BOB Book List 2018 2019 - The Crossover by Kwame Alexander 1 - Asheboro City Schools

BOB Book List 2018 – 2019
    The Crossover by Kwame Alexander – 1
    "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is
    DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-
    locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the
    court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell
    his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and
    brotherhood.
    Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize
    breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax
    proves a game-changer for the entire family.

    Wild Things by Clay Carmichael – 1
    Stubborn, self-reliant eleven-year-old Zoe, recently orphaned, is forced to move to
    the country to live with her strange and bad-tempered uncle. Zoe could care less that
    he's a famous doctor and sculptor. All she knows is that he is impossible to
    understand. The only interesting thing on the farm is a feral cat who won't let Zoe
    near. Together, Zoe and her uncle learn about trust and the strength of family ties. In
    this moving coming-of-age novel, Zoe comes to understand what it means to love
    and be loved, uncovers a long-kept secret, and finds family where she least expects
    it. Includes an interview with the author and a reading group guide.

    Ashes to Asheville by Sarah Dooley – 1
    Two sisters take off on a wild road trip in this poignant tale for fans of Counting by 7s
    and Fish in a TreeAfter Mama Lacy's death, Fella was forced to move in with her
    grandmother, Mrs. Madison. The move brought Fella all sorts of comforts she wasn't
    used to at home, but it also meant saying goodbye to her sister Zoey (a.k.a. Zany) and
    her other mother, Mama Shannon. Though Mama Shannon fought hard to keep Fella,
    it was no use. The marriage act is still a few years away and the courts thought Fella
    would be better off with a blood relation. Already heartbroken, Fella soon finds
    herself alone in Mrs. Madison's house, grieving both the death of her mother and the
    loss of her entire family. Then one night, Zany shows up at Mrs. Madison's house
    determined to fulfill Mama Lacy's dying wish: to have her ashes spread over the lawn
    of the last place they were all happy as a family. Of course, this means stealing Mama
    Lacy's ashes and driving hundreds of miles in the middle of night to Asheville, North
    Carolina. Their adventure takes one disastrous turn after another, but their impulsive
    journey helps them rediscover the bonds that truly make them sisters. A heartrending
    story of family torn apart and put back together again, Ashes to Asheville is an
    important, timely tale.

Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper – 1
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic
memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She
is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her
classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her
as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses
to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it -
somehow. In this breakthrough story, reminiscent of The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly, from multiple Coretta Scott King Award-winner Sharon Draper, readers will
come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever how they
look at anyone with a disability.

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt – 1
Twelve-year-old Carley Connors can take a lot. Growing up in Las Vegas with her fun-
loving mother, she's learned to be tough. But she never expected a betrayal that
would land her in a foster care. When she's placed with the Murphys, a lively family
with three boys, she's blindsided. Do happy families really exist? Carley knows she
could never belong in their world, so she keeps her distance. It's easy to stay
suspicious of Daniel, the brother who is almost her age and is resentful she's there.
But Mrs. Murphy makes her feel heard and seen for the first time, and the two
younger boys seem determined to work their way into her heart. Before she knows it,
Carley is protected the boys from a neighborhood bully and even teaching Daniel
how to play basketball. Then just when she's feeling like she could truly be one of the
Murphys, news from her mother shakes her world.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan – 1
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing
medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for
her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her
from leading a quietly happy life...until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car
crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a
tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push
through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable
surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane – 1
1868 England. Sherlock Holmes, age 14, unexpectedly summers with Farnham
relations and befriends orphan Matt. Why does a dark cloud float from a corpse
covered in red boils? Sherlock fights, runs, gets caught, drugged, whipped, ordered
killed; defending bystander is fatally knifed. Americans logical tutor Amycus Crowe
and daughter Virginia in well-fitting breeches help.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds - 1
Running. That's all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never
for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively
challenges an elite sprinter to a race -- and wins -- the Olympic medalist track coach
sees he has something: crazy natural talent. Thing is, Ghost has something else: a lot
of anger, and a past that he is trying to outrun. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for
speed and meld with the team, or will his past finally catch up to him?

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – 1
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she
draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her
home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from
her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young
brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the
coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets
and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by
drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let
him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and
covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina
ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and
capture your heart.

Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin – 1
Jim Thorpe: super athlete, Olympic gold medalist, Native American. Pop Warner:
indomitable coach, football mastermind, Ivy League grad.

Before these men became legends, they met in 1907 at the Carlisle Indian School in
Pennsylvania, where they forged one of the winningest teams in the history of
America’s favorite sport. Called “the team that invented football,” Carlisle’s
innovative squad challenged the greatest, most elite teams—Harvard, Yale, Army—
audaciously vowing to take their place among the nation’s football powers.

