Books for 7th & 8th Graders, Summer 2002 J/F/ALPHIN Alphin, Elaine MarieGhost Soldier Alexander has always been able to see ghosts and on a trip to North Carolina with his Father he finds himself transported back in time into the middle of a Civil War battle. 216 p. J/941.5/BAR Bartoletti, Susan CampbellBlack Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845 – 1850 When the potato crop failed for five years in a row, one million Irish died and two million fled to the United States. This is a riveting and personal look at the suffering of the Irish people during the great Potato Famine of 1845 – 1850. 184 p. J/F/CABOT Cabot, MegPrincess in Love Now that Mia, the reluctant Princess of Genovia, finally has a boy-friend, she has other things to worry about. Like the fact that finals are coming up, her boyfriend hasn’t asked her to the winter dance, and she must leave for Genovia the day after the dance! 240 p. J/F/CLEMENTS Clements, AndrewThings Not Seen Bobby Philips wakes up one morning to discover that he isn’t really there—he’s invisible! Bobby and his parents scramble to figure out why he’s invisible while the school truant officer is after him. 251 p. J/F/COONEY Cooney, Caroline B.The Ransom of Mercy Carter In the deadly cold winter of 1704, the Mohawk Indians ransack a settlement and take Mercy Carter captive. After a grueling 300-mile march to Canada, Mercy lives with the Mohawk tribe while waiting and hoping that her family can afford the ransom. 249p. J/F/HALF Half-Human Mermaids, centaurs, scarecrows and other creatures discover what it means to be not-quite-human in this collection of short stories. 212 p. J/F/CROSSLEY-HOLLAND Crossley-Holland, KevinThe Seeing Stone In the year 1199, Arthur de Caldicot receives a strange stone from a family friend, Merlin. The magical stone slowly reveals the legend of King Arthur, whose life closely resembles Arthur’s. 342 p. J/F/DICKINSON Dickinson, PeterThe Ropemaker When the magical defenses that protect Tilja’s valley begin to fade, she joins others on a perilous journey to find the ancient magician who originally cast the protective spells. 375 p. J/F/ELLIS Ellis, DeborahThe Breadwinner In Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban, Parvana disguises herself as a boy and goes into the streets of Kabul to earn money to support her family. She risks beatings and even death if her secret is discovered. 170 p. J/F/HAUTMAN Hautman, PeteHole in the Sky In the future, a plague has claimed the lives of 5 billion people. Ceej and his family are threatened by a militant group of survivors called the Kinka who carry the plague and are trying to rid the earth of those who aren’t infected. 179 p. J/F/HOFFMAN Hoffman, AliceAquamarine Claire and Hailey spend their last summer together at a beach club that will be closing at the end of the summer. A fierce storm washes many ocean creatures into the club’s pool, including a mermaid named Aquamarine whom they decide to rescue. 105 p. J/F/HOROWITZ Horowitz, AnthonyStormbreaker Alex’s life is turned upside down when he discovers the uncle he lives with was killed while spying for the British government. Alex decides to join MI6 and continue his uncle’s mission. 192 p. J/F/KERR Kerr, M.E.Slap Your Sides During World War II, with patriotism high in his hometown, Jubal is unsure whether to support his Quaker family’s pacifist beliefs or the U.S. war effort. 197 p. J/F/KINDL Kindl, PatriceGoose Chase Rather than marry a cruel king or a dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl escapes from her suitors and undergoes many trials (like being captured by ogresses) before learning exactly who she is. 214 p. J/F/MATTHEWS Matthews, KeziScorpio’s Child Afton never knew that she had an Uncle Bailey until he appears at her family’s home, a strange, disturbed man. Afton takes it upon herself to discover the mystery that surrounds him, not knowing that her discovery will have an immense effect on her family. 152 p. J/F/NAIDOO Naidoo, BeverleyThe Other Side of Truth After their mother is murdered, Nigeria is no longer a safe place for Sade and her brother. Their father has them smuggled into Great Britain, but finding their way proves to be a real challenge when their escort abandons them on the streets of London. 252 p. JB/Paulsen Paulsen, GaryCaught by the Sea: My Life on Boats The author didn’t know anything about sailing when he bought his first boat and set out on his maiden voyage. That turns out to be a problem when a killer wave hits his boat and he fights to keep it afloat. 101 p. J/F/PEARSON Pearson, Mary E.Scribbler of Dreams The feud between the Malones and the Crutchfields is a bitter one that has lasted for generations. When Kaitlin Malone falls for Bram Crutchfield, she must hide her identity from Bram and his family or lose the love they have found. 223 p. J/F/REES Rees, CeliaWitch Child In England in 1659, Mary Newbury’s only family, her grandmother, is hanged for witchcraft. Now an orphan, Mary boards a ship bound for America but fears that the Puritan group she’s joined will discover her secret and accuse her of witchcraft as well. 261 p. J/F/SALISBURY Salisbury, GrahamLord of the Deep Mikey works for his stepfather on a deep-sea fishing boat in Hawaii. During a record breaking catch, he learns to take risks and make hard choices. 182 p. J/F/SHAN Shan, DarrenCirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan Darren and Steve are drawn to an illegal freak show where they encounter a vampire and his deadly spider. Their bizarre fascination with this gruesome duo changes both boys’ lives forever. 266 p. J/F/SHUSTERMAN Shusterman, NealThe Shadow Club Rising Just when Jared thinks he’s overcome his reputation for revenge and practical jokes, a new kid comes to town. When bad things happen to a him, everyone suspects Jared who must prove his innocence. 200 p. J/F/VAN DRAANEN Van Draanen, WendelinFlipped When Juli first saw Bryce and his beautiful blue eyes, she flipped. That was back in second grade. Ever since then, Bryce has done his best to ditch Juli…until something happens in eighth grade that flips the whole situation. 212 p. J/F/WEAVER Weaver, WillMemory Boy In 2008, two years after Mt. Rainier erupted and sent volcanic ash over the entire U.S., Miles’s family tries to escape the vast environmental disaster. He helps them survive in the wilderness using his phenomenal memory and mechanical skills. 152 p. Prepared by SL, CM and JAJ, May 2002