Junior Library Guild
Book of the Month Selections
Book of the Month Selections
*Available in your high school library
October 2008
September 2008 FROZEN FIRE/ by Tim Bowler
Late one night, Dusty receives a strange and frightening call from a teenage boy who says he’s in trouble . . . and has inexplicably detailed knowledge about her brother, who ran away two years ago. Dusty rushes to rescue the boy, but he literally disappears—as if he were a ghost. Despite threats from the boy’s enemies and rumors that girls have been mesmerized by him before, Dusty continues to search for him.
August 2008 DISAPPEARED/ by Gloria Whelan
In 1970s Argentina, political dissent can be fatal. So when Silvia’s brother Eduardo is “disappeared” to a secret jail for speaking out against oppressive policies, Silvia knows she must do everything she can to save him. As she begins to date the son of a powerful politician, she imagines telling Eduardo, “I will make him care so much for me that he will ask his father for your freedom.” Will Silvia’s plan cost her and her brother their lives?
July 2008 THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS/ by Joni Sensel
Ireland, AD 920. Aidan has an unusual gift: “Others heard birdsong, windsong, human speech . . . Nobody else caught numbers with their ears.” Aidan hopes to gain understanding of his mysterious ability over years of quiet, solitary contemplation as a monk. But when a pretty girl named Lana arrives and hums of eleven, a number Aidan has never heard, he is enthralled. A devastating attack by Viking raiders forces the two together, and as they strive to save their village, they also must struggle to understand their strong connection.
June 2008 THE BOXER AND THE SPY/ by Robert B. Parker
When Terry’s classmate Jason dies in an alleged suicide from steroid-induced depression, Terry grows suspicious. Jason, artistic and withdrawn, seems an unlikely candidate for steroid use. Terry and his girlfriend Abby’s amateur investigation soon attracts attention—and threats—from the high school quarterback and the principal. Scared, but sure they’ve uncovered criminal activity, Terry and Abby organize a spy network of classmates. What they find goes far beyond steroids—all the way to the race for governor.
May 2008 TROUBLE/ by Gary D. Schmidt
After Henry Smith's brother is hit by a car, Henry needs to get away from his grieving family. He and his best friend Sanborn decide to hitchhike to Maine and take the hike that Henry and his brother had planned-a dangerous climb to the top of Mt. Katahdin. But the only driver to offer Henry and Sanborn a ride is a boy fleeing demons of his own: Chay Chouan, who was convicted of hitting Henry's brother. As they drive north, the three struggle to deal with the truth of what happened the night of the accident
April 2008 LOCK AND KEY/ by Sarah Dessen
After years of neglect, Ruby's mother has abandoned her, and now Ruby has to live with her estranged sister, Cora, whom she hasn't seen in ten years. Cora and her husband offer Ruby a stable home life and a fresh start at a new school. Ruby's independent streak is strong, though, and she attempts to run away the very night she arrives. A friendly (and cute) neighbor boy named Nate covers for her when she's nearly caught, and suddenly Ruby may have a compelling reason to stay.
March 2008 WHEN THE BLACK GIRL SINGS/ by Bil Wright
Whether it's at school, where she's the only black girl, or at home, with her adoptive white parents, Lahni feels out of place. As if being an outsider weren't enough, a creepy boy starts pestering Lahni, and her parents announce they're getting a divorce. Lahni's not sure she can cope, especially with one more worry piled on: participating in a singing competition. Then Lahni joins a choir to practice for the contest and finally finds a place where she belongs.
February 2008 THE WAY/ by Joseph Bruchac
Cody LeBeau, the new kid, becomes the new target for the bullies even though he is Abenaki like most of the school, but things begin to change when his uncle comes to town for a martial arts competition and he and Cody begin training together.
January 2008 ONE GOOD PUNCH/ by Rich Wallace
As captain of the track team and a decent student who's never been in trouble, Michael Kerrigan is "almost too good to be true." He wants to go on to college and be an inspiration for his aging factory town, but his bright future is threatened when the police find marijuana in his locker. When an ex-boxer tells him all it took was "one good punch" to take him out of competition, Michael wonders if his dreams are about to be knocked out for good.
