| FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE BOOK LISTS
Note: The date listed with each title is the date that the work was
originally published. Different editions may have a later date.
FRESHMAN BASIC LIST
Annixter, Paul. Swiftwater. 1960. FIC
In an isolated village in the north woods of Maine, sixteen-year-old
Bucky and his father are the last of the trappers in a region that has become
predominantly agricultural. The relationship between father and son is
intensified by the hostility of the community, while the central theme of the
story deals with their lonely struggle to realize the dream of a lifetime by
establishing a sanctuary for wild geese.
Armstrong, William. Sounder. 1969. FIC
The story of a coon dog, Sounder, and his devotion to his master, and
of a father, a black sharecropper who must steal to feed his children, of the
timid mother fighting for survival, and of the son who grows to maturity
through his father’s prison term and the devotion of Sounder. A violent and
tragic story of man’s inhumanity to man, as well as an uplifting tale of
courage, human dignity, and love.
Bagnold, Edith. National Velvet. 1935. FIC
A girl wins a piebald horse with the habit of getting out of his
paddock by jumping five-foot fences, and she is determined to race him in the
Grand National steeplechase. Lively, humorous writing and sharp character
portrayals make this a vivid and irrepressible read.
Blume, Judy. Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. 1977. FIC
While spending the winter of 1947-48 in Miami Beach with her family,
young Sally makes up stories, casts herself in starring roles in movies, and
encounters a sinister stranger.
Other works by Judy Blume may be read, with approval of your
instructor.
Bonham, Frank. Durango Street. 1965. FIC
On probation after leaving the Pine Valley Honor Camp, Rufus Henry
finds himself involved again in gang activities as a matter of self-defense,
believing that the only way to stay alive in the gritty Los Angeles inner
city is to join a fighting gang before some other gang decides to beat him up.
Bradford, Richard. Red Sky at Morning. 1968. FIC
Seventeen-year-old Josh tells with deadpan, irreverent humor, of the
characters in his life, from his genteel Southern-belle mother living in New
Mexico, and her almost permanent houseguest Jim-Bob Buel, with whom she
tipples sherry, plays bridge, and re-lives the good old days of the South, to
Josh’s friends, a Greek doctor’s son, an Episcopalian minister’s daughter, an
ex-Pachuco, and the Mexican cook’s daughter.
Byars, Betsy. The Glory Girl. 1983. FIC
Anna Glory, the one non-singing member of a gospel-singing family,
feels left out, like her misfit Uncle Newt, until the day the family bus is
involved in a terrible accident.
Canfield, Jack. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. 1998. 158.1 C222 (SHORT
STORIES)
A collection of essays that offer inspiration to teens, providing
lessons on relationships, friendships, family, love and kindness, learning,
death, success, courage, and determination.
Cather, Willa O Pioneers! 1913. FIC
The story of the heroic battle for survival of simple pioneer folk in
the Nebraska country of the 1880’s. John Bergson, a Swedish farmer struggles
desperately with the soil but dies unsatisfied., His daughter Alexandra
resolves to vindicate his faith, and her strong character carries her weak
older brothers and her mother along to a new zest for life.
Cleaver, Vera and Bill. Where the Lilies Bloom. 1969. FIC
When Mary Call Luther’s sharecropper father dies, Mary Call becomes
head of the household, responsible for two younger children and a retarded,
gentle older sister. Mary Call and her brother secretly bury their father
and maintain the fiction that he is still alive so that they can keep their
home. This is a story of good people, with real natures, living under
conditions of hardship, in poverty, in the midst of bereavement, maintaining
their independence, wit, and dignity.
Donovan, John. Remove Protective Coating a Little at a Time. 1973. FIC
When you grow up with parents who treat you more like a kid brother,
there are bound to be some things missing in life. Harry is like this, and
when his parents begin to have problems, he meets and befriends the strange,
seventy-year-old Amelia. From her he learns many of the realities of life.
The novel is realistic in identifying a fourteen-year-old boy’s problems and
solutions.
Elfman, Blossom. The Girls of Huntington House. 1972. FIC
A fictional memoir of a year spent teaching English in a home for
unwed mothers.
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. 1943. FIC
Newbery Medal for Excellence in Children’s Literature, 1944.
Johnny Tremaine’s dreams of becoming a noted silversmith are dashed
when his right hand is severely burned and crippled for life. Because of
this, he seeks a new way of life which leads him into the intrigue and
adventure of the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution against England.
Hamilton, Virginia. The House of Dies Drear. 1997. FIC
An African-American family tries to unravel the secrets of their new
home which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Hesse, Karen. Phoenix Rising. 1994. FIC
Thirteen-year-old Nyle learns about relationships and death when
fifteen-year-old Ezra, who was exposed to radiation leaked from a nearby
nuclear plant, comes to stay at her grandmother’s Vermont farmhouse.
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. 1967. FIC
Ponyboy, a fourteen-year-old in a small Oklahoma town is a tough boy
in a tough gang, living with his older brothers after their parents’ deaths.
When Pony Boy and his friend Johnny are jumped by an upper-class gang, one of
the attackers is killed by Johnny, who is forced into hiding. A powerful,
strikingly realistic novel of modern kids trying to make it in a rough world.
Other works by S.E. Hinton may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Holman, Felice. Slake’s Limbo. 1974. FIC
Artemis Slake is a poor, picked-on orphan boy who takes refuge from
neighborhood bullies in a cave-like storage room that opens onto the subway
tracks. A blunt survival story of a thirteen-year-old victim of life’s hard
knocks, and an eloquent study of poverty, fear, and hope.
Kerr, M.E. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack. 1972. FIC
Susan “Dinky” Hocker is overweight; when an overweight boy becomes
interested in her and encourages her to reveal the person hidden beneath the
protective “layer” of fat, her family mocks the two teenagers. Dinky’s
reaction is to smear “Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack” all over town on the night
when her mother is receiving an award for fighting drug addiction. A
hilariously funny and observant book.
Kjelgaard, Jim. Big Red. 1973. FIC
A young boy goes to work for a wealthy dog fancier, and becomes
devoted to a prize Irish setter.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Langton, Jane. The Fledgling. 1980. FIC
Georgie’s fondest hope, to be able to fly, is fleetingly fulfilled
when she is befriended by a Canada goose in this warm and believable
fantasy. No one wants her to fly, not her family nor her interfering
neighbors, who see her lovely Goose Prince as a menace that must be stopped.
Lipsyte, Robert. One Fat Summer. 1983. FIC
An overweight fourteen-year-old boy experiences a turning-point
summer in which he learns to stand up for himself.
