Book Club Novel Menu

Return to Sender by Julia Alverez

After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant
Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isnt sure
what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three
daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but
also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of
being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in
Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?
Lexile: 890
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound
deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the
hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate.
They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat
to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man
living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But
they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.
Lexile: 830
Ruins of Gorlan by John A. Flanagan
They have always scared him in the pastthe Rangers, with their dark cloaks and
shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them
invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has
been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the
Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and
surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is
about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the
Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on
the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .
Lexile: 920
Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz
Baseball is in the Schneider family blood. Each member of this family, from family
founder Felix Schneider in the 1800s to Snider Flint in the present day, has a strong
tie to the game and to Brooklyn. Through the years this family has dodged bullets on
a battlefield, pitched perfect games, and dealt with the devastating loss of family and
the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nine innings, nine generations. One game, one family.
Through it all, one thing remains true: the bonds of family are as strong as a love of
the game.
Lexile: 840

Harry Potter and Sorcerers Stone by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his
miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard,
just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend
an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his
illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the
unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself
drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own
noble destiny.
Lexile: 880
Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
The Emerald Atlas brims with humor and action as it charts Kate, Michael, and
Emma's extraordinary adventures through an unforgettable, enchanted
world. These three siblings have been in one orphanage after another for the last
ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more
remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies,
they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know
nothing about. Until now. Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey
through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and
enemies, of magic and mayhem. Andif an ancient prophesy is correctwhat they
do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right. Lexile: 720
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor
The son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave, Paul-Edward Logan is
unlike any other boy he knows. His white father has acknowledged him and raised
him openly-something unusual in post-Civil War Georgia. But as he grows into a
man he learns that life for someone like him is not easy. Black people distrust him
because he looks white. White people discriminate against him when they learn of
his black heritage. Even within his own family he faces betrayal and degradation. So
at the age of fourteen, he sets out toward the only dream he has ever had: to find
land every bit as good as his father's, and make it his own. Once again inspired by
her own history, Ms. Taylor brings truth and power to the newest addition to the
award-winning Logan family stories.
Lexile: 760
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing,
NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed
ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since.
Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home
with the Colonel--a caf owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the
fabulous caf hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong
will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder,
Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in
hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known. Lexile: 560

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented
him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he
wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kidbut his new classmates
cant get past Auggies extraordinary face. WONDER begins from Auggies point of
view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and
others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one communitys struggle with
empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
Lexile: 790

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too
humiliated by Adas twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is
shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesnt waste a minuteshe sneaks
out to join him.So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman
who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to
read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susanand Susan begins
to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them
together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands
of their mother? Lexile: 580
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper
When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and
powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him.
Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt. A brutal stepfather with a
flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable. The one bright light in
Gerald's life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her
father, Jordan Sparks, who abuses her, and from their mother, whose irresponsible
behavior forces Gerald to work hard to keep the family together.
As a teenager, Gerald finds success as a member of the Hazelwood Tigers
basketball team, while Angel develops her talents as a dancer. Trouble still haunts
them, however, and Gerald learns, painfully, that young friends can die and old
enemies must be faced. In the end he must stand up to his stepfather alone in a
blazing confrontation.
Lexile: 780
Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply
ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his
brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults
would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in
the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans,
who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in
vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish
resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself,
here is Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes. Lexile: 970

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jang

This accessible autobiography is the true story of one girl's determination to hold her
family together during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.
It's 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains,
friends, and a bright future in Communist China. But it's also the year that China's
leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolutionand Ji-li's world begins to
fall apart. Over the next few years, people who were once her friends and neighbors
turn on her and her family, forcing them to live in constant terror of arrest. When Jili's father is finally imprisoned, she faces the most difficult dilemma of her life.
Lexile:
Greenglass House by Kate Milford
Its wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smugglers inn is always quiet
during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers adopted son, plans to
spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the
guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milos home is bursting with odd,
secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to
the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy,
the cooks daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening
mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass Houseand themselves.
Lexile: 800
Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster
outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's
been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every
night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is
different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something
terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning
author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from
writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of
mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
Lexile: 730
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly
divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by
the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work,
cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think
forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German
soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors
and friends are prisoners in their own city.
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing
platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she
receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that
her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin.

However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be
trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom? Lexile:
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the Worlds Most Dangerous Weapon
by Steve Sheinkin
In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery:
When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple
discovery launched a scientific race that spanned 3 continents. In Great Britain and
the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in
Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavywater manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was
hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risktaking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This
is the story of the atomic bomb. Lexile: 920
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. Shes not
comforted by the news that shell be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg.
Who cares about walking when you live to run?
As she struggles to cope, Jessica feels that shes both in the spotlight and invisible.
People who dont know what to say act like shes not there. Jessicas embarrassed
to realize that shes done the same to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going
to tutor her through all the math shes missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of
her.
With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may
actually be able to run again. But thats not enough for her now. She doesnt just
want to cross finish lines herselfshe wants to take Rosa with her. Lexile: 650

