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Young Adult

A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich

A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich

By Alice Childress 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the more popular books I have introduced to middleschoolers, this tale of a 13-year-old heroin addict is sure to spark lively classroom discussions.  A very honest and vivid look at the harshness of drug addiction. 
Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder

Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder

By Tony Hawk,Sean Mortimer 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A couple of teachers asked me to start including more non-fiction titles for young adults, so I thought I’d throw in a cool look at Tony Hawk’s life in skateboarding.  The book is put together in a very interesting format (meaning there are all sorts of asides, quizzes and funky photos and art) which should hold the interest of any student with ADD yearning to skate away from school.
No More Dead Dogs

No More Dead Dogs

By Gordon Korman 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I confess that I picked up this book because I liked the title.  It is not at all what I thought it was about, but it is still very funny.  Let’s just say that a teacher gets what he deserves when he punishes a student for turning in an honest book report (something I always wished I had done in school).
Captains Courageous

Captains Courageous

By Rudyard Kipling 100 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

My Uncle Bob reminded me to include this classic Kipling tale about a spoiled brat who loses everything before understanding not to take life for granted.  In many ways this tale reads like an alternative series of events to Kipling’s fantastic The Jungle Book.  We sure are lucky to have had a writer like Rudyard Kipling (I can read anything he wrote).
The Incredible Journey

The Incredible Journey

By Sheila Burnford 160 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

You now all know that I am a sap.  I loved this story so much as a kid that after I saw the Disney movie, I actually wanted to read the book (this was simply unheard of when I was a young lad).  One of the greatest stories of friendship and perseverance ever written (in my humble opinion). 
Just Annoying

Just Annoying

By Andy Griffiths 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

No, this author has an “s” on the end of his name, and his series of books bear little resemblance to anything you’d ever see in Mayberry.  I find that this author has a way of making teenage boys want to read, and I will always recommend an author who motivates reluctant readers.  Parents beware, as his silly tales can sometimes be a bit “raunchy.”
Runaway Ralph

Runaway Ralph

By Beverly Cleary 191 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Susan Weller recommended this book to me over a year ago, and I finally got around to reading it. I should never have waited so long, as I have always enjoyed Beverly Cleary’s books. Your kids will enjoy this one, too.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

By Louis Sachar,Julie Brinckloe 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Ever since I read Holes (one of the best books in years), I have been devouring stories from Louis Sachar. He is my kind of writer, as his stories always make me laugh, and I always enjoy his subtle messages. Many thanks to Amparo Betancourt for recommending this book to me.
The Toothpaste Millionaire

The Toothpaste Millionaire

By Jean Merrill 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I think what I enjoy the best about this book is its entrepreneurial spirit. If I taught an MBA course, this is one of the fun books I’d put on my reading list (along with Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel). A good book for kids who need to understand what it takes to succeed in business: that nasty four-letter word known as “work.”
Top Secret

Top Secret

By John Reynolds Gardiner 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Probably every fourth or fifth grader has read Gardiner’s popular Stone Fox about a boy’s dog sled race in Alaska. This is the one I prefer, though, as it is the funny and educational tale of a boy who decides to discover human photosynthesis and enter his findings into the school science fair. Young Allen ingests a ton of magnesium and soon loses his taste buds and craves sunlight, and the government does not want anyone to know that he has, indeed, discovered human photosynthesis. This book will get reluctant readers reading and teach them a thing or two about science while they eagerly laugh and flip pages.
The Master Puppeteer

The Master Puppeteer

By Katherine Paterson 179 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

When a young adult book wins a National Book Award, you know it must be pretty special. This one is, as it tells the story of the teenage son of a poor puppet-maker who becomes a theatre apprentice and discovers the identity of Robin Hood-like character in famine struck 18th-century Japan.
The Book of Three

The Book of Three

By Lloyd Alexander 190 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Note to Hollywood producers in search of the next children’s blockbuster: read this book. The coming of age story of Taran, assistant pig-keeper who assembles a group of companions to rescue the oracular pig Hen Wen from the forces of evil. This classic has been around for over 30 years, and I cannot believe there is still not a movie version. Read this, and you will be rewarded like readers of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, as there are more in the series.
I, Juan de Pareja

I, Juan de Pareja

By Elizabeth Borton De Trevino 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A Newbery winner from the 60s, this book (written like an autobiography) chronicles the trials and tribulations of a slave prohibited from painting on his own that serves the great Spanish painter Velazquez (a painter whose work I used to enjoy almost daily on trips to the Prado when I lived in Madrid).
Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden

By Margaret Peterson Haddix 153 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Great for teaching about propaganda and current events, this book chronicles the adventures of Luke, the third child born in a society where families are only permitted to have two children.
Eva

Eva

By Peter Dickinson 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

After a terrible accident, Eva wakes up to find she has been given the body of a chimpanzee. Intrigued yet?

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