2019 Summer Reading Recommendations - Compiled by Kim Leng Teacher Librarian Mendez High School May 2019 - Felicitas ...

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations

            Compiled by Kim Leng
              Teacher Librarian
             Mendez High School
                 May 2019

FICTION
      A Land of Permanent Goodbyes
      by Atia Abawi

      After their home in Syria is bombed, Tareq, his father, and his younger sister
      seek refuge, first with extended family in Raqqa, a stronghold for the
      militant group, Daesh, and then abroad. (760L)

      The Poet X
      by Elizabeth Acevedo

      When Xiomara Batista, who pours all her frustrations and passion into
      poetry, is invited to join the school slam poetry club, she struggles with her
      mother's expectations and her need to be heard. (HL800L)

      With the Fire on High
      by Elizabeth Acevedo

      Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, teen mom
      Emoni knows it's not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite
      the "rules," once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent
      break free.

      Leah on the Offbeat
      by Becky Albertalli

      In this sequel to the acclaimed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—now a
      major motion picture, Love, Simon—we follow Simon’s BFF Leah as she
      grapples with changing friendships, first love, and senior year angst.
      (HL500L)

What If It’s Us
by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

In this story told in two voices, Arthur, a summer intern from Georgia, and
Ben, a native New Yorker, meet, and it seems like fate--but after three
attempts at dating fail, they wonder if the universe is pushing them together
or apart. (HL610L)

Swing
by Kwame Alexander

When Noah finds old love letters, he and his best friend, Walt, hatch a plan
to use them to woo Noah's crush, Sam; but then, the letters change
everything between Noah and Walt. (HL610L)

We Are All That’s Left
by Carrie Arcos

In this story told in two voices, Nadja, who grew up in war-torn Bosnia in
the 1990s, refuses to discuss her youth with her daughter, Zara--until both
are traumatized by a terrorist attack in Rhode Island. (HL610L)

The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood

In the futuristic Republic of Gilead which is being ruled and policed by men,
women are divided into classes based on their household functions. (750L)

If Beale Street Could Talk
by James Baldwin

Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a
young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the
sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is
falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned.

We Rule the Night
by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Seventeen-year-olds Revna, the daughter of a traitor, and Linne, the daughter
of a general, must use forbidden magic to fly planes in wartime despite their
deep dislike of each other.

Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature
is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His
job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along
with the houses in which they are hidden. (890L)

Sky Without Stars
by Jessica Brody

A futuristic reimagining of Les Misérables tells the story of three teens from
very different backgrounds who are thrown together by the looming threat
of revolution on a French planet colony. (730L)

Hurricane Child
by Kheryn Callender

Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane (which is
considered bad luck), twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl.
Together, they set out in another hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother.
(1010L)

 One of Ours
 by Willa Cather

 A young man escapes from an oppressive life on a midwestern farm to fight
 in France during World War I. (980L)

 American Panda
 by Gloria Chao

 A freshman at MIT, Mei tries to live up to her Taiwanese parents'
 expectations, but she can't hide several truths: she is a germaphobe who
 cannot become a doctor; she prefers dancing to biology; and she is dating a
 Japanese boy. (780L)

The Black God’s Drums
by P. Djeli Clark

In an alternate New Orleans caught in the Civil War, a girl named Creeper
yearns to escape the streets by earning a spot on an airship. But Creeper has a
dangerous secret: Oya, the African orisha of wind and storms, speaks inside
her head.

Tyler Johnson Was Here
by Jay Coles

When Marvin Johnson's twin brother, Tyler, is shot and killed by a police
officer, Marvin must fight injustice to learn the true meaning of freedom.
(HL800L)

In Search of Us
by Ava Dellaira

This multi-generational mother-daughter love story tells the tale of single
mother Marilyn and her own daughter, Angie, who makes some unexpected
discoveries when she hits the road to discover the truth about her birth
father. (880L)

Invisible Man
by Ralph Ellison

The odyssey of one black man's fervent search for his own identity.
(870L)

Dear Evan Hansen
by Val Emmich

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school
senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is
given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. (HL590L)

Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots
by Margarita Engle

In soaring images and powerful poems, tells the story of the 1943 Zoot Suit
Riots in Los Angeles, marked by racial violence between young white
sailors on their way to war, and Mexican-American citizens. (1300L)

Lawn Boy
by Jonathan Evison

Both a vibrant, painfully honest coming-of-age story and a sharp social
commentary on class, this novel follows young Mike Muñoz as he struggles
to overcome the hand he's been dealt and reach for his dreams.

