New young adult books

We recently purchased some new young adult titles.  If you're still looking for a book to read for your summer reading assignment, you might want to check out one of these titles.  Books are located in the young adult fiction section of the library by author's last name unless otherwise noted.  Please see the Children's or Reference Librarian for the exact location of these books.

Boy on Cinnamon Street, The by Phoebe Stone
Since a tragedy she cannot remember, 13-year-old Louise has changed her name, given up gymnastics, moved in with her grandparents, and locked her feelings inside but through her friends Reni and Hen and notes from a secret admirer she begins to find herself again.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Cracked by K. M. Walton
When Bull Mastrick and Victor Konig wind up in the same psychiatric ward at age 16, each recalls and relates in group therapy the bullying relationship they have had since kindergarten, but also facts about themselves and their families that reveal they have much in common.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

DJ Rising by Love Maia
Sixteen-year-old Marley Diego-Dylan's career as "DJ Ice" is skyrocketing, but his mother's heroin addiction keeps dragging him back to earth.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Fated by Alyson Noël
When she begins having strange experiences, Daire discovers her identity as a Soul Seeker who is capable of traveling between the worlds of the living and the dead and meets a gorgeous dream boy whose evil brother wants to steal her powers. This is the first title in the Soul Seekers series.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Girl in the Mirror, The by Meg Kearney
In a series of poems and journal entries, 17-year-old Lizzie grieves over the death of her adoptive father, as her plans for college and search for her birth mother are put on hold. (YAP K)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

One Moment by Kristina McBride
Rising high school senior Maggie remembers little about the accidental death of her boyfriend, Joey, but as she slowly begins to recall that day at the gorge with their long-time friends, she realizes he was keeping some terrible secrets.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Steampunk: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein illustrated by Zdenko Basic & Manuel Sumberac
Frankenstein is the long celebrated gothic tale of a science experiment gone awry. In this brand-new edition, Shelley's haunting horror story is transformed with the addition of steampunk-inspired art. With elaborate full-color illustrations throughout, this is a truly unique interpretation of Frankenstein.  It’s a fresh look at a classic story, spiked with gadgets, fashion, and steam-powered machinery.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
When 18-year-old Mikey's younger sister claims to have been raped and he seeks to avenge the crime, he meets Ellie, the sister of the accused, and befriends her, complicating the situation considerably for all of them.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli Book Review

Are you a fan of Jerry Spinelli?  If so, you'll be happy to hear he has a new book out! Told in alternating chapters from twin siblings Lily and Jake's points of view, Jake and Lily is the story of the summer the twins turn 11.

Jake and Lily have always had a special connection. When Jake hurts himself, Lily feels his pain. When Lily is about to run into the street to chase a ball, Jake yells at her to "Stop!" even though he's indoors and can't see her.  They can't play hide and seek because they always know where the other is hiding. 

This connection weakens the summer the twins turn 11. All of a sudden, Jake has a bunch of new friends he's hanging out with and Lily feels left out and  alone. What has happened to this special connection between the twins and will things return to normal?

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books by Jerry Spinelli.  If you're going into 6th or 7th grade and you're still looking for your summer reading book assignment, this book would be perfect.  Recommended for children in grades 3-7. 

Vineland Public Schools Summer Reading

Children and young adults in 6th-12th grade who attend one of the public schools in Vineland have a summer reading assignment that must be completed by Friday, September 14.  The assignments are located on the Vineland Public Schools website and may be accessed here. Scroll halfway the page to find the assignments.

Students entering 6th through 8th grades and students entering College English in high school may pick their book and their assignment.  Students in Advanced College English and Honors English were given their assigned book at the end of the school year. 

To help students pick books that the Vineland Public Library owns, we have created lists for students in 6th-12 grades.  This list of books is located here.  However, students are not limited to the books on these lists.  Please see a Children's or Reference staff member for more suggestions.   

The Vineland Public Schools has also provided lists that were created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  While we may own some of the books on these lists, there may be some titles that we don't own.  Your best bet is to look at the list created by the Vineland Public Library or ask one of our knowledgeable librarians for other suggestions.

For more information, call the Vineland Public Library at (856) 794-4244.

Vineland Public Library survey

We are asking for your opinion, and we promise to listen. The Vineland Public Library needs your help to plan for the future. With this survey, we hope to find out what library services you like, which ones you need, what you don’t want, and how we can improve our service to you.

Without a community’s support and involvement, any library is just a building full of stuff. That isn’t what Vineland Public Library is now, and we don’t want that to be its future. We intend to remain a vital part of Vineland by staying relevant to you.

Together as a community we face challenges, such as financial uncertainties and rapid changes in technology. By planning carefully, we can be ready for these challenges and direct our efforts where they will make the most difference in serving the members of our diverse community. Please help us by answering these questions and sharing your thoughts. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Please click here to take the survey. Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Information Desk, Children's Information Desk and the Circulation Desk at the Vineland Public Library. 

Thank you!

