“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.”  Imagine a world where a trip to the moon is as simple as a trip to the mall—a world where every person is continually plugged in to the “feed.”  And what are the teenagers of the future being fed?  Constant advertising!  Sure, the “feed” allows you to access information from the computer chip implanted in your brain, but the constant buzz doesn’t allow you to think much on your own.  Until, that is, you get accidentally unplugged one day and meet someone who has decided to fight the feed.  This is the haunting and humorous new world of M.T. Anderson’s Feed.

Recommended for grades 9-10 ~ Dr. Pajor, Ms. Eckhardt & Mrs. Schanou

Over 1,000 cameras flash as coiffed couples walk the red carpet.  The Academy Awards?  No, this is the Ensure High School prom where students make their grand entrances in race cars, by helicopter, and even on a moving mechanical rhino.  For over thirty years, this southern Pennsylvania high school’s tradition of creating an unrivaled celebration has caught the attention of local and national media.  Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Bam berger spends a year with the class of 2004 as they strive to uphold the tradition.  Like an MTV reality series that follows the senior year experiences of several students, Wonderland pulls you into teenagers’ lives and exposes their struggles and successes: planning for college, pursuing a dream date, mourning a death, raising a baby, overcoming a handicap, chasing a sports scholarship, and making their mark. 

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Mrs. Braverman

This true story is about a boy named Ishmael who grew up in the African country of Sierra Leone .  When he was still young, his family’s village was brutally attacked by rebels.  On the run and separated from his family, Ishmael and some of the other children from his homeland travel night and day while trying to hide from the violence which terrorizes everyone from children to the elderly.  After too many close calls, Ishmael and the other boys are eventually recruited to defend the country from the deadly rebels.  However, life as a child soldier changes everything – Ismael is transformed.  This memoir is captivating and terrifying.  Ishmael’s story is something that everyone should read to better understand some of the horrors that occur across the world – even today.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~  Mrs. Palm

Set in an eerie Victorian girls’ boarding school, A Great and Terrible Beauty is the story of Gemma who is trying to figure out why she is having mysterious visions of another realm at the same time that she is trying to fit in at her new school.  This novel is a unique mix of gothic mystery and fantasy as well as a look at the world of gossipy cliques and questionable friendships.  Although dark, this is an entertaining book about two worlds: the typical life of a teen trying to fit in and the unusual world of the mystical and supernatural.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Ms. Eckhardt

Phil Caputo writes, “Most of all, we learned about death at an age when it’s common to think of oneself as immortal.”  Caputo’s realistic and reflective account of his experiences in the Vietnam War leads the reader to vividly imagine how these brave young men felt as soldiers in one of the most controversial and compelling times in American history.  Historical and timely, the gritty, sometimes raw, and frequently powerful stories in the book invite us to examine the true nature of its impact on the young men who served in Vietnam and those who are serving today.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Social Science Department

King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher is anything but mild.  With humor and honesty, Crutcher recounts a childhood full of both wise and flawed adults and the lessons he learns from them.  In a very personal way, he lets the reader glimpse how the people and antics of his childhood later become characters and plots in his novels.  While Crutcher has the ability to make the reader laugh out loud in this book, he also possesses the philosophical insight to make one think.

Recommended for grades 10-12 ~ Mrs. Andrews & Ms. Mellendorf

After a horrible car accident, Jori has been transformed from a popular high school student into a bitter loner who is angry at the world. In addition, her sister Lisa has disappeared.  Walking home from school one day, Jori stumbles upon a strange house and meets Professor DePris, who shows her a living tapestry woven from dreams. Distrustful of the eccentric old man and the telepathic spider who weaves for him, she resists entering the dream tapestry until she realizes her sister is trapped inside.  How can Jori convince Lisa to leave this fantastic, yet dangerous, world where anything is possible?

Recommended for grades 9-10 ~ Mrs. Hatch

A Northern Light is the story of 16 year old Mattie Gokey, a talented young writer whose dream of going to college is complicated by many factors.  Her family lives in near poverty conditions on their farm in upstate New York. Before her mother passed away, Mattie promised her that she would take care of her younger siblings.  The difficulty of keeping this promise is complicated by her growing relationship with Royal Loomis, a young handsome farmer, and her sense of duty to her father.  While dealing with this decision, she takes a summer job at a fancy hotel only to get caught up in the disappearance and death of a patron of the hotel. This part of the novel is based on a true story and includes this woman’s journals.  A Northern Light is a beautiful coming of age story about independence and courage at a time when young girls had very few options for their futures.

