Ancient Civilization
I am the mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting(2000)A mummy recalls her past life in ancient Egypt as the beautiful wife of the Pharaoh's brother.
Aphrodites blessing : love stories from Greek mythology by Clemence McLaren(2002)Atalanta, Andromeda, and Psyche, three female characters in Greek mythology, tell the stories of their marriages. Includes information on love and marriage in ancient Greece.
A bone from a dry sea by Peter Dickinson(1993)In two parallel stories, an intelligent female member of a prehistoric tribe becomes instrumental in advancing the lot of her people, and the daughter of a paleontologist is visiting him on a dig in Africa when important fossil remains are discovered.
For all time by Caroline B. Cooney(2001)Sequel to: Prisoner of time
Annie, a teenager in 1999, tries to travel back in time to join her lost love Strat in Egypt in 1899, but instead she ends up in ancient Egypt and in great danger.
Goddess of yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney(2003)Taken from her home on an Aegean island as a six-year-old girl, Anaxandra calls on the protection of her goddess while she poses as two different princesses over the next six years, before ending up as a servant in the company of Helen and Paris as they make their way to Troy.
Ithaka by Adele Geras(2006)The island of Ithaka is overrun with uncouth suitors demanding that Penelope choose a new husband, as she patiently awaits the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War.
Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli(1998)The gods grant immortality to the mermaid Sirena when she rescues a human man from the sea and they fall in love, but his mortality creates great conflict between love and honor when he is called to defend Greece in the Trojan War.
Troy by Adele Geras(2001)Told from the point of view of the women of Troy, portrays the last weeks of the Trojan War, when women are sick of tending the wounded, men are tired of fighting, and bored gods and goddesses find ways to stir things up.
We goddesses : Athena, Aphrodite, Hera by Doris Orgel(1999)Three Greek goddesses, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera, tell their own stories. Includes information about Greek society and religion.
Middle Ages, 400-1400s
Blood red horse by K.M. Grant(2004)A special horse named Hosanna changes the lives of two English brothers and those around them as they fight with King Richard I against Saladin's armies during the Third Crusades.
Breath by Donna Jo Napoli(2005)Elaborates on the tale of "The Pied Piper," told from the point of view of a boy who is too ill to keep up when a piper spirits away the healthy children of a plague-ridden town after being cheated out of full payment for ridding Hameln of rats.
Catherine, called Birdy by Karen Cushman(1994)The thirteen-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 and her efforts to avoid being married off.
Child of the May by Theresa Tomlinson(1998)Fifteen-year-old Magda helps Robin Hood's men rescue Lady Matilda and her daughter Isabelle from the clutches of the Sheriff of Nothingham's evil henchman.
Crispin : at the edge of the world by Avi(2006)Branded as traitors by the king's authorities, Crispin and his guardian, Bear, flee to coastal towns in fourteenth-century England, where they perform a musical juggling act and bond as a family after befriending a disfigured girl.
Crispin : the cross of lead by Avi(2002)Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
The cure by Sonia Levitin(1999, 2000)A sixteen-year-old boy living in 2407 collides with the past when he finds himself in Strasbourg in 1348 confronting the anti-Semitism that sweeps through Europe during the Black Plague.
Dove and sword : a novel of Joan of Arc by Nancy Garden(1995)In 1455 in France, Gabrielle is visited by Pierre d'Arc, a brother of Joan of Arc, and with him reminisces about their childhood together in Domremy and Joan's subsequent trial and burning at the stake at Rouen twenty-four years before.
The fated sky by Henrietta Branford(1999)Ran, a sixteen-year-old Viking girl, struggles to control the events of her life and escape from the death that is supposed to be her destiney.
Forbidden forest : the story of Little John and Robin Hood by Michael Cadnum(2002)Profiles Little John, from his quiet life before joining Robin Hood through his adventures protecting a beautiful lady when she is wrongfully accused of murdering her husband.
Girl in a cage by Jane Yolen(2002)As English armies invade Scotland in 1306, eleven-year-old Princess Marjorie, daughter of the newly crowned Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is captured by England's King Edward Longshanks and held in a cage on public display.
I am Mordred : a tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer(1998)When Mordred learns the identity of his father, he struggles with feelings of hatred, but also fights the fate which determines that he kill the good and gracious king.
In a dark wood by Michael Cadnum(1998)On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe.
