The books on this list were selected by high school librarian Mrs. Hanson and several students who responded to a schoolwide invitation to suggest books. These are the best books that we read this year, and we hope that you find something that intrigues and challenges you. Read one, read more–the choice is yours.
The Awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz (2021)
Fiction; Grades 9-12
A powerful narrative account of the activist's adolescent years in jail and how he developed into a thought leader, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, Tiffany D. Jackson.
Audio and ebook available on SORA
A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by Charlie Fletcher (2019)
Fiction; Grades 9-12
In this post-apocalyptic landscape, we journey with Griz, a young boy who has led a sheltered life on a remote Scottish island with barely a glimpse of others or the world beyond; that is until his beloved dog Jess is stolen and prompts Griz to venture outside for the first time in his life where makes some truly shocking discoveries,.
It is indeed a simple story, but this is one of many occasions when a simple, heartfelt plot holds so much power. It's such an emotionally involving tale and one that plays on the love we all have for our furry companions on whose love we can rely unconditionally. What I loved the most was the philosophical questions posed and the way these principles were raised in the story by Griz and explained in an accessible fashion. This adds plenty of food for thought to the novel for readers to ponder. (Lou [nonfiction friend], Goodreads)
Audio and ebook available on SORA
A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet (2020)
Fiction; Grades 11-12
In this masterful dystopian novel, Lydia Millet sets up a generational divide between 12 children and their parents. The parents have brought their children on a very long group vacation, which is meant to be some sort of "last hurrah" among the group of adults. The parents don't care at all about the children, as they are so absorbed in their own lives of indulgence. The children are left to fend for themselves. This is all set against a backdrop of environmental disaster…. The children's plot parallels several Bible stories, hence the title of the novel. The generational divide faced by the children is certainly of Biblical proportions. (John Mauro, Goodreads)
Cousin Pons by Honoré de Balzac (1847)
Fiction; Grades 10-12
Honoré de Balzac was a 19th century Parisian author who depicted singularly moving family and societal dynamics, encapsulating France's immense change during that time period. Cousin Pons depicts an aged composer -- a man childlike at heart-- who enjoys collecting bric-a-brac artworks and antiques. Cast out by his wealthy cousins, Pons is wrought with sadness and falls mortally ill. With resentment against his cruel family, he aims to leave his inheritance to his dear friend and colleague, Herr Schmucke. Tragically, those around him employ evil cunning to dupe him and his friend out of this wealth. It is the emotionally riveting story of a man's decline amid dishonesty and the most gruesome aspects of family life. This embodies themes of vulnerability, honesty, wealth, and commitment.
The Day the Sun Died by Yan Lianke (2015)
Fiction; Grades 11-12
The reality of life in China today contrasts with the sunny optimism of the 'Chinese dream' in this gripping, gruesome dystopia from one of the masters of modern Chinese literature.
One dusk in early June, in a town deep in the Balou mountains, fourteen-year-old Li Niannian notices that something strange is going on. As the residents would usually be settling down for the night, instead they start appearing in the streets and fields. There are people everywhere. Li Niannian watches, mystified. But then he realizes the people are dreamwalking, carrying on with their daily business as if the sun hadn’t already gone down. And before too long, as more and more people succumb, in the black of night all hell breaks loose.
Set over the course of one night, chaos and darkness are pitted against the sunny optimism of the ‘Chinese dream’ promoted by President Xi Jinping. We are thrown into the middle of an increasingly strange and troubling waking nightmare as Li Niannian and his father struggle to save the town, and persuade the beneficent sun to rise again.
