SUGGESTED+READING


 * Here is a list of approved reading for grade nine learning strategies. Please see Mrs. L if you have another book that you would prefer to read for your book report assignments. Silent reading books may be books of your choice.**


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After narrowly escaping Earth’s destruction, Arthur Dent travels the galaxy with the help of tour guide Ford Prefect, on a quest to save the universe.
 * Adams:** //**The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy**// c1980 //humor, science fiction//


 * Anaya:**//**Bless Me, Ultima**// c1972 //diversity, fiction//

A healer helps Antonio when he comes to live with his family in New Mexico.




 * Anderson, Laurie Halse:**//**Speak**// c1999 //emotional problems, fiction//

Melinda begins high school as a social outcast after a traumatic experience in the summer.




 * Blackwood:**//**The Year of the Hangman**// c2002 //alternate history adventure//

In 1777, 15-year-old Creighton is kidnapped from England and taken to the American colonies, where he becomes involved in the political unrest that can change the course of history.




 * Covey:**//**The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens**// c1998 //nonfiction//

Hints and strategies for success in life, communicated through engaging stories, cartoons and quotations.

**Cox:**//**Swimming to Antarctica**// c2004 //nonfiction, memoir//

Follow the story of Lynne Cox as she deals with achieving her dreams of conquering some of the roughest waters in the world. The story shows that young people can accomplish great things.




 * Dessen:**//**The Truth about Forever**// c2004 //grief, fiction//

The summer after her father dies holds unexpected changes that help Marcy face her grief.




 * Dickens:**//**Oliver Twist**// c1867 //classic//

An orphan in Victorian England finds his true identity through his misadventures.




 * Dumas:**//**The Count of Monte Cristo**// c1846 //historical fiction, classic//

This classic adventure novel involves a daring prison escape, a risky search for buried treasure and a quest for revenge.




 * Farmer:**//**The House of the Scorpion**// c2002 //science fiction//

In the future, clones are looked down upon by humans. However, Matt, a clone of a powerful leader, experiences special privileges.

**Grimes:**//**Dark Sons**// c2005 //African American fiction//

This starkly written novel is a story of two young men, separated by history, who struggle with identity, race and faith. Both young men struggle with societal acceptance and a place to belong.




 * Halberstam:**//**Firehouse**// c2002 //nonfiction, biography//

Out of all the men who responded to the terrorists' attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, from the Engine 40 Ladder 35 firehouse, only one man survived.




 * Johnson:**//**The First Part Last**// c2003 //teenage, African American fiction//

The birth of Bobby’s baby girl brings life changes to his carefree teenage life.




 * Krakauer:**//**Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster**// c1998 //nonfiction/survival//

In March 1996, a group of people joined an expedition to climb Mount Everest. This group included journalist Jon Krakauer and lead climber Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of the climbers, the expedition met with disaster. Krakauer analyzes why.




 * Lord:**//**A Night to Remember**// c1955 //nonfiction, history//

The story of the sinking of the Titanic is told in a "you were there" approach.




 * McKinley:**//**Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast**// c1978 //romance, folklore fiction//

While the beautiful heroine is being held captive in the castle of the frightening beast, her love for the beast releases him from the spell that transformed him.

**Murdock:**//**Dairy Queen**// c2006 //farm life, fiction//

With humor, sports action, romance and wit, this book could appeal to both male and female. The interesting and empathetic characters in non-conventional roles provide “food for thought” and provide insight into situations not usually covered in young adult fiction.




 * Murray:**//**Bottled Up**// c2003 //drug abuse, realistic fiction//

Pip must face his high school principal, his drug addiction, his alcoholic father and a younger brother who looks up to him.

**Nolan:**//**Dancing on the Edge**// c2007 //fiction//

Miracle McCloy feels like a misfit in a dysfunctional family. Her mother died when she was born and her distant, brooding father disappears suddenly. Raised by her psychic grandmother, Gigi, Miracle searches for her identity and dancing becomes the only thing that makes Miracle feel like a whole person. After being committed to the psychiatric ward of a hospital, Miracle must face the truth about her past.




 * Nye:**//**19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East**// c2002 //poetry//

Poetry of the Middle East.




 * Oates:**//**Freaky Green Eyes**// c2003 //realistic fiction//

Fourteen-year-old Frankie relates the events leading up to her mother’s disappearance and her own attempt to come to terms with her parents’ relationship.




 * Peck:**//**The Teacher’s Funeral**// c2004 //teenage guys’ fiction//

In rural Indiana in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell’s dream of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew is disrupted when his older sister takes over teaching at his one room schoolhouse after mean, old Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off and dies."




 * Philbrick:**//**In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex**// c2000 //nonfiction, survival//

This is the story of the tragic sinking of the Essex by an 80 foot sperm whale in 1820. Elements of this tragedy inspired the writing of the classic tale //Moby Dick//.




 * Schaap:**//**Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics**// c2007 //nonfiction, sports biography//

This book uncovers the history of one of sports greatest track and field stars, Jesse Owens. It traces the racial struggles he faced in America and the dramatic contests in 1936 at the Olympics in Nazi Berlin.




 * Tolkien:****Lord of the Rings Trilogy** c1954 //fantasy, classic//

This trilogy includes //The Fellowship of the Ring//, //The Two Towers// and //The Return of the King//. It is the story of how the dark power of Sauron is destroyed.




 * Uchida:**//**Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family**// c1982 //nonfiction, survival//

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, like many other Japanese-American families, Yoshiko’s family is assigned to an internment camp in Utah.




 * Woodson:**//**Behind You**// c2004 //African American fiction//

After fifteen-year-old Jeremiah is mistakenly shot by the police, his loved ones struggle to cope with his loss, unaware that he is watching over them.

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