|
Past
Featured Books 13 - 15, A to H
A
B C D
E F G H
Books
are listed Alphabetically by Title:

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47
Author: Mosley, Walter
2005
Science fiction
Age: 13-15
|
| Life on the Corinthian Plantation in Georgia in 1832 is brutal for the slaves brought from African to work the fields. Among them is 47, a fourteen-old boy who is inspired by the runaway slave Tall John, a man who says he comes from “beyond Africa”, from across the galaxies and across time in pursuit of the Calash, an evil that must be confronted and defeated. Gradually, Tall John shows 47 how he can break the chains of slavery, and be free. The provocative elements of this story include time travel, shape-shifting and cosmic conflict that pale in comparison to the travesty of slavery. |
|
6-321
Author: Laser, Michael
2001
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Set
in 1963, this story concerns the students whose grade six classes
are academically streamed. There is a steadily escalating trend
of abuse and bullying that culminates with the ringleader being
moved into the strongest class. The students learn that what they
take for granted may not be so, especially in the aftermath of the
assassination of John Kennedy. |

|
Abhorsen
Author: Nix, Garth
Date: 2002
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15
|
| The
third volume in The Abhorsen Trilogy, this concludes the story begun
first in Sabriel and followed in Lirael. Lirael and her nephew Prince
Sameth along with Disreputable Dog and Mogget the cat have been
ensorchelled in Abhorsen House by Clorr of the Mask, a Dead Creature,
associate of Hedge, an evil necromancer determined to join all that
is foul in two hemispheres. Should he succeed, the joining will
annihilate all life. Played out against a theme of the peril and
promise of technology, the power of the friendships among the characters
provides the drive to engage the forces of evil. Although a satisfying
conclusion, there is enough left incomplete to allow the author
to continue the story from another perspective. |
|
After
Hamelin
Author: Richardson, Bill
2000
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Remember
the Pied Piper, who piped all the children out of the town of Hamelin?
What would happen if one of the children was deaf, and did not hear
the Piper? After Hamelin carries this thought forward, by weaving
an intriguing tale of destiny, magic, and questing adventure. Penelope,
the deaf child, is now 101 years old, and decides to tell her story
before the end of her life. Enter the world of deep dreaming where
danger and adventure come together with dragons that carry scotch
mints and sewing kits, and the sage Cuthbert who will remind you
of Yoda. A delightful escape from reality. |


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Aftermath
Author: Sheffield, Charles
1998
Science fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| In
2026, the Alpha Centauri supernova explodes, sending a catastrophic
shockwave through the galaxy. When it reaches Earth, it destroys
much of the southern hemisphere, creating immediate environmental
devastation. Also decimated are all unshielded microchips and computer
systems on the planet. As the survivors struggle to cope, it is
transparent how perilously reliant upon technology civilization
has become. |
| 
|
After the Last Dog Died: The True-Life,
Hair-Raising Adventure of Douglas Mawson and his 1911-1914 Antarctic
Expedition
Author: Bredeson, Carmen
2003
Non-fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Before
the ordeal of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of Endurance in
the Antarctic, there was Sir Douglas Mawson who lead a team of scientists
to gather data about the Southern continent. With two companions,
Lt. Belgrave Ninnis and Dr. Xavier Mertz, sled dogs and supplies,
he set out to study the great ice shelf. After several difficult
weeks, Ninnis was lost in a deep crevasse, along with most of the
remaining food supplies. Over the next few days, the sled dogs were
shot and butchered for their meat. Starving and frostbitten, Mawson
and Mertz laboured toward base camp. Mertz died en route, and Mawson
barely survived, arriving in terrible condition at base camp. This
harrowing journey is well-documented with maps, charts, diagrams,
and interviews. It is a riveting account of survival in the harshest
conditions. |


|
Airborn
Oppel, Kenneth
Visit website
2004
Age: 11 and up
Adventure

Read Reviews
|
| From
the author of Silverwing comes this thrilling adventure story about
Matt, a 15 yr. old cabin boy on the giant luxury airship Aurora.
One night Matt helps rescue an elderly man from a crippled hot air
balloon and, before dying, the man tells Matt about fantastic. creatures
he has seen flying through the clouds. A year later, a young woman,
named Kate, arrives on board the Aurora. She and Matt become friends,
much to the distate of Kate’s chaperone, and Matt learns that
Kate is the grandaughter of the man from the hot air balloon. Kate
has read about the winged creatures in her grandfather’s log
book and is determined to find them. Before Matt can help Kate in
her quest the Aurora is attacked by pirates and shipwrecked on a
tropical island. As the crew works on repairing the airship Kate
and Matt explore the island. They make an amazing discovery and
encounter terrible danger from predators both human and non-human.
This is a gripping, fast-paced novel that will keep you totally
absorbed until the final pages. Be sure to check out the web site. |

