The Book Thief, by Mark Zusak (2005)

Death recounts the story of a little girl, Liesel. He first met Liesel when he took her brother in 1939 on a train to Molching, a suburb of Munich. He sees her steal a book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, from her brother's graveside. Why an illiterate girl would steal a book? Death follows Liesel on her journey to stay with the Hubermann's, her foster home. Liesel's illustrious career as a book thief grows in Nazi Germany amid book burnings and Nazi Youth meetings. As World War II unfolds she sees Death through the eyes of Max, a Jew the Hubermann's hide in their basement. He is there to carry the Jewish souls from Dachau, the concentration camp just up the hill from Molching.
As Death watches on Liesel learns to read, makes friends in her new school and forms an unusual tie with the mayor's wife. Throughout, Liesel hones her skills as a book thief.
Her connection to words is what eventually saves her, literally and metaphorically.
Suggested for grades 9-11

Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton (2004)

Growing up in sub-Saharan Africa, Chanda Kabelo has aspirations of winning a scholarship and studying abroad. However, with two young siblings, no father and a mother who is dying of AIDS, Chanda must become the care-taker in her family and put her dreams on hold.

Chanda’s Secret is a portrayal of the effect of AIDS in Africa and the stigma and shame that surround it. The novel also focuses on the strength and courage that young people have, even in the most desperate of circumstances.

review submitted by Library Peer Tutor, grade 11

Throwaway Daughter, by Ting-Xing Ye (2003)

Growing up in Ontario in the 1990s, Grace Parker struggles with her Chinese heritage. Adopted as a baby by a Canadian family, she is resentful towards her biological mother, whom she never knew, for abandoning her at an orphanage. As she becomes a young adult, Grace feels the need to learn about her past, so she decides to travel to China in an attempt to find her birth parents.
Throwaway Daughter deal both with the personal challenges of identity as well as gender discrimination and the practice of abandoning, or in come cases, murdering baby girls that can occur in societies where women are considered inferior to men.

review submitted by a Library Peer Tutor, grade 11

Break No Bones, by Kathy Reichs

This is the tenth book in the series that inspired the television drama “Bones.” Fans of the show will find the book drastically different when compared to the TV series they have become accustomed to. The book starts with forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan working at an archaeological dig on Dewees Island with some grad students. The dig takes a turn for the worse when a newer body is uncovered in the dig and upon further investigation is shown to have some unusual characteristics. The hunt is on for both the identity of the body, and the killer. Soon another body is found with similar markings. After that the bodies keep piling up. Tempe’s personal life is also in disarray when both her estranged husband Pete, and her current beau Ryan show up on the island. With the emotional turmoil threatening to boil over and a killer on the loose, Tempe takes some of the investigating into her own hands. This could have dire consequences for Tempe. Break no Bones is another success from Kathy Reichs. This book is not for those who don’t like murder mystery or who are not comfortable with extensive forensic detail. A forensic anthropologist herself, Reichs always has intense detail in her writing. It is not required for the reader to have read the other books prior to this one in this series.

review submitted by Katie, grade 10, Library Peer Tutor

Jude, by Kate Morgenroth

When 15-year-old Jude’s drug dealing father is murdered, he is a witness to the shooting. The murderer allows him to live on a whim. In debt to a killer and under suspicion for his father’s murder, a new future is revealed to Jude as he is sent to live with a mother he never knew (DA Anna Grady) and told he was kidnapped by his father at only 3 months old. Anna may mean well but she has little time for Jude and the demands of her job come first. Sent off to a prep-school and desperate for friends Jude takes a wealthy boy to his old neighbourhood for drugs. When he overdoses questions start to arise and accusations are pointed left, right, and center. Harry Wichowski (Anna’s boyfriend and police chief) uncovers the truth and sets up Jude to take the fall (with Jude’s permission) on the promise of immediate release after the mayoral election his mother is running in is over. Caught in a web of lies and deceit Jude must discover the truth of his past and strive for the justice he deserves. An edge-of-your-seat page turner, easy to read and get into. An all-around good read.

review submitted by Katie, grade 10, Library Peer Tutor

A Place Called Here, by Celelia Ahern

In A Place Called Here, Sandy Shortt has been haunted for years by the disappearance of her classmate Jenny-May Butler. Sandy has made it her goal to find all things missing; it is an obsession. As we follow her journey we realize that Sandy can’t come to terms with the fact that sometimes objects go missing and never reappear. Sandy’s mission is to find missing people, so when Jack Ruttle comes to her trying to find his younger brother Donal, Sandy decides to help him. But before she can start, Sandy disappears to. Now all she has to do is find her way home.
Recommended for Gr.10-12
reviewed submitted by Erin, grade 12, Library Peer Tutor

Awake and Dreaming, by Kit Pearson

In the novel, Awake and Dreaming the main character Theo (Theodora) lives with her irresponsible mother. They make money by singing and dancing in the streets for passersby. Theo dreams of a better life, and one day that dream is granted. She is taken in by the Kador family. They give her everything she ever wanted and love her like her mother never did. But Theo soon finds herself back in her mother’s care, and she is left wondering if her adventure with the Kaldors was real or just a dream.
Recommended for Gr.8-10
review submitted by Erin, grade 12, Library Peer Tutor