Book Finder

How far would you go to stand up for what you think is right? Would you be willing to defy a King, who also happens to be your uncle? These are the decisions Antigone faces when King Creon orders that Antigone’s brothers go unburied after a bloody civil war. Should she risk death or imprisonment to honor the dead and her god or blindly follow King Creon’s decree, leaving her brothers’ bodies to rot in the sun? As a companion text, try a Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This text reflects the theme of civil disobedience: standing up against injustice through peaceful demonstration.

Greek goddesses experience the highs and lows of romance and heartbreak in dramatic ways that teens can relate to. This book relates the stories from the goddesses’ points of view.

Margaret and her family move from the city to a suburb where she longs to fit in. As she struggles with growing up, she talks to God (does it matter if she’s Jewish or Christian?), finds new friends, and longs for a sign of growing up as she starts the 6th grade. Readers will empathize with Margaret in this contemporary classic.

Beowulf is a famous warrior who arrives in Denmark to kill the terrible monster, Grendel. Grendel is a formidable foe who emerges out of the swamp at night in order to kill the Danish people. Will Beowulf be successful in his battle or will Grendel slay him instead? This epic poem is more than 1,000 years old, but its story of a hero overcoming villains still engages students.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn’t always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice’s handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she’ll need to use everything she’s learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head…literally. Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on Alice in Wonderland, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue.

What would you be willing to trade if you could have all of the knowledge and power in the world? Would you be willing to sell your soul to the devil? That’s what Dr. Faustus does in exchange for 24 years of service from a devil named Mephistopheles. With his help, Faustus is able to perform unbelievable magic tricks and feats, impressing famous dignitaries and exploiting others as he demonstrates his great power. But as the time approaches when Lucifer will take his soul to Hell, Dr. Faustus reconsiders his choice.

What makes a boy into a man?

Courage.
Confidence.
Patience.
Integrity…

For more than one hundred years, this classic poem by Rudyard Kipling has inspired readers to reach for the best in themselves.

In pictures and words, here’s what every boy needs to know most.

A family with a talkative grandmother comes across a hardened and extremely dangerous criminal, The Misfit. Can the grandmother convince him to leave her family alone or will they be his next victims?

Eleven-year-old Harriet follows her spy route every day, recording her findings (findings for her eyes only) in her notebook. When her classmates find the notebook, Harriet has to deal with the consequences. A few years ago, the movie gave this classic book new life, but it is still a timeless and charming read for older elementary readers.

A range of poetic styles, some rooted in the authors’ family, are shared in this handsome, easily accessible collection. Attractive illustrations are sprinkled throughout, building the joy when the poems are shared, even when listening to the beautifully read CD.

This classic is filled with witches, ghosts, murder, betrayal, and revenge? Macbeth, a successful Scottish general, encounters three witches who prophesize his future. Eager to make their predictions come true and egged on by the power-hungry Lady Macbeth, he sets out on a murderous path to become King, deceiving and destroying anyone in his way. Looking for a parallel text? Read Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney, a story about Lady Mary, the teenaged charge of the Macbeths. How will she be able to cope with Macbeth’s deadly behavior?

From the critically acclaimed author of Amina’s Voice comes a new story inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic, Little Women, featuring four sisters from a modern American Muslim family living in Georgia.

Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.

Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright’s powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding. But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant re-imagining of this beloved classic.

Have you ever been in love with someone your parents hated? Have you ever sneaked out to go on a date? How far would you be willing to go to be with your soul mate? Romeo and Juliet face these very questions. After they meet and fall in love, they discover that their families hate each other. But Romeo and Juliet have to be together, even if everyone wants them to be apart. Looking for a companion text? Try Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper, a contemporary version of the classic featuring a biracial couple fighting against their families’ prejudice to prove their love for each other.

Emily Grierson is in love with Homer Barron, but is very upset that he has not proposed to her. Distraught, Emily buys arsenic, which some believe she will use to commit suicide. However, Homer and Emily disappear; only the servant goes to and from the home. What horrifying surprise will the townspeople find when they finally go into Emily’s house?

The fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. Echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, reality and illusion mix, and where fate leads heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

Eleven-year-old Marty must decide whether or not to return an abused beagle to its rightful owner, an unkind man. His dilemma includes hiding the dog, Shiloh, telling his parents the truth, and more in this riveting, award-winning novel which is ideal to read aloud with slightly sophisticated listeners. It was adapted into a live action film in 2000.

Lily and Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family — and their friendship? Little do they know that a mysterious boy has been watching them from the oak tree outside their window. A boy who intends to take them away from home for good, to an island of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children, to a sea of merfolk, pirates, and a giant crocodile: a boy who calls himself Peter Pan.

Have you ever wondered who your ancestors are or how their lives shaped yours? Milkman, a young, African-American man, sets out to discover his ancestry and learns how racism, injustice, and the disparities between the rich and poor have affected his life and his relatives’ lives. 

Arguably Mark Twain’s most famous novel — indeed, one of the greatest works of American literature — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn brings together two people from the lower rungs of society, an ill-educated boy escaping an abusive father and a kind, strong man escaping slavery, and puts them on a raft going down the Mississippi River. The raft gives us the quintessential image of Huck Finn, but in fact much of the novel takes place on land, where the protagonists repeatedly find themselves having to escape from one bind or another.

The history and more of a modern American classic by well-known historian of children’s literature publishing is just in time for its 50th anniversary (and the 50th Anniversary edition).

One of the most controversial YA novels of all time, The Chocolate War made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestselling — and provocative — classic for young adults. This chilling portrait of an all-boys prep school casts an unflinching eye on the pitfalls of conformity and corruption in our most elite cultural institutions.

Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s, Miller uses the story of the infamous witch trials as an allegory for the anti-Communist feelings and the McCarthy hearings in America during the 1950’s. As the fervor over identifying witches gains traction, innocent people fall victim to unwarranted accusations, with devastating results. What happens when intolerance reigns in a society? Looking for a cross-curricular connection? Students can study the historical events and people involved in the Salem witch trials while reading this play. Teachers can help students uncover similarities and differences between the history and the text.