Though London awaits the joyful arrival of Christmas, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) thinks it's all humbug, berating his faithful clerk and cheerful nephew for their view. Later, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his late business partner, who warns that three spirits will visit him this night. The ghosts take Scrooge on a journey through his past, present and future in the hope of transforming his bitterness.

A Long Walk To Water teaches about water conditions in South Sudan, Africa. The story is told from two perspectives, a girl named Nya and a boy named Salva. The reader follows the story of Salva and Nya's journey through Sudan with little water, and little family.

The book tells the story of Joey and his sister Mary Alice, city children from Chicago who visit their Grandma Dowdel in her sleepy, rural town during eight summers between 1929 to 1942, the years of the Great Depression.

Bob, the hero, is a young man scheduled to make the first flight into outer space. His mother is fearful of losing him and questions her son’s flight, the mission, and the consequences. Her husband, however, has finally been able to see value in the nation’s space program. On the launch day of the first manned space rocket, he becomes philosophic. The song “A Wheel in a Wheel” reminds him of the space station and its hollow spokes where Bob will live. Bob’s father has come to understand that as long as the world survives, people must continue to seek new horizons, new worlds, and new suns. Once we are living on these new worlds, we will then pass on the gift of life. Thus humanity will be endless and infinite, just as space is endless and infinite.

Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.

The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

In 1861, 9-year-old Jethro Creighton lives with his family on a southern Illinois farm. The Civil War is beginning, stirring heated discussions within homes across the nation. Two of Jethro's older brothers, John and Tom, are anxious to fight for the Union army.

An overweight, sensitive boy gains the insight and strength to overcome his problems through his search for and discovery of a friend's grandfather, known as the Goat Man.

A historical fiction novel for young adults by the author Gennifer Choldenko. In this book, Mathew Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island. The move was caused by the father's new job positions as an electrician and as a guard in the well-known Alcatraz prison.

Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself introduces readers to the life, world, and incredible mind of Leonardo da Vinci through hands-on projects that explore his invention ideas. Most of Leonardo's inventions were never made in his lifetime—they remained sketches in his famous notebooks.

The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

Fourteen-year-old Cloyd Atcitty has been skipping school for years. He's run away from a group home for Native American boys, and is now being sent to work for Walter Landis, an old rancher on an isolated Colorado farm. In a cave above the ranch, Cloyd finds a turquoise carving of a bear.

Twelve-year-old Gypsy Arbutus Leemaster develops an immediate friendship with her cousin, Woodrow Prater, when he moves next door with Granny and Grandpa Ball after his mother disappears. The two unlikely friends embark on a journey of self-discovery that will intrigue all young readers.

The protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands, then kills Grendel's mother with a giant's sword that he found in her lair.

It is the story of an Eskimo girl whose family moves from the coast inland after her father, Bartok, is stranded on an ice floe while seal hunting. While he survives physically, he leaves his profession & agrees to train for the Iditarod (a grueling dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska). Soon he is injured.

Francisco Jiminez continues the moving tale of his early youth begun with a dozen autobiographical short stories in The Circuit. Breaking Through chronicles the author's teenage years. At the age of 14, Francisco and his family are caught by la migra (immigration officers) and forced to leave their California home, but soon find their way back. The author explores the prejudice and challenges they face while also relaying universal adolescent experiences of school, dances and romances.

When a high school teacher in the Bronx begins to host open-mike poetry in his classroom on Fridays, his students find a forum to express their identity issues and forge unexpected connections with one another.

Teenager John Rodgers and his dying father find themselves on opposite sides of an environmental battlefield. At issue is a new species of blue butterflies that John discovers on a jog through land owned by the lumber mill that employs his father and most of his town.

The novel, “Cast Two Shadows” by Ann Rinaldi, was written from the perspective of Caroline. The story tells of how Caroline is forced to grow up quickly in order to save all that she loves. It also includes how Caroline is pushed to clarify where her loyalty and love stands.

Catherine, Called Birdy is the story of Catherine, the daughter of a moderately well-off baron in the years 1290 and 1291, when Catherine is thirteen and fourteen years old. The book takes the form of a journal Catherine is keeping to please her brother Edward, who is a monk and thus knowledgeable about the importance of reading and writing.

Catherine, Called Birdy is the story of Catherine, the daughter of a moderately well-off baron in the years 1290 and 1291, when Catherine is thirteen and fourteen years old. The book takes the form of a journal Catherine is keeping to please her brother Edward, who is a monk and thus knowledgeable about the importance of reading and writing.

He brings home Blue Sky, a lively baby raven, because his Native American friends claim the intelligent birds have powerful medicine. Grandfather, a naturalist, is intrigued, and urges Charlie to keep a nature journal about Blue Sky. But caring for-and protecting-a wild creature is a huge responsibility.

While exploring her new home, a girl named Coraline (Dakota Fanning) discovers a secret door, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors her own but, in many ways, is better. She rejoices in her discovery, until Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) and the rest of her parallel family try to keep her there forever. Coraline must use all her resources and bravery to make it back to her own family and life.

