Suggested Reading for High School Students
E - L
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (Nancy Farmer)
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
Sci-fi with an African twist: an unlikely team of detectives tries to locate three missing children.
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
Sci-fi with an African twist: an unlikely team of detectives tries to locate three missing children.
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (Paul Zindel)
-- DRAMA (THEATER) --
The two daughters in this play have that glimmer of hope that only youthfulness can bestow. One daughter in particular, Tille, has found her glimmer of hope in science, specifically in her science project of atomic grown flowers: Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Atomic energy, an element commonly recognized for its destructiveness, is used in her project to aid in the growth of the flowers. When handled carefully, atomic energy can be used to create beautiful things, thus, bettering lives.
-- DRAMA (THEATER) --
The two daughters in this play have that glimmer of hope that only youthfulness can bestow. One daughter in particular, Tille, has found her glimmer of hope in science, specifically in her science project of atomic grown flowers: Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Atomic energy, an element commonly recognized for its destructiveness, is used in her project to aid in the growth of the flowers. When handled carefully, atomic energy can be used to create beautiful things, thus, bettering lives.
Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing)
-- NON-FICTION --
Surviving in the one of the coldest climates on Earth, Ernest Shackleton and his crew hold on to every second. Shackleton’s crew was left stranded for 5 months in the Antarctic after their ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in ice in one of the most savage regions of the world.
-- NON-FICTION --
Surviving in the one of the coldest climates on Earth, Ernest Shackleton and his crew hold on to every second. Shackleton’s crew was left stranded for 5 months in the Antarctic after their ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in ice in one of the most savage regions of the world.
Epileptic (David B.)
-- NON-FICTION (MEMOIR) --
This memoir is written in cartoon form to tell the story of David B.’s childhood adventures and interests that he and his siblings shared–including warrior fantasies, a fascination with World War II, and drawing–and the family's increasing involvement in seeking help for coping with the epilepsy.
-- NON-FICTION (MEMOIR) --
This memoir is written in cartoon form to tell the story of David B.’s childhood adventures and interests that he and his siblings shared–including warrior fantasies, a fascination with World War II, and drawing–and the family's increasing involvement in seeking help for coping with the epilepsy.
Esperanza Rising (Pam Munoz Ryan)
-- FICTION --
A Mexican girl and her mother struggle to survive as farm laborers in Calfornia in the 1930s.
-- FICTION --
A Mexican girl and her mother struggle to survive as farm laborers in Calfornia in the 1930s.
Everything is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer)
-- NON-FICTION --
Author Foer travels to the Ukraine in the hope of finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He is aided in his search by Alex Perchov, a naïve Ukrainian translator, Alex's grandfather (also called Alex), and a flatulent mongrel dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. On their journey through Eastern Europe's obliterated landscape they unearth facts about the Nazi atrocities and the extent of Ukrainian complicity that have implications for Perchov as well as Safran Foer.
-- NON-FICTION --
Author Foer travels to the Ukraine in the hope of finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He is aided in his search by Alex Perchov, a naïve Ukrainian translator, Alex's grandfather (also called Alex), and a flatulent mongrel dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. On their journey through Eastern Europe's obliterated landscape they unearth facts about the Nazi atrocities and the extent of Ukrainian complicity that have implications for Perchov as well as Safran Foer.
Their Eyes are Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
-- HISTORICAL FICTION --
A black woman tells her life story in the South about her 3 different husbands during the time when slavery had only just been abolished.
-- HISTORICAL FICTION --
A black woman tells her life story in the South about her 3 different husbands during the time when slavery had only just been abolished.
Falling Leaves (Adeline Yen Mah)
-- NON-FICTION --
A true Cinderella story, though this time it is the unwanted daughter of a wealthy Chinese man in Hong Kong. She bears abuse from her father and her father’s second wife.
-- NON-FICTION --
A true Cinderella story, though this time it is the unwanted daughter of a wealthy Chinese man in Hong Kong. She bears abuse from her father and her father’s second wife.
Fatelessness (Imre Kertesz)
-- HISTORICAL FICTION (HOLOCAUST) --
A disturbing yet subtle story of an adolescent boy’s experiences in a German concentration camp.
-- HISTORICAL FICTION (HOLOCAUST) --
A disturbing yet subtle story of an adolescent boy’s experiences in a German concentration camp.
Fever 1793 (Laurie Halse Anderson)
-- HISTORICAL FICTION --
In this diary-based novel, we share the harrowing experiences of a teenage girl during a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia.
-- HISTORICAL FICTION --
In this diary-based novel, we share the harrowing experiences of a teenage girl during a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia.
First Stick Knife Gun (Geoffery Canada)
-- NON-FICTION --
Canada knows the world of inner-city children intimately, for he grew up in some of the most dangerous areas of the Bronx. As a young child, he learned that only those who can fight will survive. Canada explains exactly what growing up in this war zone does to the psyche: fear, doubt and anger crowd the mind, driving out love, friendship and laughter.
