Need a good book to read? Check out some of the
most popular books found in Parkside's library.
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"If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detection facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be known as "the largest lake in Texas" is a dry flat, sunburned wasteland, that contains countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats has landed at Camp Green Lake because it was a better option than jail. No matter that he was not guilty, the Yelmats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck thanks to their "no good dirty rotten pig stealing great great grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly adapts to the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter: learning to get along with his bunk mates and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. When Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character, the plot thickens. |
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by Louis Sachar |
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Ella is blessed by a fairy at birth with the gift of obedience. But the blessing is a horror for Ella, who must literally do what everyone tells her, from sweeping the floor to giving up a beloved heirloom necklace. After her mother dies, and her father leaves on a trading trip, Ella's world is turned upside down. She battles both ogres and wicked stepsisters, makes friends and loses them, and must deny her love for her prince, Charmant, to save his life and his realm. This refreshing take on one of the world's most popular fairy tales preserves the spirit of the original but adds plenty of humorous twists with a spunky intelligent female character. |
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by Gail Carson Levine |
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Contrary to her name, 16 year old Beauty is not as beautiful as
her older sisters, who are both lovely and kind. In fact Beauty has
no confidence in her appearance but takes pride in her own intelligence,
her love of learning and her talent in riding. She is the most competent
of the three sisters, which proves essential when they are forced to retire
to the country because of their father's financial ruin. The story
follows the original legend: Beauty agrees to live in the Beast's castle
to save her fathers life. Beauty gradually accepts the Beast and
finds that she truly loves the creature. This is a beautiful retelling
of a favorite love story.
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of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley |
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Sixteen-year-old Brent Bishop longs to have the popular Brianna strolling around school on his arm. But when she rejects him at a classmates party, Brent's hopes for popularity are instantly shattered. Devastated, he tries to destroy himself in a car crash, but instead kills an innocent girl named Lea. |
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by Paul Fleischman |