Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Allegretto, Michael - Night of Reunion ALL Psychopathic killer Christine Helstrum, who murdered Alex Whitaker's first wife and child, has escaped from a mental hospital. Now she has to drive across country because she has unfinished business with Alex.
F Anthony, Evelyn - Stranger at the Gates ANT A woman's past comes back to haunt her when she is requested to testify in court for an old acquaintance who is being tried for war crimes.
F Avi - Nothing but the Truth AVI Philip Malloy was just humming along with the tape of “The Star Spangled Banner" played each day in homeroom. How could this minor incident turn into a major national scandal?
F Baldacci, David - The Winner BAL She is 20, dirt poor, and hoping for a better life when Lee Ann Tyler is offered the gift of a lifetime, the $100 million lottery jackpot. All she has to do is change her identity and leave the U.S. forever.
F Bauer, Joan - The Rules of the Road BAU Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
F Brancato, Robin - Winning BRA Paralyzed as a result of a football accident, a high school student struggles to accept the reality of his condition and the effect it will have on his friendships and future.
F Brown, Dan - Angels & Demons BRO World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist.
F Brown, Dan - The Da Vinci Code BRO Secret codes and societies, murder and mystery fill the pages of Brown’s riveting novel.
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Pickel’s Picks F Brown, Irene - Answer Me, Answer Me BRO 18 year old Bryn Kinney's only known relative, Gram, is dead. In the weeks that follow the death, Bryn has 2 surprises: 1) she has been left some money and 2) she discovers a clue to her past, a past that she has known almost nothing about.
F Byalick, Marcia - It’s a Matter of Trust BYA A teenager’s life is changed forever when her father is indicted on criminal charges.
F Child, Lee - Persuader CHI Jack Reacher is an ex-military cop with no family, no possessions, no commitments, no fear. When he agrees to help a female agent caught in a death trap, he must outwit a criminal army.
F Clark, Mary Higgins - All around Town CLA Kidnapped at the age of four and the victim of two years of abuse, Laurie has developed multiple personalities. One of these personalities is accused of murder.
F Clark, Mary Higgins - I’ll Be Seeing You CLA Meghan Collins, a television news reporter, covering the story of a stabbing victim is drawn into a web of lies and treachery.
F Clark, Mary Higgins - Silent Night CLA On Christmas Eve a young child follows a thief into a New York subway and into the most dangerous adventure of his life.
F Coben, Harlan - Gone for Good COB Will Klein’s hero is his older brother Ken. The problem is that Ken becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman and he disappears. Eleven years later, the murder is still not solved, but when Ken reappears, Will is not prepared for the truth.
F Coben, Harlan - Just One Look COB After Grace Lawson picks up a package of newly developed film, she discovers that her life and her husband are not what she believed them to be.
F Coben, Harlan - Tell No One COB David Beck has rebuilt his life since his wife’s murder eight years ago. But a mysterious email leads him to wonder whether Elizabeth might still be alive.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Coben, Harlan - No Second Chance COB Marc Seidman awakes in ICU to find his wife dead and his baby girl missing. As he tries desperately to find his baby and get his life back in order as he deals with his grief, eight years later he is shocked to uncover secrets about his wife and their life together.
F Cook, Robin - Coma COO A young woman medical student uncovers the shocking truth about the criminal practice of killing young adults so that their vital organs can be sold on the black market. Incredibly, no one believes her. She must get enough evidence to put a stop to this procedure before she, herself, becomes a victim.
F Cooney, Caroline - Whatever Happened to Janie? COO The members of two families have their lives disrupted when a teenage girl discovers that the people who raised her are not her biological parents.
F Cormier, Robert - Beyond the Chocolate War COR A great sequel to The Chocolate War which explores evil and the misuse of power.
F Cormier, Robert - The Chocolate War COR A private boys’ school is having a candy sale. Everyone participates, everyone except Jerry Renault, that is. The other boys use a variety of methods to "persuade" him to change his mind.
F Cormier, Robert - We All Fall Down COR This thriller explores the effects of random violence when a teenage girl's house is trashed. In this disturbing story the reader follows the lives of not only the girl whose house is trashed, but also the lives of the teens that did it.
F Crichton, Michael - Sphere CRI The focus of this science adventure tale is humankind's encounter with an alien life form. Within a space ship lying on the sea bottom is a mysterious sphere that promises each of the main characters some personal reward: power, understanding, military might, and professional prestige. Trapped underwater with the sphere, the humans confront eerie and dangerous threats after communication with the alien object has been achieved.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Crutcher, Chris - Ironman CRU This is the story of Bo Brewster, a teen who not only struggles to be a triathlete, but who also struggles to get along with his parents, teachers, and peers. Along the way he meets some very interesting people.
