Young Readers’ Choice Selections 2008- 2009 Grades 7 & 8

Nothing but the Truth A Documentary Novel by Avi. A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.  (Lexile NP Non Prose)

Flight #116 is Down! by Caroline Cooney. Teenager Heidi Landseth helps rescue people from a plane crash on her family's property, and the experience changes her life forever.  (Lexile 710)

Last Shot by John Feinstein. After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.  (Lexile 760)

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Thirteen-year-old Bethany’s parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.  (Lexile 810)

Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman. After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game. (Lexile 680)

Onward: A Photobiography of African-American Polar Explorer Matthew Henson by Dolores Johnson.  (Lexile 1070)

Fair Weather by Richard Peck. In 1893, thirteen-year-old Rosie and members of her family travel from their Illinois farm to Chicago to visit Aunt Euterpe and attend the World's Columbian Exposition which, along with an encounter with Buffalo Bill and Lillian Russell, turns out to be a life-changing experience for everyone. (Lexile 670)

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.  (Lexile 770)

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick. After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, sixteen-year-old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.  (Lexile 930)

The Secret of Priest’s Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story by Peter Lane Taylor.