O’Dell, Scott. The Black Pearl. 1967. FIC
In claiming as his own the magnificent black pearl he finds, a
sixteen-year-old youth enrages the sea devil who legend says is its owner..
Other works by O’Dell may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. 1978. FIC
Jess’ ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade, but
when new girl Leslie arrives on the scene, she beats him in a race. The two
quickly find they have much in common, and each has something to give the
other: Jess gives her an empathy for the underdog, even when the underdog is
a seventh-grade bully, and Leslie opens Jess to a new world of myth and
fantasy when they build a secret hideout and invent an imaginary kingdom they
call Terabithia. This novel is unusual in portraying a believable
relationship between a boy and a girl at an age when same-sex friendships are
more usual, and it also presents an unromantic, realistic, and moving
reaction to personal tragedy.
Other works by Paterson may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Paulsen, Gary. Brian’s Winter. 1996. FIC
Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author’s book
Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been
forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and
hatchet.
Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die. 1973. FIC
A coming-of-age story set on a Shaker farm in Vermont in the 1920s,
focusing on young Rob’s pig — his growth, his blue ribbon, and his inevitable
slaughter. An earthy, poignant, unsparing story.
Rawls, Wilson. Summer of the Monkeys. 1976. FIC
In the late 1800s, a fourteen-year-old Ozark mountain boy spends the
summer trying to recapture monkeys escaped from a traveling circus.
Other works by Rawls may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. 1998. FIC
Fourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player,
must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic
inner city to a white suburban neighborhood.
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings. 1975. FIC
In the early twentieth century a young Chinese boy joins his father
in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.
Zindel, Paul. My Darling, My Hamburger. 1969. FIC
Life and love in the teenage world can be very devastating,
particularly when you are not the best looking or most popular. This novel
deals with two couples who are friends but opposites. Serious problems
plague the good-looking, popular pair and shatter their lives completely.
The other couple moves forward, touched by their friends, toward realization
of true maturity. The story is not completely pleasant, but it is realistic
and compassionate.
Other works by Paul Zindel may be read with the approval of your instructor.
FRESHMAN CP LIST
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. 1981. FIC
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic
freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by his friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to be
from Betelgeuse, in this zany science fiction adventure.
Restaurant at the End of the Universe. 1997.
FIC
In this science fiction spoof, a sequel to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide
to the Galaxy,” Arthur Dent and his friends encounter new adventure and
danger in their space travels.
Starship Titanic. 1997. FIC
At the center of the galaxy, an unknown civilization is preparing for
an event of epic proportions. The most fantastic starship ever built is
about to be launched, but the architect of the Starship Titanic is
increasingly worried as he finds more and more problems with each inspection.
Alcott, Louisa. Little Women. 1868. FIC
Jo’s quick temper and restless desire for the freedom of a boy’s
life; Meg’s hatred of poverty and her longing for pretty clothes; Amy’s all-
engulfing self-interest; and gentle Beth’s love of home and family
characterize the personalities of the “little women” of the March family.
Other works by Louisa May Alcott may be read, with the approval of
your instructor.
Andrews, V.C. Flowers in the Attic. 1979. FIC
Four children are locked in the attic of their grandmother’s house
after the death of their father.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Asimov, Isaac. Fantastic Voyage. 1966. FIC
Jan Benes, a brilliant refugee scientist, has a secret vital to the
Free World’s survival. The victim of an attempted assassination, he lies in
a coma with a potentially fatal blood clot in his brain. Other scientists
decide to miniaturize a team of doctors and technicians with all of their
equipment and inject them into Benes’ circulatory system in order to attack
and destroy the blood clot from the inside. Considered to be a highly
entertaining science-fiction story.
Auel, Jean. Clan of the Cave Bear. 1980. FIC
Ayla, a member of the Others, is raised by the Clan of the Cave Bear,
a rival race of humanoid creatures living in prehistoric Europe.
Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. 1990. FIC
As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte
learns that the captain is murdered and the crew rebellious.
Barrett, Tom. The Lilies of the Field. 1962. FIC
Driving through the Southwest after getting out of the Army, a black
man stops to help four German refugee nuns build a church.
Bradbury, Ray. Dandelion Wine. 1957. FIC
During the summer of 1928, in a small town in Illinois, Doug and his
brother Tom wander in and out among their elders, living and dreaming,
sometimes aware of things, again just having a wonderful time.
Other works by Ray Bradbury may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Braithwaite, Edward. To Sir, With Love. 1968. FIC
A teacher is assigned to a roughhouse London school, gradually
earning respect from his students.
Brancato, Robin. Winning. 1977. FIC
Paralyzed as a result of a football accident, a high school student
struggles to accept the reality of his condition and the effect it will have
on his friendships and his future.
Burdick, Eugene, and Harry Wheeler. Fail-Safe. 1962. FIC
A Cold War novel, set mostly in Washington, D.C., contemplating what
might happen if, sometime in the future, after a missile raid warning which
proved to be a false alarm, a group of bombers was not given a recall and
flew on towards Moscow with nuclear bombs.
Burnford, Sheila. The Incredible Journey. 1960. FIC
Two dogs and a cat set out to cross three hundred miles of northern
Ontario to find their way home. How they look after one another, sharing the
scarce food they manage to find, defending and encouraging each other, makes
a story of drama and suspense, courage and devotion.
Canfield, Jack. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. 1998. 158.1 C222 (SHORT
STORIES)
A collection of essays that offer inspiration to teens, providing
lessons on relationships, friendships, family, love and kindness, learning,
death, success, courage, and determination.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. 1985. FIC
Chosen as a six-year-old for his potential military genius, Ender
Wiggin spends his childhood in outer space at the Battle School of the Belt.
Severed from his family, isolated from his peers, and rigorously tested and
trained, Ender pours out all his talent into war games that will one day
repel the coming alien invasion.
Cather, Willa. O, Pioneers! 1913. FIC
The story of the heroic battle for survival of simple pioneer folk in
the Nebraska country during the 1880’s. John Bergson, a Swedish farmer
struggles desperately with the soil but dies unsatisfied. His daughter
Alexandra resolves to vindicate his faith, and her strong character carries
her weak older brothers and her mother along to a new zest for life.
Clark, Mary Higgins. Remember Me. 1994. FIC
A young married couple living on Cape Cod becomes trapped in a nightmare.
Clarke, Arthur C. Childhood’s End. 1953. FIC
The overlords have been sent to Earth from their star NGS S49672, to
prepare mankind for a gradual change that will mark the end of “homo
sapiens”. Much of the book deals with the developments that take place on
earth, from the time of the overlords’ arrival to their eventual departure.