High School Summer Reading List

Still looking for something to read for your summer reading assignment?  Here are some good titles for students in high school.  These books are located in the young adult fiction section of the library by the author's last name unless otherwise noted.  Please see the Children's or Reference Librarian for the exact location of these books.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed, is nearly killed when her cryo chamber is unplugged fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing. Amy doesn't know who she can trust on this ship ruled by a tyrant.  All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
When Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly goes, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend, in spite of the fact that they both want something more.  (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Perkins)
Reading Level: 9th grade and up

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien
In a future world baked dry by the sun and divided into those who live inside the wall and those who live outside it, 16-year-old midwife Gaia Stone is forced into a difficult choice when her parents are arrested and taken into the city.
Grade Level: 9th-10th grade

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
In the sequel to Graceling, Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with lies as she tries to help her people to heal from the thirty-five-year spell cast by her father.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, A by Dana Reinhardt
Sixteen-year-old atheist Simone Turner-Bloom's life changes in unexpected ways when her parents convince her to make contact with her biological mother, an agnostic from a Jewish family who is losing her battle with cancer. (YAP and AUD CD YA FIC Reinhardt)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Chime by Franny Billingsley
In the early twentieth century in Swampsea, 17-year-old Briony, who can see the spirits that haunt the marshes around their town, feels responsible for her twin sister's horrible injury until a young man enters their lives and exposes secrets that even Briony does not know about. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Billingsley)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Crossed by Allyson Condie
Seventeen-year-old Cassia sacrifices everything and heads to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, where she is confronted with shocking revelations about Society and the promise of rebellion. This is the sequel to Matched.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Told in the alternating voices of two 16-year-olds, Dash and Lily, carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what—or who—they will find.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters—the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Entwined by Heather Dixon
Confined to their dreary castle while mourning their mother's death, Princess Azalea and her eleven sisters join The Keeper, who is trapped in a magic passageway, in a nightly dance that soon becomes nightmarish. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Dixon)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.  Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy this series.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Fault in Our Stars, The by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at a cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Sixteen-year-old London Lane forgets everything each night and must use notes to struggle through the day, even to recall her wonderful boyfriend, but she "remembers" future events and as her "flashforwards" become more disturbing she realizes she must learn more about the past lest it destroy her future. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Patrick)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up
 
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family but is soon sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn where he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess.  This is the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock.  
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Told from their own viewpoints, 17-year-old Jill, in grief over the loss of her father, and Mandy, nearly 19, are thrown together when Jill's mother agrees to adopt Mandy's unborn child but nothing turns out as they had anticipated.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña
Seventeen-year-old Kidd Ellison runs away to work for the summer at a beach campsite in California where his hard work and good looks lead to friendship and love but painful past memories surface in menacing ways.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
As war surges in the dystopian society around her, 16-year-old Divergent Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. This is the sequel to Divergent.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Irises by Francisco X. Stork
Kate, eighteen, and Mary, sixteen, must make some adult decisions about the course their lives should take when their loving but old-fashioned father dies suddenly, leaving them with their mother, who has been in a persistant vegetative state since an accident four years earlier. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Stork)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Ironman by Chris Crutcher
While training for a triathlon, 17-year-old Bo attends an anger management group at school which leads him to examine his relationship with his father.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
In small-town Australia, teens Jasper and Charlie form an unlikely friendship when one asks the other to help him cover up a murder until they can prove who is responsible.  (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Silvey)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Legend by Marie Lu
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, 15-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
After coming out of alcohol rehabilitation, 16-year-old Amy sorts out conflicting emotions about her best friend Julia's death in a car accident for which she feels responsible.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña
Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Monster Calls, A by Patrick Ness
Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill.  This monster is an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Calla and Ren have been raised knowing it is their destiny to mate with one another and rule over their shape-shifting wolf pack, but when a human boy arrives and vies for Calla's heart, she is faced with a decision that could change her whole world. Fans of Twilight will enjoy this series.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Sixteen-year-old Francesca could use her outspoken mother's help with the problems of being one of a handful of girls at a parochial school that has just turned co-ed, but her mother has suddenly become severely depressed.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
In the three years since her father caught her in the back seat of a car with an older boy, 16-year-old Deanna's life at home and school has been a nightmare, but while dreaming of escaping with her brother and his family, she discovers the power of forgiveness. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Stotan! by Chris Crutcher
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

After losing her soul mate, Cameron, when they were nine, Jennifer, now 17, transformed herself from the unpopular fat girl into the beautiful and popular Jenna, but Cameron's unexpected return dredges up memories that cause both social and emotional turmoil. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr)

Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Underworld by Meg Cabot

John Hayden, a death deity, takes 17-year-old Pierce Oliviera back to the Underworld against her will to keep her safe from the Furies, but her family is still at risk and she, herself, may never escape his captivity. This is the sequel to Abandon.

Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Unwritten Rule, The by Elizabeth Scott

Petite and young-looking, 17-year-old Sarah has been best friends with the glamorous and seductive Brianna forever, but when she starts liking Brianna's boyfriend, their friendship becomes precarious.

Grade Level: 9th grade and up

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Following her parents' bitter divorce as she and her father move from town to town, 17-year-old Mclean reinvents herself at each school she attends until she is no longer sure she knows who she is or where she belongs.

Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Below Stairs by Margaret Powell Book Review

Are you eagerly awaiting the third season of Downton Abbey? Don't know what to do with yourself until it premieres?  How about read a book about a kitchen maid who works her way to becoming a cook? Sounds a bit like Daisy and Mrs. Patmore from Downton, doesn't it?

Margaret Powell's memoir Below Stairs was first published in 1968 and was the book that inspired the classic TV show Upstairs, Downstairs and the more recent Downton Abbey.