Charles Dickens' David Copperfield relates the story of a young boy's growth and development into maturity. It is written from the point of view of the mature adult who recounts his own obstacles and the obstacles of those around him and how it all shaped his life and his beliefs.

Double Dutch is a 2002 young adult novel by Sharon M. Draper. It focuses on two teenagers (Delia and Randy) and their very different struggles, which eventually collide and threaten their friendship.

Dragonsong, one of the novels in the Pern series, is both an adventure tale and the story of a young woman finding a place for herself in her world. The overarching theme of the series is the strength of love, most dazzlingly embodied in the telepathic bond between a dragon and its rider.

Dragon's Blood, the opening book of the Pit Dragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen, is the story of a young bonder named Jakkin Stewart, who has a dream of becoming a dragon trainer. It is a story of love, slavery, compassion, fierce loyalty, and a young man's drive to be free.

The novel opens in el Rancho de las Rosas in Aguascalientes, Mexico. 12-year-old Esperanza lives a charmed life with her Papa, Mama, Abuelita, and several servants and workers. Esperanza is very close to Papa. He feels a strong connection to the land and teaches Esperanza how to listen to the heartbeat of the earth.

Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Houston, is a coming of age story set in the internment camps of World War II used to separate the ethnic Japanese-Americans from any possible espionage activities. The Japanese Navy bombs Pearl Harbor, setting off a mass anti-Japanese hysteria.

Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Houston, is a coming of age story set in the internment camps of World War II used to separate the ethnic Japanese-Americans from any possible espionage activities. The Japanese Navy bombs Pearl Harbor, setting off a mass anti-Japanese hysteria.

Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff is a 1975 novel by Walter Dean Myers. It is about a boy, Stuff, moving to 116th Street Harlem, making friends with the neighborhood kids and the adventures they have.

When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt, and a brutal stepfather with a flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable.

Frankenstein tells the story of gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein who succeeds in giving life to a being of his own creation. However, this is not the perfect specimen he imagines that it will be, but rather a hideous creature who is rejected by Victor and mankind in general.

This tells the story of a strong friendship between a young boy with Morquio's syndrome and an older boy who is always bullied because of his size. Adapted from the novel, Freak the Mighty, the film explores a building of trust and friendship. Kevin, an intelligent guy helps out Maxwell to improve his reading skills.

It follows two children-12-year-old Claudia Kincaid and her brother Jamie-as they run away from home and hide out in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The children become involved in researching the past of an angel statue sold to the museum by Mrs. Basil E.

Frozen Fire is a philosophical thriller about the nature of reality by Tim Bowler. The novel was first published in 2006. It introduces a mysterious boy who wants to escape his unhappy life through suicide, and a fifteen-year-old girl who only wants her brother back from wherever he has disappeared to.

Gathering Blue is the second book in The Giver Quartet. It follows a girl named Kira. In Kira's mind, her damaged leg should have haunted her at birth to exposure in the Field, the place where the dead, deformed or seriously injured are brought.

Thin Elderly gladly discovers that Littlest has the "gossamer touch"; the ability to gather and bestow with great subtlety. The woman reveals that she is to take an angry 8-year-old boy named John into her household and must learn to deal with the troubles in his life. A young dream-giver named Strapping is introduced.

Great Expectations follows the childhood and young adult years of Pip a blacksmith's apprentice in a country village. He suddenly comes into a large fortune (his great expectations) from a mysterious benefactor and moves to London where he enters high society.

Set in Seattle, Washington, Gym Candy tells the story of Mick Johnson a young football player who is pushed just a little bit to far. Mick started his football training at the age of four he was also put in school a year late so he always has a year on the kids he plays with.

Hatchet tells the story of 13-year-old Brian Robeson and his successful attempt to survive alone in the wilderness. When the novel begins, Brian's parents have recently divorced, an event that Brian finds painful. Brian boards a small plane to fly to meet his father in Canada, where his father is working.

Evslin introduces listeners to the wondrous and terrifying world of superhuman beings, such as Medusa and the Minotaur, and the glory of gods like Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon - brought magically to life through heroes such as Perseus, Daedalus, Prometheus, and others.

A boy is wrongfully sent to a brutal camp, where the camp warden and her staff force the children in their care to mysteriously dig holes all day long in the desert. Their rehabilitation is questioned, as they think something sinister is involved.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer is the story of Hope Yancy, a sixteen-year-old girl who is being raised by her aunt Addie. When she was born, she only weighed a little over two pounds, and the doctors didn't have much hope that she would survive. But she had an inner strength that stayed with her throughout her young life.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of seven autobiographical works by American writer Maya Angelou, published in 1969. The book chronicles her life from age 3 through age 16, recounting an unsettled and sometimes traumatic childhood that included rape and racism. It became one of the most widely read and taught books written by an African American woman.