|
Aldabra, or the tortoise who loved Shakespeare
Author: Gandolfi, Silvana
2004
Fantasy
Age:13-15 |
| Elisa loves her Nonna Eia, but is puzzled why her own mother does not visit Nonna. Eventually Elisa leans that years before, her mother had Nonna Eia committed to a psychiatric facility. The rift that caused has not yet healed, and Elisa wants to avoid hospitalizing her grandmother again. But it is difficult when Nonna begins to change, really change. Her skin becomes rougher, and gradually she loses the ability to stand upright and speak intelligibly as she transforms into a giant tortoise whose extended life span cheats a human death. This story challenges the meaning of identity and sanity, between what we see and what we hear. |

|
Alice, I Think
Author: Juby, Susan
2004
Realistic fiction
Age: 13-15
Read Review
|
| Dressed
as a hobbit for her first day of grade one, Alice Macleod endures
escalating bullying until her dysfunctional parents pull her from
public school and home-school her in the town of Smithers, British
Columbia. As high school approaches, Alice has promised to attend
public school again, but worries that she will be bullied, have
no friends and stand out as totally unacceptable. Through her diary
entries, she is spot-on in her observations of her hippy mother’s
feminist friends and her romance-novelist father’s slacker
buddies. In an often hilarious and caustic style, Alice copes with
the trials of her life with the help and often in spite of those
who love her. |
| 
|
All
the Answers
Author: Lemieux, Anne C.
2001
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Jason
Hodge is a bright, witty middle school athlete who is smitten with
Phelicia Nevimore. Phelicia is the twin sister of his nemesis, Philip,
star athlete and math wizard, who jealously guards his gorgeous
but vapid sibling from Jason’s attention. Complicating Jason’s
problems at school is a strained relationship with his stressed
out accountant-father, whose boss is the twins’ father. How
Jason uses his head to resolve his issues is clever and entertaining. |
| 
|
Amah,
The
Author: Yep, Lawrence
Visit website
1999
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Amy
Chin and her four siblings are being raised by their mother after
her father's death five years earlier. Money is very tight, but
Mrs. Chin has a promising new job as a nanny to the daughter of
a wealthy widower. This means that Amy is able to continue her ballet
lessons and have a role as a stepsister in Cinderella. Robin, Amy's
best friend offers her grandmother's services as a babysitter when
Mrs. Chin's job threatens to make it impossible for Amy to continue
with her ballet. In contrast to Amy, Stephanie Sinclair appears
to have eveything anyone could want. Yet something is missing. This
is a realistic portrait of the lives of young people from different
cultural communities. |
| 
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Amber
Spyglass, The
Author: Pullman, Philip
2000
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15
Read Reviews |
| The
concluding book of the trilogy "His Dark Materials", this
follows The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife.
It begins immediately where its predecessor ended. Will must find
and free Lyra that they may continue their quest to save their world.
This is a complex and demanding story that echoes Paradise Lost.
A knowledge of the first two volumes is essential, but singularly
rewarding to the diligent and thoughtful reader. |

|
Among
the Imposters
Author: Haddix, Margaret Peterson
2001
Age: 13 - 15
Non-fiction
Read Reviews
|
| In
Luke Gamer’s society, third children are not allowed to exist.
All of his life has been spent in hiding. After assuming the identity
of a dead child, he can now live among others. He attends a private
school with cruel classmates, and indifferent teachers. He knows
he must become part of the community, but lives in fear that his
behaviour will betray him. One day he discovers the door to the
outside world, where he believes he will find the answers to the
questions that haunt him. What he does not know is who he can trust,
and where the answers might lead him. This is the sequel to Among
the Hidden and will be followed by Among the Betrayed. |

