The Window

by Michael Dorris
Lexile:  920

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Rayona can't count on her mom who has good days and bad days.  On a good day, she and her mother have "national holiday" celebrations.  On a bad day, her mom forgets to come home and is too sick to go to work the next morning.  And then one day, her mom doesn't come home at all.  Rayona learns that she has been placed in a court ordered rehab facility.  Her father isn't able to care for her either so he makes arrangements for her to go into foster care.  After two families don't work out, her father decides to send her to live with his mother and sister, neither of whom Rayona has met before.  But before the three can meet, her father has to reveal a secret he's kept for a long time.

Invisible

by Pete Hautman
Lexile:  730
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Doug Hanson is a loner and is often picked on by other kids in his school.  His only hobby is building and creating a model train town in his basement.  He has one friend, Andy, who is the opposite of Doug.  Andy is popular, plays football and has friends throughout the school.  But something happens that changes both Andy and Doug's life forever, and Doug is left trying to sort out what is real and what isn't.

The Summer I Learned to Fly

by Dana Reinhardt
Lexile:  750
Genre:  Historical Fiction

Drew has a lot of time to spend alone this summer.  Her mother is involved with her new business and her new boyfriend.  When Drew meets Emmett one night, she feels as if she has found someone that finally understands her.  But the more she learns about Emmett, the more she realizes she doesn't know.  What secret is he hiding?

Ninth Ward

by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Lexile:  470
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Twelve year old Lanesha lives in New Orleans with Mama Ya-Ya, a friend of her mother's who has been raising her since she was born.  Mama Ya-Ya claims to see int the future so she knows that the hurricane the forecasters are warning about is going to be a big one.  Lanesha has never seen Mama Ya-Ya so worried.  Will they and their neighbors be able to survive Hurricane Katrina?

Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy

by Albert Marrin
Lexile:  1000
Genre:  Informational

Life in New York City changed forever on March 25, 1911 when the Trianlge Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames.  146 people - mostly women - died because they were unable to safely exit the rapidly burning building.  This informational book provides the background on how so many immigrants came to be working in factories like this one and describes the dedication of many who fought so hard for working people's rights and freedoms.

Scat

by Carl Hiaasen
Lexile:  810
Genre:  Mystery

Nick and Marta's biology teacher is missing.  At first they're not too upset, as Ms. Starch is not their favorite teacher.  But her mysterious disappearance during a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp, has them wondering.  And then there's their classmate, Duane Scrod, Jr.  He's not acting normally either.  Nick and Marta decide to investigate Ms. Starch's disappearance on their own which leads them on an adventure they never expected!

The Eleventh Plague

by Jeff Hirsch
Lexile:  790
Genre:  Science Fiction

This science fiction novel is set in the future.  The America as we know it today has disappeared forever.  A brutal war wiped out a good part of the population and 2/3 of those left died from an influenza like plague.  For the remaining citizens, it is all about survival.  Stephen Quinn is 15 and doesn't remember the easy life his parents do - where there were homes, food, schools, and shopping malls on every corner.  The reality of his life is salvaging.  He, along with his grandfather and father, travel the country looking for things to trade for their basic needs.  But when his grandfather and father die, Stephen is left alone.  Will he be able to survive?

Hidden

by Helen Frost
Lexile:  670
Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Novel in Verse

Wren and Darra meet at camp when they are 14, but it is not the first time they've met and neither one of them wants to talk about it.  Wren was 8 years old when Darra's father stole the car she was in and unknowingly kidnapped her.  Wren hid in Darra's garage without food and water for several days before she escaped.  As a result, Darra's dad was sent to jail.  Wren has worked hard to put this incident behind her and Darra has worked hard at building a life without her father.  Then suddenly, the two are face to face, having to share a cabin, friends, and 4 weeks of their lives.