High School Reads!

by Dean Hughes Lexile:  820 Genre:  Historical Fiction Yuki Nakahara considers himself to be an American.  But then Pearl Harbor is bombed and suddenly anyone of Japanese descent is considered to be the enemy.  Yuki and his family are forced to leave behind all of their belongings and relocate to an internment camp where they can be watched and monitored for suspicious behavior.  Yuki and his best friend Shig decide that the only way to bring honor to their families and to prove that they are true Americans is to enlist in the army.  As they ship off to fight the Germans, they wonder if they will ever return to life as they knew it.

by Ellen Hopkins Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Ariel has lived with her dad for as long as she can remember.  As her dad tells it, her mother left them for another woman.  Ariel's dad wants to keep her all to himself, so they are constantly on the move, never living long enough in one place for her to attend much school or make friends.  Now they have settled in Sonora, CA and Ariel is looking forward to completing her sophomore year in high school. She actually has friends, the prospect of a new job, and maybe even a chance to get her driver's license and get a little independence.  But her dad is struggling with these changes and Ariel is afraid of what he'll do if she stands up to him.  All Ariel wants is the chance to have a normal life.

by Emily Trunko The Last Message received is a compilation of last messages that people have sent or received in a variety of circumstances.  What was the last message your dad sent you?  What was the last thing you said before your partner ended the relationship?  Some are sad, some are happy, but they will all make you think about how precious every moment that we are given is.  So take the time to send someone a message because you never know when it might be the last.

by Marianne Kaurin Lexile:  870 Genre:  Historical Fiction 15 year old Ilse is waiting to go on her first date to the movies.  Only Hermann never shows up.  He is too embarrassed to face her even though his explanation is a good one.  The trouble is, there is no way he can tell her where he was or what he was doing.  It is October of 1942 in Oslo, Norway and changes are happening.  Ilse and her family are Jewish and they are slowly watching their lives disappear.  First it's just that the orders stop coming into her father's tailor shop.  Then, they have to register and get their papers stamped with a "J".  And then, her father is arrested and taken away with no explanation.  It is a dangerous time to be Jewish in Oslo.

by Meg Medina Lexile:  680 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction Nora is watching as her whole family crumbles apart.  Her father has left them, her brother is using, and her mother seems to want to ignore it all.  Nora is trying to finish high school, plan for her future, and hold down a job that will help her save for college as well as keep her family afloat.  To make matters worse, a serial killer is loose in New York and the police seem to be unable to catch him.  Nora is tired of living in fear - of her brother and of the city at large.  Luckily she has some good friends who are going to help her navigate through the tough choices she is going to have to make.