LSTA grades 9-10

Classic Fiction	Top of Page
Across Five Aprils Irene Hunt	It is the unforgettable story of young Jethro Creighton, who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War. (Newbery Honor)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain	Tom’s exuberant, high spirited boyhood by the Mississippi River, and often with Huck Finn, is captured by Twain.
All Creatures, Great and Small James Herriot	Yorkshire’s favorite veterinarian regales the reader with funny and heartwarming stories of balky calves and pampered Pekingese and their equally unique owners.
All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque	This is Remarque’s harrowing account of World War I, as seen through the eyes of a German soldier.
And Then There Were None Agatha Christie	A pathological killer systematically murders ten strangers entrapped on an island.
April Morning Howard Fast	In an hour by hour recounting, we learn of the Battle of Lexington and the hopes and fears of those who lived through it.
The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath	An autobiographical novel about a young woman‚s nervous breakdown, attempted suicide, hospitalization and subsequent recovery. Contains both humorous and emotionally disturbing parts.
The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison	Eleven-year old Pecola yearns to have blue eyes like the little white girls she sees so everything in her life will be different. The horror at the heart of her yearning, however, is exceeded only by the evil fulfillment.
The Chosen Chaim Potok	Friendship between two Jewish boys, one Hasidic and the other Orthodox, begins at a baseball game and flourishes despite their different backgrounds.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Mark Twain	Twain conjures a satirical spoof about an American shop foreman who is transported back to sixth-century England.
The Crystal Cave Mary Stewart	Merlin, the base-born son of royalty in fifth-century Britain, uses magic to outwit his enemies until he sets the stage for the birth of Arthur, the future king.
Cry the Beloved Country Alan Paton	A country Zulu pastor searches for his sick sister in Johannesburg and discovers that she is living on the street and his son has become a murderer.
David Copperfield Charles Dickens	An abandoned waif develops a disciplined heart through challenging encounters with distress and misfortune. You'll meet a gallery of characters, as you see David grow up.
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury	Reading is a crime and firemen burn books in this futuristic society.
Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell	Southern belle, Scarlet O’Hara, must grapple with growing up during the time of the Civil War.
The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien	Tolkien has created a world of fantasy called Middle Earth, populated by small creatures known as Hobbits. This is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, chronically the adventures of Bilbo Baggins.
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte	An impoverished young woman finds love when she becomes the governess of brooding Mr. Rochester‚s ward.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis	An extraordinary excursion into magical lands and enchanted happenings - all by stepping through the back of a wardrobe in rural England.
Lord of the Flies William Golding	A group of English boys who become marooned on an island set up their own society and violence and danger follow. The boys experience disturbing emotions and encounter both evil and death.
The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury	These stories of Earth and Mars illustrate the universal forces of love, hate, fear, and courage.
Men of Iron Howard Pyle	This medieval adventure chronicles young Myles Falworth who challenges the King’s champion to the death to win back his family’s honor.
My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George	In this enthralling story, a boy builds a treehouse in the mountains and learns to live entirely by his wits.
Nectar in a Sieve Kamala Markandaya	The story of a simple woman in a village in India who, married as a child bride, worked with her husband to wrest a living from the ravaged land.
Nine Stories J.D. Salinger	This is a collection of sharp, exquisitely executed stories by the author of The Catcher in the Rye. The collection includes talks of quirky characters who think critically about the world.
The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway	An old Cuban fisherman fights a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin.
The Once and Future King T.E. White	White‚s novel is considered the classic rendition about the court of King Arthur.
Ordinary People Judith Guest	Here is a novel about an ordinary family—mother, father, and two sons -- that begins to unravel after the death of one son. This novel deserves to be read with your family.
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen	Mrs. Bennet scrambles to find husbands for her five daughters in a gentle satire of human weakness and prejudices.
The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain	The fates of two boys who look exactly alike—one poor, one of royal family—become entwined.
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier	Rebecca has been dead for several months, but her sinister influence is still very much alive at Manderley, as Maxim de Winter’s second wife soon comes to realize.
Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane	A young, frightened soldier comes of age under the stress of combat in the Civil War.
Robinson Crusoe Daniel DeFoe	This is the original solitary castaway and his attempt to establish his life on a deserted island.
The Scarlet Pimpernel Emmuscka Orczy	The swashbuckling adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a romantic figure who heroically saves the lives of French aristocrats during the time of the French Revolution.
A Separate Peace John Knowles	Two young prep school roommates learn to cope with the emotions of adulthood when one of them is struck with a crippling accident.
That was Then, This is Now S.E. Hinton	Mark and Bryon were like brothers, joining in gang warfare in their neighborhood. But sudden death and betrayal change this for Bryon.
Travels with Charley John Steinbeck	With Charley his dog, Steinbeck goes on a quest across America, from the northernmost tip of Maine to California‚s Monterey Peninsula.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne	An embittered genius takes refuge from humanity aboard his fantastic submarine, the Nautilus.
War of the Worlds H.G.Wells	Martians invade Earth in this science fiction classic.
When Legends Die Hal Borland	A young boy is left in the wilderness after his parents‚ death, and he resolves to never return to the white man’s world that had condemned his father.