Lady Ilena : way of the warrior by Patricia Malone(2005)Now chief of Dun Alyn, fifteen-year-old Ilena disgraces herself on the battlefield and, while subsequently exiled from her people, becomes involved in a plan to rescue King Arthur from his Saxon captors.
The legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone(2002)In sixth-century Great Britain, a fifteen-year-old girl seeking knowledge of her lineage is drawn into battle to defend the homeland she never knew, aided by one of King Arthur's knights.
The lioness & her knight by Gerald Morris(2005)Headstrong sixteen-year-old Lady Luneta and her distant cousin, Sir Ywain, travel to Camelot and beyond finding more adventure than they hoped for until, with the help of a fool, Luneta discovers what she really wants from life.
Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman(2000)Fourteen-year-old Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of her life, both spiritual and practical.
The midwife's apprentice by Karen Cushman(1995)In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.
Outlaw princess of Sherwood, a tale of Rowan Hood by Nancy Springer(2003)King Solon the Red attempts to capture his runaway daughter Ettarde and force her into marriage with a rival king who has been threatening his reign.
Pagan in exile by Catherine Jinks(2004)After fighting the infidels in Jerusalem in 1188, Lord Roland and his squire Pagan return to Roland's castle in France where they encounter violent family feuds and religious heretics.
Pagan's crusade by Catherine Jinks(2003)In twelth-century Jerusalem, orphaned sixteen-year-old Pagan is assigned to work for Lord Roland, a Templar knight, as Saladin's armies close in on the Holy City.
The Ramsay scallop by Frances Temple(1994)At the turn of the fourteenth century in England, fourteen-year-old Elenor finds her betrothal to an ambitious lord's son launching her on a memorable pilgrimage to far-off Spain.
Spider's voice by Gloria Skurzynski(1999)Because he is a young mute person who can hear, Aran becomes involved in the adventures of Eloise and Abelard, France's most famous lovers, who lived during the twelfth century.
There will be wolves by Karleen Bradford(1996)Ursula, condemned as a witch because of her knowledge of healing, escapes being burned to death when she joins her father and thousands of others who follow Peter the Hermit on the first Crusade from Cologne to Jerusalem in 1096.
The transformation by Mette Newth(2000)On a journey to appease the Sea's Mother, Navarana saves the life of one of the Strangers who had come to Greenland to rescue the few Christians living there and together they find a way to end the suffering of Navarana's people.
Young Joan : a novel by Barbara Dana(1991)Joan, a girl growing up in the French countryside during the Hundred Years' War, begins to hear voices telling her she is destined to reunite her torn country in opposition to the English invaders.
Europe, 1500 - 1800
At the sign of the star by Katherine Sturtevant(2000)In seventeenth-century London, Meg, who has little interest in cooking, needlework, or other homemaking skills, dreams of becoming a bookseller and someday inheriting her widowed father's book store.
Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli(2002)Frustrated with the restrictions her gender imposes on her life, fourteen-year-old Donata, disguised as a boy, sneaks out of her noble family's house to roam the streets of late sixteenth-century Venice and then must confront the repercussions of her actions.
Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer(2002)In 1520, thirteen-year-old Anne Boleyn, jealous of her older sister's beauty and position at court, declares that she will one day be queen of England, and that her sister will kneel at her feet.
Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer(1999)Mary Tudor, who would reign briefly as Queen of England during the mid sixteenth century, tells the story of her troubled childhood as daughter of King Henry VIII.
The minister's daughter by Julie Hearn(2005)In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her granddaughter of witchcraft to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials their lie has unexpected repercussions.
Queen's own fool : a novel of Mary Queen of Scots by Jane Yolen
When twelve-year-old Nicola leaves Troupe Brufort and serves as the fool for Mary, Queen of Scots, she experiences the political and religious upheavals in both France and Scotland.
The ruby in the smoke by Philip Pullman(2000)In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.
Shadow in the north by Philip Pullman(2001)In 1878 in London, Sally, now twenty-two and established in her own business, and her companions Frederick and Jim try to solve the mystery surrounding the unexpected collapse of a shipping firm and its ties to a sinister corporation called North Star.
The tiger in the well by Philip Pullman(2001)In London in 1881, twenty-four-year-old Sally finds her young daughter and her possessions assailed by an unknown enemy, while a shadowy figure known as the Tzaddik involves her in his plot to defraud and exploit the hordes of Jewish immigrants pouring into the country.
