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Striking Out by Will Weaver


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Rooftoppers


Katherine Rundell - 2013
    True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck which left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive, but that means still possible. You should never ignore a possible. So when the Welfare Agency writes to her guardian threatening to send Sophie to an orphanage, she takes matters into her own hands and flees to Paris to look for her mother, starting with the only clue she has - the address of the cello maker. Evading the French authorities, she meets Matteo and his network of rooftoppers - urchins who live in the sky. Together they scour the city for Sophie's mother before she is caught and sent back to London, and most importantly before she loses hope.

The Starplace


Vicki Grove - 1999
    At first Frannie ignores Celeste, then the two girls are chosen to be in a special vocal ensemble and they find themselves becoming friends. But others are not so quick to accept the idea of racial integration, and Frannie discovers a dark secret from the town's past that threatens her friendship with Celeste.

How I Saved My Father's Life (And Ruined Everything Else)


Ann Hood - 2008
    Acclaimed author Ann Hood brings Scholastic her first YA novel.A twelve year old girl's quest for faith and understanding, in the face of ballet, her parents' divorce, and a move to a new town.Madeline's struggle to understand the world around her will resonate with readers of all ages.

Smashed


Lisa Luedeke - 2012
    She is a field hockey star on the fast track to a college scholarship, but her relationship with alcohol has always been a little questionable. Then trouble finds her. Alec is the most popular guy in school, and also the biggest bully—with his sights set firmly on Katie. When Alec turns on the charm, Katie thinks she must have been wrong about him.Except that she wasn’t. On a rain-soaked, alcohol-drenched night, one impulsive decision leaves Katie indebted to Alec in the worst possible way. This debut novel is a fast-paced and compelling story of addiction, heartbreak, and redemption.

Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942


Hugh Brewster - 2010
    Duty. Danger. Fear. Canada's past comes alive through the eyes of young men caught up in the danger, drama and excitement of defining historical events. Written by some of Canada's finest authors, I Am Canada is a new series that offers riveting action-packed stories sure to engage and inspire young readers. From the creators of the bestselling Dear Canada series, the I Am Canada books will include an images and documents section, map, glossary, historical notes and About the Author pages. The facts are vetted by some of Canada's best historians Prisoner of Dieppe By Hugh Brewster A young soldier's gritty account of "the bloodiest nine hours in Canadian military history"- the tragic Dieppe raid of WWII. Alistair "Allie" Morrison lets his friend Mackie talk him into enlisting for WWII, even though he's only 18. After months of endless training Allie is eager for battle. But his first action is not just any battle . . . it's the disastrous raid on the German-held port of Dieppe. Almost a thousand Canadian soldiers died that day. In the resulting chaotic evacuation, Allie and Mackie are captured as POWs and sent to Stalag VIIIB in Germany. Still shell-shocked from their fighting, the soldiers struggle to maintain their courage; and some, like Mackie, are determined to plot an escape and outwit their captors, at any cost.

The Potential Hazards of Hester Day


Mercedes Helnwein - 2008
    Apprehensive about spending the rest of her existence in a void of nothingness in Nowheresville, Florida, where she currently lives with her painfully intrusive family, she decides to tip her life over into any kind of surrealism she can lay her hands on. Shortly after graduation and a heated fight with her mother featuring an airborne toaster, Hester's life takes a turn for the better when she notices a billboard with two wide-eyed children and the catchy phrase "All they want for Christmas is a family." What better way to drive a chainsaw through her placid existence? But when the adoption agency rejects her application to adopt a child, she realizes she must do something more drastic to derail the mediocre life threatening to spread out before her. Having found herself stuck in a camper named Arlene with Fenton Flaherty, her nemesis from the library (who, through a series of interesting events is now also Hester's husband), Jethro, Hester's ten-year-old cousin, and Duncan Clyde, a.k.a. "Jesus Freak," who is traveling along the side of the road asking passersby to sign his life-sized cross, Hester is quickly freed from anything even remotely mediocre (or normal, for that matter) about her life. Preposterously dysfunctional, side-splittingly funny, and surprisingly touching, The Potential Hazards of Hester Day is an adventure that you'll want to experience again and again.

Car Trouble


Jeanne DuPrau - 2005
    It all begins with a little car trouble.

What About Will


Ellen Hopkins - 2021
    It was Will who taught Trace to ride a bike, would watch sports on TV with him, and cheer him on at little league. But when Will was knocked out cold during a football game, resulting in a brain injury--everything changed. Now, sixteen months later, their family is still living under the weight of the incident, that left Will with a facial tic, depression, and an anger he cannot always control, culminating in their parents' divorce. Afraid of further fracturing his family, Trace begins to cover for Will who, struggling with addiction to pain medication, becomes someone Trace doesn't recognize. But when the brother he loves so much becomes more and more withdrawn, and escalates to stealing money and ditching school, Trace realizes some secrets cannot be kept if we ever hope to heal.

Deep Water


Watt Key - 2018
    When the clients, a reckless boy Julie's age and his equally foolhardy father, disregard Julie's instructions during the dive, she quickly realizes she's in over her head.And once she surfaces, things only get worse: One of the clients is in serious condition, and their dive boat has vanished--along with Julie's father, the only person who knows their whereabouts. It's only a matter of time before they die of hypothermia, unless they become shark bait first. Though Julie may not like her clients, it's up to her to save them all.

Sway


Amber McRee Turner - 2012
    In this funny, moving novel, ten-year-old Cass takes a roadtrip with her dull-as-dirt dad, only to learn that he has a few surprises up his sleeve, including the power of Sway, a family secret that just might be magical.

The Library Card


Jerry Spinelli - 1997
    None of them guesses it at first, but that strange blue card will be their ticket to the past--and to a future that they never imagined. In stories that range from humorous to heartbreaking, Newbery-award-winner Jerry Spinelli reveals the amazing possibilities lurking behind library doors.

Ghost


Jason Reynolds - 2016
    That's all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to a race—and wins—the Olympic medalist track coach sees he has something: crazy natural talent. Thing is, Ghost has something else: a lot of anger, and a past that he is trying to outrun. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed and meld with the team, or will his past finally catch up to him?

What Kind of Love?: The Diary of a Pregnant Teenager


Sheila Cole - 1995
    Talented pretty and popular. She was enjoying life and planing her future. She and Peter, the love of her life, were sharing their dreams. Now she and Peter share a problem...Except it turns out to be Val's problem. Peter says he loves her, but he has to finish school, go to college, get on with his life. Valerie wishes she could get on with her life and her music career. But she lives each day with the reality Peter wants to forget -- and it is she who must make the impossible choices...When love has no answers.

Mudville


Kurtis Scaletta - 2009
    Most people say the town is cursed. Right in the middle of their big baseball game against rival town Sinister Bend, black clouds crept across the sky and it started to rain. That was 22 years ago . . . and it's still pouring.Baseball camp is over, and Roy knows he's in for a dreary, soggy summer. But when he returns home, he finds a foster kid named Sturgis sprawled out on his couch. As if this isn't weird enough, just a few days after Sturgis's arrival, the sun comes out. No one can explain why the rain has finally stopped, but as far as Roy's concerned, it's time to play some baseball. It's time to get a Moundville team together and finish what was started 22 years ago. It's time for a rematch.

Why Did She Have to Die?


Lurlene McDaniel - 1986
    What do you do with an older sister who is smart, pretty, popular, and perfect?What do you do when you realize she's the best sister ever?What do you do when you find out she's gone...and you didn't get to say goodbye?Thirteen-year-old Elly Rowan asks herself those questions—and one more... Why Did She Have to Die?