I Have Lost My Way
by Gayle Forman

Three teenagers--Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel--feel lost in various ways; but
when they collide in Central Park, they begin to find purpose in their lives
again. (HL730L)

Give Me Some Truth
by Eric Gansworth

In this coming-of-age novel set in 1980, teens Carson and Maggi must make
their mark on the world while navigating the tensions between their upstate
New York Native American reservation and the surrounding communities.
(HL760L)

Air
by Ryan Gattis

Follows a young man as he enters the strange and exciting world of high
octane sports in the inner city of Baltimore. (HL770L)

 Picture Us in the Light
 by Kelly Loy Gilbert

 Daniel, a Chinese-American teen, must grapple with his plans for the
 future, his feelings for his best friend, Harry, and his discovery of a family
 secret that could shatter everything. (890L)

Between the Lines
by Nikki Grimes

A group of nine high school students grow in understanding of each other's
challenges and forge unexpected connections as they prepare for a boys vs.
girls poetry slam. Includes author's note about foster home care. (HL630L)

The War Outside
by Monica Hesse

Teenagers Haruko, a Japanese American, and Margot, a German American,
form a life-changing friendship as everything around them starts falling
apart in the Crystal City family internment camp during World War II.
(HL710L)

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman

A socially awkward, routine-oriented loner teams up with a bumbling IT guy
from her office to assist an elderly accident victim, forging a friendship that
saves all three from lives of isolation and secret unhappiness.

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

An American classic about a young black woman and her coming to an
understanding about love and happiness. (890L)

Dread Nation
by Justina Ireland

In an alternate America, Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead
began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, altering the
course of the Civil War and ushering in a new society devoted to zombie-
killing. (870L)

Monday’s Not Coming
by Tiffany D. Jackson

When her friend Monday Charles goes missing and Monday's mother
refuses to give her a straight answer, Claudia digs into her disappearance.

Allegedly
by Tiffany D. Jackson

When Mary, a teenager living in a group home, becomes pregnant,
authorities take another look at the crime for which Mary was convicted
when she was nine years old. (HL620L)

Darius the Great Is Not Okay
by Adib Khorram

Even though he is clinically depressed and speaks better Klingon than Farsi,
high school sophomore Darius Kellner must travel to Iran to meet his
grandparents; but it is their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, who changes his
life. (HL710L)

The Music of What Happens
by Bill Konigsberg

When Maximo and Jordan find themselves attracted to one another while
working the food truck that belonged to Jordan's deceased father, their
relationship is threatened by personal secrets, racism, and homophobia.
(HL670L)

LIFEL1K3
by Jay Kristoff

On an island junkyard beneath a sky that glows with radiation, a deadly
secret lies buried in the scrap. Seventeen-year-old Eve isn't looking for
trouble--she's too busy looking over her shoulder. (HL710L)

Five Feet Apart
by Rachael Llippincott

Seventeen-year-olds Stella and Will, both suffering from cystic fibrosis,
realize the only way to stay alive is to stay apart, but their love for each other
is slowly pushing the boundaries of physical and emotional safety. (780L)

Scary Out There
by Jonathan Maberry

Compiles more than twenty stories and poems, written by members of the
Horror Writers Association, in this terrifying collection about worst fears.

All the Pretty Horses
by Cormac McCarthy

The story of a young rancher who heads off for a dangerous adventure on the
Texas-Mexico border. (940L)

Blood Water Paint
by Joy McCullough

In Renaissance Italy, Artemisia Gentileschi endures the subjugation of
women that allows her father to take credit for her extraordinary paintings,
rape and the ensuing trial, and torture, buoyed by her deceased mother's
stories of strong women of the Bible. (HL740L)

The Free
by Lauren McLaughlin

Teenaged Isaac, who steals to give his younger sister the basic necessities
that his alcoholic mother cannot provide, is sentenced to a juvenile detention
center and during therapy sessions with fellow criminals, a repressed
memory surfaces that changes everything.

