What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost In a remote area of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow helps her father with their sled dogs when she is not at school, wishing she were more popular, all the while unaware that the animals surrounding her carry the spirits of dead ancestors and friends who care for her. This is a native American story which combines myth with story. It illustrates the strong connection Native American people can have with Nature. 4 - Good Book, recommend. This is a William Allen White list book.

A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker In Farmington , Massachusetts, in 1839, nine-year-old Ethan experiences hardships as an indentured servant of the wealthy Lyman family alongside Daniel, a boy scorned simply for being Irish, and the boys bond as they try to right a terrible wrong. This book is historical fiction about the life of an indentured servant of the 1800s. It is interesting to see this perspective--we are often exposed to the idea of slavery and understand that horror. An indentured servant also lived a life of slavery, and many had the actual hope of paying their debt and becoming free. 3-Average book--would probably recommend. This is an William Allen White list book.

Sheep by Valerie Hobbs After a fire destroys the farm where he was born, a young border collie acquires a series of owners and learns about life as he seeks a home and longs to fulfill his life's purpose of shepherding sheep.

My Summer Reading List: Siberia by Ann Halam After spending two years at a prison school, thirteen-year-old Sloe sets off on a trek across frozen wastelands, tending to the secret "seeds" of wild animals her mother left in her care, trying to reach a new life for all of them. This novel is science fiction.

Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock A girl is transformed, through instruction in life at court, determination, and magic, from sullen, pudgy, graceless Ben into Crown Princess Benevolence, a fit ruler of the kindgom of Montagne as it faces war with neighboring Drachensbett.

I read this book last May. In 1969 Houston, Texas, thirteen-year-old Scott learns to fly from his father, an Air Force flight instructor, but when NASA needs him for a secret space mission, Scott's elation is tempered by concern that his mother, who has moved to Florida, will find out.

The Time Thief : Being the Second Part of The Gideon Trilogy Kate made it back to her time, but Peter is stuck in 1763. However, Kate did not return alone!  The Tar Man, a villainous eighteenth-century criminal, returns with Kate to twenty-first-century London. Time travel makes this science fiction genre.  But part of the story is in 1763 London with real historical characters, so it is also a little bit of historical fiction!

Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney I read and enjoyed this book at the end of the school year. When her father betrays the Scottish king and is hung as a traitor, Lady Mary's future is bleak after she loses her only true protector and ends up locked away in the tower by the powerful and deadly Lord and lady Macbeth.

Milagros : Girl from Away by Meg Medina Twelve-year-old Milagros barely survives an invasion of her tiny, Caribbean island home, escapes with the help of mysterious sea creatures, reunites briefly with her pirate-father, and learns about a mother's love when cast ashore on another island.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass The best book I read so far this summer! Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find.

Savvy by Ingrid Law Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--A magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Itch by Michelle D Kwasney In 1968, after the death of her beloved Gramps, Delores "Itch" Colchester and her grandmother move from Florida to an Ohio trailer park, where she meets new people and, when she learns that a friend is being abused by her mother, tries her best to emulate her plain-spoken grandfather.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor Twelve year old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York. This was a sad, sad book, but it ends ok!

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.

2010-2011 Title Author The Underneath Kathi Appelt Iron Thunder: The Battle Between The Monitor and the Merrimac Avi The Unknowns: A Mystery Benedict Carey Singer of All Songs Kate Constable Forged by Fire Sharon Draper The City of Ember Jeanne DuPrau Under a War-Torn Sky Laura Elliott The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke The Brooklyn Nine Alan Gratz Out of the Dust Karen Hesse The Outsiders S. E. Hinton Red Scarf Girl Ji-Li Jiang Heaven Angela Johnson Schooled Gordon Korman To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Touching Spirit Bear Ben Mikaelsen My Dog Skip Willie Morris Here Lies the Librarian Richard Peck A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith Milkweed Jerry Spinelli Truesight David Stahler, Jr. The Mysterious Benedict Society Trenton Lee Stewart The Land Mildred D. Taylor The Weirdo Th