Contemporary Fiction	Top of Page

The Arizona Kid Ron Koertge	Working one summer at a racetrack, living with his gay uncle, and falling madly in love make wimpy, short, tenth-grader Billy Kennedy more self-confident and wiser in the ways of the world.
Betsey Brown Ntozake Shange	A thirteen-year-old black girl comes of age in 1957, the year that marked the beginning of school integration.
The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver	Taylor Greer grew up poor in Kentucky in the 1960‚s and 1970‚s, managed to avoid pregnancy through high school and earned enough money to buy a Volkswagen that would take her west to Arizona. Once she arrives, she discovers surprising resources in apparently empty places.
Bless Me, Ultima Rudolfo Anaya	Antonio Marez is 6 years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a "curandera", one who cures with herbs and magic.
Deliver Us From Evie M.E. Kerr	Told by her brother Parr, this is the story of 18-year-old Evie, her Missouri farm family, and the turmoil created by Evie’s love for the local banker’s daughter.
Dragonsinger Anne McCaffrey	With the help of Master-harper, Menolly and her fire lizards overcome the prejudice against a woman‚s becoming a harper for the planet Pern.
Eva Peter Dickinson	After a violent auto accident, 13-year-old Eva wakes up in a hospital to find she must learn how to live as a chimpanzee.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Anne Tyler	Ezra creates Homesick Restaurant in order to serve comfort food to lonely people. This intriguing novel is about Ezra and his unforgettable Baltimore family, including his sister jenny, a pediatrician how keeps getting married.
Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers	Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry’s stint in Vietnam brings home to him the agony and futility of war as he learns to kill and watches his comrades die.
Far North Will Hobbs	Stranded in the Canadian wilderness, two boys endure a brutal sub arctic winter of bear, wolf and moose attacks while they repeatedly struggle to escape.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fannie Flagg	In this delightful narrative set in the American South, two women run a restaurant, challenge injustice, and worm a strong center in a close-knit community.
The Girl with the Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier	In Vermeer’s prosperous Delft household during the 1660s, Griet is hired as a servant, and turmoil follows.
Go Ask Alice Anonymous	A true and painful diary of a fifteen-year-old girl‚s experiences with drugs that eventually lead to her death.
The Golden Compass Philip Pullman	With the aid of friends, witches and armored polar bears, 12-year-old Lyra fights the evil that is stealing children and conducting horrible experiments on them.
Good Moon Rising Nancy Garden	A love story, a portrait of aspiring young actors involved in a high school production of The Crucible, and an illustration of the damaging effects of homophobia.
Haveli Suzanne Fisher Staples	Shabanu, an 18-year-old, has been forced to marry a much older man. Separated from her family and living on an estate in the city, Shabanu struggles to raise her daughter while enduring torture at the hands of her husband’s more cultured and powerful wives.
House of Stairs William Sleator	Five 16-year-olds find themselves alone in an experimental nightmare where stairs and landings stretch as far as the eye can see and a weird red light trains them to dance for their food.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent Julia Alvarez	The four Garcia girls face a strange new life in America when they are forced to flee the Dominican Republic.
I am the Cheese Robert Cormier	A victim of amnesia, Adam Farmer desperately tries to remember the events surrounding the mysterious disappearance of his parents.
I, Juan de Peraja Elizabeth Borton de Trevino	This is a historical novel of Juan, a secret artist, who is a slave to the great Spanish painter Diego Velazquez.
An Island Like You Judith Ortiz Cofer	In this rich and poignant collection of coming of age stories, Puerto Rican American teenagers in a New Jersey barrio experience the difficulties and rewards of growing up between two cultures.
Kissing Doorknobs Terry Spencer Hesser	Tara struggles to live with her obsessive-compulsive behavior, but before her condition is diagnosed, her relationships with her family and friends begin to crumble.
The Kitchen God’s Wife Amy Tan	This novel presents the dynamics of family life in a Chinese-American family by revealing the secrets that a mother and daughter gradually share.
Kit’s Wilderness David Almond	This is an examination of the bonds of family from one generation to the next; Kit Watson allows his new friend Askew to take him into the coal mines, where their relatives have worked and died.
Life in the Fat Lane Cheri Bennet	Sixteen-year-old Lara, beautiful, thin, smart and popular, begins to gain weight due to a metabolic disorder and learns first-hand what it means to be overweight in a society obsessed with appearances.
Make Lemonade Virginia Euwer Wolff	High-school student LaVaughn, determined to earn money for college, babysits for Jolly, an unwed mother of two and matures in the process.