This is an astonishing underdog sports story—and more. It’s an unflinching look at the
U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was
designed to erase Indian cultures. It’s the story of a group of young men who came
together at that school, the overwhelming obstacles they faced both on and off the
field, and their absolute refusal to accept defeat.

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk – 2
From the author of the critically acclaimed Wolf Hollow comes a moving story of
identity and belonging.
Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly
beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift on a small
boat when she was just hours old, Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who
rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across
the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn't until the night a
mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own
history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading
Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Vivid and heart wrenching, Lauren Wolk's Beyond the Bright Seais a gorgeously
crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the
true meaning of family.

All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall - 2
Based on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four
inner city students and their quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Weaving
together the different personal stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community
that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly
engaging story about the math, life and good-tasting barbecue. Filled with
unexpected humor, poignant characters and quiet brilliance, All of the Above is a
surprising gem.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger – 2
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a
knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more
interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the
family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick
is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in
Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have
hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything.
Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to
deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course.
Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson – 2
When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big
brother, Ari chose her big brother. There’s just one problem—Gage doesn’t actually
have a place to live. When Ari’s mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes:
that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would
go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when nineteen-year-old Gage
decides he can no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knows she has to go
with him. But it’s been two months, and Gage still hasn’t found them an apartment.
He and Ari have been "couch surfing," staying with Gage’s friend in a tiny apartment,
crashing with Gage’s girlfriend and two roommates, and if necessary, sneaking into a
juvenile shelter to escape the cold Maine nights. But all of this jumping around makes
it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting
into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises
to Mama? Told in an open, authentic voice, this nuanced story of hiding in plain sight
may have readers thinking about homelessness in a whole new way.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson – 2
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So
when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole
signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest
summer of Astrid's life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is
without Nicole...and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) by
William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer – 2
William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern
science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place
where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills
in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring
electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around
him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala—crazy—but William
was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.
In 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated
and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his
education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as
thousands across the country starved and died.
Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of
cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an
armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his
family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the
West considers a necessity—electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor
parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely
contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with
homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second
machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed
with every season.

Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America by Teri
Kanefield – 2
The America that Alexander Hamilton knew was largely agricultural and built on slave
labor. He envisioned something else: a multi-racial, urbanized, capitalistic America
with a strong central government. He believed that such an America would be a land
of opportunity for the poor and the newcomers. But Hamilton’s vision put him at
odds with his archrivals who envisioned a pastoral America of small towns, where
governments were local, states would control their own destiny, and the federal
government would remain small and weak.
The disputes that arose during America’s first decades continued through American
history to our present day. Over time, because of the systems Hamilton set up and
the ideas he left, his vision won out. Here is the story that epitomizes the American
dream—a poor immigrant who made good in America. In the end, Hamilton rose from
poverty through his intelligence and ability, and did more to shape our country than
any of his contemporaries.

Diamonds in the Shadows by Caroline B. Cooney – 2
THE FINCH FAMILY did not know that five refugees landed from Africa on the day
they went to the airport to welcome the family sponsored by their church. The Finch
family only knew about the four refugees they were meeting - Andre, Celestine,
Mattu, and Alake - mother, father, teenage son and daughter.Soon Jared realizes that
the good guys are not always innocent, and he must make a decision that could
change the fate of both families. This story presents many points of view and a fresh
perspective on doing the right thing.

White Fang by Jack London – 3
White Fang is part dog and part wolf, and the lone survivor of his family. In his lonely
world, he soon learns to follow the harsh law of the North--kill or be killed. But
nothing in White Fang's life can prepare him for the cruel owner who turns him into a
vicious killer. Will White Fang ever know the kindness of a gentle master?

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - 3
A forbidden romance. A deadly plague. Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .
CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her
stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life
becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of
a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must
uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.
This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall - 3
Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family,
comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother's battle
with cancer in this young adult novel in verse.
When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her
mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student,
starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less
important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life.
While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her
seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge
in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write.
Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses,
Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words.
Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is
captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is
an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman
navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Shmidt - 3
In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable
antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a
teenage boy’s mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967–68 school year in
Long Island, New York.
Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend
Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has
religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would
she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has
bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to
be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can
Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding
cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night
Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and
again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and
musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.

Deathwatch by Robb White – 3
Madec was not the kind of man Ben would ordinarily have chosen as a companion for
a quiet hunting trip. The only time Madec ever laughed was when he told some story
about how smart he was. He was a cold man who liked to hurt things and he was
dangerous with a gun. But Ben needed money to pay for another semester at college,
and so when Madec offered to hire him as a guide to hunt bighorn sheep in the desert
mountains, he agreed. It was a mistake that very nearly cost Ben his life.

Everlost by Neal Shusterman – 3
Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...

...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead,
they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a
shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's
a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who
stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he he's
found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all
warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into
dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of
Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what
just might lie in between.