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VIRGINIA READERS'
CHOICE ANNOTATIONS
HIGH
SCHOOL LIST 2008- 2009
Grades 9-12
The Arrival.
Shaun Tan, Arthur Levine Books,2007.
This wordless graphic novel depicts the journey of one man, threatened
by dark shapes that cast shadows on his family’s life, to a new
country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which creates the
sensation immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new
language and way of life. A wide variety of ethnicities is represented
in Tan’s hyper-realistic style; and the sense of warmth and caring for
others, regardless of race, age or background is present on nearly every
page.
The
Christopher Killer:Forensic Mystery 1.
Alane Ferguson, Viking Penguin, 2006.
It has long been seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney’s dream to follow in
her father’s footsteps and become a forensic pathologist. She gets her
chance when her father hires her as his assistant and she witnesses the
autopsy of a murdered friend. There is a serial killer at large who
leaves his signature mark at the scene of each crime--a St. Christopher
Medal. It is a race against time to catch this ruthless killer before he
strikes again. Can the forensic clues lead to his identity before it’s
too late?
The Glass
Castle.
Jeannette Walls, Scribner, 2005.
Gossip journalist Jeannette Walls recalls a nomadic dirt poor childhood
during the 60’s and 70’s. Tired of hiding her childhood experiences, she
reveals the poverty, hunger, jokes and bullying she and her siblings
endured while living with her flighty self-indulgent mother and her
brilliant, troubled father.
The Last
Knight.
Hilari Bell,HarperCollins, 2007.
In alternating chapters, eighteen-year-old knight errant Sir Michael
Sevenson and his seventeen-year-old street-wise squire Fisk tell the
story of their heroic quest first to rescue the Lady Ceciel and then to
recapture her to make amends for mistakenly freeing the murderous witch.
Life as
We Knew It.
Susan Beth Pfeffer, Harcourt, 2006.
After a meteor hits the moon, sixteen-year-old Miranda and her family
struggle to survive worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
and the natural inclination to help their friends and neighbors. Told
in diary format, Miranda depicts the struggles a family faces when food,
warmth, and well-being disappear without warning.
Light
Years.
Tammar Stein, Knopf, 2005.
Twenty-year-old Maya leaves Israel to study astronomy at the University
of Virginia. Escaping Israeli violence, Maya struggles to deal with
the loss and guilt of her boyfriend’s death, missing the only life she
has known as she tries to create a new one.
A Room on
Lorelei Street.
Mary E. Pearson, Holt, 2005.
Seventeen-year-old Zoe wants to escape the smothering atmosphere of her
home and the emotional stress of caring for her helpless, alcoholic
mother. Each night after working in the local diner, she rides down
Lorelei Street to look at the house with the room for rent and imagines
a different life for herself. After gathering the courage to leave, she
finds she must deal with an overbearing grandmother and an eccentric
landlady. Struggling with her feelings for Mama, thoughts about the
accidental death of her father, and the need for attention that cause
her inappropriate behavior, Zoe is forced to make adult decisions that
affect her new life.
The Rules
of Survival.
Nancy Werlin, Dial Books, 2006.
Living with a psychotic and abusive mother has taught seventeen-year-old
Matthew how to survive. In an effort to save his younger stepsister
Emmy from the same fate, he composes a letter explaining to her their
crazy childhood. Told with understanding, compassion and insight,
author Nancy Werlin leads the reader through a maze of emotions
experienced by Matthew as he tries to explain “the rules of survival” to
Emmy.
Scrambled
Eggs at Midnight.
Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler, Dutton, 2006.
Calliope and her unconventional mother travel the Renaissance Fair
circuit, but Calliope longs for more stability in her life. Elliott has
a fascination for fireworks which distracts him from his parents’
growing marital problems at their Christian Weight Loss Camp. After
Calliope meets Elliott at a used bookstore, they strike up a summer
romance that leads to a surprising conclusion.
The Trap.
John Smelcer, Henry Holt, 2006.
What does it mean to be a man? To seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Wease
and Albert, his old grandfather who raised him, it means being strong
and being independent. Living in an Alaskan Indian village near the
Arctic Circle, Johnny is strong – he has turned his back on alcoholism
and he is pursuing his dream of getting a college degree. Albert’s
strength comes from his lifetime of hunting, trapping and surviving in
the wilderness. On a subzero day and far from home, Albert makes a
mistake and is caught in one of his own traps. Alternating chapters
tell Albert’s story of trying to stay alive, and the story of Johnny,
who wrestles with whether to disrespect his grandfather by going to look
for him. Are they both trapped?
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