Jewel was born the same day her younger brother Bird died. While she was coming into the world, her 5-year-old brother jumped off a cliff near their house. Bird's real name was John, but Jewel's grandfather nicknamed him Bird. Jewel's parents blame her grandfather for Bird's ...
During an emergency evacuation, a plane crashes onto a deserted island. Many die and are swept out to sea, but a group of young, British boys have somehow survived the accident and are now stranded, alone, without grownups. The group quickly elects a chief: an elder boy named Ralph. Another boy, Jack, becomes the leader of . . .
Thirteen-year-old Jim Hawkins works at an inn that his parents own. When a shady seaman takes up residence in the inn, bad things start to happen, and Jim soon finds himself in the middle of a sticky situation. With a treasure map in hand ... Continue Reading
Title: Donald Duk Author: Frank Chin Series: n/a Publisher: Coffee House Press Publication Date: January 1991 Genre(s): Fiction, Middle-grade, Asian-American Opening Line: Who would believe anyone named Donald Duk dances like Fred Astaire? The Synopsis Donald Duk hates his name. Not only does he hate his name, but he hates his entire culture. The only thing Donald…
Title: Coraline Author: Neil Gaiman Illustrator: Dave McKean Series: n/a Publisher: Scholastic Inc Publication Date: 2002 Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy Opening Line: Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house. The Synopsis Coraline is an explorer. After moving to a new house with her mother and father, Coraline explores her new home . She discovers a…
Title: The Graveyard Book Author: Neil Gaiman Illustrator: Dave McKean Series: n/a Publisher: HarperCollins Publication Date: September 2008 Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy Opening Line: There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife. The Synopsis The man Jack is on a mission to murder a family of four. After killing the parents and the young girl, only…
Title: The Devil's Arithmetic Author: Jane Yolen Series: None Publisher: Puffin Books Publication Date: 1988 Genre(s): Historical fiction, Middle grade Opening Line: "I'm tired of remembering," Hannah said to her mother as she climbed into the car. Book #2 of my Young Adult Lit class! Though I consider this to be more of a middle grade novel. We are beginning…
Title: A Monster Calls Author: Patrick Ness Publisher: Walker Books Publication Date: May 2011 Rating: 5 stars Patrick Ness has done it again - he has brought me to tears and left me speechless. His novel More Than This blew my mind and instantly sparked my interest in the author. At a Barnes & Noble last weekend, I…
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