Early America
Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson(2002)In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.
The fifth of March : a story of the Boston Massacre by Ann Rinaldi(1993)Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh, an indentured servant in the Boston household of John and Abigail Adams, is caught up in the colonists' unrest that eventually escalates into the massacre of March 5, 1770.
The glory field by Walter Dean Myers(1994)Follows a family's two hundred forty-one year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendants, as their dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina that they call the Glory Field. One of the best reviewed books of 1994, the Newbery author's novel follows five generations of one African-American family from Africa to a South Carolina plantation through the Civil War, the end of segregation and beyond, to a moving finale, when a young drug-addicted cousin is brought home to the glory field for a day of reunion and renewal.
My brother Sam is dead by James Lincoln Collier(1974)Recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family during the Revolution when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay neutral in a Tory town.
Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell(1980)Left alone after the deaths of her father and brother who take opposite sides in the War for Independence, and fleeing from the British who seek to arrest her, Sarah Bishop struggles to shape a new life for herself in the wilderness.
The secret of Sarah Revere by Ann Rinaldi(1995)Paul Revere's daughter describes her father's "rides" and the intelligence network of the patriot community prior to the American Revolution.
Witch child by Celia Rees(2001)In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem, Massachusetts.
Wolf by the ears by Ann Rinaldi(1991)Harriet Hemings, rumored to be the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, one of his black slaves, struggles with the problems facing her--to escape from the velvet cage that is Monticello, or to stay, and thus remain a slave.
The year of the hangman by Gary L. Blackwood(2002)In 1777, having been kidnapped and taken forcibly from England to the American colonies, fifteen-year-old Creighton becomes part of developments in the political unrest there that may spell defeat for the patriots and change the course of history.
19th Century
The blue door by Ann Rinaldi(1999)An historical novel about Amanda, a teenage girl in the 19th century who discovers first hand the harsh working conditions of textile mills. Quilt Trilogy #3.
The broken days by Ann Rinaldi(1995)In 1811, life with her Aunt Hannah in Salem, Massachusetts, becomes even more difficult for fourteen-year-old Ebie with the arrival of a half-Indian girl who claims to be the daughter of Hannah's sister, Thankful, and with the threat of impending war. Quilt Trilogy #2.
Canyons by Gary Paulsen(1990)Finding a skull on a camping trip in the canyons outside El Paso, Texas, Brennan becomes involved with the fate of a young Apache Indian who lived in the late 1800s.
Cherokee Rose : a novel of America's first cowgirl by Judy Alter(1996)Raised on an Oklahoma ranch where her father taught her to rope and ride, Tommy Jo Burns knew she was destined for greatness. At fourteen she so impressed Teddy Roosevelt that he dubbed her America's first cowgirl. Filled with dreams of joining a Wild West show, she left her parents to create her own family of friends on the road with Colonel Zack Miller's 101 Ranch Show. It was a new and exciting life so she took a new name: Cherokee Rose. Cherokee Rose's adventures would bring many different men into her life. She could rope with the best of them and she got tangled with a few: the awkward ranch hand, Bill Rodgers, who emerged on the show circuit as Will Rodgers; a handsome husband who resented her fame; a wealthy gambler who taught her to follow her heart. Filled with the excitement of the unconventional, Cherokee Rose captures the essence of this celebrated woman of the West.Syndetic
Circle of love by Joan Lowery Nixon(1997, 1998)Nineteen-year-old Frances Mary Kelly, herself an orphan train rider six years before, returns to New York and agrees to escort a group of orphans west to find new homes.
The coffin quilt : the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys by Ann Rinaldi(1999)In the 1880s, young Fanny McCoy witnesses the growth of a terrible and violent feud between her Kentucky family and the West Virginia Hatfields, complicated by her older sister Roseanna's romance with a Hatfield.
The final freedom by Bill Wallace(1997)When thirteen-year-old Will Burke and the famed Apache chief, Geronimo, forge a unique bond of friendship, each wins a special kind of freedom.
In the time of the wolves by Eileen Charbonneau(1994)Fourteen-year-old Joshua Woods would like nothing better than to leave his Catskill mountain home and follow his uncles to Harvard. But Joshua's father is refusing to let him go. Will Joshua betray his father?