-- NON-FICTION --
Canada knows the world of inner-city children intimately, for he grew up in some of the most dangerous areas of the Bronx. As a young child, he learned that only those who can fight will survive. Canada explains exactly what growing up in this war zone does to the psyche: fear, doubt and anger crowd the mind, driving out love, friendship and laughter.
The Five People you Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)
-- FICTION --
This is the story of a man reflecting on his life after he dies. It explores how an individual person can impact you life even if it’s only for a few minutes.
-- FICTION --
This is the story of a man reflecting on his life after he dies. It explores how an individual person can impact you life even if it’s only for a few minutes.
The Fixer (Bernard Malamud)
-- FICTION --
Accused of murder, a man flees his village in the Ukraine, hides his Jewish identity, and ends up working for a secretive anti-Semitic group.
-- FICTION --
Accused of murder, a man flees his village in the Ukraine, hides his Jewish identity, and ends up working for a secretive anti-Semitic group.
Frankenstein (Mary Shelly)
-- FICTION --
A prolific scientist, Frankenstein, brings a man made creature to life.
-- FICTION --
A prolific scientist, Frankenstein, brings a man made creature to life.
Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut)
-- FICTION --
The ghost of a decapitated shipbuilder, narrates the humorous, ironic and sometimes carping decline of the human race, as seen through the eyes and minds of the survivors of a doomed cruise to the Galapagos Islands.
-- FICTION --
The ghost of a decapitated shipbuilder, narrates the humorous, ironic and sometimes carping decline of the human race, as seen through the eyes and minds of the survivors of a doomed cruise to the Galapagos Islands.
The Games Do Count (Brian Kilmeade)
-- NON-FICTION (SPORTS) --
Famous people in entertainment, politics, and business describe how sports played a major role in their successes. [This book is available only in hardcover.]
-- NON-FICTION (SPORTS) --
Famous people in entertainment, politics, and business describe how sports played a major role in their successes. [This book is available only in hardcover.]
Gandhi an Autobiography (Mahatma Gandhi)
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of a peaceful revolutionary in India while fighting for independence from the British. (His peaceful passive aggressive action influenced many civil rights leaders in the United States such as Martin Luther King Junior).
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of a peaceful revolutionary in India while fighting for independence from the British. (His peaceful passive aggressive action influenced many civil rights leaders in the United States such as Martin Luther King Junior).
Girl, Interrupted (Susanna Kaysen)
-- NON-FICTION --
Susanna Kaysen’s story as an 18 year old girl when she gets locked up in a mental institution and explores the label of insanity from within.
-- NON-FICTION --
Susanna Kaysen’s story as an 18 year old girl when she gets locked up in a mental institution and explores the label of insanity from within.
The Giver (Lois Lowry)
-- FICTION --
A twelve-year-old boy in the future begins to question the rules and customs of his “perfect” society.
-- FICTION --
A twelve-year-old boy in the future begins to question the rules and customs of his “perfect” society.
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)
-- NON-FICTION --
A girl living in the 1960s creates a diary of her on/off battle with drugs and peer pressure.
-- NON-FICTION --
A girl living in the 1960s creates a diary of her on/off battle with drugs and peer pressure.
Good-Bye Columbus (Philip Roth)
-- FICTION --
Two young people from different backgrounds fall in love; complications ensue.
-- FICTION --
Two young people from different backgrounds fall in love; complications ensue.
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
-- FICTION --
A portrayal of China’s culture during the reign of its last emperor. This is the story of a man and his wife and their struggles.
-- FICTION --
A portrayal of China’s culture during the reign of its last emperor. This is the story of a man and his wife and their struggles.
The Great Escape (Paul Brickhill)
-- NON-FICTION --
Paul Brickhill's novel "The Great Escape" is absorbing reading about British and American POW's efforts to escape from the camps of their German captors.
-- NON-FICTION --
Paul Brickhill's novel "The Great Escape" is absorbing reading about British and American POW's efforts to escape from the camps of their German captors.
Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitsgerald)
-- FICTION --
A romance of a young man who is in love with a young woman who does not return his love.
-- FICTION --
A romance of a young man who is in love with a young woman who does not return his love.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Salmon Rushdie)
-- FICTION --
Stories withing stories. A boy discovers his father’s natural story telling talent as he becomes enraptured in his stories.
-- FICTION --
Stories withing stories. A boy discovers his father’s natural story telling talent as he becomes enraptured in his stories.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J. K. Rowling)
-- FICTION/FANTASY --
The sixth novel in the blockbuster series.
-- FICTION/FANTASY --
The sixth novel in the blockbuster series.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
The hilarious story of the end of the world and what comes after.
