Unit 1 Book Choices

Students can select their first novel to read for Unit 1: Identity. The book choice form was sent home on Friday and is due ASAP!

BOOK CHOICES:

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the Socs—a vicious gang of rich kids who enjoy beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends—he knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's whole world is turned upside down. (750L)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. But she’s not excited about getting her license – she’s excited about turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday gets you an operation that turns you from a repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks, Tally will be there. When Tally's new friend Shay runs away, the authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in … or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes will change her world forever. (770L)

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

In Tangerine, it seems, anything is possible. Where else does a sinkhole swallow the local school, fire burn underground for years, and lightning strike at the same time every day? Paul Fisher sees the world from behind glasses so thick he looks like a bug-eyed alien. The chaos is compounded by constant harassment from his football–star brother, and adjusting to life in Tangerine isn’t easy for Paul—until he joins the soccer team at his middle school. With the help of his new teammates, Paul begins to discover what lies beneath the surface of his strange new hometown. And he also gains the courage to face up to some secrets his family has been keeping from him for far too long. (680L)

Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers

While growing up in a poor family in Harlem, Dean Myers was quick-tempered and physically strong, always ready for a fight. He also read voraciously. He would check out books from the library and carry them home, hidden in brown paper bags in order to avoid other boys' teasing. His hope for a successful future diminished as he came to realize the class and racial struggles that surrounded him. He began to doubt himself and the values that he had always relied on, attending high school less and less, turning to the streets and to his books for comfort. Follow Myer’s real-life story and see how this bad boy became a man. (970L)

Taking Sides by Gary Soto

Lincoln is in a jam when his basketball team at his new school--where the students are rich and mostly white--faces his old team from the barrio on the court. To make matters worse, his new coach seems to hold a grudge against both Lincoln and his former school, Franklin Junior High. As a game against Franklin approaches, tension mounts and Lincoln experiences clashes with several people, including some of his teammates. How can he play his best against his friends? No matter who wins, it looks like it will be lose-lose for Lincoln. (600L)

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In America after the Second Civil War, a new Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound. Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away. (740L)