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Across the Universe -Beth Revis, 416 pages
(Lexile: 720)
As the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a new earth under the direction of the tyrannical leader Eldest, the lives of 100 cryogenically frozen settlers hang in the balance. When Amy survives being thawed in a murder attempt, she immediately bonds with Elder, another teen and Godspeed's future leader. Her desire for freedom inspires Elder to act on his own doubts and defy Eldest - his mentor and keeper - with shocking results.
Book Trailer
Author Interview |
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Angela's Ashes – Frank McCourt, 368 pages
(Lexile:1100)
Frank McCourt grew up in a house located next to the street's lavoratory, he was barred from going to good schools since he was poor, he suffered from malnutrition, and his father was an alcoholic. In a story spanning 16 years, Frank shares his struggle to escape from poverty, managing to survive on his wits and come to America to start his life over.
Trailer from 1999 Film Adaptation |
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The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein, 336 pages
(Lexile: 850)
Enzo believes that when his life as a dog is over, he will be reborn as a man. He recounts his time with racecar driver Denny Swift, who puruses success on the professional racing circuit and in life. Enzo remains a loyal friend throughout the ups and downs, and even though he gets frustrated by his inability to speak, he watches Denny and hopes to learn how to be the best man possible.
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Author Interview |
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Before I Die – Jenny Downham, 336 pages
(Lexile: 580)
Fighting against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, and only having months left to live, 16 year old Tessa compiles a list of things to do before she dies, with number one being sex, and she craves new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's complex feelings and relationships are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before her time finally runs out.
Trailer for Upcoming Film Adaptation |
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Beneath a Meth Moon – Jacqueline Woodson, 192 pages
(Lexile: 730)
*Also on the 2012 Summer Reading List
Laurel may have physically moved to a new life in a new town, but inside she's still reeling from the loss of her mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina. When her boyfriend introduces her to meth, Laurel immeidately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, the pain of her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again.
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Between Shades of Gray – Ruta Sepetys, 344 pages
(Lexile: 490)
Lina is just like any other 15 year old Lithuanian girl in 1941 until Soviet officers barge into her home. Separated from her father, Lina, her mother, and her young brother end up at a work camp in Siberia where they fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in drawing, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events and hoping the messages will make their way to her father's prison camp, letting him know they are still alive.
Author Interview |
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Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition – Karen Blumenthal, 160 pages
(Lexile: 1250)
It began with the best of intentions as people started a movement to outlaw drinking in public and eventually it lead to a Constitutional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol. And so began a decade of lawlessness, when children smuggled alcohol, upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye during the social experiment known as Prohibition.
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The Butterfly Clues – Kate Ellison, 336 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
Penelope, aka "Lo," has OCD that manifests itself in a variety of ways, and her compulsions have intensified sincer her brother died, including spending more time roaming from her suburban home into different neighborhoods of Cleveland. When she's almost hit by a stray bullet, learns that a girl was murdered nearby, and discovers some of the dead girl's jewlry at a flea market, Lo becomes determined to find the killer.
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Chain Reaction – Simone Elkeles, 320 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
Luis has been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers' lives, but that doesn't stop him from being a thrill seeker. Nikki lives an ordered life, but when she meets Luis, she's tempted to break all her rules. When Luis is targeted by the head of a local gang and family secrets come out, will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop him from entering ad ark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?
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Chime – 368 pages
(Lexile: 1530)
In the early 1900s, Briony has two secrets: she's a witch, and she's responsible for the accident that left her twin sister, Rose, unstable. The arrival of Mr. Clayborne, an engineer who wants to drain the swamp, angers the local spirits, so they send a plague to the local children. When Rose falls ill, Briony knows that she must do whatever it takes to save her sister, even revealing her secrets and denying her feelings for Eldric, Clayborne's son.
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Dash & Lily's Book of Dares– Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, 272 pages
(Lexile: 860)
Lily has left a notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York?