Only one human is ever able to enter the evolutionary world of the overlords.
Cooney, Caroline B. Prisoner of Time. 1998. FIC
Attempting to break free from, the oppression of women in the
nineteenth century, sixteen-year-old Devonny steps through time hoping to
find the power to change her fate.
Cussler, Clive. Raise the Titanic! 1976. FIC
The Titanic crashes into an iceberg. It contains a rare substance
that could insure America’s security from foreign attack forever in its hold
and everyone wants it.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1902. FIC
Sir Charles Baskerville is murdered under eerie circumstances, and
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are summoned to solve the crime.
Du Maurier, Daphne. Frenchman’s Creek. 1942. FIC
The coast of Cornwall during the reign of Charles II is the setting
for the story of the love between the rebellious aristocrat Lady Dona St.
Columb and the pirate Jean-Benoit Aubery.
Other works by Du Maurier may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Duncan, Lois. Stranger With My Face. 1981. FIC
A seventeen-year-old senses that she is being spied upon and
impersonated, but when she discovers what is actually occurring, it is more
unbelievable than she imagined.
Fast, Howard. April Morning. 1961. FIC
Fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper, son of one of the leaders in the
Committee of Safety in Lexington, recounts the events in Lexington and
Concord on April 19, 1775.
Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. 1947. Biography
The true story of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl whose family went
into hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. Anne recorded what she
saw and felt about the relationships of eight people living under the strain
of hunger, of crowded housing, and fear of discovery and death, as well as
her feelings about her shifting relationship to her parents and sister and
her growing self-awareness. An unaffected, often moving account of the
dreams and soul-searching of a teenager. Various translations are available.
Greenwald, Sheila. It All Began With Jane Eyre ;or, the Secret Life of
Franny Dillman. 1980. FIC
In this lighthearted spoof of teen problem novels, Franny’s
imagination takes over after she reads Jane Eyre, and she imagines her school
principal as Mr. Rochester, his wife as Grace Poole, and herself as the
heroine
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Grey, Zane. Riders of the Purple Sage. 1913. FIC
The melodramatic story of narrow escapes from Mormon vengeance in
southwestern Utah in 1871.
Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. 1973. FIC
Patty Bergen, daughter of the shopkeeper in Jenkinsville, Arkansas,
is a lonely, misunderstood 12-year-old during a crucial summer. When German
prisoners of war are encamped outside the town, at the height of World War II
hostilities, Patty secretly makes friends with one of them and helps him hide
out when he escapes.
Hailey, Arthur. Airport. 1968. FIC
A dramatic and suspenseful account of airport and airline personnel
involved in maintaining safety during a seven-hour snowstorm.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki. & James D. Farewell to Manzanar. 1974. FIC
Biography of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston relating her experiences of living
at the Manzanar internment camp during World War II and how it has influenced
her life.
Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 1962. FIC
Though acquitted by a jury of the arsenic poisoning of four members
of her family six years earlier, Constance Blackwood has never been judged
anything but guilty by her townspeople, and because of their taunts and
cruelty she no longer leaves her house at all. But this first-person story is
mostly that of her younger sister Merricat, now 18, an imaginative, poetic,
whimsical, and ruthless girl.
Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. 1959. FIC
A revolutionary operation on the brain of a mentally retarded man
raises his I.Q. from 68 to 185, changing him from an amiable, likable dull
man with a yearning to be smart, into a genius. This novel uses a persuasive
hypothesis to explore complex emotional and moral issues.
Kindl, Patrice. The Woman in Wall. 1997. FIC
Because she suffers from extreme shyness, Anna retreats into herself
and her secret rooms where she attempts to remain hidden from the outside
world.
King, Stephen. Carrie. 1974. FIC
A high school misfit unleashed telekinetic powers in revenge against
those who have mocked her.
Other works by Stephen King may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
L’Amour, Louis. Hondo. 1983. FIC
The story of a lonely, harsh man. Beneath the harshness and the
necessary violence, he is a kind and just man who has come to terms with the
land in which he lives.
London, Jack. The Call of the Wild. 1903. FIC
A dog is stolen from his comfortable home and pressed into service as
a sledge dog in the Klondike, where he learns to fight for survival among
both dogs and men, and finally finds a master whom he can both respect and
love.
White Fang. 1906. FIC
A dog, a cross-breed, is sold to Beauty Smith. This owner
tortures the dog to increase his ferocity and value as a fighter. A new
owner Weedom Scott, brings the dog to California, and by kind treatment,
domesticates him. White Fang later sacrifices his life to save Scott.
Other works by London may be read, with the approval of your teacher.
MacDonald, John D. Bright Orange for the Shroud. 1965. FIC
Travis McGee tries to help an old acquaintance who has forfeited
control of his life and money to a domineering wife.
MacLean, Alistair. Ice Station Zebra. 1963. FIC
When fire destroys the meteorological station Zebra, the
submarine “Dolphin” is assigned to pick up the survivors.
McCullers, Carson. The Member of the Wedding. 1946. FIC
A perceptive study of a motherless girl, thirteen-year-old Frankie,
who wants to accompany her brother and his wife on their honeymoon. The
wedding is seen through her eyes; as a chorus to her remarks and thoughts,
the reader hears her six-year old cousin and the black cook.
Neufeld, John. Lisa, Bright and Dark. 1969. FIC
The story of a teen-age girl who is losing her mind and knows it,
told by one of three friends who try to help when no one else will take
notice. Rebuffed by Lisa’s parents, who refuse to admit that anything is
wrong, effectively ignored by teachers and school psychologists who fear
involvement, the girls themselves engage in a series of group therapy
sessions designed to offer Lisa some support.
Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. 1981. FIC
Feeling deprived all her life of schooling, friends, mother, and even
her name by her twin sister, Louise finally begins to find her own identity.
Peck, Richard. The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp. 1969. FIC
Blossom, not the most popular member of her freshman class in 1914,
travels ahead seventy years, and then returns in time to make Halloween a
memorable night for her classmates and teachers.
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling. 1939. FIC
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
A sensitive, nature-loving boy in the wilds of Florida roams the
forest with his tame fawn Flag, but when Flag can no longer be restrained
from ruining the family’s precious crops, Jody faces a stark tragedy.
Richter, Conrad. The Light in the Forest. 1953. FIC
A boy who has spent most of his life as a captive and the adopted son
of a Lenni Lenape Indian
chief is returned to his white family, but finds his life away from the
Indians to be untenable.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. 1998. FIC
Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young
boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for
Witchcraft and Wizardry. *PARENT PERMISSION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TITLE.
