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The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Emily the Strange by Rob Reger

When I Was Your Age, Volume II edited by Amy Erlich

When I Was Your Age - Short Stories edited by Amy Erlich

This is a book of autobiographical short stories written by various young-adult authors, most of which are very good.

The one I think would be best for Lit. is "Everything Will Be Okay" by James Howe", which is the story of him having to put his pet kitten to sleep and plays on the idea of what it means to be a boy and a man.  "All-Ball", by Mary Pope Osborne, is about how she became super attached to a ball just before her father left for War.  It could also be good for lit.

"Scout's Honor" by Avi is a well-written story about city boys who have to go camping to become Scouts - not sure it's deep enough for a lit. story, but it might be good for Read Aloud or Goals.

"Reverend Abbott & Those Bloodshot Eyes" by Walter Dean Meyers is a good story to use in writing for illustrating how you slow down time once you reach the heart of a story.  "Blue" by Francesca Lia Block is a very strange story, but would work well for teaching how to set a mood through physical description.

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Stitches is a graphic novel that tells the story of David Small's boyhood with a workaholic dad and a crazy, frustrated-lesbian mom.  It's a fascinating story with amazing pictures (like one of Mr. Small as a child literally diving into a sketch book in order to escape his immediate surroundings), but I just think it's a bit too dark for most jr. high readers.  I would definitely recommend it to advanced, mature readers, particularly ones with a penchant for the visual arts.

The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem

This was a really interesting book but not one that I would recommend kids tackle on their own.  The whole book is a giant metaphor for the importance of art in our society, but I'm not sure most kids would get to that without some way to discuss it.  It tells the story of a child, Medford Runyuin, who is marooned on an island when his parents die at sea.  On this island, everyone is identified by the work they do - both in name (if you are a baker, Baker is your last time) and your value.  It is strictly forbidden to engage in activities that do not have some useful purpose - things without purpose are called "unnameables".  Medford is a carver who can not help but carve things that he thinks are beautiful, though they cannot be "used" in this society.  He must keep them secret, but when his best friend becomes one of the people in charge of enforcing the island's laws, things become more complicated.  When a half-goat/half-man who has the power to change the weather appears, things get still more complex.  I liked how much was going on beneath the surface in the book, and I think it would be really interesting to take on for lit.  I'm just a little worried that kids might find it too slow...

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Such a sweet book!  Capricorn, or "Cap" for short, has been raised and home-schooled by his grandmother on a commune...by themselves, since everyone else has left the '60s behind.  When his grandmother has an accident, however, he's forced to live with a foster family and attend the public high school.  He starts off as the butt of all jokes and ends up a hero, learning (and teaching) many lessons along the way.  It's not a particularly deep book, but it's missing all disturbing elements that sometimes appear in YA literature, and it's a really nice story.  It would be great for Reading Bowl or Read Aloud

Marcelo in the Real World by Franciso Stork

So I only made it about 50 pages in, and while I like the premise, and it might be good for some, it was just too slow to imagine as a lit., read aloud, or reading bowl.  While it's interesting to be inside the head of someone who thinks so differently, it's not an easy read...

Peak by Roland Smith

Peak is a quirky little book about a 14-year-old son of two mountain climbers who gets himself in trouble by scaling buildings in NYC.  Once he's arrested, his disengaged father shows up and offers to get him out of the country in exchange for him avoiding jail time.  The narrator, Peak, soon finds out that his dad's plan is for him to climb Mt. Everest.  The book deals realistically with the physical and mental pain Peek experiences - from the climb, missing his family, sorting out his relationship with his dad, and befriending the son of a sherpa who accompanies him on his journey.  The character development is good, the plot keeps you going, and the overall message is nice.  It would be a good choice for seventh-grade Reading Bowl.

The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong

Well, I think I've found a good book for Reading Bowl!  The Great Wide Sea is both a compelling storyline and pretty boy-centered in a way that many young adult books are not.  Ben is the oldest of three boys who have recently lost their mother when their father suddenly decides he wants to sell the house, buy a sailboat, and spend a year sailing around the Bahamas.  The tension between Ben and his father feels very real, and the plot really gets going when his father suddenly disappears.  There is lots of action and a beautiful depiction of the love between the three brothers.  It lacks the depth for a good literature book and the details about sailing can get a bit cumbersome, but should work well for Reading Bowl.

Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks

While Mystik Lake includes some tragedy, the loss of the narrator's mother, it's basically a really sweet book.  Odella is the oldest of three girls coping with the departure of their mother, and she struggles with feeling overly responsible for her sisters.  At the same time, she's growing apart from her family and falling in love, ultimately coming to understand her mother a bit more.  I wish I use this book because I think a lot of girls would really love it, but it contains a fair amount of sex that is a bit much for 7th and 8th grade.

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

This book is based on the true story of a father and daughter who were discovered living in a cave in the woods in Portland, Oregon.  The story establishes their life together, which the girl really loves, and what happens once the authorities come in.  Clearly schizophrenic, the father gets increasingly paranoid as they evade authorities and try to reestablish the life they once had.  It's an interesting book with a fascinating finish that I think would be good independent reading for mature eighth graders, probably girls more so than guys.

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

This is a book of short stories that I found out about from the ALEX awards, which recognizes the best adult books appropriate for young adults.  Unfortunately, other than the first story, "Grand Stand-In", I didn't find the material to be something that would appeal to jr. high students.  The material is much more adult and, well, pretty strange.  I do plan to use "Grand Stand-In", the story of a woman who is hired by an agency to be a pretend grandmother by parents who have either lost their parents or don't think they're up for the job.  It's funny and surprising and sneaky-deep.

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

This was a good mystery read, starting with a dead girl whose family is sort of trying to figure out what happened.  A friend of the family begins to investigate, along with the finance of the girl's brother.  The setting of Saudi Arabia is fascinating, as is the depiction of how the genders are forced to interact.  Even though I found it on a list of best books for young adults - and it is a good book with a fast-paced plot, it did not see appropriate for the jr. high level.

The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon

I really enjoyed this book.  It's the story of Ben Campbell, whose father announces he's gay when Ben is 14, and what his life is like with his father and his father's new boyfriend.  Ben gets in a lot of trouble until his father decides to move their family to a small town in Montana where he gets beat up, makes some friends, has to deal with a lot of bigotry against his dad, learns to work hard, tries to befriend an abused boy who lives next door, and falls in love.  The best thing about this book is the character development - every single one is beautifully developed.  It's also a compelling storyline and a sweet story.  There are many references to drugs and drinking, but most of it is in a negative light.  I think it would be a good read for eighth graders, possibly a really good pick for Reading Bowl.