In Indian Captive, a young girl named Mary Jemison is kidnapped by Native Americans in retribution for the death of one of their children. Mary initially hates being a part of the tribe, but she slowly begins to adjust and even makes friends with a boy named Little Turtle who tries to advocate for her release.

Mo (Brendan Fraser) and his daughter, Meggie, have the ability to bring storybook characters to life just by reading aloud. That gift backfires when he accidentally summons Capricorn, the evil villain of the novel "Inkheart." Mo and Meggie must find a way to send him back to his literary realm, but the task will not be easy, for the malefactor likes his new world and will not leave it voluntarily.

The book is a hard science fiction dystopian novel set in 2154, a time when machines and robots perform most jobs and children go to government schools. Because of this, very few people are employed, with many people living on a social welfare system for support.

Fourteen-year-old Johnny Tremain is the gifted apprentice of Ephraim Lapham, a silversmith in Revolutionary-era Boston. The pious and elderly Mr. Lapham is more interested in preparing his own soul for death than in running his silver shop, so Johnny is the chief breadwinner of the family. Dove and Dusty, Lapham’s other apprentices, are expected to bow to Johnny’s authority, and Mrs. Lapham is determined to have Johnny marry her daughter Cilla. Johnny’s enormous talent and his special status in the Lapham household go to his head, and Johnny often bullies the lazy, insolent Dove, as well as Dusty and the four Lapham daughters. Although Mr. Lapham tries to contain Johnny’s arrogance, Johnny is unwilling to rein in his quick temper or impulsive acts.

Fourteen-year-old Johnny Tremain is the gifted apprentice of Ephraim Lapham, a silversmith in Revolutionary-era Boston. The pious and elderly Mr. Lapham is more interested in preparing his own soul for death than in running his silver shop, so Johnny is the chief breadwinner of the family. Dove and Dusty, Lapham’s other apprentices, are expected to bow to Johnny’s authority, and Mrs. Lapham is determined to have Johnny marry her daughter Cilla. Johnny’s enormous talent and his special status in the Lapham household go to his head, and Johnny often bullies the lazy, insolent Dove, as well as Dusty and the four Lapham daughters. Although Mr. Lapham tries to contain Johnny’s arrogance, Johnny is unwilling to rein in his quick temper or impulsive acts.

Jean Craighead George’s children’s novel Julie of the Wolves (1972), set in 20th-century Alaska, tells the story of a 13-year-old Eskimo girl named Miyax who is lost in the wilderness after escaping a violent husband and a life that does not suit her. Miyax struggles to survive in a harsh environment as she attempts to make her way to San Francisco. A pack of wolves helps her, and she learns to deepen her appreciation of Eskimo life, ultimately choosing to remain in Alaska. Julie of the Wolves won the 1973 Newbery Medal for American children’s literature and was nominated in the same year for a National Book Award. The novel has also been selected by the Children's Literature Association as one of the top 10 American children's books of the last 200 years. Building on the success of her novel, George wrote two sequels to Julie of the Wolves: Julie (1994), and Julie’s Wolf Pack (1997).

When a heavy storm destroyed the bridge over Honey Creek, near Kate Shelley's home in Moingona, Iowa, fifteen-year-old Kate bravely rushed out into the storm, saving the lives of two men and preventing hundreds of other lives from being lost.

Kidnapped tells the story of David Balfour, a young man of the Lowlands, the southern part of Scotland. David's father, Alexander Balfour, has recently died, and his mother died some time before, so he is now an orphan. Since he is now seventeen years old, he has decided it is time to go and seek his fortune.

After many years, the young Arthur, secretly the son of Uther Pendragon, pulls the sword out of the stone. He becomes king. With Merlin, he constructs a round table, at which only the best knights of England may sit. More and more knights come to join the brotherhood of the Round Table, and each has his own adventures.

In this magnificent addition to a distinguished series that includes Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare, award-winning author-artist Diane Stanley blends wonderful storytelling with gorgeous illustrations to convey the stunning scope of Leonardo da Vinci's genius in a book that has won many awards and earned two starred reviews. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.

The marriage of art and science is celebrated in this beautifully illustrated four-color biography and activity book. Kids will begin to understand the important discoveries that da Vinci made through inspiring activities like determining the launch angle of a catapult, sketching birds and other animals, creating a map, learning to look at a painting, and much more. Includes a glossary, bibliography, listing of pertinent museums and Web sites, a timeline, and many interesting sidebars.

Let the Circle Be Unbroken is a story of a small Mississippi town in the 1930s, and the troubles that plague its black community. Picking up where its precursor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, leaves off, Mildred Taylor recounts the trials of this small community through the characters of the Logan family.

The book portrays 16-year-old Miranda, living a normal life in Pennsylvania with her mother and brothers. Her biggest worries are her grades and her conflicted feelings about becoming a godmother to her soon-to-be-born half-sibling, who is expected by her father and his second wife Lisa.

It was the first nonfiction book to do so in 30 years. The photobiography covers Lincoln's entire life: his childhood, his stint as a lawyer, his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as his ascent from Congressman to President. The final chapter is an account of Lincoln's assassination and death.