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Angel's Grace
Author: Baptiste, Tracey
2005
Realistic Fiction
Age:13-15 |
Grace has wild red hair and a birthmark on her shoulder that her mother tells her is from the touch of an angel. But Grace knows instinctively that she does not completely belong in her family. When she must spend the summer in Trinidad , she discovers an old picture album with a photograph of a man with a mark just like hers. In conversations with family and friends, she confirms that the man she has called father is not her birth parent. He was Angel who died in an accident before her birth. Through family love and support, she eventually comes to terms with her circumstances. |

|
An Ocean Apart: The Gold Mountain
Diary of Chin Mei-ling, Vancouver,
British Columbia, 1922
Author: Chan, Gillian
2004
Historical fiction
Age: 13-15

|
| Mei-ling
is the twelve-year old Chinese daughter of an immigrant Chinese
family in the early part of the twentieth century in Canada. She
lives with her father in a small room in Chinatown. He works long
days as a houseboy in the home of a white family, after he is cheated
out of his business by unscrupulous partners. Mei-ling attends school
with an assortment of Canadian children, some of whom torment her.
She is a gifted artist, and diligent student, whose teacher gives
her a bright red diary for her birthday, to acknowledge her tremendous
intellectual growth. She is so shy that her only friend is Bess,
the daughter of an Irish immigrant family that falls on hard times.
After school, Mei-ling works at assorted jobs to help her father
accumulate the money to pay the onerous head tax that would allow
her mother and young brother to join them in Canada. In her few
spare moments, she records her thoughts, using all but the last
three pages, which she saves to record the arrival of her mother
in Canada. This accurately portrays the arduous life of immigrants
in a particularly racially charged time in Canadian history. |
| 
|
Armageddon
Summer
Author: Yolen, Jane and Coville, Bruce
Click for Website
1998
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read
Reviews
|
| Marina,
age 14, and Jed, age 16, meet at a campsite on a mountain where
Marina's mother and Jed's father have brought their families to
await the end of the world. This is predicted to occur on July 27,
2000 by the Reverend Raymond Beelson, the pastor of their church.
The Reverend has had a revelation in which only 144 souls will be
saved to repopulate the planet. However, the relatives of some of
the "saved" are determined that they will leave the camp. A confrontation
with its heartaches is inevitable. |
| 
|
Art
of Keeping Cool, The
Author: Lisle, Janet Taylor
2002
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read
Reviews
|
| During
the summer of 1942, Robert and his cousin Elliot spend the summer
with their families on Rhode Island. The war against the Nazis has
come to the coast of North America, near the little town where they
are staying. Ships are being sunk, and the resulting horror of war
is creating strong feelings in the townspeople. A famous German
artist, Abel Hoffman, is living in the woods outside the town. People
are speculating that he is a spy. Because Elliott is a budding artist
himself, he develops a rapport with Abel, who is a strange man.
Because of his nationality, he is labelled a threat to the community.
This story gives a strong flavour of the fears at that time, and
how those fears can fuel stereotyping. |
| 
|
At the Sign of
the Sugared Plum
Author: Hooper,
Mary
2003
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read Reviews |
| Hannah
is excited about traveling to London to work in her sister Sarah’s
sweetmeats shop. But the welcome she is expecting is tempered by
the growing threat posed by bubonic plague as it creeps from the
poorer sections of the city until Sarah and Hannah find themselves
increasingly isolated when neighbouring homes and businesses close.
Perhaps their best chance to survive will be a daring escape from
the city. Each chapter of this story begins with a quotation from
Samuel Pepys’ diaries that are coupled with the textured descriptions
of seventeenth century London: the fetid air, the raw sewage, the
palpable tension. Included is an analysis of the plague, and recipes
for sweetmeats. A companion story to James Cross Giblin’s
When Plague Strikes, and Geraldine Brooks’ Year of Wonders. |
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| 

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Backwater
Author: Bauer, Joan
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Ivy
does not want to follow the family tradition of studying law. While
researching the family history, she learns that her Aunt Josephine
also rejected the family expectations, and retreated to a mountaintop.
In seeking Josephine, Ivy's courage and maturity are tested as she
faces family disapproval, a dangerous winter mountain trek, and
an aunt uncomfortable with humans. Ivy comes to understand and respect
her aunt's uniqueness and value her own. |

|
Bird
Author: Johnson, Angela
2003
Realistic fiction
Age: 13-15
|
| Having
lost both her father and her stepfather Cecil, thirteen-year old
Bird runs away from her home in Ohio to a farm in Alabama, to which
she believes her stepfather will return. Ethan, a recent heart-transplant
recipient, is Cecil’s nephew. He knows Bird is hiding on Ethan’s
family farm, but does not know why. Jay, a neighbour, grieves for
his brother, whose heart beats now in Ethan’s body. Although
Jay knows Ethan has his brother’s heart, Ethan does not. The
ways in which these three young people touch and do not touch each
other’s lives demonstrates the need for connection and love
in their lives. |

