Title: Dead is the New Black
Author: Marlene Perez
ISBN: 9780152064082
Other Books in Series: Dead is a State of Mind, Dead is So Last Year, Dead is Just a Rumor, Dead is Not an Option.
Plot Summary: Daisy Giordano, a teenager growing up in the quirky California town of Nightshade, is the only "normal" member of a family with psychic and telekinetic powers. When Samantha Devereaux, a classmate of hers, starts looking distinctly vampirish, Daisy comes to realize that there is far more supernatural activity going on in her little town than she previously realized. Even worse, though, is when young women start turning up dead and severely wounded, the victims of a frightening new breed of vampire. Daisy must solve this mystery, along with her friends and would-be boyfriend, while simultaneously dealing with romance, sibling rivalry, her own suddenly extant powers, school cliques, and the unspeakable horror that is being on the cheerleading squad.
The Crucible
Title: The Crucible
Author: Arthur Miller
ISBN: 0142437336
Plot Summary: In Colonial-Era Salem, Massachusetts, trouble is brewing when a group of adolescent girls accuse various members of the community of practicing witchcraft. Accusations fly of lying, land-grabbing, adultery, and even being in league with Satan. In the midst of it all, John Proctor, a decent if imperfect member of the community, attempts to repair his marriage and help justice be done while protecting himself from Abigail Williams, his charismatic former mistress and ringleader of the girls, who is determined to bring him down along with the people accused of witchcraft.
Author: Arthur Miller
ISBN: 0142437336
Plot Summary: In Colonial-Era Salem, Massachusetts, trouble is brewing when a group of adolescent girls accuse various members of the community of practicing witchcraft. Accusations fly of lying, land-grabbing, adultery, and even being in league with Satan. In the midst of it all, John Proctor, a decent if imperfect member of the community, attempts to repair his marriage and help justice be done while protecting himself from Abigail Williams, his charismatic former mistress and ringleader of the girls, who is determined to bring him down along with the people accused of witchcraft.
Bridge to Terabithia
Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Author: Katherine Paterson
ISBN: 0064401847
Plot Summary: Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. is the lone boy in a family of girls, growing up in a small, rural Virginia community where change happens more slowly than elsewhere. Into this drab and predictable world comes Leslie Burke, a girl who doesn't dress, eat, walk, talk, act, or think like any of the others Jess knows. Intrigued by Leslie's free-spirited and nonconformist attitude, the two quickly become friends, ignoring the teasing of Jess's sisters and peers as they retreat together into Terabithia, a magical world of their own creation. But when tragedy strikes, shattering the mythical land they have created together, Jess must draw on the strength that knowing Leslie has given him in order to carry on.
Author: Katherine Paterson
ISBN: 0064401847
Plot Summary: Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. is the lone boy in a family of girls, growing up in a small, rural Virginia community where change happens more slowly than elsewhere. Into this drab and predictable world comes Leslie Burke, a girl who doesn't dress, eat, walk, talk, act, or think like any of the others Jess knows. Intrigued by Leslie's free-spirited and nonconformist attitude, the two quickly become friends, ignoring the teasing of Jess's sisters and peers as they retreat together into Terabithia, a magical world of their own creation. But when tragedy strikes, shattering the mythical land they have created together, Jess must draw on the strength that knowing Leslie has given him in order to carry on.
Indie Girl
Title: Indie Girl
Author: Kavita Daswani
ISBN: 1416948929
Plot Summary: Indie Konkipuddi is a young Indian-American teenage girl, living with her parents and younger brother in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Indie dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and when Aaralyn Taylor comes to speak at her school, Indie jumps at the chance, thinking meeting her idol will help her land a prestigious summer internship at Aaralyn's magazine. Although Aaralyn ends up only hiring Indie as a babysitter, Indie is disappointed but still accepts, thinking she may still get an "in" if she is a constant presence in Aaralyn's home. To Indie's disappointment though, Aaralyn turns out to be demanding, rude, ungrateful, and dismissive of both Indie and her own son. She sticks it out in her current position, despite her parents' concerns, even finding romance with another of Aaralyn's employees - until her boss's behavior during a trip to Italy convince her that whatever Indie's goals may be in the fashion world, she cannot let them come at the expense of her own self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Author: Kavita Daswani
ISBN: 1416948929
Plot Summary: Indie Konkipuddi is a young Indian-American teenage girl, living with her parents and younger brother in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Indie dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and when Aaralyn Taylor comes to speak at her school, Indie jumps at the chance, thinking meeting her idol will help her land a prestigious summer internship at Aaralyn's magazine. Although Aaralyn ends up only hiring Indie as a babysitter, Indie is disappointed but still accepts, thinking she may still get an "in" if she is a constant presence in Aaralyn's home. To Indie's disappointment though, Aaralyn turns out to be demanding, rude, ungrateful, and dismissive of both Indie and her own son. She sticks it out in her current position, despite her parents' concerns, even finding romance with another of Aaralyn's employees - until her boss's behavior during a trip to Italy convince her that whatever Indie's goals may be in the fashion world, she cannot let them come at the expense of her own self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Hacking Harvard
Title: Hacking Harvard
Author: Robin Wasserman
ISBN: 1416936336
Plot Summary: A group of intelligent yet rebellious Boston high school students come up with a plan for the ultimate "hack," or sophisticated prank: take a thoroughly below-average student, groom him properly for the job via any means necessary... and get him into Harvard. Doing this will not only prove that the system is beatable, but will also deny admission to someone the group feels deserves to be shut out of Harvard - preferably a particularly obnoxious classmate. They initiate a complicated and technology-heavy espionage method to find out exactly what Harvard's admission standards are, but get more than they bargain for when the Average Joe they select starts actually believing in his own ability to get in. Meanwhile, Lexi, the lone female member of the group and a chronic overachiever, is desperately trying to get into Harvard via honest means. Whether or not either he or she get into the world's most exclusive University will be a learning experience for all involved.
Author: Robin Wasserman
ISBN: 1416936336
Plot Summary: A group of intelligent yet rebellious Boston high school students come up with a plan for the ultimate "hack," or sophisticated prank: take a thoroughly below-average student, groom him properly for the job via any means necessary... and get him into Harvard. Doing this will not only prove that the system is beatable, but will also deny admission to someone the group feels deserves to be shut out of Harvard - preferably a particularly obnoxious classmate. They initiate a complicated and technology-heavy espionage method to find out exactly what Harvard's admission standards are, but get more than they bargain for when the Average Joe they select starts actually believing in his own ability to get in. Meanwhile, Lexi, the lone female member of the group and a chronic overachiever, is desperately trying to get into Harvard via honest means. Whether or not either he or she get into the world's most exclusive University will be a learning experience for all involved.
The Scarlet Letter
Title: The Scarlet Letter
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
ISBN: 1442140712
Plot Summary: The narrator of the story, living in what is then the present day in New England, comes across some old belongings of a woman who once lived in the community known as Hester Prynne. Hester, a married woman, had an affair with the Reverend Dimmesdale while her husband was away, and bore his illegitimate child. For this transgression, she was ostracized by the community and forced to wear a large scarlet "A" on her clothing at all times, to symbolize the sin of adultery. She attempts to regain the community's trust by leading a quiet and charitable life, but the reappearance of a mysterious stranger in town throws her world into turmoil. Although both she and her lover attempted to escape their current situation, they found that the ties of duty, obligation, and their mutual child are too great to let them go forever.
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
ISBN: 1442140712
Plot Summary: The narrator of the story, living in what is then the present day in New England, comes across some old belongings of a woman who once lived in the community known as Hester Prynne. Hester, a married woman, had an affair with the Reverend Dimmesdale while her husband was away, and bore his illegitimate child. For this transgression, she was ostracized by the community and forced to wear a large scarlet "A" on her clothing at all times, to symbolize the sin of adultery. She attempts to regain the community's trust by leading a quiet and charitable life, but the reappearance of a mysterious stranger in town throws her world into turmoil. Although both she and her lover attempted to escape their current situation, they found that the ties of duty, obligation, and their mutual child are too great to let them go forever.
The Handmaid's Tale
Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
ISBN: 0771008139
Plot Summary: A theocratic dictatorship has overthrown the government of the United States and created the Republic of Gilead, in response to what it perceives as widespread immorality, corruption, and increasing infertility. In this dystopic future, women are not allowed to read, or even venture outside their homes except to run errands. In addition to the wives men already have, they are also allowed to take "handmaids," presumably still-fertile women who can provide them with now desperately needed offspring. A woman known only as Offred, a patronymic indicating only the name of the man she serves, feels stifled by her current life, remembering as she does the way things were before Gilead was founded, when she could live, love, and work as she chose. The only roles available to women in Gilead society are as wife, handmaid, or - for those who want a bit more freedom - prostitute. Offred makes plans to escape, but her ultimate fate remains unknown.
Author: Margaret Atwood
ISBN: 0771008139
Plot Summary: A theocratic dictatorship has overthrown the government of the United States and created the Republic of Gilead, in response to what it perceives as widespread immorality, corruption, and increasing infertility. In this dystopic future, women are not allowed to read, or even venture outside their homes except to run errands. In addition to the wives men already have, they are also allowed to take "handmaids," presumably still-fertile women who can provide them with now desperately needed offspring. A woman known only as Offred, a patronymic indicating only the name of the man she serves, feels stifled by her current life, remembering as she does the way things were before Gilead was founded, when she could live, love, and work as she chose. The only roles available to women in Gilead society are as wife, handmaid, or - for those who want a bit more freedom - prostitute. Offred makes plans to escape, but her ultimate fate remains unknown.
Wicked
Title: Wicked: 2003 Original Broadway Cast Recording
Authors: Stephen Schwartz (composer), Winnie Holzman (libretto), Gregory Maguire (original)
Cast: Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), Joel Grey (The Wizard)
ASIN: B0000TB01Y
Plot Summary: Elphaba is an intelligent, magically talented, yet lonely and reserved young woman with an odd appearance and an unhappy home life. Galinda is beautiful, spoiled and popular, yet an equally gifted witch. When they are initially thrown together as roommates at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they do not get along, but gradually become friends. However, things are starting to change in Oz: animals can no longer speak or hold teaching positions, and Elphaba starts to question the way things are run in the land. A handsome young ne'er-do-well, Fiyero, attracts the romantic interest of both women, leading to an eventual rivalry as they vie for his affections. However, the final straw comes when Elphaba, having visited the Emerald City with Glinda, discovers that the widely beloved Wizard is a magical fraud. She and Glinda have a falling-out over Elphaba's refusal to obey him, and the two part ways. Although their paths will intersect again in the future, they will not do so without personal tragedy and heartache for both.
Authors: Stephen Schwartz (composer), Winnie Holzman (libretto), Gregory Maguire (original)
Cast: Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), Joel Grey (The Wizard)
ASIN: B0000TB01Y
Plot Summary: Elphaba is an intelligent, magically talented, yet lonely and reserved young woman with an odd appearance and an unhappy home life. Galinda is beautiful, spoiled and popular, yet an equally gifted witch. When they are initially thrown together as roommates at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they do not get along, but gradually become friends. However, things are starting to change in Oz: animals can no longer speak or hold teaching positions, and Elphaba starts to question the way things are run in the land. A handsome young ne'er-do-well, Fiyero, attracts the romantic interest of both women, leading to an eventual rivalry as they vie for his affections. However, the final straw comes when Elphaba, having visited the Emerald City with Glinda, discovers that the widely beloved Wizard is a magical fraud. She and Glinda have a falling-out over Elphaba's refusal to obey him, and the two part ways. Although their paths will intersect again in the future, they will not do so without personal tragedy and heartache for both.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
ISBN: 97803857519637
Plot Summary: Bruno is a young German boy living in Berlin with his parents and older sister. When his father's job requires them to move to a remote village in Poland, Bruno bemoans the lack of other children to play with, general ugliness of his surroundings, and the loss of his old friends. However, when he starts to observe the goings-on behind the large fence visible from his bedroom, he makes the acquaintance of a boy his age who helps him realize that there is much more going on in his new home than he previously realized.
Author: John Boyne
ISBN: 97803857519637
Plot Summary: Bruno is a young German boy living in Berlin with his parents and older sister. When his father's job requires them to move to a remote village in Poland, Bruno bemoans the lack of other children to play with, general ugliness of his surroundings, and the loss of his old friends. However, when he starts to observe the goings-on behind the large fence visible from his bedroom, he makes the acquaintance of a boy his age who helps him realize that there is much more going on in his new home than he previously realized.
Anastasia At Your Service
Title: Anastasia At Your Service
Author: Lois Lowry
ISBN: 0395328659
Other Books in Series: Anastasia Krupnik; Anastasia Again!; Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst; Anastasia on her Own; Anastasia Has the Answers; Anastasia's Chosen Career; Anastasia at This Address; Anastasia Absolutely.
Plot Summary: Anastasia is bored, lonely, and short on funds. Her best friend, Steve, has left for the summer, and she is stuck at home in Boston with her professor father, her artist mother, her little brother Sam, and an allowance of two dollars per week. She gets a summer job working for a rich older woman, thinking she will be her companion, but ends up performing mainly domestic work. When she accidentally destroys a piece of the woman's silver and has to pay for it out of her wages, Anastasia finds that the job she applied for and the job she has now are two entirely different things.
Author: Lois Lowry
ISBN: 0395328659
Other Books in Series: Anastasia Krupnik; Anastasia Again!; Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst; Anastasia on her Own; Anastasia Has the Answers; Anastasia's Chosen Career; Anastasia at This Address; Anastasia Absolutely.
Plot Summary: Anastasia is bored, lonely, and short on funds. Her best friend, Steve, has left for the summer, and she is stuck at home in Boston with her professor father, her artist mother, her little brother Sam, and an allowance of two dollars per week. She gets a summer job working for a rich older woman, thinking she will be her companion, but ends up performing mainly domestic work. When she accidentally destroys a piece of the woman's silver and has to pay for it out of her wages, Anastasia finds that the job she applied for and the job she has now are two entirely different things.
Jane Eyre
Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
ISBN: 0451526554
Plot Summary: Jane Eyre, an intelligent, headstrong girl, is orphaned at a young age. After living with unsympathetic relatives for a while, she is shunted off to an even worse girl's boarding school, where living conditions only improve after a fellow student dies. When Jane comes of age, she seeks employment as a governess, ending up in the employ of the mysterious yet oddly compelling Mr. Rochester. Although she initially develops romantic feelings for her employer, she comes to realize that there are some extremely dark secrets in his past. It is only after a great deal of soul-searching, life decisions, and various personal tragedies that Jane and Mr. Rochester are reunited - but if they are to remain together, Jane must be able to do so on her own terms.
Author: Charlotte Bronte
ISBN: 0451526554
Plot Summary: Jane Eyre, an intelligent, headstrong girl, is orphaned at a young age. After living with unsympathetic relatives for a while, she is shunted off to an even worse girl's boarding school, where living conditions only improve after a fellow student dies. When Jane comes of age, she seeks employment as a governess, ending up in the employ of the mysterious yet oddly compelling Mr. Rochester. Although she initially develops romantic feelings for her employer, she comes to realize that there are some extremely dark secrets in his past. It is only after a great deal of soul-searching, life decisions, and various personal tragedies that Jane and Mr. Rochester are reunited - but if they are to remain together, Jane must be able to do so on her own terms.
The Catcher in the Rye
Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
ISBN: 0316769533
Plot Summary: Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from his prestigious prep school for failing all of his classes. Rather than confront his parents with this news, he checks into a hotel, leaving only to visit his sister in secret, confiding in her as he can never do with his parents. After a failed sexual encounter with a prostitute, a disturbing one with a teacher, and another brief outing with his sister, Holden reflects on his current situation, regretting the fact that he cares about his old friends enough to miss them.
Author: J.D. Salinger
ISBN: 0316769533
Plot Summary: Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from his prestigious prep school for failing all of his classes. Rather than confront his parents with this news, he checks into a hotel, leaving only to visit his sister in secret, confiding in her as he can never do with his parents. After a failed sexual encounter with a prostitute, a disturbing one with a teacher, and another brief outing with his sister, Holden reflects on his current situation, regretting the fact that he cares about his old friends enough to miss them.
Mean Girls
Title: Mean Girls
Director: Mark Waters
Authors: Tina Fey (screenplay), Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan (Cady), Rachel McAdams (Regina), Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall), Lacey Chabert (Gretchen), Amanda Seyfried (Karen), Lizzy Caplan (Janis), Daniel Franzese (Damian)
ASIN: B0002IQJ8W (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cady was raised in Africa by her well-meaning yet clueless zoologist parents. Upon relocation to American suburbia, she finds herself totally clueless about how to fit in socially with her peers. She initially becomes friends with two other outcasts, hip, sardonic Janis and her friend Damian, a boy she describes as "almost too gay to function." Cady is soon adopted as a pet project by the popular girls in her class, whom Janis describes as "The Plastics." She initially does so with the intention of bringing down Regina George, the leader of the pack and Janis's former best friend. However, in the process, Cady gets drawn into their web of backstabbing, lies, and passive aggression, unwittingly becoming just as vicious and shallow as they are and abandoning her old friends. When Regina finds out about Cady's plot to ruin her, she makes the contents of a secret "slam book" the Plastics keep public, and the entire school is thrown into pandemonium. Cady eventually mends fences with Damian and Janis, but not before she and the entire school makes an effort to get past its mass avoidance of direct confrontation.
Director: Mark Waters
Authors: Tina Fey (screenplay), Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan (Cady), Rachel McAdams (Regina), Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall), Lacey Chabert (Gretchen), Amanda Seyfried (Karen), Lizzy Caplan (Janis), Daniel Franzese (Damian)
ASIN: B0002IQJ8W (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cady was raised in Africa by her well-meaning yet clueless zoologist parents. Upon relocation to American suburbia, she finds herself totally clueless about how to fit in socially with her peers. She initially becomes friends with two other outcasts, hip, sardonic Janis and her friend Damian, a boy she describes as "almost too gay to function." Cady is soon adopted as a pet project by the popular girls in her class, whom Janis describes as "The Plastics." She initially does so with the intention of bringing down Regina George, the leader of the pack and Janis's former best friend. However, in the process, Cady gets drawn into their web of backstabbing, lies, and passive aggression, unwittingly becoming just as vicious and shallow as they are and abandoning her old friends. When Regina finds out about Cady's plot to ruin her, she makes the contents of a secret "slam book" the Plastics keep public, and the entire school is thrown into pandemonium. Cady eventually mends fences with Damian and Janis, but not before she and the entire school makes an effort to get past its mass avoidance of direct confrontation.
Harriet the Spy
Title: Harriet the Spy
Author: Louise Fitzhugh
ISBN: 0440416795
Other Books in Series: The Long Summer, Sport
Plot Summary: Harriet is 11 years old, the precocious daughter of well-to-do parents growing up in Manhattan in the early sixties. Her best friend, Sport, has become an adult before his time in his efforts to run life for himself and his struggling writer father. Janie, Harriet's best female friend, experiments with various chemical solutions in an effort to shock her overly jovial mother. All three resist efforts to make them conform to societal norms, particularly the girls, who have less interest than their peers in being "feminine." In addition to taking notes on her classmates, parents, cook, maid, and live-in caretaker, a stern woman she nicknames Ole Golly, Harriet has what she calls her regular "spy route": a motley collection of people she observes covertly, for no other reason but that she finds them interesting. However, Harriet's carefully constructed double life is about to come to an end. After Ole Golly and her new boyfriend take Harriet out for a night on the town, Harriet's outraged parents fire her on the spot; she subsequently marries the boyfriend and moves to Canada. She is discovered in the house of one of her regular spyees and sent packing, never to return again. To make matters even worse, Harriet's classmates discover and read her diary, an event which turns even Sport and Janie against her. Harriet must now figure out how to live without the woman who was her main support, conform to her parents' social expectations, deal with changes in her routine - and, most importantly, mend fences with her two best friends.
Author: Louise Fitzhugh
ISBN: 0440416795
Other Books in Series: The Long Summer, Sport
Plot Summary: Harriet is 11 years old, the precocious daughter of well-to-do parents growing up in Manhattan in the early sixties. Her best friend, Sport, has become an adult before his time in his efforts to run life for himself and his struggling writer father. Janie, Harriet's best female friend, experiments with various chemical solutions in an effort to shock her overly jovial mother. All three resist efforts to make them conform to societal norms, particularly the girls, who have less interest than their peers in being "feminine." In addition to taking notes on her classmates, parents, cook, maid, and live-in caretaker, a stern woman she nicknames Ole Golly, Harriet has what she calls her regular "spy route": a motley collection of people she observes covertly, for no other reason but that she finds them interesting. However, Harriet's carefully constructed double life is about to come to an end. After Ole Golly and her new boyfriend take Harriet out for a night on the town, Harriet's outraged parents fire her on the spot; she subsequently marries the boyfriend and moves to Canada. She is discovered in the house of one of her regular spyees and sent packing, never to return again. To make matters even worse, Harriet's classmates discover and read her diary, an event which turns even Sport and Janie against her. Harriet must now figure out how to live without the woman who was her main support, conform to her parents' social expectations, deal with changes in her routine - and, most importantly, mend fences with her two best friends.
The Lovely Bones
Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
ISBN: 1600240682 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Alice Sebold
Plot Summary: Susie Salmon is a teenager living in a suburb of Philadelphia. When she is brutally raped and murdered by a neighbor, her family must cope with their grief, loss, and determination to find Susie's killer and bring him to justice. Susie is not her killer's first victim, but he has evaded capture for many years, and this time is no exception, although he is eventually met with a form of justice. While all this is taking place, Susie watches her family's goings-on from heaven, eventually witnessing their slow rebirth as a functional family unit, and the continuation of life in the form of her sister's child.
Author: Alice Sebold
ISBN: 1600240682 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Alice Sebold
Plot Summary: Susie Salmon is a teenager living in a suburb of Philadelphia. When she is brutally raped and murdered by a neighbor, her family must cope with their grief, loss, and determination to find Susie's killer and bring him to justice. Susie is not her killer's first victim, but he has evaded capture for many years, and this time is no exception, although he is eventually met with a form of justice. While all this is taking place, Susie watches her family's goings-on from heaven, eventually witnessing their slow rebirth as a functional family unit, and the continuation of life in the form of her sister's child.
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
Title: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
ISBN: 0689300077
Plot Summary: Elizabeth lives alone with her mother in an apartment building, in a neighborhood full of fancy houses. She is ill-at-ease at home and at school, but soon meets a girl who changes her life: Jennifer, a self-described witch who dresses, speaks and acts differently from any other person Elizabeth has met. The two become friends, performing "spells" together and bonding in their respective loneliness. A falling-out over a pet toad drives them apart briefly, but when they manage to make amends, they find their friendship, although different, has changed for the better.
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
ISBN: 0689300077
Plot Summary: Elizabeth lives alone with her mother in an apartment building, in a neighborhood full of fancy houses. She is ill-at-ease at home and at school, but soon meets a girl who changes her life: Jennifer, a self-described witch who dresses, speaks and acts differently from any other person Elizabeth has met. The two become friends, performing "spells" together and bonding in their respective loneliness. A falling-out over a pet toad drives them apart briefly, but when they manage to make amends, they find their friendship, although different, has changed for the better.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis (original); Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (screenplay)
Director: Andrew Adamson
Cast: Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), William Moseley (Peter), Anna Popplewell (Susan), Tilda Swinton (The White Witch), James McEvoy (Mr. Tumnus), Jim Broadbent (Professor Kirke), Liam Neeson (Aslan).
ASIN: B000E8M0VA (DVD)
Other Movies in Series: Prince Caspian
Other Books in Series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, The Last Battle.
Plot Summary: Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan Pevensie are four siblings growing up in London during World War II. When the German bombings make conditions in the city too dangerous, they are relocated to a country manor inhabited by an eccentric professor and his rather dour maid. In exploring the vast house, the children stumble upon a wardrobe that is a portal to a magical world known as Narnia. However, all is not well in this land: the White Witch has all creatures and areas in the land under her control, and her magic makes it "always Winter and never Christmas" in Narnia. Three of the Pevensie siblings befriend sympathetic characters in Narnia, but Edmund is seduced into joining the White Witch's side with promises of wealth, power, and all the Turkish Delight he can eat. Unfortunately, the Witch's promises prove as artificial as her imposed winter, and he becomes her prisoner. The other three siblings set out to find him and defeat the Witch, encountering both dangers and encouraging signs of change along the way. Before they return to the "real" world, they will join forces with Aslan, a talking lion and the leader of the resistance against the Witch, for the future and soul of Narnia.
Author: C.S. Lewis (original); Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (screenplay)
Director: Andrew Adamson
Cast: Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), William Moseley (Peter), Anna Popplewell (Susan), Tilda Swinton (The White Witch), James McEvoy (Mr. Tumnus), Jim Broadbent (Professor Kirke), Liam Neeson (Aslan).
ASIN: B000E8M0VA (DVD)
Other Movies in Series: Prince Caspian
Other Books in Series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, The Last Battle.
