MIddle school library

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
Enjoy the escapades of mischievous young Tom and his friends as they grow up in a Mississippi river town.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Alice falls into a rabbit hole and ends up in another world with peculiar laws of its own.

Anne of Green Gables, L.M. (Libby Maud) Montgomery
Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley, red-headed, precocious, and talkative, wins the heart of her foster parents and the entire town of Avonlea.

The Black Stallion, Walter Farley
This is the first in a wonderful series about a proud Arabian horse and the fillies and colts that he sires.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Mark Twain
Hank Morgan is sent back through thirteen centuries to the court of King Arthur where he introduces nineteenth century technology with wit and resourcefulness.

The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged version), Alexandre Dumas
One of the truly great thrillers of all time, telling the tale of young Edmond Dantes who, falsely accused of treason escapes from prison on his wedding day to seek revenge on his enemies.

Gentlehands, M.E. Kerr
Could Buddy's beloved grandfather be a Nazi war criminal?

The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Life in China as revealed through the experiences of one peasant family.

The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
Orphaned as a baby, Mowgli is raised by wolves and speaks the language of the wild. Now he must face down a dreaded new enemy--man.

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
A study of the four March sisters, growing up and falling in love during the Civil War period.

Old Yeller, Fred Gipson
A story about the love of a boy and a dog in the Texas hill country of the 1860’s.

The Red Pony, John Steinbeck
A warm, moving story of a boy's love of horses.

Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
Distinguished by its strong, pure style, this story of the castaway is still the most compelling book from the Age of Exploration.

The Scarlet Pimpernel, Emmuscka Orczy
The swashbuckling adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a romantic figure who heroically saves the lives of French aristocrats during the French Revolution.

The Swiss Family Robinson, Johann Wyss
The many adventures of a family shipwrecked on an uninhabited island in the Pacific.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allan Poe
The threat of evil is always present in Poe's stories.

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
D’Artagnan, a young boy in seventeenth century France, who dreams of becoming a famous musketeer, finds the famous three in Paris (Arthos, Porthos and Aramis) and joins them to protect the king and his throne.

Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten year old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret of a spring whose water prevents aging.

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Enter the Wild Wood with Mr. Toad and Mr. Badger and leave happier and wiser. This English fantasy appeals to all ages.

The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnen Rawlings
A sensitive story of a boy, his pet deer, and their life in the Florida wilderness in the 1870s.

Ak, Peter Dickinson
Paul, who has led a nomadic existence as a guerrilla warrior in a civil war, experiences many adventures involved with his mentor Michael and the government of Nagala.

At Risk, Alice Hoffman
When 11-year-old Amanda is diagnosed with AIDS, she and her family must face their own pain and the fears of those around them.

Backwater, Joan Bauer
Ivy Breedlove only wants to chronicle the family's genealogy, study history, and not be forced to become a lawyer like many of her relatives. In writing about her family's history, Ivy searches for her Aunt Josephine, who also wanted to lead her own life but had to escape to the Adirondack Mountains to realize her dreams.

The Best Little Girl in the World, Steven Levenkron
The history of an obsessed, self-destructive young woman diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

Chain of Fire, Beverly Naidoo
When the villagers of Bophelong are forced to leave their houses and resettle in a barren “homeland”, Naledi and her brother join in a school demonstration and learn that the government treats even children who dissent with brutality.

Dicey’s Song, Cynthia Voigt
Now that the abandoned Tillerman children are resettled with their grandmother, Dicey finds that their new beginnings require love, trust, humor and courage. (Also read Homecoming.)

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Paul Zindel
How can Tillie concentrate on her science project while her family life is spinning out of control? A play by the author of The Pigman.

Habibi, Naomi Shibab Nye
When 14-year-old Liyana Abboud, her younger brother, and parents move from familiar St. Louis to the Middle East near the West Bank village where her father was born, they make new friends, learn new languages, and work quietly for peace in the face of troubling tension between Jews and Palestinians.