Recommended for grades 9-11 ~ Ms. Sarlas & Ms. Flint

Oskar Schell, a curious nine year old boy who is an amateur actor, physicist and tambourine player, lost his father on “the worst day ever” – September 11, 2001.  He turns to the support of his beloved grandmother and an eccentric cast of characters while trying to both deal with his grief and unravel the mystery about a key he finds in his father’s closet.  The novel intertwines the story of Oskar’s quest with the recollections of his grandmother’s complicated life.  The novel is deeply moving yet occasionally humorous. Told through multiple perspectives, it is a book for those who appreciate a challenging read and those who are willing to explore the complex, poignant aftermath of that heartbreaking day.   This book is recommended for advanced readers only.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Ms. Sarlas, Mrs. Higgins-Spoleti, & Mrs. Braverman

Blink is about the first two seconds of looking—the information that can be gleaned from a single glance.  Malcolm Gladwell comes off as a 21^st century Emerson or Thoreau as he encourages readers to trust their intuition and gut reactions to various situations.  Gladwell proposes that if a person focuses on the meaning of “thin slices” of behavior, important decisions can be made more efficiently and accurately.  He supports his theory with a diverse set of examples including scenes from heart attack triage, speed dating, selling cars, and military maneuvers.  Gladwell also exposes the dark side of jumping to conclusions by discussing errors that have been made in American history from electing Warren G. Harding, a handsome but inept president, to the murder of Amadou Diallo by police officers in the Bronx.  Reading  Blink will give you a new perspective on a skill that you use everyday, and with Gladwell’s advice, perhaps you too will become a more astute observer of human behavior.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Mr. Parrilli

Kaaterskill Falls, NY, the beautiful setting of this novel, is a summer getaway for several Orthodox Jewish families in the 1970’s. In some ways, these families and their experiences will be familiar to the reader: a mother and teenage daughter who disagree about friends, piano-practice, and clothes; a father who must choose when thinking about his legacy between two sons: the brilliant rebellious one or the obedient plodding one; and a mother striving to open her own business. In other ways, the experiences of these characters will reveal to many readers a whole new world of Jewish tradition. This is a poignant and beautifully written first novel by Allegra Goodman.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Mrs. Braverman & Mrs. Miller

Did you enjoy the poetry slam at Maine South this year?  Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes takes the lives of 18 high school students and shows off their own personal poetry.  Their English teacher, Mr. Ward, has students write their own poetry, and to make matters worse, he has them recite it…out loud…in front of the entire class!  At first students are shy, even terrified, to recite their own poetry.  After a few days, however, Mr. Ward’s students enjoy sharing their own free verse with one another and find that they really aren’t alone in this big world of ours.

Recommended for grades 9-10 ~ Mr. Ellefson & Mr. Fechner

Dog lovers will delight in the true story of this yellow lab named Marley, a neurotic, loving, mischievous dog whose owners adore him despite his antics.  Marley doesn’t fit the mold of calm, even-tempered labradors; he was an adorable puppy that grew to be a lovably naughty, hyperactive, drooling 100 pound menace of destruction and loyalty.  Follow Marley and his owners as they live their lives together.  This isn’t just the story of a hilariously energetic dog; it’s also the heart-tugging story of the owners as they get married in their 20s and start a family.  This book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for many months because it’s so touching and funny.  This is a fast and fun read for anyone who has ever owned and loved a pet.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Mrs. Sallmann & Mrs. Valko

Imagine a United States where playing football, having a temper tantrum, running without a helmet, and being overweight are all illegal.  Welcome to author Pete Hautmann’s futuristic setting: the United Safer States of America in the year 2070. In this society where 24% of adults are in jail and 75% of people over the age of ten are on the drug Levulor to help keep their tempers from flaring, sixteen year old Bo is unfairly blamed for a mysterious rash that spreads through his school.  Angered by the accusation, Bo is arrested and sentenced to three years of labor in a McDonalds’ owned prison camp in the former Canadian tundra.  Forced to work 18 hour days, Bo becomes the victim of a corrupt prison system that ironically is brutal and violent.  With the help of an unlikely computerized ally and fellow inmates turned friends, Bo fights for survival.

Recommended for grades 9-10 ~ Mrs. Braverman

This book is a must read for anyone with any questions about the impact of the possibility of nuclear war.  The book follows the lives of six people who survived the detonation of the first atomic bomb ever dropped upon a civilian population--Hiroshima.  This non-fiction account takes the point of view of the civilian victims, a group not usually discussed in history books, and gives a stunning picture of the experience of a nuclear explosion from the ground level. It is essential for reading for anyone who lives in our modern, nuclear shadowy era.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Mr. Deger, Mrs. Hatch & Mrs. Higgins-Spoleti

When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a package of envelopes from her free-spirited, artistic aunt, she leaves New Jersey to travel Europe, finding adventure and romance along the way.  Throughout her journeys in Rome, Paris, Greece , England , and the Netherlands , Ginny collects pieces of her aunt’s past and ultimately learns that she, too, is an adventurer in her own right, full of spirit and curiosity.

