Out of the Dustby Karen Hesse Set in Oklahoma during the years 1934-1935, this book tells the story of a family of farmers during the Dust Bowl years. Billie Jo describes her family’s experience through a series of free verse poems. You can look it up on Wikipedia, which is where I got that description. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 12th, 2009  Tags: farming, newbery medal winner, scott o'dell award winner, strong female characters |  Category: Historical Fiction, Poetry
|  Write a comment | Quakingby Kathryn Erskine Matt is a sarcastic young woman who has just moved in with her newest foster family. She has to deal with the school bully, politics, and the fact that she might actually like her new foster parents. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 11th, 2009 Tags: anti-war, bullying, family, friendship, quakers, school | Category: Fiction
| Write a comment | Safeby Susan Shaw Safe is the story of a thirteen-year-old girl, Tracy, who is raped on the way home from school. Safe never describes the rape and focuses instead on the aftermath – Tracy’s emotions and, eventually, her healing process. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] Sleeper Codeby Tom Sniegoski Tom Lovett suffers from a rare form of narcolepsy that causes him to sleep for days at a time. At least, that’s what he thought. Then Tom discovers that he, and other people with his condition, are secretly being trained as assassins while they are “asleep.” Sleeper Code and its sequel, Sleeper Agenda, describe Tom’s attempt to escape the group that is training him and take some control over his own life and mind. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 11th, 2009 Tags: conspiracy, medical, multiple personalities, school | Category: Thriller
| Write a comment | Street Pharmby Allison van Diepen Ty Johnson is trying to go to school and hold the family business together. The catch is that the family business is dealing drugs. When things get rough, Ty has to decide who he is and how he wants to live his life. You can read some of it online at Google Books. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 11th, 2009 Tags: african-american, crime, drugs, friendship, school | Category: Fiction
| Write a comment | Unwindby Neal Shusterman Unwound is set in the future, when parents who get tired of their children can have them “unwound,” or dismantled for their organs. Connor, Risa, and Lev are teenagers on the run from the law. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthdays, they will be free. Otherwise, they will be unwound. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 10th, 2009 Tags: medical, teen | Category: Science Fiction, Sociological Sci-Fi
| Write a comment | The Phantom Tollboothby Norton Juster The Phantom Tollbooth is a modern fairy tale. It tells the story of Milo, a boy who travels through the strange places of the Kingdom of Wisdom and meets the even stranger people who live there. It’s absurd, funny, serious, and thoughtful, all at the same time. You can look it up on Wikipedia. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] Bleachby Kubo Tite Bleach is a series about high school students who can see spirits. One day the main character, Ichigo, encounters a soul reaper (kind of like a grim reaper, but younger) who is responsible for dealing with troubled spirits. The soul reaper is injured in a fight with a dangerous spirit and temporarily gives Ichigo her powers. After defeating the spirit, Ichigo finds that he cannot give the power back. Instead, he has to become a part-time soul reaper. You can look it up on Wikipedia. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] The [library id=richmond] public library has some volumes, but I don’t think they have volume 1 yet. June 10th, 2009 Tags: afterlife, books with movies, school, supernatural | Category: Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Manga
| Write a comment | Blue Bloodsby Melissa de la Cruz Blue Bloods focuses on six young vampires in a private New York high school. They’re thin, wealthy, almost immortal, and obsessed with high fashion. However, someone is trying to kill them. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 10th, 2009 Tags: fashion, Romance, school, teen, vampires | Category: Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy
| Write a comment | Love Songby Keiko Nishi An anthology of four short stories by amazing artist/writer Nishi: a story about abusive love, an Edgar Alan Poe-like horror piece, a portrait of a far-future Chinese dumpling maker who dreams of Earth, and a bullied boy who develops astonishing healing powers, becomes a celebrity, and must deal with the consequences. Touching, shocking, and memorable. [starratingmulti id=”1″] Where to Find It[librarylist] June 10th, 2009 Tags: abuse, bullying, celebrity, collections | Category: Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror, Manga, Science Fiction, Slice of Life
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