Born in 1907, Margaret was the daughter of working-class parents.  Margaret loved school and won a scholarship at age 13. She wanted to become a teacher.  However, when her parents learned that she wouldn't earn any money until she was 18-years-old, they decided to pull her out of school so she could work.   She worked odd jobs doing housework and laundry until it was decided that she would go into domestic services for upper class families (again think about the Granthams).  She was hired as a kitchen maid, which according to Powell, was the lowest position in the house for a servant.  However, if she ever aspired to be a cook, this was the best job for her. The book follows Margaret Powell as she works as a kitchen maid in various homes, becomes a cook and later marries a milkman named Albert.

Other books you might want to try are The World of Downton Abbey and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle.

Vineland Public Schools 9th-12th Grade Reading List

The following is list of suggested summer reading titles for 9th-12th graders. This list was compiled by Children’s Outreach Librarian Samantha Tai at the Vineland Public Library. All titles are available at the Vineland Public Library. Please note that students are not required to read a title from this list. They may pick any title that is deemed grade appropriate. These books can be located in the young adult fiction section by the author’s last name unless otherwise noted. Please see a librarian for the location of the following books or for other suggestions.

Abandon by Meg Cabot
A near-death experience, a horrible incident at school, and a move from Connecticut to Florida have turned 17-year-old Pierce's life upside-down, but when she needs him most John Hayden is always there, helping but reminding her of her visit to the Underworld.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The by Sherman Alexie
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Abundance of Katherines, An by John Green
Having been dumped for the 19th time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Airhead by Meg Cabot
Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a "whole body transplant" and finds herself transformed into one of the world's most famous teen supermodels. If you like Airhead, read the other two books in the series, Being Nikki and Runaway.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Along for The Ride by Sarah Dessen
When Auden impulsively goes to stay with her father, stepmother, and new baby sister the summer before she starts college, all the trauma of her parents' divorce is revived, even as she is making new friends and having new experiences such as learning to ride a bike and dating.
Also by Sarah Dessen: What Happened to Goodbye, Lock and Key, Just Listen, That Summer (YAP & audio AUD CD YA FIC Dessen) and This Lullaby
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
This graphic novel alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. (YA GN American)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
When a plane crash strands 13 teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
A terminally ill teenaged girl makes and carries out a list of things to do before she dies. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Downham)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
After she dies in a car crash, teenage Samantha relives the day of her death over and over again until, on the seventh day, she finally discovers a way to save herself.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
In 1941, 15-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil.
Reading Level: 9th grade and up

Bliss by Lauren Myracle
Having grown up in a California commune, Bliss sees her aloof grandmother's Atlanta world as a foreign country, but she is determined to be nice as a freshman at an elite high school, which makes her the perfect target for Sandy, a girl obsessed with the occult.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Book Thief, The by Markus Zusak
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel, a young German girl, whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zusak)
Grade Level: 10th-12th grade

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, 16-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Flinn)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
In 2036 New Jersey, when girls are expected to become fanatically religious wives and mothers or high-priced Surrogettes for couples made infertile by a widespread virus, 16-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony find in one another the courage to believe they have choices.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her out.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Cardturner, The by Louis Sachar
When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks 17-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Sachar)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
An account of Charles Darwin's life and evolutionary theory, this biography examines how his personal life affected his work and vice versa because of his wife's strong religious beliefs. (YA B Darwin) (also available on audio AUD CD YA B Darwin)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, 16-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. Continue reading about D.J. and her adventures in The Off Season and Front and Center. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Murdock)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until 95 days before her 18th birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Oliver)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The by E. Lockhart
Sophomore Frankie starts dating senior Matthew Livingston, but when he refuses to talk about the all-male secret society that he and his friends belong to, Frankie infiltrates the society in order to enliven their mediocre pranks.
Grade Level: 9th-10th grade

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Now on the cusp of manhood, Finnikin, who was a child when the royal family of Lumatere was brutally murdered and their throne was taken over by a usurper, reluctantly joins forces with an enigmatic young novice and fellow exile, who claims that her dark dreams will lead them to a surviving royal child and a way to regain the throne of Lumatere. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Marchetta)
Also by Melina Marchetta: Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Forest of Hands and Teeth, The by Carrie Ryan
Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the Unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead. If you enjoy this zombie tale, be sure to read the other two books in the trilogy, The Dead- Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Ryan)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Cameron Smith, a disaffected 16-year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (a.k.a. “mad cow”) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Cashore)
Also by Kristin Cashore: Fire (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Cashore) and Bitterblue.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Great and Terrible Beauty, A by Libba Bray
After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, 16-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. Continue this trilogy with Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Harmless by Dana Reinhardt
When Anna, Emma, and Mariah concoct a story about why they are late getting home one Friday night, their lie has unimaginable consequences for the girls, their families, and the community. (YAP and audio AUD CD YA FIC Reinhardt)
Also by Dana Reinhardt: A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life (YAP & AUD CD YA FIC Reinhardt)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Heist Society by Ally Carter
A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save 15-year-old Kat Bishop's father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector.
Also by Ally Carter: The Gallagher Girls series
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
When 13-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it.
Grade Level: 9th-10th grade

