BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver

Grades 9-12 mature content.  Fiction: Death, Interpersonal relations, Popularity, Conduct, High School, BullyingLoved this book! Lauren Oliver explores the topics of bullying, insecurity, friendship, and courage in a realistic portrayal of the high school experience. I began reading it with trepidation because I thought it was going to be a teenage angst, groundhog day story, but I was completely wrong. This is one to recommend to high school students.

"Grades 9-12. If you could relive your last day, what would you do differently? This is what Samantha asks herself when, after a fatal accident driving from a party on Friday, she wakes in her bed to find she must repeat the entire day again. And again. As Samantha lives through multiple Fridays, desperate to prevent her death, she is struck by how even the most insignificant acts, like running late for school instead of being on time, can change everything. Suddenly she is noticing uncomfortable things—about her friends, about herself—she has never noticed before. It’s the ultimate learning experience, and it takes Samantha seven times—not to save her own life but to leave with one she can be proud of. Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel. Samantha grows from an entitled, popular, yet insecure girl to one with the compassion and guts to make the right decisions. This is a compelling book with a powerful message that will strike a chord with many teens." Booklist (October 15, 2009 (Vol. 106, No.4))


 

YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS - HOLIDAY SEASON UPDATE

Please click on the comment link below to suggest good books for middle school students.

Write your suggestion for a good book to read.
1. Write the title, author (if you know)
2. Genre? (mystery, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, nonfiction - you get the point!)
3. Who would you recommend this book to? Who is the perfect audience?
4. Sign your first name only please
5. Select the anonymous option
6. You may have to fill in the random letter form to prove you are an actual person and not some robot!
7. Click publish


Thank you and happy reading!
Mrs. Schuster

Check out some of these titles!

NIKO RECOMMENDS

Niko is one of my middle school students who is an avid reader, especially of Science Fiction and books featuring superheroes. Here are some of his suggestions. He promised to give me more!

See descriptions below
The Vindico by Wesley King
The Feros by Wesley King
Dragonworld Trilogy by Margaret Weis
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
God of Manhattan by Scott Mebus
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale


THE VINDICO by Wesley King
"Notes: When supervillains of the Vindico realize they are getting too old to fight the League of Heroes, they kidnap and begin training five teens, but James, Lana, Hayden, Emily, and Sam will not become the next generation of evil without a fight.

From the Publisher:

X-Men meets The Breakfast Club in this darkly humorous adventure

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they're not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire--after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .

With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page." (titlewave.com)

 

THE FEROS by Wesley King

"Notes: Sequel to: The Vindico. "James, Hayden, Lana, Sam and Emily use their new superpowers to try to save abducted members of the League of Heroes, and when Emily disappears, they must find their friend before it's too late"--Provided by publisher.
From the Publisher:

Wesley King follows up his darkly funny debut, The Vindico, with this high-octane sequel, delivering even more humor and explosive superpowered action.

After using your newfound super powers to defeat the most evil villains on the planet, what could you possibly do for an encore?

James, Hayden, Sam, Emily and Lana are finally ready to join the League of Heroes. Their new powers have made them stronger than ever (Hayden has perfected some particularly useful tricks for doing housework from the sofa), and the friends even gave themselves a name: the Feros. But as their induction into the League approaches, they are ambushed and arrested by a group of rogue Heroes. The only one who can clear their name is the League's leader, Thunderbolt—but he's gone missing. The Feros manage to escape capture, but with Thunderbolt gone and several League members defecting, there is no one left to trust.

Confident they can overcome anything together, the group's security is shaken when Emily is mysteriously abducted right out from under them. Have the Vindico somehow managed to escape the impenetrable Perch? Or are they fighting a new enemy that they can't see? One thing they know for sure is that even Sam's telepathic detection has proven useless against this unknown foe. Without their computer genius or their telepathic shield, how will the Feros ever find Emily and keep themselves—and their families—safe?" (titlewave.com)

THE DRAGONWORLD TRILOGY by Margaret Weis
"Notes: "A Tom Doherty Associates book." Chaos and destruction looms when a new and inexperienced Mistress of Dragons is charged with maintaining the uneasy balance of power between humans and dragons." (titlewave.com)

ALEX RIDER SERIES by Anthony Horowitz
STORMBREAKER
"Notes: Sequel: Point Blank. 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." (titlewave.com)

GODS OF MANHATTAN by Scott Mebus
"Notes: Thirteen-year-old Rory discovers a spirit world that thrives alongside his contemporary New York City, filled with fantastical creatures and people from the city's colorful past who have become gods and goddesses and who have chosen Rory to perform a dangerous mission."

