Churchville-Chili JHS

9th Grade

Suggested Summer Reading List

Adams, Richard. -- Watership Down       

Chronicles the adventures of a group of rabbits searching for a safe place to establish a new warren where they can live in peace.

Alexander, Lloyd. -- The Beggar Queen      

Chaos reigns in Marienstat as Duke Conrad of Regia, the king's uncle, plots to overthrow the new government of Westmark and bring an end to the reforms instituted by Mickle, now Queen Augusta, Theo, and their companions.

Bauer, Joan. -- Squashed      

As a sixteen-year-old pursues her two goals--growing the biggest pumpkin in Iowa and losing twenty pounds herself--she strengthens her relationship with her father and meets a young man with interests similar to her own.

Bennett, Cherie. -- Life in the Fat Lane      

Sixteen-year-old Lara, winner of beauty pageants and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she starts gaining weight and becomes overweight.

Blackwood, Gary L. -- The Shakespeare Stealer      

A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.

Bonham, Frank. -- Durango Street      

As headman of his teenage gang, Rufus Henry has to deal not only with other gangs, but also with the police sanctioned sponsor who has involved himself with Rufus and his friends.

Bunting, Eve. -- Jumping the Nail      

When teenagers in a California coastal community challenge each other to "jump the Nail"--leap from dangerous cliffs into the ocean--group pressure and manipulative relationships quickly drive the game out of control.

Card, Orson Scott. -- Ender's Game     

Ender, the result of generic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.

Carter, Alden R. -- Between a Rock and a Hard Place       

Although neither Mark Severson nor his diabetic cousin are looking forward to the canoe trip that is a family rite of passage, they begin to enjoy themselves, until the trip becomes a fight for survival.

Clancy, Tom. -- Clear and Present Danger       

Armed men prepare to take the fight to the enemy after three American officials are killed by Colombian drug lords to make their message clear--leave us alone.

Clancy, Tom. -- The Hunt for Red October      

The Soviets' new ballistic-missile submarine is attempting to defect to the United States, but the Soviet Atlantic fleet has been ordered to find and destroy her at all costs. Can Red October reach the U.S. safely?

Clancy, Tom. -- Patriot Games      

Jack Ryan, historian, ex-Marine, and CIA analyst, summons all his skills and knowledge to battle against international terrorism.

Coles, William E. -- Another Kind of Monday      

When Mark discovers money and a note concealed in the pages of a copy of Dickens' "Great Expectations," he undertakes a quest with his classmate Zeena that leads to more money, more clues to follow, and ultimately more knowledge of himself.

Collins, Max Allan. -- Saving Private Ryan : A Novel      

Based on the screenplay by Robert Rodat. June 6, 1944. Military forces converge on the beaches of Normandy for one of the most decisive battles of World War II. America would call it a victory. History would call it D-Day. But for Captain John Miler and his squad of young soldiers, this fateful day would become something much more.

Cormier, Robert. -- I Am the Cheese

A young boy desperately tries to unlock his past yet knows he must hide those memories if he is to remain alive.

Cormier, Robert. -- In the Middle of the Night      

Sixteen-year-old Denny lives in the shadow of a deadly accident with which his father was connected when he was Denny's age, a disaster for which some of the survivors still blame his father.

Crichton, Michael. -- Eaters of the Dead      

Ibn Fadlan sets out in A.D. 922 as an ambassador from Bagdad to the King of Saqaliba, but before he arrives, he meets Viking chieftain Buliwyf, and joins him on a mission to Scandinavia where they must battle the monsters threatening the land.

Crichton, Michael. -- The Terminal Man      

Harry Benson, a man who suffers from violent seizures, is implanted with electrodes that are designed to send soothing pulses to the pleasure centers of his brain, but something goes wrong with the operation.

Crutcher, Chris. -- Chinese Handcuffs      

Still troubled by his older brother's violent suicide, eighteen-year-old Dillon becomes deeply involved in the terrible secret of his friend Jennifer, who feels she can tell no one what her stepfather is doing to her.

Crutcher, Chris. -- The Crazy Horse Electric Game      

A high school athlete, frustrated at being handicapped after an accident, runs away from home and is helped back to mental and physical health by a black benefactor and the people in a special school where he enrolls.

Crutcher, Chris. – Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence of God, abortion, oganized religion, suicide and other contemporary issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school senior's attempt to answer a

            friend's dramatic cry for help.

Crutcher, Chris. -- Stotan!      

A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.

Deaver, Julie Reece. -- Say Goodnight, Gracie      

When a car accident kills her best friend Jimmy, with whom she has shared everything from childhood escapades to entering the professional theater in Chicago, seventeen-year-old Morgan must find her own way to cope with his death.