Montana 1948 Larry Watson	David Hayden is twelve when his small-town Montana world is turned upside down. A mystery unfolds that involves the suspicious death of his family‚s Native American housekeeper.
On the Devil’s Court Carl Deuker	Seventeen-year-old Joe Faust must decide if it‚s worth selling his soul to the devil for one perfect season of basketball.
One More River Lynne Reid Banks	The riveting story of a spoiled Canadian girl who grows into a self-reliant young woman after her family emigrates to a kibbutz in Israel.
Owl in Love Patrice Kindl	Girl by day, owl by night, 14-year-old Owl Tycho finds life is complicated -- not only by a crush on her science teacher, but also by the presence of a deranged boy in the woods.
Parrot in My Oven: Mi Vida Victor Martinez	Here is a vivid portrait of a Mexican-American boy‚s life—his test of courage, his initiation into a gang, a time full of pain and awkwardness, and the excitement of growing up in a crazy world.
The Rag and Bone Shop Robert Cormier	Twelve-year old Jason is accused of the brutal murder of a young girl. Is he innocent or guilty? This is a terrifying look at what can happen when the pursuit of justice becomes a personal crusade for victory at any cost.
Rain is Not My Indian Name Cynthia Leitich Smith	Rain and Galen have been friends forever, but for Rain’s 14^th birthday, the thrill of finding that her burgeoning romantic feelings are being reciprocated puts the evening into a special-memory category.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Mildred Taylor	In this unforgettable book of black pride and black heritage, Cassie Logan, daughter of a Mississippi sharecropper, is determined to maintain her dignity through a turbulent year. (Newbery Medal)
Rules of the Road Joan Bauer	Jenna Boller, star employee of a shoe store chain, is hired to drive the store’s elderly president for the summer. Thus begins a cross-country adventure where she and her employer learn a lot about the rules of the road and the rules of life.
Seek Paul Fleischman	Told in a collage of voices, Seek describes Rob’s search for his father, a search pursued not through San Francisco’s streets, but through the labyrinth of the airwaves. Psychic readers, baseball announcers, pirate DJs, friends, and teachers join a rich, ringing aural autobiography that’s as joyfully comic as it is compelling.
The Silver Kiss Annette Curtis Klause	Feeling Alienated from everyone during her mothers terminal illness, Zoe comes under the spell of Simon, a vampire doomed to live until he avenges the death of his mother 300 years earlier.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Ann Brashares	Four friends share a pair of magical jeans that help to the most memorable summer of their lives.
Soldier’s Heart Gary Paulsen	After facing the reality of fighting in the Civil War, Charlie realizes that war is hell on earth—both mentally and physically.
The Sound of Waves Yukio Mishima	Set in a Japanese fishing village, this is the story of Hatshe and Shinji, who are in love but separated for a long time.
Speak Laurie Halse Anderson	In-coming ninth grader Melinda Sordino secures outcast status for herself when she calls the cops at a rowdy end-of-the-summer party. Made nearly mute by her experiences that night and in the ensuing year, you will cheer as Melinda regains her ability to speak.
Stargirl Jerry Spinelli	"She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a cork board like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew."
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Chris Crutcher	Smart, sarcastic Sarah had a mysterious accident when she was three. Fifteen years later, her horrific past finally catches up with her.
A Step From Heaven An Na	This novel is a Korean girl‚s experience as an immigrant to the United States, spanning ages 3-18, told in vignettes.
Tangerine Edward Bloor	Is Tangerine, Florida, like the Bermuda Triangle? A sinkhole swallows the middle school, lightning strikes repeatedly, underground fires burn endlessly—and all newcomer Paul Fisher wants to do is play soccer, despite his thick glasses, his parents‚ indifference and his evil brother.
Tomorrow, When the War Began John Marsden	When they return from a wilderness camping trip, Ellie and her friends are shocked to discover Australia has been invaded and soon find fighting and surviving have become their way of life
Touching the Spirit Bear Ben Mikaelsen	Fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews, victim of beatings and neglect at the hands of alcoholic parents, is damaged goods. Now an abuser himself, he viciously beats a classmate. To escape prison, he enters the Native Circle Justice system.
Weetzie Bat Francesca Lia Bloch	Lanky lizards! Punk teens Weetzie and Dirk search for love in a modern fairy tale that is funny, moving, and unlike any book you‚ve ever read.
Wizard of Earthsea Trilogy Ursula le Guin	This is the story of Ged, a boy with an unusual aptitude for wizardry.
You Don’t Know Me: A Novel David Klass	John wrestles with the certainty that no one really knows him—not in his miserable home, and certainly not at school.