THE KANE CHRONICLES by Rick Riordan
"Notes: Title from container.;The red pyramid -- The throne of fire -- The serpent's shadow. A boxed set of all three novels in Rick Riordan's "Kane Chronicles" series, in which the Kane siblings, Sadie and Carter, must fight against evil as the Egyptian gods are waking and threaten to plunge the world into eternal darkness." (titlewave.com)

PERCY JACKSON by Rick Riordan
"Notes: The lightning thief -- The sea of monsters -- The Titan's curse -- The battle of the labyrinth -- The last Olympian. After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, young Percy is sent to Camp Half-Blood for demigods like himself, where he gets into adventures, battles evil, and proceeds toward the prophecy that awaits him on his sixteenth birthday." (titlewave.com)

PENDRAGON SERIES by D.J. MacHale
"Notes: The scary adventures of Bobby Pendragon who, having learned that he is a traveler--someone who can ride "flumes" through time and space--is off to alternative dimensions." (titlewave.com) 

Brilliant by Rachel Vail

Realistic Fiction, Family Problems, School

"Notes: Sixteen-year-old Quinn struggles to maintain her image as a brilliant, good girl when her mother's major error at work leads to financial and legal troubles that turn Quinn's and her younger sisters' world upside-down.

From the Publisher:

Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges.

Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching her best friends and kissing the wrong boys—including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher—to her list of crimes, she may finally have gone too far. Can Quinn find her way back to the family that needs her and the only boy she's ever loved?"

Kirkus Review

"This final book in the Avery sisters trilogy (preceded by Lucky, 2008, and Gorgeous, 2009) centers on introverted Quinn, the oldest and most responsible of the three. On the surface, Quinn is dealing well with her family's losing their home and many of their possessions, but her first-person narration shows a fair amount of inner turmoil. Not entirely sure of how to deal with the feelings no one expects her to have, Quinn engages in reckless boy-kissing and party-going. The only boy she's really interested in kissing, however, is her piano teacher, college student Oliver. Her insecurities about herself and her future lead her to make poor but understandable choices about her friendships and romances. Quinn's intelligence, which she expresses while still sounding authentic and often funny, allows for full exploration of her mixed feelings. Her calm nature also plays well against the personalities of her high-strung sisters. Vail ends this trilogy on a high note, one that should especially resonate with teens whose lives have changed with the economy. (Fiction. 12 & up) "
     - Kirkus 

Loved this! I appreciate the sensitivity and depth of Vail's writing which conveys realistic emotions and struggles that appeal to a wide audience. I will definitely recommend this series to my middle and high school students.

Go to Rachel Vail's website for more information http://www.rachelvail.com/pages/brilliant.htm

ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth

Science Fiction, Family Life, Identity, Courage

From titlewave.com

"Notes: Sequel to: Insurgent. "The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered--fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready."--Dust jacket.

From the Publisher:

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent."

Read Follett interview with Veronica Roth

EASTCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL'S FAVORITE BOOKS

Please click on the comment link below to suggest good books for middle school students.

Write your suggestion for a good book to read.
1. Write the title, author (if you know)
2. Genre? (mystery, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, nonfiction - you get the point!)
3. Who would you recommend this book to? Who is the perfect audience?
4. Sign your first name only please
5. Select the anonymous option
6. You may have to fill in the random letter form to prove you are an actual person and not some robot!
7. Click publish


Thank you and happy reading!
Mrs. Schuster

THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage

Mystery and Detective Stories

From the Publisher:

Newbery honor winner, New York Times bestseller, Edgar Award Finalist, and E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor book.

"A hilarious Southern debut with the kind of characters you meet once in a lifetime

Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.

Full of wisdom, humor, and grit, this timeless yarn will melt the heart of even the sternest Yankee." Dial Books for Young Readers & Titlewave

It took me a few pages to settle into this story, but I was soon swept into the murder mystery and the colorful characters inhabiting this small town and local cafe. Good sixth grade mystery or Newbery choice.

DEAD GIRLS DON'T WRITE LETTERS by Gail Giles

Mystery and Detective Stories, Sisters, Death, Alcoholism

"Fourteen-year-old Sunny is stunned when a total stranger shows up at her house posing as her older sister Jazz, who supposedly died in a fire months earlier." (image and summary from titlewave.com)

Great short page-turner. I had to read the surprise ending twice!

THEODORE BOONE: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Fiction; Mystery and Detective stories; Trials; Murders

Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone, who knows every judge, police officer, and court clerk in the small town of Strattenburg, finds himself involved in a murder trial because of knowledge he might have about a cold-blooded killer. "(image and description from titlewave.com)

This is an engaging page-turner choice for middle school students. It portrays a motivated kid with loving but distracted parents who allow Theo to pursue his passion for law. The story conveys values of compassion, communication, trust, and justice.

BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD AND STEAL THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON by Steve Sheinkin

Nonfiction; atomic bomb; world war II
2013 Newbery Honor book

This is an absolutely riveting book. An excellent choice for middle and high schoolers. It would pair well with Master of Deceit: J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies by Marc Aronson.

From the Publisher: "In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned 3 continents. In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb."

Bomb is a 2012 National Book Awards finalist for Young People's Literature.
Bomb is a 2012 Washington Post Best Kids Books of the Year title.
Bomb is a 2013 Newbery Honor book.

MOON OVER MANIFEST by Clare Vanderpool

Historical Fiction; 1929 Depression; Mystery; 2011 Newbery Gold Medal

Quiet book. I enjoyed it and was pulled in as the story unfolded and the intrigue increased. It would be a good read aloud and class discussion book.

Horn Book (Spring 2011)

"It's 1936 and Abilene's father, himself looking for work, sends her to his hometown of Manifest, Kansas, to live with Pastor Shady, a bootlegger-turned-preacher. There Abilene uncovers secrets about her family and the entire community. The setting jumps between the Depression era and WWI; mysterious letters and enlightening newspaper articles help set the scene for this captivating tale." Horn Book from http://titlewave.com

WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead

Fiction, space and time. 2010 Newbery Gold Medal.

I have to read Wrinkle in Time again! This book would be fantastic for discussion. Loved it.

Booklist starred (June 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 19))

"Grades 4-7. If this book makes your head hurt, you’re not alone. Sixth-grader Miranda admits that the events she relates make her head hurt, too. Time travel will do that to you. The story takes place in 1979, though time frames, as readers learn, are relative. Miranda and Sal have been best friends since way before that. They both live in a tired Manhattan apartment building and walk home together from school. One day everything changes. Sal is kicked and punched by a schoolmate and afterward barely acknowledges Miranda. Which leaves her to make new friends, even as she continues to reread her ratty copy of A Wrinkle in Time and tutor her mother for a chance to compete on The $20,000 Pyramid. She also ponders a puzzling, even alarming series of events that begins with a note: “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own . . . you must write me a letter.” Miranda’s first-person narrative is the letter she is sending to the future. Or is it the past? It’s hard to know if the key events ultimately make sense (head hurting!), and it seems the whys, if not the hows, of a pivotal character’s actions are not truly explained. Yet everything else is quite wonderful. The ’70s New York setting is an honest reverberation of the era; the mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children and adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest. Just as Miranda rereads L’Engle, children will return to this." Booklist Review from Follett's Titlewave: http://titlewave.com

KING OF THE SCREWUPS by K.L. Going

Realistic Fiction; Gender Identity; Fathers and Sons
REVIEW
Booklist (April 15, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 16))
Grades 7-12. "Like her previous novels, including the Printz Honor Book Fat Kid Rules the World (2003), Going’s latest is a surprising, memorable story shaped from unlikely character bonds. High-school senior Liam is a talented, straight athlete who is as gorgeous as his mother, a former supermodel, and has inherited her interest in clothes: “I love fashion. And girls.” A mediocre student, he constantly disappoints his dad, an angry, sometimes verbally abusive executive who kicks Liam out of the house after one too many perceived transgressions. Against his homophobic dad’s wishes, Liam moves in with his gay, cross-dressing, trailer-dwelling uncle, Aunt Pete. Determined to meet his father’s expectations, Liam joins the AV club at his new school and actively tries to fight his natural status as “Mr. Popularity”; but once again, everything goes awry. Liam’s parents occasionally feel more like caricatures than fully developed characters, but Liam and Aunt Pete are true originals, and Going balances her strong messages of self-discovery and acceptance with compassionate, bittersweet scenes that highlight the soul-sapping futility of trying to please unappeasable adults."

Loved this one! Actually I love every book that I've read by Going. She is a fantastic teen writer - humorous, but with a punch of reality.

MAUS: A SURVIVOR'S TALE by Art Spiegelman

Holocaust, Graphic Novel, Young Adult.

Review:
School Library Journal (May 1987)
"YA Told with chilling realism in an unusual comic-book format, this is more than a tale of surviving the Holocaust. Spiegelman relates the effect of those events on the survivors' later years and upon the lives of the following generation. Each scene opens at the elder Spiegelman's home in Rego Park, N.Y. Art, who was born after the war, is visiting his father, Vladek, to record his experiences in Nazi-occupied Poland. The Nazis, portrayed as cats, gradually introduce increasingly repressive measures, until the Jews, drawn as mice, are systematically hunted and herded toward the Final Solution. Vladek saves himself and his wife by a combination of luck and wits, all the time enduring the torment of hunted outcast. The other theme of this book is Art's troubled adjustment to life as he, too, bears the burden of his parents' experiences. This is a complex book. It relates events which young adults, as the future architects of society, must confront, and their interest is sure to be caught by the skillful graphics and suspenseful unfolding of the story. Rita G. Keeler, St. John's School , Houston"

Powerful. This book is a winner with our eighth graders who study the Holocaust.

