Scholastic.com

by Geraldine McCaughrean

Fourteen-year-old Symone is taken on a surprise trip to Antarctica by her uncle Victor. In search of a legendary gateway to the interior of Earth, Victor's behavior teaches Sym about her troubled past and leads to her struggle for survival.

American Born Chinese

by Gene Luen Yang Illustrated by Lark Pien

"As an Asian American, American Born Chinese is the book I've been waiting for all my life." — Derek Kirk Kim

Looking for Alaska

by John Green

Before.

Miles Pudge Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the Great Perhaps even more (Franois Rabelais, poet).

How I Live Now

by Meg Rosoff

"Every war has turning points and every person too."

The First Part Last

by Angela Johnson

Bobby is a typical urban New York City teenager — impulsive, eager, restless.

Postcards from No Man's Land

by Aidan Chambers

Seventeen-year-old Jacob Todd is about to discover himself. Jacob's plan is to go to Amsterdam to honor his grandfather who died during World War II. He expects to go, set flowers on his grandfather's tombstone, and explore the city. But nothing goes as planned.

A Step from Heaven

by An Na

When four-year-old Young Ju Park first hears the words Mi Gook — Korean for "America" — she is sure that they mean "Heaven." But when her family moves to Southern California the following year, she finds the transition from life in Korea far from easy.

Kit's Wilderness

by David Almond

"It was very deep, Kit. Very dark. And every one of us was scared of it. As a lad I'd wake up trembling, knowing that as a Watson born in Stoneygate I'd soon be following my ancestors into the pit," so Kit's grandfather tells him.

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers Illustrated by Christopher Myers

Young, black 16-year-old Steve Harmon, an amateur filmmaker, is on trial for the murder of a Harlem drugstore owner and could face the death penalty. Steve copes by writing a movie script based on his trial. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred until he can no longer tell who he is or what the truth is.