Schaefer, Jack. Shane. 1949. FIC
A withdrawn, soft-spoken drifter falls in with a Wyoming homesteader
family, and becomes involved in their fight against the man who is trying to
force them out of the valley.
Smith, Betty. Joy in the Morning. 1963. FIC
Young newlyweds in a Midwest college town during the 1930’s struggle
with problems of finance, education, and pregnancy, in this warm-hearted
novel.
Other works by Betty Smith may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony. 1937. FIC
Four episodes in the life of a boy living on a ranch in California,
catching the ecstasy of a young boy with his first horse.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
1886. FIC
A disturbing tale of the dual personality of a generous and
philanthropic doctor who develops a drug that brings out the latent evil in
his character. This is the first best-selling tale of the split personality.
Other works by Stevenson may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Verne, Jules. A Journey to the Center of the Earth. 1864. FIC
A band of explorers go down the funnel of a volcano in Iceland, and
journey through subterranean regions, where they find prehistoric animal and
vegetable forms.
Other works by Jules Verne may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Voigt, Cynthia. Homecoming. 1981. FIC
Abandoned by their mother, four children begin a search for a home
and an identity.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
FRESHMAN HONORS LIST
Bellow, Saul. Henderson the Rain King. 1959. FIC
American millionaire Eugene Henderson travels to Africa and, when he
is captured by the soldiers of a local ruler, becomes a close friend of the
king, is elected rain god of the tribe, and becomes involved in a strange
experiment with a lion. An original and compelling novel that deals
seriously and compassionately with personal relationships and an individual’s
search for fulfillment.
Brecht, Bertolt. Galileo. 1966. PLAY
Translation of Leben des Galilei
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. 1939. FIC
A classic by a master of the hardboiled, though literate, crime novel.
Other works by Raymond Chandler may be read, with the approval of
your instructor.
Christie, Agatha. And Then There Were None. 1940. FIC
One by one, the members of a group of people in a house on a lonely
island off the coast of England meet with a mysterious death. Since the
island is inaccessible, one of them must be the murderer — but which and why?
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. 1859. FIC
Set during the French Revolution, this novel deals with Charles
Darnay and Sydney Carton, who bear a remarkable resemblance to each other,
and who are both in love with Lucie Manette.
Great Expectations. 1909. FIC
A convict in an Essex churchyard, the half-crazed Miss Havisham,
and the lovely but inaccessible Estella all play a part in the life of Pip, a
young village boy with a mysterious legacy.
Other works by this author may be read, with the approval of
your teacher.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1902. FIC
Sir Charles Baskerville is murdered, and Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Watson are called in to solve the crime.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 1953. FIC
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Old man Santiago determines to try his luck in the Gulf waters off
Cuba, and his battle with a giant marlin lasts through two days and two
nights.
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki. & James D. Farewell to Manzanar. 1974. FIC
Biography of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston relating her experiences of
living at the Manzanar internment camp during World War II and how it has
influenced her life.
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. 1862. FIC
An escaped convict begins a new life as the mayor of a small French
town, but is pursued by the relentless inspector who is determined to find
him and return him to prison. A sweeping novel of grand scenes and
innumerable characters: two of the most famous chapters are the account of
the battle of Waterloo and Valjean’s flight through the Paris sewers.
Other works by Hugo may be read, with the approval of your teacher.
Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 1962. FIC
Though acquitted by a jury of the arsenic poisoning of four members
of her family six years earlier, Constance Blackwood has never been judged
anything but guilty by her townspeople, and because of their taunts and
cruelty she no longer leaves her house at all. But this first-person story
is mostly that of her younger sister Merricat, now 18, an imaginative,
poetic, whimsical, and ruthless girl.
Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. 1959. FIC
Gene Forrester looks back to a World War II year in which he and his
best friend Phineas were roommates in a New Hampshire boarding school. Their
friendship is marred by Finny’s crippling fall, an event for which Gene is
responsible and one that eventually leads to tragedy.
London, Jack. The Call of the Wild. 1903. FIC
A dog is stolen from his comfortable home and pressed into service as
a sledge dog in the Klondike, where he learns to fight for survival among
both dogs and men, and finally finds a master whom he can both respect and
love.
McCullers, Carson. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. 1960. FIC
In a small southern town, John Singer, a deaf-mute, loses his only
friend, who is committed to an insane hospital, in this parable on fascism.
Forced to listen and not to “talk,” John becomes the recipient of the
confidences of several other residents of the town — the proprietor of a
quick-lunch counter, a little girl, an intellectual black doctor, and a half-
crazy, drunken radical.
Orczy, Emmuska. The Scarlet Pimpernel. 1905. FIC
The Scarlet Pimpernel is the leader of a little band of titled
Englishmen who, during the reign of terror in Revolutionary France, assist
condemned aristocrats to escape to England, in this melodramatic but
picturesque tale.
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling. 1939. FIC
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
A sensitive, nature-loving boy in the wilds of Florida roams the
forest with his tame fawn Flag, but when Flag can no longer be restrained
from ruining the family’s precious crops, Jody faces a stark tragedy.
Saroyan, William. The Human Comedy. 1944. FIC
Homer Macauley is a part-time student and a part-time telegraph
messenger. His story is one of small adventures — trying to beat his
archrival in a track meet, getting his younger brother out of trouble — but
these adventures are not the point of the story. The story is really about
understanding the everyday, commonplace things that go on, seeing them as
part of the “human comedy,” the sort-of-funny, sort-of-sad experiences
everyone has.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. 1937. FIC
George and Lennie are two drifting ranch hands who dream of a piece
of land of their own, where they will “belong”. They have never been able to
work up a stake because big, simple-witted Lennie keeps getting them into
trouble. George takes care of Lennie and keeps him safe by talking of the
rabbit farm they will have one day.
Other works by Steinbeck may be read, with the approval of your
instructor.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. 1882. FIC
The classic adventure story of piracy and buried treasure, with the
villainous trio of Pew, Black Dog, and Long John Silver shedding an
atmosphere of malignancy and terror. The scenery of island and ocean
contrasts vividly with the savagery of the action. The edition with
illustrations by N.C. Wyeth is especially recommended.
Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper. 1881. FIC
By a strange accident, the boy king Edward VI trades places with a
poor boy and the poor boy becomes king. Exciting adventures bring out the
pluckiness of the street waif, the courage of the noble boy, and the humanity
of both.
Other works by Twain may be read, with the approval of your instructor.
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. 1911. FIC
In a New England village, Ethan Frome barely makes a living out of
his stony farm, and exists at odds with his wife Zeena, a whining
hypochondriac. When Mattie, Zeena’s cousin, comes to live with them, love
develops between her and Ethan, with tragic and ironic results.
