Best Books for Young Adults - 2005 (from YALSA- Young Adult Library Services Association) Available in the Great Lakes Media Center

NONFICTION

Allen, Thomas B.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, SPYMASTER: HOW THE AMERICANS OUTSPIED THE BRITISH AND WON THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Who knew our most famous founder was a colonial James Bond? This intriguing title features Washington in a little-known role as the mastermind behind an intricate Revolutionary War spy network.

Bausum, Ann
WITH COURAGE AND CLOTH: WINNING THE FIGHT FOR A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO VOTE.
This engaging narrative shows that the road to a woman's right to vote has proved to be a long, arduous, and sometimes violent struggle.

Bolden, Tonya.
WAKE UP OUR SOULS: A CELEBRATION OF BLACK AMERICAN ARTISTS.
Spanning the nineteenth century to the present, this selected history of influential black American artists introduces their careers and work with detailed sidebars, stunning graphics, and a compelling text.

Freedman, Russell.
THE VOICE THAT CHALLENGED A NATION: MARIAN ANDERSON AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.
The beautiful voice of the gifted African American opera singer comes alive in this clear, concise, and lyrical biography. The 2005 Sibert Medal Book and a 2005 Newbery Honor Book.

*Hoose, Phillip M
THE RACE TO SAVE THE LORD GOD BIRD.
The ivory-billed woodpecker's presumed demise is at the heart of this fascinating look at conservation and the effects of industrialization on nature.

McWhorter, Diane
A DREAM OF FREEDOM: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT FROM 1954 TO 1968.
This handsome volume introduces key years of the civil rights movement, "the thrilling democratic uprising," bringing in major players as well as lesser-known heroes and heroines.

FICTION

Bass, L. G.
SIGN OF THE QIN: OUTLAWS OF MOONSHADOW MARSH.
Dangers abound in this magical martial-arts fantasy, which follows young Prince Zong and his mother after their separate escapes from the dangerous, corrupt Emperor Han.

Choldenko, Gennifer
AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS.
Moose Flanagan, 12, is dismayed when his family moves to Alcatraz after his father gets a new job as a prison guard. A 2005 Newbery Honor Book.

*Curtis, Christopher Paul
BUCKING THE SARGE.
Fifteen-year-old Luther uses his humor and smarts to cope with a longtime crush, an impending science fair, and the shady dealings of his slumlord mother.

Farmer, Nancy
THE SEA OF TROLLS
In 793, Northmen invade Great Britain, capture Jack, an 11-year-old bard-in-training, and his young sister, and embark on adventures that involve trolls, dragons, magic, and a very angry young Berserker girl.

Fisher, Catherine
THE ORACLE BETRAYED.
Shy Mirany must navigate a web of treachery and deceit in a thirsty land that is a fantastical melding of ancient Greece and Egyptian cultures.

Hautman, Pete
GODLESS.
Tired of the "Teen Power Outreach" sessions he endures at church, Jason Block decides to create his own religion, which centers on the town's water tower.

Horowitz, Anthony
EAGLE STRIKE: AN ALEX RIDER ADVENTURE.
Teenage British spy Alex Rider is back in an addictive adventure that includes a celebrity madman and a near-fatal rendezvous with destiny aboard the famous Air Force One.

Jocelyn, Marthe
MABLE RILEY: A RELIABLE RECORD OF HUMDRUM, PERIL, AND ROMANCE.
Mable dreams of grand adventures when she and her sister leave their family farm for Ontario in 1901. A gentle, moving story for fans of Anne of Green Gables.

Johnson, Angela
BIRD.
Thirteen-year-old Bird follows her beloved stepfather to Alabama, hoping to convince him to return home. In bittersweet encounters, Bird helps others cope with their difficulties.

Konigsburg, E. L.
THE OUTCASTS OF 19 SCHUYLER PLACE.
Twelve-year-old Margaret Rose is rescued from summer camp bullies by her beloved grand-uncles and spends a transforming month spearheading the campaign to save their three unique towers.

Leavitt, Martine.
HECK, SUPERHERO.
This gripping novel follows 96 critical hours in the life of Heck, a 13-year-old artist and all-too-human kid who faces a crisis after he's locked out of his apartment and his severely depressed mother disappears.

Napoli, DonnaJo
BOUND.
In this Cinderella retelling, 14-year-old Xing Xing is resigned to a life of servitude until an extraordinary fish helps her decide her own future.

*Oppel, Kenneth
AIRBORN.
When the Aurora--part dirigible, part shipping vessel--is forced to land on an uncharted island, Matt and fellow traveler Kate must battle pirates and strange, winged creatures in order to return their damaged ship to its voyage in the sky. A 2005 Printz Honor Book.

Peck, Richard
THE TEACHER'S FUNERAL: A COMEDY IN THREE PARTS.
When mean ol' teacher Myrt Arbuckle hauls off and dies, 15-year-old Russell Culver thinks he is done with school forever, until his sister is chosen to be the new teacher.

Pratchett, Terry
A HAT FULL OF SKY.
In order to become a witch-in-training, Tiffany Aching leaves her home and her beloved Wee Free Men. But once away, she needs the Men's help to battle an invisible foe.

Rusoff, Meg
HOW I LIVE NOW.
In a dystopian future, Daisy's world turns upside down when she travels to England to stay with relatives, falls in love, and faces a devastating world war. The 2005 Michael L. Printz Award Book.

Schmidt, Gary D.
LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY.
Turner's family moves to Phippsburg, Maine, in 1912 just as the town's white leaders try to eliminate a neighboring island community populated by former slaves and their descendants. A 2005 Newbery Honor Book and a 2005 Printz Honor Book.

Shusterman, Neal
THE SCHWA WAS HERE.
Antsy Bonano and functionally invisible Calvin Schwa earn big bucks until they get caught in loony old man Crawley's apartment.

Stroud, Jonathan
THE GOLEM'S EYE: THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY, BOOK TWO
Nathaniel, 14, an ambitious magician employed by the government, again summons Bartimaeus, a sarcastic djinni, to help him destroy a hideous, vengeful golem that is attacking London.

Updale, Eleanor
MONTMORENCY: THIEF, LIAR, GENTLEMAN?
Montmorency, a petty thief in Victorian England, is badly injured and caught by police. As he recuperates in jail, he begins a new life with a new identity.

*Weeks, Sarah
SO B. IT.
Twelve-year-old Heidi doesn't know the story of her own birth; her severely disabled mother can only articulate 23 words. In a stirring cross-country journey, she tries to discover the truth of her origins.

Wolf, Allan
NEW FOUND LAND: LEWIS AND CLARK'S VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
Combining poetry, prose, and multiple voices, this absorbing historical novel chronicles the epic journey of Lewis and Clark and their noble crew.

Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris.
PRINCE ACROSS THE WATER.
Duncan MacDonald and his cousin Ewan are eager to answer the call to restore Prince Charlie to the Scottish throne, a quest that will lead to the end of the Highland clans at the bloody battle of Culloden.

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