A Hand Full of Stars, Rafik Schami
Although his father has forced him to leave school, a Syrian boy finds a way to become a journalist in spy-ridden Damascus, where speaking the truth is a dangerous business.

Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt
The Tillerman kids' mother just left them one day in a car in a mall parking lot. Their father, too, had left them a long time ago. So, as usual, it was up to 13-year-old Dicey, the eldest of four, to take care of everything.

I Heard the Owl Call My Name, Margaret Craven
A young priest, assigned to live and work among the Kwakiutl Indians, learns enough about life to accept his impending death.

It's Not the End of the World, Judy Blume
Sure, people get divorced, but it's different when they are your own parents: a novel about love and real life.

Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
Louise deals with sibling rivalry: her twin sister Caroline is like a Biblical Jacob who is favored and loved by everyone. Louise's struggle to find her own identity causes her to choose a very different path from that of her sister.

Locked in Time, Lois Duncan
Visiting her step-family for the first time, Nore at first ignores the hints that all might not be as it seems.

Make Lemonade, Virginia Euwer Wolff
A teenage single mom and her 14-year-old baby-sitter try to cope with life's lemons in this tough, funny, and ultimately hopeful novel.

Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee’s life becomes legendary as he accomplishes feats that awe his contemporaries. Running between the white people on the west side and the black people on the east side of town, he brings about connections between them.

Millions, Frank Cottrell Boyce
When fourth-grader Damian finds a bag full of cash by the train tracks, he and his brother try to spend it fast. This happy predicament sets up an endless supply of schemes and comic situations.

Motown and Didi, Walter Dean Myers
Despite the difficulties of life in Harlem, Motown and Didi are drawn to each other and find hope for their futures.

The Moves Make the Man, Bruce Brooks
A moving, fast-paced novel about the perils and joys of teenage friendship and survival; much of the action takes place on the basketball court.

The Noonday Friends, Mary Stolz
Franny lives in New York City and dreams of being rich and becoming a ballerina. She must take care of her little brother while her mother works. She doesn't get to play after school. Will her noonday friends be all she ever has?

Nothing But the Truth, Avi
A ninth grader’s suspension for singing the national anthem during homeroom becomes a national news story.

On My Honor, Marion Dane Bauer
When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell their parents.

Park’s Quest, Katherine Paterson
Eleven year old Park makes some startling discoveries when he travels to his grandfather’s farm in Virginia to learn about his father, who died in theVietnam War.

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, Victor Martinez
Manny realizes his coming-of-age experiences as a member of a poor family in which the alcoholic father adds to everyone’s challenges.

Rainbow Jordan, Alice Childress
Neglected by her young mother and placed in an "interim home," Rainbow feels the world is a hostile and uncaring place.

A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L'Engle
Vicky Austin must come to terms with both her grandfather's death and the increasing complexity of her own life. A wonderful blend of L'Engle's poetic, inspirational, and realistic storytelling.

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, Suzanne Fisher Staples
When Shabanu is pledged to marry an older man to bring prestige to her Pakistani family, she must either accept the arrangement or risk the consequences of her dying father’s wishes.

Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
An 11-year-old boy in rural West Virginia discovers a runaway dog and takes on the mission of protecting the dog from its abuser-- who turns out to be a neighbor of the family. Tension builds until ultimately he must confront the question of whether the truth always leads to justice.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
When Carmen decides to toss the pair of old jeans she got from a thrift shop, Tibby asks her for them--and so do Lena and Bridget. Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. The girls form a sisterhood as they say goodbye for the summer, and the traveling pants begin their memorable journey.

A Solitary Blue, Cynthia Voigt
Jeff’s mother who deserted the family years before reenters his life and widens the gap between Jeff and his father, a gap that only truth, love and friendship can heal.

Sort of Forever, Sally Warner
Cady and Nana have been friends forever. But when Nana is diagnosed with terminal cancer, their friendship faces the biggest test of all.

