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Junior High - Adventure

Stowaway by Karen Hesse - A fictionalized journal relates the experiences of a young stowaway from 1768 to 1771 aboard the Endeavor which sailed around the world under Captain James Cook
The call of the wild by Jack London - The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, that is forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields where he eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen - After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool - Odyssey-like adventure of two boys' incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail where they deal with pirates, buried secrets, and extraordinary encounters
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - The classic story of Jim Hawkins' dangerous search for pirate treasure is accompanied by notes and illustrations placing the story in the context of its era
Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift - The voyages of an Englishman carry him to such places as Liliput, where the people are only six inches tall, Brobdingnag, a land of giants, and a country ruled by horses
Loot : how to steal a fortune by Jude Watson - When Alfie McQuin, the notorious jewel thief, is killed on a job, his last words to his son, March, are to "find jewels" and this instruction leads the boy to Jules, the twin sister he never knew he had
The Swiss family Robinson by Johann David Wyss - Shipwrecked on a tropical island, a Swiss minister, his wife, and their four sons struggle to survive until they can be rescued
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Junior High - Realistic Fiction

The thing about jellyfish by Ali Benjamin - Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced was responsible for her friend's death
The outsiders by S.E. Hinton - The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society
You go first by Erin Entrada Kelly - Charlotte, twelve, and Ben, eleven, are highly-skilled competitors at online Scrabble and that connection helps both as they face family issues and the turmoil of middle school
I'm Ok by Patti Kim - Ok, a Korean American boy, tries a get rich quick scheme of starting a hair braiding business and winning the school talent competition to hide the fact that he is struggling with the loss of his father and the financial hardships
Apartment 1986 by Lisa Papademetriou - Callie befriends a boy who is doing research throughout the city's museums while they try to reveal why her grandmother wants to travel back to 1986
The first rule of punk by Celia C. Pérez - After María Luisa O'Neill-Morales moves with her Mexican-American mother to Chicago, she violates her school's dress code with her punk rock aesthetic and starts a band with a group of like-minded friends
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Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick - At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team
Ghost by Jason Reynolds - Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential
Okay for now by Gary D. Schmidt - While Doug struggles to be more than the thug that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds and unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, as they explore Audubon's art
Drums, girls, & dangerous pie by Jordan Sonnenblick - When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli - In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever
Genesis begins again by Alicia D. Williams - This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself
The next great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin - Led by new student Caitlyn, seventh-graders at a tiny rural school in Vermont create a reality-show inspired competition to determine who will replace the school's legendary class clown, Paulie Fink
No more dead dogs by Gordon Korman - Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production
True to your selfie by Megan McCafferty - Twelve-year-old Ella has not even started seventh grade yet, but she has already been drawn into the fire of social media
Well, that was awkward by Rachel Vail - There are unexpected consequences when thirteen-year-old Gracie sends texts pretending to be her bashful best friend, Sienna, and their friend Emmett starts texting back pretending to be shy A.J.
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Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen - In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years
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Junior High - Historical Fiction

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
The true confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi - As the lone "young lady" on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious
My brother Sam is dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier - Recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family during the Revolution when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay neutral in a Tory town
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis - In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice for his family
The inquisitor's tale, or, The three magical children and their holy dog by Adam Gidwitz - Crossing paths at an inn, thirteenth-century travelers impart the tales of three characters who join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz - It is 1943, and thirteen-year-old Michael O'Shaunessey, son of the Irish ambassador to Nazi Germany in Berlin, is also a spy for the British Secret Service
The night diary by Veera Hiranandani - Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her
A night divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen - When the Berlin Wall went up, Gerta, her mother, and her brother Fritz are trapped on the eastern side where they were living, while her father, and her other brother Dominic are in the West
A long walk to water by Linda Sue Park - When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members in search of safe haven
When my name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park - With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely
Esperanza rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan - Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California
The hired girl by Laura Amy Schlitz - Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs chronicles her life in a journal when she leaves her family's farm in Pennsylvania to work as a hired girl in Baltimore in the summer of 1911
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Junior High - Mystery

Hold fast by Blue Balliett - On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early's father disappeared, and now she, her mother and her brother have been forced to join the ranks of the homeless--and it is up to Early to solve the mystery surrounding her father
Assassin by Grace Cavendish - Thirteen-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, favorite maid of honor of Elizabeth I, must solve a murder mystery and clear the name of her betrothed
The truth as told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor - As he grieves his best friend Benny's death, Mason and his friend Calvin, who are targeted by the neighborhood bullies, create an underground haven for themselves, but then Calvin goes missing
Moxie and the art of rule breaking : a 14 day mystery by Erin Dionne - Instead of spending a carefree summer exploring downtown Boston with best friend Ollie, thirteen-year-old Moxie must solve a famous art heist in order to protect those she loves
The gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald - In 1929 New York City, twelve-year-old housemaid Martha O'Doyle suspects that a wealthy recluse may be trying to communicate with the outside world through the paintings on her gallery walls
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz - After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6
Death cloud by Andrew Lane - In 1868, fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire, where he uncovers his first murder and a diabolical villain
Picture me gone by Meg Rosoff - Twelve-year-old Mila travels with her father to upstate New York to visit friends and family, who may lead them to clues to the whereabouts of her father's best friend, who has gone missing
The blackthorn key by Kevin Sands - In 1665 London, fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe, apprentice to an apothecary, and his best friend, Tom, try to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult