Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award
The Illinois High School Students’ Choice Award
Library
Homepage ~ Maine
South High School
The 2008-2009 Master List | Archives of Previous Years
The 2008 Winner: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
What
is the Lincoln Award?
The Abraham Lincoln Award is awarded annually to the author of the book
voted as most outstanding by participating students in grades nine through
twelve in Illinois. The award is named for Abraham Lincoln, one of Illinois’
most famous residents and himself an avid reader and noted author.
How do I participate?
1. Read at least four books from the Master List available at the Lincoln
Award display in the LRC by early March.
2. Add your comments or thoughts to the Club
451/PageTurners Online Book Discussions.
3. Vote for your favorite book in early March.
4. We will have the statewide results by mid- to late March.
5. Contact Ms. Mellendorf, librarian, for more information. Email: nmellendorf@maine207.org
After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates
Blaming herself for the car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge that killed her mother, fifteen-yearold
Jenna undergoes a difficult physical and emotional recovery. http://www.jco.usfca.edu
The Bonemender by Holly Bennett
Gabrielle DesChenes, gifted Healer and one of the royal family of Verdeau, finds herself falling in
love with Feolan, an Elf who arrives at her castle seeking help for his wounded friend and who
warns of imminent danger from invaders who threaten the freedom of all who live in the Krylian
Basin.
Catch: A Novel by Will Leitch
Teenager Tim Temples must decide if he wants to leave his comfortable life in a small town and go
to college.
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Kristina Snow is the perfect daughter, but she meets a boy who introduces her to drugs and
becomes a very different person, struggling to control her life and her mind.
http://www.ellenhopkins.com
Dairy Queen: A Novel by Catherine Murdock
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's
rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the
reactions of those around her. http://www.catherinemurdock.com
The Girls by Lori Lansens
“We’ve been called many things: freaks, horrors, monsters, devils, witches, retards, wonders,
marvels. To most, we’re a curiosity. In small-town Leaford, where we live and work, we’re just ‘The
Girls.’”
Hawksong by Amelia Atwater Rhodes
In a land that has been at war so long that no one remembers the reason for fighting, the
shapeshifters who rule the two factions agree to marry in the hope of bringing peace, despite
deep-seated fear and distrust of each other.
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
After capturing a bank robber, nineteen-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving
mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting
over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a
psychiatric hospital. http://www.nedvizzini.com
Jennifer Government: A Novel by Max Barry
In a corporate-governed future world where people take the last names of the companies they
work for, merchandising officer Hack Nike tries to get out of a contract that requires him to shoot
teenagers, a situation that results in his unwitting involvement with an agent who is out to get
Hack's employer. http://www.maxbarry.com
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old
Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to
prevent a war between the gods. http://www.rickriordan.com
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good
friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal
car crash. http://www.sparksflyup.com
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her
father and boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her
determination to live her own life. http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com
Peeps: A Novel by Scott Westerfeld
Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the
girlfriends he has unknowingly infected. http://www.scottwesterfeld.com
Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte
Matt Rydeck, co-captain of his high school football team, endures a traumatic season as he
witnesses the rape of a rookie player by teammates and grapples with his own use of
performance-enhancing drugs. http://www.robertlipsyte.com
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi leaves her poor mountain home in Nepal thinking that she is to work in
the city as a maid only to find that she has been sold into the sex slave trade in India and that
there is no hope of escape. http://www.pattymccormick.com
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
Haunted by flashbacks, fifteen-year-old Meredith learns that three years in prison has not changed
the abusive father who molested her. http://www.laurawiess.com
Taken by Chris Jordan
In a terrible instant, Kate Bickford's young son vanishes. Racing home hoping to find her son, Kate
comes face-to-face with his abductor, who wants all the money she has. If she doesn't follow
something he calls The Method, the consequences will be gruesome. http://www.rodmanphilbrick.com
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Trixie Stone is only a freshman in high school when Jason, the junior she thinks she loves, dumps
her. Then one night at a party, their paths cross again. A few hours later, a visibly shaken Trixie
comes home to tell her father that Jason assaulted her. Daniel Stone has always done everything
in his power to keep his daughter safe. But he never imagined anything so devastating could
happen to Trixie--and now he's not sure how to help her. http://www.jodipicoult.com
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace – One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson
Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram mountains, Pakistan in 1993, after a terrifying and
disastrous attempt to climb K2, a mountaineer called Greg Mortenson drifted, cold and dehydrated,
into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. This is the story of that promise
and its extraordinary outcome. http://www.ikat.org
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
After learning about his magical ancestry and his own warrior powers, sixteen-year-old Jack
embarks on a training program to fight enemy wizards. http://www.cindachima.com
What Happened to Cass McBride? A Novel by Gail Giles
After his younger brother commits suicide, Kyle Kirby decides to exact revenge on the person he
holds responsible. http://www.gailgiles.com
Archives ~ 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008
The 2008 Winner: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
13
Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Ginny’s adored Aunt Peg, a free-spirited artist, has died, and
her legacy to her niece is a plane ticket to London, and a series of
letters which will guide Ginny on the adventure of a lifetime.
24
Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley
When the love of Jack’s life rejects his invitation to the prom,
his friends jump in to “help” by posting an online ad for
a date for Jack which results in 24 eager applicants.
Bleachers by John Grisham
As the controversial football coach of a small-town Texas high
school lies dying, a group of his former players gather to share stories
of their glory days under his demanding regime.
Boy
Meets Boy by David Levithan
Paul, who is gay, has the good fortune to attend a high school where
the members of the Gay-Straight Alliance outnumber the football team,
the cheerleaders ride Harleys, the star quarterback is also the homecoming
queen, and the new guy in school turns out to be the love Paul has been
waiting for. http://www.davidlevithan.com/
A
Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
The spirit of a woman long dead, unable to move on to the afterlife,
clings to the physical world until she encounters James, a spirit similarly
marooned, who shows her how to inhabit an “empty” body.
Overjoyed by their discover of each other, the two soon fall deeply
in love. http://www.laurawhitcomb.com/
Dropping
in with Andy Mac by Andy MacDonald
A pro skateboarding legend, known for his rejection of the drugs and
alcohol so prevalent among his peers, recounts the story of his long,
uphill road to success in his demanding and wildly popular sport. http://www.andymacdonald.com/home.lofi.htm
Fault
Line by Janet Tashjian
When Becky meets fellow comedian Kip at the improv clubs where they
both perform, he seems the perfect guy for her – until the relationship
turns abusive. http://www.janettashjian.com/
The
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
83-year-old Eddie is convinced his life has had little meaning, until
his death brings him into the presence of five people who show him the
unexpected impact he has had on others. http://www.albom.com/contact.html
The
Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Walls, now an MSNBC columnist, reveals the story of her chaotic youth,
during which she and her siblings were mostly left to fend for themselves
while her alcoholic father and artist mother moved about the country
evading bill collectors and the law.
Heir
Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
A girl is trapped in a virtual reality game when protestors damage the
gaming center’s equipment, and losing is no longer an option for
her if she hopes to escape unharmed.
House
of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
In a near-future world, Matt learns he is the clone of El Patron, a
powerful drug lord who controls a private empire on the U.S.-Mexico
border. Though despised by humans, Matt is sure that El Patron loves
him, until he learns the true – and horrifying – reason
for his existence.
Left
for Dead: a Young Man's Search for Justice for the U.S.S. Indianopolis by Pete Nelson
The true story of a young boy who spent six years researching the sinking
of a U.S. Navy ship in World War II and exposed the Navy cover-up of
the rigged court-martial of the ship’s captain.
Maximum
Ride: the Angel Experiment by James Patterson
A group of genetically engineered children, part human and part bird,
flee the lab where they were created and the pursuit of the brutal Erasers,
wolf-like predators sent to eliminate them so their existence will never
be discovered. http://www.jamespatterson.com
The
Meq by Steve Cash
Having learned on his 12th birthday in 1881 that he is not human but
an immortal creature known as a Meq, Zianno Zezen embarks on a dual
quest to find his soul- mate and to destroy an evil Meq called Fleur-du-Mal.
Pirates! by Celia Rees
In 1722, upon her father’s death, 16-year-old Nancy Kington is
headed for marriage to a wealthy old man. In desperation, she flees
with the slave girl Minerva to join a pirate band. http://www.celiarees.com/
Rock
Star, Superstar by Blake Nelson
When a high school bass guitar player joins a rock group which is about
to make it big, his new focus on his music career forces a crisis in
his relationship with his girlfriend. http://www.blakenelsonbooks.com/rs.html
Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
A Chinese woman looks back on her youth and young womanhood, reflecting
on her laotong (“old sames”) relationship with another girl,
and on the ways in which they struggled for some degree of self-determination
in a society which oppressed women through such practices as foot-binding
and arranged . http://www.lisasee.com/
Tell
No One by Harlan Coben
Eight years after the police told him a serial killer had murdered his
wife, a man receives a message which seems to indicate that she’s
alive, but if he tries to uncover the truth, it will endanger his own
life. http://www.harlancoben.com/
Tithe by Holly Black
With a freewheeling rock musician for a mother and a band of faeries
for her childhood friends, Kaye’s life has always been weird,
but it becomes weirder – and more perilous – when she discovers
that she herself is a pixie changeling with a special destiny to fulfill. http://www.blackholly.com/
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
A bored girl in a dreary small town finds her life suddenly much more
interesting -- not to mention dangerous – when she becomes attracted
to an unusual boy who belongs to a family of vampires. Who don’t
hunt humans. Usually. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
Natasha, a bright, ambitious Harlem teen who intends to become a lawyer,
maintains a years-long correspondence with her boyfriend Antonio, who
is in prison for involuntary manslaughter. http://www.kalisha.com/home.htm
Yossel by Joe Kubert
The story, in graphic novel format, of a Jewish teen’s experiences
of Nazi brutality in the Warsaw Ghetto which led to the desperate uprising
of 1943. http://www.kubertsworld.com
The 2007 Winner: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Acceleration
by Graham McNamee
Stuck working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority for
the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer
and sets out to stop him.
Across
the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Seventeen-year-old Tomasu lives in a remote mountain village with residents
including his mother who are members of the Hidden, a clandestine, peaceful
religious sect. One day a band of Tohan warriors descends upon and massacres
the village. Tomasu confronts the warriors, but is rescued by the mysterious
Lord Otori who changes the boy's name to Takeo and adopts him. As Takeo
learns to read and fight, he does not realize that he is the center of
a bloody intrigue . . . until it is almost too late.
All-American
Girl by Meg Cabot
Sophomore Samantha Madison stops a presidential assassination attempt,
is appointed teen ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the
eye of the very cute First Son.
The
Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied
Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by
a deadly evil rat king.
Between
a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
The author recounts his harrowing experiences of being trapped for six
days in Blue John Canyon in Utah and having to amputate his own right
arm in order to save his life.
Blood
Red Horse by K.M. Grant
A special horse named Hosanna changes the lives of two English brothers
and those around them as they fight with King Richard I against Saladin's
armies during the Third Crusades.
The
Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
The Burn Journals presents the true story of Brent Runyon, who at fourteen
set himself on fire and sustained burns over eighty percent of his body
and describes the months of physical and mental rehabilitation that
followed as he attempted to pull his life together.
Darkly
Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Miami blood spatter specialist Dexter Morgan is not your average monster.
He occasionally gives in to the impulse to kill in order to satisfy the
Dark Passenger inside his brain, but he's much more well-adjusted than
the label "serial killer" implies. He has a girlfriend, a sense
of humor and, thanks to the loving tutelage of his cop foster father,
he dismembers only other serial killers. But his self-control is sorely
tested when he agrees to help his sister, a vice cop, solve a string of
murders so bizarre, and yet so familiar, that he seriously starts to wonder
if he is committing them in his sleep.
Donorboy
by Brendan Halpin
Rosalind had two mommies. Now, thanks to a tragic accident involving foodstuffs,
she has none. And Sean, the sperm donor responsible for half her DNA (and
nothing else), is taking custody. Rosalind finds herself adjusting to
a new life that seems both hateful and surreal-she's an orphan with a
new father, surrounded by friends she is beginning to despise and well-meaning
adults who succeed only in annoying her.
Fleshmarket
by Nicola Morgan
In nineteenth-century Scotland, following the death of his mother during
surgery, Robbie decides to take revenge on the surgeon who performed the
operation, Dr. Robert Knox, and in the process, makes a gruesome discovery
about the lengths the medical profession will go to advance its knowledge
of anatomy.
godless
by Pete Hautman
When sixteen-year-old Jason Bock and his friends create their own religion
to worship the town's water tower, what started out as a joke begins to
take on a power of its own.
A
Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma
returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school
where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into
the spirit world.
Guts:
the True Stories behind Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen
From Hatchet and The River to Brian's Winter and Brian's Return, readers
and reviewers everywhere adore Gary Paulsen's exciting stories about brave
Brian Robeson. Now, real-life adventurer Paulsen reveals the actual events
that inspired him to write these survival stories. From his first hunting
trips to his memories of moose attacks, to his near-plane crashes to his
own tried-and-true tips on cooking in the wilderness, Paulsen shares the
experiences that inspired Brian's adventures in the woods just as they
happened to him.
High
Heat by Carl Deuker
When sophomore Shane Hunter's father is arrested for money laundering
at his Lexus dealership, the star pitcher's life of affluence and private
school begins to fall apart.
A
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler,
was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college,
all the while hoping to become a writer.
Jude
by Kate Morgenroth
Still reeling from his drug-dealing father's murder, moving in with
the wealthy mother he never knew, and transferring to a private school,
fifteen-year-old Jude is tricked into pleading guilty to a crime he
did not commit.
Redemption
by Julie Chibbaro
Chronicles the arduous journey of a young English girl and her mother
as they flee with other religious protesters to the New World in the early
1500's, and the heartbreak and hope they find when they arrive.
