Raising Readers
2005 Teen Summer Reading Book Reviews
Night
Elie Wiesel
940.53 Wiesel
"It was incredible to hear about a boy's experience in the Nazi death camps."
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Baroness Orczy
F Orc
Meet the first "masked avenger" in fiction. The Scarlet Pimpernel is an Englishman who helps French aristocrats escape the guillotine during the French Revolution's "Reign of Terror." "This book is an awesome love story."
The Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas
F Dumas
This swashbuckling tale of a young swordsman and his three best friends is set in and around Paris, 1625. It is fast becoming a rediscovered classic of cult proportions, particularly among teens. "The main characters . . . draw you into the story, and make you feel like you are the one all of it is happening to."
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
F Lee
Don't let the fact that this book is often required reading put you off. "This is a classic book that EVERYONE should read! You will be a better person after this."
Foundation Trilogy
Isaac Asimov
F Asimov
We have to mention Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation because these books show up as teen favorites YEAR AFTER YEAR. If you haven't read them yet, do it!
Nine Days A Queen
Ann Rinaldi
X Rinaldi
"Ann Rinaldi really tells you about Jane Grey and her thoughts on being a queen . . . Rinaldi spins the fact and fiction together perfectly. I highly recommend it."
Stormbreaker
Anthony Horowitz
F Horowitz
This book, the first in the Alex Rider series, is a James Bond-style adventure complete with bizarre villains, cliff-hanger episodes, and a quick pace. Its hero, 14-year-old Alex Rider, becomes an undercover operative for the British government, and the action is nonstop from cover to cover.
White Oleander
Janet Fitch
F Fitch
Astrid has been through a lot ? an unstable mother, an absent father, and multiple dysfunctional foster care situations. How much longer can she endure her situation before breaking into a thousand pieces? "I liked this book and I think Janet Titan is a wonderful author."
Eragon
Christopher Paolini
X Paolini
"Eragon is a must-read-right-away-or-will-look-stupid book."
The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke
X Funke
"I love it 'cause you never can get bored of it even
if you read it 100 times."
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availability
The Blue Sword
Robin McKinley
X Mckinley
Harry is an orphan girl who finds herself living in Damar, a harsh desert country inhabited by Homelanders and the secretive, magical Hillfolk. Corlath, the Hillfolk king, sets out to train Harry in the arts of war until she is a match for any of his men. Is she ready for the fate that awaits her? "No matter how many times you read it you never get tired of it."