One of Us Is Lying
by Karen M. McManus

When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of
four high-profile students all four become suspects. It's up to them to solve
the case. (HL730L)

#MurderTrending
by Gretchen McNeil

Falsely accused of murdering her stepsister, seventeen-year-old Dee fights to
survive paid assassins on Alcatraz 2.0, the most popular prison on social
media. (840L)

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
by Meg Medina

Informed that a bully she does not know is determined to beat her up
because of her pale skin, good grades and lack of accent, Latin American
teen Piddy struggles to stay on top of a busy work schedule and learn more
about the father she has never met until the bully's gang forces her to
confront more difficult challenges. (HL670L)

Circe
by Madeline Miller

Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her
powers and interacts with famous mythological beings, before a conflict with
a vengeful Olympian forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods
and mortals.

Puddin’
by Julie Murphy

When Millie, a former "fat camp" attendee who's determined to live her
dreams, and Callie, a popular, pretty dance-team leader and "mean girl," are
unexpectedly thrown together, they surprise the school--and themselves--by
becoming friends. (HL730L)

Resistance
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In 1942 sixteen-year-old Chaya Lindner is a Jewish girl living in Nazi-
occupied Poland, a courier who smuggles food and documents to the isolated
Jewish ghettos in southern Poland, depending on her forged papers and
"Aryan" features--but when a mission goes wrong and many of her
colleagues are arrested she finds herself on a journey to Warsaw, where an
uprising is in the works. (820L)

Before I Let Go
by Marieke Nijkamp

Returning to her small Alaska home town after her bipolar best friend's
death, Corey uncovers chilling secrets about the townspeople and their
treatment of Kyra prior to her drowning. (HL630L)

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree
by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Based on interviews with young women who were kidnapped and enslaved
by Boko Haram, this poignant novel tells the story of one girl who was taken
from her home in Nigeria, and her harrowing fight for survival. (920L)

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm
by Christopher Paolini

Three new stories of Eragon set a year after he left Alagaesia to find a home
to train the newest generation of Dragon riders. (920L)

Boy 21
by Matthew Quick

Finley, an unnaturally quiet boy who is the only white player on his high
school's varsity basketball team, is asked by his coach to mentor a troubled
African American student who has transferred there from an elite private
school in California. (830L)

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
by Isabel Quintero

Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez chronicles her senior year in high school
as she copes with her friend Cindy's pregnancy and friend Sebastian's
coming out; her father's meth habit; her cravings for food and cute boys;
and, especially, the poetry that helps forge her identity. (HL820L)

The Boy in the Black Suit
by Jason Reynolds

Soon after his mother's death, Matt takes a job at a funeral home in his tough
Brooklyn neighborhood and, while attending and assisting with funerals,
begins to accept her death and his responsibilities as a man. (HL760L)

After the Shot Drops
by Randy Ribay

In this story told from alternating perspectives, Bunny takes a basketball
scholarship to an elite private school to help his family, leaving behind
Nasir, his best friend, in their tough Philadelphia neighborhood. (HL730L)

Dealing in Dreams
by Lilliam Rivera

Sixteen year old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City, but
when she sets her sights on giving this life up for a prestigious home in
Mega Towers, she must decide if she's willing to do the unspeakable to get
what she wants. (HL550L)

White Rabbit
by Caleb Roehrig

Rufus Holt has one night to prove his half-sister, April, innocent of
murdering her boyfriend at a wild party--the very night his ex-boyfriend,
Sebastian, shows up wanting to talk. (980L)

Carry On
by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School
of Magicks, but no one will let him. (HL570L)

Written in the Stars
by Aisha Saeed

Naila's vacation to visit relatives in Pakistan turns into a nightmare when she
discovers her parents want to force her to marry a man she's never met.
(HL560L)

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sanchez

When the sister who delighted their parents by her faithful embrace of
Mexican culture dies in a tragic accident, Julia, who longs to go to college
and move into a home of her own, discovers from mutual friends that her
sister may not have been as perfect as believed. (HL730L)

The Fall of Innocence
by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Sixteen-year-old Emilia DeJesus struggles to overcome the aftermath of
assault when new information about what happened to her eight years before
awakens her memories.

