{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\nouicompat{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Courier New;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue255;} {\*\generator Riched20 10.0.19041}\viewkind4\uc1 \pard\f0\fs20\lang1033 \par \par \par \par \par McGhiever's Reading List\par \par \par \par \par \par \par \par \par \par
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Fiction

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Adventure

\par Book cover\par Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy. L. A. Meyer, 2010.\par
\par \par Book cover\par Stage Dreams. Melanie Gillman, 2019.\par
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Fantasy

\par Book cover\par Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer, 2001. \par Irish author Colfer creates a unique antihero in Artemis Fowl, a 12-year-old criminal mastermind. Moreover the target of this boy's dastardly schemes is the magical, high-tech underground community of fairy folk. This first book in a series remixes the tropes of action movies in a wholly original venue.
\par \par Book cover\par Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Laini Taylor, 2011.\par
\par \par Book cover\par Graceling. Kristin Cashore, 2008. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling, 1998-2007. \par Hugely popular saga of Britain's boarding school for modern-day wizards, and a boy forced to deal with a darker world than he should. While I was quite pleased by the clever storyline of Chamber of Secrets, I shall speak blasphemy and say that the ensuing volumes have not delivered the kind of endings that impress me. Must be read in sequence; for the order just ask any schoolchild.
\par \par Book cover\par A Practical Guide to Monsters. Nina Hess, 2007. \par A number of children's fantasy series have published tie-in guides to their monsters, so why not adapt the original monster guide? This nicely illustrated book recasts the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual as a field guide to the setting's beasts and beings.
\par \par Book cover\par Rapunzel's Revenge. Shannon & Dean Hale, 2008. \par Rapunzel's escape from her prison tower is only the beginning of this rousing reimagining. Rapunzel, her hair braided into a versatile lariat, roams a wildly original fantasy western landscape with her sardonic sidekick Jack. A series of beautifully illustrated episodes lead up to their climactic confrontation with her evil stepmother. The follow-up Calamity Jack (2010) recasts "Jack and the Beanstalk" in a slightly steampunk city back east.
\par \par Book cover\par Rebel of the Sands. Alwyn Hamilton, 2016. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Red Queen. Victoria Aveyard, 2015. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Sabriel. Garth Nix, 1995. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Six of Crows. Leigh Bardugo, 2015. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Thirteenth Child. Patricia C. Wrede, 2010. \par It's Little Hogwarts on the Prairie in this original coming-of-age tale. In a fantasy version of pioneer America where magical barriers ward the frontier from dangerous animals, a girl labors under the shadow of being an unlucky thirteenth child while her twin brother is the celebrated seventh son of a seventh son. Some tired racial tropes (saintly black mentor, no native people) dim an otherwise novel story.
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Historical Fiction

\par Book cover\par The Girl is Murder. Kathryn Miller Haines, 2011.\par At the outbreak of World War II, a teen sees her war-wounded father struggling in his private detective business. When his latest case involves a missing student from her new school, she sees it as a chance to infiltrate the zoot suit-wearing cool crowd and prove her worth. The sleuthing and the period setting energize the usual teen fiction high school social drama, but the story bizarrely sidesteps its own climax.
\par \par Book cover\par Lewis & Clark. Nick Bertozzi, 2011. \par This graphic novel retells the famous expedition with black-and-white ink art. Although the moments of broad humor feel gratuitous, the format allows for some nicely realized depictions of Native Americans' perspectives and Lewis's personal demons. Other good touches: panel orientations that convey the scope of the terrain, and distinctive word balloons for each tribe.
\par \par Book cover\par Mrs. Chippy's Last Expedition. Caroline Alexander, 1997. \par The first half of Ernest Shackleton's Endurace expedition is presented as the journal of the ship's cat. ("My Watch today was very strenuous, it being extremely idfficult to concentrate on all the kinds of movements, ripples, running water, bubbles, froth, foam, etc., let alone look out for penguins that might be following in our wake. Continued to make nautical observations until teatime." -p. 3) Cute, but essentially a one-note joke with a bittersweet punchline.
\par \par Book cover\par Shackleton's Stowaway. Victoria McKernan, 2005. \par
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Horror

