Recommendations: May 2008 Archives
The Angel Experiment and others in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson (Genetically modified kids who can fly struggle to understand their own origins and purpose.)
Bone by Jeff Smith (a graphic novel adventure series)
Framed and others in the Traces series by Malcolm Rose (In a futuristic London, sixteen-year-old forensic investigator Luke Harding and his robotic assistant, Malc, investigate murder cases).
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (two boys with physical and learning disabilities form a unique friendship).
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.)
All of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (The young wizard and his friends triumph over evil.)
The King's Arrow by Michael Cadnum (In England's New Forest on August 2, 1100, eighteen-year-old Simon Foldre, squire to the Anglo-Norman nobleman Walter Tirel, finds his future irrevocably altered when he witnesses the possible murder of King William II.)
The Lightning Thief and others in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and reluctantly joins a quest to prevent a war between the gods.)
The Merchant of Death and others in the Pendragon series by D. J. McHale (Suburban jock Bobby Pendragon discovers parallel universes and gets hero training while being swept into an amazing 5-year quest to save the universe from ultimate evil.)
SilverFin and others in the Young Bond series by Charles Higson (This prequel series to the adventures of James Bond, 007, introduces the teen-aged James when he's just started boarding school in England and becomes involved in his first adventures.)
Son of the Mob and all other young adult books by Gordon Korman (Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.)
Finally, here are some inspiring non-fiction titles:
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson (Carson's odyssey from his childhood in inner-city Detroit to his position as director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33 provides a role model for anyone who attempts the seemingly impossible.)
We Beat the Streets by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, & Rameck Hunt (Making a pact to stick together through the rough times in their impoverished Newark neighborhood, three boys found the strength and determination to work through their difficulties in order to make their dreams come true by completing high school, getting through college, and attending medical school together.)
