King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography (NF)(WW) Chris Crutcher
Once you read about Chris Crutcher's life as a dateless, broken toothed dweeb you will say, "I, too, can be an author."

The Truth About Forever (F) Sara Dessen
Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. But everything changes when she helps out at her mother’s open house event and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (GN) Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
This is the famous "Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States" told in the comic book form, along with a pictorial presentation of the events occurring on 9/11/01.

Touching Spirit Bear (F) Ben Mikaelsen
After his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.

Alanna: The First Adventure (F) Tamora Pierce
Defying gender roles, Alanna and her twin brother Thom switch places so that he can become a sorcerer, and she can fulfill her destiny as a knight. However Alanna discovers that the responsibilities of knighthood are more than she anticipated.

The Golden Compass (F) Philip Pullman
This is Philip Pullman's novel about a golden, truth-divining compass and a young girl and her "daemon" who are catapulted into a life-and-death struggle against dark forces.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (F) JK Rowling
Harry, with the help of Ron and Hermione, hurtles towards his final and most difficult challenge ever: to kill Lord Voldemort.

Homecoming (F) Cynthia Voigt
Abandoned by their mother in a mall parking lot, four children try to stay together by embarking on a journey to search for their only known relative at an address they hope is correct.

A Confederacy of Dunces (F) John Kennedy Toole
Ignatius comically bumbles through life, encountering memorable characters during a relentless search for his place in modern society.

Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun (NF) Jeff Canada
Growing up in the Bronx, Geoffrey Canada explains what it’s like to live in the “war zone” of the inner city. In his compelling account, Canada shares how we can end the escalating violence in America.

J.D.: Memoir of a Time and a Journey (NF)(WW) Greg Herriges
Herriges recounts his 1978 voyage to find reclusive author J.D. Salinger. Along with his girlfriend, Herriges travels to New Hampshire, finding intrigue, insights, and eccentricities before finally arriving at the legendary writer’s driveway.

Local Wonders (SC)(WW) Ted Kooser
Kooser finds delight and wisdom in the habits and attitudes of rural and small-town Nebraska.

The Lovely Bones (F) Alice Sebold
A young murder victim looks back on her life and watches the hunt for her killer.

My Sister’s Keeper (F) Jodi Picoult
Anna becomes fed up with living life as an organ and blood donor for her older sister who battles Leukemia. This novel addresses the moral complexities of modern medicine, parenting, and the possibilities genetic design might open up in the future.

Naked (NF) David Sedaris
Sedaris has fashioned a memoir of his wonderfully offbeat life. To call his family "dysfunctional" would be an enormous understatement and beside the point; Sedaris's relatives and other companions become vital characters on the page.

The Road (F) Cormac McCarthy
A nameless father and son wander through a devastated landscape, searching for ways and reasons to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

When the World Was Young (F)(WW) Tony Romano
The secrets and misunderstandings in an Italian family are at the center of this dramatic, charming novel by Fremd's own Tony Romano.

The Burn Journals (NF) Brent Runyon
After fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon sets himself on fire in a suicide attempt he spends one year in a hospital undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Runyon lets us into his mind as he struggles with his past and moves toward a normal life.

Dawn (F) Elie Wiesel
Caught between the horrors of the past and the dilemmas of the present, Elisha wrestles with guilt, ghosts, and ultimately God as he waits for the appointed hour and his act of assassination.

Dear John (F) Nicholas Sparks
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy’s military unit is deployed to Iraq. Can this relationship last?

Eldest (F) Christopher Paolini
Eragon and his dragon have survived the battle at Tronjheim, but their challenges are not over. The corrupt emperor, still rules Alagaesia and is looking for them. The magically bonded pair must help the rebellious Varden regroup after their leader is slain.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (F) JK Rowling
Harry, with the help of Ron and Hermione, hurtles towards his final and most difficult challenge ever: to kill Lord Voldemort.

Inkheart (F) Cornelia Funke
One night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about.

The Logic of a Rose (SC)(WW) Billy Lombardo
Petey Bellapani lives above the bakery in Bridgeport, a neighborhood rich with games and street talk and friends, which will remind you of the best moments of your own childhood.

The Battle of Jericho (F) Sharon Draper
Jericho wants nothing more than to be a member of the most elite and mysterious club in high school, The Warriors of Distinction. How much is he willing to sacrifice? Who is really on his side?

Teen Angst, Naah (NF) Ned Vizzini
Vizzini walks the reader through his teenage years which were filled with street people, rock bands, friends, fame and Nintendo.

Bottled Up (F) Jaye Murray
A high school boy on the edge faces the choice of what path his life is going to take. Will he follow his father's destructive path or choose a future avoiding addiction and cruelty?

The Butcher Boy (F) Patrick McCabe
Problems at home fuel Francie's anger as he propels toward a downward spiral throughout life.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (F) Stephen King
This novel, filled with ominous landscapes and macabre menace, features The Gunslinger, a haunting figure who combats The Man in Black in an epic battle of good versus evil.

Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of our Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (NF) John McWhorter
Dude, whassup with r language? McWhorter argues that casual use of English is having dramatic consequences on both language and music. Beginning in the '60s, our counter-culture revolted against "stodgy, formal English" and essentially tossed out standard usage as "artificial expression." He fears this process of degradation continues to accelerate and will eventually spell doom for linguistic precision.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (F) Jonathan Safran Foer
Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is on a mission to find the lock that matches a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Freakonomics (NF) Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
What do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Find out in this book that is actually not about economics at all! This book encourages you to think about every day ideas with a completely different perspective. The truth is out there—you just have to know where to look.

Going After Cacciato (F) Tim O’Brien
While trying to survive the Vietnam War, Paul Berlin and his squad are given the nebulous order to bring Cacciato back from his attempt to desert west to Paris; but this might be nothing more than Paul’s imaginative way to escape the deaths of his friends from a seemingly never-ending war.

The History of Love (F) Nicole Krauss
An elderly man and a teenage girl are confused about love and loneliness. Although they are strangers to each other, they find themselves connected in surprising ways.

The Kite Runner (F) Khaled Hosseini
Best friends Amir and Hassan are inseparable in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s until a horrible incident changes their relationship in unpredictable ways. Eventually Amir’s demons bring him back to his war-torn native land after Afghanistan comes under Taliban rule.

When the World Was Young (F)(WW) Tony Romano
The secrets and misunderstandings in an Italian family are at the center of this dramatic, charming novel by Fremd's own Tony Romano.