William Golding's 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. They develop rules and a system of organization, but without any adults to serve as a civilizing impulse, the children eventually become violent and brutal.

Love That Dog is the humorous, endearing story of second grade boy who discovers a hidden potential and love for poetry. Jack starts out explaining to Mrs. Stretchberry, his teacher that boys do not write poetry, and that he has no desire to do so.

Misty of Chincoteague is a children's novel written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, and published by Rand McNally in 1947. Set in the island town of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book was inspired by the real-life story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse.

Monster" is based off the story by Walter Dean Myers. It's about Steve Harmon, a black 17-year-old boy who is on trial for a felony murder he may or may not have committed. He decides to look through the court system and jail time as if it were a movie, and as if everyone saw him for what he truly was.

Frisby, who seeks the aid of a group of former laboratory rats in rescuing her home from destruction by a farmer's plow, saving her son from pneumonia, and of the history of the rats' escape from the laboratory and development of a literate and technological society. The work was inspired by the research of John B.

The novel tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and the elder daughter in a family of Bohemian immigrants, Ántonia Shimerda, who are each brought as children to be pioneers in Nebraska towards the end of the 19th century.

In the spring of 1777, British soldiers troop into the Meeekers' hometown of Redding, Connecticut, and Tim watches as they ruthlessly kill men and boys, including one of his own close friends. He has trouble deciding where his loyalty lies. The Rebels have kidnapped his father, yet the British are plundering his town.

My Side of the Mountain is a middle grade adventure novel written and illustrated by American writer Jean Craighead George published by E. P. Dutton in 1959. It features a boy who learns courage, independence, and the need for companionship while attempting to live in the Catskill Mountains of New York State.

In Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, American author and educator Edith Hamilton presents a comprehensive overview of the complex worlds of Greek, Roman, and, briefly, Norse mythology. Through these varying perspectives, Hamilton illustrates how ancient peoples utilized storytelling to explain various natural phenomena and answer eternal questions of life and death. From how the universe came into existence to why people act in the ways they do, from the reasons for weather changes to the mysteries of the human heart, mythology was—and is—at once entertainment and explanation; in Hamilton's words, "early literature as well as early science."

Newbery Honor–winning author Patricia Reilly Giff tells the unforgettable story of 12-year-old Nory Ryan, who finds courage and strength through love, friendship, and song to help her family survive the potato famine in 1845 Ireland.
Nory Ryan’s family has lived on Maidin Bay for generations. But this year a terrible blight attacks the potatoes, and her family is split apart by the great hunger that has overtaken Ireland. Nory’s mother has died years before in childbirth; her older sister Maggie has gone to America. And Da is away on a fishing boat. There are no coins for food, and Lord Cunningham, the landlord, is threatening to take their home.
It is with bold determination that Nory Ryan finds a way to save her family, and to join the thousands of Irish men, women, and children who are making their way to America.

Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel is a 1991 novel written by Avi. The novel is historical fiction. It tells the story of an incident in a fictional New Hampshire town where a boy is suspended for humming the United States National Anthem as well as the effects of this story receiving national publicity.

Before he became the hero of the Trojan War, young Odysseus battled monsters and magic
Young Prince Odysseus longs to be a hero. But when he and his travelling companions are captured on their way home to Ithaca, Odysseus learns that being a hero isn’t always easy. Now Odysseus must fight dastardly pirates, survive the enchanted songs of sirens, slay monsters, and defeat a treacherous king. Worse still, Odysseus has to deal with girls: snooty, spoiled Princess Helen of Sparta and her companion, the annoyingly sensible Penelope. Odysseus must use his strength and cleverness to save his friends, and he must sacrifice more than he ever expected to be come the hero he is destined to be. This ebook features personal histories by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris including rare images from the authors’ personal collections, as well as a timeline of the Heroic Age and a conversation between the two authors about the making of the series.

While Jim Coates (Fess Parker) is off on a cattle drive, his wife, Katie (Dorothy McGuire), and sons, Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), are left behind on their Texas ranch. When a runaway dog named Old Yeller causes damage in one of their fields, Travis tries to drive him away. However, Travis and Katie both warm to Old Yeller when he saves Arliss from a bear attack. As Travis and the brave and faithful dog grow closer, concern grows about an outbreak of rabies.

Olive's Ocean opens as a stranger knocks on twelve-year-old Martha Boyle's door and hands her a piece of paper. She identifies herself as Olive Barstow's mother, then she thanks Martha and leaves. Martha is startled because Olive was a girl in her grade last year who had recently died after being hit by a car.

Oliver Twist, in full Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress, novel by Charles Dickens, published serially under the pseudonym “Boz” from 1837 to 1839 in Bentley’s Miscellany and in a three-volume book in 1838. The novel was the first of the author’s works to realistically depict the impoverished London underworld and to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime.

“On the Far Side of the Mountain” picks up approximately one year after “My Side of the Mountain” left off. Sam Gribley, now about thirteen or fourteen, lives on Bitter Mountain above the town of Delhi, New York, in the Catskill Mountains, with his sister, Alice, and his pet peregrine falcon, Frightful.

