6. 7. 8. 9._ 10. 11. 12. 13._ 14. 15. 16. 17._ 18. 19. 20. * Rate the books from 1 to 5 stars, 5 being the best rating. Author Title Category Rating
REQUIRED READING <strong>Form</strong> I Heroes, Gods <strong>and</strong> Monsters by Bernard Evslin The heavens hold omnipotent gods <strong>and</strong> goddesses, abounding in courage, strength <strong>and</strong> wisdom. Zeus, the king of the gods, cannot resist feminine beauty -- mortal or divine, <strong>and</strong> his jealous <strong>and</strong> vengeful wife, Hera. Perseus, fearless mortal warrior, who takes on an impossible challenge: slaying the monstrous Medusa, whose glance turns men to stone. The Minotaur, half-man <strong>and</strong> half-bull, the horrible fruit of a queen's unspeakable desire, who annually destroys the young victims sacrificed to his terrifying power. A fantastic world of spells <strong>and</strong> curses, magic <strong>and</strong> mystery, forces that create <strong>and</strong> destroy at will is described in this powerful retelling of the ancient Greek myths. <strong>Form</strong> <strong>II</strong> Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away <strong>and</strong> find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast. (There are five more in this series plus spinoffs such as The Ender’s Shadow Saga.) VISITING AUTHOR - LANDON 2013 Jack Gantos Dead End in Norvelt (2012 Newbery Award winner) In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, <strong>and</strong> countless bloody noses. Hole in My Life Story of the author’s period of personal struggle <strong>and</strong> prison confinement that marked the end of his own youth. A gaping hole of misery is what Jack Gantos remembers when he thinks back to 1972, "the bleakest year of my life”. Gantos was in a medium security prison for his participation in a get-rich-quick drug scam. Scared silly by the violence he saw around him in prison he was determined to turn his life around. Jack Henry Series Jack's life is a crazy roller-coaster ride. His family is always moving, he suffers under desperate crushes, <strong>and</strong> he’s constantly facing crazy teachers, pesky siblings, <strong>and</strong> weird neighbors. Five books in the series. Joey Pigza Series Joey Pigza can't sit still, he can't pay attention, he can't follow the rules, <strong>and</strong> he can't help it...especially when his meds aren't working. Joey was born with ADHD, just like his father <strong>and</strong> gr<strong>and</strong>mother. And whether he's wreaking havoc on a class trip or swallowing his house key, Joey's problems keep getting worse. Joey knows he's really a good kid, but no matter how hard he tries to do the right thing, something always seems to go wrong. Will he ever get anything right? Four books in the series. VISITING AUTHORS FROM YEARS PAST Diane Stanley (L<strong>and</strong>on 2012) Saving Sky The country is at war, terrorists strike at r<strong>and</strong>om, <strong>and</strong> the power grid is down. Thirteen-year-old Sky Brightman is remarkably untouched by it all since she lives off the grid on a rural New Mexico ranch with no television or internet to bring disturbing news into her family's adobe house. When a string of mysterious arrests begins <strong>and</strong> her new friend, Kareem, becomes a target, she summons her courage <strong>and</strong> ingenuity <strong>and</strong> takes a st<strong>and</strong> against injustice.
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