The Star Fisher, Laurence Yep
Joan Lee and her family are the first Chinese-Americans that the small community of Clarksburg, West Virginia, has ever seen. Prejudice and persecution make it difficult for the Lees to pursue the American Dream.

Stuck in Neutral, Terry Trueman
Shawn McDaniel has cerebral palsy and is trapped in a body that does not work. His mind, however, is creative and active, and his inner life is full. From early on, Shawn is convinced that his father wants to kill him. Is this really true, or just another creation of his imagination?

Teen Idol, Meg Cabot
When teen idol Luke Striker goes undercover at a small high school to do research for his next movie, levelheaded Jenny Greeley is assigned to show him around. As a result of Luke's presence, Jenny's life is thrown into turmoil, friendships are reevaluated, and everyone's assumptions are turned upside down.

Toning the Sweep, Angela Johnson
Get to know three generations of African-American women, each holding on to separate truths about life, death, and themselves.

Tree by Leaf, Cynthia Voigt
Twelve-year-old Clothilde's family must sell a rocky piece of Maine coast that Clothilde inherited from a distant relative. The changes Clothilde wishes for come true in unexpected ways and at a price she must find the courage to pay.

Waiting for the Rain, Sheila Gordon
Can the childhood friendship between Frikkie and Tengo survive apartheid in South Africa?

Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
This Newbury Award winner follows the mysterious, funny, and touching adventures of a 13-year-old girl on a cross-country trip with her elderly grandparents.

The Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera
Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of New Zealand who has the Whale Rider's ancient gift of communicating with whales, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of her tribe.

A White Romance, Virginia Hamilton
When her previously all-black school is integrated, Talley makes some new friends and embarks on a doomed romance.

Words by Heart, Ouida Sebestyen
An African-American girl's confrontation with fear and hatred.

Across Five Aprils, IreneHunt
Chronicles five years in the life of Jethro Creighton, from 1861 through 1865, taking him from hearing talk of war, to experiencing the heartaches to family and nation that war brings and seeing peace come, though he has left his boyhood behind.

Alan and Naomi, Myron Levoy
Alan's ordinary life changes as he struggles to help Naomi recover from the horrors of the Holocaust. This novel is set in New York City in the 1940s.

Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Ernest J. Gaines
This novel follows the life of Jane Pittman for over one hundred years from her childhood at the end of the Civil War to the Civil Rights demonstrations of the sixties. She has endured almost everything and become a strong voice of wit and wisdom, of misery and poetry.

Bat 6, Virginia Euwer Wolff
Set in post-World War II Oregon, two girls from very different backgrounds collide in the town's big softball game. Courage, responsibility, and reconciliation are themes explored in this book about softball.

Davita's Harp, Chaim Potok
Growing up in Brooklyn during the 1930s, the daughter of American Communists, Davita is confused by her parents' political activities, which isolate her from her friends but give her the strength to find her own way.

Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Meyers
Set in the trenches of Vietnam in the late 1960’s, Perry, a Harlem teenager at the front lines, questions his and his country’s commitment to the war.

Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson
Mattie Cook, 14, has to rally all of her courage as she faces the ravaging yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia and the loss of family and friends.

The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre, Ann Rinaldi
In the years preceding the Revolutionary War, Rachel Marsh, a young servant in the Boston household of John and Abigail Adams, is torn between loyalties when she falls in love with a British soldier.

A Gathering of Days, Joan Blos
Catherine Hall begins her journal at the age of 13, in the year 1830. In it she records the daily rhythms of her small New Hampshire town, her feelings about her father's remarriage and the death of her best friend, and her opinions of the events shaping her life.

Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
Experience the terror of World War II through the eyes of Alex, a courageous Jewish child who takes refuge, alone, in an abandoned building.

Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes
Apprentice to a silversmith in Boston in 1773, Johnny Tremain meets influential people and witnesses key events with the shrewd eye of an observant boy.

