Picks from the Library Ladies
Back to Good Reading Home Page Back to Library Home Page

Deuker. Night Hoops

Nick Abbott and Trent Dawson live across the street from each other, but they aren't friends. Their lives have taken different paths. Even thoughNick is struggling withhis parents' divorce, he works hard to set and acheive various goals. Trent lives on welfare, with no father, a mother who lies to party, a brother who is in trouble with the law and very littlehope for thefuture. Both Nick and Trent gain positions on the high school basketball team and it istheir love of the game, their nightly hoop sessions, and their evolving friendship that makes these two players a "winning duo on the court.

Many tough issues facing teens are explored through the "uneasy" friendship of Nick and Trent. The play-by-play basketball action is sure to appeal to any avid sports fan. Fran Brennan

McDonald. Swallowing Stones

When Michael MacKenaie fired his new rifle into the air, little did he know that the bullet from it would leave a classmate's father dead. As the incident is investigated, Michael realizes that he is responsible for CharlieWard's death, but admitting his guilt becomes harder than "swallowing stones." Meanwhile, Jenna Ward struggles with the loss ofher father and rides an emotional roller coaster as she tries to understand thewho, what, and why of the incident.

This is an emotionally-charged suspense story about an accidental crime and its enormous repercussions. Fran Brennan

Mikaelsen. Touching Spirit Bear

Cole Matthews is an angry fifteen-year-old who viciously beats a classmate. Rather than going to jail for his actions, he chooses to participate in an alternative justice program which banishes him to one year of life alone on an Alaskan island. After destroying his supplies and torching his shelter, Cole faces the attack of a giant white Spirit Bear. The bear leaves Cole seriously injured both physically and mentally. Afte a long recuperation in the hospital, Cole is given another chance to serve his sentence on the island. It is through this second experience that Cole learns how to deal with his anger and accept responsibility for his life.

Pullman. The Ruby in the Smoke

In Victorian London, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart searches for clues that will solve the mystery of her father's death. This is the first book in the trilogy that includes Shadow in the North and The Tiger in the Well. Joyce Anderson

Shusterman. Downsiders

This is the story of an entire society of people, called "Downsiders" living underneath New York City's subway and utility tunels. What makes this story fascinating is the fact that there actually is an abandoned subway system under New York that was built in the late 1800's, and the authro weaves fact with fiction to create this underworld. Joyce Anderson

Taylor. The Land

Paul-Edward, fourteen-year-old son of a white plantation owner and a slave mother, comes of age in the post-Civil War generation. He leaves his home and family behind and vows to succeed on his own, despite the obstacles and prejudices he faces daily. This is the prequel to Newbery Medal winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. (All of the stories in this series are based on the lives of Mildred Taylor's great grandparents.) Joyce Anderson