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

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, is about a young boy named Ishmael. Ishmael’s village in Sierra Leone is attacked when he’s 12 years old. He’s forced to fight in the civil war, becomes addicted to drugs, and is told lies to commit horrific deeds. UNICEF eventually rescues Ishmael and begins his long recovery

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is about an old fisherman named Santiago who lives on the Cuban coast. Santiago hasn’t caught 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 a little farther

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