The MATRIX

Rating: qqqq. The ALA award winning story is told through Thomas' point of view. From the beginning you realize he is making a count down. Read the book to find out what happens when the clock reaches zero.

	themes, like power and family
	titles, new and old
	author and other publishing info
	genre
	book review

Theme	Title	Author	Publishing Info		Genre
Taking a Stand	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	Harper Collins	2002 (orig. 1960)	classic, realistic fiction
	Six-year-old Scout and her older brother Jem, growing up in depression-age Alabama, discover the truth about their prejudiced town and eccentric neighbor.
	Rating: qqqqq. Though a lengthy book that moves slowly at first, Mockingbird is a Pulitzer prize winner worth sticking with. Intense courtroom drama combines with funny childhood tales to make a story about education, intolerance, power, courage, and family. LINKS to sites on this book.
	Twelve Angry Men	Reginald Rose		1957	classic, drama
	Within the confines of a jury room on one hot summer evening, one man must convince eleven others not to send a young boy to the electric chair.
	Rating: qqqqq. Keeping you on the edge of your seat, this short play will have you screaming, cheering, growling, and sympathizing all at the same time.
	Bucking the Sarge	C. P. Curtis	Wendy Lamb	2004	ya, realistic fiction
	Teenager Luther T. Ferrel dreams of leaving Flint, Michigan. Ironically, one thing stands in his way: the Sarge, a.k.a. his mother, who is everything but nuturing.
	Rating: qqqq. Between saving his best friend Sparky from silly scams and drooling over his fantasy girl Shayla, Luther is a typical Christopher Paul Curtis hero–smart, funny, and growing up fast. While the ending seems to lack the complexity of his previous novels, readers will enjoy the humor and cheer for Luther as he figures out who he (and his mother) really are.
Power	The Crucible	Arthur Miller	Penguin	2003 (orig. 1953)	classic, drama
	The devil has descended Salem, Massachusetts and is terrorizing the village's young girls. He seems to be working his evil magic through the local townspeople. How will the madness end? Who will be hanged?
	Rating: qqq. This play shows how hypocrites and mobs can rule a town, how neighbors can turn against each other. If you can get though the old-fashion language, you will read about revenge, lies, and adultery.
	Raven's Gate	Anthony Horowitz	Scholastic	2005	ya, suspense
	When Matt Freeman is charged as an accessory to a crime, he is sent to a rehabilitation camp. Each attempt at escape fails and ends in someone else dying. Matt's destiny is in this town, his only way out by cracking it's secret.
	Rating: qqqqq. Raven's Gate is the first book in a new series that skillfully combines fantasy and reality. Dark, creepy, enthralling!
	The DaVinci Code	Dan Brown	Doubleday	2003	contemporary, mystery
	A professor at an esteemed east coast university, Langdon has been called to investigate the murder of a museum curator, but when he becomes a suspect, will he be able to clear his name?
	Rating: qqqqq. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat as you uncover hidden secrets and as characters learn their true identities. It's a chase to the finish! And if you love this one, there are other Robert Langdon adventures like Angels and Demons.
	The Messenger	Lois Lowry	Houghton Mifflin	2004	ya, utopia
	Matty is the only person in the Village who can brave the strange forces of the Forest, which, while he was young, never turned on Matty as it had the other doomed villagers who tried to forge through it. Over the past few years, however, Forest has become more aggressive, but Matty must overcome its strange power in order to finish his mission and return safely to his community.
	Rating: qqq. It takes some thinking to connect the three books that make up this Lois Lowry series, but if you are a fan of The Giver and Gathering Blue, you will enjoy this book, too.
Marginality/ Outsiders	The Scarlet Letter	N. Hawthorne	Simon & Schuster	2004 (orig. 1850)	classic, historical fiction
	Hester Prynne has committed a sinful crime, adultery. Her penalty, to wear an embroidered letter A on the bodice of her dress for the rest of her life. It takes two to commit this crime, but Hester won't name her partner. Is he just enough of a coward to remain in the shadows, letting her take the fall?
	Rating: qq. Set in the seventeenth century and written in the nineteenth, this book is a difficult, but rewarding read. Lengthy bits of narration and description, but an excellent plot of power, courage, the supernatural, and community. Recommended for advanced readers.
	Speak	L. H. Anderson	Puffin Books	2001	ya, realistic fiction
	Something has happened to Melinda during the summer just before freshman year, but she won't say what. Whatever it was has alienated her from her friends and drowned her self-confidence until it nearly destroys her.
	Rating: qqqqq. A deeply tragic and psychological book written with humor, heart, and soul. Melinda faces a lost of power and must fight to stand up to what has hurt her. A winner of numerous awards, this is a must read!
