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Young Adult

Deathwatch

Deathwatch

By Robb White 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Particularly popular with boys, as this one gets a little graphic. An older book (written in 1973), Deathwatch is actually required reading in many high schools, despite many gruesome situations. Compared to many primetime television shows today, I think the book rates fairly tame. Tell me what you think.
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When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

By Kimberly Willis Holt 256 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

If I were teaching a writing class, I think I would use this book to demonstrate how to write compelling characters. We are all flawed, and that is what makes us all special. Holt sets this story in rural Texas in 1971, where a couple of teens meet “the fattest boy in the world.” Beautiful writing, which is probably why it won a National Book Award winner for fiction
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The Tears of the Salamander

The Tears of the Salamander

By Peter Dickinson 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Dickinson is an interesting author. I have read quite a few of his books, and about the only thing I know I can expect is a compelling, unpredictable story. Let’s just say that when a student handed me this one to read, I did not expect a story about a salamander that lives inside a volcano and sheds healing tears while excreting liquid gold. I found myself turning pages pretty quickly, and I think you will, too.
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The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs

The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs

By Cynthia DeFelice 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I read excerpts from this book to a class of delighted sixth graders (it helped that I turned out the lights and placed a flashlight under my chin). This is the sequel to another book where 11-year-old Allie Nicholas determines she has the ability to see ghosts.
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Is That A Dead Dog In Your Locker?

Is That A Dead Dog In Your Locker?

By Todd Strasser 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I admire some authors just for their titles, and I would place this book in that category. Strasser is a wonderful author for boys, as his books are filled with goofiness. Boys are sure to enjoy this first in the “Tardy Boys” series. Very funny.
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Big Slick

Big Slick

By Eric Luper 240 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This is Luper’s first book, and I expect many more. Everybody seems to be into poker nowadays, and Luper introduces us to 16-year-old Andrew Lang, a typical teen bursting with hormones and worldly knowledge. Just when he thinks he has figured everything out, he is dealt a bad hand, and Andrew’s losses may soon be noticed by an unsuspecting bankroller named “dad.” A really easy book to read.
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Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

By Rachel Cohn,David Levithan 256 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

For older teens (based on language and content), this one is popular reading with high school girls who enjoy romances. It is so well-written that even I managed to breeze through it, and it held my interest the entire way (a rarity for me with teen romances). A touching and often very funny portrayal of friendship, I like it best for how it deals with alternate points of view.
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Mocky's Revinge

Mocky's Revinge

By Mark Louis Lehman 125 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I like slender books! This novelette actually took a little longer than I thought, as the story is told through the point of view of an 8-year-old girl who has a penchant for misspelling (as seen in the title). I think teachers will appreciate recommending this book to students as an exercise in fluency. I have found that middle schoolers enjoy the story and delight in identifying misspellings.
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The True Story of Christmas

The True Story of Christmas

By Anne Fine 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I confess that I am a big fan of British humor, as I love Monty Python, Ricky Gervais and Jeanne Willis. Anne Fine has that twisted sense of humor in this engrossing book about a boy sentenced to his bedroom on Christmas. His descriptions of his various family members remind me of the Dursleys from Harry Potter. A little too mean for little kids, the humor is perfect for teens. 
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The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker

The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker

By Cynthia DeFelice 160 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the best pieces of young adult historical fiction that I have read in the past five years. A boy apprentices for a doctor in the 19th century and searches for a cure to the consumption that is killing everybody in town, including his own family. I used this book for a class that was discussing advances in medical technology (it worked great with my impression of Steve Martin acting as a middle age doctor/barber in a hilarious old Saturday Night Live sketch).
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Making Up Megaboy

Making Up Megaboy

By Virginia Walter 64 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I am a huge fan of the great Japanese film director Akira Kirosawa, and one of Kurosawa’s most provocative films is Rashomon, the story of a woman’s rape told from different perspectives. Walter attempts to do the same in this book by telling the story of a teenager who kills an elderly store owner, as told through 18 different first-person perspectives. I have heard many teachers gripe that the book offers no definite resolution, but that is precisely one of the things I like about the book. It makes for intense book discussions. 
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Something Like An Autobiography

Something Like An Autobiography

By Akira Kurosawa 205 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Alright, the Megaboy book got me thinking about Kurosawa, so of course I wound up re-watching some of my favorite Kurosawa films (The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran, The Hidden Fortress). If you have never heard of Kurosawa, just know that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg idolized him, and his movies inspired all sorts of American adaptations (e.g. The Magnificent Seven, High Plains Drifter, Star Wars). Because of Kurosawa, I have managed to get a lot of middle and high school students interested in foreign films and Joseph Campbell. This brief autobiography is great and should whet your appetite for the much longer The Emperor and the Wolf (about Kurosawa and his turbulent relationship with his favorite star, Toshiro Mifune).
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Kissing Tennessee

Kissing Tennessee

By Kathi Appelt 132 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Appelt’s collection of short stories revolving around a middle school dance makes for a great book discussion among middle schoolers, especially girls. Appelt captures the voice of teen girls as well as any current young adult author. I have even shared this with grown-ups who were moved by the writing.
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Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts

Hot Scots, Castles, and Kilts

By Tammy Swoish 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Sixteen-year-old Sami has a lot to deal with when she moves with her mother to Scotland to turn a struggling family farm into a “tourist farm.” While her cousins want to tell her what a magical country Scotland is, Sami feels like a peasant without electricity. A group of eighth-grade girls I have been reading with likes this book because: (a) it is written like a diary; (b) there’s a ghost; and (c) it has a hot guy. 
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Rowing To The Rescue

Rowing To The Rescue

By Doris Licameli 80 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

There are several things I like about this little book. First of all, my mother is a lighthouse fanatic, and I can see how this book would be great for any parent or teacher to read with children before or after a lighthouse visit. More importantly, I love books that feature teenage-girl protagonists who rock, and 15-year-old Ida Lewis is such a character (and she is a real-life heroine who lived in 19th century Rhode Island). A delightful quick read.
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