Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a ninth-grader named Melinda Sordino who is raped at a party during the summer. Melinda calls 911 but cannot speak about what happened when the police arrive. Because some students got arrested at the party, she lost her friends. Melinda finds sanctuary in an abandoned janitor’s closet. She […]

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, is about a young boy named Ishmael who is forced to be a soldier in a civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael’s village is attacked when he’s 12 years old. He and his friends commit acts they never thought possible to survive. Ishmael is forced to fight in

The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, is about an old fisherman on the coast of Cuba named Santiago. Santiago hasn’t been able to catch a fish for 84 days. His apprentice, Manolin, continues to help him despite his parents telling him to work for another fisherman. On the 85th day, Santiago goes

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, is about a 10-year-old boy named August, or “Auggie.” Auggie was born with a facial deformity, making it hard to make friends because he looked different. Auggie was homeschooled up to fifth grade. But his parents think it’s time for him to attend a real school. He struggles to fit in,

The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, is set in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. The town minister discovers his daughter, niece, and other girls dancing with his slave Tituba in the forest. His daughter faints because she fears they will be discovered and does not wake. Although they say they were only dancing, rumors spread

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, is the second book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. It’s a year after the first Hunger Games, and this is the 75 anniversary of the games. Tributes are selected from past winning tributes of the Games.  Not only do Katniss and Peeta still have to pretend they’re in love, but