The journal of Wong Ming-Chung : a Chinese miner by Laurence Yep(2000)A young Chinese boy nicknamed Runt records his experiences in a journal as he travels from southern China to California in 1852 to join his uncle during the Gold Rush.
Last dance on Holladay Street by Elisa Lynn Carbone(2005)In 1878, thirteen-year-old Eva seeks her birth mother in Colorado, only to find the city and her mother are not what she imagined.
A little bit dead by Chap Reaver(1992)In 1876, after interfering with the attempted lynching of a young Yahi Indian named Shanti, eighteen-year-old Reece finds his own life in danger and becomes intimately involved in the future of Shanti's people.
Nell's quilt by Susan Terris(1987)Urged at the age of eighteen to marry a man she doesn't want, Nell delays the event by working on a quilt, slowly starving herself, and observing the unhappy lot of many women in turn-of-the century Massachusetts before arriving at a decision to rescue herself from the brink of death and take charge of her life.
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen(1993)Twelve-year-old Sarny's brutal life as a slave becomes even more dangerous when a newly arrived slave offers to teach her how to read.
Sunshine rider : the first vegetarian western by Ric Lynden Hardman(1998)In the late 1800s while on a cattle drive which takes him north from Texas, seventeen-year-old Wylie learns that it is no longer necessary to run from the father he never knew.
The true confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi(1990)As the lone "young lady" on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious.
Civil War, 1861-1865
An acquaintance with darkness by Ann Rinaldi(1997)When her mother dies and her best friend's family is implicated in the assassination of President Lincoln, fourteen-year-old Emily Pigbush must go live with an uncle she suspects of being involved in stealing bodies for medical research.
Braving the fire by John B. Severance(2002)Jem joins the Union Army but is not sure of his motives or what he hopes to accomplish, particularly since the Civil War has divided his family and caused much violence and confusion in his life.
The bushwhacker : a civil war adventure by Jennifer Johnson Garrity(1999)While the Civil War rages in Missouri and Rebels destroy their farm home and scatter their family, thirteen-year-old Jacob and his younger sister find refuge in an unlikely place.
A dangerous promise by Joan Lowery Nixon(1994, 1996)After being taken in by Captain Taylor and his wife in Kansas, twelve-year-old Mike Kelly and his friend Todd Blakely join the Union army as musicians and see the horrors of war firsthand in Missouri.
The last silk dress by Ann Rinaldi(1988)During the Civil War, Susan finds a way to help the Confederate Army and uncovers a series of mysterious family secrets.
Moon over Tennessee : a boy's Civil War journal by Craig Crist-Evans(1999)thirteen-year-old boy sets off with his father from their farm in Tennessee to join the Confederate forces on their way to fight at Gettysburg. Told in the form of diary entries
The red badge of courage by Stephen Crane(1990)During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.
Soldier's heart : a novel of the Civil War by Gary Paulsen(2000)Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
With every drop of blood by James Lincoln Collier(1994, 1997)While trying to transport food to Richmond, Virginia, during the Civil War, fourteen-year-old Johnny is captured by a black Union soldier.
World War I, 1914-1918
All quiet on the Western front by Erich Maria Remarque(1982)Through the eyes and mind of a German private, the reader shares life on the battlefield during World War I.
A farewell to arms by Ernest Hemingway(1995)By turns romantic and harshly realistic, Hemingway's story of a tragic romance set against the brutality and confusion of World War I cemented his fame as a stylist and as a writer of extraordinary literary power. A volunteer ambulance driver and a beautiful English nurse fall in love when he is wounded on the Italian front. The best American novel to emerge from World War I, A Farewell to Arms is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse. Hemingway's frank portrayal of the love between Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley, caught in the inexorable sweep of war, glows with an intensity unrivaled in modern literature, while his description of the German attack on Caporetto -- of lines of fired men marching in the rain, hungry, weary, and demoralized -- is one of the greatest moments in literary history. A story of love and pain, of loyalty and desertion, A Farewell to Arms, written when he was 30 years old, represents a new romanticism for Hemingway.
The foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick(2006)Having always been able to know when someone is going to die, Alexandra poses as a nurse to go to France during World War I to locate her brother and to try to save him from the fate she has foreseen for him.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo(2004)When Thomas Peaceful's older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself.
Remembrance by Theresa Breslin(2002)The destinies of two Scottish families, one of shopkeepers and one of wealth and power, become entwined through their involvement in World War I, social causes, and love.
