West Bend Community Memorial Library

On The Edge
[printable] [printable-just titles]

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix- Believing herself to be a frontier child in 1840, Jessie is shocked when her mother tells her it's really 1996 and she must venture out into the world to survive.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - When a meteor hits the moon, Miranda must learn to survive the unimaginable. Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda's struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - Book 1 of "His Dark Materials" series A New York Times Bestseller Carnegie Medal Award Winner Publishers Weekly Best Book ALA Top 10 Books for Young Adults. Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College. But when her uncle, Lord Asriel, returns from the North with tales of mystery and danger, it sets off a chain of events that draws Lyra into the heart of a terrible struggle.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney - Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy-he didn't worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his Advanced Bio report. Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in-if he doesn't, he'll be switched out of Advanced Bio, which would be unfortunate since Olivia's in Advanced Bio. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family's weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the books, the report is no longer about the grade-it's about life and death. His own. This edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave you breathless.

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson - Racing against the clock, shy middle-school student Lily and her best friends, Katie and Jasper, must foil the plot of her father's conniving boss to conquer the world using an army of whales.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel - Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious. In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

Bloody Jack: Being an account of the curious adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer -  Reduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London, a thirteen-year-old orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates.

Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn - A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

Reef of Death by Paul Zindel - Seventeen-year-old PC McPhee is intrigued with the bizarre details of a deadly mystery: a missing scuba diver, a hidden treasure, a beautiful girl suffering from amnesia, a corrupt scientist, and a deadly creature prowling the depths of an Australian reef. In this terrifying thriller by the author of "Loch" and "The Doom Stone", PC teams up with Maruul, a young Aborigine girl, in a race against time to solve the mystery and save her village.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen - This Newbery Honor book is a dramatic, heart-stopping story of a boy who, following a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, must learn to survive with only a hatchet and his own wits.

Flash Fire by Caroline Cooney - As fire sweeps through a canyon near Los Angeles, teenagers Danna and Hall Press and other children whose parents are not around must work together to save themselves.

Wanderer by Sharon Creech - On the way to visit their grandfather, 13-year-old Sophie and her cousin Codyrecord their transatlantic crossing aboard "The Wanderer, " a 45-foot sailboatwhich is en route to England.

Cay by Theodore Taylor - After a German torpedo destroys a ship, Phillip is left blinded and marooned on a desert island with an old West Indian man. Their struggle for survival--and Phillip's efforts to adjust to his blindness and to understand the dignified, wise and loving old man--make this a memorable tale.

I Heard The Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven - A young minister who has two years to live learns about the meaning of life when he is sent to an Indian parish in British Columbia.

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer - While fleeing from Mozambique to Zimbabwe to escape an unwanted marriage, Nhamo, an eleven-year-old Shona girl, struggles to escape drowning and starvation and in so doing comes close to the luminous world of the African spirits.

Singer to the Sea God by Vivien Alcock - After a storm at sea strands the travelers on a barren island, Phaidon and friends are joined by Iris, a scraggly tomboy raised by wolves and pirates. Magic, fate and the workaday world converge to provide a vivid background for the events that lead Phaidon to the grand city of Anaktaron, where he fulfills a prophecy and makes a new life for himself and his companions. A strong coming-of-age story, in which the uncanny is never far off.

Nathan’s Run by John Gilstrap - At 12, Nathan Bailey is wrongly imprisoned, then raped and nearly murdered. When Nathan kills in self-defense and escapes, he must elude cops, the mob, and a determined county prosecutor who will stop at nothing to bring him down. Electrifying, achingly poignant, and filled with profound insights into the war society wages against its children, this book is a remarkable and memorable fiction debut.

On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt - Late one night 14-year-old Birle, the innkeeper's daughter, dives into the river in rash pursuit of a supposed thief, promptly falls in love with this runaway Lord of the Kingdom and embarks with him on a world-spanning adventure. Birle and her Lord are shipwrecked on a barren coast, rescued by pirates, sold into slavery and, after many other tribulations, narrowly escape and head for home.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Unrivaled in literature, Stevenson's Treasure Island is among the most delightful adventure romances of all time. From young Jim Hawkins' first encounter with an old buccaneer and his treasure map to the final daring skirmish with the treacherous pirate Long John Silver, this classic work enchants and fuels the imagination with beautiful illustrations.

The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft - Logan Moore hates everyone. The father who abandoned him. The stepfather who wants to control him. Kids who get in his face. Everyone. Except Jack. A mangy mutt that nobody wants. Except Logan. He doesn't care that Jack has already bitten three workers at the animal shelter or that she's ugly. She's the only one who doesn't want anything from him and that's enough for Logan. But Jack is in terrible danger. A mysterious disease is sweeping across the country, turning dogs into vicious, raging predators. Jack isn't infected, but that won't keep her safe. People are shooting dogs on sight, and asking questions later. Logan's own parents want to hand Jack over to the authorities. Now Logan and Jack are on the run. There's nowhere they can turn and no one they can trust.

Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman - It's All Soul's Eve in the deepest, darkest forest in Switzerland, and Zamiel, the Demon Huntsman, has come to claim his prey. He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, and the evil Count will sacrifice his two nieces to save his own hide. Pullman's storytelling features a twist of humor--with a dizzying, creepy, hilarious plot just right for middle-graders seeking horror--and fun.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Alden Carter - Randy, 15, and his outdoorsy cousin Mark canoe into the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. They are the third generation in their family to take this coming-of-age journey, and each boy harbors doubts. Mark feels completely inadequate compared to his older brother, and he isn't sure the girl he has been seeing will wait 10 days for him. Randy's parents seem to be just going through the motions of staying together; his diabetes may be the only glue holding them together.

Popular Adventure Authors Will Hobbs Gary Paulsen Philip Pullman Brian Jacques

Popular Adventure Series Spy High by A.J. Butcher Tom Clancy's Net Force by Tom Clancy Alex Rider adventure by Anthony Horowitz

~Young Adult Librarian ~
Kristin Pekoll
kpekoll@west-bendlibrary.org
262.335.5151 x128

YA HOME
YA BOOKLISTS
WBCML HOME
Updated November 26, 2008

"Organized education gives us information, but there are things we have to learn ourselves" ~ Lauryn Hill