House of Stairs by William Sleator
Five sixteen-year-old orphans are involuntarily placed in a house of endless stairs where they must learn to deal with each others’ different personalities, lack of privacy and their utter helplessness.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Hunger Games, The by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the 12 districts against one another, 16-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Collins)
Also by Suzanne Collins: Catching Fire and Mockingjay (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Collins)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
After capturing a bank robber, 19-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zusak)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, 17-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weighs whether to live with her grief or join her family in death. For the continuation of this story, read Where She Went. (If I Stay is also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Forman)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

In the Name of God by Paula Jolin
Seventeen year-old Nadia is an excellent student, daughter and sister, and above all wants to be the best Muslim she can be. But she's conflicted about her Westernized peers, the economic, social and political struggles of her country, and the war raging in Iraq.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Knife of Never Letting Go, The by Patrick Ness
Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World. Read the other two books in this exciting trilogy: The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men.
Grade Level: 10th-12th grade

Last Summer of the Death Warriors, The by Francisco X. Stork
Seventeen-year-old Pancho is bent on avenging the senseless death of his sister, but after he meets D.Q., who is dying of cancer, and Marisol, one of D.Q.'s caregivers, both boys find their lives changed by their interactions. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Stork)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Compulsive liar Micah promises to tell the truth after revealing that her boyfriend has been murdered.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
After being abducted when she was ten and abused for five years by her kidnapper, Ray, Alice's only hope of freedom is in death, but her only way to achieve such an escape is to help Ray find the next girl for his collection.
Also by Elizabeth Scott: Love You Hate You Miss You and The Unwritten Rule
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Marcelo Sandoval, a 17-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Stork)
Grade Level: 10th-11th grade

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
Follow the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever who gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures, from shutting down an entire beach to guarding a 17-year-old neighbor after a stabbing attack. If you read the book, make sure you check out the movie too! (636.752 Gro and AUD CD 636.752 Gro; DVDC 8563)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Matched by Allyson Condie
All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well?
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Mockingbirds, The by Daisy Whitney
When Alex, a junior at an elite preparatory school, realizes that she may have been the victim of date rape, she confides in her roommates and sister who convince her to seek help from a secret society, the Mockingbirds.
Grade Level: 9th grad and up

Monstrumologist, The by Richard Yancey
In 1888, 12-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi. For more adventures with Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop, make sure to check out The Curse of the Wendigo and The Isle of Blood.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own: T.C., who is trying to get Alejandra to fall in love with him; Alejandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s best friend Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart. Make sure to watch the movie if you read the book. (DVDY 5750)
Grade Level: 10th-12th grade

No Choirboy: Murder, Violence and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin
Explores life behind bars for teenage prisoners who have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution on death row, discussing the effects of their past actions on themselves and others, and their personal views on the death penalty itself. (YA 364.66 Kuk)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Num8ers by Rachel Ward
Fifteen-year-old Jem knows when she looks at someone the exact date they will die, so she avoids relationships and tries to keep out of the way, but when she meets a boy named Spider and they plan a day out together, they become more involved than either of them had planned.
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
As the tragedy of a missing girl enfolds in her small town, 15-year-old Samara, who feels emotionally abandoned by her parents, begins to question her faith. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr)
Also by Sara Zarr: Sweethearts, Story of a Girl and How To Save a Life (all also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Paper Towns by John Green
One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.
Grade Level: 10th-12th grade

Peace, Love & Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Fifteen-year-old Carly's summer volunteer experience feels more real to her than her life of privilege in Atlanta ever did, but her younger sister starts high school pretending to be what she is not, and both find their relationships suffering.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennett is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. (FIC Grahame-Smith)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
After graduating from college, Lizzie Nichols sets off to England for the summer to visit her boyfriend Andrew, whom she hardly knows. When Lizzie realizes that Andrew isn’t the man she imagined, she sets off for France, where her best friend, Shari, is working at a chateau in wine country. On the way, she meets Luke, a French American, whose father owns the chateau and would be so easy to fall in love with if he wasn’t already taken. (FIC Cabot)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
As a Chicano boy living in the unglamorous town of Hollywood, New Mexico, and a member of the graduating class of 1969, Sammy Santos faces the challenges of "gringo" racism, unpopular dress codes, the Vietnam War, barrio violence, and poverty. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Sáenz)
Grade Level: 11th-12th

Shadowland (Book one of the Mediator series) by Meg Cabot
Sixteen-year-old Suze Simon can mediate between the living and the dead, and she hopes her move to California will be a fresh start, but a hot ghost named Jesse haunts her bedroom and another ghost is bent on vengeance at school. (YAP)
Grade Level: 9th-10th grade

Shine by Lauren Myracle
When her best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, 16-year-old Cat sets out to discover the culprits in her small North Carolina town.
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity. Continue the series with Linger and Forever.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Skin I’m In, The by Sharon Flake
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.
Grade Level: 9th-10th grade

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
This is the true story of children’s book illustrator, David Small, told in graphic novel format. At the age of 14, he wakes up voiceless after a supposedly simple operation. He overhears his parents talking and learns he had cancer and had to have his vocal cords removed. Small became a very angry young man at odds with his parents, especially his mother. At age 16, he makes the risky decision of running away and pursuing his dream of becoming an artist. (B Small)
Grade Level: 10th-12h grade