|
Bittersweet
Author: Lamm, Drew C.
2003
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Taylor
Rose is an artistic high school junior whose accomplishments are
celebrated principally by her grandmother. Taylor’s mother
died many years before and her father is emotionally distant, so
her grandmother’s love and support are a bastion of Taylor’s
life. However, when her grandmother is incapacitated by a stroke,
Taylor loses focus, and begins to shut down. In a poignant story
of coming to terms with life’s experiences, Taylor’s
struggles to re-establish herself will touch readers. |
| 
|
Black
Horses for the King
Author: McCaffrey, Anne
Visit website
1996
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Galwyn
Varianus, son of a Roman Celt, escapes from his tyrannical uncle
and joins Lord Artos. Using his talent with languages, and with
horses, Galwyn helps to secure from the fairs on the Continent,
the Libyan horses that Artos hopes to use in his battles against
the Saxons. Galwyn applies his knowledge as a farrier to help care
for the horses. Developed from a previously published short story,
this provides a different perspective on the Arthurian legend, and
the development of calvary as a military strategy in Britain, including
the impact of such a mundane innovation as horseshoes. |
| 
|
Beaded
Moccasins, The
:
The Story of Mary Campbell
Author: Durrant, Lynda
1998
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Mary
Campbell resents her father’s decision to move the family
from their comfortable life in Connecticut to homestead on the frontier
in Pennsylvania in 1759. On her twelfth birthday, she is kidnapped
by Delaware Indians, to replace the deceased granddaughter of their
chief. As she struggles to adapt and survive, Mary finds that she
is coming to respect and like the Delaware. Based on an actual event,
this details the growth and maturing of a young girl who earns the
name The Woman-Who-Saved-the-Corn. |

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Before we were Free
Author: Alvarez, Julia
2004
Historical Fiction
Age: 13-15 |
As Anita de la Torre becomes more attuned to her family’s political life, she increasingly understands how dangerous her parents’ activities are. They are working to rid the Dominican Republic of Raefal Trujillo, the dictator who has been in power for decades. But it is a difficult task, complicated by not knowing whom to trust, or when the secret police may arrest them. When the family must go into hiding, Anita finds her voice through her diary where she records the hopes and fears that drive her family. This was an American Library Association Notable Book |
| 
|
Boots
and the Seven Leaguer: A Rock and
Troll Story
Author: Yolen, Jane
2000
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Gog
is a teen troll, magic, just not magic enough to make tickets
to the sold-out concert of Boots and the Seven Leaguers, coming
to jam under Rhymer's Bridge in only a few days. His friend Pook
concocts a disguise that convinces the rock and troll band that
Gog and Pook are experienced roadies. After all their lifting
and toting, Gog and Pook discover that Gog's younger brother,
Magog, who tagged along, is missing. What is worse, it appears
that Magog has disappeared into the New Forest, a fearsome place
where Gog must outwit the Weed King, the horrible Huntsman and
enter the lair of the Great White Wym. Gog wants to rescue his
little brother more than he wants to go to the concert, but if
everything goes accordingly to plan, he might just be able to
do both. This lighthearted fantasy will appeal to Yolen readers. |
| 
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Boxer,
The
Author: Karr , Kathleen
2000
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
|
John Aloysius Xavier Wood is only fifteen, but he is working to
support his mother and younger siblings after their father abandoned
them three years before. It is 1885 in the tenements of New York
City, where John works in a sweatshop a dozen hours a day for meagre
wages, and his mother makes artificial flowers for a pittance at
home. Tough for his age and size, John is quick with his fights.
When he sees a sign offering a five dollar prize for boxing in the
ring at Brodie's pub, he decides that he will enter the boxing contest,
even though it is illegal. He is in the ring when the police raid
the pub, and cart him off to jail. Sentenced to six months in The
Tombs, John meets Michael O'Shaughnessy, a former middleweight champion
who adopts John as his protégé. Through hard work,
and vicious fights, John makes a name for himself, and enough money
to realize his dream of moving his family to a new home. A quiet
story about perseverance and commitment. |
| 
|
Boy
in the Burning House, The
Author: Wynne-Jones, Tim
2000
Mystery/Suspense
Age: 13 - 15