Plot Summary: Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan Pevensie are four siblings growing up in London during World War II. When the German bombings make conditions in the city too dangerous, they are relocated to a country manor inhabited by an eccentric professor and his rather dour maid. In exploring the vast house, the children stumble upon a wardrobe that is a portal to a magical world known as Narnia. However, all is not well in this land: the White Witch has all creatures and areas in the land under her control, and her magic makes it "always Winter and never Christmas" in Narnia. Three of the Pevensie siblings befriend sympathetic characters in Narnia, but Edmund is seduced into joining the White Witch's side with promises of wealth, power, and all the Turkish Delight he can eat. Unfortunately, the Witch's promises prove as artificial as her imposed winter, and he becomes her prisoner. The other three siblings set out to find him and defeat the Witch, encountering both dangers and encouraging signs of change along the way. Before they return to the "real" world, they will join forces with Aslan, a talking lion and the leader of the resistance against the Witch, for the future and soul of Narnia.
Lord of the Flies
Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
ISBN: 0399529209
Plot Summary: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes, killing all the "grownups" on board. Determined to create some form of order to survive, the group of boys soon split off into two factions: the main group, led by the charismatic Ralph, who feels it is his duty to look after the younger boys, and the "hunters," led by the older and more practical Jack, who takes responsibility for finding food for the group. Both tribes eventually become more animalistic, with Jack keeping his group in line by encouraging their belief in a rumored "monster" on the island. These rumors lead to the boys mistaking the corpses of a pilot, a parachutist, and a wild pig for the imaginary creature. Tragedy strikes when one of the boys is mistaken for the monster and killed by the others; this also causes a shift in power, as many of Ralph's followers defect to Jack's side. When Ralph's now much smaller band decide to steal the glasses of an overweight, awkward boy known as Piggy, the ensuing struggle leads to Piggy's accidental death as well. It is not until the boys are ultimately rescued that they come to realize exactly how far they have fallen into the traps of anarchy and barbarism.
Author: William Golding
ISBN: 0399529209
Plot Summary: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes, killing all the "grownups" on board. Determined to create some form of order to survive, the group of boys soon split off into two factions: the main group, led by the charismatic Ralph, who feels it is his duty to look after the younger boys, and the "hunters," led by the older and more practical Jack, who takes responsibility for finding food for the group. Both tribes eventually become more animalistic, with Jack keeping his group in line by encouraging their belief in a rumored "monster" on the island. These rumors lead to the boys mistaking the corpses of a pilot, a parachutist, and a wild pig for the imaginary creature. Tragedy strikes when one of the boys is mistaken for the monster and killed by the others; this also causes a shift in power, as many of Ralph's followers defect to Jack's side. When Ralph's now much smaller band decide to steal the glasses of an overweight, awkward boy known as Piggy, the ensuing struggle leads to Piggy's accidental death as well. It is not until the boys are ultimately rescued that they come to realize exactly how far they have fallen into the traps of anarchy and barbarism.
Monster
Title: Monster
Author: Walter Dean Myers
ISBN: 0060280778
Plot Summary: Steve Harmon is a 16-year-old African American teenager who has been arrested and is on trial for the murder of a shopkeeper. Before his arrest, he was active in his school's film club, and frequently fantasizes about making a movie about the trial, his experiences in jail, and his own inner thoughts. Although the reader is initially not sure whether Steve is guilty or not, we come to see through Steve's diary and "screenplay" of his experiences that there is more to the case that first meets the eye, and that Steve may not be a perpetrator of a heinous crime, but rather an unwitting victim of circumstance and a victim of a justice system whose scale is tipped against poor, young minority males.
Author: Walter Dean Myers
ISBN: 0060280778
Plot Summary: Steve Harmon is a 16-year-old African American teenager who has been arrested and is on trial for the murder of a shopkeeper. Before his arrest, he was active in his school's film club, and frequently fantasizes about making a movie about the trial, his experiences in jail, and his own inner thoughts. Although the reader is initially not sure whether Steve is guilty or not, we come to see through Steve's diary and "screenplay" of his experiences that there is more to the case that first meets the eye, and that Steve may not be a perpetrator of a heinous crime, but rather an unwitting victim of circumstance and a victim of a justice system whose scale is tipped against poor, young minority males.
Three Cups of Tea
Title: Three Cups of Tea
Author: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
ISBN: 0670034827
Plot Summary: Greg Mortenson, a young American mountain climber, becomes stranded in a remote Pakistani village while attempting to climb K2. After the villagers nurse him back to health, he comes to see how the village childrens' lack of education has negatively impacted their community. Promising to come back and help them build and finance a school, he sells his possessions back in the United States and begins the long, arduous process of securing funding, materials, construction, teachers, and materials for the school. This quest eventually turns into an organization devoted to building non-denominational schools for boys and girls alike across areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan that are most subject to targeting by terrorist organizations looking for recruits. Although outnumbered and outfinanced by the Taliban and Al Quaeda, Mortensen's Central Asia Institute begins to bring about positive change in these remote, unstable areas.
Author: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
ISBN: 0670034827
Plot Summary: Greg Mortenson, a young American mountain climber, becomes stranded in a remote Pakistani village while attempting to climb K2. After the villagers nurse him back to health, he comes to see how the village childrens' lack of education has negatively impacted their community. Promising to come back and help them build and finance a school, he sells his possessions back in the United States and begins the long, arduous process of securing funding, materials, construction, teachers, and materials for the school. This quest eventually turns into an organization devoted to building non-denominational schools for boys and girls alike across areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan that are most subject to targeting by terrorist organizations looking for recruits. Although outnumbered and outfinanced by the Taliban and Al Quaeda, Mortensen's Central Asia Institute begins to bring about positive change in these remote, unstable areas.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
ISBN: 0385512104
Plot Summary: An autistic English teenage boy discovers his neighbor's dog dead in his yard. The boy, Christopher, is the initial suspect in the case, but decides to figure out for himself who actually killed the dog. During his investigation, he uncovers secrets about his family, neighbors, and surrounding world, and comes to a new understanding of himself and his place in the world.
Author: Mark Haddon
ISBN: 0385512104
Plot Summary: An autistic English teenage boy discovers his neighbor's dog dead in his yard. The boy, Christopher, is the initial suspect in the case, but decides to figure out for himself who actually killed the dog. During his investigation, he uncovers secrets about his family, neighbors, and surrounding world, and comes to a new understanding of himself and his place in the world.
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Title: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Author: Carolyn Mackler
ISBN: 0763620912
Plot Summary: Virginia is a blonde, overweight ugly ducking born into a family of over-achieving swans. She deals with her negative emotions by either eating them away or engaging in various forms of self-injury. She carries on a romance with a classmate, Froggy, but hides it for fear of public ridicule, and misses her best friend, Shannon, a chronic stutterer, who has moved across the country with her parents. When her golden-boy brother is toppled off his pedestal, Virginia tries to find better ways of coping with her feelings about his mistakes, her life, and the world in general. In doing so, she must confront not only her family's bad habit of denial, but her own feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth, if she is to finally become more comfortable in her own skin.
Author: Carolyn Mackler
ISBN: 0763620912
Plot Summary: Virginia is a blonde, overweight ugly ducking born into a family of over-achieving swans. She deals with her negative emotions by either eating them away or engaging in various forms of self-injury. She carries on a romance with a classmate, Froggy, but hides it for fear of public ridicule, and misses her best friend, Shannon, a chronic stutterer, who has moved across the country with her parents. When her golden-boy brother is toppled off his pedestal, Virginia tries to find better ways of coping with her feelings about his mistakes, her life, and the world in general. In doing so, she must confront not only her family's bad habit of denial, but her own feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth, if she is to finally become more comfortable in her own skin.
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
Title: Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
Author: Ursula LeGuin
ISBN: 0152052089
Plot Summary: Owen is an average young man with above-average math and science skills, who has never felt entirely at home socially. He has created a fantasy world, Thorn, in his head, but does not share it with anyone else until he meets Natalie, a beautiful young musician and fellow student who instantly relates to him. The two become friends, then become involved romantically, but neither of them is sure they are ready to go to the next level, nor are they sure which direction they want the relationship to lead.
Author: Ursula LeGuin
ISBN: 0152052089
Plot Summary: Owen is an average young man with above-average math and science skills, who has never felt entirely at home socially. He has created a fantasy world, Thorn, in his head, but does not share it with anyone else until he meets Natalie, a beautiful young musician and fellow student who instantly relates to him. The two become friends, then become involved romantically, but neither of them is sure they are ready to go to the next level, nor are they sure which direction they want the relationship to lead.
