High School Reads!

by Antonio Iturbe Lexile:  940 Genre:  Historical Fiction This is the story based on the real life experiences of Dita Kraus, a prisoner of Auschwitz.  It is an incredible story of heroism and of one person's ability to never lose hope and to persevere forward no matter what.  Dita is just 9 years old when war comes to Prague and her whole life is turned upside down.  Dita and her parents are relocated several times before they end up at Auschwitz where Dita meets Freddy Hirsch and becomes in charge of the secret library.  The library only consists of 8 books, but it is Dita's job to protect them and keep the magic of their stories alive even under the most horrific conditions.

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 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.

by Ruta Sepetys Lexile:  560 Genre:  Historical Fiction It is the winter of 1945 and four teenagers who all have secrets are trying to survive.  Joana is guilt ridden.  Florian is running.  Emilia is escaping shame.  Alfred is afraid. Their goal is to get to freedom safely.  Along the way they will have to make compromises that will hurt others if they are to reach a safe destination.  Their paths converge when they all arrive as passengers on the Wilhelm Gustloff.   Are they finally enroute to a better life?

by Ashley Hope Perez Lexile:  660 Genre:  Historical Fiction The New London School explosion of 1937 is one of the worst school disasters in American history. The explosion takes place during a time in East Texas when certain lines between race and gender were never crossed.  Naomi and Wash know these lines exist, but the friendship that the two begin is not something that they have planned nor can they ignore.  Their relationship is doomed from the start, but their willingness to sacrifice everything that they have sends a powerful message about love. This is a story that you will not soon forget.

by Karen Hesse Lexile: ??? Genre: Historical Fiction Billie Jo is growing up in the middle of the Great Depression in the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma. Life is pretty tough - the crops aren't growing, her parents have little money, and have been unable to have more children. Billie Jo is an aspiring pianist and enjoys her making a little money playing the piano. Then, a terrible accident occurs that changes her life forever and forces her to accept many new realities.

by Linda Sue Park Lexile:  610 Genre:  Historical Fiction Sun-hee and her family are proud of their Korean heritage, but they are living under Japanese occupation during World War II so they are forced to learn to read and write in Japanese.  One day it is announced that all Koreans will have to change their names and are no longer be able to fly the Korean flag.  Suddenly Sun-hee becomes Keoko and then the real sacrifices begin.  Her uncle is working for the resistance and suddenly disappears.  Next, Keoko's brother volunteers to fight in the Japanese army in order to protect their uncle and get their family more food rations. Keoko wants there to be a happy ending for everyone...but every day that possibility seems farther and farther away.

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 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 Laurie Halse Anderson Lexile:  580 Genre:  Historical Fiction Mattie is living in Philadelphia in the summer of 1793.  She is there to help run her family business and things are fine until a fever sweeps through the streets.  People are dying rapidly and Mattie is afraid.  Her grandmother convinces her to escape the city with her grandfather. but she wonders if her life will ever be the same.

by Ruta Sepetys Lexile: 490 Genre: Historical Fiction 15 year old Lina has a great life: a family who loves her, a chance to attend an art school, and the excitement of looking forward to her first date. But that all changes one night when there is a loud knock at the door. The Soviet police are there and they are given one hour to pack their belongings. They are put in a cattle train car and shipped to Siberia where they all have to fight daily to survive. Lina secretly draws pictures of the people and the events along her journey, hoping that someday they will be used to reunite her family and tell the awful story of what was being done to innocent people.

by Elizabeth Wein Lexile:  1020 Genre:  Historical Fiction "Verity" is living a double life.  To her friends she is an adventurous free spirit doing her part to fight in the war against the Germans. But in her other life she is a spy, attempting to learn secrets from the Nazis.  When "Verity" is captured she has to figure out how to stay alive and continue to feed secret information to her friends so that there final mission can be completed.

by Laurie Halse Anderson Lexile: 780 Genre: Historical Fiction Isabel has had a rough life. Born into slavery, she and her sister Ruth are supposed to be freed upon their Mistress's death. However, the will and freedom papers go missing and the girls are sold to the Lockton family and moved to New York City. There they are forced to work day in and day out. Isabel is approached by a local boy about spying on her family to help the patriots in their fight against the British. Isabel is unsure at first if he can be trusted as putting her trust in him could jeopardize her life and that of her younger sister.