Nonfiction	Top of Page

Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank	A young Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis with seven others keeps a diary of her experiences while in an attic in Amsterdam during WWII.
Bad Boys: A Memoir Walter Dean Myers	The story of growing up in Harlem in the 1950s. Though he was athletic and energetic, Myers also had a passion for reading. Secretly he haunted libraries, reading stories, poems, even philosophy as he hunted for his voice. That, even more than fighting and basketball, defined who he was.
Black Potatoes Susan Bartoletti	This reveals the history of the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s. Eyewitness accounts and memories combine with devastating facts:one million died from starvation and disease; two million emigrated; the famine could have been avoided; the legacy was a bitter resentment against the English, who owned most of Ireland.
Breaking Through Francisco Jimenez	At the age of 14, Francisco and his family are caught by la migra (immigration officers) and forced to leave their California home, but soon find their way back. The author explores the prejudice and challenges they face while also relaying universal adolescent experiences of school, dances and romances.
Helen Keller: Story of My Life Helen Keller	Overcoming deafness and blindness to become an outstanding citizen, Keller embodies courage, passion and perseverance.
Hiroshima John Hersey	In this Pulitzer Prize-winner, Hersey interviews survivors of Hiroshima‚s bomb when the ashes were still warm.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou	Here is the moving biography of a talented black woman confronting her own life with dignity. Angelou traces her coming-of-age.
Iron and Silk Mark Salzman	Salzman taught in China following his graduation from Yale. In his memoir, he presents touching vignettes of the people he met, including Pan, his martial arts teacher.
Jackie’s Nine Sharon Robinson	Under nine rubrics, from "Courage" and "Determination" to "Commitment" and "Excellence," Jackie Robinson’s daughter brings together inspirational episodes from memoirs written by her parents and herself and other individuals frequently cast as role models.
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale Art Spiegelman	Maus in the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler‚s Europe. His son, a cartoonist tries to come to terms with his father‚s story. In two books, these cartoons shock the reader out of a sense of familiarity with the events. (1992 Pulitzer Prize)
A Sense of Where You Are John McPhee	Who was Bill Bradley before he became a presidential candidate? McPhee’s biography depicts Bradley‚s life as a basketball star at Princeton, in the years before he was a Rhodes Scholar, an NBA star and a senator.
Red Scarf Girl Ji Li Jiang	In 1966 Ji Li turned twelve. An outstanding student, she had everything going for her, but that year China’s leader, Mao Ze-dong, launched the Cultural Revolution and everything changed.
Soldier: A Poet’s Childhood June Jordon	Jordan‚s poetry can be difficult to understand because it is personal and political. This book explores her childhood, and though it does not give the reader the key to understanding Jordan’s poetry, it provides insight to her ideas.
This Boy’s Life Tobias Wolff	In and out of trouble in his youth, Wolff survives a boyhood that stretches from Florida to the Pacific Northwest.
Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom	When a beloved Brandeis professor is facing death, he meets informally on Tuesdays with a former student, sharing his wisdom and abut life, love, mortality and courage.
We Are Witnesses: The Diaries of Five Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust Jacob Boas	Five teenagers kept diaries of their lives as Jews under Hitler’s twisted rule. Through them unfolds a personal history of the Holocaust and the hope each had in the face of horror and death.

The Library at Mt. Greylock Regional High School	Library Hours Mon-Thurs: 7:45-4:00 Fri: 7:45-2:30

	Grades 9-10
Classic Fiction	Contemporary Fiction	Nonfiction