F Crutcher, Chris - Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes CRU Because of their "terminal uglies" Eric Calhoune and Sarah Byrnes become fast friends. But when the truth of her horrific past catches up with Sarah, it is Eric's mission to help her find a way through the pain.
F Cushman, Karen - Catherine, Called Birdy CUS This story takes place during the Middle Ages. It is the story of a 13 year old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women. Included in this journal are tales of her efforts to avoid an arranged marriage.
F Cussler, Clive - Flood Tide CUS This is an explosive adventure with Chinese gangsters, slavery and a sunken treasure ship.
F Cussler, Clive - Treasure CUS The most valuable treasure of the ancient world - charts of lost gold, breathtaking art, rare books, maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits - has recently been found and would change the world if the wrong people got their hands on it.
F Dana, Barbara - Necessary Parties DAN With the help of a part-time lawyer, part-time auto mechanic, fourteen year old Chris Mills forces a situation in his family that presses his parents into reconsidering their divorce.
F Demille, Nelson - The Charm School DEM A young man goes joy riding in Russia and discovers a POW (Prisoner of War). This discovery costs him his life because the POW has escaped from "The Charm School" - a top-secret endeavor where POWs are used to Americanize Russian spies.
F Deuker, Carl - Heart of a Champion DEU If you like baseball, you'll like this book. It's about baseball and friendship and the part both play in the lives of two boys.
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Pickel’s Picks F DuMaurier, Daphne - Rebecca DUM A young woman, working as a companion, for an elderly busybody, finds her life turned around when she meets and falls in love with a wealthy young man, Maxim. After they marry and go to live at his mansion, she finds mystery, hate and even love and friendship within the walls of this huge estate. The greatest mystery revolves around Maxim's previous wife, who, although she was dead, still managed to control the people living there through her memory. This is a great story that manages to keep the reader in suspense until the very end.
F Dygard, Thomas - River Danger DYG Eighteen year old Eric and eleven year old Robbie Douglas stumble on a car theft ring. Eric is held captive and his survival depends on Robbie’s getting help.
F Evans, Nicholas - The Horse Whisperer EVA His name is Tom Booker. His voice can calm wild horses; his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl’s savage horse, and her own wounded heart.
F Evans, Nicholas - The Locket EVA Michael takes a job at a nursing home to try to pay off his huge debt. While there, he meets, Esther, a patient. She tells Michael her own story about unfulfilled love and influences him to pursue Fay.
F Green, George Dawes - The Juror GRE Annie is a juror in a murder trial. They tell her that her child will be safe, her career will flourish and her friends will remain alive if all she does is say the words, “Not guilty.”
F Green, Gerald - Girl GRE This is a short and simple story about an older man's love for his exceptional dog, Girl. He takes her on a talk show to illustrate her intelligence and everyone loves her, except the show's host. His jealousy of the dog destroys both the dog and himself.
F Grisham, John - The Client GRI Just before committing suicide, an attorney tells 11-year-old Mark a deadly secret.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Grisham, John - The Partner GRI Once he was a well-liked, well-paid young partner in a thriving Mississippi law firm. Then Patrick Lanigan stole nine million dollars from his own firm and ran for his life.
F Grisham, John - The Runaway Jury GRI He is known only as Juror #2 but with the help of a beautiful woman on the outside, he upsets the workings of the most explosive civil trial of the century.
F Guest, Judith - Ordinary People GUE Conrad Jarrett suffers a tremendous amount of guilt stemming from the boating accident in which his older brother was killed. This guilt plunges him into the depths of despair so he tries to kill himself. The book then traces his gradual emotional recovery after the unsuccessful suicide attempt.
F Guterson, David - Snow Falling on Cedars GUT The story revolves around memories of the residents of San Pedro Island, memories of a charmed loved affair between a white boy and a Japanese girl; of land desired, paid for, and lost; of what happened to the Japanese residents during WWII when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched.
F Hall, Lynn - The Tormentors HAL Sox’s best friend was his black German Shepherd, Heidi, so when Heidi was stolen, Sox was devastated. He became relentless in trying to find the thieves. What he found in the process was more than he bargained for.
F Homes, A. M. - Jack HOM 15 year old Jack's confused feelings for his father, who left him and his mother four years earlier are further complicated when he finds that his father is gay. This book is a really neat story that traces Jack's growing up when he finally realizes that what happens in life depends only on him.
