*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain.  The adventures of a spirited boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the nineteenth century, as he tries a new method for curing warts, witnesses a murder, runs away to an island and pretends to be a pirate, watches his own funeral, and falls for the new girl in the neighborhood.

American Born Chinese - Yang, Gene Luen.  In an action-packed modern fable about the problems young Chinese Americans face when trying to participate in American popular culture, the lives of three apparently unrelated characters--Jin Wang, Monkey King, and Chin-Kee--come together with an unexpected twist.  Graphic Novel.

*The Cay – Theodore Taylor.  - When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion. 

Down a Dark Hall – Lois Duncan.  Kit Gordy and three other students at an exclusive boarding school for girls find themselves part of a terrifying experiment.  Suspicious and uneasy about the atmosphere at her new boarding school, fourteen-year-old Kit slowly realizes why she and the other three students at the school were selected. 

Eragon – Christopher Paolini.  Eragon, 15, is hunting for wild game when he witnesses a mysterious explosion. At the center of the blast radius he finds a polished blue stone marked with white veins … the empathetic characters and interesting plot twists will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated by the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and are looking for more books like it. 

Face on the Milk Carton – Caroline Cooney.  Recognizing herself as the missing child on a school milk carton, Janie is compelled to investigate and has to choose between her love for the people she has always known as her parents and needing to learn the truth.

Inkheart – Cornelia Funke.  Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy…. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.

Invention of Hugo Cabret, The - Brian Selznick.  When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing locks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.  2008 Caldcott Award Winner.  Audio
 

Midnight Magic - Avi.  A mystical adventure set in 1491 Italy follows Mangus the Magician as he attempts to rescue a princess from a horrifying ghost, but unfortunately, Mangus doesn't believe in ghosts or magic, until his servant boy Fabrizio, the princess's secret friend, vows to prove that the ghost is real.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick.  When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Out of the Dust – Karen Hesse. In a story told through simple, elegant poetry, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo fights to hold on to her dreams in the face of family tragedy and the crushing hardships of the dust-bowl years in Oklahoma. 

Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane.  In the spring of 1863, as he faces battle for the first time at Chancellorsville, Virginia, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.

Red Scarf Girl – Ji-Li Jiang.  Ji-li Jiang's quiet, prosperous way of life is destroyed during the turmoil and tragedy of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
 

Rules of the Road – Joan Bauer.  Jenna, newly armed with a driver's license, thought she had her summer all worked out--until Mrs. Gladstone, owner of the shoe store chain where Jenna works in Chicago, shows up and asks Jenna to drive her to Texas.

Sarah on Her Own – Karen Muller Coombs.  Surviving a tortuous sea journey to the New World, fourteen-year-old Sarah finds herself orphaned and facing marriage or servitude if she is to survive, and she vows to save enough money to return to England. 

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.

Travel Team – Mike Lupica   Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court — but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.