Jefferson High School
What Should I Read Next?
Know a good book I should read next? Send me the title and author and I'll be sure to check it out! Or, let me know about a good book you read and I'll add your review to the page!
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Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Scoring the management job of the hottest rock band in high school seems like the best job in the world. Piper was excited and hoped to score some extra cash from the gig. The only problem was, she had no idea if they were any good. It's hard to hear the music when you're deaf. Nevertheless, she leads dumb on a wild tour around Seattle where they discover the roots of grunge music and the true meaning of Dumb.
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Genre: Fiction
The Thief Lord had saved us from the streets, Bo and Me . . . or the canals. It was Venice after all. We had hidden from conductors in trains and slept in tiny spaces all huddled together, frozen and hungry. Then, the Thief Lord had found us and taken us in and added us to his menagerie. It was Aunt Esther's fault. After our folks had died, she had wanted to take Bo to raise as her own. Just Bo. She wanted to separate us. So, I took Bo and fled. All the way to Venice. Now, we lived in the Stella, a rundown old movie theatre that no one used any more. Along with Hornet, Riccio and Mosca. Scipio, the thief lord, never slept there himself. We'd only see him when there was a reason. He'd bring us the loot he'd stolen, but would never take any of us with him, even though he was just a kid like us. Not that I wanted to go. Or wanted Bo to learn to be a thief either. But, he provided for us. And, he'd let us take the items he lifted and exchange them for the money we used to eat and cloth ourselves. All in all, we were doing just fine. And, it was beginning to feel like we were part of a family. Then, I ran into the detective. The one my aunt and uncle had hired to track down Bo and me. Then, we found out the truth about the Thief Lord.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckmister Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Genre: Historical Fiction
A natural baseball talent, Turner Buckminster is having difficulty adjusting to life in his new town, Phippsburg Maine. Here baseball is played differently, and he is not feeling welcome. Lizzie Bright is a girl that is as smart and sassy as they come. Turner quickly finds out that there is much to learn from this girl. His relationship with Lizzie soon causes problems as she is a member of a small impoverished slave community living on an island off the coast of the town. The town elders want to rid themselves of the “problem” and develop the island as a resort. Turner creates problems for himself and his family when he “steps up to bat” for Lizzie and her community.
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Katie Malone had her life planned out perfectly: straight A's, ministers daughter, perfect Harvard-to-be boyfriend, and amazing long distance runner. All she needed now was her acceptance letter to Princeton and her life would be perfect. But just like in chemistry, everything can be perfectly planned out, but one small catalyst can set off a chain reaction that spins everything out of control. When her neighbors house burns down, Katie now finds herself living with her worst enemy, and that's just the beginning.
Tsunami: The true story of an April fools' day disaster by Gail Langer Karwoski
Imagine you were sitting on the beach, watching the tide crash in and out, when suddenly the tide started receding without coming back in. Would you stare in wonder at the newly revealed ocean floor, just like the students and teachers of Laupahoehoe School in Hawaii? I hope not, because Mother Nature pulled the worst April Fools' prank imaginable, she released a Tsunami on the Hawaiian Islands, resulting in the worst Tsunami disasters in history. Find out really happened that day in Hawaii and whether Oregon is safe.
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams
Nothing is perfect in Ingrid's life, starting with her name. Who names their child Ingrid anyway? But Ingrid's life is about to get a little less perfect when she finds herself lost on the way to soccer practice because her parents were yet again late picking her up from the orthodontist. Instead of the soccer field, Ingrid finds herself in the Flats and face-to-face with Cracked-up Katie, the scariest woman in town. Scared out her wits, Ingrid manages to find the soccer field and vows to tell no one about her experience in the Flats. But when newspaper the following morning reveals Katie was murdered, Ingrid wonders how long she can keep her experience a secret. Especially when her lucky soccer cleats are found at the murder scene!
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Set against the backdrop of modern-day chaotic Burma, "Bamboo People" explores the social interactions of two young boys, Chiko, a Burmese boy, and Tu Reh, a Karenni refugee. Both find themselves caught up in the political turmoil that has been plaguing Burma over the past decades. Chiko finds himself a child soldier, against his will, destined to suppress the Karenni and other ethnic groups, Tu Reh is himself the victim of soldiers like Chiko, burned out of his village and forced to live in a refugee camp and plot his revenge. But when the paths of these two you boys cross, they are both forced to redefine who they are and what it means to be human.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Manjiro was a poor 14-year-old fisherman living in Japan in the mid-1800s, who dreamed as most do, of being something greater. Manjiro wished to be a samurai. But in 19th century Japan, one was born to rank and privilege, and Manjiro was born to be a fisherman, forbidden to leave the island of Japan. However, everything changes for Manjiro when his fishing boat is shipwrecked on a strange island and he and his friends are rescued by American whale-hunting sailors. Suddenly, a poor and illiterate Japanese boy finds himself in a new environment full of literacy, innovation, and American values of social justice. Armed with a new name, John Mung (Manjiro) faces a new world of opportunity in America, but with this opportunity comes racism at every corner and John wonders if he will ever belong. Forbidden to return to Japan and unwelcome in America, John is forced to make some decisions, that ultimately change our history as we know it.
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