-- SCIENCE FICTION --
The hilarious story of the end of the world and what comes after.
The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
-- FICTION --
This is a coming of age story which follows a year in the life of 12 year old Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
-- FICTION --
This is a coming of age story which follows a year in the life of 12 year old Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
If You Come Softly (Jacqueline Woodson)
-- FICTION --
After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen-year-old Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother has twice abandoned her, fall in love and then try to cope with people's reactions.
-- FICTION --
After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen-year-old Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother has twice abandoned her, fall in love and then try to cope with people's reactions.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
-- NON-FICTION (POETRY) --
Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there about disappointment, frustration and finally finding indipendence.
-- NON-FICTION (POETRY) --
Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there about disappointment, frustration and finally finding indipendence.
I Never Had it Made (Jackie Robinson)
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of the legendary baseball player, Jackie Robinson. The first black baseball player to play in the interracial major league.
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of the legendary baseball player, Jackie Robinson. The first black baseball player to play in the interracial major league.
Inferno (Dante Alighieri; translated by John Ciardi)
-- POETRY --
A poet gets a tour of Hell. This 14th-century Italian poem is among the greatest works in th history of literature. [Please get the Signet Classic paperback edition, translated by John Ciardi.]
-- POETRY --
A poet gets a tour of Hell. This 14th-century Italian poem is among the greatest works in th history of literature. [Please get the Signet Classic paperback edition, translated by John Ciardi.]
Jarhead (Anthony Swofford)
-- NON-FICTION --
This is Swofford's horrifying and realistic acount of an unglorified perspective of fighting the current war in Iraq.
-- NON-FICTION --
This is Swofford's horrifying and realistic acount of an unglorified perspective of fighting the current war in Iraq.
Johnny Red (John McCabe)
-- FICTION/MYSTERY --
An alcoholic carpenter tries to solve the murder of his beautiful but unfaithful wife. [This book will available at the Coop in mid-May.]
-- FICTION/MYSTERY --
An alcoholic carpenter tries to solve the murder of his beautiful but unfaithful wife. [This book will available at the Coop in mid-May.]
Judy (Gerold Frank)
-- NON-FICTION --
This is the biography of Judy Garland and the story of her crazy action filled life as she rose to stardom as a child actress. (She played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz movie)
-- NON-FICTION --
This is the biography of Judy Garland and the story of her crazy action filled life as she rose to stardom as a child actress. (She played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz movie)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
-- FICTION --
A story of a single white man raising two children as a lawyer when he chooses to defend an innocent black man during a time of racism and trial in deep south Alabama in the 1950’s.
-- FICTION --
A story of a single white man raising two children as a lawyer when he chooses to defend an innocent black man during a time of racism and trial in deep south Alabama in the 1950’s.
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
-- FICTION --
An Afghan boy commits a terrible betrayal and tries to rectify it years later as an adult.
-- FICTION --
An Afghan boy commits a terrible betrayal and tries to rectify it years later as an adult.
Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
-- FICTION --
The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas." Planning a move to Canada, his father packs up the family and their menagerie and they hitch a ride on an enormous freighter. After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a menagerie of his animals from the zoo.
-- FICTION --
The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas." Planning a move to Canada, his father packs up the family and their menagerie and they hitch a ride on an enormous freighter. After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a menagerie of his animals from the zoo.
Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses (Paula McLain)
-- MEMOIR --
The author tells the powerful and often beautiful story of how she and her two sisters were abandoned by their parents and raised in a series of foster homes.
-- MEMOIR --
The author tells the powerful and often beautiful story of how she and her two sisters were abandoned by their parents and raised in a series of foster homes.
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
-- FICTION --
This novel tells the story of four sisters as they grow up in mid 19th century America into women.
-- FICTION --
This novel tells the story of four sisters as they grow up in mid 19th century America into women.
Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of one of the most prolific and inspirational men in the whole continent of Africa as he fights for the freedom of the black people of his country.
-- NON-FICTION --
The autobiography of one of the most prolific and inspirational men in the whole continent of Africa as he fights for the freedom of the black people of his country.
Lord of the Rings (J.R. R. Tolkien)
-- FANTASY --
The adventure of a hobbit as he explores unknown lands of magic and wizards to save the “power of the rings” from getting into the hands of the evil.
-- FANTASY --
The adventure of a hobbit as he explores unknown lands of magic and wizards to save the “power of the rings” from getting into the hands of the evil.
Love in the Driest Season (Neely Tucker)
-- NON-FICTION --
The heart-rending story of a journalist and his wife trying to adopt an AIDS orphan in Zimbabwe.
-- NON-FICTION --
The heart-rending story of a journalist and his wife trying to adopt an AIDS orphan in Zimbabwe.
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
-- FICTION --
-- FICTION --
A young teenager watches from heaven as her family tries to cope with her brutal murder.