Taken by Edward Bloor
In 2036, kidnapping rich children has become an industry, but when 13-year-old Charity Meyers is taken and held for ransom, she soon discovers that this particular kidnapping is not what it seems.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Things I Know About Love by Kate LeVann
Seventeen-year-old Livia Stowe travels from England to Princeton, New Jersey, to visit her brother who is studying there and to celebrate her recovery from a year-long struggle with leukemia. While she is there, she writes a blog about her experiences, which include falling in love.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing 13 cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death. (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Time Traveler’s Wife, The by Audrey Niffenegger
This is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Make sure you watch the movie if you decide to read the book. (FIC Niffenegger and DVDR 7102 & 7103)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
When 17-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. If you read the book, make sure you watch the movie! (also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Meyer; DVDY 5940 & 5961)
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Just before their 16th birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Wake by Lisa McMann
Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow student that she discovers her true power. Read the two other books in the series, Fade and Gone.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
Haunted by the event that sentences him to time in a group home, Miguel breaks out with two unlikely companions, and together they begin their journey down the California coast, hoping to get to Mexico and a new life.
Also by Matt de la Peña: I Will Save You and Mexican Whiteboy
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome changes her life and that of her family forever.
Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
An account of the decade-long conflict between humankind and hordes of the predatory undead is told from the perspective of dozens of survivors who describe in their own words the epic human battle for survival. (FIC Brooks)
Grade Level: 11th-12th grade

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
Are you on Team Zombie or Team Unicorn? This anthology provides strong arguments for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the side of zombies. (YA FIC 808.831 Zom)
Grade Level: 10th-12th grade

Vineland Public Schools 8th Grade Reading List

The following is list of suggested titles for 8th graders. This list was compiled by Children’s Outreach Librarian Samantha Tai at the Vineland Public Library. All titles are available at the Vineland Public Library. Please note that students are not required to read a title from this list. They may pick any title that is deemed grade appropriate. Please see a librarian for the location of the following books or for more suggested titles.

As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
A teenage boy encounters one comedic calamity after another when his train strands him in the middle of nowhere, and everything comes down to luck. (YA FIC Perkins)

Also by Lynne Rae Perkins: All Alone in the Universe (J FIC Perkins & J AUD CD FIC Perkins) and Criss Cross (J FIC Perkins)

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Now on the cusp of manhood, Finnikin, who was a child when the royal family of Lumatere was brutally murdered and their throne was taken over by a usurper, reluctantly joins forces with an enigmatic young novice and fellow exile, who claims that her dark dreams will lead them to a surviving royal child and a way to regain the throne of Lumatere. (YA FIC Marchetta & AUD CD YA FIC Marchetta)

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
When 13-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time. (J FIC Haddix)

Framed! by Malcolm Rose
Sixteen-year-old Luke Harding is the youngest person ever to qualify for the position of forensic investigator, and he is about to get his first real case. A young student has been mysteriously shot and killed by an arrow. The boy’s murder is quickly followed by two more grisly deaths and all clues lead back to Luke himself. (J FIC Rose)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king. (YA FIC Cashore & AUD CD YA FIC Cashore)
Also by Kristin Cashore: Fire (YA FIC Cashore & AUD CD YA FIC Cashore) and Bitterblue (YA FIC Cashore)

Hunger Games, The by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the 12 districts against one another, 16-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. (YA FIC Collins & AUD CD YA Collins)
If you enjoy The Hunger Games, make sure you read the other books in the trilogy. Catching Fire (YA FIC Collins & AUD CD YA Collins) and Mockingjay (YA FIC Collins).
Also by Suzanne Collins: The Underland Chronicles (J FIC Collins & J AUD CD FIC Collins)

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies. Try the other books in the Gallagher Girls series too. (YA FIC Carter)

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries, 16-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. (YA FIC Pfeffer & AUD CD YA FIC Pfeffer)
Also by Susan Beth Pfeffer: The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In (Same as above)

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt
In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers--and Turner's--want to change into a tourist spot. (J FIC Schmidt & J AUD CD FIC Schmidt)

Lost Conspiracy, The by Frances Hardinge
Two young sisters who live on a beautiful island soon become caught in a deadly web of deceit. Neither girl is exactly what she pretends to be. When they are drawn into a sinister conspiracy, one discovers that the only thing more dangerous than the secret she hides is the truth she must uncover. (YA FIC Hardinge)

Monstrumologist, The by Richard Yancey
In 1888, 12-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi. For further adventures about Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop, check out the sequels The Curse of the Wendigo and The Isle of Blood. (YA FIC Yancey)

My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
When the family's drugstore is failing, seventh-grader Lucy uses her problem-solving talents to come up with a solution that might resuscitate the business, along with helping the environment. (YA FIC Greenwald)

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Fifteen-year-old Carly's summer volunteer experience feels more real to her than her life of privilege in Atlanta ever did, but her younger sister starts high school pretending to be what she is not, and both find their relationships suffering. (YA FIC Myracle)

Peeled by Joan Bauer
In an upstate New York farming community, high school reporter Hildy Biddle investigates a series of strange occurrences at a house rumored to be haunted. (YA FIC Bauer & AUD CD YA FIC Bauer)