Streams of Babel
Title: Streams of Babel
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
ISBN: 0152165568
Plot Summary: Cora Holman is a high school outcast with a tormented, drug-addicted mother. When her mother and several neighbors die of a mysterious new ailment, Cora and her friends become increasingly alarmed when they too start getting sick. She and her friend Scott discover an abandoned store which appears to have been occupied by, and bears graffiti from, terrorists. Meanwhile, Shahzad Hamdani, a young Pakistani computer genius, has begun to notice some disturbing internet chatter among terrorist groups regarding a new weapon known only as Red Vinegar. Shahzad and Cora's lives will intersect as they both try to figure out what is killing people in Cora's neighborhood, who is causing it, and how it can be stopped.
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
ISBN: 0152165568
Plot Summary: Cora Holman is a high school outcast with a tormented, drug-addicted mother. When her mother and several neighbors die of a mysterious new ailment, Cora and her friends become increasingly alarmed when they too start getting sick. She and her friend Scott discover an abandoned store which appears to have been occupied by, and bears graffiti from, terrorists. Meanwhile, Shahzad Hamdani, a young Pakistani computer genius, has begun to notice some disturbing internet chatter among terrorist groups regarding a new weapon known only as Red Vinegar. Shahzad and Cora's lives will intersect as they both try to figure out what is killing people in Cora's neighborhood, who is causing it, and how it can be stopped.
Puppet
Title: Puppet
Author: Eva Wiseman
ISBN: 0887768288
Plot Summary: Julie, a young girl growing up in Hungary at the end of the 19th century, deals with poverty, hunger, and domestic violence in her daily life. When her best friend is found dead, the villagers blame the local Jewish community. In the course of the murder trial, Morris Scharf, a young Jewish boy who is the son of the defendant, is coerced, tortured and bribed into giving testimony against his father. Although Julie understands the pressures with which Morris is faced, she decides she must overcome her father's wrath, the community's disapproval, and her own fear in order to tell the truth.
Author: Eva Wiseman
ISBN: 0887768288
Plot Summary: Julie, a young girl growing up in Hungary at the end of the 19th century, deals with poverty, hunger, and domestic violence in her daily life. When her best friend is found dead, the villagers blame the local Jewish community. In the course of the murder trial, Morris Scharf, a young Jewish boy who is the son of the defendant, is coerced, tortured and bribed into giving testimony against his father. Although Julie understands the pressures with which Morris is faced, she decides she must overcome her father's wrath, the community's disapproval, and her own fear in order to tell the truth.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Title: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Author: James Joyce
ISBN: 1556904215 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Donal Donnelly
Plot Summary: Stephen Daedalus is a young man growing up in Dublin, Ireland at the turn of the century. He is raised in a loving family, goes to good schools, and receives a fine academic and religious education, considering at one point becoming a member of the clergy. As he grows older, though, he grows increasingly disillusioned with what he has been taught to believe, and yearns to grow beyond the geographical and intellectual borders that have been set up for him.
Author: James Joyce
ISBN: 1556904215 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Donal Donnelly
Plot Summary: Stephen Daedalus is a young man growing up in Dublin, Ireland at the turn of the century. He is raised in a loving family, goes to good schools, and receives a fine academic and religious education, considering at one point becoming a member of the clergy. As he grows older, though, he grows increasingly disillusioned with what he has been taught to believe, and yearns to grow beyond the geographical and intellectual borders that have been set up for him.
The Kite Runner
Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
ISBN: 1594480001
Plot Summary: Amir led a privileged life in Afghanistan prior to the Communist revolution: he and his father lived in a spacious villa with servants, and his father was a well-respected man in his community. Amir had an unequal yet genuine friendship with Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Yet when Hassan is brutally attacked by a group of boys, Amir stands by and does nothing, and later falsely accuses his friend of stealing, causing both him and his father to leave the estate, so that he will not have to feel guilty anymore. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Amir and his father have to leave the country, eventually moving to Fremont, California, where Amir meets and falls in love with a young woman from the local Afghan community. After his father's death, Amir gets a telephone call from an old family friend, asking him to come back to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan's son. In the process, Amir comes face to face with parts of his past that he would rather forget, and slowly tries to help his best friend's son begin the healing process.
Author: Khaled Hosseini
ISBN: 1594480001
Plot Summary: Amir led a privileged life in Afghanistan prior to the Communist revolution: he and his father lived in a spacious villa with servants, and his father was a well-respected man in his community. Amir had an unequal yet genuine friendship with Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Yet when Hassan is brutally attacked by a group of boys, Amir stands by and does nothing, and later falsely accuses his friend of stealing, causing both him and his father to leave the estate, so that he will not have to feel guilty anymore. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Amir and his father have to leave the country, eventually moving to Fremont, California, where Amir meets and falls in love with a young woman from the local Afghan community. After his father's death, Amir gets a telephone call from an old family friend, asking him to come back to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan's son. In the process, Amir comes face to face with parts of his past that he would rather forget, and slowly tries to help his best friend's son begin the healing process.
Clueless
Title: Clueless
Author/Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone (Cher), Stacey Dash (Dionne), Paul Rudd (Josh), Donald Faison (Murray), Elisa Donovan (Amber), Breckin Myer (Travis), Jeremy Sisto (Elton), Dan Hedaya (Mr. Horowitz), Wallace Shawn (Mr. Hall), Twink Caplan (Miss Geist), Brittany Murphy (Tai).
ASIN: B00001MXXE (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cher Horowitz, a rich, spoiled Beverly Hills teen, enjoys shopping, hanging out with her friend Dionne, and playing matchmaker to all the people in her life. However, she's not as good at it as she thinks. Although Cher successfully matches two of her teachers together, when she tries to get Tai, the new girl in town, together with Elton, an obnoxious rich kid with a famous father, she finds out too late that Elton is interested in her instead, and Tai only has eyes for Travis, a good-hearted if slightly dim slacker. When Cher tries to pick out a love interest for herself, Christian, the object of her affections, turns out not to be as interested in her - or in her gender - as she had hoped. Throughout Cher's matchmaking misadventures, Josh, her ex-stepbrother who is living with Cher and her lawyer father, provides sardonic commentary, often provoking Cher into arguments in the process. However, it is not until Tai sets her sights on Josh that Cher realizes two things: first, that she has less of a clue than she thought about matchmaking, and second, that she may not hate Josh so much after all.
Author/Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone (Cher), Stacey Dash (Dionne), Paul Rudd (Josh), Donald Faison (Murray), Elisa Donovan (Amber), Breckin Myer (Travis), Jeremy Sisto (Elton), Dan Hedaya (Mr. Horowitz), Wallace Shawn (Mr. Hall), Twink Caplan (Miss Geist), Brittany Murphy (Tai).
ASIN: B00001MXXE (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cher Horowitz, a rich, spoiled Beverly Hills teen, enjoys shopping, hanging out with her friend Dionne, and playing matchmaker to all the people in her life. However, she's not as good at it as she thinks. Although Cher successfully matches two of her teachers together, when she tries to get Tai, the new girl in town, together with Elton, an obnoxious rich kid with a famous father, she finds out too late that Elton is interested in her instead, and Tai only has eyes for Travis, a good-hearted if slightly dim slacker. When Cher tries to pick out a love interest for herself, Christian, the object of her affections, turns out not to be as interested in her - or in her gender - as she had hoped. Throughout Cher's matchmaking misadventures, Josh, her ex-stepbrother who is living with Cher and her lawyer father, provides sardonic commentary, often provoking Cher into arguments in the process. However, it is not until Tai sets her sights on Josh that Cher realizes two things: first, that she has less of a clue than she thought about matchmaking, and second, that she may not hate Josh so much after all.
The Sandman: A Game of You
Title: The Sandman: A Game of You
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano
Lettering: Todd Klein
ISBN: 1563890895
Other Books in Series: Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, Dream Country, Season of Mists, Fables and Reflections, Brief Lives, World's End, The Kindly Ones, The Wake.
Plot Summary: Barbie is a young woman with an active fantasy life, living in the city with a quirky group of friends including a lesbian couple, a male-to-female pre-operative transgender, a witch, and a quiet, somewhat mysterious man who turns out to be working for the book's main antagonist. When Barbie is visited by Martin Tenbones, a large dog from the realm of Dreams, he tells her that the fantasy land of her dreams is being threatened by a malignant being known as the Cuckoo. Alarmed, Barbie travels mentally to dreamland, leaving her comatose body behind in the waking world. After finding out that George, the quiet man, is in league with the enemy, Thessaly, the witch, kills him and draws down the moon to help her and the other women in their quest to find Barbie. However, the moon will not let Wanda, the transgender, accompany the three other women, as she feels he does not count as a "real" woman. While left behind with George's head, Wanda is ultimately killed by Thessaly's magic raging out of control. Barbie eventually defeats the Cuckoo, but not without paying a price, both in terms of the land of her dreams and the loss of a dear friend.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano
Lettering: Todd Klein
ISBN: 1563890895
Other Books in Series: Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, Dream Country, Season of Mists, Fables and Reflections, Brief Lives, World's End, The Kindly Ones, The Wake.
