Ghosts True Encounters with the World Beyond by Hans Holzer

Hans Holzer was my favorite author when I was in high school. I read all his books over and over again. Instead of the science used today on shows like the Ghost Hunters, he used Mediums and research to get to the bottom of his cases. This book is a blend of all the others, with the most interesting cases included. From ghosts that have been seen on live TV to a ghost of a sea captain that might have been a pirate, this book has more stories than you can read in one check out. Don't let the size overwhelm you, most tales are short and if you don't like the one you are reading, go to the next. There is even a chapter my non-believer of a husband would enjoy - Ghosts that Aren't. If want to be a serious ghost hunter, read chapter 2. I had to buy 2 copies because this book always seems to be out haunting its reader.

Motel of Mysteries by David Macaulay

For those who are studying the ancient civilizations and wonder if everything you are being taught is correct, this may be the book for you. More illustrations than text, it looks at what a future archaeologist might decided about objects found in a local motel. The ancient country of Usa was buried in 1985 by tons of mail and impurities and it is now 4022. A brave archaeologist finds the site that will make his career and you get to read what he thinks all the stuff he found was used for. Did he get it right? Don't they use this stuff in 4022? If they don't, what are they using in its place? Laugh all you want as you read this book.

Tony and Me by Alfred Slote

While I would love to show the actual cover of the book, this could not be found on the internet because the book as been out of print for years. I read Tony and Me when I was in sixth grade and the story has stuck all these years. Have you ever moved away from your "perfect" home to a new place and tried to find new friends and a team. Bill was on a winning baseball team in California, but here in Michigan, he gets stuck with a losing one. All it seems to do is rain. But when he meets Tony, life is looking up. But Tony has a problem behavior that gets Bill in trouble too. Does being great in sports as Tony really makes up for doing wrong in life outside of baseball? What does a true friend do when the chips are down? Would you do as Bill did or did Bill take the easy way out? Let me know after you finish the story.

Here at the Scenic-Vu Motel by Thelma Hatch Wyss

Have you ever wanted to be free of your parents and live on your own while you are in high school? Jake is a senior and along with 5 other students that live too far for the school bus to get every day is trying. Instead of boarding with host families, this year's lowest bidder is the Scenic-Vu motel and the school board wants to keep cost down. Mayhem is possible especially since the 2nd rule of the 2 rules that Jake has made is to have fun. Written in the form of Jake's senior English class journal, the years ups and downs are at times funny and at times sad, but always true to life for most high schoolers. Sometimes when brains go missing, trouble will follow and the actions of one person can ruin it for the whole group. See if they will try some of the things you might if you had the same opportunity as these kids from Bear Flat, ID.

California Blue by David Klass

John doesn't seem to fit any where, not his family or his school or even his town. He is a runner. His father and older brothers were all football stars in a town that football is the only sport that matters. Only one teacher at school does understand him, but she is an outsider herself. During one of his runs, trespassing on timber company land, he finds a new type of butterfly. His town depends on timber and many jobs have been lost due to forest protection. If he lets the EPA know, more jobs will be gone. If he doesn't, this butterfly may be lost forever. He has to decide whether to go against his father, his school, and his town or save and name a new species for the rest of the world. But what do you owe people who never accepted you in the first place? This book is for those who find themselves not fiting in and need hope to do the right thing, even if it means your life will change forever. John's life sure does by the end of the book, but is it for the good or the bad?

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi

When you remember and still keep a book in your top favorites for 25 years, you know it must be a great book. Set during the American Revolution, the events are seen through a teenage girl whose family gets too up close to the action. Jemina is head strong and even if she doesn't believe it, is lucky to have a tutor. Most girls are either uneducated or have only a basic education. John Reid is difficult, demanding, and worst of all, a Tory that supports the king. Most of Jemina family, including her, are supporting the rebels. Mr. Reid feelings about Jemina are just as same, dislike and barely tolerance of the other. But when Jemina learns Mr. Reid's secret, a secret that if it gets out means death, the balance of power changes. Can Mr. Reid and even her parents trust a teenage girl with lives in the balance? How many people that Jemina loves will be alive at the end of war, especially when the war comes to Trenton, her home. You will either love Ann Rinaldi books or hate them. Find out which side you are on.

