Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (fiction) - In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.

Color of Water by James McBride (non-fiction) - An African-American male tells of his mother, a white woman, who refused to admit her true identity

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte (fiction) - A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang into a boxing gym. He learns being a contender is hard and often discouraging work that can lead to deeper self-knowledge.

Early Autumn by Robert Parker (fiction) - Private detective Spenser gets involved with a child custody case between Patty and Mel Giacomin. Paul is the 15-year-old kid, and his parents are using him in an adolescent tug-of-war game. Spencer takes Paul under his wing and helps him learn to cope with his parents and to grow up.

Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (fiction) - Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.

House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (fiction) - Growing up in the Latino section of Chicago, Esperanza Cordero, longs to leave her neighborhood and find a new life.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar (fiction) - This hilarious novel chronicles Scott's freshman year, as he decides that high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual. Scott records his first year of bullies, romance, honors, classes, and brotherhood.

Sold by Patricia McCormick (fiction) - Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in a mountain village in Nepal. Her life is made up of simple pleasures like going to school and spending time with her loving ama and baby brother. But these happy times are undercut by the desperate poverty that threatens the lives of the villagers.

Who will tell my Brother? by Marlene Carvell (fiction) - A public issue comes close to home in this story of Evan Hill, a part-Mohawk high-school senior, who protests against his school's use of Indian mascots.

In These Girls Hope is a Muscle by Madeline Blais (non-fiction) - This is a story about the championship season of a Massachusetts girlsí high school basketball team.

Autobiography of Malcolm X by MalcolmX with Alex Haley (non-fiction) - The Black Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells his life story to veteran writer and journalist Alex Haley

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (fiction) - Cast adrift after the death of her drunken father and sadly misused mother, Ellen moves from one woebegone situation to another until she finally finds a friend.

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