F Horn, Stephen - In Her Defense HOR Frank O’Connell, a down-on-his-luck attorney, is hired to represent Ashley Bronson, a rich Washington socialite. Even though Ashley admits to pulling the trigger, nothing is as it seems and the plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Hunt, Irene - Lottery Rose HUN A battered child wins a rosebush in a grocery store lottery and soon afterward his life begins to change.
F Hurwin, Davida - A Time for Dancing HUR 17 year old best friends Samantha and Juliana tell their stories in alternating chapters after Juliana is diagnosed with cancer.
F Jaffe, Rona - Mazes and Monsters JAF Four troubled college students are totally committed to playing a fantasy game called Mazes and Monsters. This commitment to the game leads them dangerously close to losing sight of reality. For one of the four, however, the game does become his reality.
F Katz, William - Facemaker KAT A glamour magazine writer, Carly Randall, shatters her face in an accident while on an assignment. Andre Laval, an internationally famous plastic surgeon, not only reconstructs Carly's face, but makes her beautiful as well. All is fine until Carly discovers that one of Laval's other patients has the same face and that she is missing. As she tries to uncover this mystery, her life is threatened.
F Kerr, M. E. - Gentlehands KER Sixteen year old Buddy Boyle wants to impress his rich girlfriend, Skye, so he introduces her to his grandfather, a very knowledgeable and cultured gentleman. However, when Buddy learns something very disturbing about his grandfather, his whole world is turned upside down.
F Kerr, M. E. - Night Kites KER Erich Rudd is comfortable with his senior crowd, delighted with his girl, Dill, and his best friend, Jack. Life does not remain so simple, though, when Erich starts to care for Jack's girl friend. To make matters worse, Erich needs to deal with dome disturbing news about his beloved older brother, Pete, news which forever changes Erich's life.
F Kesey, Ken - One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest KES This is an amusing yet sad story of mental patients and their treatment. It is questionable, though, who should be the patient and who should be the doctor.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Kidd, Sue Monk - The Secret Life of Bees KID Lily accidentally shot and killer her mother, Deborah. All Lily has left of her mother is a strange
F Klass, David - California Blue KLA When 17 year old John Rodgers discovers a new sub-species of butterfly that may necessitate closing the mill where his dying father works, he and his father find themselves on opposite sides of the environmental conflict.
F Klause, Annette Curtis - The Silver Kiss KLA Mesmerizing and dangerous, Simon comes into Zoe's life just as everything familiar to her is ebbing away.
F Koontz, Dean - Icebound KOO Several scientists are stranded on a moving iceberg which is scheduled to explode in 12 hours. As they prepare for the explosion, one among them attempts to murder a co-worker. Meanwhile a Russian submarine plans to rescue them and time is running out.
F Koontz, Dean - Midnight KOO The citizens of Moonlight Cove, California, are changing. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified - if not brutally murdered in the dead of night.
F Koontz, Dean - Strangers KOO A group of strangers, unaware of each other, is drawn to a hotel to uncover the mysteries of their lives. What they discover there is frightening.
F Levin, Ira - The Boys from Brazil LEV This is an interesting tale about cloning. In this case, Hitler was cloned and his clones, the boys from Brazil, are now living in various parts of the world. It is hoped that one of them can carry on where Hitler left off, unless they can be stopped.
F Lowry, Lois - The Giver LOW Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas become the Receiver of Memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Ludlum, Robert LUD This author creates the most extraordinary spy stories. Each one takes the reader on a thrilling adventure. I like all of his novels, but my favorite is starred. The Bourne Identity** The Bourne Supremacy The Mattarese Circle The Icarus Agenda The Acquitane Progression
F MacLachlan, Patricia - Baby MAC "This is Sophie. She is almost a year old...I will come back for her one day." Such were the words on the note left in the basket with the baby. At first the family who found the basket was afraid to keep the baby. Later, they were afraid to give her up.
F McCullough, Colleen - The Thorn Birds MCC This is mostly the story of Meggie, who falls madly in love with a man she can never marry, and of Ralph, whose ambition takes his from being an Outback parish priest to living in the inner circle of the Vatican. This is their story, a story of unfulfilled love and passion.
F McKinley, Robin - Beauty MCK A retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast.
F McKinley, Robin - Outlaws of Sherwood MCK In this version of Robin Hood, Robin accidentally kills one of his fellow foresters in self-defense and unwillingly becomes an outlaw and a leader. Some new and familiar characters join the growing band. In a different twist to the story, Marian is the best shot and wins the contest at Nottingham Fair.
F Mills, Deanie - Losers Weepers MIL This suspenseful story deals with child abduction.