|
| Jim
Hawkins is barely coping with the disappearance more than two years
ago of his father, Hub Hawkins. Now Rose Ruby, the stepdaughter
of Eldon Fisher, the village pastor who was also Hub’s best
friend, accuses him of murdering Hub. Rose Ruby is a wild-spirited
child with a history of mental instability, but there is enough
credibility in her charges that Jim must find out the truth for
himself. In seeking answers, he finds himself dealing with the death
of a boy in a burning house more than three decades ago. The boy
was known to both Hub and Eldon. As Jim draws nearer to the answers
he seeks, his life and that of Rose Ruby are in jeopardy. A thrilling
adventure that challenges the reader’s assumptions. |

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Boy
at War : A Novel of Pearl Harbour, A
Author: Mazer, Harry
2001
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read
Reviews
|
| Adam’s
family moved to Honolulu when his father was posted to the USS Arizona
two days before the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The event which brought
the United States into World War II. Adam experiences that event
first-hand. His perspective and his fears coupled with the sudden
responsibility of being the only male in the household lend a powerful
perspective to this historic event. |
| 
|
Boy's
Own: An Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers
Author: Wynne-Jones, Tim (editor)
Visit website
2001
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| There
are twenty short stories in this collection, edited by Tim Wynne-Jones.
The stories deal with themes of interest especially to boys: champs
and bullies; the lure of danger; getting lost in the wild; scoring
the winning goal; scaring your brother. The time frame ranges from
1000 AD to the present day, yet the characters, regardless of background
are recognizable as real boys living real lives. Many well-known
Canadian authors are featured, including Monica Hughes, Brian Doyle
and Tim Wynne-Jones. |
| 
|
Breadwinner,
The
Author: Deborah, Ellis
2000
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15

Read Review
|
| Under
the Taliban in Afghanistan, the daily lives of females were severely
curtailed. A woman or a girl could not leave the family home without
the escort of a male member of the household, or written permission
from the male head of the household. When in public, females were
required to be clothed from head to food in an enveloping burka,
a tent-like garment that concealed the female form utterly. School
for girls was forbidden. Parvana’s family is in difficult
enough circumstances before their university-educated father is
arrested, but now there is no male to escort the women and girls
on their errands to the market for food and services. Parvana, who
is young enough to pass as a boy, takes her father’s place
as escort, and assumes his role as “reader” at his station
in the market. It is Parvana’s skill and courage that helps
carry her family through an arduous period. The sequels to this
story are Parvana’s Journey and Mud City. |

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Bucking the Sarge
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul
2004
Realisticl Fiction
Age: 13-15 |
At age 15, Luther Farrell has an illegal driver’s license to chauffeur elderly men to his mother’s string of halfway houses. She is known as the Sarge, over-the-top with many manipulative and shady practices in running her slum landlord businesses, which she expects Luther to assume as an adult. He, on the other hand, wants only to win the science fair, think deep thoughts, hang with his best friend, Sparky, and love the gorgeous Shayla. Defeating his mother’s plans for him is richly satisfying. Told in contemporary language and with engaging comic dialogue, this is a different perspective on the child of a single parent. |
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| 
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Calling the Swan
Author:
Thesman, Jean
2000
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Skylar
Deacon wants to take a summer course at a downtown high school,
but she is struggling to overcome her parents’ obsessive protectiveness.
Her mother seems at the edge of an emotional breakdown, and her
sole confidante, her older sister Alexandra, seems oddly out of
place. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Alexandra is present
in Skylar’s life only in spirit. She was abducted three years
before and has never been found. Skylar’s efforts to regain
her sense of self-confidence and begin to grow towards independence
are at the heart of this haunting story. |
| 
|
Canada: Question and Answer Encyclopedia
Author: Busby, Brian
2003
Non-fiction
Age: 13 - 15

|
| Written
in trivia-question format, this explores some aspects of Canada’s
history, geography and culture in an entertaining and informative
structure. Included are such diverse questions as “Who coined
the term, cyberspace?”; “What was Operation Jubilee?”;
“Who were Ernie Coombs and Robert Homme?”; and “Which
two great air aces met on April 30, 1917?”. The answers are
complemented with photographs, reproductions and illustrations that
enhance the text. An educational resource with a sense of humour
and cachet. |