Light in the Forest, Conrad Richter
Johnny Butler was captured by the Indians when he was fourteen years old. After eleven years with them, he does not want to return to the life of the white civilization.

The Midwife's Apprentice, Karen Cushman
One cold morning in medieval England, a homeless and nameless but determined girl finds her place in the world as the midwife's apprentice.

My Brother Sam is Dead, James Lincoln Collier
This is the tale of a young man torn by the pressures of choosing sides in the Revolutionary war. His beloved older brother Sam has just run off to join the Rebels and fight for freedom from the British, while his father and the rest of the family support the Crown.

My Name is Not Angelica, Scott O'Dell
Here is a compelling account during the great slave rebellion of 1733 on the island of St. John's of one young woman's suffering but ultimate triumph of will.

No Promises in the Wind, Irene Hunt
This is the unforgettable story of Josh, who grows up during the turbulent years of America's Great Depression.

Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
One of the great stories of WWII, told by Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen. Taken from the real-life events of September 1943, when 7000 DanishJews were evacuated to Sweden by their friends and neighbors.

Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse
Hesse won a Newbury Medal in 1998 for this remarkable novel, written in free verse. The poems are written by Billy Jo Kelby, a 14-year-old girl who lives with her family in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. In contrast to the starkness of the family's life is Billy Jo's love of playing the piano and her belief that life can offer her something more than dust.

The Return, Sonia Levitin
Seen from the viewpoint of a teenage girl, this is the story of Desta and her Falasha family of African Jews who journey from Ethiopia to the Sudan to escape persecution.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor
An inspiring story about the joys and the struggles of an African-American family living in the South in the 1930s.

Sarah Bishop, Scott O'Dell
Sarah Bishop, 15 years old, tries to ignore the American Revolution, but discovers that she is caught up in a conflict of loyalties.

The Shakeress, Kimberley Heuston
After twelve-year-old Naomi loses her parents in a fire and learns of her aunt’s plan to send her to work in a mill, she and her siblings seek refuge in a Shaker village. This story of a young woman’s quest for spiritual fulfillment in early nineteenth-century America was written by Waterford teacher Kimberley Sorenson.

The Slave Dancer, Paula Fox
A spellbinding tale of young Jessie, who is forced to play his fife on board a slave ship bound for America.

Streams to the River, River to the Sea, Scott O’Dell
A novel of Sacagawea, accompanied by her infant son and cruel husband, as she experiences joy and heartbreak when joining the Lewis and Clark Expedition seeking a way to the Pacific.

Summer of the Monkeys, Wilson Rawls
During one of his treks through Oklahoma's Cherokee Ozarks, 14-year-old Jay Berry Lee spends the summer trying to recapture monkeys escaped from a traveling circus.

Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, Scott O’Dell
In the late nineteenth century, a young Nez Perce girl relates how her people were driven off their land by the U. S. army and forced to retreat north until their eventual surrender.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
Leaving England on the brig Seahawk to join her family in America in 1832, Charlotte is a prim, dutiful young lady. What is it that changes her so radically in just a few weeks at sea?

The Upstairs Room, Johanna Reiss
Annie and Sini, two Jewish girls, hide in a room of a small farmhouse after the Germans invade Holland during World War II.

Waiting for Odysseus: A Novel, Clemence McLaren
A creative retelling of Homer's Odyssey from the point of view of four of the women in Odysseus' life: his wife Penelope, the sorceress Circe, his patron goddess Athena, and his doting nanny Eurycleia. This is a fine introduction and supplement to the great epic poem.

Witch Child, Celia Rees
At the beginning of this story we learn that we will be reading "The Mary Papers," a manuscript found in the layers of a quilt. The first words, "I am a witch," launch a fascinating story of the fear, suspicion, and hatred that the Puritans brought with them from the old country to the new.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth Speare
Kit moves from the Caribbean to a stern Puritan community in Connecticut where her unconventional ways bring an accusation of witchcraft.