F Mitchard, Jacquelyn - Christmas, Present MIT Laura discovers she has only 2 days left to live and in that time she must tell her loved ones all that she has to say.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Morrell, David - The Fifth Profession MOR Hired by wealthy and powerful clients as an executive protector, Savage is assigned to rescue Rachael Stone from her sadistic husband. Joined by Akira, his Japanese counterpart, Savage and Rachael are pursued by unknown forces as they struggle to stay alive and solve a mystery that spans continents and brings horrifying memories to the surface.
F Myers, Walter Dean - Fallen Angels MYE This is a compelling account of the Vietnam War told from the perspective of a young black soldier, Richie Perry, a seventeen year old from Harlem. His experiences become the reader's experiences, as do his fears and his insights about the war.
F Panati, Charles - Links PAN The world of hypnosis is examined as this story unfolds. Alison and Stan share an unbelievably strong bond when they hypnotize each other. This proves to be a dangerous adventure for them when the bond between them cannot be broken.
F Paulsen, Gary - The Rifle PAU A priceless, hand-crafted rifle, carried throughout the American Revolution, is passed down through the years until it fires on a fateful Christmas Eve, 1994.
F Picoult, Jodi – My Sister’s Keeper PIC Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned.
F Preston, Douglas - Riptide PRE For generations, treasure hunters have tried to unlock the deadly puzzle known as “The Water Pit” where a billion dollars worth of treasure was buried by the infamous pirate Edward Ockhan. With the most sophisticated equipment and racing against time a new team tries to uncover the treasure.
F Quindlen, Anna - Blessings QUI A baby girl is left on the doorstep of the Blessing estate. Skip cuddy, the caretaker, decides he wants to keep her. Lydia Blessing, the owner, decides to help him.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Ray, Karen - To Cross a Line RAY Egon, a 17 year old Jewish boy, uses his wits to escape Nazi Germany. The fact that this story is based on a real situation, adds to its interest.
F Roybal, Laura - Billy ROY 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.
F Sachar, Louis - Holes SAC As further evidence of his family’s bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Helnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
F Saul, John - The God Project SAU Children are being kidnapped away from the safety of their homes and sent away to participate, even though unwillingly, in government-run experiments.
F Scoppettone, Sandra - Playing Murder SCO Anna decides to play detective when her twin brother is accused of murder. What she discovers is dangerous as well as unbelievable.
F Shusterman, Neal - What Daddy Did SHU Preston Scott could not believe what his dad did, did not want to believe it. How could he deal with the fact that his father murdered someone, especially when that someone was his mother?
F Sleator, William - The Duplicate SLE A mysterious machine that can copy living things changes David's life when he creates a duplicate of himself. Now David can fulfill two obligations at once, since he can be two places at one time and he feels great because the possibilities seem limitless. Events take a frightening turn when David realizes that the duplicate has a mind and desires of its own.
F Smith, Deborah - A Place to Call Home SMI Claire Maloney and Roan Sullivan learn as children they belong together. Not everyone agrees with them.
F Smith, K. - Skeeter SMI Two boys learn about life from an old legendary black man.
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Woodridge High School Library
Pickel’s Picks F Smith, Scott - A Simple Plan SMI Two brothers and a friend find $4 million in the cockpit of a downed plane. The pilot is dead. No one is looking for the money. To keep it, all they have to do is wait. It all sounded so simple.
F Sparks, Nicholas - A Walk to Remember SPA Landon Carter couldn’t believe how a twist of fate made Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister, his date for the homecoming dance. He wouldn’t have believed how his life was about to change, forever.
F Theroux, Paul - The Christmas Card THE Lost in a New England snowstorm as they journey toward their new home, two small boys and their parents find shelter with a mysterious old man. By morning he has vanished, leaving behind only a card which, in its magical way, guides the family to a Christmas celebration with a very special meaning for them all. It's a story about a child's belief in the unbelievable.
F White, Robb - Deathwatch WHI Needing money for school, a college boy accepts a job as guide on a desert hunting trip and nearly loses his life.
F Willey, Margaret - Saving Lenny WIL Jesse and Lenny are the perfect couple, at least Jesse thinks so until she discovers some very disturbing news about Lenny and she finds herself in a difficult situation.
F Wilson, F. Paul - The Select WIL Quinn feels fortunate to be one of the select - a group of promising medical students chosen to attend an exclusive medical school. Then she discovers some disturbing facts about the school, a discovery which costs her dearly.
F Wilson, F. Paul - The Touch WIL After a dozen years of practicing medicine, Dr. Alan Bulmer discovers one day that he can cure any illness with the touch of his hand. There is no explanation for this phenomenon, but there is a price to be paid.
F Zindel, Paul - Loch ZIN Fifteen year old Loch and his younger sister join their father on a scientific expedition searching for enormous prehistoric creatures.
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