Deuker, Carl. -- On the Devil's Court      

Struggling with his feelings of inadequacy and his failure to make the basketball team at his new school, seventeen-year-old Joe Faust finds himself willing to trade his soul for one perfect season of basketball.

Dickinson, Peter. -- The Ropemaker      

When the magic that protects their Valley starts to fail, Tilja and her companions journey into the evil Empire to find the ancient magician Faheel, who originally cast those spells.

Doherty, Berlie. -- Dear Nobody      

Eighteen-year-old Chris struggles to deal with two shocks that have changed his life, his meeting the mother who left him and his father when

Duncan, Lois. -- Don't Look Behind You      

Seventeen-year-old April finds her comfortable life changed forever when death threats to her father, a witness in a federal case, force her family to go into hiding under assumed names and flee the pursuit of a hired killer.

he was ten and his discovery that he has gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

Farmer, Nancy. -- The Ear, the Eye and the Arm : A Novel      

In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them.

Ferris, Jean. -- Bad      

In an attempt to please her friends, sixteen-year-old Dallas goes along with their plan to rob a convenience store and when her father refuses to allow her to come home, she is sentenced to six months in the Girls' Rehabilitation Center.

Fleischman, Paul. -- Saturnalia      

In 1681 in Boston, fourteen-year-old William, a Narraganset Indian captured in a raid six years earlier, leads a productive and contented life as a printer's apprentice but is increasingly anxious to make some connection with his Indian past.

Fletcher, Susan. -- Shadow Spinner      

When Marjan, a thirteen-year-old crippled girl, joins the Sultan's harem in ancient Persia, she gathers for Shahrazad the stories which will save the queen's life.

Gaines, Ernest J. -- A Gathering of Old Men      

When Beau Boutan, a Cajun farmer, is found shot on a Louisiana plantation, the claimants to the killing form a wall of protection around the real murderer.

Gallico, Paul. -- The Snow Goose       

A snow goose makes repeated flights from her home in an English marsh to the beaches of Dunkirk, where she seems to escort a man in a small boat who is rescuing soldiers trapped on the beach.

George, Jean Craighead. -- The Talking Earth       

Billie Wind ventures out alone into the Florida Everglades to test the legends of her Indian ancestors and learns the importance of listening to the earth's vital messages.

Goldman, William. – Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Westley, a farm boy, goes off to seek his fortune shortly after declaring his love for Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, but their relationship is put to the test when his ship is captured by pirates and she is summoned to become the bride of the prince.

Grisham, John. -- The Pelican Brief      

A bright young law student and an investigative reporter go underground while trying to expose a cover-up about the killings of two Supreme Court Justices.

Grisham, John. -- The Rainmaker       

For a class assignment, law student Rudy Baylor is required to provide free legal advice to a group of senior citizens. He stumbles onto one of the largest cases of insurance fraud ever seen.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. -- Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey      

In the journal she is keeping for English class, sixteen-year-old Tish chronicles the changes in her life when her abusive father abandons her and her brother, and her mother follows him.

Hahn, Mary Downing. -- Look for Me by Moonlight      

While staying at the remote and reputedly haunted Maine inn run by her father and pregnant stepmother, sixteen-year-old Cynda feels increasingly isolated from her father's new family and finds solace in the attentions of a charming but mysterious guest.

Hautman, Pete. -- Mr. Was      

After his dying grandfather tries to strangle him, Jack Lund discovers a door that leads him fifty years into the past and involves him in events that determine his own future.

Hautzig, Esther Rudomin. -- The Endless Steppe : Growing Up in Siberia      

During World War II, when she was eleven years old, the author and her family were arrested in Poland by the Russians as political enemies and exiled to Siberia. She recounts here the trials of the following five years spent on the harsh Asian steppe.

Hemingway, Ernest. -- The Old Man and the Sea       

An old fisherman battles the sea and sharks to bring home the giant marlin he caught.

Hesse, Karen. -- Phoenix Rising      

Thirteen-year-old Nyle learns about relationships and death when fifteen-year-old Ezra, who was exposed to radiation leaked from a nearby nuclear plant, comes to stay at her grandmother's Vermont farmhouse.

Hesser, Terry Spencer. -- Kissing Doorknobs     

Fourteen-year-old Tara describes how her increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over her life and affect her relationships with her family and friends.

Hinton, S. E. -- Taming the Star Runner      

Sent to live with his uncle after a violent confrontation with his stepfather, sixteen-year-old Travis, an aspiring writer, finds life in a small Oklahoma town confining until he meets an eighteen-year-old horse trainer named Casey.

Hobbs, Will. -- Far North       

After the destruction of their float plane, sixteen-year-old Gabe and his Dene friend, Raymond, struggle to survive a winter in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Howe, James. -- The Watcher      

As she sits watching a seemingly perfect family and a handsome lifeguard on the beach, a lonely, troubled girl projects herself into the fantasy lives she has created for them.