Rag and Bone Shop, The by Robert Cormier
Trent, an ace interrogator from Vermont, works to procure a confession from an introverted 12-year-old accused of murdering his seven-year-old friend in Monument, Massachusetts. (YA FIC Cormier)
Also by Robert Cormier: The Chocolate War (YA FIC Cormier, YAP C & AUD CD YA FIC Cormier) There is also a move based on the book The Chocolate War-we have one copy: DVDY 5036

Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay

After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy, where she was born, to find a special memento of her past. (J FIC McKay & J AUD CD FIC McKay)

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

“Boys, let us get up a club.” With those words, six restless young men raided the linens at a friend’s mansion, pulled pillowcases over their heads, hopped on horses, and cavorted through the streets of Pulaski, Tennessee. The six friends named their club the Ku Klux Klan, and, all too quickly, their club grew into the self-proclaimed Invisible Empire with secret dens spread across the South. Includes personal accounts from oral histories, congressional documents and diaries. (YA 322.42 Bar)

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Fourteen-year-olds Raphael and Gardo team up with a younger boy, Rat, to figure out the mysteries surrounding a bag Raphael finds during their daily life of sorting through trash in a third-world country's dump. (YA FIC Mulligan & AUD CD YA FIC Mulligan)

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Fifteen-year-old Laurel has always known she was different from other teenagers, but she's about to learn just how different she is. She doesn't eat the food that most of her teen peers eat—she's a vegan, sticking to salads and peaches and other fruit. When she grows a flower blossom that look like wings on her back, she begins to investigate her past and learns some extraordinary things about herself. Continue the trilogy with Spells and Illusions. (YA FIC Pike)

Vineland Public Schools 7th Grade Reading List

The following is list of suggested summer reading titles for 7th graders. This list was compiled by Children’s Outreach Librarian Samantha Tai at the Vineland Public Library. All titles are available at the Vineland Public Library. Please note that students are not required to read a title from this list. They may pick any title that is deemed grade appropriate. Please see a librarian for the location of the following books or for other suggestions.

90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis

When unrest hits the streets of Havana, Cuba, Julian's parents must make the heartbreaking decision to send him and his two brothers away to Miami via the Pedro Pan operation. But when the boys get to Miami, they are thrust into a world where bullies seem to run rampant and it's not always clear how best to protect themselves. (J FIC Flores-Galbis)

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
In the sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts, Moose Flanagan, who lives on Alcatraz along with his family and the families of the other prison guards, is frightened when he discovers that noted gangster Al Capone, a prisoner there, wants a favor in return for the help that he secretly gave Moose. (YA FIC Choldenko & AUD CD YA FIC Choldenko)

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn
After learning their grandmother’s inn is haunted, Travis and Corey decide to do some “haunting” of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn. They soon learn that they aren’t the only “ghosts” at the inn. Their pranks have awoken the local ghosts who refuse to “rest in peace.” (J FIC Hahn)

City of Ember, The by Jeanne DuPrau
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever. If you read this book, make sure you also watch the movie based on the book. (J FIC DuPrau & J AUD CD FIC DuPrau
Also by Jeanne DuPrau: The People of Sparks; The Prophet of Yonwood; and The Diamond of Darkhold (Same as above)

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Nine months before Rosa Parks triggered the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin let herself be arrested and dragged off the bus for the same reason. Colvin played a central role in the city’s civil rights drama, but her story has been largely lost to history. (J 323.092 Hoo)

Countdown by Deborah Wiles
The fearful events of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis are witnessed by 11-year-old Franny, who finds her life and perspectives changing throughout the course of a week that is also marked by difficult family issues. (YA FIC Wiles)

Faith, Hope and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Ivy June Mosley and Catherine Combs participate in a school exchange program where each girl spends two weeks in the other's home and school. Ivy June, who lives in the mountains of Kentucky where most of the residents have no phone service or bathrooms and many of the men work in the coal mines, spends two weeks in Lexington at Catherine Comb's middle class house and goes to her private girls’ school. The two overcome many stereotypes and become very good friends. (J FIC Naylor & J AUD CD FIC Naylor)

Honus and Me by Dan Gutman
When Joe Stoshack gets a job cleaning old Miss Young's attic, he's not too happy about it. The place is filled with tons of worthless trash, and he's only getting paid $5 for hauling it out. Suddenly Joe finds a little piece of cardboard. He's holding the world's most valuable baseball card. Joe is rich–really rich–but it's more than that. Suddenly, Joe is face-to-face with the player on the card. He’s able to travel through time with one of the greatest ballplayers who ever lived. If you have a favorite baseball player, try one of Dan Gutman’s other Baseball Card Adventure books: Jim & Me; Satch & Me; Abner & Me; Shoeless Joe & Me; Mickey & Me; Babe & Me; or Jackie & Me (J FIC Gutman)

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
Meet 14-year-old Maximum Ride, or Max for short , and the rest of her flock, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel in book one, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Max and her flock are just like ordinary kids, only they have wings and can fly. After the mutant Erasers abduct Angel, the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. (YA FIC Patterson)

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression. (J FIC Hesse, JPB H & J AUD CD FIC Hesse)

Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences. (J FIC Funke & J AUD CD FIC Funke)

Red Pyramid, The by Rick Riordan

Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane accidentally unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes the doctor to oblivion and forces his two children to embark on a dangerous journey to save him. (J FIC Riordan)

Ruins of Gorlan, The by John Flanagan

When 15-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger. This is the first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. (J FIC Flanagan)