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Canning
Season, The
Author: Horvath, Polly
2003
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Lonely
thirteen-year old Ratchet Clark is sent to spend the summer with
her two very elderly cousins, by her indifferent mother. The cousins
live in an isolated area of Maine. Penpen and Tilley include Ratchet
in their work, gardening, swimming, canning blueberries and fending
off bears. Not incidentally, they teach Ratchet what it means to
be loved and cared for. A darkly humourous story with eccentric
characters for the more sophisticated reader. |
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Captains
Courageous
Author: Kipling, Rudyard
1897
Adventure
Age: 13 - 15
|
| When
young Harvey Cheynen, the spoiled son of a millionaire, is swept
overboard from an ocean liner, he is miraculously rescued by Captain
Disko Troop and the crew of the fishing vessel, We're Here. The
rescuers do not believe Harvey's story of a wealthy family, and
instead teach him how to survive as a fisherman. When the fishing
boat returns to port months later, to Harvey's exultant family,
there are many happy outcomes. An elegantly and stylishly written
story by the author of The Jungle Book; and Kim. |
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|
Carved
Box, The
Author: Chan, Gillian
Click for
Website
2001
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read
Reviews
|
| Callum
Murdoch, a fifteen-year old orphan, arrives in Canada from Scotland
in 1801. He has come to live with his uncle Rory, but has impulsively
spent what little cash he has on a filthy, half-starved dog and
a mysterious box. When the box accidentally breaks open, Callum
must make a very difficult decision. |
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Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
Author:
Jacques, Brian
Visit website
2002
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| The
Flying Dutchman was a seventeenth-century ship condemned to sail
the seas forever with its ghastly, ghostly crew. Neb, a young mute
boy and his dog are both bound to wander the world throughout the
centuries, to help those in need. A swashbuckling story filled with
colour and melodrama, where the villains are corrupt and stupid,
and the treasures, intriguing clues and delectable confection descriptions
keep the reader entertained. |
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Catherine,
Called Birdy
Author: Cushman, Karen
Historical Fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| This
Newbery medal winner is about Catherine, the daughter of a nobleman,
who is 14 years old when she begins a record of her daily life.
Her diary of the year 1290 provides a funny, vivid, and authentic
picture of medieval life. Although Catherine's father keeps trying
to marry her off to a rich man, Catherine manages to repel all her
suitors. This is a wonderful novel and gives the reader a very real
picture of what life was like in the 13th century. |
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Charlie
Wilcox's Great War
Author: Mckay, Sharon E.
2003
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15

|
| The
sequel to Charlie Wilcox, this continues his story from his arrival
home in Newfoundland after years serving as a medic on the front
lines in France. His family and friends treat him as a beloved hero,
but in truth, he is trying to adjust to life after spending his
adolescence dealing with the horrors he witnessed. His story alternates
between his past and the present, balancing the nightmare of war
with the peace of home. A challenging tale of the personal cost
of war on young people. |

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Chuju's
House
Author: Gloria Whelan
Visit website
2004
Realistic Fiction
Age: 10 - 14
|
| It
is the law in modern Chinese society that a rural family may only
have two children. When Chu Ju’s parents have a second daughter,
it eliminates their chance of having a son to carry on the family
name and tradition. They decide to sell the new baby, Hua, to make
room for another attempt at a boy baby. When fourteen-year old Chu
Ju hears of the plans for her adorable baby sister, she decides
she must leave her home and ‘disappear’. Then her parents
will have only one official child. In the middle of the night, she
hurries from her hut to the river to begin a journey that will take
her far from her family and home. Read to find out what becomes
of her in the vastness of China. This is a page-turning story of
love and survival. |

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Code Talker: a novel about the Navajo Marines of World Two
Author: Bruchac, Joseph
2005
Historical fiction
Age: 13-15
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| Writing for his grandchildren many years after his experiences, Ned Begay explains his youth in biligaana (white) schools and his life in the United States Marines in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War. Ned’s Navajo language is indecipherable to non-Navajo speakers, thus making him invaluable as a “code talker”, transferring messages on the battlefield. It is only after this work is declassified many years later that he can speak of it to his family and the community, to whom he attributes his perseverance in the face of adversity. Told in a serene voice, this realistic perspective of the horrors of the battlefield and the on-going struggle of aboriginal people for acceptance is a vivid accompaniment to non-fiction about this aspect of history. |