A poem cycle that reads as a novel, Out of the Dust tells the story of a girl named Billie Jo, who struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl years of the Depression. Fighting against the elements on her Oklahoma farm, Billie Jo takes on even more responsibilities when her mother dies in a tragic accident.

A poem cycle that reads as a novel, Out of the Dust tells the story of a girl named Billie Jo, who struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl years of the Depression. Fighting against the elements on her Oklahoma farm, Billie Jo takes on even more responsibilities when her mother dies in a tragic accident.

A 12-year-old orphan (Jodelle Ferland) develops a strong bond with a retired teacher (Sissy Spacek) who becomes increasingly forgetful.

his ClassicNote on Robert Frost focuses on seven collections of poetry: “A Boy’s Will” (1913), “North of Boston” (1914), “Mountain Interval” (1916), “New Hampshire” (1923), “West-Running Brook” (1928), “A Witness Tree” (1942), and “Come In and Other Poems” (1943). Twenty poems, some more well known than others, have been selected from among these collections of poetry in an effort to provide a broad spectrum of Frost’s style, emotional range, and development as a poet over the course of his career.

"The prairie was like a giant plate, stretching all the way to the sky at the edges. And we were like two tiny peas left over from dinner, Lester and me."
Louisa loves the Nebraska prairie, the only home she's ever known. It's a lonely place, surrounded by miles of wild, flat grasslands, but it's the wonderful kind of loneliness that comes of stillness and open sky and oneness with the land. A different kind of beauty enters Louisa's world when the new doctor and his wife, Emmeline, move to the prairie from New York City. Emmeline is the most beautiful person Louisa has ever seen, and she teaches Louisa to love poetry. But she is also frail and unsuited to pioneer life. Louisa wonders whether Emmeline will ever come to love the prairie as she herself does.

Pride and Prejudice follows the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner. They must overcome the titular sins of pride and prejudice in order to fall in love and marry.

John Hickam (Chris Cooper) is a West Virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, Jim (Scott Miles) and Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal), to follow in his footsteps. But Jim gets a football scholarship, and Homer becomes interested in rocket science after seeing Sputnik 1 crossing the sky. John disapproves of his son's new mania, but Homer begins building rockets with the help of friends and a sympathetic teacher (Laura Dern). Rocketry, he hopes, will prove his ticket to a better life.

Bauer's novel about an earnest teenager who chauffeurs a crabby, wealthy woman has the underpinnings of a quirky Driving Miss Daisy, but the story quickly runs out of gas. Sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller has the world by the tail. She's just received her driver's license and she loves her job at Gladstone's Shoe Store.

School is big on sports and famous for not losing a game all season. That all changes when the school insists that some seventh-grader non-jocks form a soccer team. The new team is sure that losing their first game 32-0 will put an end to their athletic adventure, but no such luck. their parents insist they try harder.

In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadi's parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the crush of people.

Silas Marner is the weaver in the English countryside village of Raveloe in the early nineteenth century. Like many weavers of his time, he is an outsider—the object of suspicion because of his special skills and the fact that he has come to Raveloe from elsewhere. The villagers see Silas as especially odd because of the curious cataleptic fits he occasionally suffers. Silas has ended up in Raveloe because the members of his religious sect in Lantern Yard, an insular neighborhood in a larger town, falsely accused him of theft and excommunicated him.

Slake's Limbo is a novel for young adults by Felice Holman, first published in 1974. The book is about a young adolescent boy, Aremis Slake, who runs away from home to live in the New York City Subway tunnels of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and stays for 121 days.

Soldier's Heart is a blunt depiction of Civil War combat. Based on the real-life experiences of Charley Goddard, the novel is an account of Charley's experiences from the time he enlists in the Union army at age fifteen to a couple of years after the Civil War when he is twenty-one and his life is a shambles.

The Morgans, a family of poor black sharecroppers in the Depression-plagued South, struggle to find enough to eat despite the help their hunting dog, Sounder. When father Nathan (Paul Winfield) resorts to stealing food, he is captured by police and sent to prison, and his wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), is left to care for their son, David (Kevin Hooks). Though Sounder has run away, David never gives up hope that his dog will return, just as he believes that he will see his father again someday.

An unassuming high school student finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves and each other.

In a small Maryland town in 1944, the specter of world war shadows everyone's lives. Eleven-year-old Margaret is eager for news of Allied advances, for her brother Jimmy fights in Europe. Ultimately, these secrets will alter their understanding of the war itself. ...

While World War II rages, Patty Bergen (Kristy McNichol) lives in rural Georgia with her family. One day, the young Jewish girl makes a surprising discovery: There's a German POW named Anton (Bruce Davison) living in her family's barn. While working at a nearby farm, opportunity struck and he made a run for it. Rather than turning Anton in, Patty aids the escaped soldier, and over time the pair fall in love. They must live, however, in constant fear of being discovered.