Wouk, Herman. The Caine Mutiny: a Novel of World War II. 1951. FIC
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1952.
One of the best naval yarns of World War II is this story of the old
American destroyer “Caine” and the men who sailed in her. The action shifts
from the bridge to the wardroom and from scenes of petty tyranny to fierce
action and heroism. From the time Ensign Willie Keith comes aboard, on
through the mutiny and the trial of the paranoiac Captain Queeg, this is a
novel of action, character development, and intrigue.
Note: The date listed with each title is the date the work was originally
published. Different editions may have a later date.
SOPHOMORE BASIC LIST
Burnford, Sheila. The Incredible Journey. 1960. FIC
Two dogs and a cat set out to cross three hundred miles of northern
Ontario to find their way home. How they look after one another sharing the
scarce food they manage to find, defending and encouraging each other, makes
a story of drama and suspense, courage and devotion.
Childress, Alice. A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich. 1973. FIC
Set in Harlem, this is the story of thirteen-year-old Benjie Johnson
as he faces up to his addiction to heroin. Childress packs honesty,
immediacy, realism, and humor into an exceptionally compelling story with a
difficult, realistic non-resolution.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. 1974. FIC
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of
refusing to join in the school’s annual fund-raising drive and arousing the
wrath of the school bullies.
After the First Death. 1991. FIC
Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists
seeking the return of their homeland are described from the perspectives of a
hostage, a terrorist, an Army general involved in the rescue operation, and
his son, chosen as a go-between.
Other works by Cormier may be read, with approval of your
teacher.
Daly, Maureen. Seventeenth Summer. 1942. FIC
The summer after high school graduation, seventeen-year-old Angie
finds herself in love for the first time.
Duncan, Lois. Stranger With My Face. 1981. FIC
A seventeen-year-old senses that she is being spied upon and
impersonated, but when she discovers what is actually occurring, it is more
unbelievable than she ever imagined.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. 1943. FIC
Johnny Tremain’s dreams of becoming a noted silversmith are dashed
when his right hand is severely burned and crippled for life. Because of
this, he seeks a new way of life which leads him into the intrigue and
adventure of the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution against England.
Newbery Medal for Excellence in Children’s Literature, 1944.
Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. 1962. FIC
When his father leaves to drive the family’s cattle to market,
fourteen-year-old Travis is left in charge of the family and the farm, and a
stray dog he names Old Yeller wanders in to help him.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Guy, Rosa. The Friends. 1997. FIC
Phyllisia eventually recognizes that her own selfish pride rather
than her mother’s death and her father’s tyrannical behavior created the gulf
between her and her best friend.
Hayden, Torey L. One Child. 1981. FIC
A teacher of the severely handicapped, Hayden recounts the true
experiences of six-year-old Sheila, severely emotionally disturbed,
abandoned, abused, and awaiting placement in the state mental hospital by
order of the juvenile court. Sheila’s story is a series of tense situations
evoking pathos, outrage, and respect which celebrate the courage and
determination of a remarkable little girl to survive even the gravest
indignities and pains.
Hinton, S.E. Tex. 1979. FIC
An understated but likeable tale of a boy whose mother has died,
whose father is away, whose brother is trying to raise him with no money and
little patience, and whose self-esteem is nil.
Ho, Minfong. The Clay Marble. 1991. FIC
In the late 1970’s twelve-year-old Dara joins a refugee camp in war-
torn Cambodia and becomes separated from her family.
LeGuin, Ursula. Very Far Away From Anywhere Else. 1976. FIC
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Lipsyte, Robert. One Fat Summer. 1983. FIC
An overweight teenager experiences a turning-point summer in which he
learns to stand up for himself.
Mazer, Harry. The Last Mission. 1984. FIC
In 1944 a fifteen-year-old Jewish boy tells his family that he will
travel in the West, but instead he enlists in the U.S. Air Corps and is
subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans.
Naidoo, Beverly. Journey to Jo’burg: a South African Story. 1985. FIC
Separated from their mother by the harsh social and economic
conditions prevalent among blacks in South Africa, thirteen-year-old Naledi
and her younger brother make a journey of over 300 kilometers to find her in
Johannesburg.
Nelson, O.T. The Girl Who Owned a City. 1981. FIC
When a plague sweeps over earth killing everyone except children
under twelve, ten-year-old Lisa organizes a group to build a new way of life.
Neufeld, John. Lisa, Bright and Dark. 1969. FIC
The story of a teen-age girl who is losing her mind and knows it,
told by one of three friends who try to help when no one else will take
notice. Rebuffed by Lisa’s parents, who refuse to admit that anything is
wrong, effectively ignored by teachers and school psychologists who fear
involvement, the girls themselves engage in a series of group therapy
sessions designed to offer Lisa some support. Other works by Neufeld may be
read, with approval of your teacher.
O’Brien, Robert C. Z is for Zacariah. 1974. FIC
Seemingly the only person left alive after the holocaust of a war, a
young girl is relieved to see a man arrive in her valley, until she realizes
that he is a tyrant and that she must somehow escape. The combination of a
survival story and science fiction creates a significant background for a
dramatic novel, in which two characters are pitted against one another: Ann
with her closeness to earth, her love of nature and of books, her religious
feelings; and John Loomis with his rational engineering skills and his
ruthless will to exploit his surroundings.
Peck, Richard. Father Figure. 1978. FIC
After being a father figure for years, Jim and his younger brother
are reunited with their divorced father, and Jim is forced to find a new role
for himself.
Other works by Richard Peck may be read, with approval of your
teacher.
Platt, Kin. Hey Dummy. 1971. FIC
Twelve-year-old Neil meets Alan Harper, a brain-damaged boy who talks
and acts like a small child. Neil longs to understand the problem and
becomes involved when “the dummy” is cruelly teased and falsely accused.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Portis, Charles. True Grit. 1968. FIC
Mattie Ross of Yell County, Arkansas, is fourteen in the 1870’s when
the hired man kills and robs her father on a trip to Oklahoma Territory. The
spunky and determined Mattie goes in pursuit of the killer, enlisting the
reluctant help for pay of Rooster Cogburn, one-eyed U.S. marshal and ex-road
runner, and a Texas Ranger who is, if possible, even seedier than Rooster.
SOPHOMORE CP LIST
Anthony, Piers A Spell for Chameleon. 1977. FIC
This fantasy novel, the first in the “Magic of Xanth” series,
features magic as a weapon the conservation of the universe.
