I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
In 2009 Malala Yousafzai began writing a blog on BBC Urdu about life in the Swat Valley as the Taliban gained control, at times banning girls from attending school. When her identity was discovered, Malala began to appear in the media, advocating education for all. Then gunmen boarded Malala's school bus and shot her in the face. Remarkably, Malala survived the shooting.
Comprehensive Guided Reading Plans Available Independent Learning Contracts Available Reading Age: 13+ |
I am not Esther by Fleur Beale
Imagine that your mother tells you she's going away. She is going to leave you with relatives you've never heard of - and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. There is no television, no radio, no newspaper. No mirrors. You must wear long, modest clothes. You don't know where your mother is, and you are beginning to question your own identity.
Comprehensive Guided Reading Plans Available Independent Learning Contracts Available Reading Age: 13+ |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
Seen through the eyes of Christopher, a mathematical genius and Sherlock Holmes fan, who also has Asperger's syndrome, this bestselling novel opens with the discovery of a murdered dog on the neighbour's lawn. In his search to discover the identity of the killer, Christopher uncovers some disturbing information about his own family, which throws his ordered world into chaos, and he embarks on a journey to London to find the mother he thought was dead. *Contains explicit language
Comprehensive Guided Reading Plans Available Independent Learning Contracts Available Reading Age: 13+ |
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. Comprehensive Guided Reading Plans Available Independent Learning Contracts Available Reading Age: 13+ |
The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world's endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to refuse, but he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them.
Comprehensive Guided Reading Plans Available Independent Learning Contracts Available Reading Age: 13+ |