Aria of the Sea, Dia Calhoun
Cerinthe, who comes from the island of Normost in the kingdom of Windward, has wanted to be a dancer all of her life. After the death of her mother, her father brings her to audition at the Royal School of Dancing. Once she is chosen as a fledgling dancer, her troubles and joys begin.

Beauty, a Retelling of the Story, Robin McKinley
"Beauty and the Beast" retold in a full-length novel rich in character and emotion.

The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander
The first in a series of gripping fantasies about the adventures of Taran in the imaginary kingdom of Wales.

Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury
A magical coming-of-age novel about the freedoms of summers past.

The Dark Is Rising, Susan Cooper
The seventh son of a seventh son becomes, on his eleventh birthday, an unknowing and unwilling participant in the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede
Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved in fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons’ kingdom.

Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
First in a series of fantastic adventures about the dragonriders of Pern, human colonists who have long been out of contact with earth, and the mind-reading dragons who carry them "in between."

Eragon, Christopher Paolini
In Aagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic and power for people, dragons, elves and monsters.

The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
In this first volume of an epic fantasy trilogy, readers are invited into a world as convincingly drawn as Narnia or Redwall. Join Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up in the shadow of OxfordUniversity, as she is drawn into a dangerous but fascinating game.

The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale
A magical retelling of the Grimms's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen.

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien creates a fantasy world called Middle Earth populated by small creatures known as Hobbits; prequel to the Lord of theRings trilogy.

House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer
To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast: a clone of one the most powerful and feared men on earth. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by sinister characters in this fascinating futuristic novel.

The Last Book in the Universe, Rodman Philbrick
A devastating earthquake has left the world in ruins. Buildings have crumbled and not been rebuilt. Most scientific, medical, and technological advances of the 20th and early 21st centuries are forgotten. Survivors steal from one another. Neighborhoods are run by warring gangs and illiterate orphans. Can an epileptic "Spaz Boy" and a frail old man save humankind from itself?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
An extraordinary excursion into magical lands and enchanted happenings.

The Lost Years of Merlin, T.A. Barron
Young Emrys sets off on a quest to find his true name and heritage. His journey leads him to the isle of Fincayra, where he joins forces with the forest girl Rhia and the heroic little giant Shim to battle the evil Rhita Gawr. This magical tale, filled with ancient Celtic and Druidic lore, is the first in a series about Merlin's youth.

The Martian Chronicles, Isaac Asimov
Leaving the human world on the brink of destruction, man came to Mars and found the Martians waiting, dreamlike. Man brings with him his oldest fears and deepest desires.

The Music of Dolphins, Karen Hesse
Mila, raised by dolphins from the age of four, creates headlines around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. Now she must choose between two worlds in this critically acclaimed novel about what it means to be a human being.

Redwall, Brian Jacques
This is a tale of fantasy, adventure and romance in which the heroes are the gentle mice of Mossflower Wood and the villains are Cluny the Scourge and his battle-seasoned army of rats.

The Sword in the Stone, T.H. White
A brilliant storyteller recounts the early years and adventures of King Arthur.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Gail Carson Levine
Shy and fearful, Addie must save Meryl, her strong and confident older sister, from the dreaded Gray Death. Specters, spiders and a charming dragon are no match for the young princess in this girl-power fairy tale.

Watership Down, Richard Adams
A group of enterprising rabbits sets out to find a new home. An amazing story for animal lovers.

Wild Magic, Tamora Pierce
The Queen's Riders hire Daine, a 13-year-old orphan, because she can talk to the animals. While apprenticed to the great mage Numair, Daine learns to focus her wild magic, comes to terms with her past, and battles a series of monsters as she protects the kingdom from a deadly invasion.

Witches, Roald Dahl
Another wickedly humorous fantasy adventure by this popular English author.