December 2007 MISSISSIPPI JACK/ by L.A. Meyer
On the run from the British authorities, west is the only way she can go. As she heads along the Allegheny River to the Ohio and finally captains a riverboat down the mighty Mississippi, Jacky makes friends and enemies with a wild assortment of larger-than-life characters who introduce her to tall tales, folk songs, and frontier adventures. But as Jacky approaches New Orleans, she wonders how her darling Jaimy will ever find her.
November 2007 DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW/ by Caroline B. Cooney
The last thing Jared wants is a family of refugees living in his house, but his do-gooder mother has made up her mind to host a family from Africa. When the family arrives, they are not what anyone expects: the father has had his hands amputated, and the daughter is so traumatized by her experiences that she can't speak. Jared senses something else suspicious-these people do not seem to know each other very well. He has no idea that both their family and his are in terrible danger.
October 2007 LOVE, STARGIRL/ by Jerry Spinelli
"I love beginnings. If I were in charge of calendars, every day would be January 1." After a wild, heartbreaking semester at Mica High in Arizona, Stargirl needs to start over in her new home, far away. Hoping to get over her feelings for her "once (and future?) boyfriend" Leo, she begins writing him "the world's longest letter," explaining her feelings and keeping track of her daily life. But even her writing and all her new friends can't get Stargirl's heart to recuperate. Then she meets Perry Delloplane. . .
Sequel to: Stargirl.
September 2007 THE COYOTE ROAD: TRICKSTER TALES/ by Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling
In mythologies from around the world, the Trickster figure plays many roles at once: joker, thief, prophet, and troublemaker. These twenty-six original stories by contemporary authors show some tricksters who help the innocent and others who make sure the guilty get their comeuppance; tricksters who disrupt peoples' everyday lives and those who open doors to entirely new experiences. Features stories by Christopher Barzak, Kelly Link, and Holly Black.
August 2007 ALL-IN/ by Pete Hautman
Denn has been on a hot streak: playing poker with Vegas's highest rollers and winning every time. But that all changes when he gets involved with a redheaded card dealer named Cattie. Soon, his bankroll's down to almost nothing, he's playing in games with little old ladies, and a powerful rival has shown up. Denn is left with doubts about just whose side Cattie is on. He'll bet everything on one final game to learn the truth.
July 2007 THE OFF SEASON/ by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
D.J. Schwenk, the first female linebacker ever to play for Red Bend High School's football team, is at the top of her game. The season is off to a great start, and Brian Nelson finally seems to be paying her the right kind of attention. But after a suspension and an injury sideline D.J. for the season, many of the things she values most start slipping away. Soon, D.J. discovers that she's got much bigger problems to tackle than the ones on the football field.
June 2007 DREAM FACTORY/ by Brad Barkley, Heather Hepler
When the actors who play the characters at Disney World go on strike, the park hires a group of high school students to fill in. Itsounds like the best summer job ever, but Ella soon discovers that her Prince Charming is a dud and that she's much more interested in Luke, who spends his days dressed up as Dale the Chipmunk. Luke can't stop thinking about Ella either and wonders why she often seems so sad. The problem? Luke already has the perfect girlfriend.
May 2007 WILDLY ROMANTIC: THE ENGLISH POETS/ by Catherine M. Andronik
The Romantic poets transgressed traditional boundaries in life and art, rousing suspicion in conservative nineteenth-century Britain. Revolutionaries, addicts, and philanderers, these remarkable writers forged one of the most important movements in Western literature. From the friendship between Wordsworth and Coleridge to the short, brilliant life of John Keats to the exploits of Byron and the Shelleys, this group biography follows both the poets' individual stories and the story of their relationships.
April 2007 PURE SPRING/ by Brian Doyle
Martin's new job delivering soda for Pure Spring has some perks: He gets a free soda every day, and he gets to flirt with pretty Gerty McDowell each time he makes a delivery to her grandfather's store. But there's also a problem with the job-Randy, who drives the delivery truck. Randy constantly makes Martin uncomfortable, railing against Jews and Communists and showing him dirty pictures. Most objectionable of all, Randy has been cheating customers (including Gerty's grandfather) and forcing Martin to help.
