High School Reads!

by Dashka Slater Lexile:  930 Genre:  Informational, Biography The 57 Bus is a true story of two high school students from Oakland, California. Sasha was a teenager in a skirt riding a city bus who fell asleep.  Richard was a teenager with a lighter riding a city bus who thought it would be a funny joke to set something on fire.  The two strangers meet on the 57 bus and their short, chance encounter will change both of their lives forever.

by Sara Saedi Lexile:  1030 Genre:  Memoir Sara was 2 years old when she and her family fled the violence in Iran to come to the United States.  At age 13 she learned that she and her family were in the country illegally.  The family struggled for many years to navigate the immigration process and stay financially stable while Sara struggled with regular teenage stuff - fitting in at school, boys, getting good grades, etc.  Through it all, her parents and her extended family remained her one constant and got her through the hard times over and over.  This memoir shows Sara working through the fears that all teenagers share as well as overcoming ones that teenagers who are citizens of the United States take for granted.

by Gayle Forman Lexile:  730 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Freya, Harum, and Nathaniel are complete strangers who share one thing in common:  they all feel lost and alone.  Freya is a rising star in the music world, Harum is trying to come to terms with who he truly is, and Nathaniel has been so busy taking care of his father, that he hasn't had time to figure out what he wants out of life.  A chance encounter brings these three people together and changes the paths their futures will take.

by Laura Moriarty Genre:  Dystopian Sarah-Mary is growing up in a United States where there are registries and detainment camps for Muslim Americans.  She doesn't really concern herself with what is going on around her as she doesn't really know any Muslims.  But one day, her brother, Caleb, stumbles across a Muslim fugitive who refused to register and move to Nevada like she was told to do.  Caleb makes her promise that she will help Sadaf get to Canada where she will be safe.  Sarah-Mary doesn't want to get involved, especially with someone who she has been taught to fear.  Caleb insists and Sarah-Mary agrees and sets off on an adventure that will change how she thinks about herself and the world she lives in.

by Emily Barr Lexile:  640 Genre: Realistic Fiction Flora Banks is 17, but all she remembers is her 10 year old self.  That's because at the age of 10 she had a brain tumor that had to be removed and it damaged her short term memory.  Now she can rarely remember things for more than a few hours.  She copes by writing things down on her hands, on post it notes, and in her journal.  But one summer night, that all changes when her friend Paige's boyfriend, Drake, kisses her on the beach.  Suddenly Flora has a memory of something that happened to her as a 17 year old!  Is there hope that her memory will return so that she can get away from her over protective parents and actually live like other teenagers do?

by Leah Konen Genre:  Realistic Fiction Noah and Ammy are complete strangers until they meet on a train.  Noah is headed home to try to win his girlfriend back.  Ammy is trying to repair a strained relationship with her father after he left her mother for someone else.  Noah and Ammy are both in a hurry to be on time for important events when the train comes to a complete stop.  Hours pass with no information.  Noah is sure that he knows that a bus station is in walking distance.  He is sure they could easily walk through the forest to get there.  But it is snowing and Ammy really knows nothing about him.  Should she trust a complete stranger to get her to her dad's on time?

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.