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Mrs. Threlfall's Reading List The purpose of this page is to give you ideas for pleasure-reading books. |
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All of the books listed are books that I have read and most are for middle-school readers of varying reading abilities. If you hate scrolling, I apologize but I cannot bring myself to delete any of these wonderful books! Some of my favorite books have an asterisk (*) by them. |
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| Book Title | Author | Other Info About the Book |
| Among the Hidden | Margaret Haddix Patterson | In order to save the world from starvation, the government has limited families to only two children. Being the third child, Luke must hide from the government. When Luke meets another Shadow Child, his life begins to change. |
| The Girls | Amy Golman Koss | Five friends are drawn together by a strong manipulative young woman named Candace. The other four girls are drawn to her and decide whether to sacrifice their ethics to keep her attention. |
| The Giver | Lois Lowry | Jonas and his family live in a perfect world with no poverty, crime or unemployment. When Jonas turns twelve, he is assigned the job of receiver of memories. Once Jonas begins to receive the memories from the giver, he finds out many disturbing things about his “perfect” world. |
| Swallowing Stones | Joyce McDonald | Excited about receiving a rifle for his seventeenth birthday, Michael sneaks out of the house to shoot it. Little does he know that his random shot kills his friend Jenna’s father as he was working on their roof. How does Michael deal with his guilt? |
| Scribbler of Dreams | Mary Pearson | This is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Kait Malone and Bram Crutchfield fall in love only to find out each belongs to a family that has hated the other family for years. |
| *Stargirl | Jerry Spinelli | A story of a special girl who changes her identity to fit in with her fellow classmates. |
| Wringer | Jerry Spinelli | The town tradition of young boys wringing the necks of half dead pigeons revolts 9-year old Palmer. Unfortunately, it is expected that all boys become wringers. Palmer struggles with societal pressures and peer acceptance as he discovers how to be true to himself. |
| The True Confessions of Charolette Doyle | Avi | While traveling home, Charlotte Doyle finds herself in the middle of a mutiny. She is the only female on board and must deal with the reactions of the crew to her gender as well as being in the middle of a crisis. |
| The Outsiders | S.E. Henson | Who says gangs are a new thing? The Socs and Greasers deal with conflicts between each other that leads to internal conflict for each character. |
| *Downsiders | Neal Shusterman | Linsday is new to New York and is sure city life will be boring. She is pleasantly surprised when she meets Talon who lives in a world under New York city. They are fascinated by the differences in their worlds and each other. |
| The Cay | Theodore Taylor | While traveling home during WWII, Phillip’s ship was bombed by the Germans. Phillip becomes marooned on an island with Timothy an African-American man, the ship’s cook. He learns to deal with his feelings of prejudice during his stay on the island. |
| *Letters from a Nut | Jed L. Nancy | Humorous and sometimes ridiculous letters written by the author to companies and the amazing responses received. |
| Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging | Cynthia Voight | Fourteen year old Georgia Nicolson, writes in her diary a hilarious account of her life. This British import describes her wild experiences with her cat Angus and her experiences with many teenage turmoils. |
| Tangerine | Edward Bloor | Paul Fischer, a student whose mother tries to classify him as seeing impaired, moves to a new city with his family. Despite his sight problems, he is able to see all of the lies and manipulating his brother has done to his family. How does Paul get his family to see his brother for what he really is? |
| Life in the Fat Lane | Cherrie Bennet | Lara, a beauty pageant winner and homecoming queen, experiences great weight gain due to a metabolic disease that there is no cure for. How does Lara adapt to the changes she experiences in her body as well as the changes from her friends? |
| Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone | J.K Rowling | After living with his aunt and uncle since he was a baby, Harry Potter finds out his parents were wizards and so is he. In fact, he is very famous in the world of wizardry. Find out why Harry is so famous and about his adventures during his first year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry. |
| Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets | J.K Rowling | After spending a horrid summer with the Durdsleys, Harry misses the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. The only transportation available is a flying automobile that Harry crashes into the spellbound Whomping Willow. This is foreshadowing enough about the adventures that come. |
| Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban | J.K Rowling |
Sirrus Black has escaped from Azkabon, the wizard prison. It is rumored that he his headed for Hogwarts and possibly Harry. But why? |
| Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire | J.K Rowling | Quidich has been cancelled for the year! The Tri-Wizard tournament has taken its place. The Tri-Wizard tournament is for 6th and 7th year wizards-in-training. Somehow, Harry, a 4th year, has been chosen to participate. |
| Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix | J.K Rowling | Harry & Dumbledore agree that Voldermort is back! Some wizards believe them while others think they are crazy. The Order of the Phoenix has been formed to guard against a possible attack by Voldermort. |
| Hatchet | Gary Paulsen | Brian’s visit to see his father in the Canadian Wilderness results in his survival. Brian’s plane crashes and all he has is hatchet. Does Brian survive in the wilderness against all the elements? |
| The River | Gary Paulsen | In the river, Brian is visited by a psychologist from the army. He wants Brian to go back into the wilderness so he can study his survival instincts. Shortly after they arrive in the wilderness, Derek is struck by lightning and Brian has to figure out how to survive and get Derek to help. |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning | Lemony Snicket | Things go from bad to worse for the three Baudelaire children as the story begins with their wealthy parents perishing in a house fire. Mr. Poe, their guardian, finds them a “wonderful” home with Count Olaf who is only interested in gaining access to the children’s sizable inheritance. The clever Baudelaire children outsmart Count Olaf but just barely. |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room | Lemony Snicket | The Baudelaire orphans find some good luck with their new home. Unfortunately, Count Olaf resurfaces and threatens their happiness and their lives. |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window | Lemony Snicket | The Baudelaire orphans meet their new guardian, Aunt Josephine who is afraid of everything. They can’t use the oven or even answer the phone because of Aunt Josephine’s phobias. If this weren’t torture enough, Count Olaf attempts once again to gain the orphans fortune. |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill | Lemony Snicket | Each time the Baudelaire orphans get a new home, they hope it is better than the last. No luck this time. One meal a day and Count Olaf is in disguise again. |
| *Corpses, Coffins & Crypts: A History of Death and Burial | Penny Coleman | This book answers questions like, “What is inhumation and how are coffins different from caskets?” Find out about embalming, cremation, inhumation and discover how other societies deal with corpses. |
| *A Long Way from Chicago | Richard Peck | Grandma McDowell is from small-town Illinois and totes a gun along with her as her two grandchildren, Joey and Mary Alice, visit from Chicago for the summer. At the end of each chapter, you think the escapades of Grandma McDowell cannot get more outrageous or funny, but somehow Grandma McDowell outdoes herself each summer. |
| *A Year Down Yonder | Richard Peck | It’s 1937, and 15-year old Mary Alice’s parents are having a tough time financially. They decide to send this Chicago city-girl to live with her infamous Grandma McDowell. Some may think that going from Chicago to a small town would be boring, but Mary Alice knows better especially when it comes to life with Grandma McDowell. |
| *Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card | In a time where Buggers, an alien species, have attacked our planet twice, the government has chosen to breed young men and women as officers in this battle against the aliens. Ender Wiggins has the best military mind of them all but does he have what it takes to wipe out the aliens and put an end to the terror? |
| Ender's Shadow | Orson Scott Card | This is being called a parallel novel to Ender’s Game. Essentially, it is the same story but from the viewpoint of another character, Bean. A homeless Bean enters Battle School through his ingenuity shown on the streets. In Ender’s shadow, Bean discovers things that Ender does not, cannot know. |
| The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles | Julie Andews Edwards | During a visit to the zoo, the Potter children meet Professor Savant, a man who can lead them to the magical world of Wangdoodle land. Professor Savant helps the children to reach this new world. A creature by the name of Prock transports between the two worlds and tries to stop the children and the professor from meeting the Wangdoodle himself. |
