How to Steal a Dog

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

I'll Ask You Three Times, Are You OK?: Tales of Driving and Being Driven

I'll Ask You Three Times, Are You OK?: Tales of Driving and Being Driven by Naomi Shihab Nye
As a traveling poet and visiting teacher, Naomi Shihab Nye has spent a considerable amount of time in cars, both driving and being driven. Her observations, stories, encounters, and escapades, and the kernels of truth she gathers from them, are laugh out loud funny, deeply moving and unforgettable.

The Blue Star

The Blue Star by Tony Earley
Teenage Jim falls in love with classmate Crissie Steppe, whose boyfriend has joined the Navy on the eve of World War Two and whom Jim vows to win over in the young sailor's absence, until the sobering realities of war bring all of them a new perspective.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital.

Weedflower

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Native American boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of owning a flower shop.

Orphan of the Sun

Orphan of the Sun by Gill Harvey
Meryt-Re, a thirteen-year-old orphan living in Set-Maat, Egypt, during the building of the pharaohs' tombs, tries to come to terms with her ability to see the truth in dreams while also attempting to determine who is trying to overthrow the village foreman.

Bird

Bird by Zetta Elliott
Bird, an artistic young African American boy, expresses himself through drawing as he struggles to understand his older brother's drug addiction and death, while a family friend, Uncle Son, provides guidance and understanding.

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.

Emako Blue

Emako Blue by Brenda Woods
Monterey, Savannah, Jamal, and Eddie have never had much to do with each other until Emako Blue shows up at chorus practice, but just as the lives of the five Los Angeles high school students become intertwined, tragedy tears them apart.

Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice Series #1)

Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice Series #1) by Joseph Delaney, Patrick Arrasmith (Illustrator)
Young Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, starts work as an apprentice for the village spook, whose job is to protect ordinary folk from "ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties." Books in this series: Book 1. Revenge of the Witch -- Book 2. Curse of the Bane -- Book 3. Night of the Soul Stealer -- Book 4. Attack of the Fiend -- Book 5. Wrath of the Bloodeye.

Born to Rock

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
High school senior Leo Caraway, a conservative Republican, learns that his biological father is a punk rock legend.

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House...

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Fourteen-year-old Flora Fyrdraaca, whose mother is the Warlord's Commanding General and whose father is mad, kindly helps her house's magical and long-banished butler, unaware that he draws strength from the Fyrdraaca will.

Becoming Billie Holiday

Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday looks back on her early years in this fictional memoir written in verse.

Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies

Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies: And Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar
Bizarre tales of a teenager going to the school dance with a robot, a Thanksgiving dinner interrupted by turkeys looking for revenge, and other strange short stories.

Black Box

Black Box by Julie Schumacher
When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression and her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.

Dingo

Dingo by Charles de Lint
Seventeen-year-old Miguel Schreiber and a long-term enemy are drawn into a strange dream world when they fall in love with shapeshifting sisters from Australia--twins hiding from a cursed ancestor who can only be freed with the girls' cooperation.

My One Hundred Adventures

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath
Twelve-year-old Jane, who lives at the beach in a run-down old house with her mother, two brothers, and sister, has an eventful summer accompanying her pastor on Bible deliveries, meeting former boyfriends of her mother's, and being coerced into babysitting for a family of ill-mannered children.

When We Were Romans

When We Were Romans by Matthew Kneale
Nine-year-old Lawrence watches protectively over his mother and little sister, especially when, feeling endangered by their estranged father, his mother decides the three of them must leave their life in England to seek refuge in Rome.

Burn My Heart

Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo

Two boys--one white, one black--share an uneasy friendship in Kenya in the 1950s, a country shaken by a rebellion of Africans against white landowners, but suspicions and accusations are escalating, and an act of betrayal could change everything.

Science Fair

Science Fair: A Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The president of Kprshtskan is plotting to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School in Maryland in order to take over the United States government, but when Toby Harbinger, an ordinary student, makes up his mind finally to win the fair, the terrorists' plans go awry.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart, Diana Sudyka (Illustrator)

Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, all graduates of the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and members of the Benedict Society, embark on a scavenger hunt that turns into a desperate search for the missing Mr. Benedict.

Torn to Pieces

Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell
When her mother disappears during a business trip, seventeen-year-old Anne discovers that her family harbors many dark secrets.

Virtual War: The Virtual War Chronologs Series

Virtual War: The Virtual War Chronologs Series by Gloria Skurzynski
In a future world where global contamination has necessitated limited human contact, three young people with unique genetically engineered abilities are teamed up to wage a war in virtual reality. Books in this series: Book 1. The Virtual War -- Book 2. The Clones -- Book 3. The Revolt -- Book 4. The Choice.

Fablehaven (Fablehaven Series #1)

Fablehaven (Fablehaven Series #1) by Brandon Mull, illustrated by Brandon Dorman

When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming. Books in this series: Book 1. Fablehaven -- Book 2. Rise of the Evening Star -- Book 3. Grip of the Shadow Plague. -- Book 4. Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary -- Book 5. Keys to the Demon Prison

Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green

One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp Series #1)

The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp Series #1) by P. B. Kerr
When twelve-year-old twins Philippa and John discover that they are descended from a long line of djinn, their mother sends them away to their Uncle Nimrod, who takes them to Cairo where he starts to teach them about their extraordinary powers. Books in this series: Book 1. The Akhenaten Adventure -- Book 2. The Blue Djinn of Babylon -- Book 3. The Cobra King of Kathmandu -- Book 4. The Day of the Djinn warriors -- Book 5. The Eye of the Forest.