The newly crowned King Arthur has yet to win the support of the people. Merlin must do something before the king is betrayed, or murdered, or--worst of all--gets married. So Merlin creates a trick: a sword magically placed into a slab of rock that only Arthur can withdraw.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' Summary. Tom Sawyer is a young boy living with his Aunt Polly on the banks of the Mississippi River. He seems to most enjoy getting into trouble. After missing school one day (and getting into a fight), Tom is punished with the task of whitewashing a fence.

After seven-year-old Pierrot is orphaned, he is sent to live with his aunt Beatrix, leaving behind his home in Paris and his Jewish friend, Anshel. The boy, arrogant and blinded by hero worship, betrays his aunt, with tragic consequences.

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck is a short novel for children about two young boys who live in Japan. When the big wave comes and takes Jiya's family, Jiya is raised by Kino's parents, but he must make a life decision when people begin rebuilding the fishing village on the deserted beach.

During World War II, 8-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) and his family leave Berlin to take up residence near the concentration camp where his father (David Thewlis) has just become commandant. Unhappy and lonely, he wanders out behind his house one day and finds Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy of his age. Though the barbed-wire fence of the camp separates them, the boys begin a forbidden friendship, oblivious to the real nature of their surroundings.

Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life gets turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon in the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail-delivery dog sled team, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime as he ultimately finds his true place in the world.

Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life gets turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon in the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail-delivery dog sled team, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime as he ultimately finds his true place in the world.

He is one weird Christmas visitor—his hair and moustache an unearthly white-blond, his voice a gruff rumble. He fills the apartment doorway. From two metal cases he produces what a boy would expect from an exterminator: Toxic roach powders and poisonous fog bombs. But a crossbow?
Eric is fascinated at first. He's been bored this snowbound vacation, and has already zapped about a zillion Zergs. Antsy, he's even sneaked a look at the Christmas presents hidden beneath his parents' bed. Then Anje Gabrail, this exterminator, appears, talking a little madly about his war against rats—about killing them.

"The worst," Anje says. And if Eric sees one in the Eden Apartments, he is to call Anje's twenty-four-hour cell phone immediately. Later that Monday, the fourth day before Christmas, a rat does appear in the building's basement—and Eric finds himself suddenly, frighteningly swept into Anje's vengeful army.

As either partner … or victim.

With only a flashlight.

The Clay Marble is a 1991 children's novel by Minfong Ho. It is set in war-torn Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in the early 1980s. It is about a girl named Dara and her friend Jantu, and illustrates the struggles they face. It also shows how brave a girl can be and all the effects and sufferings of the war.

The Contender is a coming-of-age novel whose protagonist, a black seventeen-year-old high school dropout named Alfred Brooks, lives with his Aunt Pearl and her three daughters in Harlem, a predominantly African American neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, in the mid-1960s.

It tells the story of her family who live in Frankfurt, Germany and suddenly have to go into hiding as a result of Hitler and the Nazi Party's treatment of Jews in Europe during the second world war. They escape to Amsterdam where they go into hiding with other Jews. The diary ends suddenly on 1 August 1944.

The story, illustrated by the author, is set in England during the Middle Ages, as the Black Death (bubonic plague) is sweeping across the country. Young Robin is to be sent away to become a knight like his father, but his dreams are endangered when he loses the use of his legs.

The Egypt Game is a story about six kids who play an elaborate 'imagining game' as they pretend to be ancient Egyptians. Unbeknownst to them, they are observed by a strange old man, who lives alone. When one of the kids is attacked, the stranger comes to her rescue.

The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers is the story of an African-American family. Beginning with the capture and enslavement of young Muhammad Bilal in 1753, The Glory Field journeys from the shores of West Africa to Curry Island, South Carolina.

Written by celebrated author Virginia Hamilton, this is the story of M.C. Higgins, a young boy who lives with his family near Sarah's Mountain, who must come to terms with who he is and what he wants in life. When M.C.'s great-grandmother escaped from slavery long ago, she came to the mountain and made it her home.

The Greek gods had more powers than mortals could even imagine. They could change day to night, turn people into animals, and punish men with eternal torture. Their whims and desires changed the course of human destiny. No legends are more fabulous than those of the Greek gods. This classic collection tells their stories.

In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has little to rely on, other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts, in an arena where she must weigh survival against love.

Gordon Korman's latest finds a trio of 15-year-old boys plucked from the American penal system and planted in an experimental halfway house in Manhattan. Gecko Fosse, a smart kid whose self-proclaimed hobby is not thinking, is serving time for driving his burglar brother's getaway car.

During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds a wardrobe that transports her to a magical world called Narnia. After coming back, she soon returns to Narnia with her brothers, Peter (William Moseley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and her sister, Susan (Anna Popplewell). There they join the magical lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson), in the fight against the evil White Witch, Jadis (Tilda Swinton).

THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE is a historical fiction about a young, abandoned, poverty-stricken girl who finds herself apprenticed to a harsh midwife after the midwife, Jane Sharp, finds her huddled in a dung heap and recognizes the girl's smarts and desperation (which will lead to cheap labor for Jane).

The Pearl is a novella by the American author John Steinbeck. The story, first published in 1947, follows a pearl diver, Kino, and explores man’s purpose as well as greed, defiance of societal norms, and evil. Steinbeck's inspiration was a Mexican folk tale from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, which he had heard in a visit to the formerly pearl-rich region in 1940.[1]
The book was adapted as a Mexican film named La Perla (1947) and as a cult Kannada movie Ondu Muttina Kathe (1987). The story is one of Steinbeck's most popular books and has been widely used in high school classes.[2] The Pearl is sometimes considered a parable.

The Pigman is a young adult novel by Paul Zindel. It was published in 1968. The novel takes the form of a confession by two teens, John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen, who describe how they developed a friendship with Mr. Pignati, a.k.a. the Pigman, which ended in a betrayal and the Pigman's tragic death.

Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound, a "red badge of courage," to counteract his cowardice.

The Return of the Native is Thomas Hardy's sixth published novel. It first appeared in the magazine Belgravia, a publication known for its sensationalism, and was presented in twelve monthly installments from January to December 1878. Because of the novel's controversial themes, Hardy had some difficulty finding a publisher; reviews, however, though somewhat mixed, were generally positive. In the twentieth century, The Return of the Native became one of Hardy's most popular and highly regarded novels.[1]

The River by Peter Heller is the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip and a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence. If you haven't yet read a book by Peter Heller, you're in for a treat. The River clocks in at only about 250 pages, but it packs quite a punch.

The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his identity.

The Shakespeare Stealer is a 1998 historical fiction novel by Gary Blackwood. Taking place in the Elizabethan-era England, it recounts the story of Widge, an orphan whose master sends him to steal Hamlet from The Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was an ALA Notable Children's Book in 1999.

Maleeka is a girl in seventh grade who has grown up without a dad, she is bullied every day, and is betrayed by her friends. A new teacher, Mrs. Saunders comes to school with a big scar on her face and is picked on by kids and adults.

Summer of the Swans is a children's novel by Betsy Byars about fourteen-year-old Sara Godfrey's search for her missing, mentally challenged brother Charlie. It won the Newbery Medal in 1971. Summer of the Swans was adapted for television as Sara's Summer of the Swans in 1974.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a historical novel by the American author Avi published in 1990. ... The book chronicles the evolution of the title character as she is pushed outside her naive existence and learns about life aboard a ship crossing from England to America in 1832.

Middle school teacher Eva Marie Olinski returns to teaching after an accident left her paraplegic. She chooses four of her sixth-grade students (Ethan, Noah, Nadia, and Julian), who form a group they call 'The souls', to represent her class in the Academic Bowl competition.

It tells the story of a loving African-American family living in the town of Flint, Michigan, in 1963. When the oldest son (Byron) begins to get into a bit of trouble, the parents decide he should spend the summer and possibly the next school year with Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama.

The spoiled prince of Brattenburg kidnaps a street urchin to be the palace whipping boy. When the prince's misbehaviour almost starts a war, he joins the street urchin who is escaping from the palace, and together they have a series of medieval adventures.

The Wind in the Willows” is a young adult novel by Kenneth Graham which follows the adventures of the anthropomorphic animals Mole, Rat, Badger, Toad, and their friends. When the novel begins, Mole is at home doing spring cleaning, and he is quite bored with it.

The orphaned Dorothy lives on the Kansas prairie with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and her little black dog, Toto. When a cyclone hits, Dorothy is looking for Toto, so she doesn’t get to the cyclone cellar in time. Suddenly, the cyclone lifts the house with Dorothy and Toto inside high in the air. Dorothy wakes up in the Land of Oz, where she discovers that her house has landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy meets the Munchkins and the good Witch of the North, who gives Dorothy the dead Witch’s magic silver shoes. Dorothy wants to return to Kansas, but to do so, she must travel to the Emerald City to ask the help of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy sets out on this challenging journey protected by the Witch of the North’s kiss.

The plot centers on Jody's struggles with strained relationships, hunger, death of beloved friends, and the capriciousness of nature through a catastrophic flood. He experiences tender moments with his family, his fawn, and their neighbors and relatives.

Traces the progression of the civil rights movement and its effect on history through biographical sketches of four prominent and influential African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.

After her Grandfather mysteriously leaves their large house in New York City, Gwen tries to continue her life as normally as possible while practicing hard for her violin auditions.

n the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee. Although it was written in 1960 it is set in the mid-1930s in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. It is narrated by Scout Finch, a six-year-old tomboy who lives with her lawyer father Atticus and her ten-year-old brother Jem.