Schwa Was Here, The by Neal Shusterman

A Brooklyn eighth-grader nicknamed Antsy befriends the Schwa, an "invisible-ish" boy who is tired of blending into his surroundings and going unnoticed by nearly everyone. (J FIC Shusterman & A AUD CD FIC Shusterman)

Also by Neal Shusterman: Antsy Does Time (YA FIC Shusterman & AUD CD YA FIC Shusterman)

Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon

Twelve-year-old Andy Thomas isn’t thrilled with his teacher’s assignment to explore family history. But when he starts asking questions about his ancestors, he’s surprised to discover a black sheep named Cody Joe Bonner. No one wants to discuss what happened in his family’s past, but Andy is determined to continue his investigation. Will his investigation hurt those he loves or help them realize it’s never to late to seek justice? (JPB N)

Throne of Fire, The by Rick Riordan

In the sequel to The Red Pyramid, Carter Kane and his sister must prevent the chaos snake Apophis from breaking free in a few days' time or the world will come to an end. To have any chance of battling these Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. (J FIC Riordan)

Vineland Public Schools 6th Grade Summer Reading List

The following is list of suggested summer reading titles for 6th graders. This list was compiled by Children’s Outreach Librarian Samantha Tai at the Vineland Public Library. All titles are available at the Vineland Public Library. Please note that students are not required to read a title from this list. They may pick any title that is deemed grade appropriate. Please see a librarian for the location of the following books or for other suggestions.

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared To Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
The fight for women to become part of the space program began in the 1960s. Thirteen women fought to be admitted into the space program and were not allowed in even though they passed all the tests, many times surpassing the men who were given the same tests. Despite the prejudice and adversity that these women met, they persevered. They never made it to space, but because of their efforts and fights women are allowed in the space program today. (J 920 Sto)

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the Population Police enforces the law limiting a family to only two children, 12-year-old Luke has lived his entire life in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until he becomes convinced that maybe the government is wrong. (J FIC Haddix)

Emerald Atlas, The by John Stephens
Kate, Michael, and Emma have passed from one orphanage to another in the 10 years since their parents disappeared to protect them, but now they learn that they have special powers, a prophesied quest to find a magical book, and a fearsome enemy. (J FIC Stephens & J AUD CD FIC Stephens)

Faraway Island, A by Annika Thor
During World War II, two sisters are sent from Vienna to live with foster parents in Sweden until their parents can arrange to get visas so that they can all go to the United States together. They are supposed to be placed in the same home, but unfortunately are separated. Nellie, being the younger sister, has a much easier time adjusting to living in a new country. In addition to having a difficult time in school, Stephie has a very strict foster mother. As time goes by, Stephie realizes that she may be staying in Sweden much longer than the six months her father promised. (J FIC Thor & J AUD CD FIC Thor)

Goose Girl, The by Shannon Hale
On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl, a forest worker who gathers the royal geese, to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers. (YA FIC Hale)

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
Using free-verse form, Sharon Creech tells the story of 12-year-old Annie who ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant. (J FIC Creech & J AUD CD FIC Creech)

Maze Runner, The by James Dashner
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. (YA FIC Dashner & AUD CD YA FIC Dashner)

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California to spend a month with the mother they barely know, 11-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. (J FIC Williams-Garcia)

Operation Redwood by Susannah T. French
Julian Carter-Li intercepts an angry e-mail message meant for his greedy, high-powered uncle and learns his uncle's company plans to cut down some of the oldest and last California redwood trees. It's up to Julian and a ragtag group of friends to stop them. (J FIC French)

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. She's the smartest kid in her whole school but no one knows it. Melody has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak. Her teachers and doctors consider her incapable of learning until a technological device allows her to speak for the first time. (J FIC Draper)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Beginning with the first book, The Lightning Thief, 12-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and a god. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods. If you read The Lightning Thief, make sure to watch the movie based on the book! (YA FIC Riordan & AUD CD YA FIC Riordan)

Ring of Fire: Century Quartet Book 1 by Pierdomenico Baccalario
Four seemingly unrelated children are brought together in a Rome hotel where they discover that they are destined to become involved in a deep and ancient mystery involving a briefcase full of artifacts that exposes them to great danger. (J FIC Baccalario & J AUD CD FIC Baccalario)

Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Nick and his friend Marta decide to investigate when a mysterious fire starts near a Florida wildlife preserve and an unpopular teacher goes missing. (J FIC Hiaasen & J AUD CD FIC Hiaasen)

Scorch Trials, The by James Dashner
In the sequel to The Maze Runner, after surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with 19 other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race. (YA FIC Dashner & AUD CD YA FIC Dashner)

Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach
Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth-grader Hero becomes interested in exploring the unusual connection between a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school. (J FIC Broach)

Strange Case of Origami Yoda, The by Tom Angleberger
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making an Origami Yoda. (J FIC Angleberger)

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, 11-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida. (J FIC Holm & J AUD CD FIC Holm)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a 12-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. (J FIC Stead & J AUD CD FIC Stead)

World Without Heroes, A by Brandon Mull
Fourteen-year-old Jason Walker is transported to a strange world called Lyrian, where he joins Rachel, who was also drawn there from our world, and a few rebels, to piece together the Word that can destroy the malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. This is the first book in the Beyonders series.  (J FIC Mull)

Summer Reading Assignments

Do you have to read a book for school this summer?  Not sure what you want to read? Look no further than the Vineland Public Library!  Check out our Summer Reading display in the Children's Department.