Jackson, Shirley. -- Charles      

Laurie's mother becomes concerned when he returns home each day from kindergarten with stories about a mischievous classmate named Charles. Includes interpretive questions.

Jacques, Brian. -- Mossflower      

Martin the warrior mouse and Gonff the mousethief set out to find the missing ruler of Mossflower, while the other animal inhabitants of the woodland prepare to rebel against the evil wildcat who has seized power.

Jacques, Brian. -- Redwall      

When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior.

Kindl, Patrice. -- Owl in Love      

A fourteen-year-old girl, who can transform herself into an owl at will, discovers interesting new relationships with both humans and owls when she develops a crush on her science teacher.

Koller, Jackie French. -- A Place to Call Home      

Caring for her two younger siblings after their unreliable mother abandons them, fifteen-year-old Anna discovers the difficulties of trying to be a parent.

Koller, Jackie French. -- The Falcon      

While running from the truth to escape painful memories of losing his eye, seventeen-year-old Luke gets himself into a series of dangerous situations.

Larson, Erik . -- Isaac's Storm : A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History     

Tells the story of Isaac Cline, a weather scientist in Galveston, Texas in 1900, discussing his belief and assertion that nothing in the way of weather could destroy the coastal city; and looks at how Cline dealt with the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Galveston on September 8, claiming the lives of thousands of people.

Lee, Marie G. -- Necessary Roughness      

Sixteen-year-old Korean American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.

Lynch, Chris. -- Shadow Boxer      

After their father dies of boxing injuries, George is determined to prevent his younger brother, who sees boxing as his legacy, from pursuing a career in the sport.

Matcheck, Diane. -- The Sacrifice       

When her father's death leaves her orphaned and an outcast among her Apsaalooka (Crow) people, a fifteen-year-old sets out to avenge his death and prove that she, not her dead twin brother, is destined to be the Great One.

Mahy, Margaret. -- The Tricksters      

While gathered together for the Christmas holiday, a large New Zealand family and their various guests and hangers-on find their lives suddenly invaded by three fascinating but rather sinister brothers.

Mazer, Norma Fox. -- Silver      

Despite their different backgrounds, Sarabeth, a teenager living with her mother in a trailer and transferring to a new school, makes friends with Grant and her affluent friends, including troubled Patty who shares a painful secret about her uncle.

McCaffrey, Anne. -- Dragonquest      

On a small beleaguered planet patrolled by giant dragons, a tiny golden fire-lizard brings a searing threat greater than any Pern has ever met.

McCants, William D.. -- Much Ado About Prom Night      

Political uproar about a peer counseling program in a southern California high school keeps two star-crossed antagonists at odds before the upcoming prom.

McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. -- The Moorchild      

Feeling that she is neither fully human nor "Folk," a changeling learns her true identity and attempts to find the human child whose place she had been given.

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud). -- Anne of Green Gables      

Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.

Morpurgo, Michael. -- The War of Jenkins' Ear      

Toby Jenkins' friendship with an unusual new boy who claims to be Jesus makes life at boarding school somewhat more tolerable, even when conflict arises between the students and the boys from town.

Myers, Walter Dean. -- Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff      

New to 116th street in New York, a young boy soon makes friends and begins a year of unusual experiences.

Myers, Walter Dean. -- The Glory Field      

Follows a family's two-hundred year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendants.

Myers, Walter Dean. -- The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner       

Fifteen-year-old Artemis journeys from New York City to Tombstone, Arizona, in 1882, to avenge the murder of his uncle.

Na, An. -- A Step From Heaven     

Tells the tale of Young Ju as she grows from a toddler in Korea to a high-school graduate in California desperately trying to be a 'true' American while her immigrant parents try to make her stay close to her Korean heritage.

Napoli, Donna Jo. -- Sirena      

The gods grant immortality to the mermaid Sirena when she rescues a human man from the sea and they fall in love, but his mortality creates great conflict between love and honor when he is called to defend Greece in the Trojan War.

Nelson, Theresa. -- Earthshine : A Novel      

Slim watches over her father, a disarmingly charismatic man, as his struggle with AIDS reaches its climax.

Nix, Garth. -- Sabriel      

Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead.

Pfetzer, Mark. -- Within Reach : My Everest Story      

The author describes how he spent his teenage years climbing mountains in the United States, South America, Africa, and Asia, with an emphasis on his two expeditions up Mount Everest.

Pierce, Tamora. -- Emperor Mage      

When she is sent as part of the delegation from Tortall to negotiate a peace treaty with Carthak, fifteen-year-old Daine must use her powers to communicate with animals for more than healing the Carthak emperor's dying birds.

