1984 by George Orwell* (Fantasy/Science Fiction)
suggested for grade(s) 8 9
Written in 1949 and set in a grim London of the future, Orwell's now-classic novel of Big Brother and the Thought Police is still chilling. Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth, is gravely endangered simply because he has a memory.
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban (Realistic Fiction)
suggested for grade(s) 5,6
Zoe’s ambition to be a famous concert pianist gets off to a rocky start when her father buys her a Perfectone D-60 electric organ instead of the baby grand piano of her dreams.
A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz (Mystery/Suspense)
suggested for grade(s) 5 6 7
Maud can hardly believe her luck when two elegant ladies adopt her from a ghastly orphanage and bring her to live in an attractive house. Soon she discovers their hidden motive for adding her to the household.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Classic)
suggested for grade(s) 9
This is Hemingway's classic love story about a wounded soldier and his nurse during the First World War in Italy.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (Historical Fiction)
suggested for grade(s) 8 9
Mattie has a talent for writing and has won a scholarship to Barnard, but her ambition conflicts with loyalty to family and courtship with the boy next door. Mattie's African-American friend Weaver has similar ambitions and faces different challenges. Their story is interwoven with a celebrated murder case of 1906.
A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman (Mystery/Suspense)
suggested for grade(s) 8 9
Navajo Tribal Policemen Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee solve the mystery surrounding murders at an ancient Indian burial site. Beautiful, valuable Anasazi clay pots are among the few clues.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Classic)
suggested for grade(s) 7 8
Growing to womanhood in an atmosphere of poverty and alcoholism, a young girl is buoyed by hope, optimism, and ambition. Smith provides us with a close look at early twentieth century Brooklyn and the lives of immigrants.
A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson (Poetry)
suggested for grade(s) 8 9
This memorial to the teen-age victim of a racially motivated murder is composed in the strict form of a heroic crown of sonnets. The last line of each poem becomes the first line of the next. The illustrations echo the dignified and somber tone of the poems.
Acceleration by Graham McNamee (Mystery/Suspense)
suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9
Duncan's summer working underground in the Toronto Transit System's Lost and Found Department turns unexpectedly suspenseful when he discovers the diary of a stalker. Duncan becomes convinced that the unidentified writer of the diary fits the profile of a serial killer and is on the verge of committing a horrible act.
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Historical Fiction)
suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7
This often humorous historical novel is set on the island of Alcatraz in 1935, when the families of guards used to live in a village near the high security penitentiary.
