by Wendy Mass (for Cybils)
by Sue Monk Kidd (a reread for my book group)
by Joni Sensel (for Cybils)
by Grace Lin (for Cybils)
by Irene Latham (for review)
by Ronica Stromberg (for review)
by Phillip Hoose (on my TBR pile) by Grace Lin (on my TBR pile)
by Rodman Philbrick (haven't even heard of this one!)
by Libba Bray (which, I'll be the first to admit, I could not finish and just did not appeal to me - here are my thoughts on goodreads)
by Deborah Heiligman (on my TBR pile)
by Rick Yancey (heard of it, at least) 
by Adam Rapp (haven't heard of it)
by John Barnes (also haven't heard of it)
"Her pretty skin had grown rosy with exertion, and her lashes formed black, pointed coronas around shiny eyes. A mad piano played in the corner, encouraging the droves to drink faster and laugh louder - an imperative they merrily obeyed." p52
by Paulette Jiles 
by Alan Paton 
by Mark Twain 
by Harriet Beecher Stowe
by Margaret Mitchell
by Lawrence Hill 
by Harper Lee
by Patricia Q. Wall by Phillip M. Hoose
by Christopher Paul Curtis
by Dorothy Sterling 
by Kathryn Kilby Borland and Helen Ross Speicher
by Mildred D. Taylor 
by Marilyn Nelson
by Carlotta Walls Lanier and Lisa Frazier Page
by Booker T. Washington
by Melba Pattillo Beals
is Greg Huffley's non-diary of summer. Greg, however, does not want to leave the house - he would rather spend all his break inside playing video games. His mother has other ideas, ones that include visiting the public pool, reading classics, and earning his own money, all of which just might ruin Greg's summer. 
"The first time I walked through the men's locker room at the town pool was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I'm probably lucky I didn't go blind. Seriously, I don't see why Mom and Dad bother to try and protect me from horror movies and stuff like that if they're gonna expose me to something about a thousand times worse." p7
"I'm not really sure what makes a book a 'classic' to begin with, but I think it has to be at least fifty years old and some person or animal has to die at the end." p37
is the story of three orphan kids caught up in the conflict near the end of the Civil War. Eleven-year-old Luke is a runaway slave, hoping to find the Union army and join up. Nine-year-old Daylily is a freed slave, forced from home and left alone after a tragic encounter with some soldiers. Seven-year-old Caswell is the son of a plantation owner, lost after his home is burned. The three meet up by chance and soon learn to rely on each other in order to survive. 
by Margaret Mitchell
is the phrase to use to increase your fame. Or fortune. It also happens to be true of Moose Flanagan and his family. Moose's father just got a job as a guard at the infamous prison Alcatraz and he has uprooted Moose from all his friends and his former life to live on the island. Moose is trying to fit into his new school, avoid the warden's daughter who is trouble, and help his sister Natalie, who isn't like other children. 
"I peek out the front window of our new apartment and look up to see a little glass room lit bright in the dark night. This is the dock guard tower, a popcorn stand on stilts where somebody's dad sits with enough firepower to blow us all to smithereens." p4
"That's the thing about the cell house library," I say, "it's a high-risk operation."..."Books are overdue, I explain, "they lock you up. They have a special cell for it. Overdue library book cell. If it's more than ten days overdue, they put you in the hole. Solitary confinement." p77Things I Didn't Like:
by Elizabeth George Speare. I still have the copy that my fifth grade teacher was giving away, that I positively snatched up because it spoke to me. It spoke to my 10-year-old heart of love and sacrifice and prejudice. Things I really knew nothing about. Still, the characters seemed to speak to me. To draw me into their lives and their world and their time. Oh, how I still love that book. 
by Donald R. Marshall is the story of three runaway children who find shelter in a crumbling old house. In that house, lives a woman who is unfettered by the restraints of society. She seems to truly live, and she teaches the children about art and poetry and imagination, all while not really seeming to teach them at all. I just remember being drawn into the magical world the enchantress created for the children. This was the first book to truly unleash my imagination. I started writing silly romantic stories after that.
by Charlotte Bronte at thirteen in my school library and falling in love with the story of Jane and Mr. Rochester. During those years, I was a little romantic with a flair for the dramatic. It seemed Jane's tragic story was just perfect for me. The mysterious and romantic air of the tale spoke directly to my heart. Jane has stuck with me ever since. by Margaret Mitchell and for the first time was introduced to a story that didn't have a mostly happy ending. I cried when I finished and worried about what Scarlett would do and would she ever get Rhett back. I've never forgotten that story, those characters, and I still wonder about those two.
by Alexandre Dumas and discovered that adventure, mixed with some tragedy and romance, could be just as fabulous as pure love story. For many years, I have clung to this book as one of my all-time favorites. Even after reading the unabridged version and decided that the abridged is just fine, thank you, I still consider the story one of my favorites.
is the tale of Theo, who has definitely not had a typical childhood. Theo has led a very sheltered life, with excursions outside the house limited to visits to the graveyard and other places where he will never come in contact with other people. His whole world consists of only three acquaintances, because of his mysterious "illness." Theo's life changes drastically when he finds himself escaping his "home" and running with strangers from the only place he's ever known. As more secrets are revealed, about himself, his former care takers, and his new friends, Theo is caught up into a dangerous and ancient rivalry that forces him to choose sides and fight for his life.
"A world where only the chosen few will suffer the worries of power and the burden of riches. A world where the ordinary man will enjoy the virtues of poverty, and the bliss of slavery. And, under our guidance, this nation will command a vast, docile Empire, as it once did!" p 50 (ARC)
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