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Young Adult

Trapped by the Ice!

Trapped by the Ice!

By Michael McCurdy 40 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This is another recently published treasure that the fifth graders I am reading aloud to love. Boys especially want to know all about this story of 32 whaling ships that were trapped in the Arctic in 1871…with over 1200 people. If an Inuit ever warns you to watch out for the ice, I’d suggest you listen to her advice. Read this book and find out what happens to our frigid refugees.
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Lives of the Musicians

Lives of the Musicians

By Kathleen Krull 96 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I must confess that I am a Cliff Clavin at heart, meaning that I adore filling my brain with all sorts of useless information. This book is a treasure mine filled with tidbits about musicians ranging from Beethoven to Woody Guthrie. I love it!
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Bodies from the Ice

Bodies from the Ice

By James M. Deem 64 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

If you want to get a reluctant boy into reading, show him a book with a mummy on the cover. You will be fascinated to learn about human remains uncovered in peat bogs throughout the United Kingdom and northern Europe. The photos are what keep kids opening this book, though. A great read for those interested in following the Indiana Jones path to archaeology.
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Just Disgusting

Just Disgusting

By Andy Griffiths 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I’ve recommended Andy Griffiths before (he is not to be confused with a certain sheriff from Mayberry), but I feel like I should include this book for parents of fourth-sixth grade boys who have no interest in reading. I read this book to boys who have never opened a book voluntarily, and I discover the boys weeks later have memorized pages! Yes, this book is not going to win any literary awards, but if it gets a boy into reading there is a greater chance that that boy will try to read a book that has won a literary award. I highly recommend this book for teachers and parents who have reluctant readers, especially boys (click here to read my blog about some tips to help reluctant readers).
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Gone Fishin'

Gone Fishin'

By Walter Mosley 244 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

God bless Walter Mosley! Mosley has provided the inner-city middle schoolers that I have read to for years characters that they can identify with, and Mosley’s writing skill and character development are something to behold. This is one of the shortest of Mosley’s Easy Rawlins mysteries, but it is sure to attract students to the series. A wonderful author with a diverse pool of stories.
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The Young Hans Christian Andersen

The Young Hans Christian Andersen

By Karen Hesse 48 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I like to use this book when teaching students writing because it shows how Hans Christian Andersen took his many childhood experiences and used them to craft his beloved stories. Great for all ages.
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The Secret School

The Secret School

By Avi 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

How I’ve managed not to recommend an Avi book yet is beyond me, as I believe Avi is one of the greatest storytellers in America today (and he is great to listen to in person, if you ever get the chance). He is a master with historical fiction, and this story takes us to poor rural Colorado just before the Great Depression. An eighth grader needs to pass her exams if she is to move on to high school and fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, and when her teacher leaves she takes on the role of preparing her classmates and herself for the exams. Token Avi as he portrays kids as able (if not more so) than adults. A great story about the importance of education.
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The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

By Carolyn Mackler 256 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A favorite of the high school girls I read with, this book is not quite as funny as the title suggests. Yes, Mackler is hilarious, but she manages to touch a lot of major teen issues, from date rape to eating disorders. I do not come across as many reluctant girl readers, but when I do I always pull out a copy of this book. Not appropriate for younger kids, though.
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Ugly

Ugly

By Donna Jo Napoli 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Napoli takes the well-known story of the ugly duckling and creates a full-length novel that takes place Down Under. Not only does this book provide great morals; it also proves useful as a science text. Great book for kids wondering how they will ever fit in.
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Whales on Stilts!

Whales on Stilts!

By M.T. Anderson 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This book has such a warped sense of humor, I’d recommend it to anybody. If you are not reading young adult books, you are missing out, as some of the best literature being produced today is geared for this audience. I love books that feature incompetent adults, leaving the kids in charge of saving the Earth. A must read for all ages! 
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Freak the Mighty

Freak the Mighty

By Rodman Philbrick 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Inevitably, this book is always among the favorites of the middle school-aged boys I teach. Two eighth-grade misfits form a friendship that sees them fighting for causes in a King Arthurian vein. Yes, the book provides plenty of clichés, but I have witnessed two many students who were touched by this book. It is definitely one worth considering.
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Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics

Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics

By Catherine Thimmesh 80 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Girls always ask me why there has never been a female President, and I have to admit that it is long overdue (especially with 52 percent of the American population being female). Thimmesh puts together a nice retrospective of some of the women who have ascended to the highest offices (or, like in the case of Abigail Adams, influenced the highest offices), and she includes some women who are still climbing that ladder today. What I like about the book is it shows girls that their time is coming, and there are plenty of influential women who have contributed to our political history here and abroad.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By John Boyne 215 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I included this one in honor of Yom Kippur, the most sacred holiday on the Jewish calendar (October 2nd). Just when I thought that all of the original stories of the Holocaust had been exhausted, a student handed me this gem. This tale chronicles a wealthy German boy’s move to Poland where his father has a new “job” (his father is an SS commander). The boy befriends a Jewish boy who lives “on the other side of the fence,” and the two strike up an innocent childhood friendship. This book gave me shivers. Excellent writing. 
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The Race to Save the Lord God Bird

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird

By Phillip Hoose 222 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

An angry reader insisted I include more nonfiction titles for young adults. Let me say that whenever you have a genre you are interested in and want to see more picks, please drop me a note (it does not have to be angry, though). I want to make sure this list offers something for everybody. This is a lovely book that chronicles the Ivory-billed woodpecker, the first modern endangered species (last spotted in 1987). Every time I read books like this I feel ashamed to be a human, and I guess that is why we need to read more books like this. It will influence your desire for more nature conservation, that’s for sure. 
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

By Judy Blume 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

It seems like every month I have to include a classic that I have failed to mention on prior lists. Whenever I ask audiences what there favorite book was as a child, this book is ALWAYS mentioned. I would be surprised if this book were not the single-most read book by teenage girls. I believe Judy Blume is one of our most important authors. This is absolutely a must-read.
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