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Good Reads
Librarian's Picks
"Hey, Dr. McFarlin,
what's a good book to read?"
Here's some of the ones I highly recommend (not in any
particular order). Read on!
(last updated April 14, 2009)
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Collins,
Suzanne. Hunger Games (F COL)
In
a future North America, where the rulers of Panem
maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting
young people from each of the twelve districts against one another,
sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the
test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. This is a thrill packed ride and one that
is praised by everyone who reads it (I think they are making a movie, too)!
Jinks,
Catherine. Evil Genius, Genius Squad (F JIN)
Child
prodigy Cadel Piggot, an
antisocial computer hacker, discovers his true identity when he enrolls as a
first-year student at an advanced crime academy. These are both fun to read – lots of
adventure and good plotting.
Green,
John. Paper Towns (F GRE)
One
month before graduating from his Central Florida
high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable
boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a
midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears. This book is both touching and
hilarious! Green writes the book with
a definite beginning (the night out), a middle (looking for Margo) and an end
(going to get her - think “road trip” with no bathroom breaks!). Well worth your time. Other great titles by Green are: Looking for Alaska; An Abundance of Katherines. He
hasn’t written a bad one yet!
Knox,
Elizabeth.
Dreamhunter. (F KNO)
In a world where select people can enter "The Place" and find
dreams of every kind to share with others for a fee, a fifteen-year-old girl
is training to be a dreamhunter when her father
disappears, leaving her to carry on his mysterious mission. Sequal - Dreamquake.
Bell, Hilari. Fall of a Kingdom; Rise of a Hero;
Forging the Sword (F BEL)
Three young people stand at the crossroads, faced with critical choices that will
shape not only their lives, but also the lives of everyone living in the
country of Farsala. (Farsala
trilogy)
Werlin,
Nancy. Impossible (F WER)
When
seventeen-year-old Lucy discovers her family is under an ancient curse by an
evil Elfin Knight, she realizes to break the curse she must perform three impossible tasks before her daughter
is born in order to save them both.
This mix of ancient myth and contemporary life is intriguing, and it
actually works!
Hosseini,
Khaled. The Kite Runner (F HOS)
Amir,
haunted by his betrayal of Hassan, the son of his father's servant and a
childhood friend, returns to Kabul
as an adult after he learns Hassan has been killed, in an attempt to redeem
himself by rescuing Hassan's son from a life of slavery to a Taliban
official. This is a beautiful story, lyrically
written, full of love and fear and courage.
Be sure to read the follow-up novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns
that addresses the struggles in Afghanistan from a woman’s
point of view.
Stroud,
Jonathan. Bartimaeus trilogy (F STR)
Nathaniel,
a young magician's apprentice, becomes caught in a web of magical espionage,
murder, and rebellion, after he summons the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of
Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Loveland. This trilogy is fun, taking you to an
“alternate reality” of London
with wizards in control of the regular folk.
The three books are: The Amulet of Samarkand, The golem's eye, and Ptolemy's
gate.
Martinez, A.
Lee. Gil's All Fright Diner (F MAR)
Werewolf Duke and vampire Earl stop at a diner while traveling and are asked
to help the owner, Loretta, get rid of her zombie problem. Duke and Earl
discover that the zombies are only part of the problem because someone is
trying to drive Loretta out of business. They encounter undead cattle, an
amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, pig Latin, and possibly the end of the
world. Other books by Martinez include: The
Automatic Detective, Too many curses, A Nameless witch, In the company of
Ogres.
Fforde, Jaspar. Over
Easy; Fourth Bear (F FFO)
Over Easy - Working for the Nursery Crimes division, Detective
Inspector Jack Spratt and his partner, sergeant Mary Mary,
are called on to solve the crime of Humpty Dumpty's
murder. As they search through Humpty's sordid
past, they uncover a plot that involves money laundering, bullion smuggling,
beanstalk problems, asylum-seeking Titans, and international chiropody. A new
series by the author that brought you Tuesday Next and the Eyre
Affair.
Preston, Douglas & Lincoln
Child. Brimstone; Dance of Death; Book of the Dead (F PRE)
Brimstone - FBI Special Agent Pendergast,
searching for the human villain behind the death of infamous art critic
Jeremy Grove, found murdered in a crime that appears to have supernatural
origins, follows the trail from New York to the Italian countryside where he
learns a shocking secret. Follow the adventure in the next two books to
conclude the "Pendergast trilogy." This writing duo is great! Check out some of their other titles: Relic,
Reliquary, Ice Limit, Cabinet of Curiosities, Still life with crows and
others.