The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold (2021)
Fiction: Grades 9-12
When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico's father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another. (the publisher)
Audio and ebook available on SORA
Hatter's Castle by A.J. Cronin (1931)
Fiction; Grades 11-12
A.J. Cronin was a Scottish doctor turned author in the early 20th century. Though relatively obscure now, his writing is distinct in its ability to profoundly move any reader. The brevity of his language is utterly baffling in how emotionally distinctive it is. This aside, Hatter's Castle is most likely the best iteration of a known trope in literature: the dysfunctional family. It depicts the downfall of a burly drunken hat-maker, who in his violent hubris invokes the tragic demise of his entire family. Each character is flawed, and yet endearing; the novel is filled with a force of language that shocks each person to vivid life. It is a full-blown onslaught of tragedy that will bring any reader to tears--- but the book itself is profoundly enjoyable despite it.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (2020)
Non-Fiction; Grades 11-12
A non-fiction book that reads like fiction. A powerful look at schizophrenia and the quest to understand it through the Galvin Family. Don and Mimi Galvin, the perfect American family image, had 12 children with six sons diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hidden Valley Road is a terrifying portrait of a family in crisis and swallowed up by blame and shame from society's expectations of the perfect mother, wife, and family.
Ebook available on SORA
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021)
Fiction; Grades 10-12
Our narrator is Klara, a robot equipped with artificial intelligence, who is bought to support Josie, a sickly, lonely teenager. Set in a future - and how near that future actually is is one of the main questions of the book - where machines are programmed to understand and replace humans, and where humans are engineered to perform better, classism reigns and society gets more and more atomized.
There is something unnameable about the way Ishiguro’s books make me feel. I cannot explain it in words. They feel like a breath of fresh air on a crisp autumn day. Seeing an old friend after a long period of separation. That moment of complete silence in the early hours of the morning.
The writing was the author’s usual, simplistic style that never fails to captivate me. Full of subtle hints that leaves the reader desperate to figure out what our characters are going through. Pages rich with nuance and deeper meaning. (A, Goodreads)
Audio and ebook available on SORA
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1967)
Fiction; Grades 10-12
This is an excellent fictional work by Ukrainian author Mikhail Bulgakov that transcends genre-- it is hilarious, satirical, morally complex, and an overall rich novel. It is a book that leaves a reader in shock of its sheer excellence.
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (2020)
Fiction; Grades 11-12
Told entirely through fictional eye-witness accounts, The Ministry For The Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, the story of how climate change will affect us all over the decades to come. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us - and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face. It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.
Parachutes by Kelly Yang (2020)
Fiction; Grades 10-12
This book touches on so many things - it brings light to the unfair system that supports racism, wealth inequality, and lack of access to education for many people. It serves as a window or mirror for the racist words and actions faced by many Asian people in the U.S. AND, it shows a brutally honest portrayal of two teenagers reckoning with sexual harassment and misconduct from someone in a position of power, which is heartbreaking to read (Cait, Goodreads)
Content note: rape, sexual assault, racism, grooming, victim-blaming, slut-shaming--not dramatic, detailed or gratuitous, but part of the plot.
Audio and ebook available on SORA
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (2019)
Fiction; Grades 9-12
There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster--and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also uncover the truth, and the answer to the question How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? Content note: child abuse is part of the plot but not described.
Audio and ebook available on SORA
The Plague by Albert Camus (1947)
Fiction; Grades 11-12
Particularly relevant due to our experiences with a plague... this explores the psychological dispositions of the citizens of a small Algerian town that is quarantined due to a plague outbreak. Through a portrayal of five wholly unique perspectives, Camus grasps (before his time) the true implications of isolation and disease.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (2018)
Graphic Novel grades 9-12
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon is his brilliant dressmaker, Frances―his best friend and one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect her friend?
Ebook available on SORA
The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom (2021)
Fiction; Grades 9-12
What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? In Mitch Albom’s profound new novel of hope and faith, a group of shipwrecked passengers pull a strange man from the sea. He claims to be “the Lord.” And he says he can only save them if they all believe in him.
True or False: a CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News by Cindy L. Otis (2020)
Non-Fiction; Grades 9-12
Fake news is not a new phenomenon. Otis, a former CIA analyst, takes readers from the ancient Egyptians to the founding fathers to the present day to show the history and impact of misinformation over the centuries. She shares actionable tips on how to spot fake news, and how to make sense of the information we receive each day. Perhaps most importantly, you'll learn how to understand and see past your own information biases, so that you can think critically about important issues and put events happening around you into context.
Audio and ebook available on SORA