Other titles by Piers Anthony may be read, with the approval of your
teacher
Azuela, Mariano. The Underdogs 1997. FIC
During the Mexican Revolution, Demetrio Macias is forced to side with
the rebels so he can save his family, and while he is fighting in Pancho
villa’s army, he realizes he is more violent than he thought possible..
Benitez, Sandra. A Place Where the Sea Remembers. 1997. FIC
Chayo and her husband Candelario, living in the small village of
Santiago, Mexico, finally may be blessed with the child they thought they
would never have.
Borland, Hal. When the Legends Die. 1963. FIC
A Ute boy, brought up in the Colorado wilderness in the old Indian
ways and in friendship with a bear cub, is taken away from his mountains
and “civilized” against his will into a harsh and brutal world.
.
Boule, Pierre. The Bridge Over the River Kwai. 1954. FIC
A very correct British colonel in a Japanese prison camp is put in
charge of building a bridge with prison labor.
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. 1965. 364.152 C245 NON-FICTION
In this “nonfiction novel” of mass murder, Capote documents the 1959
murder of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, by introducing the victims,
four members of a well-liked and respected family, and then cutting to the
two psychotic young men who killed the family, and to the investigators who
solve the crime.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Chase, Mary Ellen. Windswept. 1941. FIC
On a high, bare, and windswept promontory in 1880’s Maine, a man
decides to build a home for himself and his son, but when he dies in a
hunting accident, the son is left to carry out the plan. Evocative of the
sound, smells, and moods of a Maine seacoast during every season of the year
Other works by Mary Ellen Chase may be read, with approval of your
teacher.
Clark, Mary Higgins. A Cry in the Night. 1982. FIC
Jenny’s only hope for happiness lies in unraveling the truth about the
past, a truth that is hidden in the great house which has become her prison.
Cook, Robin. Coma. 1977. FIC
A medical student uses surreptitious methods to obtain forbidden
charts on certain patients who have gone into coma on the operating table and
never come out of it. Susan feels there is something wrong, and sets out to
find what it is.
Other works by Cook may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Cormier, Robert. I Am the Cheese. 1977. FIC
Through his doctor’s questions, Adam struggles out of a world of
medicated oblivion and begins a desperate bicycle journey in search of a
truth that will destroy him.
After the First Death. 1991. FIC
Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists
seeking the return of their homeland are described from the perspectives of a
hostage, a terrorist, an Army General involved in the rescue operation, and
his son, chosen as a go-between. Other works by this author may be
read, with approval of your teacher.
Costain, Thomas. The Black Rose. 1945. FIC
A young English nobleman in the 13th century fights his way to the
heart of the Mongol empire, and returns home to find himself torn between an
English heiress and a girl of the East. A rich novel of both romance and
colorful history.
Craven, Margaret. I Heard the Owl Call My Name. 1973. FIC
A young Anglican missionary is sent to a remote Indian village in
Canada. Sensitive to Indian life, he comes to be accepted by the Indians, by
sharing their sufferings and their work, learning their dances and myths. A
slim novel of deep and glowing spirituality.
Crichton, Michael. The Andromeda Strain. 1969. FIC
An unmanned satellite lands at the edge of a small Arizona town, and
within days all of the town’s inhabitants but two die suddenly and
grotesquely. A rescue team must find out what the contaminant is and how to
fight it before it spreads to the rest of the country.
Cronin, A.J. The Citadel. 1937. FIC
The story of the career of a conscientious and brilliant young
doctor, from his start in a mining town in Wales to the realization of his
ambitions for a practice in London.
Other works by Cronin may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Donaldson, Stephen. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever. 1977.
FIC
In the first book of this trilogy, Lord Foul’s Bane, Thomas Covenant,
a man burdened with a stigma that has isolated him, is suddenly sent to a
mysterious magic world known as the Land. The Land has an immortal enemy who
wishes to destroy it, and in Thomas, who does not believe in the Land’s life-
restoring powers, Lord Foul thinks that he has found the perfect tool for his
purpose.
Dooley, Tom. The Night They Burned the Mountain. 1960. Biography
The true story of an American doctor who establishes a hospital in a
remote area of Laos. Dooley’s undiminished courage and enthusiasm for his
work in the face of illness and hardship, his sincere religious convictions,
and his unpretentious heroism are inspiring.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The White Company. 1891. FIC
A Hampshire lad joins an English company during the time of the Black
Prince and Edward III, and in the course of much wandering through France and
the Pyrenees, meets with stirring adventures and performs many deeds of valor.
Drury, Allan. Come Ninevah, Come Tyre. 1973. FIC
A Cold War-era novel of complex plot twists involving assassination,
kidnapping, and political deals, growing protest in the United Nations and in
Congress, and a liberal president bent on preservation of the U.S. system
while striving for peace.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Dumas, Alexandre. The Man in the Iron Mask. 1850. FIC
The four musketeers of Dumas’ earlier novel return to solve the
mystery of the identity of a man whose face is cruelly locked into an iron
mask.
Du Maurier, Daphne. Rebecca. 1938. FIC
A timid young girl marries a widower whose wife had died tragically,
and finds his beautiful Cornish estate filled with terrifying reminders of
the dead first wife. A thrillingly atmospheric story of mystery and
impending doom.
Other works by Du Maurier may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Ferber, Edna. Great Son. 1945. FIC
The chronicles of four generations of a Seattle family, the Melendys,
beginning with the arrival of the first of the family on the west coast in
1851, and ending with the great-grandson of old Madam Exact Melendy, who
joins the American air corps on the day of Pearl Harbor. A warm-hearted,
solid read.
Other works by this author may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Finney, Jack. Time and Again. 1970. FIC
Approached by a scientist, Simon Morley agrees to join in a time-
travel experiment, and visits 1882 New York with great excitement, but his
enthusiasm falters when he is asked by government agencies of his own time to
alter historical events. Wonderfully evocative of the vibrancy of 1880’s
Manhattan.
Forester, C.S. The African Queen. 1935. FIC
An English spinster vows to carry on the work of her missionary
brother in Africa, and enlists the help of a gallant little Cockney with a
dilapidated steam launch, to make a long and perilous trip on the river to
blow up the boat of the Germans who rounded up the missionary’s converts.
Gann, Ernest J. Twilight for the Gods. 1956. FIC
This novel charts the final voyage of the barquentine “Cannibal”,
which sails for Mexico from the South Seas port of Suva under Captain Bell,
carrying a cargo of copra and a few passengers seeking to escape the failures
of the past. Each of the oddly assorted group finds individual salvation
through the common struggle against disaster when the forces of time and the
sea threaten to overwhelm the “Cannibal.”