Higgins, Jack. Sure Fire; Death Run. (F HIG)
Resentful
of having to go and live with their estranged father after the death of their
mother, fifteen-year-old twins, Rich and Jade, soon find they have more
complicated problems when their father is kidnapped and their attempts to
rescue him involve them in a dangerous international plot to control the
world's oil. Another adult writer
writing for young adults – Super!
McCafferty, Megan. Sloppy Firsts; Second
Helpings; Charmed Thirds; Fourth Comings (F MCC)
How is Jessica Darling supposed to deal with school, sports, shopping, and
crushes after her best friend moves away from Pineville, New Jersey?
Follow her through her Jr. and Sr. high school years and into college and
(maybe) marriage in this hilarious quartet!!
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride (F PAT)
After
the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic
experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to
understand their own origins and purpose.
This series captivates with action, suspense and adventure. James Patterson is so prolific that this
series came out a book a year (unlike some other authors we know)! Books in the series are: The
Angel experiment; Schools out – forever; Saving the world and other
extreme sports; The Final warning; Max.
Picoult, Jodi. Her Sister's Keeper (F
PIC)
All her life, 13-year-old Anna Fitzgerald has helped her older sister Kate
fight leukemia. Anna has provided platelets, bone marrow, and even stem cells
to ensure Kate's survival. But when their parents ask her to donate a kidney,
Anna has had enough. She enlists the aid of a lawyer and announces her
intention to sue for control of her own body. Although she dearly loves Kate,
Anna stands her ground, even as the drama builds toward a shocking climax.
Dessen, Sarah. This Lullaby; Dreamland;
Someone like you; Just Listen, Lock & Key ( F DES)
Just Listen - Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she
has not been truthful with them, sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in
classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and
share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her
life.
Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk; Chinese
Handcuffs; Crazy Horse Electric Game; Running Loose; Staying fat for Sarah
Byrnes; Sledding Hill; Deadline (F CRU)
Whale Talk (2001)-
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager,
shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he
agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular
students.
Deadline (2007) - Given the medical diagnosis of one year to
live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies,
ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a
spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos."
Adams,
Douglas. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (F ADA)
Need some real diversion? Then check out Douglas Adams' books.
The world is about to end (abruptly) and Arthur Dent is rescued by his friend
(and alien hitchhiker) Ford Prefect who, by coincidence, is a contributing
writer to the Hitchhiker's Guide, but has been stranded on Earth due
to "technical" difficulties. Thus begins an
hilarious series of adventures through the Universe, meeting new life forms
and experiencing bazaar phenomena.
Also: Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the
Universe, and Everything.
Rowling, J.
K. (Harry Potter series) (F ROW)
OK, you've heard about them, now read them! I have read them all (aloud),
and have found them truly "enchanting." Everyone can identify
with Harry Potter, his struggles to find himself and his education about
people (or wizards, as the case may be). Each adventure is filled with
wonderful characterizations (even the bad guys), amazing feats of heroism,
and funny situations that bring the house down. Children of all ages
should not miss these books!
In the Series: HP and the Sorcer's
Stone, HP and the Chamber of Secrets, HP and the Prisoner of
Azkaban, HP and the Goblet of Fire, HP and the Order of the Phoenix, HP and
the Half-Blood Prince. Coming soon - HP and the Deathly
Hallows.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak! (F AND)
Celebrating it’s 10th anniversary
in 2009! Beginning your freshman year should
be exciting, but Melinda's friends won't speak to her, and have branded her
an outcast, because she called 911 on an end-of-summer party. But they
don't really know why she did, and she won't talk about it to anyone.
This is a thought-provoking book concerning acquaintance rape, narrated by
Melinda, the main character. Also by Anderson: Catalyst, Fever
1793, Prom, Twisted, Chains, Wintergirls
(2009).
Dumas,
Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo.
(F DUM)
Do you want lust? Do you want adventure? Do you want buried
treasure? How about revenge? Then The Count has it all for
you. This is one of my all-time favorite books; yes, one of
those I have read many times, and I just love it. Dumas (of The
Three Musketeers fame) is a classic French author, but believe me,
nothing is lost in the translation of this work! Edmund Dantes is scheduled to marry his love, but is shanghaied
and sent to prison on trumped-up charges so his rival can marry the
girl. While in prison, he encounters an old man in the next cell (this
is an interesting part of the novel in itself) who educates him and then,
before he dies, tells Edmund about this marvelous treasure. Dantes manages to escape prison shortly thereafter, and
so begins his adventure and campaign of revenge. Don't let the size of
this book (over 500 pages) scare you away. You won't be able to put it
down!
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