Truce by Jim Murphy

When I was growing up, there was a saying "what if they gave a war and no one showed up". This book is about the true story of the Christmas Truce on the front line during World War I, the war to end all wars (yes, they believed that at the time). On Christmas eve in 1914, the troops on both sides heard the other side singing Christmas Carols and once they realized they were singing the same ones, only in different languages, some how the mood changed. Some one took a chance with a white flag to cross the no man zone to ask for a truce for Christmas. The Truce spread up and down the line and in some parts lasted a lot longer than just Christmas. Somehow the game of soccer was involved in that. Why these soldiers did this makes compelling reading. This book doesn't pull any punches about the horrors of the war and the worries of the higher command that if this type of behavior was not stopped, the war would. It is recorded in history that Hitler's reaction to this Christmas truce caused him to do things that made World War II even worst than it could have been.

Chelsey and the Green-Haired Kid by Carol Gorman

Chelsey may be wheelchair bound, but she has to solve who pushed the kid off the back of bleachers. The kid died right in front of her and either the green-haired kid is another witness or involved in the murder. If the murder killed once, she could be the next victim, especially if the killer wants no on left to identify him to the police. Why would anyone want to kill someone at a high school basketball game? Why does the green-haired kid wants nothing to do with solving this unless he might be involved? I read this almost 20 years ago and if a book sticks in your mind that long after reading so many more great books, you know it has to be good. Mystery lovers, see if you can solve this before the author does it for you.

Soup by Robert Newton Peck

Don't miss this just because it is an old book, but if you read it , please don't try any of the pranks on your friends and family. Based on the author's own growing years, Rob learns sometime following your best friend's ideas of fun can get you in more trouble than what your worst enemy's ideas would. Whether it is whipping apples at a church or tying up your aunt, things never seem to work out as planned. Life was so much more fun when the grown ups didn't worry about where the kids were unless they missed 2 meals or didn't make it home before dark. Life back then also included the dreaded bully, but you have to read the book to see who was the most feared bully in school. You will be surprised to see who it was.

The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead George

The action at the start of this book will upset any cat lover, but sets the story of how outside cats survive and learn which humans they can trust. Rachet has learned not to trust humans and now she has to learn the ways of feral cats to survive. A small colony of cats live in the neighborhood near a train station. While some humans are helpful, like the lady who puts out cat food, other do anything they can to "get rid of the cats". Mike, who lives with a foster mother that hates cats, wants to befriend Rachet but how can a cat learn to trust one of the creatures that harmed her and tried to kill her. While this is a fiction story, it has more facts than some non fiction. I learned a few thing about cats and I have lived too many for years. If you love the Warriors series, instead of rereading while you wait for the next book, try this. All my students who love the Warriors series and read this loved it.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When I first saw the cover, I wondered if any student would ever pick this book up. When the book won the 2010 Newbery Award, I remembered that you shouldn't judge a book by the cover. After reading it, I now understand what makes this special. Miranda just loves the book Wrinkle in Time, her life in New York, and her mom. As the book starts, she loses her best friend. She gets weird notes found in even weirder places from someone who tells her that s/he has come to save her friend. It seems that that person knows what happens even before it does. The subplots about finding a new best friend and surviving the ups and downs of a parent's appearance on a national televised game show only adds to the mystery. Even though the story is set in the late 1970's, any junior high student will enjoy the parts set in a school. The times may change, but the characters that are part of any school seem to always stay the same. If you have read and love Wrinkle in Time, you will love this book. It is not only the main character's favorite book, the plot of Wrinkle is the key to solving what is going on in this story.

Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

After about the 5th student told me this was the best book they ever read, I knew I needed to read it. Other books by this author are also popular and had to have multiple copies bought. Now I see why. How would you like to find out that you are not just the new kid in town, but you also live in a house of an unsolved murder. Logan just wants to fit in with the students at his new junior high when school starts, but events will probably stop that. His next door neighbor wants his help solving the murder and once they start, they have to see it through. Whoever killed Mrs. Donaldson has started to notice their search and now they may be the target. If you like plot twists, you will love this. For those of you who read the last few pages to see what happens, it won't work. The author has solved the it sooner and you will have to read it to find out who did murder that poor sweet little old lady. One of the characters will not be who you think that character is. It fit the plot but it was a shock. For those of you who are picked on by the popular kids, you will really love the ending.

It has been a year since I started this blog.

