High-Interest Reading for Junior High

Bibliography created by the Schaumburg Township District Library

FICTION ARMSTRONG, H.	*Sounder* by William Howard Armstrong. Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding with the help of the devoted dog Sounder.
FICTION JR-HI BRIAN, K.	*The Princess and the Pauper* by Kate Brian. When sixteen-year-old Julia, of Los Angeles, and sixteen-year-old Princess Carina, of Vineland, switch places, Julia dances at the ball with the incredible Markus and Carina escapes rigid protocol to spend time with a rock star.
FICTION BUNTING, E.	*Blackwater* by Eve Bunting. When a boy and girl are drowned in the Blackwater River, thirteen-year-old Brodie must decide whether to confess that he may have caused the accident.
FICTION BURGESS, M.	*The Ghost Behind the Wall* by Melvin Burgess. Twelve-year-old David sneaks through the ventilation shafts in his London apartment building pulling pranks on his neighbors, which awakens the ghost of a boy with a grudge against the lonely, senile old man who lives upstairs.
FICTION BURNFORD, S.	*The Incredible Journey* by Sheila Every Burnford. A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.
FICTION JR-HI CONFORD, E.	*Seven Days to a Brand-New Me* by Ellen Conford. A shy girl follows the suggestions in a self-help book to win the attention of the handsome new boy whose locker is next to hers.
FICTION COVILLE, B.	*Juliet Dove, Queen of Love* by Bruce Coville. A shy twelve-year-old girl must solve a puzzle involving characters from Greek mythology to free herself from a spell which makes her irresistible to boys.
FICTION DANZIGER, P.	*The Cat Ate my Gymsuit* by Paula Danziger. When the unconventional English teacher who helped her conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, a junior high student uses her new-found courage to campaign for the teacher's reinstatement.
FICTION DHAMI, N.	Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami. Three Indian-British sisters team up to marry off their traditional, nosy aunt and get her out of the house.
FICTION JR-HI DILLON, E.	The Island of Ghosts by Eilis Dillon. Before leaving Inishglass, an island off the coast of Ireland, for school in Galway, Dara and Bran visit their tutor who has moved to a haunted island and has plans to keep the boys on the island forever.
FICTION FINNEY, P.	I, Jack by Jack the dog, as told to Patricia Finney. Jack, a Labrador Retriever, tells about his daily life of food, walks, and the “apedogs” and “funny-looking dogs” (cats) in his pack, as well as how everything changes when a pretty girl dog moves into the neighborhood. Includes explanatory footnotes written by the cats.
FICTION GAVALDA, A.	*Ninety-five Pounds of Hope* by Anna Gavalda. From the first day, school has become progressively worse for Gregory, until he is finally expelled in eighth grade, but through all his difficulties, Gregory can count on support from his grandfather, until his grandfather becomes ill and needs support from Gregory.
FICTION GROVER, W.	*Dolphin Treasure* by Wayne Grover. Wayne is searching for buried treasure sunk with a Spanish galleon off the Florida coast when a storm arises and his dolphin friend comes to his rescue.
FICTION HALL, L.	*Dagmar Schultz and the Green-Eyed Monster* by Lynn Hall. Jealous of a pretty and popular new student, thirteen-year-old Dagmar decides to get even with humorous results.
FICTION HOPPER, N.	*What Happened in Mr. Fisher's Room* by Nancy Hopper. Lanie has lots to deal with in eighth grade--a new friend, boys, and most of all Mr. Fisher's out-of-control science class.
STORY COLL JENNINGS, P.	Undone! by Paul Jennings. A collection of eight stories about the scary, the supernatural, or the unusual, including a mysterious bottle whose contents let you read people's minds, and homemade granola that turns a boy into an apple tree.
FICTION JR-HI JOHNSON, A.	*The First Part Last* by Angela Johnson. Bobby’s carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.
FICTION JR-HI KEHRET, P.	*The Stranger Next Door* by Peg Kehret. A clever cat's heroism helps two twelve-year-old boys become friends after their families, one of which is in a witness protection program, move to neighboring houses in Hilltop, Washington.
FICTION JR-HI KOJA, K.	*The Blue Mirror* by Kathe Koja. Seventeen-year-old loner Maggy Klass, who frequently seeks refuge from her alcoholic mother’s apartment by sitting and drawing in a local cafe, becomes involved in a destructive relationship with a charismatic homeless youth named Cole.
