Intermediate Senior English

Kit contains six copies of the book. "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." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "The United States and its allies invaded Iraq seven years ago. Today the country is still at war, and no one can claim that true democracy has come. Four million Iraqis have been displaced, and about half of them, unable to flee the country, are now living in remote tent camps without access to schools, health care, or often even food and clean water. In Children of War, a companion title to Off to War: Voices of Soldiers' Children, Deborah Ellis turns her attention to the most tragic victims of the Iraq war -- Iraqi children. She interviews two dozen young people, mostly refugees living in Jordan, but also a few who are trying to build new lives in North America. Their frank and harrowing stories reveal inspiring resilience as the children try to survive the consequences of a war in which they play no part." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains five copies of the book. "It is 1965, and twelve-year-old Emaline lives on a wheat farm in southern Saskatchewan. Her family has fallen apart. When her beloved dog, Prince, chased a hare into the path of the tractor, she chased after him, and her dad accidentally ran over her leg with the discer, leaving her with a long convalescence and a permanent disability. But perhaps the worst thing from Emaline's point of view is that in his grief and guilt, her father shot Prince and then left Emaline and her mother on their own. Despite the neighbors' disapproval, Emaline's mother hires Angus, a patient from the local mental hospital, to work their fields. Angus is a red-haired giant whom the local kids tease and call the gorilla. Though the small town's prejudice creates a cloud of suspicion around Angus that nearly results in tragedy, in the end he becomes a force for healing as Emaline comes to terms with her injury and the loss of her father. In the tradition of novels such as Kevin Major's Ann and Seamus and Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust, novelist and poet Pamela Porter uses free verse to tell this moving, gritty story that is accessible to a wide range of ages and reading abilities." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Fruit tells the story of 13-year-old Peter Paddington as he tries to fix everything wrong about himself before his Grade 8 year ends. Specifically, to lose weight, get a boy friend and silence his talking nipples." --Author's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "There's a perfect girl at every school, yours included. You know her. Beautiful. Talented. Smart. Great parents. Cool boyfriend. You can’t even hate her, because, of course, she’s so nice. At Forest Hills High, Lara Ardeche is that girl. But things can change." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "An adaptation of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief novel, which has sold millions of copies worldwide. Mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking out of the pages of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson's textbooks and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. Series creator Rick Riordan joins forces with three of the biggest names in the comic book industry to tell the story of a boy who must unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. It's the perfect introduction to the series and to Greek mythology." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "In the #1 New York Times bestseller, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Mina is excitedly looking forward to her annual Holi party - a wonderful Spring festival from India, where people fling coloured powders and water at each other. It is a time of laughter, colour and a time for renewal and forgiveness. All her friends love the party and can’t wait to come, even the new girl, Ashley, whom all the boys are crazy about. Mina hopes that her grandfather, Nanaji, who has just moved in with them, won’t be too much of a pain. When she was little she adored him. She still loves him, of course, but why does he have to be so fussy? And the way he talks...Mina won’t admit even to herself how uncomfortable she is around him. Then, at a school Open House, Mina overhears Ashley making fun of her Nanaji’s accent. How will Mina deal with Ashley? She can’t possibly invite Ashley now, but will the other kids in her class take sides? What will her party be like this year?" --Author's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Marty Black has retreated from a difficult family situation into the area she can best control, her own appetites. She may not be able to control her parents' behavior, but she can decide what she will and will not eat. Eventually, she stops eating altogether. Marty is close to death when she finally asks for help and finds herself in a psychiatric institution. But recognizing her need for help is only the first tenuous step on a long road to recovery. Marty's ability to find a way to live, despite the powerful lure of anorexia, is the core of this fine, insightful novel. Marnelle Tokio's semi autobiographical story will resonate with every teenager who faces issues of family, body image, and self-confidence." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains five copies of the book. "Nellie Letitia Hopkins doesn't like being named after a famous writer - she'd rather be called Nell. And she doesn't like her new school. It's James A. Wyndotte to everyone else, but to Nell it's JAWS! Shane, an older student, picks on her in class and in the halls. No reason, he just doesn't like her. Then his nasty girlfriend Bonnie gets on her case. Nell needs someone to talk to, but her mother's far away - working as a Peacekeeper in Bosnia. Nell could send her an e-mail, but it's not the same. And besides, Nell hasn't forgiven her for going. How is Nell going to make it through the year?" --Back cover.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Depicting with humor and insight the pressure to be outwardly perfect, this novel for ages 10-13 shows how one girl develops compassion for her own and others' imperfections. For 13-year-old Isabelle Lee, whose father has recently died, everything's normal on the outside. Isabelle describes the scene at school with bemused accuracy--the self-important (but really not bad) English teacher, the boy that is constantly fixated on Ashley Barnum, the prettiest girl in class, and the dynamics of the lunchroom, where tables are turf in a all-eyes-open awareness of everybody's relative social position. But everything is not normal, really. Since the death of her father, Isabelle's family has only functioned on the surface. Her mother, who used to take care of herself, now wears only lumpy, ill-fitting clothes, cries all night, and has taken every picture of her dead husband and put them under her bed. Isabelle tries to make light of this, but the underlying tension is expressed in overeating and then binging. As the novel opens, Isabelle's little sister, April, has told their mother about Isabelle's problem. Isabelle is enrolled in group therapy. Who should show up there, too, but Ashley Barnum, the prettiest, most together girl in class." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Life in Communist Hungary isn't easy for thirteen-year-old Nelly. Food is scarce and so are clothes. But she has great friends and a special boy she likes, so the hardships are bearable. When the Hungarian Revolution erupts in 1956, Nelly's world crumbles. Along with the Revolution comes a new tide of anti-Semitism. Nelly's family is Jewish, and her parents are convinced that the family must flee. Everything she cares about - her cozy room, her favourite books, and her closest friends - will have to stay behind. There's not time even to say good-bye. Nelly's adventures during the family's harrowing escape to freedom are by turns funny and sad. Will she ever find a place to call home?" --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Deborah Ellis presents the stories of children of the war-torn Middle East, based on interviews with Israeli and Palestinian children. In a rehabilitation center for disabled children, twelve-year-old Nora says she loves the color pink and chewing gum and explains that the wheels of her wheelchair are like her legs. Eleven-year-old Mohammad describes how his house was demolished by soldiers. And we meet twelve-year-old Salam, whose older sister walked into a store in Jerusalem and blew herself up, killing herself and two people, and injuring twenty others. All these children live both ordinary and extraordinary lives. They argue with their siblings. They dream about their wishes for the future. They have also seen their homes destroyed, their families killed, and they live in the midst of constant upheaval and violence. This simple and telling book allows children everywhere to see those caught in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as children just like themselves, but who are living far more difficult, dangerous lives." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Nothing ever happens in Toby's small Texas town. Nothing much until this summer that's full of big changes. It's tough for Toby when his mother leaves home to become a country singer. And Toby takes it hard when his best friend Cal's older brother goes off to fight in Vietnam. But now their sleepy town is about to get an even bigger jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver, billed as the fattest boy in the world. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other, a summer sure to change his life." --Publisher's website.

Kit contains six copies of the book. "Marcus and his sister and mother are counting the days until Marcus's father comes home from Afghanistan. Waiting weeks for a phone call, and with only the occasional e-mail, has been difficult for the family, but they're ready to celebrate his return. When the big day comes, they are overcome by happiness and relief that he's safe, but as the days pass, Marcus begins to feel that there's something different about his father. He barely sleeps, he's obsessed with news from Afghanistan, and while at times he seems almost too happy, at other times he's erratic and aggressive. Marcus knows that post-traumatic stress disorder affects many soldiers, but at first he finds it hard to believe his father needs help, and then when he does think he needs counselling, he just can't seem to convince his father." --Author's website