Everything You Want

Everything You Want by Barbara Shoup
Eighteen-year-old Emma, a freshman at Indiana University, has enough trouble trying to figure out relationships but when her father wins fifty million dollars in a lottery, life becomes even more confusing and complicated.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

The Sweet Far Thing

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
At Spence Academy, sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle continues preparing for her London debut while struggling to determine how best to use magic to resolve a power struggle in the enchanted world of the realms, and to protect her own world and loved ones. Books in this series: Book 1. A Great and Terrible Beauty -- Book 2. Rebel Angels -- Book 3. The Sweet Far Thing.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1)

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1) by Rick Riordan
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods. Books in this series: Book 1. The Lightning Thief -- Book 2. The Sea of Monsters -- Book 3. The Titan's Curse -- Book 4. The Battle of the Labyrinth -- Book 5. The Last Olympian (May 2009)

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1) by Michael Scott

While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life. Books in this series: Book 1. The Alchemyst -- Book 2. The Magician -- Book 3. The Sorceress.

The Rules of Survival

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

Unwind

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

The Last of the High Kings

The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson
When eleven-year-old Jenny Liddy, in turmoil over learning that she is a changeling, makes a deal with a devil creature, she endangers the human race but her own cleverness, her human and fairy fathers, and the last of Ireland's High Kings help to make things right. Sequel to: The New Policeman.

The Postcard

The Postcard by Tony Abbott
While in St. Petersburg, Florida, to help clean out his recently-deceased grandmother's house, thirteen-year-old Jason finds an old postcard which leads him on an adventure that blends figures from an old, unfinished detective story with his family's past.

The Case of Peculiar Pink Fan (Enola Holmes Mystery #4)

The Case of Peculiar Pink Fan (Enola Holmes Mystery #4) by Nancy Springer While fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes endeavors to save her friend Lady Cecily Alistair from an unwelcome arranged marriage, she meets with some assistance from her older brother, Sherlock, and interference by the eldest, Mycroft.

The Calder Game

The Calder Game by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist
When seventh-grader Calder Pillay disappears from a remote English village--along with an Alexander Calder sculpture to which he has felt strangely drawn--his friends Petra and Tommy fly from Chicago to help his father find him. Books in this series: Book 1. Chasing Vermeer -- Book 2. The Wright 3 -- Book 3. The Calder game.

Keeping the Night Watch

Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
A thirteen-year-old African American boy chronicles what happens to his family when his father, who temporarily left, returns home and they all must deal with their feelings of anger, hope, abandonment, and fear.

Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

House of Many Ways

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
When Charmain is asked to housesit for Great Uncle William, the Royal Wizard of Norland, she is ecstatic to get away from her parents, but finds that his house is much more than it seems. The sequel to Howl's Moving Castle.

The Porcupine Year

The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich
In 1852, forced by the United States government to leave their beloved Island of the Golden Breasted Woodpecker, fourteen-year-old Omokayas and her Ojibwe family travel in search of a new home. Books in this series: Book 1. The Birchbark House -- Book 2. The Game of Silence -- Book 3. The Porcupine Year.

Forever Rose

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay
As Christmas approaches, eleven-year-old Rose, the youngest member of the eccentric Casson family, discovers that life is filled with both catastrophic problems and wonderful surprises. Books in this series: Book 1. Saffy's angel -- Book 2. Indigo's star -- Book 3. Permanent Rose -- Book 4. Caddy ever after -- Book 5. Forever Rose.

Nation

Nation by Terry Pratchett
After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

Sunrise over Fallujah

Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
Robin Perry, from Harlem, is sent to Iraq in 2003 as a member of the Civilian Affairs Battalion, and his time there profoundly changes him.
Sequel to: Fallen Angels.

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R.L. La Fevers
When mummies go missing all over London, eleven-year-old Theodosia puts aside her fight against the Serpents of Chaos to save her father, who is suspected in the thefts, all the while avoiding a string of new governesses. Books in this series: Book 1. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos -- Book 2. Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris.

Skin Deep

Skin Deep by E. M. Crane
When sixteen-year-old Andrea Anderson begins caring for a sick neighbor's dog, she learns a lot about life, death, pottery, friendship, hope, and love.

The Seer of Shadows

The Seer of Shadows by Avi
In New York City in 1872, fourteen-year-old Horace, a photographer's apprentice, becomes entangled in a plot to create fraudulent spirit photographs, but when Horace accidentally frees the real ghost of a dead girl bent on revenge, his life takes a frightening turn.

The Gollywhopper Games

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman
Twelve-year-old Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other children at extraordinary puzzles, stunts, and more in hopes of a fresh start for his family, which has been ostracized since his father was falsely accused of embezzling from Golly Toy and Game Company.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley, illustrated by Peter Ferguson

For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life hasn't been a fairy tale. Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have always believed to be dead. Books in this series: Book 1. The Sisters Grimm : The Fairy Tale Detectives -- Book 2. The Sisters Grimm : The Unusual Suspects -- Book 3. The Sisters Grimm : The Problem Child -- Book 4. The Sisters Grimm : Once Upon a Crime -- Book 5. The Sisters Grimm : Magic and Other Misdemeanors -- Book 6. The Sisters Grimm : Tales From the Hood.