INCOMING SOPHOMORE SUMMER READING LISTNorthbrook High School 2014

All book cover photos taken from amazon.com

GOOD READS

ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIANBY SHERMAN ALEXIE

Tells the story of “Zits”, a Native American high schooler who loves to draw and play basketball.

Conflict arises when he wants to leave his reservation school and attend a “white” school for better opportunities.

Has many drawings throughout as the narrator explains situations through comedy.

You might like this book if… You like sports You like comedy written from a teenager’s point of

view You’re interested in race issues

Barnes and Noble Cost: $12.00Book Trailer

SPEAK BY LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON

Melinda is a high school student who has stopped speaking.

The reason for her choosing to not speak is shocking! She finds an outlet to express herself through her art. She copes with depression as her finds herself being

ostracized by her friends at school

You might like this book if… You think high school party life is glamorous You don’t trust adults You have a secret that you’re unable to tell anyone

Barnes and Noble Cost: $7.99Book Trailer

GO ASK ALICE BY ANONYMOUS

Alice’s drug addiction starts when she is served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game.

She gets addicted, causing her life to crumble all around her.

A journey that robs her of her innocence, her youth—and ultimately her life.

You might like this book if… You wonder how drug addiction really affects people You wonder the true effects of peer pressure You like books written as diary entries

Barnes and Nobel Cost: $7.99Book Trailer

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER BY STEPHEN CHBOSKY

Tells the story of Charlie, who tries to navigate his freshman year of high school

The trouble is that his best friend is no longer with him, causing Charlie to start with nothing at the beginning of high school.

He meets a group of friends that engage in everything from first dates and family drama…to sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

You might like this book if… You want to see the perspective of high school from

an outsider You want to see the perspective of someone

depressed after a great loss You want to see a different light on high school groups

Barnes and Noble Cost: $11.20 Book Trailer

DEADLINE BY CHRIS CRUTCHER

Ben Wolf has big plans for his senior year. He finds out he only has one year to live after

finding out some devastating news. He tries to keep his news a secret, but finds out

that other people around him have secrets around.

You might like this book if… You like books with strong-willed male characters You like stories that involve high school sports You want to know how a teenager reacts when he

realizes he’s going to die soon.

Barnes and Noble Cost: $7.99 Book Trailer

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES BY SUE MONK KIDD

Lily Owens, a white girl, has her life changed dramatically when her mother is killed.

Lily has a black “stand-in mother” named Rosaleen takes Lily out of their own after racist comments are made.

They are taken in by beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household.

You might like this book if… You like reading about the power of friendship You are interested in race relations in the 1960s You like reading about strong women

Barnes and Noble Cost: $12.80 Book Trailer

THE PRIDE OF BAGHDAD BY BRIAN VAUGHAN AND NIKO HENRICHSON

Graphic Novel Takes places in Baghdad, Iraq Story of Lions which escape during the American

Invasion in the 2000s. Their story of survival mirrors the lives of many

Iraqis.

You might like this if: You like graphic novels (comics) You like animals You like war

Barnes and Noble Cost: $11.99Book Trailer

IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY BY NED VIZZINI

Craig, attending a new school, realizes he’s not as brilliant as he once was—and his world begins crumbling around him.

He stops eating and sleeping, until he nearly kills himself.

Craig confronts his anxiety in a mental hospital, as he works though his own issues alongside his new neighbors including a transsexual sex addict, a girl who scarred her own face with scissors, and others.

You might like this book if… You have felt lost in the world that you can’t control You have ever felt depressed You wonder what life is like in a mental hospital

Barnes and Noble Cost: $7.99Book Trailer

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE BY GENE YANG

Graphic Novel Life of a teenage Chinese boy and the struggles he

goes through. Tells a total of three stories that intertwine as the

characters deal with discrimination, self-identity, self-acceptance, and what is truth

You might like this book if… You enjoy graphic novels You can relate to being discriminated against You want to see life from a minority’s perspective,

perhaps unlike your own

Barnes and Noble Cost: $7.99Book Trailer

I AM MALALA BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI

When the Taliban took control of an area in Pakistan, Malala stood up for her right to an education.

She was shot in the face on the school bus. Few expected her to survive. She’s now an international symbol of peaceful

protest. Has spoken at the United Nations; nominated for a

Nobel Peace Prize

You might like this if you… Already know Malala’s story and consider her a hero Are curious how she survived a bullet to the head Want to stand up for what you believe

Barnes and Noble Cost: $20.80Book Trailer

ELEANOR & PARK BY RAINBOW ROWELL

Taking place in the 1980s, this tells the story of true love found in high school between two outcasts.

Told from both character’s perspectives. Have a love for comic books and music Eleanor struggles with her home life where she has

an abusive stepfather and mother who doesn’t listen to her.

You might like this if you… Like the realistic high school love story Have felt like an outcast before Smile when you think of your first love

Barnes and Noble Cost: $15.19Book Trailer

ANY TITLE BY MATT DE LA PENAHispanic author. Writes usually from the male perspective.