The trouble with Jeremy Chance by George Harrar(2003)In 1919, following a disagreement with his father and his first whipping by a belt, twelve-year-old Jeremy hops a train to Boston to meet his older brother, a soldier returning from World War I.
World War II, 1939-1945
Bat 6 : a novel by Virginia Euwer Wolff(1998, 1999)In small town, post-World War Oregon, twenty-one 6th grade girls recount the story of an annual softball game, during which one girl's bigotry comes to the surface. Includes recipe for apple spice cake.
Blitzcat by Robert Westall(1989)During World War II a black cat journeys all across war-ravaged England in an effort to track down her beloved master.
The book thief by Markus Zusak(2006)Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
But can the phoenix sing? by Christa Laird(1995)Sequel to Shadow of the wall
Seventeen-year-old Richard discovers the incredible details of his stern and remote stepfather's hidden past when he is left a manuscript to read while his stepfather is away in Australia.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller(1994, 1996)Yossarian, an WWII hero, has people trying to kill him.
Damned strong love : the true story of Willi G. and Stephan K. : a novel by Lutz van Dijk(1995)"The Nazi persecution of homosexuals is dramatized in this story, translated from the German.... An important addition to YA literature about the Holocaust & about the gay experience." -Booklistsyndetic
Don't say a word by Barbara Gehrts(1986)Living in Berlin during World War II, Anna finds herself and her family growing more and more aware of the dangerous direction in which her country is moving as her friends start to die.
A frost in the night : a novel by Edith Baer(1998)Relates the experiences of a young Jewish girl growing up in a city in southern Germany during the period of Hitler's rise to power.
Good night, Maman by Norma Fox Mazer(2001)After spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp in Oswego, New York.
Heroes : a novel by Robert Cormier(1998)After joining the army at fifteen and having his face blown away by a grenade in a battle in France, Francis returns home to Frenchtown hoping to find--and kill--the former childhood hero he feels betrayed him.
I had seen castles by Cynthia Rylant(1993, 1995)Now an old man, John is haunted by memories of enlisting to fight in World War II, a decision which forced him to face the horrors of war and changed his life forever.
The last mission by Harry Mazer(1979, 1981)In 1944 a 15-year-old Jewish boy tells his family he will travel in the West but instead, enlists in the United States Air Corps and is subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans.
Milkweed : a novel by Jerry Spinelli(2003)"Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable--Nazi-occupied Warsaw--and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan."
Soldier boys by Dean Hughes(2001)Two boys, one German and one American, are eager to join their respective armies during World War II, and their paths cross at the Battle of the Bulge.
Summer of my German soldier by Bette Greene(2003)When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
Walk the dark streets : a novel by Edith Baer(1998)Continues the story of Eva, a young Jewish girl living in Nazi Germany where she and her parents experience increasing tensions in daily life while considering possibilities of escape.
20th Century, 1900-1950s
Al Capone does my shirts by Gennifer Choldenko(2004)A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
Belle Prater's boy by Ruth White(1996)When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives.
Blizzard's wake by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor(2002)In March of 1941, when a severe blizzard suddenly hits Bismarck, North Dakota, a girl trying to save her stranded father and brother inadvertently helps the man who killed her mother four years before.
Cecilia's year by Susan Gonzales Abraham(2004)Nearly fourteen and poor, Ceclia Gonzales wants desperately to go to high school and become a teacher until her mother's old-fashioned ideas about a woman's place threaten her dreams.
Choosing up sides by John H. Ritter(1998, 2000)In 1921 thirteen-year-old Luke finds himself torn between accepting his left-handedness or conforming to the belief of his preacher-father that such a condition is evil and must be overcome.
A day no pigs would die by Robert Newton Peck(1972, 1994)To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who cannot produce a litter.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald(1995)The authorized text which restores all the language of Fitzgerald's 1920's classic story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.sydetic
How far would you have gotten if I hadn't called you back? : a novel by Valerie Hobbs(1995)After moving with her family from New Jersey to California in the late 1950s, sixteen-year-old Bron discovers the world of drag racing.
The jungle by Upton Sinclair(1985)Describes the conditions of the Chicago stockyards through the eyes of a young immigrant struggling in America.
