Content Related Bibliographies

Eleanor Roosevelt: a life of discovery, by Russell Freedman. (1997). New York: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.

The intriguing story of Eleanor Roosevelt traces the life of the former First Lady from her early childhood through the tumultuous years in the White House to her active role in the founding of the United Nations after World War II. A Newberry Honor Book.

Lexile Level: 1100L

LA Themes: Beauty can be found within; Never Underestimate Yourself

Universal Themes: Manipulation; Parent/Child Relationships; Emotional Abuse; Courage

Giblin, J. C. (2015). The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. Place of publication not identified: Turtleback Books.

 Many people believe Hitler was the personification of evil. In this Sibert Medal-winning biography, James Cross Giblin penetrates this façade and presents a picture of a complex person—at once a brilliant, influential politician and a deeply disturbed man.In a straightforward and nonsensational manner, the author explores the forces that shaped the man as well as the social conditions that furthered his rapid rise to power. Against a background of crucial historical events, Giblin traces the arc of Hitler’s life from 1889 to 1945: his childhood, his years as a frustrated artist in Vienna, his extraordinary rise as dictator of Germany, his final days in an embattled bunker under Berlin. Powerful archival images provide a haunting visual accompaniment to this clear and compelling account of a life that left an ineradicable mark on our world.

Lexile Level: 1100L

LA Themes: N/A

Universal Themes: Abuse of Power; Fall From Grace; Manipulation

Armstrong, J. (2005). Shipwreck at the bottom of the world: the extraordinary true story of Shackleton and the Endurance. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and 27 men sailed from England in an attempt to become the first team of explorers to cross Antarctica from one side to the other. Five months later and still 100 miles from land, their ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice. The expedition survived another five months camping on ice floes, followed by a perilous journey through stormy seas to remote and unvisited Elephant Island. In a dramatic climax to this amazing survival story, Shackleton and five others navigated 800 miles of treacherous open ocean in a 20-foot boat to fetch a rescue ship.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World vividly re-creates one of the most extraordinary adventure stories in history. Jennifer Armstrong narrates this unbelievable story with vigor, an eye for detail, and an appreciation of the marvelous leadership of Shackleton, who brought home every one of his men alive. 

Lexile Level: 1090L

LA Themes: Different people can work together as a team; How important it is to be a good leader

Universal Themes: Survival; Courage

Blumenthal, K. (2002). Six days in October: the stock market crash of 1929. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Over six terrifying, desperate days in October 1929, the fabulous fortune that Americans had built in stocks plunged with a fervor never seen before. At first, the drop seemed like a mistake, a mere glitch in the system. But as the decline gathered steam, so did the destruction. Over twenty-five billion dollars in individual wealth was lost, vanished gone. People watched their dreams fade before their very eyes. Investing in the stock market would never be the same. 
Here, Wall Street Journal bureau chief Karen Blumenthal chronicles the six-day period that brought the country to its knees, from fascinating tales of key stock-market players, like Michael J. Meehan, an immigrant who started his career hustling cigars outside theaters and helped convince thousands to gamble their hard-earned money as never before, to riveting accounts of the power struggles between Wall Street and Washington, to poignant stories from those who lost their savings -- and more -- to the allure of stocks and the power of greed. 
For young readers living in an era of stock-market fascination, this engrossing account explains stock-market fundamentals while bringing to life the darkest days of the mammoth crash of 1929.

Lexile Level: 1040L

LA Themes: Power Struggles

Universal Themes: Corruption; Greed

Freedman, R., & Hine, L. (1004). Kids at Work: the Crusade Against Child Labor. New York, N Y: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Co.

Photobiography of early twentieth-century photographer and schoolteacher Lewis Hine, using his own work as illustrations. Hines's photographs of children at work were so devastating that they convinced the American people that Congress must pass child labor laws.

Lexile Level: 1140L

LA Themes: Labor; Organizing

Universal Themes: Greed; Need for Change

Poetry, Drama, Short Stories

Collins, B. (2003). Poetry 180: a turning back to poetry. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

A dazzling new anthology of 180 contemporary poems, selected and introduced by America’s Poet Laureate, Billy Collins.
Inspired by Billy Collins’s poem-a-day program with the Library of Congress, Poetry 180 is the perfect anthology for readers who appreciate engaging, thoughtful poems that are an immediate pleasure.
A 180-degree turn implies a turning back—in this case, to poetry. A collection of 180 poems by the most exciting poets at work today, Poetry 180 represents the richness and diversity of the form, and is designed to beckon readers with a selection of poems that are impossible not to love at first glance. Open the anthology to any page and discover a new poem to cherish, or savor all the poems, one at a time, to feel the full measure of contemporary poetry’s vibrance and abundance.
With poems by Catherine Bowman, Lucille Clifton, Billy Collins, Dana Gioia, Edward Hirsch, Galway Kinnell, Kenneth Koch, Philip Levine, Thomas Lux, William Matthews, Frances Mayes, Paul Muldoon, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sharon Olds, Katha Pollitt, Mary Jo Salter, Charles Simic, David Wojahn, Paul Zimmer, and many more.

Lexile Level: N/A

LA Themes: N/A

Universal Themes: N/A

Dunning, S. (1995). Reflections on a gift of watermelon pickle ...: and other modern verse. Glenview, IL: ScottForesman.

