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Grades 9 and 10 Book Project Choices

Fiction Books

• Anderson, Laurie Halse.  Chains.  2008.  (Historical Fiction)

After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

• Austen, Jane.  Emma.  1815.  (Classic; Love Story; Humorous Story) 

Emma, a self-assured young lady in Regency England, is determined to arrange her life and the lives of those around her into a pattern dictated by her romantic fancy. 

• Austen, Jane.  Pride and Prejudice.  1813.  (Classic; Love Story) 

In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of her four sisters. 

• Austen, Jane.  Sense and Sensibility.  1811.  (Classic; Love Story; Humorous Story) 

Two sisters of opposing temperaments share the pangs of tragic love. Their mutual suffering brings a closer understanding between the two sisters, and true love finally triumphs. 

• Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson. Peter and the Starcatchers.  2004.  (Fantasy; Humorous Story; the Starcatchers Trilogy) 

Peter, an orphan boy, and his friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates in order to keep the secret safe away from the diabolical Black Stache and his evil associate Mister Grin. 

• Bloor, Edward.  Tangerine. 1997.  (Soccer) 

Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness, and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight. 

• Bradbury, Ray.  The Martian Chronicles. 1946.  (Science Fiction) 

The first Earth people to attempt the colonization of Mars try to build their new world in the image of the civilization they left behind. 

• Bronte, Emily.  Wuthering Heights.  1847.  (Classic) 

In early nineteenth-century Yorkshire, the tumultuous relationship between a headstrong girl and a foundling boy raised in the same home wreaks havoc on them and those around them, even into the next generation. 

• Brouwer, Sigmund.  Cyberquest.  2000.  (Science Fiction; Christian Fiction) 

A group of Christians, forced to live with the poverty-stricken Welfaros on the bombed-out island of Old Newyork after the government outlaws Christianity, search for a leader to guide them in resistance to a plot that threatens to destroy them all. 

• Brouwer, Sigmund.  Tyrone's Story.  2003.  (Christian Fiction; the Degrees of Guilt Series) 

Eighteen-year-old Tyrone Larson ponders the events of his life that led to his part in the death of a high school friend from a drug overdose.  

• Budhos, Marina.  Ask Me No Questions.  2006.  (Fiction; Illegal Immigration) 

Fourteen-year-old Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but the expiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for the whole family. 

• Buck, Pearl S.  The Good Earth.  1931.  (Classic) 

The story of a Chinese peasant and his passionate, dogged accumulation of land during famine, drought, and revolution. 

• Carter, Ally. Don’t judge a girl by her cover.

When Cammie Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Soon the girls find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

• Carter, Ally. Heist Society.

For as long as she can remember, Katarina has been a part of the family business—thieving.  When Kat tries to leave “the life” for a normal life, her old friend Hale conspires to bring her back into the fold.  Why? A mobster’s art collection has been stolen, and Kat’s father is the only suspect.  Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

• Cather, Willa.  My Antonia.  1918.  (Frontier and Pioneer Life; Classic) 

A successful lawyer remembers his boyhood in Nebraska and his friendship with an immigrant Bohemian girl. 

• Chibbaro, Julie. Deadly. (Historical Fiction)

Written as journal entries, this novel deals with the true historical typhoid outbreak in 1906 New York, and the questionable choice to blame the outbreak on Irish immigrant “Typhoid Mary.”

• Christie, Agatha. And Then There Were None. 1939. (Mystery)

Considered Christie’s masterpiece and the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, this is the story of 10 strangers lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets and try to avoid becoming victims of murder themselves.

• Clements, Andrew.  Things Hoped For.  2006. 

Seventeen-year-old Gwen, who has been living with her grandfather in Manhattan while she attends music school, joins up with another music student to solve the mystery when her grandfather suddenly goes missing. 

• Collins, Suzanne.  The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay.  2008.  (Science Fiction; Fantasy)

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol in which teenage boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.   

• Cooney, Caroline B.  Burning Up.  1999.  (Racism; Fiction) 

When a girl she had met at an inner-city church is murdered, fifteen-year-old Macey channels her grief into a school project that leads her to uncover prejudice she had not imagined in her grandparents and their wealthy Connecticut community. 

• Cooney, Caroline B.  Diamonds in the Shadow.  2007.  

While his mother and father help a family of African refugees, Jared learns that the people he counts on for doing good deeds are not always praiseworthy, and is faced with a decision which may have implications for all.

• Cooney, Caroline B.  A Friend at Midnight.  2008.  (Christian Fiction) 

After rescuing her younger brother abandoned at a busy airport by their divorced father, fifteen-year-old Lily finds her faith in God sorely tested as she struggles to rescue herself from the bitterness and anger she feels. 