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Conch Bearer, The
Author: Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee
2003
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Anand
lives in Kolcatta where he struggles to earn enough money to help
his mother keep a roof over their shack. His father is dead and
his sister has had a breakdown. Anand sells tea in the market place
where he meets Abdayhatta, a member of the Brotherhood of Healers.
He is charged with returning an irreplaceable conch shell, the whorls
of which hold great power. The boy and the healer are joined by
Nisha, a street sweeper on a classic quest to overcome obstacles
and dangers to the return the conch to its home in the distant Himalaya
Mountains. An exotic tale of compassion, loyalty and honesty, this
evokes the magic of Harry Potter with the realism of Oliver Twist. |

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Contents under Pressure
Author: Zeises, Lara M.
2004
Realistic fiction
Age: 13-15
|
| Lucy
Doyle is struggling with a typical fourteen-year old’s issues.
Girlfriends or boyfriends? Her father works too much away from his
family. Her perfect older brother Jack has returned from college
with his pregnant girlfriend Hannah who moves into Lucy’s
bedroom. When Lucy meets Tobin Scacheri, she is overwhelmed by first
love. It is Hannah who helps Lucy sort out her feelings and responses,
in spite of the fact that Jack is not behaving responsibly to impending
parenthood. This realistic portrait of a family facing difficult
choices will impress readers with its veracity. |
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Corner of the Universe, A
Author: Martin, Ann M.
2002
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 - 15
|
| Hattie
Owen wants her summer to be as predictable as those past: helping
her mother run their boarding house, spending time with her artist
father; and reading “piles of books”. However their
family life is turned upside down when Uncle Adam, a relative Hattie
never knew she had, comes to stay with them when his “residential”
school closes. Adam has emotional issues, is an embarrassment to
his parents, and the target of laughter from Hattie’s peers.
Hattie often feels that she is more his baby-sitter than his niece,
but secretly believes that they are kindred spirits. When she encourages
Adam to come with her to the carnival, tragedy results. Hattie learns
what Adam meant when he referred to life as lifting a corner of
the universe. |
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Creepy Classics: More Hair-raising
Horror from the Masters of the Macabre
Author: Stuart,
Doris (editor)
1997
Horror
Age: 13-15
|
| The
eight stories in this collection include some of the best from masters
of this genre: “The Black Cat” by Edgar Alan Poe; “The
Violet Car” by E. Nesbit; “The Leather Funnel”
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and “Thing in the Hall” by
E.F. Benson. Told in the more slowly-paced style and florid vocabulary
of another era, each story develops it suspense and conflict in
unique ways. The horror creeps upon the reader unexpectedly. |
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Curious Incident
of the Dog in the Night-time,
The
Author: Haddon, Mark
2002
Age: 13 - 15
Mystery/Suspense
|
| Christopher
John Francis Boone is a fifteen-year old autistic, whose world is
predictable and logical. However, when Christopher is charged with
killing Wellington, his neighbour’s poodle found impaled on
a garden fork, he is determined to find out who the killer is. Using
his idol, Sherlock Holmes as his inspiration, Christopher investigates
clues for the answer he is seeking, and finds far more answers than
he wants. A poignant, funny, demanding story. |

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Curse of the Raven Mockers, The
Author: Youmans, Marly
2003
Fantasy
Age: 13 - 15 |
| Rooted
in the myths of the Cherokee nation, this is the story of Adanta
whose father seeks the healing lake that will cure his illness.
In his absence, a visitor named James comes to the family home.
In a particularly chilling incantation, James whom Adanta calls
The Lean One, lures her mother away. In her quest to rescue her
mother and be reunited with her father, Adanta overcomes many dangers
and obstacles in her journey to the hidden world of Adantis. A powerful
fantasy set in North America, this is sure to challenge readers
with its intricate plot and unusual characters. |
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Daniel Half Human: and the Good Nazi
Author: Chotjewitz, David
2004
Historical fiction
Age: 13-15
|
| As
an Allied soldier called upon to translate in the aftermath of World
War II, Daniel’s story unfolds as a third-person narrative
about his life in Germany before the war began. Daniel’s best
friend Armin joins him in enthusiasm for the Hitler Youth, until
Daniel learns that his mother is Jewish. Even though Armin falls
in love with Daniel’s cousin, the two boys are torn between
their loyalty to each other and family, and their loyalty to the
group. Daniel’s parents argue about the threat the Nazis pose
to their family, until Kristallnacht demonstrates the direction
Germany is headed. This powerful story is the winner of the Mildred
L. Batchelder Honor Book Award. |