Here are modern poems chosen for their individual excellence and their special appeal to young people. Exciting photographs accent the contemporary tone of the collection.From lighthearted Phyllis Mc-Ginley to pessimistic Ezra Pound; from the lyricism of Edna St. Vincent Millay to the vigor of Lawrence Ferlinghette; from Carl Sandburg on loneliness to Paul Dehn on the bomb -- such is the range. The little known or unknown poet and the widely recognized appear side by siide.
Whatever the subject matter -- pheasant or flying saucer; lapping lake water or sonic boom; a deer hunt, a basketball, or a bud -- it is all poetry reflecting today's images and today's moods.  The editors spent several years bringing together 1200 poems they considered fine enough to include, then slowly and carefully sifted out of 114 which appear in the book.

Lexile Level: N/A

LA Themes: N/A

Universal Themes: N/A

Whitman, W. (2003). Oh captain! My captain!: a poem. Bushey Heath: Taurus Press of Willow Dene.

The poem is an elegy to the speaker's recently deceased Captain, at once celebrating the safe and successful return of their ship and mourning the loss of its great leader. In the first stanza, the speaker expresses his relief that the ship has reached its home port at last and describes hearing people cheering. Despite the celebrations on land and the successful voyage, the speaker reveals that his Captain's dead body is lying on the deck. In the second stanza, the speaker implores the Captain to "rise up and hear the bells," wishing the dead man could witness the elation. Everyone adored the captain, and the speaker admits that his death feels like a horrible dream. In the final stanza, the speaker juxtaposes his feelings of mourning and pride.

Lexile Level: N/A

LA Themes: Good things sometimes come at a cost.

Universal Themes: Fall from Grace

Grandits, J. (2007). Blue lipstick. New York: Clarion Books.

A 15-year-old girl named Jessie voices typical—and not so typical—teenage concerns in this unique, hilarious collection of poems. Her musings about trying out new makeup and hairstyles, playing volleyball and cello, and dealing with her annoying younger brother are never boring or predictable. Who else do you know who designs her own clothes and writes poetry to her cat? Jessie’s a girl with strong opinions, and she isn’t shy about sharing them. Her funny, sarcastic take on high school life is revealed through concrete poetry: words, ideas, type, and design that combine to make pictures and patterns. The poems are inventive, irreverent, irresistible, and full of surprises—just like Jessie—and the playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor.

Lexile Level: N/A

LA Themes: Individuality; Finding who you are

Universal Themes: Family; Coming of Age; Quest for Knowledge

Giovanni, N. (2007). A poem for my librarian mrs. long. Acolytes. New York: William Morrow.

Giovanni reflects on her childhood in her grandparents' home city of Knoxville, Tennessee in the late '50s. She remembers their habits, including a lack of television during the day and cozy nights spent listening to jazz greats singing on the radio. She centers her happy memories of childhood on the Lawson McGhee Library in Knoxville and its kindly librarian, Mrs. Long.  The library is a place of wonder for her, and Mrs. Long was always on hand to help her find whatever she wanted to read. As her mind expands, the young Giovanni asks for volumes that their branch library does not have. Mrs. Long takes it upon herself to make humiliating journeys to the "big library" (read "primarily white library") uptown to ask for the books for Giovanni. She never failed in her quest.  Giovanni tells us that people like Mrs. Long and her grandmother made her world in Knoxville, Tennessee a happy and safe place, despite the social inequalities that made the South a generally inhospitable place for black families. She ends the poem by saying that this love opened up the world in a positive way for her, preparing her for all the changes that were to happen in her life and in American society.

Lexile Level: N/A

LA Themes: Finding comfort in people; One person can make all the difference

Universal Themes: Safety and Security; Love; Need for Change

Historical Fiction

Brooks, K. (2015). The bunker diary. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Lab.

This is the winner of the 2014 Cilip Carnegie Medal. Room meets Lord of the Flies, The Bunker Diary is award-winning, young adult writer Kevin Brooks' pulse-pounding exploration of what happens when your worst nightmare comes true - and how will you survive? I can't believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete. There are six little rooms along the main corridor. There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out. What's he going to do to me? What am I going to do? If I'm right, the lift will come down in five minutes. It did. Only this time it wasn't empty.

Lexile Level: 540L

LA Themes: You can handle more than you realize.

Universal Themes: Survival; Manipulation; Safety and Security

Crowder, M. (2016). Audacity. New York: Speak, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, Audacity is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the twentieth century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence. In time, Clara convinces the women in the factories to strike, organize, and unionize, culminating in the famous Uprising of the 20,000. 
Powerful, breathtaking, and inspiring, Audacity is the story of a remarkable young woman, whose passion and selfless devotion to her cause changed the world.

Lexile Level: 1120L

LA Themes: Speaking up for those who suffer in silence.; Fighting against all odds

Universal Themes: Courage; Justice; Need for Change

The Boy in the Black Suit. (2016). Turtleback Books.

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.
Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Lexile Level: 760L

LA Themes: Growing up before you are ready; Grief and Death; The Effects of Alcoholism

Universal Themes: Perseverance; Friendship; Effects of the Past

Ruby, L. (2016). Bone Gap. London: Faber & Faber Limited.

Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

Lexile Level: 810L

LA Themes: Love and Loss: Magic and Mystery, Regret and Forgiveness; What the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are

Universal Themes: Love; Faith; Perseverance; Effects of the Past

Shusterman, N., & Shusterman, B. (2016). Challenger Deep. New York: HarperTeen.

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.  Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.  Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.  Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.  Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.  Caden Bosch is torn.  A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens. 

Lexile Level: 800L

LA Themes: Those suffering from mental illness are often unable to distinguish reality from imagined reality, but this does not mean that what they perceive as reality is not to some degree real or true.

Universal Themes: Power of the Mind Vs. Authority