Eleanor and Park

This book tells the story of two misfits trying to make their way through high school. They find that their initial dislike for each other was a way to hide their true feelings that will help them make their way through their vastly different and equally complicated lives. Each learns to love aspects about themselves through the other's love. 

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 26, 2013)

Ship Breaker

Written by Paulo Bacigalupi

In America's Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

Review from Booklist

*Starred Review* This YA debut by Bacigalupi, a rising star in adult science fiction, presents a dystopian future like so many YA sf novels. What is uncommon, though, is that although Bacigalupi's future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues, it is secondary to the memorable characters. In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, Nailer, 17, scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to “make quota” and avoid his violent, drug-addicted father. After he discovers a modern clipper ship washed up on the beach, Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage—the “swank” daughter of a shipping-company owner. Should he slit the girl's throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her? Clearly respecting his audience, Bacigalupi skillfully integrates his world building into the compelling narrative, threading the backstory into the pulsing action. The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi. Grades 8-12. --Lynn Rutan 

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (October 3, 2011)

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy is a tender story about an orphaned boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression. The main character, Bud, decides to try and find his father. The only clue his mother left him was several flyers about a band in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Awards: John Newbery Medal, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, Golden Kite Award for Fiction, Coretta Scott King Award for Authors

• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (1999)

Maniac Magee

This is the story written by Jerry Spinelli of a young boy named Lionel Jeffery "Maniac" Magee who just can't seem to stop running. He runs from his old life, and he finds himself in the racially-divided town of Two Mills. Before long, he starts making a name for himself as he accomplishes impressive feats wherever he goes. Not everyone is happy, however, and he must think of his new family that has welcomed him into their home. 

Maniac Magee is a very useful and insightful book on issues related to race, what it means to be an orphan, and finding where you belong. This book can be used for a variety of different purposes, and is a fun, easy read to which students can relate. 

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; second edition (November 1, 1999)
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Uses in the Classroom

Awards: John Newbery Medal, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

Dumpling Soup

Dumpling Soup is the "New Voices, New World Award" winning book about a young girl named Marisa in the Hawaiian Islands who decides to make dumplings for a New Year's celebration. She is worried, however, that they are too different from what people know, and therefore will not be tried by anyone. This story is full of diversity and exemplifies the melting pot that is the American culture. 

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (April 1, 1998)

Reviews

Dear Deer

Dear Deer, by Gene Barretta, tells the story of Aunt Ant and her letters to Deer. She lives at the zoo, and she describes all of the animals she sees. She uses homophones, words that sound the same but have different spellings and different meanings. This book lends itself well to lessons on homophones and a way to incorporate children's literature into the classroom. 

The Day the Crayons Quit

This story is about a boy named Duncan's box of crayons. It seems that all of the crayons have some sort of complaint for him! So, each crayon writes him a letter describing what troubles it. Blue feels overused, pink underused, and beige feels second best to brown. After carefully reading these complaints and numerous others, Duncan decides to create a masterpiece that uses ALL of his crayons in ways that aren't quite conventional.