Pullman, Phillip. -- Golden Compass      

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.

Rottman, Susan. -- Hero       

After years of abuse from his mother and neglect from his father, ninth-grader Sean Parker is headed for trouble when he is sent to do community service at a farm owned by an old man who teaches Sean that he can take control of his own life.

Roybal, Laura. -- Billy      

Billy, a sixteen-year-old boy who becomes reunited with the family he was kidnapped from by his natural father six years earlier, tries to sort out his identity.

Schaefer, Jack. -- Shane       

Shane rides into a Wyoming valley in 1889 and becomes involved in a feud between big cattle dealers and homesteaders.

Scott, Michael. -- October Moon      

After moving to a horsebreeding farm in Ireland, fifteen-year-old Rachel and her parents are beset with a series of stable fires and mysterious accidents that always seem to have Rachel as their target.

Southgate, Martha. -- Another Way to Dance      

While spending the summer at the School of American Ballet fourteen-year-old Vicki Harris must come to terms with the reality of her parents' divorce and the impact of being an African-American on her future as a dancer.

Springer, Nancy. -- I am Mordred : A Tale from Camelot      

When Mordred learns the identity of his father, he struggles with feelings of hatred, but also fights the fate which determines that he kill the good and gracious king.

Springer, Nancy. -- Toughing It      

Sixteen-year-old Shawn must deal with his loss and anger after witnessing his older brother's murder.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. -- Treasure Island       

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune.

Temple, Frances. -- The Ramsay Scallop      

Thirteenth century couple, Elenor and Tom, overcome their reluctance to marry after they are sent on a pre-nuptial journey to Spain and learn more about the world and each other.

Thesman, Jean. -- Summerspell      

While living with her sister, fifteen-year-old Jocelyn has trouble with her hateful brother-in-law and runs away to her family's summer cabin, where the unwanted presence of two boys complicates her plan of escape.

Thomas, Jane Resh. -- Behind the Mask : The Life of Queen Elizabeth I      

A biography of England's Queen Elizabeth I, providing insight into the childhood events that shaped the woman she became, examining the conflicts and triumphs of her forty-five-year reign from 1558 to 1603, and discussing aspects of her personal life.

Thomas, Rob. -- Rats Saw God      

In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred-page writing assignment which helps him to sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from promising student to troubled teen.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel). -- The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again      

The adventures of the well-to-do hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who lived happily in his comfortable home until a wandering wizard granted his wish.

Voigt, Cynthia. -- When She Hollers      

Tish, a teenager who has been enduring abuse from her adoptive stepfather since she was a small child, finally decides she must do something to stop him.

Wallace, Rich. -- Wrestling Sturbridge      

Stuck in a small town where no one ever leaves, Ben decides he can't let his last high school wrestling season slip by without challenging his friend and the future.

Weaver, Will. -- Hard Ball      

A fourteen-year-old Minnesota farm boy has to figure out how to get along with the arch-rival in his love life and on the baseball diamond, and both boys must learn how to deal with the unfair expectations of their fathers.

Walter, Virginia. -- Making Up Megaboy      

When thirteen-year-old Robbie shoots an old man in a liquor store, everyone who knows the quiet, withdrawn youth struggles to understand this act of seemingly random violence.

Wersba, Barbara. -- Whistle Me Home      

Seventeen-year-old Noli feels as if she has found her soul mate when handsome, sensitive TJ moves to Sag Harbor, but even as their feelings deepen, individual secrets threaten their relationship.

White, Robb. -- Deathwatch       

Needing money for school, a college student accepts a job as a guide on a desert hunting trip and nearly loses his life.

White, Ryan. -- Ryan White, My Own Story      

Ryan White describes how he got AIDS, engaged in a legal battle to return to school, and became a celebrity and spokesman for issues concerning the deadly disease.

Zindel, Paul. -- A Begonia for Miss Applebaum      

Discovering that their beloved former teacher Miss Applebaum is terminally ill, fifteen-year-old Henry and his friend Zelda accompany her on her excursions to the colorful parts of New York City.

Zindel, Paul. -- The Doom Stone      

When fifteen-year-old Jackson visits his aunt in England, he becomes caught up in a chase to capture an unknown creature who is stalking and killing people on the plains surrounding ancient Stonehenge.

Zindel, Paul. -- The Pigman : A Novel      

A teenage boy and a girl, high school sophomores from unhappy homes, tell of their bizzare relationship with an old man.

Zindel, Paul. -- Reef of Death       

While helping a beautiful Aboriginal girl search for her people's missing treasure near the Great Barrier Reef, seventeen-year-old PC finds himself fighting an evil scientist and a deadly underwater monster.