Metamorphosis @ Your Library

Book Suggestions from the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library
2008 Young Adult Wisconsin Summer Library Program

Braille for Grades 6-9

Bauer, Joan. Squashed. Ellie Morgan, sixteen, has two goals in life: to win the Rock River (Iowa) Pumpkin Weigh-In and to lose twenty pounds. Growing Max--her giant pumpkin--is hard enough, what with drought, insects, cold, and even pumpkin thieves to fend off. Her widowed father doesn't approve of her obsession with Max, but encourages her diet with the motivational tapes he sells. And her loving grandmother is very supportive. Mark Twain Award. BRW 57

Butler, Beverly. Light a Single Candle. Cathy's life changes drastically when she loses her sight at fourteen. It takes courage and alertness to explore an uncharted world. But adjusting to blindness is often easier for Cathy than handling the reactions of the people around her. Clara Ingram Judson Award. BRW 7

Callahan, Philip. Insects and How They Function. The author explains how insects crawl, fly, see, eat, smell, and communicate, and tells why he believes they are among our most essential allies. BR 02195

Fusco, Kimberly. Tending to Grace. Cornelia is shy and withdrawn because of her stutter. She feels even lonelier when her mother drops her off to live with an eccentric great-aunt in a rundown farmhouse. But slowly and warily Cornelia and her aunt learn to share their strengths with each other. ALA/Schneider Family Book Award 2004. BRW 271

Jimenez, Francisco. Breaking Through. Having come from Mexico to California ten years ago, fourteen-year-old Francisco is still working in the fields but fighting to improve his life and complete his education. Pura Belpre Honor Book. BRW 180

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. Brian, thirteen and troubled by his parents' divorce, is flying in a single-engine plane to visit his father. As Brian is the only passenger, the pilot casually shows him how to fly the plane. When the pilot has a heart attack and dies, Brian must take control. After the plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, Brian has only the hatchet attached to his belt to help him survive. Newbery Honor Book. BRW 24

Teale, Edwin W. The Strange Lives of Familiar Insects. Describes the anatomy, habits, and life cycle of fourteen kinds of insects. BRA05788

Cassette Books for Grades 6-9

Alexander, Lloyd C. The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen. Young Lord Prince Jen leaves his elderly father to seek T'ien-kuo, a kingdom that is legendary for its contented subjects. In order to gain an audience with the king of T'ien-kuo, Jen is advised to bring six gifts--a saddle, a sword, a paint box, a bowl, a kite, and a flute. A series of disasters befalls him along the way, and he loses everything except his humanity. RC 36594

Bennett, James. Dakota Dream. Floyd Rayfield, fifteen, who has lived in foster homes most of his life, believes his destiny is to become a Dakota warrior. No longer able to tolerate his situation, he heads for the Pine Ridge reservation to undergo a vision quest and find a place he really belongs. Some strong language. RC 53086

Cameron, Ann. Colibri. Tzunun, a twelve-year-old Mayan girl kidnapped at age four by a man she calls "Uncle," wanders the Guatemalan countryside with him being pressured to beg, lie, and steal. Dependent and afraid to escape, Tzunun contemplates her individuality and morality with the encouragement of a fortune-teller. Some violence. RC 57425

Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and can't see his body, his relationship with the physical world and with his parents changes. He confides his invisibility situation to a new friend, Alicia, blinded two years before, and they try to figure out what happened to him. ALA/Schneider Family Book Award 2002. RC 54713

Danziger, Paula. Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? Lauren's life is the pits. She's just been jilted, her teachers are demerit-crazy, her father is super strict, and she has to share her bedroom with a messy younger sister. Then she takes a course in law for children and young people, where she meets a nice guy and decides to help her parents shape up. RC 19717

Davis, Jenny. Checking on the Moon. Her mother says "life is change," but Cab, thirteen, is ill-prepared to leave tiny Blue Cloud, Texas, for a summer in an old, dingy Pittsburgh neighborhood with a grandmother she's never met. Working in her grandmother's diner, Cab soon grows fond of the cafe's regulars. When nice Mr. Johansson is robbed and Cab's brother's girlfriend is brutally raped, Cab helps to organize a neighborhood watch. Some violence. RC 35046