Ash Princess
by Laura Sebastian

Held captive by the brutal Kaiser since age six when she witnessed her
mother's murder, Theodosia, called Ash Princess, is now sixteen and
prepared to reclaim the throne by any means necessary. (840L)

Dry
by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman

In this dystopian tale, a lengthy California drought escalates to catastrophic
proportions, turning Alyssa's quiet suburban street into a war zone--and she
is forced to make impossible choices if she and her brother are to survive.
(790L)

History Is All You Left Me
by Adam Silvera

Secrets are revealed as OCD-afflicted Griffin grieves for his first love, Theo,
who died in a drowning accident. (HL820L)

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan

Unemployed by the recession, a young San Francisco Web designer takes a
job as a clerk at an unusual bookstore, where he uncovers an apparent
mystery that is waiting to be solved.

The Last to Let Go
by Amber Smith

When her mother is arrested for killing Brooke's abusive father, Brooke must
confront the shadow of her family's violence and dysfunction. (HL760L)

What the Night Sings
by Vesper Stamper

Liberated from Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945, sixteen-year-
old Gerta tries to make a new life for herself, aided by Lev, a fellow
survivor, and Michah, who helps Jews reach Palestine. (HL720L)

Dear Martin
by Nic Stone

Following a wrongful arrest as a result of racial profiling, Justyce McAllister
starts a journal to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to work through his
thoughts on contemporary American race relations. (HL720L)

 Odd One Out
 by Nic Stone

 High school juniors and best friends Courtney and Jupe, and new
 sophomore Rae, explore their sexuality and their budding attractions for
 one another. (HL780L)

The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever
by Jeff Strand

After producing three horror films that went mostly ignored on YouTube,
fifteen-year-old Justin and his filmmaking buddies decide it's time to make
something epic. (HL680L)

On the Come Up
by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at
least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend
who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. (HL550L)

Game Seven
by Paul Volponi

A sixteen-year-old shortstop in Cuba who dreams of playing with the pros
must choose between his country and his father who defected to the U.S.
(HL770L)

Ultimatum
by K.M. Walton

When their mother dies, two very different brothers become even more
distant, but when their father's alcoholism sends him into liver failure, the
two boys must come face-to-face with their demons, and each other, if they
are going to survive an uncertain future. (HL590L)

The Beauty That Remains
by Ashley Woodfolk

Autumn, Shay, and Logan, whose lives intersect in complicated ways, each
lose someone close to them and must work through their grief. (HL810)

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo
by F.C. Yee

Sixteen-year-old Genie's plan to get into a top-tier college is derailed when
an enigmatic transfer student, Quentin, helps her transform into a demon-
fighter. (720L)

The Sun Is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon

A boy and a girl--both responsible people living in the "real" world--
experience love at first sight on a New York City street, and discover a new-
found belief in fate, dreams, and the hidden poetry of the soul. (HL650L)

The Fragile Ordinary
by Samantha Young

Looking forward to graduating from her Edinburgh high school and finding
herself at university away from high community expectations and her
indifferent parents, Comet is partnered with a bad-boy newcomer from
America whose dangerous friends do not approve of their relationship.

Goodbye Days
by Jeff Zentner

Looks at a teen's life after the death of his best friend and how he navigates
through the guilt and pain by celebrating their lives, and ultimately learning
to forgive himself. (HL620L)

Pride
by Ibi Zoboi

In this retelling of "Pride and Prejudice," Zuri Benitez discovers that loyalty
to her family and Afro-Latino roots may not be enough to enable her to save
her gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood--or to avoid her new neighbor,
Darius Darcy. (HL760L)

Nonfiction

        Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court
        by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymong Obstfeld

        An autobiography about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his life growing up in
        New York, becoming the basketball star he's known to be, and getting
        involved in the world around him as an activist for social change. (990L)

        We Should All Be Feminists
        by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

        Offers an updated definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one
        rooted in inclusion and awareness. (940L)

        We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide
        by Carol Anderson

        From the end of the Civil War to the tumultuous issues in America today, an
        acclaimed historian reframes the conversation about race, chronicling the
        powerful forces opposed to black progress in America.