| *Firegold | Dia Calhoun | Due to his blue eyes, the brown-eyed valley people he lives among call 13-year old Jonathan Brae a “loony blue”. Rumors of him being a Dalriadas, a group of mountain people who are loathed by the Valley people, cause his family many difficulties. Jonathan discovers the truth of his ancestry and unites the Dalriadas and Valley people. |
| Just Ella | Margaret Peterson Haddix | A fairy-tale retold with a witty and quick-thinking Ella Cinders as our heroine. With out a fairy godmother and magic, Ella manages to win the heart of Prince Charming only to find out that castle life and Prince Charming aren’t charming at all. |
| Running Out of Time | Margaret Peterson Haddix | While living in the town of Clifton, Indiana during the 1800’s Jessie Keyser finds out that it is actually 1996 and she must leave their community to search for help. The children of Clifton have contracted diptheria and the owners of the community won’t give them the medicine they need. Jessie must go on this dangerous adventure to the outside world and try to save her town. |
| Nobody's There | Joan Lowery Nixon | Abbie lashes out in anger at her father for leaving her mother by throwing a rock through his girl friend’s window. After a judge assigns Abbie to a program that pairs juvenile delinquents with an elderly community members, Abbie’s adventures with Edna Merkel begin. |
| Holes | Louis Sachar | Stanley is falsely accused of the theft. Instead of serving time in a juvenile detention facility, Stanley chooses to go to Camp Green Lake to serve his time. Elements of mystery and suspense help us to wonder what will happen to Stanley during his stay at the camp. |
| *Life in Prison | Stanley "Tookie" Williams | A nonfiction book telling young adults what it is really like in prison. This book is an excellent way to deglamorize violence and gang activity. The author of the book is an ex gang leader who tells it like it is. |
| The Watson’s Go to Birmingham | Christopher Paul Curtis | Tales of an Afro-American boy who deals with a rebellious older brother, loving parents and a younger sibling in 1963 keep you laughing and thinking. They go to visit Grandma in Birmingham only to return home a different family. |
| *The Skin I'm In | Sharon G. Flake | A thirteen-year-old African American girl named Maleeka struggles with teasing, peer acceptance, and making the right decisions. When Miss Saunders, a teacher who has a rare skin condition, intervenes in Maleeka’s life, changes begin to occur in Maleeka’s thinking. |
| Number of the Stars | Louis Lowry | A ten-year old Danish girl, Annemarie Johnsen, tells about life in Natzi-occupied Denmark. As the tale unfolds, Annemarie and her family courageously hide her best friend who is a Jew and help smuggle her best friend’s Jewish family from Denmark. |
| Bat 6 | Virginia Euwer Wolff | An annual 6th grade girls softball game between two rival schools goes all wrong when the prejudices of a young girl put the life of another girl in jeopardy. The story is told from the point of view of each girl on both teams, which makes the story come to life from many angles. |
| Artemis Fowl | Erin Colfer | The name Artemis Fowl, only an adolescent child, makes fairies shiver with anger and fear. Has the evil mastermind discovered a way to change their way of life forever? |
| Skellig | David Almond | After being forced to move to a new neighborhood away from his friends, Michael finds a homeless man - no, not a homeless man, not even a person - what is he? living in his garage. |
| The Thief Lord | Cornelia Funke | Two orphans try to survive in Venice while eluding a private investigator who is looking for them. Luckily, they find the Thief Lord who helps them survive. But is the Thief Lord all he portrays himself to be and are the orphans really lucky to be under his care? |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | Truman Capote | Miss Holly Golightly is accused of participating in a drug ring. But she says that she is innocent! A tale of friendship and being true to yourself |
| **Gone with the Wind | A historical fiction tale of the Old South and the effects of the Civil War. | |
| *Grapes of Wrath | A historical fiction novel about a family's attempt to stay together and survive the Great Depression. | |
| Brighty of the Grand Canyon | Marguerite Henry | A tale is weaved about the exciting life of a little burro who lived in the Grand Canyon. |
| Discovering the Iceman | Shelley Tanaka | A non-fiction book about the "Iceman" who is 5,300 years old! He was found preserved in frozen ice. What can archeologist tell from this remains? |
