September 2013

Hunger Games

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch.

When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

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Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
810L	High School	384	Fantasy	2008	0439023481

Little Brother

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Little Brother
by Corey Doctorow

Seventeen-year-old techno-geek “w1n5t0n” (aka Marcus) bypasses the school’s gait-recognition system by placing pebbles in his shoes, chats secretly with friends on his IMParanoid messaging program, and routinely evades school security with his laptop, cell, WiifFinder, and ingenuity.

When he ditches school one Friday morning, 17-year-old Marcus is hoping to get a head start on the Harajuku Fun Madness clue. But after a terrorist attack in San Francisco, he and his friends are swept up in the extralegal world of the Department of Homeland Security.

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After questioning that includes physical torture and psychological stress, Marcus is released, a marked man in a much darker San Francisco: a city of constant surveillance and civil-liberty forfeiture. Encouraging hackers from around the city, Marcus fights against the system while falling for one hacker in particular.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
900L	High School	384	Science Fiction	2008	0765319853

Homeboyz

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Homeboyz
by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

When Teddy Anderson’s little sister Tina is gunned down randomly in a drive-by shooting, the gangstas who rule the streets in the Anderson family’s rapidly deteriorating neighborhood dismiss the incident as just another case of RP, RT-wrong place, wrong time. According to gangsta logic, Tina doesn’t even count as a statistic.

Teddy’s family is devastated. Mrs. Anderson sinks into deep depression while Pops struggles to run both the household and his declining laundry business. The Andersons are shocked still further when Teddy is arrested and thrown in prison for attempted homicide after his elaborately laid plans for revenge against his sister’s killer are foiled by the cops.

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Teddy soon finds himself out of prison on house arrest, and in the capable hands of Officer Mariana Diaz, the smart, tough probation officer assigned to oversee his endless hours of community service. As part of the innovative rehabilitation program Diaz runs, Teddy is assigned to tutor Micah, a twelve-year-old orphan and would-be ‘gangsta’.

As Teddy goes through the motions of complying with the terms of his probation, Diaz has no idea that he is using his genius-level computer hacker skills to plot his final vengeance and to defraud the state education system of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But even though Teddy thinks he knows it all, he fails to see how Micah’s desperate need for love and trust just might have the power not only to pierce all Teddy’s defenses, but to save his family.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
710	High School	304	Thriller/Suspense	2008	1423100317

Gym Candy

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Gym Candy
by Carl Deuker

Having grown up in the shadow of his father’s failed NFL career, high-school football player Mick Johnson is determined not to make the same mistakes. But when he’s tackled just short of the goal in a pivotal game, he decides that vitamin supplements aren’t enough and begins purchasing “gym candy,” or steroids, from the trainer at his local gym. His performance starts breaking records and his father couldn’t be more proud, but along with gains in muscle, he suffers “‘roid rage,” depression, and unsightly acne. When his secret finally comes out, he attempts suicide. Even after therapy, Mick is left wondering if he’ll continue to be tempted by steroids.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
710L	High School	320	Thriller/Suspense	2008	0547076317

Generation Dead

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Generation Dead
by Daniel Waters

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead. All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren’t staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn’t want them.

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The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the “differently biotic.” But the students don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the “living impaired” from the people who want them to disappear–for good. When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
780	High School	416	Science Fiction	2009	1423109228

Eclipse

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Eclipse (Twilight Saga)
by Stephenie Meyer

The third episode of Meyer’s vampire-romance series finds heroine Bella Swan anxious to become a vampire and live forever with handsome vampire Edward. Obstacles arise when Edward demands marriage and werewolf Jacob declares his love for Bella. Eventually, the Cullen vampires and the Quileute werewolves unite to face off against a pack of uncontrollable vampires seeking revenge on Bella.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
720	High School	640	Fantasy	2009	0316027656

Market

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

The Market
by J.M. Steele

After stumbling across the Millbank Social Stock Market, Kate is horrified to discover that out of the 140 girls in her class, she’s ranked a bleak 71. Sure, she’s not drop-dead gorgeous, and her “fashion” choices leave a bit to be desired…but 71?! Determined not to accept her fate as a “junk bond,” she and her best friends quickly set out to make her the fastest rising stock on the Market.

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Armed with a sexy new haircut and killer wardrobe, Kate puts her plan into effect — and the analysts take note. In a matter of weeks, her stock value soars, and “Blue Chip” status is within reach. But what begins as a fun social experiment quickly turns into an obsession, one that threatens to ruin her reputation, friendships, and a chance at first love.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
890L	High School	336	Drama	2009	1423100164

A Long Way From Chicago

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

A Long Way From Chicago
by Richard Peck

Joey and his younger sister, Mary Alice, live in the Windy city during the reign of Al Capone and Bugs Moran. Most of their adventures occur during their annual down-state visits with Grandma Dowdel, a woman as “old as the hills,” “tough as an old boot,” and larger than life. Grandma continually astounds her citified grandchildren by stretching the boundaries of truth.

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In eight episodes spanning the years 1929-1942, she plots outlandish schemes to even the score with various colorful members of her community, including a teenaged vandal, a drunken sheriff and a well-to-do banker. Grandma, Joey and Mary Alice’s adventures include such escapes as preparing an impressive funeral for Shotgun Cheatham, catching fish from a stolen boat and arranging the elopement of Vandalia Eubanks and Junior Stubbs.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
750L	High School	160	Adventure	2006	0142401102

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

13 Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson

Ginny, 17, reads a letter from her free-spirited, unpredictable Aunt Peg, who has recently passed away. She is given several destinations, four rules, and the instruction to open one envelope upon her arrival at each place. Thus begins a rapid tour of Europe as the teen struggles to accomplish the tasks established by her aunt. Ginny wants to understand the woman’s wanderlust and, possibly, she just wants a connection to her beloved relative. Throughout her adventures in Rome, Paris, Greece, England, and the Netherlands, the teen collects pieces of Peg’s past and learns more about her rapid departure. She also learns much about herself.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
770L	High School	252	Adventure	2006	0060541431

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