	The Perks of Being a Wallflower	Stephen Chbosky	Pocket Books	1999	ya, epistolary novel
	Though he used to play baseball and have friends, Charlie now can only be described as--different. Watching life in his high school from the outside, he has to come to terms with a tragic experience from his past.
	Rating: qqqqq. Fantastic book, but not for everyone. Written in letter format, it takes an honest look at some touchy subjects. Charlie is smart, sincere, and kind. He can be fierce, but he only does for other people, never himself. He has to figure out who he is and how to regain personal power.
	The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things	Carolyn Mackler	Candlewick	2003	ya, realistic fiction
	Overweight and underloved, Virginia's one and only friend has moved away. Now, she faces her "perfect" family and her cliquey school alone. When a family tragedy occurs, it changes her forever.
	Rating: qqq. Sometimes this book is too obvious, but Virginia is such a great character. An internet junky, she is funny, sad, sarcastic, lovable, and confused all at the same time.
	Shooter	W. D. Meyers	Amistad	2004	ya, fictional interviews
	With automatic weapons and a pistol in hand, Len goes on a rampage in his average suburban school and now it's up to his only two friends to figure out what went wrong.
	Rating: qqqqq. Told like an incident report, this book tries to figure out how something like a Columbine incident could happen in an average community. You also get to read Len's journal in the appendix--an interesting, scary point of view. Abuse of power.
	Light Years	Tammar Stein	Random House	2005	ya, realistic fiction
	At twenty, Maya is starting college at University of Virginia a bit later than most. First she had to fulfill her duties to the Israeli army. When she loses a loved one in a suicide bombing, she tries to put her life back together by heading to the States.
	Rating: qqqq. Each chapter switches from Virginia to Israel, that is, from her life now to memories from the past. Each chapter unfolds new reason why she feels responsible for the loss and can't get rid of the guilt.
Family/ Community/ Responsibility	Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck	Penguin	1994 (orig. 1937)	classic, realistic fiction
	As migrant workers trying to survive the Dust Bowl, George and Lennie have nobody but themselves. When Lennie gets into some major trouble on the farm they work, George has to decide what to do. Will they lose out on their dreams of owning their own farm?
	Rating: qqqq. A quick read with strong characters that will make your body laugh and your heart ache.
	Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes	Chris Crutcher	Harper Collins	2003	ya, realistic fiction
	Eric (Moby) Calhoune and Sarah (Scarface) Byrnes have been best friends for years mostly because they are both outsiders. By the time they're seniors in high school, Eric becomes more popular but Sarah is still stuck with a jerk of a father. Halfway through their senior year, when Sarah suddenly quits talking and checks into the psych ward of the local hospital, it is up to Eric to try to save her.
	Rating: qqqqq. Funny and insecure, Eric finds his strength when it comes to helping Sarah, uncovering the truth about her past, and trying to protect her future.
	Where the Heart Is	Billie Letts	Warner	1996	contemporary, realistic f.
	Seventeen, stranded, and pregnant, Novalee Nation tries to make a new life for her and her daughter in an eccentric Midwestern town.
	Rating: qqqqq. Though Novalee starts off as a codependent teen with a rotten boyfriend, watch as she grows into her roles as mother, woman, and friend.
	Plainsong	Kent Haruf	Knopf	2000	contemporary, realistic f.
	This is the story of four very different rural Midwesterners--a teacher with a troubled marriage, a pair of old bachelors, and a pregnant young girl--whose lives somehow all intertwine.
	Rating: qqqq. It's interesting to see how each character perceives the town from a different point of view. The ending leaves you hanging a little, but if you like it watch for the sequel.
	Tuesdays with Morrie	Mitch Albom	Broadway	2002	contemporary, nonfiction
	"A young man, an old man, and life's greatest lessons" is the byline of this book. A workaholic, Mitch has lost sight of the important things in life and it takes the death of his favorite professor to help him remember.
	Rating: qqqqq. One of my favorites of all time! Nothing like it. Check it out especially if you are into philosophizing about life in a down-to-earth, not an academic, way.
	The Time Traveler's Wife	Audrey Niffeneger	McAdam Cage	2004	contemporary, fantasy?
	A man has a unique "gift"--he can time travel--but he cannot control where he goes or when he leaves. Can such a person live a normal life of work, love, kids, and friends?
	Rating: qqq. A tough read because the books jumps around and it is hard to keep track of the story, but I've never read another book like it. I got to love the main character. A real tearjerker.
