!  We are constantly witness to behavior we don't understand.  Reading this book was like taking a trip back to my middle school days (and taking our modern technology with me!).  Kids haven't changed the way they treat each other since I was in middle school, but they do have more opportunities to treat each other badly.  You see, in my day, a victim could look forward to the end of the day because the bullying stopped.  Today's victims must endure a bully's torture 24/7, what with cell phones, texting, social networking, etc...  I feel so sorry for any child who must endure today's bullies.  

Brand-New Emily, written by Ginger Rue, is a young adult novel that allows the reader to experience one eighth-grade girl's rise up the social ladder.  She is the victim of the Daisies, a group of girls who have claimed power over all other students.  (Doesn't every school have a group of girls like this?!) She is harassed to the point of wanting to remake herself.  They have convinced her that she's worthless and ugly.  She finds a unique way, with the help of a "Justin Bieber-like" character to turn her world upside down.  However, there are always consequences when you try to be someone you aren't and Emily learns valuable lessons.

Middle school girls will love getting to know Emily.  They will love the new "Em" and enjoy her revenge.  I hope they learn to love Emily as much.  There's a great lesson within this story.  Actually there are several.  I would love to read this with my daughter when she's in middle school.  Believe me, this is one for every girl.  

Now on to post another blog entry!  I read 2 books this weekend!  Whew!

Happy Reading!

RC

Darkest Mercy

Finally!  The conclusion to the Wicked Lovely series is here...and finished!  I'm so thrilled with Melissa Marr's final book, Darkest Mercy.  I haven't truly enjoyed a book in this series since the second book, Ink Exchange, so since she wrapped up her series with a strong battle between good and evil, with just enough passion built in to keep any romance fan involved, I admit the series falls within my top 20 of all time reads.  The covers are absolutely beautiful!  Each cover includes a gorgeous model with either a flower, feather or butterfly.  Don't forget to check out the other book covers.  I've attached them to the end of this post.  If you haven't read the series, starting with Wicked Lovely, you should give it a try.*Warning:  I recommend this book for mature 7th and 8th graders only.  The first book includes a scene that I censored.  Other than that, the only other censored material is the "f" word, which is one of the words I do not tolerate in tween/ya lit.*  This series is kept in the restricted collection of the MNMS Library.

It's refreshing to read a young adult novel that feels unique.  Marr writes about the faery world in a way not many young adult authors would, for she turns a mystical realm into a realistic world that readers can connect with.  The synopsis for the series is based on the belief that there are three realms...the mortal world, the faery world (which we can't see, but that exists around us) and Faerie.  The main character inherited the Sight, which is the ability to see faeries.  She ignores this ability for as long as she can.  That is, until she meets the Summer King.  He is irresistible and soon she is turned into a faery.  She becomes the Summer Queen and the series takes off.  

Throughout the series, there are two main mortal characters, Aislynn and Seth, who are tough high-school teenagers who dress in black, have multiple piercings and remain innocently virginal despite the assumptions made by their friends and family.  They both struggle throughout the series with desire, guilt, rage and fear, but they emerge victorious.  I'm proud of Marr for keeping her characters real, without compromising their virtue.  Teenagers want to connect with characters that feel authentic.  I want them to read about characters who are living out a regular teenage life, surrounded by temptations and trouble, who are strong and independent and who are winners in the end.  (Not the Charlie Sheen kind of "winning".)  

Because Marr created these two characters to appear so authentic, the reader gets almost jealous when she introduces additional strong characters in books two, three and four.  Although I didn't care much for books three and four, I am pleased to say that book five is a substantial conclusion that answers all of the reader's questions.  I'm happy that she takes the time to remind her readers of the events in past books, with past characters.  Tweens need that!  James Patterson is the only other author that I can say adequately understands this need in young adult literature.  

Darkest Mercy gets two thumbs-up from me!

But I have to admit I'll miss the drama of the Summer and Winter Courts.  I just know I'll think about them when the daffodils start blooming in our yard!  

Aren't the covers amazing?!!

Happy Reading!

RC

Coming Soon to the MNMS Library!

While browsing the Internet, waiting on my new anti-malware software to scan my computer, I discovered young adult novels soon to be released (and purchased by me for our library).  The new James Patterson novel for young adults is Middle School:  The Worst Years of My Life and it will be released in June.  I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival at our middle school library.  This will definitely be on my summer reading list!  Here's the synopsis as taken from the official James Patterson website.

"Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class–5,000 points! Running in the hallway–10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm–50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.

Blockbuster author James Patterson delivers a genuinely hilarious—and surprisingly poignant—story of a wildly imaginative, one-of-kind kid that you won't soon forget."

Sounds like a great read for our middle school boys!  

I also happened upon a new series by Michael Grant, one of our students' favorite authors.  Grant writes the Gone Series (Gone, Hunger, Lies, and the next pre-ordered title is Plague) and unfortunately for him, his first book was released at about the same time as The Hunger Games.  It's taken me some pretty creative book-talking to get students to believe that this series rivals Suzanne Collins' series for intensity.  The new series is entitled The Magnificent 12 and you can watch a preview video at this link...   Michael Grant's website and here's a quote from the author about his newest book...

"Why did I write THE MAGNIFICENT 12? I want to make kids laugh. It's not very complicated. If I knew that some kid had read THE MAGNIFICENT 12 and laughed so hard they blew milk out of their nose? That would be the highest honor ever for me. I also want to get that sneaky late laugh, you know, where you're in class or at the doctor or at a funeral even, and you remember something from the books and you start laughing. Or even just grinning. That's what I want: I want kids grinning at inappropriate times. Inappropriate grins and the occasional milk snort, that's why I wrote THE MAGNIFICENT 12."

Here's the cover for Plague, book #4.  These covers draw my middle school students in!  They're awesome! Plague is scheduled for release in April.

 

 

 
 Looking forward to a Spring and Summer full of great young adult books!
Happy Reading!
RC

 

Accomplice

The cover drew me to Eireann Corrigan's young adult novel, Accomplice.  I mean, seriously, look at it!  This is an amazing cover!  Like all good readers, I then turned to the blurb to preview the story. 

"They've gotten good grades--but that's not good enough.  They've spent hours on community service--but that's not good enough. Finn and Chloe's advisor says that colleges have enough kids with good grades and perfect attendance...It was supposed to be a victimless crime.  Finn was supposed to be the good accomplice, and Chloe was supposed to be the hidden object of attention.  But when things intensify, situations become more and more extreme...and what once seemed victimless isn't so innocent anymore."  

Okay, I thought, I've got to order this book for our restricted collection.  The age of the students alone told me that.  Now that I've read it, the use of certain words require it to be one of our "red star" books.  We are gladly a county that discourages curse words in our everyday language, unlike other parts of our state/country.  

The overall story is one of learned consequences, friendship, trust and character.  I was a bit disappointed, however, in that I predicted a plot sequence that never emerged.  I hate it when I'm wrong!  LOL  I won't ruin it for you, but I expected more violence and danger than is included within Finn and Chloe's story.  Oh, the suspense is adequate to hold young adult attention, but they will expect more blood and gore than Corrigan provides.  What they don't realize is that the potential for violence lies in each and every person.  Sometimes we forget.

Even though this wouldn't be one of MY favorite reads this year, I'm sure it will be for one of my students.  And the final blurb comment holds true..."With Accomplice, Eireann Corrigan has achieved that rare feat--a compulsive page turner that will haunt you long after you put the book down."

Happy Reading!
RC