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Matched
Reading Level: Grades 8 and up
The Society always makes the right choices for its citizens. Cassia has never doubted the choices made for her, never saw any reason to question the Society in any way. The night of her matching ceremony, where the Society will tell her who she will spend the rest of her life with, the man she is best suited to love, is no different.
And her Match is perfect. Against all the odds, Cassia is Matched with her best friend, Xander. The two of them are happy to be Matched together, and excitedly begin the next steps.
But alone, in her room, Cassia looks at her Match result again. She sees Xander's smiling face, and grins at it. Then Xander's face disappears, and another face appears. The face again is one she recognizes. How can Cassia have been matched TWICE, let alone with two people from her same colony? What is she supposed to do?
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More books by Ally Condie
If you liked Matched, you might also like:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Older readers might also like:
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
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Tags: 8th Grade, High Schoolers, Adults, Books for Girls, Don't Miss These, Fantasy, Read-Alikes, Relationships, Science Fiction, JY Fiction, EF
Ninth Ward
Reading Level: Grades 4 - 6
Lanesha lives in New Orleans, in a neighborhood called the Ninth Ward. Her mother died just after she was born, but the midwife, a woman named Mama Ya-Ya, takes her in. Lanesha loves living in the Ninth Ward, even though it means that she doesn't have very many friends. One day, Mama Ya-Ya has a vision - a terrible hurricane is coming. Soon she and Lanesha hear about Katrina on the news, and begin to prepare. Many others in the Ninth Ward are evacuating, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have nowhere to go. Katrina is coming, and quickly. Will Lanesha & Mama Ya-Ya make it through the hurricane?
If you liked Ninth Ward, you might also like:
Keeper by Kathi Appelt
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More books by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Adventure, Award Winners, Books for Girls, Don't Miss These, Read-Alouds, Supernatural, J Fiction, EF
Thresholds
Reading Level: Grades 4 - 6
After Maya's best friend dies her family moves to a new town in a new state so everyone can get a fresh start. Maya's new bedroom faces the Janus House Apartments which is filled with a fascinating mix of odd people whom she loves to secretly watch. Then one night, a fairy flies into her room through the open window...
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Adventure, Fantasy, J Fiction, SH
Stanley's Little Sister
Reading Level: Ages 3 - 6
Stanley KNOWS he shouldn't chase the new cat, but the cat, who rejects all of Stanley's attempts at friendship, makes it very hard not to.
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: Preschoolers, Kindergarteners, 1st Grade, Animals--Talking, Humor, Picture Books, SH
Ruth and the Green Book
Reading Level: Grades K - 4
Ruth and her parents take a road trip during the Jim Crow era and encounter discrimination at every turn, until they are given a copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book which lists the safe places for African-Americans to eat, visit and stay.
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Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: Kindergarteners, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Social Issues, Picture Books, SH
I Shall Wear Midnight
Reading Level: Grades 6 - 8
The fourth and final novel in Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series is a gem. 16-year-old Tiffany is now the witch of Chalk. Her duties include caring for the poor, aged and sick and delivering babies. When the old Barron dies, Tiffany is accused of theft, murder and the black arts. As old friends turn on her, Tiffany sets off for Ankh-Morpork (unwillingly accompanied by the fractious Nac Mac Feegles)to find the new baron only to discover life is much more dangerous for witches in the big city.
Other sophisticated fantasies include:
Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones,
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde and
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, JY Fiction, SJS
Saraswati's Way
Reading Level: Grades 5 - 7
After his father dies, 12-year-old Akash's grandmother turns him over to the cruel owner of a quarry to work off the family's debt. Oppressed by the unbearable working conditions and the realization that the loan will never be paid off, Akash runs away to Delhi where he struggles to survive on his own.
I you enjoyed this tale of a third world kid surviving on his own, try:
I Am a Taxi by Deborah Ellis,
Trash by Andy Mulligan and
AK by Peter Dickinson
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, Adventure, Books for Boys, Realistic Fiction, JY Fiction, SJS
The Ghost and the Goth
Reading Level: Grades 6 - 8
Alona Dare is a "first tier" high school girl. She is the leader of the popular crowd, a cheerleader, the girl all the other girls want to be and the boys want to date. Then she gets hit by a bus and becomes a ghost seemingly doomed to haunt the school. To make matters worse she discovers that the only person who can see and hear her is the school's biggest loser, Will Killian. Will dresses in black, always looks at the floor, and has been diagnosed as schizophrenic because he sees and hears things nobody else does.
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, Adventure, Books for Girls, Fantasy, Humor, Misfits, Relationships, School, Self Image, Social Issues, Supernatural, JY Fiction, SH
Payback Time
Reading Level: Grades 7 and up
High school senior Daniel True,unkindly know as "Mitch" because of his resemblance to the Michelin Man, is upset when he is passed over for editor-in-chief of the school paper and is instead assigned his school's sports beat. Mitch's disappointment is short lived when he realizes that the coach and one of his players are involved in something shady. Mitch soon learns that digging for facts that no one wants him to have can be dangerous both for himself and someone he cares about.
Other newshound chiffhangers include:
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein,
Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip and
Peeled by Joan Bauer
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 7th Grade, 8th Grade, High Schoolers, Adults, Books for Boys, Mysteries, Realistic Fiction, Sports, JY Fiction, SJS
Me & Death: An Afterlife Adventure
Reading Level: Grades 7 - 9
Jim is proud to be a thug, a bully and a thief, until he stumbles off a curb and gets run over by a car. That is when he learns that souls with unfinished business (and punks like him always have unfinished business) are doomed to spend eternity haunting their old neighborhoods or hanging out at the Jordan Arms, an otherworldly fleabag hotel. Can he prevent his body from dying and change his ways before it is too late?
Login or register to post comments | Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | PDF version | Tags: 7th Grade, 8th Grade, High Schoolers, Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Self Image, Social Issues, Supernatural, JY Fiction, SH
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