American Dream	The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald	Scribner	2004 (orig. 1925)	classic, realistic fiction
	This is the story of over-the-top parties, gigantic mansions, fast cars and the man who uses them to surround himself with people who love, not him, but his things. Supposedly, he is living the American dream. Ultimately, though, it becomes a story of selfish materialsim, social status, "accidental" death, and unrequited love.
	Rating: qq. Gatsby starts off very slowly and the description makes it hard to get into, but if you stick with it, it is a good story.
	Jake, Reinvented	Gordon Korman	Hyperion	2003	ya, realistic fiction
	When a new kid moves in, he is instantly popular: he’s good looking, he plays football, he throws huge keggers every Friday night. Everyone in school loves Jake for these things, not for himself. When the truth comes out about Jake’s past, his world collapses.
	Rating: qqq. Sometimes the characters seem superficial, but that's the point.
War	A Farewell to Arms	Ernest Hemingway	Simon & Schuster	1995 (orig. 1929)	classic, war fiction
	Frederick, an injured American ambulance driver in the Italian army, and Catherine, a British nurse, meet in a hospital in Italy during World War I. She nurses him back to health, and he falls in love with her, but can they survive the war?
	Rating: qqq. Can be tough to get through, but a shocking ending.
	Private Peaceful	Michael Morpugo	Scholastic	2003	ya, war fiction
	Brothers Thomas and Charlie love the same woman and go to fight in the same war. In spite of the conflicts they have both home and abroad, they stand up for each other against a rotten landlord and a pig-headed company leader with a grudge.
	Rating: qqqq. The ALA award winning story is told through Thomas' point of view. From the beginning you realize he is making a count down. Read the book to find out what happens when the clock reaches zero.
	The Art of Keeping Cool	Janet T. Lisle	Simon & Schuster	1994	ya, historical fiction
	World War II is nearly too close for comfort for a small Rhode Island town. Reports of U-boats targeting the coast keep Robert, and the whole community, on edge. A German artist is under attack by the townspeople, who fear he's a spy, but Robert's cousin Elliot, a budding artist himself, won't give up visiting him in his shack in the woods.
	Rating: qqq. This book is not a challenge to read, but just when you expect to coast through to the end, Lisle hands out a shocking climax. This might be why it won the Scott O'Dell award.
Who Am I?/ Independence	Catcher in the Rye	J. D. Salinger	Little, Brown & Co	1991 (orig. 1951)	classic, realistic fiction
	From the inside of a mental institution, Holden Caulfield remembers the three adventurous days of his life, starting last December when he is kicked out of his prep school because of his crummy grades but doesn't want to go home to tell his parents.
	Rating: qqqq. One of my absolute favorites as a teenager because it doesn't hold anything back.
	I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings	Maya Angelou	Bantam	1983	contemporary, memoir
	Famed author Maya Angelou tells the story of her growing up years, starting with her stay with her strict but caring grandmother and ending with the birth of her son when she was only seventeen.
	Rating: qqqq. Though she's a success now, Maya's childhood had a rocky start as she deals with prejudice, constant moving around, and abusive men she thought she could trust. In spite of all these troubles, the book has lots of funny moments, too, like the time she was so nervous to sing in front of her church she peed her pants.
	I Love You Like a Tomato	Marie Giordano	Tom Doherty	2004	contemporary, realistic f.
	Chi Chi's mother marries an American soldier stationed in Italy during WWII. Chi Chi, her mother, her sickly baby brother, and her grandmother (Nona) move to the states to live with his family, but he dies while they are en route, and his family won't take them in. Chi Chi's mom suffers a breakdown, and Nona is the one woman who keeps the family afloat. When Nona dies, Chi Chi wonders how they will ever survive.
	Rating: qqqq. A lengthy book, but it's comic, and sometimes sad, to see how Chi Chi's Catholic superstitions control her life. She loves her family and wants to take care of them, but needs to find time for herself, too.
	The Five People You Meet in Heaven	Mitch Albom	Hyperion	2003	contemporary, philosophical fiction
	Eddie, an amusement park maintenance man, dies trying to save a girl caught on a collapsing ferris wheel. In the afterlife, he meets five people who, directly or indirectly, were a part of his life. From his soldier buddies to a circus freak to his wife and more, he learns the impact he left in the world.
	Rating: qqq. Compared to Tuesdays with Morrie, this novel falls a little bit short. Still, Albom's notion of the afterlife is a comforting one that makes you wonder, which five people will I meet?

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	My Sister's Keeper

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