THE MOSTLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF HOMER P. FIGG by Rodman Philbrick

Civil War; Adventure; Newbery Honor.
Kirkus Review (December 1, 2008)
"Shortly after this lively comic yarn opens, Homer, a half-starved orphan boy who lives in rural Maine with his mean-spirited uncle and 17-year-old brother Harold, helplessly watches as Harold is sworn into the Union Army. After finding out that their avaricious uncle sold his underage nephew to substitute for a richer neighbor in the Civil War, 12-year-old Homer takes off on a rescue mission. On the way, Homer is kidnapped by some nefarious slave-catchers, joins a traveling medicine show and holds up the Union colors during the Battle of Gettysburg. Bursting with vividly voiced characters and descriptions so crisp they practically crunch, the story is trenchantly narrated in the first person by Homer, a resourceful, sharp-witted child who is never without a lie in his pocket. Despite the overall comic tone, Philbrick makes serious points about the evil of slavery, the horrors of war, inexplicable bravery, ethical decision-making and the need to move forward in one's life. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"

I had questions at first about whom I would recommend this to since the voice of the main character is very much in a 'tall tale,' mode; I wondered if middle school students could relate (IMHO after working daily with this age group). I changed my mind, however, a chapter or two into the story. Encourage students to stick with it a bit. Kirkus review above is a very accurate description.
Rodman Philbrick website http://www.rodmanphilbrick.com/

THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY by Suzanne Collins

Survival; Science Fiction "Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen becomes a contender in a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death, "Catching Fire" in which Katniss and Peeta win the competition and become the faces of an impending rebellion, and "Mockingjay" in which Katniss and her family and friends are in danger because the Capitol holds her responsible for the unrest." http://titlewave.com
Excellent, excellent riveting page turner! Suzanne Collins homepage http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

FALLEN ANGELS by Walter Dean Myers

"Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam."

This is so good, astounding actually, a modern day All Quiet on the Western Front. Myers is a master of dialogue and plot. The characters are real and complex. The action is breathtaking. The questions of morality are not presented in black and white, except for the atrocities of war and the value of friendship. Often I have students who ask for war books. This should be top on the list.Walter Dean Myers

MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT by James Patterson

Science Fiction, Genetic Engineering, Adventure. " After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose."

Horn Book (Spring 2006)
"Max Ride and five other human-avian genetic hybrids fly (literally) from the lab where they were created as experiments and forge a new life in hiding. When six-year-old Angel is captured, Max leads her makeshift family in a rescue attempt, raising questions about their origins and destiny. Smart-mouthed, sympathetic characters and copious butt-kicking make this fast read pure escapist pleasure."

This is the first of five books in the Maximum Ride series (The fifth is due March 2009). Absolute must for middle school collections. Patterson combines his talent for creating great plots, quick-witted dialogue, and entertaining character portrayals that tug at your heart. Thank you, James Patterson.

LIFE (IN THE CARDS) by Mariah Fredericks

"School Library Journal (August 1, 2008)
Gr 5-8-In this third offering in the series, Syd tells her story. She is often in the shadow of her friends Anna and Eve, each of whom starred in a previous book. Their stories revolved around tarot-card readings that seem to have come true. Syd, always reluctant to do a reading, finally does, but her cards foretell death and disaster, which frighteningly parallel her temperamental father's worsening alcoholism and career problems... Messages are positive while realistic, and the target audience will be glad to see how Syd plays the hand she is dealt. The books are best read in order.-Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information."

Well... I did not read the series in the proper order; this was my first Fredericks novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't understand Meg Cabot's cover blurb: "...will have readers rolling on the floor laughing...." Life does have its funny moments, but the overall story is one of a girl dealing with some heavy family issues. This is well done realistic fiction with a positive message that will appeal to mainstream readers. Excellent middle school choice.

Interesting note: This book and the one before, Twisted, both portray fathers dealing with alcoholism and anger.

TWISTED BY Laurie Halse Anderson

2007. Family problems, high school, friendship, bullying "After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts."

Twisted was recommended to me by a student who read it in one night. I did the same. Another well written, thoughtful, on the edge of your seat work by Anderson. In my book, she's batting a perfect score - every single one of her books is a winner.