Costs: Ball Don’t Lie: $6.39Ball Don't Lie Trailer A Nation’s Hope: $7.19

A Nation's Hope Trailer

Mexican WhiteBoy: $7.19Mexican White Boy Trailer

ANY TITLE BY SARAH DESSENShe writes love stories, especially for teens.

Barnes and Noble Cost: What Happened to Goodbye- $7.99

What Heppened to Goodbye Trailer

Along for the Ride- $7.99

Along for the Ride Trailer

Someone Like You- $7.99

Someone Like You Trailer

ANY TITLE BY JOHN GREEN

Write about teenage issues: love, friendship, finding out who you are in the world.The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in our Stars Trailer

Paper Towns

Trailer

Looking for Alaska

Trailer

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Book Trailer

An Abundance of Katherines

Trailer

Barnes and Noble: TFIOS: $10.39

An Abundance of Katherines: $7.99

CHALLENGING GOOD READS

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS BY H.G. BISSINGER

Tells the story of an Odessa, Texas football team who have the expectations to win the state championship.

Deals with what happens when you’re under pressure to excel when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Focuses on the people of Odessa and how they deal not only with football, but with race.

You might like this book: You like real-life stories You like sports, especially high school football You want to know about “Texas Football” culture.

Barnes and Noble Cost: $12.76Book Trailer

A WALK IN THE WOODS BY BILL BRYSON

Tale of two adventurers as they travel the Appalachian Trail

The author and his friend Katz, both lazy couch-potatoes and in their 40s, decide one March to make the 2000-mile trail from Georgia to Maine.

The story talks about how both of them cope with being out of shape, going on an extensive journey that they’re ill-prepared for, and what happens when they need to make the choices whether to continue on.

You might like this book if… You like a sense of adventure You want to experience the world You like stories of people who totally mess up

Barnes and Noble Cost: $6.39Book Trailer

IN COLD BLOOD BY TRUMAN CAPOTE

In 1959, in a small town in Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by shotgun blasts held mere inches from their faces.

No motive for the crime, and almost no clues. Truman Capote visits the murderers in prison and

retells the story of the murders and investigation that led to the capture of the suspects, continuing through the trial and execution of the killers

A true story

You might like this book if… You like murder stories You are interested in police work You have an interest in real-life stories

Barnes and Noble Cost: $12.00Book Trailer

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE BY LUCY GREALY

The author spent five years of her childhood being treated for cancer.

She spends the next 15 being treated different as a consequence of her cancer.

Takes more than 30 surgeries until she can accept what she looks like

Through that, she lives with the torture of rejection and the fear of never being loved.

You might like this book if… You are interested in reconstructive surgery You want a perspective of someone who gets made fun of

for what she looks like You want to know what it’s like to live with cancer and

the after effects.

Barnes and Noble Cost: $11.99Book Trailer

ANY TITLE BY KHALED HOSSEINITells stories from the perspectives of Afghanis who survive many different situations.

The Kite Runner ($12.80): A boy growing up before and during Taliban rule Book Trailer

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Tales of women who suffered under Taliban rule Trailer

And the Mountains Echoed ($23.16): Tells the story of families, all who have connections to Afghanistan and explores the ideas of love, honor, sacrifice, and betrayal.

ANY TITLE BY DAVID LEVITHANWrites specifically for teenagers from unique perspectives.

A number of his books deals with love, figuring out who you are, and where you fit in the world.

Everday: $7.99 Book TrailerBoy Meets Boy: $7.19 Book Trailer

THE SOLOIST BY STEVE LOPEZ

Steve Lopez tells the story of a homeless man who was once a musical prodigy from Julliard.

The story centers around his friendship with Nathaniel Ayers, who due to having paranoid schizophrenia and becoming homeless, continues to play the violin.

Lopez helps him through writing articles for the Los Angeles Times, and getting the help he needs to realize his true musical dreams.

You might like this book if… You are interested about the lives of homeless or someone

who is schizophrenic You are interested in mental health issues You are someone who wants to help others You have an interest in music or journalism

Barnes and Noble Cost: $12.00Book Trailer

THE HELP BY KATHRYN STOCKETT

African-American maids in the south tell their stories of oppression, insults, and strength to Skeeter, a white woman, who wants to write a book about their lives.

The idea for the book stems from an idea to have separate bathrooms in the households for the domestic maids, so they don’t share with the white people.

Minny, Miss Celia, Aibieleen, and Yule May tell their very different stories that have common themes of helping each other, the power of telling stories, and the power of love.

You might like this book if… You want to see how African-Americans were treated in

the south during the Civil Rights Era. You like reading about rebels You want to see the best example of revenge cooking ever

writtenBarnes and Noble Cost: $12.80Book Trailer

THE BOOK THIEF BY MARKUS ZUSAK

Death narrates this story of Liesel, a German girl left with foster parents just before World War II.

As a way to cope with losing her brother and the war, she steals books as a way to cope with the war.

As the war intensifies, her obsession with stealing books grows, supply rationing is in place, and her family hides a Jewish man in their basement from the Nazis.

Death continues to travel the earth in the story, taking more souls every day.

You might like this book if… You like stories dealing with World War II and the Nazis You have ever lost someone you loved. You want to see what people can do to survive in extreme

situations

Barnes and Noble Cost: $10.39The Book Thief