Kym's+Books

Little, Brown, and Company, 2007. 230 p. (978-0-316-01368-0) Drawing has always been Junior's retreat from the teasing he receives for being different. When he decides to leave his Spokane Washington Indian Reservation and transfer to an all-white school where he knows he'll have more opportunities for the type of life he wants to lead. National Book Award, 2007. KK
 * //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//** by Sherman Alexie.

Knopf, 2006. 550 p. (978-0-375-93100-0) Narrated by Death, this is the story of a young German girl who begins stealing books from Nazi book-burnings and even from the mayor's wife's library. She retells the stories to her foster family, her neighbors, and the Jewish man they are hiding in the basement. Michael Printz Honor Book, 2007. KK
 * //The Book Thief//** by Markus Zusak.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009. 184 p. (978-0-374-31653-2) World War I is raging and Muriel, Frank, Ollie, and Emma are faced with the dilemmas of growing up during the conflict. Frank and Ollie decide to join the war efforts while Muriel is opposed to the war and instead joins the women's suffrage movement. Not surprisingly, Muriel's point-of-view is unpopular in the turn-of-the-century Midwest. Told in three voices through poems, this is an incredible historical fiction selection. Best Books for Young Adults, 2010. KK
 * //Crossing Stones//** by Helen Frost.

HarperCollins, 2007. 316 p. (978-0-06-085089-0) It's senior year for Ben Wolf and he has big plans. However, after a routine athletic physical, Ben's plans change drastically. What would you do if you knew you only had one year to live? Eliot Rosewater Honor Book, 2009-2010. KK
 * //Deadline//** by Chris Crutcher.

Penguin, 2006. 256 p. Miles Halter is enthralled by famous last words and relates his story of his year at boarding school through these phrases. Ironically, it is his meeting with Alaska Young that leaves him haunted by his hobby. Mature theme. Printz Award, 2006. KK
 * //Looking for Alaska//** by John Green.

//**My Mother the Cheerleader**// by Robert Sharenow. HarperCollins, 2007. 289 p. (978-0-06-114897) Set in the Ninth Ward of 1960's New Orleans, Louise discovers secrets about her family and her neighbors as she witnesses the violent protests of school desegregation. Her mom is one of the main hecklers of Ruby Bridges, who is the first African American student at William Frantz Elementary school. KK

Egmont, 2009. 164 p. (978-1-60684-042-9) During July, 1863 some of the worst race riots the United States has ever seen took place in New York City. Claire, the daughter of an African-American father and Irish mother is faced with the tense race relations between the Irish who are angry at being drafted into the Civil War and the African Americans and white "swells." KK
 * //Riot//** by Walter Dean Myers.

Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 192 p. (978-0-316-01453-3) Reputations are funny things: They take years to build, but they can be shattered with one bad decision. This is the story of Deanna who is trying to overcome the role of "school slut." National Book Award Honor Book, 2007. KK
 * //The Story of a Girl//** by Sara Zarr.

Poverty is a way of life for thirteen-year-old Lakshmi as she grows up in Nepal. Often the only way out is to go to the "city" to find ways to support the family. Lakshmi's step-father sends her with a glamorous woman who will help her find a job as maid for a wealthy family. Sadly, what she discovers is she has been sold to be a prostitute. Haunting. National Book Award Finalist. KK
 * //Sold//** by Patricia McCormick.

Dutton, 2010. 310 p. (978-0-525-42158-0) When one Will Grayson meets a second Will Grayson, both of Chicagoland area, the teens discover how different two lives can be. The boy's stories are told in two distinct and hilarious voices. KK
 * //Will Grayson, Will Grayson//** by John Green and David Levithan.