High School Reads!

by Sharon Draper Lexile:  820 Genre:  Historical Fiction Amari's quiet life in Africa has ended.  Her parents and brother have been murdered and she is on a slave ship headed to the Carolinas.  Hope is the only thing that she has left and she doesn't know how long that will be able to sustain her.  Life on the ship is terrible and life at her new home on a rice plantation isn't any better.  Amari meets Polly, and indentured servant, Teenie, the kitchen slave, who help her learn English and learn how to survive.  Then a tragedy occurs that forces Polly and Amari to make a decision that will change the course of their lives.  Will hope for a better life become their reality?

by E. Lockhart Lexile:  600 Genre:  Realistic Fiction The Sinclairs are a powerful family.  They all come together every summer on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts.  Johnny, Mirren, Cady, and Gat are a close knit group who spend each summer roaming about the island while the adults fight and argue about who is to get what as they watch their parents age.  The summer of 15 is the one that changes their lives forever...will life ever be the same again?

by Jennifer Donnelly Lexile:  700 Genre:  Historical Fiction Mattie wants to be a writer.  In order to realize that dream, she is going to need to move away from the small town of Eagle Bay which means leaving her family and friends.  The problem is that she made a promise to her mother before she died that she would stay and help her father raise her younger siblings.  Mattie could marry Royal and farm with him next door to her father, but that just isn't her dream.  Mattie convinces her father to let her work at the Glenmore Hotel for the summer.  While she is working there, she meets Grace Brown.  Even though it is a brief encounter, meeting Grace, gives Mattie the courage to take charge of her life and set out on a path that will help make her dreams come true.

by Matt de la Pena Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Sticky has been bounced in and out of foster homes for year.  The only thing constant in his life is his love for basketball.  He plays some serious pick up games at a street gym where the only thing you have to be is tough.  He hopes that he has what it takes to get to the NBA.  Colleges are starting to express interest, he's got a beautiful new girlfriend, but the easy money and pull of the streets is a constant battle that he must fight.  Will basketball be is ticket to the life he has always dreamed about?

by Erin Johnson Lexile:  690 Genre:  Western Grace has just watched her entire family be killed by the wild Guiltless Gang that is terrorizing the settlers around the city of Tombstone.  They think they are above the law because they have paid off the sheriff and have been aloud to roam the countryside taking whatever they want.  Grace is out for revenge, but she is going to need some help if she is to be the sole survivor of her family.  She meets Joe, who was adopted by the Ndeh, and he teaches her their ways of hunting so that she can survive. Joe urges her to let her thirst for revenge go as he thinks it will help her heal faster.  But Grace believes that the Guiltless Gang must be brought to justice and she is the one who must see it through.

by Andrew Smith Lexile:  830 Genre:  Western Troy Stotts has had a rough life and he is only 17.  His 10 year old brother died when he was 4 and now his mother is gone too.  Troy and his dad have to figure out what their life will look like now that it is just the two of them. But the reader does not know which 3.  Troy, his friends, his enemies, and his girlfriend set out on many adventures in and around the ranch on which they live and work. Troy doesn't want to think about the past or the future.  He just wants to have a good time in the present.  From the very beginning of the book, the reader knows that more sadness is going to come to Troy's life, as the reader learns in the opening paragraph that 3 boys will die during the summer that the story takes place.  But the reader does not know which 3.

by Matt de la Pena Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Realistic Fiction Danny is an amazing pitcher.  He can throw a fast ball faster than anyone around.  The problem is his accuracy.  He never knows where his pitches are going to end up.  His mom took him to a doctor and physically he is fine.  The issue seems to be in his head and he can't figure out how to fix it.  Until he spends the summer with his dad's family and learns the truth about why his parents are divorced. During the summer he has to confront some hard truths about his dad and with the help of an unlikely friend, will be able to get his baseball career, and his life, back on track.

by Francesco D'Adamo Lexile: 730 Genre: Realistic Fiction Iqbal was sold into slavery at the young age of 4, and forced to work day after day making carpets under the watchful eye of a cruel master. Yet Iqbal refused to give up on one thing: hope for a better life. This book is based on his true story of courage and how it changed not only him, but all those who knew him.