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
Claudia and her brother run away from home and take up residence in New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they must solve a puzzling mystery of the art world.

The House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton
The haunting story of 13-year-old Thomas Small and his family who move into a mansion that was once the home of Dies Drear, a murdered abolitionist, and subsequently a station on the underground railroad.

Killing Mr. Griffin, Lois Duncan
He gives the lowest grades. He demands the most work. He refuses to turn his classes into a place where students have fun. Are these grounds for murder?

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
Can you discover who took Sam Westing's life? If you can beat the other sixteen players in this play-along story, you could win $200 million.

Alive, Piers Paul Read
A spellbinding and inspirational account of the survivors of a 1972 plane crash, who must go to extremes to survive in the snowbound Andes.

Banner in the Sky, James Ramsey Ullman
Rudi wants to climb to the top of the Citadel, even though his father died trying. Will Rudy make it and fly his red banner from the mountain top?

Deathwatch, Robb White
Needing money for school, a college boy accepts a job as a guide on a desert hunting trip. When he becomes the hunted, he has to call upon all his skills for survival. Will they be enough?

Dry Tears, Nechama Tec
Forced to pass as Christians during the Holocaust, a desperate family of Polish Jews finds both the best and the worst in the people around them.

Grab Hands and Run, FrancesTemple
A Salvadoran family fleeing to Canada faces an arduous and uncertain journey. The mother and her children, Felipa and Romy, are told by their father “If they come for me, grab hands and run”.

Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty four days in the wilderness learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given by his mother. As he acquires skills, he is also learning to survive his parent’s divorce.

The Haymeadow, Gary Paulsen
Using his wits and determination, 14-year-old John Barron survives rattlesnakes, coyote and bear attacks, and a flash flood during the three months that he is responsible for tending his family's 6,000 sheep.

Holes, Louis Sacher
Stanley Yelnats and his family have never had anything but bad luck, so it's really not a surprise to him when he is falsely accused and convicted of theft. This is a terrific, action-packed story, full of great characters with strong voices, exciting, funny scenes, and enough twists and turns to keep you reading nonstop.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, Nathaniel Philbrick
This true-life adventure tells the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex, an event that served as the inspiration for Melville's Moby Dick.

Incident at Hawk's Hill, Allan W. Eckert
A moving story of a boy's life in the wild; young Ben MacDonald is adopted by a badger when he wanders from his family's farm.

The Incredible Journey, Sheila Burnford
A cat and two dogs find their way home through the Canadian wilderness to the family they love.

Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell
Records the courage and self-reliance of an Indian girl who lives alone for eighteen years on an isolated island off the California coast when her tribe emigrated and she was inadvertently left behind.

Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George
A young Inuit girl runs away from home and becomes lost in the Arctic where she learns to survive by observing a pack of wolves.

My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains, including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.

Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowat
The true story of a young scientist's incredible adventures with a family of wolves in the Canadian wilderness.

The Night Journey, Kathryn Lasky
Rachel listens to her great-grandmother's tale of her family's escape from Russia.

The Storyteller's Beads, Jane Kurtz
Two Ethiopian girls, one Christian and the other Jewish and blind, must overcome their prejudices about each other as they make a dangerous escape from war-torn and famine-wracked 1980s Ethiopia.

Touching the Void, Joe Simpson
Simpson tells the true story of a climbing expedition in the Andes that went horribly wrong. Touching the Void is a gripping story about survival and making tough decisions, and was recently made into a movie.

Walkabout, James Vance Marshall
A young girl and her brother learn to communicate with an Aborigine youth in an effort to survive the wilderness of the Australian Outback.

The Wanderer, Sharon Creech
13-year-old Sophie, who is passionate about sailing, talks her way onto her uncle's sailboat as he, his two brothers, and a couple of nephews prepare to sail across the Atlantic to visit family in England. Creech takes the crew past dolphins and deadly weather, exciting discoveries and hard tests of courage.

