GREAT
BOOKS FOR GUYS
For grades 5-8 -- Located in J Fic
Berry AJEEMAH AND HIS SON. A father and son experience slavery in 19th century Jamaica. (1992)
Boyd CHEVROLET SATURDAYS. Fifth-grader Joey has trouble adjusting to his new teacher and his new stepfather. (1993)
Conford DEAR MOM, GET ME OUT OF HERE. Trapped in a dreadful boarding school, Paul joins his classmates in attempting to discover the shocking past of their headmaster, Mr. Pickles. (1992)
Davis (YA) IF ROCK AND ROLL WERE A MACHINE. High school junior Bert Bowden slowly regains his sense of self which had been destroyed by his fifth-grade teacher. (1992)
Disher BAMBOO FLUTE. A drifter brightens the life of 12-year-old Paul in a rural Australian community in 1932. (1993)
Finley (YA) SOARING EAGLE. Julio, a 13-year-old boy in 1845, finds friendship and a clue to his identity while living with the Cheyenne tribe that rescued him on the Santa Fe trail. (1993)
French CHANGE THE LOCKS. Steven has vague and disturbing memories of being left alone on a road in the middle of nowhere when he was young, but his mother avoids talking about their previous life. (1993)
Irwin ORIGINAL FREDDIE ACKERMAN. Refusing to spend another summer with his extended family, 12-year-old Freddie is sent to stay with two eccentric great-aunts in Maine and finds a mystery. (1992)
Korman TOILET PAPER TIGERS. Seventh-grader Corey is dismayed when his Little League team gets taken over by a coach who knows nothing about baseball and her pushy grand-daughter. (1993)
Reeder MOONSHINER’S SON. During Prohibition, 12-year-old Tom learns about hard work and honesty as he helps his father make moonshine in the remote hills of Virginia. (1993)
Temple GRAB HANDS AND RUN. Twelve-year-old Felipe, his mother and sister try to make the dangerous journey from their home in El Salvador to Canada. (1993)
For grades 7-10 -- located in YA Fic
Conly CRAZY LADY. After his mother’s death, Vernon finds solace with the neighborhood outcasts, an alcoholic and her retarded son. (1993)
Crutcher STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES. Daily class discussions on contemporary issues serve as the backdrop for a high-school senior’s attempts to answer a friend’s dramatic cry for help. (1993)
Deuker HEART OF A CHAMPION. Seth faces a strain on his friendship with Jimmy after Jimmy, an irresponsible baseball champion, is kicked off the team. (1993)
Dygard GAME PLAN. Student manager Beano Hatten must deal with a rebellious quarterback and his own lack of confidence when he takes over the coaching of the football team after their coach is hospitalized. (1993)
Korman TWINKIE SQUAD. When eccentric sixth-grader Douglas joins the Twinkie Squad, a special counseling group for problem students, chaos ensues. (1992)
Lipsyte CHIEF. As 19-year-old Sonny Bear is on the verge of a heavyweight boxing championship, he finds himself with conflicting loyalties as trouble erupts on his Indian reservation over the construction of a casino. (1993)
Lowry THE GIVER. Jonas discovers the terrible truth about his “perfect” society when he is given his lifetime assignment as the receiver of memories. (1993)
Patneaude SOMEONE WAS WATCHING. Eighth-grader Chris investigates his baby sister’s disappearance after everyone else assumes she drowned. (1993)
Powell IS KISSING A GIRL WHO SMOKES LIKE KISSING AN ASHTRAY? Two misfits develop a special friendship. (1992)
Sleator ODDBALLS. A collection of short stories filled with unusual people. (1993)
Sweeney TIGER ORCHARD. Zach doesn’t understand why he’s always felt like an outsider in his family until he begins having nightmares about his childhood. (1993)
Tamar TRUTH
ABOUT KIM O’HARA. 15-year-old Andy is baffled by his girlfriend’s
strange behavior until he discovers her tragic past. (1992)
Service of the City of Midland
www.midland-mi.org/gracedowlibrary
GreatBooksForGuys