Justice Lion by Robert Newton Peck(1981)Fifteen-year-old Muncie Bolt thinks he's lost Hem Lion's friendship forever when his father prosecutes Hem's father for operating a still in Liberty, Vermont during the days of prohibition.
Land of hope by Joan Lowery Nixon(1992)Rebekah, a fifteen-year-old Jewish immigrant arriving in New York City in 1902, almost abandons her dream of getting an education when she is forced to work in a sweatshop.
My Louisiana sky by Kimberly Willis Holt(2000)Growing up in Saitter, Louisiana, in the 1950s, twelve-year-old Tiger Ann struggles with her feelings about her stern, but loving grandmother, her mentally slow parents, and her good friend and neighbor, Jesse.
A northern light by Jennifer Donnelly(2003)In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story.
Speed of light by Sybil Rosen(1999)An eleven-year-old Jewish girl living in the South during the 1950s struggles with the antisemitism and racism which pervade her small community.
Surprising Cecilia by Susan Gonzales Abraham(2006)In the 1930s as she ventures from her small and poor New Mexican farming community to go to high school in the city, teenaged Cecilia finds herself challenged in uxexpected ways.
Titanic : the long night by Diane Hoh(1998)This action-packed big summer read focuses on the lives of several teenage passengers aboard the ill-fated "Titanic."
syndetic
To race a dream by Deborah Savage(1994)In 1906, fifteen-year-old Theodora disguises herself as a boy to pursue her dream of becoming a race horse driver.
What I know now by Rodger Larson(1997)In 1957 in California, having fallen in love with a young man who has come to his house to build a garden, a fourteen-year-old gay boy finds his life and his world view changing.
Witness by Karen Hesse(2001)A series of poems express the views of various people in a small Vermont town, including a young black girl and a young Jewish girl, during the early 1920s when the Ku Klux Klan is trying to infiltrate the town.
20th Century, 1960-2000s
Behind the mountains : [the diary of Celiane Espérance] by Edwidge Danticat(2002)Writing in the notebook which her teacher gave her, thirteen-year-old Celiane describes life with her mother and brother in Haiti as well as her experiences in Brooklyn after the family finally immigrates there to be reunited with her father.
The dreadful future of Blossom Culp by Richard Peck(2001)Blossom, not the most popular member of her freshman class in 1914, travels ahead seventy years, and returns in time to make Halloween a memorable night for her classmates and teachers.
Fallen angels by Walter Dean Myers(1988)Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam.
The flight to freedom by Ana Veciana-Suarez(2002)Writing in the diary which her father gave her, thirteen-year-old Yara describes life with her family in Havana, Cuba, in 1967 as well as her experiences in Miami, Florida, after immigrating there to be reunited with some relatives while leaving others behind.
Jazmin's notebook by Nikki Grimes(1998)Jazmin, an Afro-American teenager who lives with her older sister in a small Harlem apartment in the 1960s, finds strength in writing poetry and keeping a record of the events in her sometimes difficult life.
Kinship by Trudy Krisher(1999)In 1961 fifteen-year-old Pert, who lives with her mother in Kinship, Georgia, meets her long-absent father and discovers the true meaning of home.
syndetics
The life history of a star by Kelly Easton(2001)For more than a year, fourteen-year-old Kristin uses her diary to record her confused thoughts about the physical changes brought on by adolescence and the emotional strain on her family of living with the "ghost" of her beloved older brother who was physically and mentally destroyed while serving in Vietnam.
Postcards to father Abraham : a novel by Catherine Lewis(2000)When sixteen-year-old Meghan loses her leg to cancer and her brother to Vietnam, she expresses intense anger in postcards which she writes to her idol, Abraham Lincoln.
Quake! by Joe Cottonwood(1995)With their parents away at the 1989 World Series, fourteen-year-old Franny, her younger brother, and their cousin try to cope with the frightening events following an earthquake that destroys their home on Loma Prieta mountain.
Sonny's war by Valerie Hobbs(2002)In the late 1960s, fourteen-year-old Cori's life is greatly changed by the sudden death of her father and her brother's tour of duty in Vietnam.
Spite fences by Trudy Krisher(1994)As she struggles with her troubled relationship with her mother during the summer of 1960, a young girl is also drawn into the violence, hatred, and racial tension in her small Georgia town.
When Zachary Beaver came to town by Kimberly Willis Holt(1999, 2001)During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world.