Iron Thunder by Avi

When his father is killed fighting for the Union in the War Between the
States, thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll must take a job to help support his family. He
manages to find work at a bustling ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, New
York, where dozens of men are frantically pounding together the strangest ship Tom
has ever seen. A ship made of iron.
Tom becomes assistant to the ship's inventor, a gruff, boastful man named Captain
John Ericsson. He soon learns that the Union army has very important plans for this
iron ship called the Monitor. It is supposed to fight the Confederate "sea monster"-another ironclad--the Merrimac. But Ericsson is practically the only person who
believes the Monitor will float. Everyone else calls it "Ericsson's Folly" or "the iron
coffin."
Meanwhile, Tom's position as Ericsson's assistant has made him a target of
Confederate spies, who offer him money for information about the ship. Tom finds
himself caught between two certain dangers: an encounter with murderous spies
and a battle at sea in an iron coffin.
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds
of Biltmore Estate. There's plenty to explore in Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt's vast and
oppulent home, but she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk
upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate's maintenance man,
have lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember. She has learned
to prowl through the darkened corridors at night, to sneak and hide, using the
mansion's hidden doors and secret passageways.
But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows the clues to
follow. A terrifying man in a black cloak stalks Biltmore's corridors at night. Following
her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden
Vanderbilt, the young nephew of Biltmore's owners. Braeden and Serafina must
uncover the Man in the Black Cloak's true identity before all of the children vanish
one by one.
Serafina's hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear, where
she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic. In order to save the children of Biltmore,
Serafina must not only face her darkest enemy, but delve into the strange mystery of
her own identity.
Lexile: 850
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
Look, Mick, he said, youre going to find out from somebody in the gym, so you
might as well find out from me. Those supplements youre taking? They might get
you a little bigger, but just a little. If youre after serious results, theres other stuff
that produces better results much faster, stuff that a lot of guys in the gym use.
What other stuff? You know what Im talking aboutgym candy.
Runningback Mick Johnson has dreams: dreams of cutting back, finding the hole,
breaking into the open, and running free with nothing but green grass ahead. He has
dreams of winning and of being the best. But football is a cruel sport. It requires
power, grace, speed, quickness, and knowledge of the game. It takes luck, too. One
crazy bounce can turn a likely victory into sudden defeat. What elite athlete wouldnt
look for an edge? A way to make him bigger, stronger, faster?
This novel explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he
struggles for success under the always glaringand often unforgivingstadium
lights.

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

CRACKER IS ONE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY'S MOST VALUABLE

WEAPONS: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy.
The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She's a Big Deal, and
she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and
her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was
nice, too.
Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he's going to whip the world and prove to
his family and his sergeant -- and everyone else who didn't think he was cut out for
war -- wrong. But sometimes Rick can't help but wonder that maybe everyone else is
right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad's hardware
store.
When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn't so sure about this new owner. He's going
to have to prove himself to her before she's going to prove herself to him. They need
to be friends before they can be a team, and theyhave to be a team if they want to
get home alive. Lexile: 730
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Homeschooled on an isolated "alternate farm commune" that has dwindled since the
1960s to 2 members, 13-year-old Cap has always lived with his grandmother, Rain.
When she is hospitalized, Cap is taken in by a social worker and sentlike a lamb
to slaughterto middle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced (he
learned to drive on the farm, but he has never watched television), long-haired Cap
soon becomes the butt of pranks. He reacts in unexpected ways and, in the end,
elevates those around him to higher ground. From chapter to chapter, the firstperson narrative shifts among certain characters: Cap, a social worker (who takes
him into her home), her daughter (who resents his presence there), an A-list bully, a
Z-list victim, a popular girl, the school principal, and a football player (who
unintentionally decks Cap twice in one day). Korman capably manages the shifting
points of view of characters who begin by scorning or resenting Cap and end up on
his side. From the eye-catching jacket art to the scene in which Cap says good-bye
to his 1,100 fellow students, individually and by name, this rewarding novel features
an engaging main character and some memorable moments of comedy, tenderness,
and reflection. (from Booklist) Lexile:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at
the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we
sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells
started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that.
He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of
making Boo Radley come out."
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill
a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother,
Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial
of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores
big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a
tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up. (from
Amazon.com Review)
Lexile:
Legend by Marie Lu
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a
nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the
Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for
success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-yearold Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as
malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the
day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect.
Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's
survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of
events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the
sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers
as much as it thrills. Lexile: 710
Crow by Barbara Wright
The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He's
growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads
constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the
discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He's teaching his
grandmother how to read. For the first time she's sharing stories about her life as a
slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of
power they've earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not
everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything,
including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo.
One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community
enfranchised and emancipatedsuddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn-ofthe-century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only
successful coup d'etat in US historyLexile: 800
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region.
They said music was a crime. They said women weren't allowed to go to the market.
They said girls couldn't go to school.
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was
taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated.
And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot pointblank while riding the bus on her way home from school. No one expected her to
survive.
Lexile: 830