For those who attend Vineland Public Schools, I'll be posting the summer reading lists for students in 6th to 12th grades to this blog in the next few days.  Also make sure to check back periodically for new books that will be great summer reads!  I'll be updating the blog (hopefully on a regular basis) with books that will be appropriate for your summer reading assignment.

Seen the movie? Now read the book! War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

I am again guilty of not wanting to read a book until after watching the movie.  This time the movie was War Horse.  I knew the movie was based on a children's book (someone had requested we purchase it before the movie was released) but the book didn't interest me.  I didn't see the movie until it was released on DVD but I did enjoy it.  There was one scene after Joey (the horse) is scared by the tank and runs into no man's land that I found extremely graphic and had to turn off for a few minutes before concluding the movie.  After watching the movie, I was curious: how did the two compare? I had to read the book to know.

The book is told from the point of view of Joey and you're first introduced to him after he is purchased by Albert's father. The book chronicles Joey's life on the farm and into the Great War.  He has a close bond with Albert and when Albert's father sells him to the army, Albert vows that he will one day find Joey.  For the most part the movie stays true to the book, but there are a few major differences between the two.  I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into these differences. 

The book War Horse is definitely a children's book, but the movie is not for children.  The movie is rated PG-13 and for good reason. The violent scene in the movie that caused me to pause the movie wasn't nearly as graphic in the book.  I would recommend this book to young readers (2nd-5th grade) who enjoy reading historical fiction and anyone who likes horse books.  I enjoyed War Horse so much that I checked out the sequel Farm Boy and I can't wait to read it.  

Registration begins TODAY for our summer reading program!

Registration begins today, Friday June 1 for our Summer Reading Program. The following is a list of story times and reading clubs:

Story Times – Registration Required

Babies (Ages 6-23 months)

Friday

July 13, 20 & 27 / August 3, 10 & 17

10:30-11 A.M.

Age 2

Tuesdays
July 10, 17, 24 & 31 / August 7 & 14
10:30-11 A.M.

Ages 3 to 5
Wednesdays
July 11, 18, & 25 / August 1, 8 & 15
10:30-11:15 A.M.

Reading Clubs – Registration Required

Ages 6 to 8

Thursday

July 12, 19 & 26 / August 2, 9, 16

2-3 P.M.

Ages 9 & up
Wednesdays
July 11, 18 & 25 / August 1, 8, 15

2–3:30 P.M.

Children who cannot attend reading groups may join our Independent Reading Club. Individual folders with the participants’ names on them will be kept in the Children’s Department.

Each week participants will check their folders for activity sheets and write down the titles of the books that they have been reading or have had read to them in the booklets provided.  Participants’ names and the number of books they have read will be posted in the Children’s Department each week.

Children registered for summer story times and reading clubs are automatically enrolled in this club.

Call the Children's Department at 856-794-4244 ext. 4246 for more information.

Teens "Own the Night" This Summer at the Vineland Public Library

Teens (ages 13 to 18) are invited to register for our Teen Summer Reading program. We have lots of fun activities planned for July and August.

July

Read-A-Thon  (Registration Required)

Teen Room

Wednesday

July 11

4 – 6 P.M.

Get a head start on your school summer reading assignment, or read for pleasure. If you read for at least an hour and a half, you will be able to join us for a pizza party at 5:30 p.m. and receive a free book.

The Library Witch Project Movie (Registration Required)
Community Event Room
Wednesday
July 18
4 – 7 P.M.

Make a library version of The Blair Witch Project. There will be pizza and refreshments. Please register and have your parents sign a permission form so that the movie can go on our webpage.

Constellation Program
Teen Room
Wednesday
July 25
4 – 6 P.M.

Come discuss constellations and astrological signs and how they have been used throughout history.

August

Paranormal Program — Ages 13 to Adult
Community Event Room
Wednesday
August 1
4 – 6 P.M.

Cumberland County Paranormal is a scientifically based Paranormal Studies Research Team made up of a diverse group of people with a passion for the field, a willingness to educate, a desire to help, and a dedication to the truth. They will be coming to the library to discuss past paranormal cases, show the equipment they use when on a job, and have a Q & A session.  This program is open to ages 13 & up, including adults.

Book Discussion  — Thirteen Days to Midnight  (Registration Required)
Teen Room
Wednesday
August 8
4 – 5 P.M.

Read and discuss Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman. In the aftermath of the accident that killed his foster father, high school student Jacob Fielding discovers that he has acquired the power of indestructibility, and the more he learns about it the more he realizes that it is a heavy burden, if not a curse.

Please register and pick up a free copy of the book in the Children’s Department before the discussion. Books are funded by the Friends of the Vineland Public Library.

Potluck End of Summer Party (Registration Required)

Community Event Room

Wednesday

August 15

4 – 6 P.M.

Watch our movie from July 18, and bring some kind of food to share for this potluck meal and celebration of the end of the summer. Share your ideas for fall programs, too! Please register and let us know what food you’re bringing!

Registration for teen programs begins today, Friday, June 1.  For more information, call the Vineland Public Library Children's and Young Adult Department at (856) 794-4244 ext. 4246.