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Dark Ground, The
Author: Cross, Gillian
2005
Fantasy
Age:13-15 |
| On minute Robert is looking at himself in the mirror of an airplane bathroom, the next he is naked on the floor of a wild forest. In seeking food, clothing and shelter, he realizes there are others nearby, and that he is near his own home. But the shallow ditch that separates his home from the forest in now a cavernous ravine. Robert recognizes that he is the size of an insect, his universe reduced to this small area where he struggles to survive, and find a means to return to his own place in time. A satisfying beginning to an anticipated trilogy, this will challenge fantasy readers to examine the meaning of reality. |
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Daughter
Author: Moore, Ishbel
1999
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 15
|
| Have
your hearts touched with this story of Sylvie, who while in the
usual turmoil of grade 9 student life, must deal with a mother whose
mind is being overtaken with Alzheimer's disease. Upcoming graduation
plans, a big piano exam, and possible good vibrations from a cute
boy, all seem less important when her usually stable and loving
mother begins to show alarming signs of mental deterioration. This
is a simply told story of a complex and frightening disease, and
as such, serves the purpose of increasing young adult readers' understanding
while providing a satisfying reading experience. |


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Daughter
of the Wind
Author: Cadnum, Michael
2003
Historical fiction
Age: 13-15
|
| As
he skins the bear that mauled his friend, the young Viking, Gauk,
believes that the gods have favoured him to be a berserker, a
warrior feared by all. Coincidentally, Hallgerd, the beautiful
seventeen-year old daughter of the village jarl, is being abducted
by Danes who want her as the bride prize for the one of their
nobles. Hego witnesses the abduction and tries unsuccessfully
to rescue Hallgerd. Gauk and Hego track the Danes to their town,
but arrive to find that Hallgerd has been freed by a kindly Dane.
Her retribution against her abductors is spectacular. The sequel
to Raven of the Waves, this dynamic story is an authentic adventure
of Viking times. |
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Daughter
of Venice
Author: Napoli, Donna Jo
Visit website
2002
Historical fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read Reviews
|
| In
the year 1592, fourteen-year old Donata, younger daughter of a noble
Venetian family, knows many constraints. She may never venture outside
the family home unless she is veiled, accompanied by a parent or
older brother, and wearing high shoes that restrict movement. Only
the first-born daughter will marry, and Donata is destined to spend
her adult years in a convent. Bright, curious and courageous, she
wants to see the world beyond her balcony and be tutored like her
brothers. She dreams of seeing the Venice she has only glimpsed
on a map in a friend's house. Donata conceives the daring plan of
trading clothes with a street urchin. She escapes the palazzo into
a totally unfamiliar world. A fascinating tale with a feisty and
engaging heroine. |
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Diamonds
in the Rough
Author: Walters, Eric
1998
Realistic fiction
Age: 13 15
|
From
the frying pan into the fire, that's the summation of Sky's predicament.
Sky is one of those adolescents who are clearly more mature and
responsible than their parents. This works reasonably well for
Sky and her three younger sisters, until their mother is killed
in a car accident. After the sisters are placed into separate
foster homes, Sky's mission becomes to get them back together.
The only adult who can make that happen is a long-lost uncle with
a questionable past. |


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Diary
of a Young Girl, The
Author: Frank, Anne
1947
Non-fiction
Age: 13 - 15
Read
Reviews
|
| Otto
Frank was a successful Jewish entrepreneur in the import business
when the Nazis came to power in his native Germany. In the belief
that his family would be safe if he moved his business to Amsterdam,
Mr. Frank established his wife and two daughters there by 1937.
However, when war came, and Germany conquered the Low Countries,
it became apparent very quickly that the family would have to hide
to survive. Accordingly, with the help of trusted employees, Otto
Frank built a small apartment behind the office wall in his warehouse.
There, for two years the family lived with another family of three
and a dentist. During that time, Anne kept a diary in which she
confided her most intimate thoughts, observations and dreams. In
the summer of 1944, they were betrayed, and all were taken to concentration
camps. Only Otto Frank survived. When he returned to Amsterdam after
the war ended, he was given Anne’s diary, saved by one of
his employees. At the urging of friends, he published it as a memorial
to his daughter. She speaks clearly, powerfully, poignantly across
time. |

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