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Lord of the Flies

Posted on September 10, 2013 by webmaster

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Lord of the Flies
by William Golding

A group of English schoolboys are plane-wrecked on a deserted island. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, “the boy with fair hair,” and Piggy, Ralph’s chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island’s wild pig population. Soon Ralph’s rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages.

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The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted:

“He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet.”

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
770L	Middle School	208	Adventure	1954	0399501487

Drive By

Posted on September 10, 2013 by webmaster

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Drive By
by Lynne Ewing

“Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gang-bangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn’t make sense to Jimmy…”

Jimmy is dead now — gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all? Ice Breaker Joe and Lamar think so. They say Jimmy was skimming their drug money, and if the missing cash isn’t returned, Tito may have to pay — with his life. Some people go to the crossroads, but Tito’s crossroads laid themselves down in front of him. His brother Jimmy sprawled on the sidewalk at his feet. Shot in a drive by.

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Now a gang claims that Jimmy was their Ace Man. They say Tito must take his place and resolve some unfinished business. They give him a gun. “You need protection. It’s not safe on the street.” What path will Tito choose at the crossroads? He knows one leads to safety and one to death . . . but which is which?

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
560L	High School	85	Realistic Fiction	1996	0064406490

Martian Chronicles

Posted on September 10, 2013 by webmaster

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Martian Chronicles
by Ray Bradbury

Leaving behind a world on the brink of destruction, man came to the Red planet and found the Martians waiting, dreamlike.Seeking the promise of a new beginning, man brought with him his oldest fears and his deepest desires. Man conquered Mars?and in that instant, Mars conquered him.

The strange new world with its ancient, dying race and vast, red-gold deserts cast a spell on him, settled into his dreams, and changed him forever. Here are the captivating chronicles of man and Mars.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
740L	High School	182	Science Fiction	1977	0553278223

Tangerine

Posted on September 9, 2013 by webmaster

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Tangerine
by Edward Bloor

Paul Fisher is in seventh grade when his family moves to Tangerine County, Florida, land of muck fires, koi-stealing ospreys, mosquito swarms, daily lightning strikes, and sinkholes.Paul feels like the outsider in his family. His mother quickly becomes absorbed in the homeowner’s association in their housing development at Lake Windsor Downs, and his father is fully occupied with older brother Erik’s football career the “Erik Fisher Football Dream,” as Paul says.

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Paul’s eyesight was damaged in a mysterious accident when he was five, and he wears “Coke-bottle” glasses, but he has clearer vision than the rest of his family and most of the people in Lake Windsor Downs. He sees through the “nice-guy” front his brother puts on and the snobbishness of his Lake Windsor Downs neighbors, especially after he transfers to the working-class Tangerine Middle School.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
680L	Middle School	294	Drama	2001	0590660926

Abarat

Posted on August 30, 2013 by webmaster

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Abarat

by Clive Barker

Candy Quackenbush is tired of her humdrum existence in boring Chickentown, MN. After skipping out on a particularly frustrating day of school, she wanders into an empty field at the edge of town, and suddenly, her life takes a remarkable turn. Through a series of most unusual events, she finds herself transported to Abarat, a magical realm composed of 25 islands, each representing one hour of the day, with the mysterious Twenty-Fifth designated for Time Outside of Time.

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As she travels around the islands, Candy becomes involved in a power struggle between two ruthless and bitter rivals, Rojo Pixler of Commexo City and Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight. Each man seeks to control the island chain, and Candy may be the deciding factor in its survival or destruction.

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Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
760L	High School	388	Fantasy	2002	0060280921

1984

Posted on August 1, 2013 by webmaster

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1984
by George Orwell

Winston Smith keeps a diary full of illegal thoughts about his unhappiness with the way things are, knowing that, at any moment, he might be taken away to some torture cell. He soon discovers that one of the people he works with, the beautiful Julia, has secretly fallen in love with him. Winston also wonders about the mysterious O’Brien. People say that he is a secret leader of the Brotherhood, an organization that is trying to destroy the existing government.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
1090L	High School	336	Science Fiction	1949	0451524934

Esperanza Rising

Posted on July 1, 2013 by webmaster

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Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she’d always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico–she’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, & servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces.
When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances–Mama’s life and her own depend on it.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
750L	Middle School	262	Realistic Fiction	2001	0439120411

Moonlight Becomes You

Posted on July 1, 2013 by webmaster

Moonlight Becomes You
by Mary Higgins Clark

High-profile fashion photographer Maggie Holloway is reunited with her fondly remembered estranged stepmother, Nuala Moore, after a reunion party in Manhattan. Nuala, a lonely widow, invites Maggie to visit her in Newport, Rhode Island, an offer she happily accepts. Nuala plans a dinner for a group of friends in order for them to meet her stepdaughter. But tragedy strikes – when Maggie arrives at Nuala’s home, she finds her dead, a victim of an apparent break-in and robbery. Maggie, heartbroken at the loss, is even more shocked when she discovers that days before her death, Nuala changed her will leaving Maggie to inherit her Newport Victorian home.

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Several wealthy people have an eye on the property, propositioning Maggie with generous offers for the estate. When she decides not to sell the home, she becomes the unwanted center of attention within the upper-class circles. Later, on a visit to Nuala’s grave at the cemetery with Mrs. Shipley, she notices that many of Mrs. Shipley’s friends have recently died as well. Suspecting that there might be more to these “random deaths” than meets the eye, Maggie becomes interested in uncovering the mystery behind Nuala and the others’ deaths and why the graves have little bells on them.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
910L	High School	332	Mystery	1996	068410387

City of Ember

Posted on July 1, 2013 by webmaster

City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau

Ember… It is a city without knowledge of anything beyond its walls; no one knows what’s out there and everyone is afraid to find out. With the electricity generated by the ancient generator ready to fail at any moment, Ember’s light is about to be snuffed out; the street lamps are the only remaining light source they have. The supplies stocked centuries earlier by the “Builders” are running scarce. The domed city meant to protect the last remaining humans on Earth is now on its last living thread. Lina and Doon have lived in this world their entire lives. They know that there is something better out there for them; they just are not sure what it is yet.

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Centuries ago, a document entrusted to the first major of Ember was thought to be lost until Lina finds a mangled paper (believed to be from the “Builders”) with instructions on how to escape the city of eternal darkness. Lina and Doon believe that this ancient paper with the “Instructions for Egress” will lead them to another world that they have only seen in their dreams. These practically indecipherable instructions send them on a dangerous mission into the dark unknown to find what they believe must exist: an exit door to salvation.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
680L	Middle School	270	Fantasy	2003	0375822739

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Posted on July 1, 2013 by webmaster

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou

After Maya Johnson, age five, is raped while visiting her mother in St. Louis, she and her older brother Bailey are returned to the loving care of Momma Henderson (the children’s grandmother) in Stamps, Arkansas. Because of her traumatic experience, Maya stops speaking – even five years after the incident. She becomes instead a keen observer of her surroundings, particularly with the racial politics and divisions in her town.

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Mrs. Bertha Flowers, an “aristocrat of Black Stamps,” helps Maya get back on her feet. She tells Maya: “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.”

It is with these lines that Maya Johnson’s voice becomes alive. A historical autobiography that depicts one woman’s survival through adolescence, breaking down racial barriers, and becoming a mother; all the while showing the trials, motivations and triumphs that come along with being outcast from society.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
1070L	High School	246	Autobiographical	1969	0553279378

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