Greetings to all who do look at this blog. I started this a year ago so junior high (and high school also) students would be able to find great books to read. Every book on this blog is a book that I have recommended to students and had gotten good feedback. It is not a complete list of all the great books I have read, but all of these are found in my small junior high library so they should be able to found in others. I have been adding 4 books a month to build the blog, but since there are now well over 45 books, I will be only listing 1 or 2 books each month. I have gone to other blogs and felt a little overwhelmed trying to find things. I want this to be user friendly. If you like mysteries, you can just find a mystery book on the blog and click on the mystery label and every mystery book on the blog will pop up. This will work with any genre, including nonfiction ones. You can also just click on any of the labels in the list and all the books under that label will pop up. Speaking of nonfiction, I have been a nonfiction reader for most of my life and have found those students who tell me they hate to read are usually a nonfiction readers. I hope you will find this blog useful when you want a book to read. Let me know if you have anything you want to add, because comments are welcome.

Indigo Star by Hilary McKay

The second book of a 4 book series about the Cassons, a British family whose parents are artists, it stands alone. Indigo is the only boy in a house full of females. His dad lives in London. While home is a happy chaotic place, school is something to be dreaded. It is so bad at school that Indigo is happy to get mononucleosis to miss an entire semester, but he must go back. When he gets back, the bullies have a new target, Tom, the American kid who does everything to make himself a target. Why is Tom so angry at everyone? How can the two of them get back at the bullies and teach a lesson at the same time? Behind this main plot are many subplots involving too many suiters for the oldest sister, why their father is not living with them, and will their mother ever remember to make dinner. One of the most popular series at EML's library. You will laugh out load about who really gets the best of the bullies.

Backfield Package by Thomas J. Dygard

Four friends who play for a winning high school team make a promise to each other that when recuited to play college football, they will go as a package. Only one offer comes and it is second tier school. Joe, the quarterback, is by far the best of them all, so when he gets offers to better college programs, his family tells him to take one of those offers. But how can he let his friends down especially when he knows that it their talents that help him be the star quarterback he is? Is anyone else having doubts about even going to college? If you love football, you will love the game action in this book.

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff

Sequel to Lilly's Crossing, this does stand alone. What would you do if your whole life is turned upside down? Meggie's family moves to Michigan so her father can work in the bomber plant. She has a nice home in New York, but lives in quickly-built worker housing. Her brother is off to war and her German American grandfather stays back in New York to look after things. Thrown into a group of other transplants, she learns that life is what you make it and that friends don't have to share your background, just your present.

No Place For Me by barthe DeClements

Probably out of print for years, this book has stood the test of time and will be remembered by readers who share some of the same feelings as Cooper, the 7th grade main character. Growing up in an unstable home with a high maintenance mom that is now drying out in rehab, Cooper feels no one wants her until she goes to live with her late father's sister. Aunt Maggie is different than most, she is a free spirit, practices the old religion of Wicca, but is understanding. Aunt Maggie seems to care about her, but after what happened to Copper at her other two aunts' home, can she let down her guard to find out what real families will do for each other. Trusting adults are hard if you never had an adult that didn't let you down.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Winner of the Newbery, the heart warming tale of a girl who finds a home, an occupation, some food, and her own name. Nameless until the midwife starts calling her Beetle because of where she found her (think of the grossest place in the world) , Beetle never remembers anyone who cared for her, not even in toddlerhood. Life is tough in the 14th century. Midwifery is looked down about even if they are the only ones who can help bring a new life in the world. What would you do to keep the only safe place you have ever know and what name would you give yourself if you could? This character in this very quick read has more in common with todays students than you think possible. Hope, dreams and needs don't change, just the ablity to fill them.

Wolf by the Ears by Ann Rinaldi

Based on historical people and maybe actual facts, this story is about the tough choice that Thomas Jefferson's bi-racial daughter has to make. She is a slave like her mother, but at 21 she can get her freedom. If she does take her freedom, will she pass as white, or stay true to those who raised her. But who is Harriet, if she has both black and white parents. At a time when you had to choose and could not be both, passing will open up a better world but you would lose your past forever. You either will love or hate Ann Rinaldi's work . Filled with strong teenage women characters, the stories are true to their settings in history. Being bi-racial, EML also had to make the choice of who I am. Once you make it, it is who you are for the rest of your life, even if you don't look like the choice you made when you get older.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

While they don't put faces of missing children on school milk cartons anymore, just image if you saw a picture of yourself as a young child on one. When teenage Janie does, she starts down a path to find the truth, but can she handle the truth and where it leads. She has her whole world pulled apart. Can she put herself back together? Who are her "real" parents, those who raised her or the ones she share blood ties? Does she risk her world to find out? First of a series of 4 books. EML had to face a similar problem when her birth parents found her after 42 years and found someone will get hurt everytime, it is just the way these things work out.