Cole Matthews is a teenage delinquent who's in big trouble for beating up a kid named Peter Driscal. He's unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named Garvey, gets him into this Native American justice program called Circle Justice.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island in 1881. It is set in the days of sailing ships and pirates and tells of the adventures of Jim Hawkins and his search for the buried treasure of an evil pirate, Captain Flint. The story begins at 'The Admiral Benbow', the inn that belongs to Jim Hawkin's parents.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island in 1881. It is set in the days of sailing ships and pirates and tells of the adventures of Jim Hawkins and his search for the buried treasure of an evil pirate, Captain Flint. The story begins at 'The Admiral Benbow', the inn that belongs to Jim Hawkin's parents.

The story of Winnie Foster (Alexis Bledel), a teenage girl on the cusp of maturity. Winnie longs for a life outside the control of her domineering mother, and when lost in the woods near her home, she happens upon Jesse Tuck (Jonathan Jackson), a boy unlike any she's ever met before. He and his family are kind and generous, and they immediately take her in as one of their own. However, the Tucks hold a powerful secret, and Winnie must decide whether to return to her life or stay with the Tucks.

The massacre left somewhere between 30 and 300 people dead, mostly African Americans, and destroyed Tulsa's prosperous Black neighbourhood of Greenwood, known as the “Black Wall Street.” More than 1,400 homes and businesses were burned, and nearly 10,000 people were left homeless.

Upon the Head of the Goat is an autobiographical Holocaust narrative following the author, Aranka Siegal, and her family in Hungary as they slowly became consumed by World War II and the anti-Semitism of the invading German army.

It tells the story of two boys, one black and one white, growing up on a farm in South Africa during apartheid. As the boys mature, their friendship dissipates because the black boy seeks political equality while the white boy wants everything to stay the same.

An elderly Southern widow, Mattie Rigsbee (Ellen Burstyn), begrudgingly starts to acknowledge that she can't live on her own. When Mattie becomes friends with the town dogcatcher, Lamar Benfield (Mark Hamill), she is also introduced to his orphaned nephew, Wesley (Jonathan Taylor Thomas). Although Wesley has been in trouble with the law and incarcerated for auto theft, Mattie sees potential in the boy and tries to point him in the right direction by allowing him to live with her.

What Hearts by Bruce Brooks is the story of a young boy growing up in a world of uncertainty. Asa is only seven when he returns home from school to discover his parents are getting divorced and his mother is taking him from the only home he has known to a new one that includes a new stepfather.

“Where the Red Fern Grows” is a story about a young boy who has a quest of having his very own hunting dogs. It is set in Oklahoma where the boy grew up. The novel starts with grown author flashing back to his childhood. ... He did not care about money, and he wanted to hunt.

White Fang is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) — and the name of the book's eponymous character, a wild wolfdog. First serialized in Outing magazine, it was published in 1906. The story details White Fang's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. It is a companion novel (and a thematic mirror) to London's best-known work, The Call of the Wild (1903), which is about a kidnapped, domesticated dog embracing his wild ancestry to survive and thrive in the wild.
Much of White Fang is written from the viewpoint of the titular canine character, enabling London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. White Fang examines the violent world of wild animals and the equally violent world of humans. The book also explores complex themes including morality and redemption.

Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Yet he had a hard time finishing things, a problem anyone can relate to. Only thirteen paintings are known to be his; as for the illustrated encyclopedia he intended to create, all that he left were thousands of disorganized notebook pages. Here is an accessible portrait of a fascinating man who lived at a fascinating time—Italy during the Renaissance.

It follows the life of Heathcliff, a mysterious gypsy-like person, from childhood (about seven years old) to his death in his late thirties. Heathcliff rises in his adopted family and then is reduced to the status of a servant, running away when the young woman he loves decides to marry another.

It follows the life of Heathcliff, a mysterious gypsy-like person, from childhood (about seven years old) to his death in his late thirties. Heathcliff rises in his adopted family and then is reduced to the status of a servant, running away when the young woman he loves decides to marry another.

Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie Pullman becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie's extraordinary journey will unite them and prove you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

In this stirring contemporary novel set in rural Wisconsin, Henkes ( Chrysanthemum ; The Zebra Wall ) paints a poignant picture of two lonely children whose paths cross one summer. First introduced is shy, red-headed Blaze, who has recently lost his mother to cancer. Now living with his grandmother and his artist father, the nine-year-old has trouble admitting his fears to anyone except his imaginary friends--until he meets Joselle, an outspoken, spellbinding girl who is staying on the other side of the hill with her Grandma Floy. Alternately showing the points of view of Blaze and Joselle, the book traces the meshing of two private worlds where ordinary objects--keys, spoons, stones, toy animals--carry special meaning. The fragile kinship that grows between the youngsters is threatened by an act of betrayal, yet, ultimately, deep-seated compassion and understanding help mend broken trusts. This story, offering an exceptionally sensitive and accurate portrayal of isolation, echoes feelings and themes found in Brock Cole's The Goats. Henkes, however, goes further in demonstrating the process of emotional healing--and acceptance of painful truths--that allows fear and loneliness to dissipate. His vivid characterizations and profound symbolism are sure to linger in readers' minds.