by Maggie Stiefvater Lexile: 840 Genre: Fantasy "It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die." Life on island of Thisby is tough and dangerous, but never as dangerous as in November when the islanders hold the famed Scorpio Races. Riders race their  capall usice  (flesh eating horses) to their death or to the finish to earn the coveted prize. Sean Kendrick and Kate (Puck) Connolly are two of the racers. One is racing to earn freedom for his horse, the other is racing to win freedom for her family. What neither realizes is that their individual plans will soon become joined.

by Gayle Forman Lexile:  830 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Mia's life feels like it's all about choices.  Should she follow her dreams and move to New York City to pursue a musical career?  Should she stay in Oregon and watch as her boyfriend fulfills his dreams of becoming a professional musician?  And then there's her family...Mia loves her quirky parents and adores her younger brother.  But one day, in the blink of an eye, everything changes, and suddenly there is only one question that needs to be answered.  Will Mia stay or will she go?

by Marie G. Lee Lexile:  750 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Chan Kim and his twin sister Young are growing up in a strict Korean household.  The only problem is that they have to try to fit in with the students at an American high school.  Their parents don't understand things like staying after school for soccer practice or wanting to date people before they turn 18.  Chan and Young are successfully navigating their dual lives until their parents announce that they are moving the family from Los Angeles to a small town in northern Minnesota.  When Chan and Young arrive at their new school, all they see is blond hair.  Nobody plays soccer and there is no orchestra. Chan and Young will have to stick together if they hope to excel in their new environment.

by Chris Cruthcher Lexile:  870 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Louie Banks is excited about heading into his senior year.  He's got a starting position on the football team, great friends and a new girlfriend he really likes.  But his perfect life changes when his football coach asks the team to play unfairly and take out a star player on the opposing team on purpose. Louie takes a stand that ultimately costs him his spot on the team, but allows him to grow as a person. He lost football, but then also loses something even more important that causes him to have to find a new strength in himself in order to survive.

by Cassandra Clare Lexile:  740 Genre:  Fantasy The problems for the Shadowhunters will just not end.  Just when they thought their troubles were at an end, Jace disappears and Clary fears that Sebastian is behind his disappearance.  Clary loves Jace and would do anything for him, but when she learns that Sebastian has bound himself to Jace, figuring out a way to separate the two will take her on a completely new adventure.  With the help of Simon, Luke, Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus, Clary might have a chance to save Jace.  But will she be able to figure out Sebastian's evil plot in time?

by Ellen Hopkins Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Novel in Verse Kristina's family thinks she is perfect.  But lurking inside of her is "Bree", the complete opposite of what parents would think a perfect daughter is.  When Kristina gets to spend 3 weeks with her father, "Bree" emerges and takes over Kristina's life.  "Bree" chases after boys and experiments with drugs and alcohol.  Who is Kristina?  Who is Bree?  Can the two coexist or will one emerge to shape the future of a young woman?

by Ellen Hopkins Lexile:  710 Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Novel in Verse Pattyn doesn't know who she really is.  Is she the good daughter who obeys her parents and her religion or she is the wild daughter who sneaks out of the house and challenges her Bishop about their religion?  The older she gets, the more contradictions she sees - her alcoholic and abusive father treats her family terribly, but the members of her church and community, hide their eyes and pretend they don't see.  Pattyn's father decides to send her away for the summer to live with her aunt in the middle of the Nevada desert.  What he views as a punishment will change Pattyn's life in ways she could never have imagined.

by Huntley Fitzpatrick Lexile:  720 Genre:  Realistic Fiction From the outside, Samantha's life looks perfect.  Her mother is a local politician, money isn't a problem, she and her sister live in a beautiful, orderly home and have everything they want.  Their next door neighbors, the Garretts, appear to be just the opposite.  They are loud, noisy, messy, have no money and let their house and yard fall into disrepair.  Samantha secretly watches the Garrett children grow up and one day she meets Jase and her whole world changes.  He welcomes her into the big, noisy family, but Samantha has to keep this a secret from her perfect mother. Will she be able to keep these two very different worlds from colliding?