Our Top Picks for 2008-2009

Books in many styles, at many reading levels…

Books we love! Try them, and then check out our reading blog!

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster:

Mike says: “Out of the ordinary… it explains life in a “different way”.

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements (and its sequel): Olivia says: “A boy suddenly turns invisible and must find out why…with the help of a blind girl.”

The Inkworld Series by Cornelia Funke: Elvin says: “Imagine travelling into a book or bringing characters from stories into the real world!”

The Hobbit by J. R. Tolkien:

Aaron says: “Tells the back-story of the Lord of the Rings and doesn’t have a movie yet!”

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

“Imagine living your after-life backwards…”

Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart

Ryan says: “A boy who lives on a harbor goes to school on a boat and is visited by a mechanical owl. An adventure follows….”

The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron (and series)

Matt says: “T.A. Barron created a vivid environment and brings his characters to life.”

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop. Mike says: “A fantasy about a magical castle.” About its sequel he says, “It’s an amazing sequel. Both are must-reads for medieval fans!”

Abhorsen series by Garth Nix: Elvin says: “Mini Mages are battling the dead and other creatures.”

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Although this doesn’t need a recommendation, Julia insists: “All are phenomenal and I wish I were a wizard or a witch at Hogwarts!”

The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures, both by Walter Moers: Aaron says: “It’s about a big adventure. Don’t be fooled by it’s length. It’s incredibly funny!”

The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.

Dan says: “An action series…a must read!”

The Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale: Mark says: “A complex plot line … takes you into different worlds.”

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

Strongly recommended by Elvin because “It’s an imaginary world where animals take the place of humans, evil vermin and more!!!”

The Golden Compass (and series) by Philip Pullman. Pravin says: “A great adventure story…”

Savvy by Ingrid Law: See Annie’s blog comments!

Gregor the Overlander and series by Suzanne Collins

Aiden says: “An action-packed adventure series where your dreams and fantasies are tickled.”

Eragon and series by Christopher Paolini: Chris says: “Epic fantasy adventures.”

Christy recommends… “Anything by Tamora Pierce!” … check out Bluebird’s blog comments.

Ender’s Game (and series) by Orson Scott Card (mature themes): Christina says: “A favorite among many gifted teenagers.” Drew adds: “Deep science fiction…”

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Kyle says: “A clone adventure…”

Jurassic Park and sequel by Michael Crichton (mature themes): Nick says: “It’s got a lot of science for higher level learners.”

I Robot by Isaac Asimov (Maya’s pick!)

Anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix! (Miss Bengels’ picks…)

Crispin books by Avi

Mike says: “Another great medieval book.”

David likes the sequel because “it’s about running away from old friends who have become new enemies.”

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Christina says: “Uses pictures for visualization and is clever & clear.”

North by Night (and sequel) by Katherine Ayres: Karissa says: “A girl helps hide slaves in this historical fiction novel.”

The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev

Kevin says: “A good survival book during the Holocaust where a boy faces life and death situations.”

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Matt says: “Very action-packed, more like a movie than a book…about the war in Iraq.”

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak (mature themes): Damian says: “A Holocaust story told from a different perspective.”

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz:

Kevin says: “A good action series that is a little unbelievable, but that makes it interesting.”

Chasing the Falconers (and series) by Gordon Korman: Phillip says “A spy and action series…”

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (mature themes): Rahul says: “Recommended for people who like mystery and conspiracy.”

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (mature themes)

Sophie says: “A girl is murdered and now looks back on the world of the living.”

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer: Annie says: “Twelve-year-old genius tries to steal fairy gold!”

Flush by Carl Hiassen

Emily says: “It’s filled with action, and I never knew what was going to happen next!”

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn: Ally says: “It’s scary and there are a lot of ironic words in it.”

Various ghost and time travel stories by Kathryn Reiss

“Haunting, spooky, suspenseful…they make you think.”

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Julia says: “It’s about a girl whose brother lives with autism, and how they both cope.”

Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree (and sequel) by Lauren Tarshis: “A clever girl who isn’t used to social situations.”

A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin

Christina says: “An emotional book about mental disabilities

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (mature themes)

Katy says: “An emotional life story.”

Various school books by Andrew Clements

“Fast reads…clever students…odd situations…”

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Matthew says: “A surprising pick for me, because it’s a sports thing, but I liked it because it had a deep underlying message about friendship and honor.”

The City of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau “Imagine living an underground world…and then finding the great outdoors…”

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Sophie says: “A boy has grown up in a dwindling hippie community and now must leave it to school and become ‘civilized’”

The Face on the Milk Carton (and series) by Caroline B. Cooney

Julia says: “A suspenseful novel that gets you thinking and keeps you curious and a little skeptical.”

The series of Unfortunate Events by Lemon Snicket

Rahul says: “It’s depressing in a fun way!”

White Fang by Jack London

Kyle says: “It’s exciting due to action, suspense, and emotional connection.”

Anthem by Ayn Rand (mature themes)

Drew says: “An influential book with strong messages about communities, politics and group identity.”

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

Matt says: “Humor within a serious book…it takes an unreal situation and turns it serious.”

The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind (mature themes): Mary says: “For people who can follow a 1000-page book filled with social commentary and a love story.”

Dave Barry’s Money Secrets

Dan says: “A hilarious book on how we spend money, and why.”

The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci: Mitchell says: “It gave an inside-the-lines point of view of Joe Torre’s firing and history.”

Thank you, Google Images, for the book-cover illustrations!