Sequel to: Boy O’Boy
March 2007 FOREVER IN BLUE: THE FOURTH SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD/ by Ann Brashares
Best friends Bee, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby have never been in danger of growing apart-until now. While Bee is in Turkey and Carmen is making a new best friend, Lena and Tibby are wrapped up in their respective love lives. Then the Pants go missing. Is it the end of the Sisterhood forever? This is the fourth, and apparently final, installment in the series.
February 2007 THE BOY BOOK (a study of habits and behaviors, plus techniques for taming them)/ by E. Lockhart
"If you find something out about boys and you can benefit female-kind by explaining it, you will do so in this book. Even if it is embarrassing." Ruby Oliver and her friends Kim, Nora, and Cricket started the Boy Book last year-before Ruby kissed Kim's boyfriend and became a social leper. Now Ruby is left to navigate the world of kisses and crushes without her girlfriends to guide her along the way.
Companion to the author's The boyfriend list.
January 2007 KETURAH AND LORD DEATH/ by Martine Leavitt
Keturah gets lost in the woods one dark night and is discovered by young, handsome Lord Death. He is ready to take her life, but after she charms him with a love story he gives her a reprieve: She'll become his bride unless she can find her one true love within twenty-four hours. With the help of her friends, an old witch, and a magic eyeball, Keturah searches her village for the one thing that can save her-a love greater than death.
December 2006 SIDE EFFECTS/ by Amy Goldman Koss
Izzy thinks her swollen lymph glands just mean she gets to miss algebra for a day. Then she goes to the doctor and finds out she has cancer. Before she knows it she's hooked to an IV in the hospital, surrounded by nurses using words like "chemotherapy" and "PICC line." Mom is crying, her best friend's parents won't let her visit, and classmates she barely knows are writing her cards saying they miss her. Yuck. Even if the biopsy hadn't made her nauseated, Izzy would want to puke.
November 2006 JACKAL IN THE GARDEN: An Encounter With Bihzad/ by Deborah Ell
"A jackal in human form" . . . "a monster" . . . "a bloodthirsty creature who strikes down innocent men." In the years Anubis has spent wandering the desert alone, rumors of her violent deeds have spread through Persia. Her reputation finally catches up with her in Herat, where an angry mob chases her through the streets. She narrowly escapes death by jumping the walls of the city's artist colony-and there finds an unlikely ally in its most famous resident, miniature painter Kamal al-Din Bihzad.
October 2006 AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES/ by John Green
"He'd been dumped. By a girl named Katherine. For the nineteenth time." Colin Singleton doesn't know why he keeps getting his heart broken by Katherines, but he and his best friend, Hassan, are on a road trip to find out. Somewhere near the grave of Archduke Ferdinand in Gutshot, Tennessee, their journey is sidetracked-by a Lindsey.
September 2006 ALPHABET OF DREAMS/ by Susan Fletcher
Separated from family and hunted by a rival royal faction, Mitra and her younger brother, Babak, are living as beggars in the caves outside the ancient Persian city of Rhagae. When she discovers thatBabak can dream other people's dreams, she begins to sell his gift for food and money. Word of his strange ability spreads, and soon Mitra and Babak find themselves in the hands of a priest, Melchior, one of the most powerful Magi in the land.
August 2006 WAIT FOR ME/ by An Na
Mina is a straight-A student and president of her school's honor society . . . or so she tells her strict mother, who wants her to go to Harvard. Mina doesn't know what she wants, but she plans to finance a great escape by stealing money from her parents' laundromat. Then she meets Ysrael, an ambitious guitarist who urges Mina to tell her mother the truth-and to find out what she wants for herself.
July 2006 THE PLUTO PROJECT/ by Melissa Glenn Haber
It starts off as a way to pass the time. Alan and his friends are hanging out in the culvert under the road when they start to read into the conversations they hear above their heads. Isn't "How's it goin'?" really code for "What's the status report?" And maybe "I love you" actually means that another victim has been chosen. Clues seem to be everywhere. Then the governor is assassinated, and Alan starts to think that his spy ring is not just a game.
To find past selections that are available in your high school library, try searching "Junior Library Guild" in your school's card catalog.
Nearly 100% of the selections receive favorable reviews or win major awards. You can learn more about the Junior Library Guild at http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com.