Plot Summary: Barbie is a young woman with an active fantasy life, living in the city with a quirky group of friends including a lesbian couple, a male-to-female pre-operative transgender, a witch, and a quiet, somewhat mysterious man who turns out to be working for the book's main antagonist. When Barbie is visited by Martin Tenbones, a large dog from the realm of Dreams, he tells her that the fantasy land of her dreams is being threatened by a malignant being known as the Cuckoo. Alarmed, Barbie travels mentally to dreamland, leaving her comatose body behind in the waking world. After finding out that George, the quiet man, is in league with the enemy, Thessaly, the witch, kills him and draws down the moon to help her and the other women in their quest to find Barbie. However, the moon will not let Wanda, the transgender, accompany the three other women, as she feels he does not count as a "real" woman. While left behind with George's head, Wanda is ultimately killed by Thessaly's magic raging out of control. Barbie eventually defeats the Cuckoo, but not without paying a price, both in terms of the land of her dreams and the loss of a dear friend.
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Title: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Author: Ned Vizzini
ISBN: 078685197X
Plot Summary: Craig Gilner, a middle-class teenager from Brooklyn, feels lucky when he is accepted into a prestigious New York public high school. However, once he gets in, he is soon overwhelmed by academic pressure, and starts self-medicating with drugs and purging to handle the stress until his parents agree to send him to a therapist. The therapist prescribes anti-depressants, but Craig decides to stop taking them, and soon becomes suicidally depressed. At a loss, he checks himself into a mental hospital with his parents' blessing, hoping this will help him deal with his issues. While there, he meets a variety of different people, each with their own issues, and comes to gain new insight on himself in the process.
Author: Ned Vizzini
ISBN: 078685197X
Plot Summary: Craig Gilner, a middle-class teenager from Brooklyn, feels lucky when he is accepted into a prestigious New York public high school. However, once he gets in, he is soon overwhelmed by academic pressure, and starts self-medicating with drugs and purging to handle the stress until his parents agree to send him to a therapist. The therapist prescribes anti-depressants, but Craig decides to stop taking them, and soon becomes suicidally depressed. At a loss, he checks himself into a mental hospital with his parents' blessing, hoping this will help him deal with his issues. While there, he meets a variety of different people, each with their own issues, and comes to gain new insight on himself in the process.
Forever
Title: Forever
Author: Judy Blume
ISBN: 0671695304
Plot Summary: Katherine, a teenage girl, meets and falls in love with Michael, who is slightly older and more experienced. She has her first sexual experiences with him, as well as her first serious relationship, but when they are separated for the summer, she starts having feelings for Theo, an older tennis pro at her summer job. What impact will this have on Katherine and Michael's relationship - and will it really last forever?
Author: Judy Blume
ISBN: 0671695304
Plot Summary: Katherine, a teenage girl, meets and falls in love with Michael, who is slightly older and more experienced. She has her first sexual experiences with him, as well as her first serious relationship, but when they are separated for the summer, she starts having feelings for Theo, an older tennis pro at her summer job. What impact will this have on Katherine and Michael's relationship - and will it really last forever?
Flowers for Algernon
Title: Flowers for Algernon
Author: Daniel Keyes
ISBN: 0553274503
Plot Summary: Charlie Gordon, a developmentally disabled man, is selected by two researchers to be the subject of an experimental technique designed to increase intelligence, having already tried the technique on Algernon, a laboratory rat. The technique works, and Charlie's intelligence increases exponentially; at the same time, he also becomes increasingly aware of how the people in his life relate to him, and develops an interest in the opposite sex. However, this increased awareness is not without its drawbacks: his former co-workers, resentful that he now realizes how they have taken advantage of him, become alienated from him, and Charlie is unable to carry on a meaningful romantic relationship without being haunted by images of his former self. When his increase in intelligence turns out to be temporary, those around Charlie who care about him are distressed, but Charlie does not wish them to pity him, content with the memory that he was once a genius.
Author: Daniel Keyes
ISBN: 0553274503
Plot Summary: Charlie Gordon, a developmentally disabled man, is selected by two researchers to be the subject of an experimental technique designed to increase intelligence, having already tried the technique on Algernon, a laboratory rat. The technique works, and Charlie's intelligence increases exponentially; at the same time, he also becomes increasingly aware of how the people in his life relate to him, and develops an interest in the opposite sex. However, this increased awareness is not without its drawbacks: his former co-workers, resentful that he now realizes how they have taken advantage of him, become alienated from him, and Charlie is unable to carry on a meaningful romantic relationship without being haunted by images of his former self. When his increase in intelligence turns out to be temporary, those around Charlie who care about him are distressed, but Charlie does not wish them to pity him, content with the memory that he was once a genius.
Eragon
Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
ISBN: 0439244196 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Other Books in Series: Eldest, Brisingr
Plot Summary: Eragon, an orphaned young man, lives with his uncle and cousin in a small town in the country of Alagaesia, ruled over by a tyrannical king. When Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the Spine, a forested mountain range near his village, he is stunned when it hatches into a dragon, whom he raises and names Sephira. When word gets back to the king's soldiers, they burn Eragon's uncle's house searching for the dragon, killing his uncle, Garrow, in the process. Dragons and their riders possess a psychic bond; through this bond, Sephira is able to instruct Eragon in the skills and responsibilities befitting his new status. As he and Sephira travel to find a group of rebels dedicated to defeating the king, they meet new traveling companions, rescue a beautiful and powerful female elf, battle and battle with the race of dwarves against evil sorcerers known as Shades and an orc-like race called Urgals, who serve the king. During his adventures, Eragon finds out about the history of dragons and their riders, as well as one who bore his name.
Author: Christopher Paolini
ISBN: 0439244196 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Other Books in Series: Eldest, Brisingr
Plot Summary: Eragon, an orphaned young man, lives with his uncle and cousin in a small town in the country of Alagaesia, ruled over by a tyrannical king. When Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the Spine, a forested mountain range near his village, he is stunned when it hatches into a dragon, whom he raises and names Sephira. When word gets back to the king's soldiers, they burn Eragon's uncle's house searching for the dragon, killing his uncle, Garrow, in the process. Dragons and their riders possess a psychic bond; through this bond, Sephira is able to instruct Eragon in the skills and responsibilities befitting his new status. As he and Sephira travel to find a group of rebels dedicated to defeating the king, they meet new traveling companions, rescue a beautiful and powerful female elf, battle and battle with the race of dwarves against evil sorcerers known as Shades and an orc-like race called Urgals, who serve the king. During his adventures, Eragon finds out about the history of dragons and their riders, as well as one who bore his name.
Holes
Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
ISBN: 0439244196
Plot Summary: Stanley Yelnats, the son of a failed would-be inventor, comes from a long line of cursed individuals, all of whom bear the same name. The family curse dates back to an Eastern European ancestor who stole a pig from a a gypsy woman, Madame Zeroni. Stanley himself is wrongfully accused of stealing a valuable pair of sneakers, and is sentenced to a juvenile facility at which the Stanley and the other offenders have to dig holes all day, in search of a mysterious treasure sought by the woman who owns the land. In the process of meeting his fellow juvenile offenders, Stanley tries to figure out the mystery behind what it is they are searching for and the story behind it. In the process, the reader is shown flashbacks to the events leading up to the treasure's burial, and Stanley uncovers enough clues not only to change the situation at Camp Green Lake permanently, but possibly to lift his family curse once and for all.
Author: Louis Sachar
ISBN: 0439244196
Plot Summary: Stanley Yelnats, the son of a failed would-be inventor, comes from a long line of cursed individuals, all of whom bear the same name. The family curse dates back to an Eastern European ancestor who stole a pig from a a gypsy woman, Madame Zeroni. Stanley himself is wrongfully accused of stealing a valuable pair of sneakers, and is sentenced to a juvenile facility at which the Stanley and the other offenders have to dig holes all day, in search of a mysterious treasure sought by the woman who owns the land. In the process of meeting his fellow juvenile offenders, Stanley tries to figure out the mystery behind what it is they are searching for and the story behind it. In the process, the reader is shown flashbacks to the events leading up to the treasure's burial, and Stanley uncovers enough clues not only to change the situation at Camp Green Lake permanently, but possibly to lift his family curse once and for all.
