***Anderson, Laurie Halse -Speak - The summer before her freshman year, Melinda attends a party and the unthinkable happens. She is ostracized by her peers who only know she called the police to their party.

***Atwood, Margaret - The handmaid's tale - Will men control women's bodies? This is the question in this futuristic book where birth control and nuclear fallout have taken their toll on the number of births.

Berg, Elizabeth - The joy school - A 13-year old falls in love for the first time with an older man.

Burns, Olive Ann -Cold sassy tree - Told by 14-year old Will Tweedy whose grandfather quickly marries the young saleslady in his store after his grandmother's death. The town is up in arms over this, but Will becomes their friend and defender when he sees how happy his grandfather is. Humorous.

Card, Orson Scott - Ender's game - Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. Government has taken to breeding military geniuses. Early training takes the form of "games" and Ender Wiggin is the best. Can he save Earth?

Carter, Forrest -The education of Little Tree - A funny and sad look at an Indian boy growing up in the 1930's and his experiences with white people.

***Chavalier, Tracy - Girl with a pearl earring - The story of a servant girl in the 1600s who lives in the home of the artisit Vermeer. She causes strife in the household when she becomes the model for the painting in the title.

Crichton, Michael - Congo - Deep in the Congo, an entire field expedition group dies mysteriously. In San Francisco, an unusual gorilla with a large sign language vocabulary may hold the secret.

Crichton, Michael -Sphere - In the middle of the Pacific, a huge vessel is discovered on the ocean floor. A group of American scientists investigate and find what appears to be a spaceship at least 300 years old!

Dallas, Sandra - The Persian Pickle Club - A group of Depression-era women in Kansas meet for gossip and quilting. They gain a new friend from the city who uncovers a secret about one of their husbands. Heartwarming southern story with a mystery at the end.

Divakaruni, Chitra - Sister of my heart - Two cousins in India are born on the same day and are as close as sisters. One is beautiful, one is not, and when they enter arranged marriages, they find out a terrible secret that may drive them apart.

Edgerton, Clive - Raney - Humorous look at the marriage of a small town Baptist girl and her liberal Episcopalian husband from Atlanta.

Edgerton, Clive - Walking across Eqypt - Mattie Rigsbee, strong-minded 78-year old, takes in a 17-year old delinquent named Wesley. They both learn much from the other.

Ferris, Jean - Love among the walnuts -This is a humorous tale of Sandy Huntington. He is looking for his money-hungry uncles who tried to kill his wealthy parents with a drugged birthday cake. Luckily, they only put them and their pet chicken in a coma! A loyal butler and wacky nurse from the asylum next door help Sandy find the culprits.

***Foster, Margaret - Lady's maid - Fictionalized account of the personal maid to Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Shows a disturbing relationship among the social classes at the turn of the century England.

Gibbons, Kaye - Ellen Foster - A heartwarming story of an unwanted girl who lives with many different people until finding her perfect "foster" family.

***Guterson, David - Snow falling on cedars - A journalist covers a murder trial and delves into the background of the people involved. He discovers the prejudice shown to the Japanese in Puget Sound, Washington during WWII and how it is behind the current murder case.

Halberstam, David - Summer of '49 - Follows the 1949 baseball season between the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox who meet in a pennant showdown on the last day of the season. The book focuses on Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees and Ted Williams of Boston along with many other famous players.

Haraf, Kent - Plainsong - Tom Guthrie's wife can't get out of bed; and the old McPheron brothers take in a pregnant 17-year old at a teacher's request even though the closest they've been to pregnancy is a heifer. All these people's lives intertwine in this beautifully written book.

Harris, Robert - Fatherland - In this fantasy novel, it is 1964, there is a joint celebration of Germany's triumph in WWII and Hitler's 75th birthday. U.S. President Joseph Kennedy is visiting Berlin and security is tight.

Hillerman, Tony - Talking god - A grave robber and a corpse reunite a Navaho police chief and another officer in a Hillerman Navaho mystery.

Hoffman, Alice - Local girls - Collection of growing-up stories about girls, mothers, and best friends.

Kingsolver, Barbara - The bean trees - A young woman from Kentucky wants to get away from Appalachia and takes off. She finds a loving cast of characters including an Indian baby named Turtle whom she adopts.

Letts, Billie - Where the heart is - A funny thing happens to 7-month pregnant Novalee Nation on the way to Wal-Mart. She is left there by her no-good boyfriend. After living in and giving birth in the store, Novalee discovers the true nature of friendship.

McCaffrey, Anne - Dragonsong - Forbidden by her father to be a Harper and be involved in music, Menolly runs away from the planet Pern to live with a group of fire lizards. First in a series.

McKinley, Robin - Beauty - The plot follows that of the renowned legend: Beauty selflessly agrees to inhabit the Beast's castle to spare her father's life. Beauty's gradual acceptance of the Beast and the couple's deepening trust and affection are amplified in novel form.

Mallon, Thomas - Henry and Clara - Henry and Clara are guests of President and Mrs. Lincoln in the box at the Ford Theatre the night Lincoln is assassinated. The book goes back to Henry and Clara's life before. She was a U.S. Senator's daughter who knew Mrs. Lincoln quite well and he was an officer in the Civil War.

Mason, Bobbie Ann - In country - Sam's father was killed in Vietnam and she wants to know more about the war. She lives with her Uncle Emmet who fought in Vietnam too, but he won't tell her anything about it. Looking thorugh her father's letters and journals brings her to a heart-rending confrontation with Emmet.

Preston, Robert - The hot zone - An ebola virus outbreak takes place in a Washington D.C. lab. This tragedy actually happened!

Pullman, Philip - The golden compass - Daemon's and winged creatures live side by side with humans, and a mysterious entity named Dust may have the power to unite the universe--if it isn't destroyed first. First of a trilogy. (The subtle knife and The amber spy glass complete the series.)

Sams, Ferrol - Run with the horsemen - A boy's account of growing up in the South during the Depression. Very funny.

Shaara, Michael - Killer angels - A close look at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War from the leaders on each side's perspective. Great action.

Smith, Lee - Oral history - The Cantrells have lived in Hoot Owl Holler for generations. When Jennifer, a city cousin, comes to do some taping for an oral history class, she hears stories of moonshine, superstition, murder, love and about the 100-year old curse on the family.

Staples, Suzanne Fisher - Shabanu - A girl in Pakistan rebels against traditions such as arranged marriages and a girl's role in society. Will she give in or run away? First in a series.

Tan, Amy - The joy luck club - Four immigrants from China meet once a week for mah-jong and gossip. This is their story from both the mothers' and their daughters viewpoints.

Tyler, Anne - The accidental tourist - The story of a travel-hating writer of travel books who systematically avoids adventure until he meets the frizzy-haired, stiletto-heelied Muriel who is trying to train his dog.

***Walker, Alice - The color purple - A powerful story of a black girl's struggles to deal with and finally triumph over adversity in her life.