Farrell, Mame. And Sometimes Why. Christy (Chris) and Jack have been best friends since first grade. But Jack is confused when he discovers that, during the summer before they start high school, his jock buddy is turning into a beautiful girl. RC 54109

Woodson, Jacqueline. Miracle's Boys. Three orphaned African American brothers confront the challenges of growing up in New York City. The eldest, Ty'ree, works to support the boys; hostile and sullen Charlie returns from two years in detention; and Lafayette, the youngest, longs for family closeness. Some strong language. Coretta Scott King Award. Bestseller 2000. RC 51471

Braille for Junior & Senior High

Abelove, Joan. Saying It Out Loud: a Novel. With the help of her best friend, sixteen-year-old Mindy sorts through her relationships with her solicitous mother and her detached father as she tries to come to terms with the fact that her mother is dying from a brain tumor. Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year. BRW 87

Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road. Sixteen-year-old Jenna loves selling shoes for the Chicago Gladstone Shoe Store. But when her drunken father arrives in town, Jenna jumps at the opportunity to drive ornery Mrs. Gladstone to Texas. Jenna and the elderly woman fret over the future of the store chain, now in Gladstone's son's unscrupulous hands. American Library Association Notable Book. BRW 56

Carter, Alden R. Up Country. When his mother's drinking problem causes him to spend several months with country relatives in upstate Wisconsin, sixteen-year-old Carl begins to build a new life for himself, only to see it threatened by a serious mistake from his painful past. BRW 128

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon sits in jail accused of being a lookout in a deadly robbery. An aspiring filmmaker, Steve reviews his time in jail as a movie script. He wonders if he has become the monster that the prosecutor has made him out to be. Coretta Scott King Award 2000. BRW 268

Thomas, Rob. Slave Day. Relates the events of a southern high school's "Slave Day" auction and fund-raiser, which leads students, teachers, and even community members to rethink their approaches to life. BRW 121

Witlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. After starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents' divorce, sixteen-year-old Josh meets an unusual girl, and begins to develop a healthier personality. Michael J. Printz Award finalist 2000. BRW 122

Cassette Books for Junior & Senior High

Anderson, Laurie H. Prom. Eighteen-year-old Ashley has no plans for college and wants nothing to do with the senior prom at her urban high school. When disaster strikes and her desperate friend Natalia needs help, Ashley's involvement transforms her life. Some strong language. RC 60085

Billingsley, ReShonda Tate. Nothing but Drama: Good Girlz, Book 1. Houston, Texas. After hiding her boyfriend from the police, sixteen-year-old Camille is ordered by juvenile court to join a community service group called Good Girlz. She reluctantly joins the group's founder Rachel, pregnant Angel, tough-acting Jasmine, and rich Alexis. The teens eventually form strong bonds. RC 65053

Crutcher, Chris. Deadline. Eighteen-year-old Ben Wolf hides his terminal illness from family and friends during his senior year of high school. Since he is now able to live without fearing consequences, Ben allows himself to fall in love, argue with a teacher, and play football. Some strong language. RC 65481

Gould, Steven. Jumper. After twice ending up in his local library following threatening situations, Davy Rice, seventeen, realizes he has the ability to "jump," or teleport himself. He also believes his mother had the same power and that she used it to escape from Davy's abusive father. Soon Davy finds himself on the streets of New York where he uses teleporting for survival and to find his Mom. Strong language and some violence. RC 37465

Klein, Norma. No More Saturday Nights. High school seniors Tim Weber and Cheryl Banks are from different sides of the tracks. They like to date and have fun together, but they are not in love. Then Cheryl gets pregnant and puts the baby up for adoption. But Tim, who plans to start college at Columbia University in the fall, decides that he wants to raise his son--and wins custody in court. Some strong language. RC 32669

Panshin, Alexei. Rite of Passage. The coming of age of a young twenty-second century girl who struggles with universal problems. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Hugo Award. RC 11237

Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now. In the near future fifteen-year-old Daisy, an American, travels to England to visit relatives and falls in love with her cousin Edmond. After a world war breaks out, the family becomes separated. The two lovers are reunited years later. Michael J. Printz Award 2004. RC 59908

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For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 11/5/2009 10:58:23 AM