The Golden Compass
Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
ISBN: 0345413350
Other Books in Series: The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass
Plot Summary: Lyra Belacqua, a young orphan, lives at the Oxford University of an alternate universe, one in which all people have Daemons, animal familiars with supernatural powers who are extensions of peoples' souls. While exploring Jordan College, the fictional Oxford college where she lives and her uncle works, Lyra overhears information she was not meant to know. Along with her Daemon, Pantalaimon, she decides to explore based on what she has heard, despite the danger. Her quest will ultimately lead her to explore an assassination attempt against her uncle, a mysterious entity known as Dust, intriguing and sometimes dangerous people, and a magical device that, once she learns how to use it, will lead her to adventures she never before dreamed possible.
Author: Philip Pullman
ISBN: 0345413350
Other Books in Series: The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass
Plot Summary: Lyra Belacqua, a young orphan, lives at the Oxford University of an alternate universe, one in which all people have Daemons, animal familiars with supernatural powers who are extensions of peoples' souls. While exploring Jordan College, the fictional Oxford college where she lives and her uncle works, Lyra overhears information she was not meant to know. Along with her Daemon, Pantalaimon, she decides to explore based on what she has heard, despite the danger. Her quest will ultimately lead her to explore an assassination attempt against her uncle, a mysterious entity known as Dust, intriguing and sometimes dangerous people, and a magical device that, once she learns how to use it, will lead her to adventures she never before dreamed possible.
Go Ask Alice
Title: Go Ask Alice
Author: Beatrice Sparks (writing as "Anonymous")
ISBN: 1416914633
Plot Summary: The anonymous narrator, a teenage girl, comes from a good home, but feels out of place at home and in school. At first, she deals with typical teenage concerns: dieting and weight loss, boys, meeting new friends when her father moves. Then, she is introduced to drugs at a party, where she is unwittingly slipped a dose of LSD in her soda as part of a drinking/drug game. In short order, her life spirals downwards into a morass of meaningless sex, shady companions, and ever more dangerous drugs. Her diary entries disintegrate along with her life, degenerating into angry, almost meaningless stream of consciousness written on whatever she can find. She eventually gets cleaned up and moves back in with her parents, but finds the "good" kids will no longer associate with her, and her drug-using acquaintances threaten her for being a snitch. After being slipped yet another dose of LSD against her will, she winds up in a mental hospital. Eventually her condition improves, and she again returns home, determined to rebuild her life - but it is too late.
Author: Beatrice Sparks (writing as "Anonymous")
ISBN: 1416914633
Plot Summary: The anonymous narrator, a teenage girl, comes from a good home, but feels out of place at home and in school. At first, she deals with typical teenage concerns: dieting and weight loss, boys, meeting new friends when her father moves. Then, she is introduced to drugs at a party, where she is unwittingly slipped a dose of LSD in her soda as part of a drinking/drug game. In short order, her life spirals downwards into a morass of meaningless sex, shady companions, and ever more dangerous drugs. Her diary entries disintegrate along with her life, degenerating into angry, almost meaningless stream of consciousness written on whatever she can find. She eventually gets cleaned up and moves back in with her parents, but finds the "good" kids will no longer associate with her, and her drug-using acquaintances threaten her for being a snitch. After being slipped yet another dose of LSD against her will, she winds up in a mental hospital. Eventually her condition improves, and she again returns home, determined to rebuild her life - but it is too late.
The Chocolate War
Title: The Chocolate War
Author: Robert Cormier
ISBN: B002AR3GAC (Audio Book)
Narrator: George Guidall
Plot Summary: Jerry Renault, a student at a prestigious Catholic boys' high school, has recently lost his mother. While at school, he is menaced by a secret society known as The Vigils, a group that enforces its own way at the school with the tacit approval of the administration. When the school's annual fund-raising chocolate sale comes around, Jerry decides not to participate, earning the wrath of both the Vigils and his teachers. Jerry's refusal to conform to the school's expectations escalates into an orchestrated display of brutal violence. Jerry ultimately emerges alive from this confrontation, but not without suffering both physical and emotional scars.
Author: Robert Cormier
ISBN: B002AR3GAC (Audio Book)
Narrator: George Guidall
Plot Summary: Jerry Renault, a student at a prestigious Catholic boys' high school, has recently lost his mother. While at school, he is menaced by a secret society known as The Vigils, a group that enforces its own way at the school with the tacit approval of the administration. When the school's annual fund-raising chocolate sale comes around, Jerry decides not to participate, earning the wrath of both the Vigils and his teachers. Jerry's refusal to conform to the school's expectations escalates into an orchestrated display of brutal violence. Jerry ultimately emerges alive from this confrontation, but not without suffering both physical and emotional scars.
A Wrinkle in Time
Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
ISBN: 0440498058
Other Books in Series: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters
Plot Summary: Meg Murry and her brother Charles Wallace, the children of scientists, are both misfits: Meg does not fit in socially with her peers, and Charles Wallace, although a genius, mystifies his teachers. Their father is currently missing; before he left, he was working on a theoretical concept known as a tesseract. Together with Meg's friend Calvin O'Keefe, also a social outcast, they make the acquaintance of an eccentric old woman, Mrs. Whatsit. Along with her "sisters" Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, they transport the three through space and time via tesseract, which they explain as a "folding" of the space-time continuum. During their travels, they find out that the universe is being threatened by a malicious force, known as the Black Thing or IT, which is holding their father captive on a planet called Camazotz. The Earth, as revealed to them by the Happy Medium, is also in danger of being engulfed by the Black Thing's darkness. Partial exposure to IT injures Meg, who is nursed back to health by a friendly, telepathic creature she comes to call Aunt Beast. Once Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace reach Camazotz, they find a "Stepford Planet," a suburban hell inhabited by people all like each other, leading identical lives, under IT's thrall. In order to free her brother and father from IT, who takes them both captive, Meg must confront IT with all the things IT cannot stand: love, liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of individual happiness.
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
ISBN: 0440498058
Other Books in Series: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters
Plot Summary: Meg Murry and her brother Charles Wallace, the children of scientists, are both misfits: Meg does not fit in socially with her peers, and Charles Wallace, although a genius, mystifies his teachers. Their father is currently missing; before he left, he was working on a theoretical concept known as a tesseract. Together with Meg's friend Calvin O'Keefe, also a social outcast, they make the acquaintance of an eccentric old woman, Mrs. Whatsit. Along with her "sisters" Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, they transport the three through space and time via tesseract, which they explain as a "folding" of the space-time continuum. During their travels, they find out that the universe is being threatened by a malicious force, known as the Black Thing or IT, which is holding their father captive on a planet called Camazotz. The Earth, as revealed to them by the Happy Medium, is also in danger of being engulfed by the Black Thing's darkness. Partial exposure to IT injures Meg, who is nursed back to health by a friendly, telepathic creature she comes to call Aunt Beast. Once Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace reach Camazotz, they find a "Stepford Planet," a suburban hell inhabited by people all like each other, leading identical lives, under IT's thrall. In order to free her brother and father from IT, who takes them both captive, Meg must confront IT with all the things IT cannot stand: love, liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of individual happiness.
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging
Title: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging
Author: Louise Rennison
ISBN: 0064472272
Other Books in Series: On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God; Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas; Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants; Away Laughing on a Fast Camel; Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers; Startled by His Furry Shorts; Love is a Many-Trousered Thing; Stop in the Name of Pants!; Are These my Basoomas I See Before Me?; Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.
Plot Summary: Georgia Nicolson, a young British teenager, is dealing with many common teenage issues at once: embarrassing parents, a precocious younger sister, an insane pet cat, school rivalries, and of course, romance. In the process, she and her friends make up new words, find new and hilarious ways to deal with the problems they face, emerging more or less intact.
Author: Louise Rennison
ISBN: 0064472272
Other Books in Series: On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God; Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas; Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants; Away Laughing on a Fast Camel; Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers; Startled by His Furry Shorts; Love is a Many-Trousered Thing; Stop in the Name of Pants!; Are These my Basoomas I See Before Me?; Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.
Plot Summary: Georgia Nicolson, a young British teenager, is dealing with many common teenage issues at once: embarrassing parents, a precocious younger sister, an insane pet cat, school rivalries, and of course, romance. In the process, she and her friends make up new words, find new and hilarious ways to deal with the problems they face, emerging more or less intact.