\par Book cover\par Scowler. Daniel Kraus, 2013. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Through the Woods. Emily Carroll, 2014. \par
\par \par Book cover\par The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost. Brad Strickland, 1999. \par John Bellairs' gothic horror for children was a favorite component of my middle school reading. Bellairs died in 1991 of cardiovascular disease at age 53. His estate arranged with Strickland to complete several unfinished works, which led to this and several more original novels by Strickland which continue Bellairs' original characters. The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost, in which an evil otherworldly spirit sickens Johnny Dixon's father, remains true to the original style, balancing macabre events with the levity of the youth and adult characters.
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Literary Fiction

\par Book cover\par Whale Rider. Witi Ihimaera, 1987. \par Reading the basis for the 2002 movie makes one appreciate how well director/screenwriter Niki Caro tightened the story. The original book is frequently abstract and is told from the point of view of the uncle. The lyricism, the adult narrator, and the frank depictions of racism and dying animals may deter all but the most mature young readers.
\par \par Book cover\par The Freak Observer. Blythe Woolston, 2010.\par Knocked out of her steady orbit by two recent tragedies, a Montana teen struggles to make sense of her disrupted world in terms of physics. Woolston masterfully captures an outsider teen's sophomoric musings, which keep returning to Ludwig Boltzmann's titular theory that an infinite universe randomly spawns self-aware but bodiless observers.
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Realistic Fiction

\par Book cover\par An Abundance of Katherines. John Green, 2008. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell, 2013. \par
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Science Fiction

\par Book cover\par Planesrunner. Ian McDonald, 2011. \par
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Speculative Fiction

\par Book cover\par Bone Gap. Laura Ruby, 2015.\par
\par \par Book cover\par The Cardturner. Louis Sachar, 2010.\par
\par \par Book cover\par Every Day. David Levithan, 2012. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Everybody Sees the Ants. A.S. King, 2011. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Shadowshaper. Daniel José Older, 2015. \par
\par \par Book cover\par The Sons of Liberty. Alexander Lagos & Joseph Lagos, 2010. \par There are many graphic novels featuring superheroes, but not many with black protagonists, and surely none set in Colonial America. This unique story features two runaway slave boys who gain mysterious powers after Benjamin Franklin's resentful son subjects them to an evil electrical experiment. This origin story is choppy, but the original elements, historical detail and characters, and empowering message make me eager for further volumes.
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Thriller

\par Book cover\par Code Name Verity. Elizabeth Wein, 2012.\par
\par \par Book cover\par Fake I.D.. Lamar Giles, 2014. \par
\par \par Book cover\par Little Brother. Cory Doctorow, 2008. \par
\par \par Book cover\par The Living. Matt de la Pe\'f1a, 2013.\par
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Non-Fiction

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Art

\par Book cover\par Imagine a Night & Imagine a Day. Sarah L. Thomson & Rob Gonsalves, 2003-5.\par Gonsalves' artwork uses optical illusions to create vibrant and delightful scenes. Ignore the text, which could never string these individual pieces together into a semblance of a picture book, and concentrate on the engrossing images.
\par \par Book cover\par Look-Alikes. Joan Steiner, 1998-2007. \par These game books in the vein of Where's Waldo and I Spy are fascinating for any age. Artist Steiner creates miniature scenes using cunningly repurposed objects. Is that easy chair made of pincushions, pen nibs, and a dog treat? The tag-line is true: "The more you look, the more you see!" Look-Alikes (1998), Look-Alikes Jr. (1999), Look-Alikes Christmas (2003), Look-Alikes Around the World (2007).
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Biography & Memoir

\par Book cover\par Can I See Your I.D.?. Chris Barton, 2011.\par
\par \par Book cover\par Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction. Jarrett J. Krosoczka, 2018.\par
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History

\par Book cover\par The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure. Martin W. Sandler, 2012.\par
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Poetry

\par Book cover\par Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. Paul Fleischman, 1988.\par Fleischman illuminates the lives of various insects in these clever and delightful poems designed to be read aloud by two speakers. Track down an audiobook version to hear the full effect.
\par \par Book cover\par Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook. Shel Silverstein, 2005. \par A posthumous new volume of poetry from Silverstein, this one featuring a menagerie of spoonerisms.
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