Glasgow, Ellen. Vein of Iron. 1935. FIC
An iron vein of strength and resolution carries five generations of a
Virginia mountain family through difficulties of all kinds, from the
hardships of pioneering to those of the Depression.
Goudge, Elizabeth. Green Dolphin Street. 1944. FIC
Set on one of the English Channel Islands and in frontier New
Zealand, this novel tells of two sisters and the neighbor boy who loves the
radiant and beautiful Marguerite, but in the letter he writes from New
Zealand asking her father for her hand in marriage unaccountably confuses the
names, and gets the stern and intellectual Marianne instead.
Green, Hannah. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. 1964. FIC
Deborah, a sixteen-year-old girl, is sick of rebelling against the
lies she hears, the hatred she feels, and the anti-Semitism she suffers at a
summer camp. She is schizophrenic and has invented for herself a mythical
kingdom into which she retreats, and only when her parents reluctantly commit
her to an asylum does she begin with great difficulty to face reality. A
striking portrayal of a girl’s violent struggle between sickness and health,
given added poignancy by youth, wit, and courage.
Gunther, John. Death be Not Proud. 1949. Biography
A memoir dedicated to the author’s seventeen-year-old son, who dies
after a series of operations for a brain tumor. Not only a tribute to a
remarkable boy, but an account of a brave fight against disease.
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon. 1930. FIC
Sam Spade, a hardboiled private eye with his own solitary code of
ethics, goes after the man who murdered his partner, and runs afoul of the
police, as well as several sets of people who are all after a mysterious
statuette.
Other works by Hammett may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Harris, Marilyn. Hatter Fox. 1973. FIC
A teenage Navaho girl, in jail for a minor offense, stabs a young
Indian Bureau Doctor and is sent to a reformatory in the middle of New
Mexico, where the doctor helps her to a gradual and painful rehabilitation.
This touching novel avoids almost every cliché in its depiction of the
relationship between people who come to care about each other.
Heggen, Thomas. Mr. Roberts. 1946. FIC
A young lieutenant on a cargo ship crossing and re-crossing the
Pacific during World War II must contend with the apathy and boredom of his
men as well as his own frustration at not being part of the battles.
Hilton, James. Good-bye, Mr. Chips. 1934. FIC
A schoolmaster reflects on his life, his school, and his beloved
students in this subtle and charming story.
Other works by Hilton may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Knebel, Fletcher and Bailey, Charles. Seven Days in May. 1962. FIC
The President of the United States, with only a small group of
advisors, sets out to expose and foil a military plot to overthrow the
government.
Llewellyn, Richard. How Green Was My Valley. 1940. FIC
The youngest son of a Welsh mining family tells the story of his life
and the Welsh valley of his boyhood, from the green and beautiful days of
prosperity through hard times of strikes and layoffs. An intense and
resonantly beautiful novel.
MacDonald, Betty. The Egg and I. 1945. FIC
The autobiography of a farmer’s wife. She and her husband settle on
a chicken farm in the mountains of Washington State, where the nearest
neighbor is four miles down the road. Bob, a former Marine, loves the life,
but Betty wages a constant and losing battle against the stove that won’t
work, the water which has to be brought in pails by hand, and the chickens
who seem determined to commit suicide.
Marshall, Catherine. Christy. 1968. FIC
A story of courage, suspense, and faith, based on the true story of the
author’s mother. A sixteen-year-old girl joins an interdenominational mission
in the Kentucky backwoods, and struggles with the difficulties of teaching in
a makeshift school. In the process she learns much about both herself and
the feuding, clannish, superstitious, and stubborn Kentucky folk.
Masefield, John. The Bird of Dawning. 1933. FIC
The story of a sailing ship race from the Pagoda Anchorage to the
Thames, in the last years of the clipper ships of the early 1860s. A vivid
and evocative tale of the sea, alive with salt spray, creaking lines, and the
strain of spars and gears.
Michener, James. The Bridges at Toko-ri. 1953. FIC
The men of a naval task force in Korean waters are given the vital
mission of destroying the heavily-guarded bridges carrying essential supplies
to the Communist forces during the Korean war.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Glory Field. 1994. FIC
Follows a family’s two-hundred year history, from the capture of an
African boy in the 1750’s through the lives of his descendants, as their
dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of
land in South Carolina that they call the Glory Field
Nordhoff, Charles, and Hall, James N. Mutiny on the Bounty. 1932. FIC
The classic sea tale based on the famous mutiny aboard a British war
vessel in 1787 on which the mate of the ship, Fletcher Christian, and a
number of his mates rebel against their cruel commander in the South Seas.
Other works by Nordhoff and Hall may be read, with approval of your
teacher.
Potok, Chaim. The Chosen. 1967. FIC
Two Jewish boys, one Orthodox and one Hasidic, become friends in
spite of their very different worlds.
Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. 1929. FIC
A young German boy is drafted into the army to fight in the trenches
of the Great War, experiencing its horrors, coarseness, lewdness, humor,
pathos, comradeship, and even beauty. A simple honest story that is a
powerful indictment of war.
Renault, Mary. The King Must Die. 1958. FIC
The story of Theseus, legendary Greek hero, and of the adventures
that befall this wiry and quick-witted youth compelled to prove his manhood
in a semi-barbaric society.
Richter, Conrad. The Sea of Grass. 1937. FIC
A woman leaves her husband and children and their hard life on a
cattle ranch to return to the city, but comes back to her husband twenty
years later after her son is killed.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 1998. FIC
Sequel to: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. When the Chamber
of Secrets is opened again at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and
Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a
dark power that has once more been released on the school. *PARENT PERMISSION
IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TITLE.
Shute, Nevil. On the Beach. 1957. FIC
In 1963 Melbourne, Australia, people are gradually coming to accept
the fact that they will die very soon, for the results of an atomic war have
wiped out all life in the Northern Hemisphere and the infection is moving
southward. A realistic and imaginative depiction of people’s reactions to
the end of life as they know it.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. 1937. FIC
George and Lennie, two drifting ranch hands, dream of their own piece
of land where they would “belong,” but the blundering, slow-witted George
keeps getting them into trouble. A simple, understated classic of character,
friendship, and dreams.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Black Arrow. 1888. FIC
A young Englishman, seeking to avenge the death of his father,
becomes involved with the band of the Black Arrow and the events of the Wars
of the Roses, as the armies of Lancaster and York clash.
Swarthout, Glendon. Bless the Beasts and the Children. 1970. FIC
The Box Canyon Boys Camp in Arizona advertised, “Send us a boy and
we’ll send you a cowboy.” But they never bargained for the bed-wetting, nail-
biting, thumb-sucking misfits. They set out on a mission to prove
themselves, led by Cotton, and it turns out to be an eerie and frightening
experience.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. 1937. FIC
A hobbit is reluctantly persuaded to join a band of dwarfs who are
off on an expedition to recover the treasure stolen by a dragon.