        Shout
        by Laurie Halse Anderson

        This memoir in verse shares the author's life, covering her rape at thirteen,
        her difficult early childhood, and her experiences surrounding the publication
        of "Speak.

Working in the Dark
by Jimmy Santiago Baca

Baca passionately explores the troubled years of his youth, from which he
emerged with heightened awareness of his ethnic identify as a Chicano, his
role as a witness for the misunderstood tribal life of the barrio, and his
redemptive vocation as a poet.

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century
by Neal Bascomb

The story of a group of Allied POWs in WWI who dared to escape from
Germany's most notorious prison camp, Holzminden. (1070L)

American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of
Punishment
by Shane Bauer

A ground-breaking and brave inside reckoning with the nexus of prison and
profit in America: in one Louisiana prison and over the course of our
country's history.

 E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous
 by David Bodanis

 Describes each component of the famous equation and how the formula has
 contributed to our understanding of energy. (1170L)

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures
by America Ferrera

Presents a collection of first person accounts from prominent figures,
including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Roxane Gay and
many more, about the experience of growing up between cultures.

Unpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for Justice
by Lawrence Goldstone

The riveting story of how the Supreme Court turned a blind eye on justice,
stripped away the equal rights promised to all Americans, and ushered in the
era of Jim Crow. (1260L)

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided
by Diane Guerrero

Presents the true story of the author, a U.S. citizen by birth, who had to
struggle to make a life for herself with the help of friends and strangers after
her undocumented parents were deported when she was fourteen. (HL780L)

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
by Claire Hartfield

Examines the events and forces leading up to the 1919 race riots in Chicago.
(1120L)

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
by Deborah Heiligman

This examination of brotherly love presents the true story of the relationship
between brothers Theo and Vincent van Gogh. (900L)

Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City
by Phillip Hoose

Traces the inspirational story of the Crispus Attucks High School Tigers
basketball team and how they broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s
Indiana to become state champions. (1110L)

Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave
by Zora Neale Hurston

Presents a previously unpublished work that illuminates the horror and
injustices of slavery in the true story of one of the last known survivors of
the Atlantic slave trade, Cudjo Lewis, who was abducted from Africa on the
last "black cargo" ship to arrive in the United States.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and
Hope
by William Kamkwamba

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the immensely engaging and inspiring
true account of an enterprising African teenager who constructed a windmill
from scraps to create electricity for his entire community. (960L)

Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage
by Amy Klobuchar

This powerful collection features actors, activists, athletes, politicians,
musicians, writers, and teens, each writing about a time in their youth when
they were held back because of their race, gender, or sexual identity--but
persisted. (1010L)

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
by Jennifer 8 Lee

If you think McDonald's is the most ubiquitous restaurant experience in
America, consider that there are more Chinese restaurants in America than
McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendys combined…In her search, Jennifer 8
Lee traces the history of Chinese-American experience through the lens of
the food.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
by Kate Moore

Recounts the struggles of hundreds of women who were exposed to radium
while working factory jobs during World War I, describing how they were
mislead by their employers and became embroiled in a battle for workers'
rights. (980L)

Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite
with His Mother
by Sonia Nazario

Recounts the odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves hardship and peril to
reach his mother in the United States. (830L)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
by Trevor Noah

The host of "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" traces his wild coming of
age during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days
of freedom that followed, offering insight into the farcical aspects of the
political and social systems of today's world. (HL770L)

Becoming
by Michelle Obama

This intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir explores the life of the former
First Lady of the United States. (1170L)

The Library Book
by Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library
fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved
institution--our libraries.

Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam
by Elizabeth Partridge

An exploration of the Vietnam War from many different perspectives
including an American soldiers, a nurse, and a Vietnamese refugee. (960L)

The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor
by Sonia Sotomayor

An adaptation for middle graders based on the bestselling adult memoir, My
Beloved World, in which the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia
Sotomayor's details her achievements, which serve as a true testament to the
fact that no matter the obstacles, dreams can come true. (1070L)

Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin
by James L. Swanson

Offers an inside look into the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his
assassin, James Earl Ray, discussing the historical milieu and systematically
examining the event and its aftermath. (1010L)

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child
by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

The author shares the story of her survival of the Gatumba massacre, despite
losing her sister, and how after moving to America she found healing
through art and activism. (HL790L)

Educated
by Tara Westover

Traces the author's childhood among Idaho survivalists, including her
participation in her family's paranoid lifestyle, and her resolve to escape by
educating herself enough to gain acceptance at a prestigious university.
(870L)

A People's History of the United States
          by Howard Zinn

          A revised edition of the American Book Award-nominated chronicle of U.S.
          history is told from a grassroots perspective and provides an analysis of
          important events from 1492 through the current war on terrorism. (1260L)

                      Graphic Novels
Fiction
          Speak: The Graphic Novel
          by Laurie Halse Anderson

          A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on
          Melinda's freshman year in high school. Contains mature material.
          (GN550L)

          Be Prepared
          by Vera Brosgol

          A misfit girl and her brother attend summer camp, where they struggle with
          primitive plumbing, snobby tentmates, and boys-versus-girls competitions.
          (GN360L)

          Illegal
          by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

          In this powerful graphic novel by the team behind the Artemis Fowl series, a
          young refugee from Ghana undertakes the hazardous journey to Europe in
          hopes of reuniting with his siblings and achieving a better life. (GN490L)

My Low-G Life
by Joe Henderson

One day, gravity on Earth suddenly became a fraction of what it is now.
Twenty years later, humanity has adapted to its new low-gravity reality.

All Summer Long
by Hope Larson

Thirteen-year-old Bina faces her first summer without her best friend,
Austin, who has left for soccer camp. (GN250L)

The Witch Boy
by Molly Knox Ostertag

In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches,
while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines
is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted and he's still
fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. (GN490L)

Home After Dark
by David Small

Thirteen-year-old Russell Pruitt, abandoned by his mother, follows his father
to dilapidated 1950s Marshfield, California, where he is forced to fend for
himself against a ring of malicious bullies.

The Prince and the Dressmaker
by Jen Wang

Presents a graphically illustrated fairy tale set in Paris at the dawn of the
modern age, where a cross-dressing prince hides his identity as a popular
fashion icon and falls for a brilliant dressmaker who knows his secret at the
same time his royal parents begin searching for a traditional bride for him to
marry. (GN360L)

Boxers
by Gene Luen Yang

In 1898 China, Little Bao--who has had enough of foreign missionaries and
soldiers robbing peasants--recruits an army of Boxers to free China from its
oppressors.

Saints
by Gene Luen Yang

Vibiana, an unwanted fourth child, finds her name and identity in
Christianity, but with the Boxer Rebellion in full swing and Chinese
Christians facing death, she must decide whether her loyalties lie with her
religion or her country.

Nonfiction

        Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
        by Penelope Bagieu

        With characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, the celebrated graphic
        novelist profiles feisty female role models whose courage and "brazen" ways
        have changed the world. (GN770L)

        The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees
        by Don Brown

        This nonfiction graphic novel is an important, timely, and eye-opening
        exploration of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, exposing the harsh realities
        of living in, and trying to escape, a war zone.

        The Best We Could Do
        by Thi Bui

        The author describes her experiences as a young Vietnamese immigrant,
        highlighting her family's move from their war-torn home to the United States
        in graphic novel format. (GN600L)

         I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir
         by Malaka Gharib

         In this heartfelt tribute to the American immigrant experience, the author
         recalls her eventful childhood as the daughter of Egyptian and Filipino
         immigrants, and her struggle to adapt her heritage to a new world.

Hey, Kiddo
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

This memoir traces the author's journey as a child growing up in a family
fractured by addiction, and tells how he found a way to express himself--and
confront his truths--through art. (GN510L)

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide
by Isabel Quintero

A blending of photographs and illustrations trace the life and work of
Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide, who embarked on a journey across
Mexico and the world. (HL690L)