Jacob Have I Loved
Title: Jacob Have I Loved
Author: Katherine Paterson
ISBN: 0064403688
Plot Summary: Louise Bradshaw is a young woman growing up in the Chesapeake Bay area during the Second World War. Her twin sister, Caroline, has always been her parents' favorite: prettier, more talented, and initially in poorer health after their birth, which has garnered her far more attention throughout her life. Caroline, although never intentionally cruel to her sister, takes from Louise everything she wants in life. When Louise gets the opportunity to leave her small community and build her own future, a large part of this will be learning how to develop her own identity, separate from that of her sister.
Author: Katherine Paterson
ISBN: 0064403688
Plot Summary: Louise Bradshaw is a young woman growing up in the Chesapeake Bay area during the Second World War. Her twin sister, Caroline, has always been her parents' favorite: prettier, more talented, and initially in poorer health after their birth, which has garnered her far more attention throughout her life. Caroline, although never intentionally cruel to her sister, takes from Louise everything she wants in life. When Louise gets the opportunity to leave her small community and build her own future, a large part of this will be learning how to develop her own identity, separate from that of her sister.
Little Brother
Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
ISBN: 0765319853
Plot Summary: Marcus is a high school student in the San Francisco of the near, dystopian future. His every move is tracked electronically, either by cameras, bar codes, computers, or even the free laptop computers distributed by his school. But he is a computer genius, and he and his friends Jolu, Van and Darryl have determined a number of ways to beat the system. That is, until they all get caught in the midst of a terrorist attack on the city and are detained by the Department of Homeland Security. In the aftermath of the event, his subsequent "enhanced interrogation," and the disappearance of one of his friends Marcus becomes determined to beat the DHS at their own game, with his other friends as sometimes unwilling accomplices.
Author: Cory Doctorow
ISBN: 0765319853
Plot Summary: Marcus is a high school student in the San Francisco of the near, dystopian future. His every move is tracked electronically, either by cameras, bar codes, computers, or even the free laptop computers distributed by his school. But he is a computer genius, and he and his friends Jolu, Van and Darryl have determined a number of ways to beat the system. That is, until they all get caught in the midst of a terrorist attack on the city and are detained by the Department of Homeland Security. In the aftermath of the event, his subsequent "enhanced interrogation," and the disappearance of one of his friends Marcus becomes determined to beat the DHS at their own game, with his other friends as sometimes unwilling accomplices.
Be More Chill
Title: Be More Chill
Author: Ned Vizzini
ISBN: 0060747811 (Audio Book)
Reader: Jesse Eisenberg
Plot Summary: Jeremy Heere is just an average teenage boy, pining after a girl who doesn't know he exists - until he hears about a tiny internal supercomputer that can help you learn how to be cool, and win over any girl you want. This computer, known as a "squip," does everything it promises on the label at first, but Jeremy soon finds out that being the "cool" guy the squip wants him to become isn't everything he initially thought it would be.
Author: Ned Vizzini
ISBN: 0060747811 (Audio Book)
Reader: Jesse Eisenberg
Plot Summary: Jeremy Heere is just an average teenage boy, pining after a girl who doesn't know he exists - until he hears about a tiny internal supercomputer that can help you learn how to be cool, and win over any girl you want. This computer, known as a "squip," does everything it promises on the label at first, but Jeremy soon finds out that being the "cool" guy the squip wants him to become isn't everything he initially thought it would be.
Freak Show
Title: Freak Show
Author: James St. James
ISBN: 0142412317
Plot Summary: Billy Bloom is a teenage drag queen. He has moved to Florida to live with his father, a well-known local figure, and goes to a conservative high school where his flamboyant persona and outfits make him an outcast, figure of ridicule, and occasional target for violence. He makes a few friends and even falls in love, but it is as hard for the people around him to learn to live with him as it is for him to live with them.
Author: James St. James
ISBN: 0142412317
Plot Summary: Billy Bloom is a teenage drag queen. He has moved to Florida to live with his father, a well-known local figure, and goes to a conservative high school where his flamboyant persona and outfits make him an outcast, figure of ridicule, and occasional target for violence. He makes a few friends and even falls in love, but it is as hard for the people around him to learn to live with him as it is for him to live with them.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
ISBN: 043935806X
Other Books in Series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Plot Summary: When Harry Potter goes back for his fifth year at Hogwarts, he finds the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, gradually taking over the school as per the instructions of her real employer, the Ministry of Magic. Meanwhile, his godfather, Sirius Black, introduces him to the Order of the Phoenix, a band of magical rebels dedicated to defeating Voldemort and his followers. In the same spirit, Harry forms Dumbledore's Army among like-minded peers at Hogwarts, banding together to drive out the tyrannical Umbridge after she takes over Dumbledore's position as Headmaster. Harry's involvement in both of these groups, combined with his other problems, push him almost to the breaking point, and although he makes it through his various ordeals, victory will not come without a strong measure of personal tragedy.
Author: J.K. Rowling
ISBN: 043935806X
Other Books in Series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Plot Summary: When Harry Potter goes back for his fifth year at Hogwarts, he finds the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, gradually taking over the school as per the instructions of her real employer, the Ministry of Magic. Meanwhile, his godfather, Sirius Black, introduces him to the Order of the Phoenix, a band of magical rebels dedicated to defeating Voldemort and his followers. In the same spirit, Harry forms Dumbledore's Army among like-minded peers at Hogwarts, banding together to drive out the tyrannical Umbridge after she takes over Dumbledore's position as Headmaster. Harry's involvement in both of these groups, combined with his other problems, push him almost to the breaking point, and although he makes it through his various ordeals, victory will not come without a strong measure of personal tragedy.
Crank
Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
ISBN: 0689865198
Other Book in Series: Glass
Plot Summary: Kristina is a bright, talented high school student dealing with the breakup of her parents' marriage. When she goes to visit her father, she falls in love twice over: with the boy she meets there, and with the drug, crystal meth, he introduces her to. While meth brings out her fearless side at first, Kristina soon finds the drug taking over, and ultimately threatening, her life.
Author: Ellen Hopkins
ISBN: 0689865198
Other Book in Series: Glass
Plot Summary: Kristina is a bright, talented high school student dealing with the breakup of her parents' marriage. When she goes to visit her father, she falls in love twice over: with the boy she meets there, and with the drug, crystal meth, he introduces her to. While meth brings out her fearless side at first, Kristina soon finds the drug taking over, and ultimately threatening, her life.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
Title: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
Author: M.T. Anderson
ISBN: 0763624020
Plot Summary: Octavian, a young African-American, grows up in a Colonial-era community of scientists and philosophers. Both he and his mother are subject to degrading pseudo-scientific experiments in the name of learning more about their racial characteristics, and how they differ from those of white people. As a child, Octavian accepts his way of life, as he and his mother live in relative comfort: however, after he befriends Bono, a black servant, and starts to question why things in their community work as they do, he realizes the extent to which he and his mother are being exploited. This, combined with the financial hardships and change in leadership the community experiences as a result of the American Revolution, finally convinces Octavian to run away.
Author: M.T. Anderson
ISBN: 0763624020
Plot Summary: Octavian, a young African-American, grows up in a Colonial-era community of scientists and philosophers. Both he and his mother are subject to degrading pseudo-scientific experiments in the name of learning more about their racial characteristics, and how they differ from those of white people. As a child, Octavian accepts his way of life, as he and his mother live in relative comfort: however, after he befriends Bono, a black servant, and starts to question why things in their community work as they do, he realizes the extent to which he and his mother are being exploited. This, combined with the financial hardships and change in leadership the community experiences as a result of the American Revolution, finally convinces Octavian to run away.
Maus 1 & 2
Title: Maus 1 and 2
Author: Art Spiegelman
ISBN: B001G50SCS
Plot Summary: Art Spiegelman, a professional cartoonist, decides to record his aging father, Vladek's, stories about surviving the Holocaust. He intersperses his father's stories with scenes from the present of how his father is today, and Art's relationship with him. Throughout the book, the characters are anthropomorphized by nationality and ethnicity: Jewish characters are portrayed as mice; Germans as cats; Americans as dogs, and so forth. Although Vladek's stories "end" with his escape and survival, the fallout from the trauma he and his wife suffered reverberates long after they leave Auschwitz.
Author: Art Spiegelman
ISBN: B001G50SCS
Plot Summary: Art Spiegelman, a professional cartoonist, decides to record his aging father, Vladek's, stories about surviving the Holocaust. He intersperses his father's stories with scenes from the present of how his father is today, and Art's relationship with him. Throughout the book, the characters are anthropomorphized by nationality and ethnicity: Jewish characters are portrayed as mice; Germans as cats; Americans as dogs, and so forth. Although Vladek's stories "end" with his escape and survival, the fallout from the trauma he and his wife suffered reverberates long after they leave Auschwitz.
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