Coming of Age – Page 3

Market

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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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

Alibi Junior High

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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Alibi Junior High
by Greg Logsted

Thirteen-year-old Cody doesn’t know much about normal life. He’s been living and traveling all over the world with his father, who works for the CIA. Together, they’ve formed a research team responsible for tracking the bad guys.

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But, someone’s caught on. An explosion outside a cafe in France, where they barely escape with their lives, leaves the team shaken. Cody’s father puts him on a plane and tells him to become invisible until he reaches his destination. Cody’s headed somewhere safe from danger: his aunt’s house. He’s infiltrating junior high, where he must assume his most challenging role ever – himself. Cody’s used to being home-schooled by his father, wearing suits every day, and defending himself against anyone who looks at him funny.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
570	Middle School	256	Thriller/Suspense	2009	1416979593

How Angel Peterson Got His Name

Posted on September 17, 2013 by webmaster

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How Angel Peterson Got His Name
by Gary Paulsen

Angel and his friends try to shoot a waterfall in a barrel, break the world record for speed on skis, hang glide with an Army surplus parachute, and perform other daredevil stunts. A friend borrows a quarter to wrestle a bear at the carnival to get the attention of a girl, only to be swept out of the ring by a giant paw, like “a hockey puck with legs.”

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The action takes place 50 or so years ago, this group of adventures can be quite funny. Although the book doesn’t explain why boys like to do crazy things, it does give an insight into how the minds of teenagers who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s worked. Paulson shows boys moving into adolescence believing they can do anything: wrestle with bears; shoot waterfalls in a barrel; fly eight-by-twelve-foot Army surplus kites–and hang on, even as they land in the chicken coop.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
1110L	High School	128	Comedy	2004	0440229359

Blood on the River

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Blood on the River

by Eliza Carbone

After attempting to steal back a necklace that belonged to his deceased mother, Samuel Collier is sent to an orphanage run by Reverend Hunt. The 11-year-old joins him on a journey to the New World, serving as a page to Captain John Smith.

Samuel’s account of the voyage to Virginia, political intrigues among the settlers, and the harrowing first winter of the James Town settlement brings to life figures like Smith, Powhatan, and Pocahontas.

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Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
820L	Middle School	256	Historical Fiction	2006	0670060607

Alt Ed

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

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Alt Ed
by Catherine Atkins

Susan Calloway, bullied and overweight, faces daily humiliation at the hands of her classmates and she’s had enough. With her anger about to reach the boiling point, Susan lands in an alternative education class, a sort of group therapy for the nearly expelled. School is bad enough, but facing off with five peers, including her cruelest tormentor, is worse.

Now Susan is being forced to do something she’s always avoided: talking about herself and listening to what other people have to say about her. She has two choices: find her voice, or be prepared to take the insults in silence.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
490	Middle School	208	Realistic Fiction	2004	00142402354

Queen of Second Place

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

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The Queen of Second Place
by Laura Peyton Roberts

Cassie Howard believes everyone has a talent. Unfortunately, hers is taking second place. No matter how hard she tries, she’s always second best . . . in school, in life, and especially in love. When Cassie discovers new-boy-in-town Kevin Matthews she wants him on sight. But so does conniving Sterling Carter, a ridiculously beautiful preppy princess and Cassie’s enemy since freshman year. Sterling is the kind of girl who always gets it all, and Cassie . . . isn’t. Is there any point even trying when the first fifteen years of Cassie’s life have proven she’s doomed to fail? Can the Queen of Second Place ever truly win?

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With new-found determination and the support of friends whose not-so-glorious talents range from parking cars to whistling, Cassie sets out to capture Kevin’s heart and make herself first at last.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
880L	High School	336	Romance	2006	0440238714

Fat Kid Rules the World

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

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Fat Kids Rules the World
by K.L. Going

Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy’s dad thinks Curt’s a drug addict and Troy’s brother thinks Troy’s the biggest (literally) loser in Manhattan.

Soon, Curt’s recruited Troy as his new drummer-even though Troy can’t play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy’s own life, forever.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
700L	Middle School	183	Realistic Fiction	2003	0399239901

Gospel According to Larry

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

The Gospel According to Larry
by Janet Tashjian

Josh Swensen isn’t your average teenager – when he observes America, he sees a powerhouse of consumerism and waste. He’s even tried to do something about it, with his start-up controversial website. But when Josh rises to messiah status of the internet world, he discovers that greed and superficiality are not easily escaped.

Trapped inside his own creation, Josh feels his only way out is to stage his death and be free of his internet alter-ego, “Larry.” But this plan comes with danger, and soon Josh finds himself cut off from the world, with no one to turn to for help.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
800L	Middle School	219	Drama	2001	0805063781

Tangerine

Posted on September 9, 2013 by webmaster

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

To Kill a Mockingbird

Posted on April 16, 2013 by webmaster

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

This book takes place in small-town Depression-era Maycomb, Alabama. The story centers on the trial of Tom Robinson, a black worker who is falsely accused of rape by a young white woman. The small Southern town is bitterly divided over the racially fueled charges.

We see this ugly scenario play out through the eyes of a child. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch is the young daughter of Atticus, the civil rights lawyer who takes up Tom’s defense. She is spunky and bright and believes in the basic goodness of everyone, although the trial causes her to reexamine her beliefs. By the end of the novel, Scout learns about the evils of racism and the courage of one man (her father), who stands up for what he believes is right in the face of widespread public contempt.

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Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
870L	Young Adult	288	Drama	1960	0446310786

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