The “grandfather” of fantasy fiction.
Other works by Tolkien may be read, with the approval of your teacher.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Picture Bride. 1987. FIC
A young Japanese woman arrives in San Francisco for an arranged
marriage and finds things to be quite different from what she expected.
Verne, Jules. Around the World in Eighty Days. 1873. FIC
Phileas Fogg undertakes a whirlwind tour of the world as the
result of a bet: the inventive hero and his faithful manservant must circle
the globe in eighty days.
Other works by Verne may be read, with approval of your teacher.
Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds. 1898. FIC
In this story, one of the earliest science fiction novels,
Martians invade earth and overwhelm the inhabitants with their superior
weaponry.
Other works by Wells may be read, with the approval of your
teacher
Wolfe, Thomas. Look Homeward, Angel. 1929. FIC
An autobiographical novel of the childhood and youth of a small-
town boy in the South, who, as he grows up, becomes aware of the relations
among his family, meets the eccentric people of the town, goes to college,
discovers literature and ideas, has his first love affairs, and at last sets
out alone on a mystic and romantic “pilgrimage.”
SOPHOMORE HONORS LIST
The Arabian Nights. 1946. 398 A658 SHORT STORIES
Sentenced to death, the wife of an Arabian king delays her
execution by telling her husband a different story for 1,001 nights in a row,
in this collection of ancient Persian tales. Here, among many others, are
the original tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the
Sailor.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. 1953. FIC
Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which book paper catches fire
and burns. It is also a group of firemen, of which Guy Montag is one. In
this book the firemen don’t put out fires; they start them. Books aren’t
allowed to be owned or read, but must be destroyed by fire. Guy becomes
curious about what’s in these books, but knows he can only read them at the
risk of his own life.
Other works by Bradbury may be read, with the approval of your teacher.
Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth. 1931. FIC Pulitzer Prize for Fiction,
1932.
Generally regarded as Buck’s masterpiece, this novel describes the
rise of Wang Lung, a Chinese peasant, from poverty to the position of a rich
landowner, helped by his patient wife, O-Lan. Their vigor, fortitude,
persistence, and enduring love of the land are emphasized throughout.
Cather, Willa. My Ántonia. 1918. FIC
A young Nebraska boy tells the story of his friendship with a
Bohemian girl, in this rich novel of character, the stubborn determination of
pioneers, and America’s assimilation of the immigrant.
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. 1837. FIC
A boy from an English workhouse falls into the hands of rogues who
train him to be a pickpocket, in this story of the boy’s struggles to escape
from an environment of crime.
Dostoyevski, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. 1866. FIC
Crazed by poverty and ambition, a young student commits a murder,
justifying himself by his theories of intellectual pride and individualism.
Dumas, Alexandre. The Man in the Iron Mask. 1850. FIC
The four musketeers of Dumas’ earlier novel return to solve the
mystery of the identity of a man whose face is cruelly locked into an iron
mask.
Other works by Alexandre Dumas may be read, with the approval of
your teacher.
Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. 1997. FIC
A wounded Confederate soldier leaves the hospital where he is being
treated and determines to walk home to his sweetheart, only to find the land
and the girl he remembers as changed by the war as he. *PARENT PERMISSION IS
REQUIRED FOR THIS TITLE.
Glasgow, Ellen. Barren Ground. 1925. FIC
When the man she loves jilts her for a wealthier young woman,
Dorinda Oakley leaves her bleak Virginia farm
for New York, but years later returns to devote her life to transforming her
old home into a prosperous dairy farm.
Goldman, William. The Princess Bride. 1974. FIC
A comic adventure romance with lots of fencing, fighting, and true
love.
Graves, Robert. I, Claudius. 1934. FIC
The “lost autobiography” of Tiberius Claudius, the simple,
stuttering son of Augustus Caesar, who by his mere survival of the intrigues,
assassinations, and decadence of Imperial Rome becomes Caesar himself.
Graves’ historical novels are scholarly and mischievous; he often interprets
his characters in psychologically convincing ways that are quite different
from the conventional, traditional view.
Hilton, James. Lost Horizon. 1933. FIC
When their plane crashes on a remote Tibetan mountain, a group of
travelers find themselves involuntary guests at an almost inaccessible
monastery unknown to the world.
Homer. The Iliad. 8th cent.? B.C. 883 H766 NON-FICTION LITERATURE
Perhaps the epic poem of all time, The Iliad details the events of
the few days near the end of the Trojan War, focusing on the withdrawal of
Achilles from the contest and the disastrous effects of this act on the Greek
campaign. A work of vast scope and human touches, of grandeur and honor, of
humor and sorrow. Prose translations are available; ask which version your
teacher prefers.
Homer. The Odyssey. 8th century? B.C. 883 H766 NON-FICTION LITERATURE.
This epic poem recounts the adventures of Odysseus, hero of The
Iliad, on his way home after the Trojan War. Though written in heroic verse,
it has often been called the first novel because of its exciting narrative
and effective use of flashbacks to heighten the dramatic action. Prose
translations are available; ask which version your teacher prefers.
McCullough, Colleen. The Thorn Birds 1977. FIC
A family saga that stretches from a poor New Zealand farm to London
society and on to the Vatican.
Meyer, Nicholas. The Seven Percent Solution. 1974. FIC
A “sequel” to the Sherlock Holmes stories, in which Watson,
concerned about Holmes’ mental and physical health because of Holmes’ cocaine
addiction, tricks Holmes into a meeting with the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund
Freud.
Pelzer, David. A Child Called “It”. 1994. 362.7 P393 NON-FICTION
David Pelzer, victim of one of the worst child abuse cases in the
history of California, tells the story of how he survived his mother’s brutal
abuse.
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. 1943. FIC
The struggle for success among New York architects illustrates the
premise that people may gain glory and money but in the end the creative
artist wins out, exalting the individual and proclaiming the ego as the
fountainhead of progress.
Other works by Rand may be read, with the approval of your teacher.
Sophocles. Oedipus. 5th cent. B.C. 882 S712 NON-FICTION LITERATURE
One of the classic Greek tragedies. Oedipus is destined to kill
his father and marry his mother, but in trying to avoid this fate, he becomes
further and further entangled in the prophecy.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Picture Bride: a Novel. 1987. FIC
A young Japanese woman arrives in San Francisco for an arranged
marriage and finds things to be quite different from what she expected.
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