SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS

 

MOST POPULAR BOOKS AT RANDALLSTOWN HIGH FOR PAST TWO YEARS:

 

Hunger Games  (and sequels) by Suzanne Collins

Katniss becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson  After the mutant Erasers abduct a member of their group, the "bird kids," take off in pursuit and struggle to understand their own origins and purpose.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan

Percy, expelled from 6 schools for his temper , learns that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood,

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (look for description under Book Club books).

The Fight by L. Divine 16 yr. old Jayd starts the school year drama free, but her new largely white high school isn’t the same as her inner city school as she tries to stop a fight that could ruin it all.

Breaking Dawn  by Stephenie Meyer   Bella and Edward marry knowing that he will turn her into a vampire, but that has to be delayed when she becomes pregnant with a very unusual child.

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer (sequel to Life As We Knew It). A meteor hits the moon and sets off a series ofclimate changes, 17 yr. old Alex takes care of hiss sisters alone in NYC.

Glass by Ellen Hopkins  Kristina tries to break her addiction to drugs in order to keep her baby.

Luna  by Julie Anne Peters  15 yr.-old Regan's life, has always revolved around keeping her  brother’s transsexuality a secret.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett  Skeeter returns home to Mississippi from college in 1962 and starts wrting about the Black women who are working in white households,

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson ..17 yr. old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, and she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown Teen whose boyfriend committed a school shootingstruggles to cope with life back in high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver.

Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper  A teen who has spent years protecting his fragile sister from their abusive father, faces the prospect of one final confrontation before the problem can be solved.

Scott Pilgrim: The complete series by Brian Lee O’Malley  The adventures of a young guitar player obsessed with Ramona, a rollerblading delivery girl.

Japanese, Step by Step by Gene Nishi  Learning how to speak Japanese.

The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe

School’s Out Forevery by James Patterson After a stay with an FBI agent who gives them a chance to live a normal life, the six genetically-altered, winged youths head toward Florida --to save the world,

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers  Written in the form of interviews, reports and journal, the story of 3 troubled teens ends in a school shooting.

Trouble Follows by Monica McKayhan  Indigo's boyfriend Marcus is arrested for a crime he did not commit, and her best friend Jade moves back to Atlanta and becomes involved with her cute history teacher.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles   Wealthy Brittany and Alex, a gang member, develop a relationship, and they face the disapproval of their classmates and others.

Rainbow High

November Blues by Sharon Draper  Her boyfriend Josh is killed, and November Nelson learns she is pregnant.

Holidaze by L. Divine  Jayd calls upon her  ancestors to help her get back to normal after the death of her friend Tre.

Push by Sapphire  A 16year-old girl is pregnant with her 2nd child by her father,  and is pushed by her teacher to learn to read,

Wake by Lisa McMann  Teena Janie is drawn into other people's dreams, and then befriends a nursing home patient and discovers her true power.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers A HS senior in the popular crowd, falls out of favor and becomes the object of the same sort of vicious bullying that she used to inflict on others.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John 18 yr. old Piper becomes the manager for a popular rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr Teen Deanna tries to come to terms with her bad reputation when she was caught by her father in the backseat of a car with a high school senior.

 

 

Randallstown Book Club Books

 

The book club will be reading next year…

 

Maze Runner by James Dashner  16 year old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a

maze and realizes he must work with the community

in order to escape.

The Fault in the Stars by John Green  16 yr. old . old Hazel has cancer, then she meets the boy of

dreams, and he has cancer too. It’s funny, romantic and sad.

Divergent by Veronica Roth  In a future Chicago, 16 yr. old Beatrice must choose among 5 factions to define her identify for the rest of her life.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Teenager Clay receives a box in the mail with 7 cassette tapes recorded by his crush, Hannah, who committed suicide. He has to make sure a list of teens which Hannah provided hear the tapes.

 

The book club read during 2012-2013…

 

Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin  After being acquitted of murder, seventeen-year-old David goes to stay with relatives where he finds himself forced to face his past .

Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 

14 year-old Lily and her dad’s maid, Rosaleen, an African American woman,flee from the racist police and find a safe haven at the home of three beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In a future where humans despise clones, Matt is  clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.

Between Shades of Gray by  Ruth Sepetys   15 yr. old old Lina, and family are pulled from their Lithuanian home in WWII by the Soviets and sent to Siberia. Her father is sentenced to death. Lina keeps a diary and buries it, to honor the victims. Based on the author's family.

 

Ms. Yates, English teacher (and future Library Media Specialist) recommends these young adult books…

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver   Samantha  dies in a car crash and relives the day of her death over and over again .

The Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greeene (See review under book club books)

Wonderby R. J. Palacio  10 yr. old Auggie was born with extreme facial abnormalities, and enters school for the first time.

Thirteen Reasons Why  by Jay Asher (See book club books for review).

Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr  17 yr.-old Aislinn,  has the ability to see fairies, and is in a battle with the terrifying but alluring Summer King, who wants her as queen.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper  A bril-liant 5th grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

Revolutionby Jennifer Donnelly

Wintergirls by Lauria Halse Anderson

Out of the Easy by Ruth Septys  The 17 yr. old daughter of a prostitute, tries to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at Smith College and is questioned about a murder.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie   Junior leaves his school on the Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Native American is the school mascot.

Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michellle Hodkin

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvalter

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak —A German girl  during WWII steals books to help sustain her family, as they're hiding a Jewish man.

I Am the Messenger by Mark Zusak

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Books by Rachel Cohn and/or David  Levithan (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is the best!). Nick, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah  and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

 The Ugilies series by Scott Westerfield  Tally’s friend Shay decides to risk life on the outside rather than submit to the forced operation that turns sixteen year old girls into gorgeous beauties,.

The Delirium series by Lauren Oliver—Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love  until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday when she falls in love. Yikes!

The Selection series by Kiera Cass (soon to be a TV series)  16 yr. old America Singer is living in the nation of Illea, created after the war that destroyed the U.S. She is in a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince, but she’s in love with someone else, who’s below her caste.

The Matched series by Allyson Condie  Cassia has always trusted the Society to make her decisions until she’s paired with her ideal mate, and she questions who she loves.

The Knife of Letting go series by Patrick Ness -Todd learns all the tough lessons of adulthood when he is forced to flee after discovering a secret near his town.

Divergent  series by Veronica Roth (check review under book club books)Unwind by Neal Schusterman —(former very popular book club book). Three teens embark upon a journey escape from a society that salvages body parts from teenagers.

Beta by Rachel Cohn  On a futuristic islandparadise where humans are served by enslaved clones, a 16 yr.old clone named Elysia seeks her own freedom

If you liked Twilight, you might like The Host by Stephenie Meyer. (It’s actually much better written)  Melanie, whose mind has been taken over by an alien named, convinces the alien to search for her lost lover, who fled the extraterrestrial invasion

Sunshine by Robin McKinley—

Sunshine is abducted by a vampire, and as she waits through the night, fearing the worst, she forms an unlikely bond with her captor.