FICTION LEVERICH, K.	*The New You* by Kathleen Leverich. Having lost her identity, thirteen-year-old Abby pretends that nothing is wrong while she searches for a new self.
FICTION JR-HI MASS, W.	Leap Dad by Wendy Mass. On her fourth Leap birthday, when she turns sixteen, Josie has a number of momentous experiences, including taking her driver’s test, auditioning for a school play, and celebrating with her family and friends.
FICTION MAZER, H.	*A Boy No More* by Harry Mazer. After his father is killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Adam, his mother, and sister are evacuated from Hawaii to California, where he must deal with his feelings about the war, Japanese internment camps, his father, and his own identity.
MYSTERY JR-HI MCNAMEE, G.	*Acceleration* by Graham McNamee. Stuck working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority for the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer and sets out to stop him.
PB M POS	*Riddles in Rome* by Penn Mullin. Europe--wow! Justin, Amy, Lisa and Juan never dreamed of solving mysteries in Rome. Other books in this series find them puzzling their way through Paris, Switzerland, and London.
PB M POS	*Windy City Whirl* by Penn Mullin. Almost impossible to believe--Amy, Justin, Juan and Lisa's essays won them a trip across the United States, but strange things are happening in O'Leary's Inn, in Chicago. Can they solve the mystery? Other books in this series take them to the White House, San Francisco, and the Black Hills.
FICTION JR-HI MYERS, W.	*The Dream Bearer* by Walter Dean Myers. During a summer in Harlem, David relies on his mother and a close friend and an old man he meets in the park to help him come to terms with his father’s outbursts and unstable behavior.
FICTION JR-HI MURROW, L.	Twelve Days in August by Liza Ketchum Murrow. Twelve days in August change a sixteen-year-old soccer player's perceptions of himself, his family, girls, and gays.
MYSTERY JR-HI NIXON, J.	*Nightmare* by Joan Lowery Nixon. Emily is sent to a camp for underachievers where she discovers a murderer on the staff who might provide an explanation for her recurring nightmares.
FICTION JR-HI PAULSEN, G.	*The Boy Who Owned the School* by Gary Paulsen. Jacob Freisten, often in a fog, tries to ease through high school unnoticed; but a beautiful classmate takes notice of him and his life begins to change.
FICTION PETERS, P.	Define Normal by Julie Anne Peters. When she agrees to meet with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle school, Antonia never dreams that this girl with the black lipstick and pierced eyebrow will end up helping her deal with the serious problems she faces at home and become a good friend.
FICTION JR-HI RYLANT, C.	*God Went to Beauty School* by Cynthia Rylant. A novel in poems that reveal God’s discovery of the wonders and pains in the world He has created.
FICTION JR-HI SLEATOR, W.	The Boy Who Couldn’t Die by William Sleator. When his best friend dies in a plane crash, sixteen-year-old Ken has a ritual performed that will make him invulnerable, but soon learns that he has good reason to be suspicious of the woman he paid to lock his soul away.
FICTION JR-HI SNYDER, A.	*My Name is Davy--I'm an Alcoholic* by Anne Snyder. A fifteen-year-old won't believe that he is an alcoholic until personal tragedy forces him to face reality.
FICTION JR-HI SOTO, G.	*The Afterlife* by Gary Soto. A senior at East Fresno High School lives on as a ghost after his brutal murder in the restroom of a club where he had gone to dance.
MYSTERY JR-HI SPRINGER, N.	*Blood Trail* by Nancy Springer. After his best friend is murdered, seventeen-year-old Booger realizes he is the only one who has any idea who might have committed the crime, but he doesn’t dare tell anyone.
FICTION TAYLOR, T.	*The Cay* by Theodore Taylor. When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.
FICTION TESTA, M.	*Almost Forever* by Maria Testa. A young girl describes what she, her brother, and their mother do during the year that her doctor father is serving in the Army in Vietnam.
FICTION JR-HI WOODSON, J.	*Behind You* by Jacqueline Woodson. After fifteen-year-old Jeremiah is mistakenly shot by police, the people who love him struggle to cope with their loss as they recall his life and death, unaware that ‘Miah is watching over them.
FICTION JR-HI ZAMBRENO, M.	*A Plague of Sorcerers* by Mary Frances Zambreno. When a magic plague begins to take its toll on the wizards in the Empire, Jermyn, a newly-appointed wizard, and Delia, his skunk familiar, must find a way to stop it.