When the Legends Die, Hal Borland
An extraordinary novel about a young Native American boy left alone in the wilderness after his parents' death, who resolves never to return to the white man's world that condemned his father.

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
Billy and his two dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann, are a loving threesome. They roam the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country as Billy trains his canine companions to be great coon dogs.

White Fang, Jack London
Written as a companion to The Call of the Wild, this story of White Fang, half dog and half wolf, who endures a harsh life until he is found by Weedon Scott who teaches him kindness and friendship.

Alicia: My Story, Alicia Appleman-Jurman
After losing her entire family to the Nazis at age 13, Alicia Appleman-Jurman went on to save the lives of thousands of Jews, offering them her own courage and hope in a time of upheaval and tragedy.

Boy, Roald Dahl
Funny and painful memories of growing up by the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.

The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia, Esther Hautzig
A gripping account of a young girl and her family exiled to Siberia in 1941.

Eric, Doris Lund
A true story of a 17-year old boy who, afflicted with a terminal illness, lives life to the fullest.

The Flame Trees of Thika, Elspeth Huxley
Early 20th-century Kenya comes alive through the excitement and insight of a child who watches with eyes wide open as vastly different peoples – Kikuyu, Masai, Boer, and British – live and work side by side but rarely come together.

From Where I Sit: Making My Way with Cerebral Palsy, Shelley Nixon
The inspiring autobiography of a spirited young woman who lives an active life despite being confined by cerebral palsy to a wheelchair.

Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad, Ann Petry
After escaping slavery, Harriet Tubman returned to danger again and again as she led men and women north to freedom.

Homesick: My Own Story, Jean Fritz
12-year-old Jean Guttery has lived her entire life in China but is homesick for America, a place she has never seen. When the time comes for her family to make the long and perilous return journey to the United States, Jean begins to wonder if she will ever belong anywhere.

I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler, Ted Lewin
A memoir of the author, who, as a young man needing money for art school, takes on an unusual job as a professional wrestler. Includes some of Lewin’s paintings of wrestlers.

The Invisible Thread, Yoshiko Uchida
In a moving autobiography, Uchida describes growing up in Berkeley, California as a second-generation Japanese American, her family's internment in a Utah concentration camp during World War II, and her pride in her heritage.

Little by Little: A Writer's Education, Jean Little
Nearly blind from birth, Jean Little has led an extraordinary life. Subjected to ridicule, rejection, and bullying, she had to discover her own sources of strength.

My Dog Skip, Willie Morris
Willie Morris' boyhood reads like the further adventures of Tom Sawyer as Willie and Skip spend their days chasing squirrels and their nights taking little kids into graveyards and scaring them.

Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Beals
The story of the 1957 integration of Little Rock’s CentralHigh School as told from the perspective of Melba Platt, one of the nine courageous students chosen to bring about that change.

All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot
If you love animals, this is the book for you. Scottish veterinarian and master storyteller James Herriot relates his encounters with humans and dogs, cows and kittens as he travels the hills and dales of Yorkshire.

The Nobel Book of Answers, ed. Bettina Steikel
Recipients of Nobel Prizes — creative thinkers, writers, scientists, and politicians — are challenged to answer 22 of life's most difficult and intriguing questions.

My Life with the Chimpanzees, Jane Goodall
Goodall writes of her life-long fascination with animals, which culminates in her work with wild chimpanzees — intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, Jennifer Armstrong
Armstrong recounts the true story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew as they struggle to survive harsh conditions after their ship sinks in Antarctica.

Space for Women: A History of Women with the Right Stuff, Pamela Freni
A history of women who were recruited as astronauts early in the space race and their attempt to be the first females in space. It tells of their success in the rigorous testing and training and of the resistance they faced from the male-dominated space program.

Woodsong, Gary Paulsen
For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in rural Minnesota is a wild experience, including wolves, deer and the sled dogs that make such a way of life possible. Includes the Iditarod dogsled race experience.