Shattering
Glass by Gail Giles
When Rob, the charismatic leader of the senior class, turns the school
nerd into Prince Charming, his actions lead to unexpected violence.
Sickened
by Julie Gregory
From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated,
and operated on - in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created
in her mother's mind. Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the world's most
hidden and dangerous form of child abuse, in which the caretaker - almost
always the mother - invents or induces symptoms in her child because
she craves the attention of medical professionals. Julie Gregory survived
and tells her story.
The
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Carmen decides to discard an old pair of jeans, but Tibby, Lena, and Bridget
think they are great and decide that whoever the pants fit best will get
them. When the jeans fit everyone perfectly, a sisterhood and a memorable
summer begin.
Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license
-- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings
an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive
pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job
is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
Who
Am I Without Him? Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives
by Sharon G. Flake
A collection of short stories about teenage girls and the issues they
must deal with in their relationships with boys.
The
2006 Winner: My
Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper
A high school junior and his cousin are elated to be invited to join
an elite school club, but as the initiation progresses, they begin to
wonder how high a price they will have to pay for membership.
Children of Willesden Lane; Beyond the Kindertransport: a Memoir
of Music, Love and Survival by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen
The author’s mother escapes Nazi-occupied Vienna via the Kindertransport
to England, and once there must try to pursue her musical studies despite
her loneliness and her anxiety over her family’s fate.
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher,
a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate
the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about
his family.
TOP
Earth, My Butt & Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family,
who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia
tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship,
and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.
Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
In an alternate Great Britain, though it is 1985, the Crimean War is
still in progress, and literature is the basis of “modern”
culture. Thus the theft of a Dickens manuscript is a serious crime,
and Literary Detective Thursday Next is called in to solve the case.
First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father
and must care for his adored baby daughter.
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
In 17th-century Holland, a peasant girl serving in the household of
Jan Vermeer is drawn into the artist’s world when she becomes
the model for one of his portraits, and the target of his wife’s
jealousy and suspicion.
TOP
Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Seventeen-year-old Josh, a loner-philosopher who wants to make a difference
in the world, tries to maintain his secret identity as the author of
a web site that is receiving national attention.
Inside Out by Terry Trueman
A sixteen-year-old schizophrenic is caught up in the events surrounding
an attempted robbery by two other teens who eventually hold him hostage.
King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris
Crutcher
Crutcher, author of young adult short stories and novels such as "Athletic
Shorts" and "Whale Talk," tells of his youth in Cascade,
Idaho, and how he became a writer.
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Two Afghan boys, the sons of a wealthy Kabul businessman and his personal
servant, are inseparable, until a violent incident perpetrated by neighborhood
bullies changes both their lives and destroys their friendship.
TOP
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns,
a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he
most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided
by one girl and the memory of another.
Mother, Come Home by Paul Hornschemeier
A graphic novel dealing with the family tragedy of Thomas Tennant, who
lost his mother to cancer when he was seven. After her death, as his
professor father struggles with his grief, Thomas, occasionally donning
a superhero cape and lion mask, fights to keep their lives on track.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
When her family asks 13-year Anna Fitzgerald to donate a kidney to her
older sister, who suffers from leukemia, she refuses, and sues her parents
for custody of her own body.
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Odd (his real name) is a California short-order cook who has the unfortunate
ability to see ghosts and foretell such future events as mass murders
-- which causes no end of trouble for Odd and his associates.
TOP
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic
father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay rights advocate, struggle
with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings
about each other.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
A new student turns life at Mica H.S. upside down with her nonconformity,
carrying her pet rat to class, singing to classmates to the accompaniment
of her ukulele, and generally going about her days with a total disregard
for teen conventions and the opinions of her peers.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The author visited medical schools, research labs, and mortuary sciences
classes in order to find out what really happens to the bodies donated
for scientific research.
Sweetblood: A Vampire Novel by Pete Hautman
After a lifetime of being a model student, sixteen-year-old Lucy Szabo
is suddenly in trouble at school, at home, with the "proto-vampires"
she has met online and in person, and most of all with her uncontrolled
diabetes.
TOP
Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library
and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she
goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and
finally faces her grief.
Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard
A Brooklyn teen lives a normal, happy life in her eccentric family’s
busy household until the day in September, 2001, when her mom heads
off to work at the World Trade Center and never comes home.
You Remind Me of You: A Poetry Memoir by Eireann Corrigan
Autobiographical poems recount events in a teenager's life, including
her battles with eating disorders, her time in treatment facilities,
and the suicide of her boyfriend.
N. Mellendorf, Librarian. Last update: 4/7/08. Contact: nmellendorf@maine207.org