| Rats | Paul Zindell | New York city has been using the same landfill for 20 years, and millions of rats have made it their home. The city has decided to put asphalt over the entire dump and bury the rats alive. The rats think differently which leads to a very gory battle. |
| Loch | Paul Zindell | Has the Loch Ness monster been discovered? Can it be trapped? |
| Lupita Manana | Lupita and her brother are forced to illegally immigrate to the United States after their father's death. | |
| Ties that Bind - Ties that Break | Lensey Namioka | A young Chinese girl refuses to have her feet bound which was part of the culture at the time. As a result, her life is completely altered in ways that she could not imagine. |
| Nothing But the Truth | Avi | A teenage boy begins a scandal in the country as he feels like he has been kicked out of school for singing the National Anthem. |
| A Stir of Bones | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | Susan Backstrom is keeping the terrible secrets of her high-class home hidden from the world, but a visit to a haunted house changes her and her ability to keep the violence hidden. |
| Pictures of Hollis Woo | Atricia Reilly Giff | Hollis, a foster child, has been placed in several different homes. Will she find a home where she can call everyone a family? |
| The First Part Last | Angela Johnson | A teenage dad struggles to raise his baby with little help from his family and no help from the teenage mother. |
| Midnight for Charlie Bone | Jenny Nimmo | Charlie Bone discovers he has a special, magical gift and is enrolled by his evil aunts in a school for these special children. |
| Charlie Bone and the Time Twister | Jenny Nimmo | Charlie's adventures continue as he discovers a long lost, time-travelling uncle who he must save from the evil Bloor family. |
| Silent to the Bone | E.L. Konigsburg | Branwell has gone silent after his baby sister is injured. Branwell is accused of hurting the baby but Connor, Branwell's best friend, knows this isn't possible. Can Connor get Branwell to tell what really happened to his baby sister? |
| The Tale of Despereaux | Kate DiCamillo | A great fairy tale! The castle mouse Desperaux finds he does not fit in and attempts to follow his heart. Following his heart leads him into a dungeon, into the heart of Princess Pea and across the path of the evil rat, Roscuro. |
| Seedfolks | Incredible story about the accidental transformation of an inner city neighborhood and lives through the planting of a garden on an abandon lot. Each chapter is like it's own short story. | |
| Fever 1793 | A mysterious illness hits Phillidelphia, our country's capital, in 1793. See the plague through the eyes of a 13-year old girl. | |
| Adam Canfield of the Slash | Michael Winerip | As coeditors of the "The Slash," the school newspaper, Adam and Jennifer uncover mysteries about the school janitor, a sugar-coated dental contest and how a $750,000 gift was spent for the school. |
| Chicken Boy | Frances O'Roark Dowell | Being in 7th grade isn't easy - especially when your granny is arrested in front of the school on the first day and |
| Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie | Jordan Sonnenblick | Steven is having a typical 8th grade year. He is in the All-City Jazz Band, has a crush on the hottest girl in school... until his younger brother, Jeffy, becomes seriously ill. |
| Princess Academy | Shannon Hale | Miri becomes conflicted when her home town, Mount Eskel, is announced as the home of the future princess. Does she want to be the princess? Could she really be? |
| Thunder from the Sea | Joan Hiatt Harlow | Tom, an orphan, is taken in by a fishing family. While out fishing with his new "dad," he finds Thunder, a young dog. Will Thunder and Tom be able to call is new place home? |
| Worth | A. LaFaye | Nathaniel is crippled in an accident and his father brings home a orphan to work o the farm. The entire family struggles to find peace in the storm of their new life. |
| The Schwa Was Here | Neal Shusterman | Can someone really be stealth-like? You know almost invisible!? Calvin Schwa is convinced that he might be. |
| Crooked River | Shelley Pearsall | 13-year old, Rebecca Carver, tries to find justice on the American frontier for a Chippewa Indian who has been unjustly accused by her father. |
| East | Edith Pattou | Rose strives to find her true self even though she becomes the captive of a magical white bear, sails icy waters, fights a troll army and more. |
| Ranger's Apprentice/Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan | John Flanagan | The Rangers are a mysterious group and are believed to hold magical powers. 15-year old Will finds himself selected as a Ranger's Apprentice and isn't sure what is in store for his future. |
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