Book Trailer
Author Interview, Part 1
Author Interview, Part 2 |
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The Fault in Our Stars – John Green, 336 pages
(Lexile: 850)
*Also on the 2012 Summer Reading List
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer, Hazel was prepared to die until a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs. Now 16, she lives tethered to an oxygen tank and her terminal diagnosis. But when she goes to cancer kids support group and meets Augustus Waters, a smart and gorgeous boy in remission, Hazel reconsiders how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
Book Trailer
First 5 Minutes of Audiobook
Author Reads First Chapter |
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Heaven is For Real – Todd Burpo, 163 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
When four year old Colton was having emergency surgery, he slipped from this life and entered heaven. Surviving the experience, he begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying. Written by his father but often using Colton's own words, the message is that heaven is real, Jesus loves children, and there is a coming last battle.
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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs, 352 pages
(Lexile: 890)
A horrific family tragedy sets 16 year old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for a good reason. And, somehow, they may still be alive.
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The Night Circus– Erin Morgenstern, 400 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
The mysterious Le Cirque des Reves offers an enchanted experience to audiences, but behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite themselves, Celia and Marco fall in love, but the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast to the patrons, hang in the balance.
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Paper Covers Rock – Jenny Hubbard, 192 pages
(Lexile: 920)
At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, Alex is devistated when he fails to save a drowning friend, but he and his friend Glenn lie about what really happened. But their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, suspects there's more to the story when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. As Alex's writing thrives and he discovers his true voice, Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, and Alex must choose between them.
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Perfect – Ellen Hopkins, 640 pages
(Lexile: 570)
Perfection is different for everyone. For Cara, it means rejecting her parents' unrealistic expectations. Kendra wants the perfect face and body no matter what. Sean is willing to gamble on and off teh field for a perfect home run. And Andre realizes that to achieve his perfect performance, he'll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.
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Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court – Marc Aronson (editor), 176 pages
(Lexile: 720)
It's a steamy July day at the West 4th Street Court in NYC. Hotshot ESPN is wooing the scouts, Boo is struggling to guard the weird new guy named Waco, a Spike Lee wannabe has video rolling, and virgin Irene is sizing up Chester. In a series of short stories by nine YA authors, characters weave in and out for a fluid and fast-paced ode to the game. |
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Playing With the Enemy – Gary W. Moore, 300 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
Gene Moore was headed for stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers until his destiny was interrupted by WWII. Playing ball for the Navy, Gene and his team were given a top secret mission: guarding captured German sailors. Amazingly, Gene convinced his commander to allow him to teach the enemy how to play baseball while he and his teammates waited for the war to end so they could be called up into the Major Leagues.
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A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving, 543 pages
(Lexile: Unknown)
In the summer of 1953, two 11 year old boys - best friends - are playing in a Little League baseball game when Owen hits a foul ball that kills Johnny's mother. But Owen doesn't believe in accidents; he believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen and Johnny after that is extraordinary and terrifying.
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The Running Dream – Wendelin Van Draanen, 352 pages
(Lexile: 650)
Track star Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. A prosthetic leg to help her walk feels like nothing because she was born to run. With the support of family, friends, and teammates, Jessica may eventually be able to run again. But now she doesn't just want to cross the finish lines herself - she wants to take rosa, her math tutor and new friend who has CP, with her.
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Author Interview |
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The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater, 416 pages
(Lexile: 840)
Every November, riders in the Scorpio Races attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live, others die. Half the story is told through the eyes of Sean Kendrick, the 19 year old returning champion and a man who keeps to himself whenever he can. The other half is told by Puck Connolly, the first girl to ever enter the race because fate hasn't given her much of a choice.
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Unwind – Neal Shusterman, 352 pages
(Lexile: 740)
In America after the Second Civil War, children between 13 and 18 could be ordered to have their lives "unwound" by their parents and their body parts harvested. meet three teens who are all runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting;
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Where Things Come Back – John Corey Whaley, 240 pages
(Lexile: 960)
In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a birdwatcher named thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct in Lily, Arkansas, turning the small dull town into a circus. But nothing is more startling to Cullen than the realization that his brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. Cullen navigates his way through finding and losing love, holding his family together, and muddling his way into adulthood.
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Why We Broke Up – Daniel Handler, 368 pages
(Lexile: 980)
*Also on the 2012 Summer Reading List
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box explaining why. Items such as bottle caps, movie tickets, notes, matches, and ugly earrings every other article collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship are illustrated, and Min explains how they contributed to her being dumped.
Book Trailer
Author Interviews People About their Breakups |
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