Recommended for grades 9-10 ~ Ms. Mellendorf

Alex Kotlowitz takes his reader in Never A City So Real on a walking tour of the city of Chicago.  However, this book does not take the tourist to Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, the Art Institute or Millennium Park though; instead, he takes the reader to Southside housing projects, closed steel mills, neighborhood ethnic restaurants and the 26^th Street Criminal Court.  Channeling the oral history style of Chicago legend Studs Terkel, Kotlowitz recounts conversations with a union organizer, an urban muralist, social workers, restaurant owners, and lawyers who all shape the real face of today’s Chicago.  Within these 21^st century stories, Kotlowitz manages to weave in elements of Chicago’s social and literary history like Haymarket Square, Nelson Algren, and the reversal of the Chicago River.  This quick and enjoyable read will enthrall both the native and the newcomer to our great city.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Mr. Parrilli

The quest to become “beautiful” has become an epidemic in America .  Plastic surgeons can shorten women’s toes so they can fit into stylish Jimmy Cho shoes.   In 2004 alone, over 12 million surgical beauty procedures were performed in America .  Botox injections have increased over 2500% percent in the last few years.  In short, America is becoming obsessed with plastic surgery as a way to achieve an unrealistic beauty ideal.  This book explores our culture’s obsession with beauty through an investigation of the plastic surgery industry.  The author also gives her harrowing account of her own obsession with plastic surgery and the emotional and financial scars she acquired as a result.  This is a great read for anyone interested in the “beauty myth” and what great lengths people might go to when trying to achieve it.

Recommended for grades 10-12 ~ Ms. Sarlas & Mrs. Nero

Steven Levitt from the University of Chicago is not your typical economist, and this highly influential and controversial book shows why. Levitt asks questions such as: “What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?” “How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?” and “Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?” His conclusions might surprise you. For example, gangs are organized a lot like McDonald’s including the pay structure.  Also, students’ high test scores are correlated with the number of books in the home. Leavitt hopes you’ll find yourself asking such questions and perhaps finding interesting and even surprising answers. If you never thought you’d find yourself reading a book on economics, surprise yourself with this national bestseller. 

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Mrs. Krukowski & Mrs. Higgins-Spoleti

He was born a congenital amputee, his arms ending at his elbows and his legs at his knees. But that did not stop Kyle Maynard from becoming a champion, on the wrestling mat and in life. No Excuses is the inspiring story of Kyle’s battle against the odds. You’ll learn about the family that supported him, the coach who trained him, and the faith that strengthened him to face the toughest fights. Included in the book are how Kyle’s parents dealt with the shock of his birth. Why they allowed him “no excuses”- and how that mentality benefited Kyle as he learned to eat, write, and compete without hands.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Physical Education Department

Vegas, baby!  Vegas!  If you’re looking forward to Ocean’s 13 this summer, start out by picking up Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich.  Follow a few bored math students from M.I.T as they turn their genius to blackjack and counting cards.  This small town blackjack club in Boston turns out to be a little more skilled than one could imagine.  Soon, you’ll find this group taking Vegas for millions as well as falling into the underworld of this city that never sleeps.  Mezrich chronicles the M.I.T. counting team’s exhilarating rise to blackjack supremacy and the nightmare of when Vegas takes it all back and then some.

Recommended for grades 11-12 ~ Mr. Parrilli & Mr. Fechner

While 15 year old Franky Pierson hates her real name (Francesca), she begins to embrace a new name for herself—Freaky Green Eyes.  This is who she becomes when she needs the personal strength to deal with confusing, scary situations, from a boy who tries to take advantage of her to her own family falling apart. Her usual compliance toward her famous sportscaster father’s control turns to anger.  Simultaneously her mother distances herself from the family, both physically and emotionally. And when Mrs. Pierson suspiciously disappears, it is Franky who finds the courage to solve the mystery.  In this novel, Joyce Carol Oates creates a page-turner in which the reader doesn’t want to leave the main character’s side—not until Freaky Green Eyes discovers the truth.

Recommended for grades 9-11 ~ Mrs. Andrews & Mrs. Retrum

What actually happens to bodies that are donated to science?  In this nonfiction read, Mary Roach explores and explains where human remains reside and the purposes they serve.  Her research takes her to medical universities, cemeteries, crime labs, and a few other more non-traditional sites.  At times gory, but more often interesting and humorous, this book is a must-read for those of you who are science buffs or just cadaver-curious.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Ms. Eckhardt

Treasure Island is the quintessential pirate story. If you want to read about a search for buried treasure, murdering pirates, mutiny, and Long John Silver, read Treasure Island. Jim Hawkins, a fourteen year old boy, tells the story of sailing to treasure island after he saves a map from a pirate-attack on his mother’s sea-side pub. One of the first and most read pirate stories, Treasure Island has all the essentials of a true pirate adventure: a treasure map where X marks the spot, murder, betrayal, a talking parakeet, and of course Long John Silver—one of the most feared pirates to ever live.

Recommended for grades 9-12 ~ Mrs. Miller

 From no indoor plumbing to a Park Avenue apartment in New York—this is the real life odyssey that Jeannette Walls, MSNBC columnist, takes you on. It’s the story of one family with two extremely eccentric parents who believe that life is an adventure even while their own four children suffer through poverty, starvation, and chaos. Funny, sad, honest, and inspiring—this memoir is a great summer read.

Recommended for grades 10-12 ~ Mrs. Higgins Spoleti & Mrs. Valko