• Cooper, James Fenimore.  Deerslayer. 1841.  (Historical Fiction; Classic) 

Set in upstate New York in the 1740’s, just as the French and Indian wars have begun, Natty Bumppo goes on his first warpath to rescue his friends, captured by Indians.

• Crane, Stephen.  Red Badge of Courage.  1895.  (Classic; Historical Fiction) 

During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war. 

• Dickens, Charles. The Adventures of Oliver Twist.  1838.  (Classic) 

In nineteenth-century England, a young orphan boy lives in the squalid surroundings of a workhouse until he becomes involved with a gang of thieves. 

• Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. 1854. (Classic) 

Follows the life of Pip, who as a young boy who suffers childhood abuse at his sister’s hands and meets and aids an escaped convict. As Pip grows, an unexpected inheritance gives Pip hope he can win the love of Estella, the beautiful girl who has captivated him since childhood, but has vowed never to love another.

• Dixon, Heather. Entwined. (Fantasy).

After the death of her mother, Princess Aezela tries her hardest to keep her promise to take care of her eleven sisters. She teaches them new dances, keeping their mother’s memory alive, even though it’s against the rules of mourning. However, Keeper, the guardian of the magic silver forest where they dance in secret, may jeopardize that promise.

• Douglas, Lloyd C.  The Robe.  1942.  (Classic; Historical Fiction) 

The story of Christ's robe and the influence it has on the wealthy young Roman soldier who wins it at dice. 

• Doyle, Arthur Conan.  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  1892.  (Classic; Mystery) 

A collection of Sherlock Holmes mystery adventures. 

• Draper, Sharon. Out of my mind.

Melody cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow.

• Duble, Kathleen Benner. Phantoms in the Snow. (Historical Fiction).

The year is 1944, and recently orphaned fifteen-year-old Noah Garrett is sent to live with his uncle, whom he has never met, in Camp Hale, Colorado. There is one small problem with this decision: Noah has been raised a pacifist, and Camp Hale is a U.S. military base for a little-known division of winter warfare soldiers called Phantoms. Based on historical events, the story of Noah and the Phantoms of the Tenth Mountain Division is one of courage and conviction, brotherhood, and the joy in living.

• Dumas, Alexandre.  The Count of Monte Cristo.  1844.  (Classic; Historical Fiction; Adventure) 

After escaping from the island where he has been in prison, Dantes plots his revenge on the people responsible for his imprisonment. You may read the abridged version.

• Dumas, Alexandre.  The Man with the Iron Mask.  (Historical Fiction; Classic) 

The final book in the saga of the Three Musketeers, in which the bonds of comradeship are under strain as the Musketeers end up on different sides in a power struggle that may undermine the young Louis XIV and change the face of the French monarchy.

• Dumas, Alexandre.  The Three Musketeers.  1844.  (Historical Fiction; Classic) 

Classic novel about the nobleman D'Artagnan who, along with three Musketeers, defend the honor of Anne of Austria against the plots of Cardinal Richelieu during the reign of France's King Louis XIV. 

• Elliot, Laura.  Under a War-Torn Sky.  2001.  (War; Historical Fiction) 

After his plane is shot down by Hitler's Luftwaffe, nineteen-year-old Henry Forester of Richmond, Virginia, strives to walk across occupied France, with the help of the French Resistance, in hopes of rejoining his unit. 

• Falls, Kat. Dark Life. (Future Fantasy)

Futuristic story about life after earthquakes destroy much of the world, and humans struggle to survive either in stacked cities, or on the ocean floor.

• Golding, William.  Lord of the Flies.  1954.  

Shipwrecked children turn to primitive savagery in a portrayal of the collapse of social order into chaos. 

• Gordon, Sheila.  Waiting for the Rain.  1987.  (Historical Fiction) 

Chronicles nine years in the lives of two South African youths—one black, one white—as their friendship ends in a violent confrontation between student and soldier. 

• Grisham, John. Theodore Boone: The Abduction. (Mystery/Suspense)

Book #2 in Grisham’s series about the teenage son of lawyers who uses his legal knowledge and investigative skills to investigate the disappearance of his best friend.

• Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The Missing Series (Found, Sent, Sabotaged, Torn, Caught, Risked). (Fantasy)

One night a plane appeared out of nowhere, the only passengers aboard: thirty-six babies. As soon as they were taken off the plane, it vanished. Now, thirteen years later, two of those children are receiving sinister messages, and they begin to investigate their past. Their quest to discover where they really came from leads them to a conspiracy that reaches from the far past to the distant future—and will take them hurtling through time.

• Hale, Shannon.  Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets.  2004.  (Fairy Tales) 

Princess Anidori, on her way to marry a prince she has never met, is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting, and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers. 

• Hawthorne, Nathaniel.  The House of Seven Gables.  1851. (Classic; Historical Fiction) 

A prominent New England family suffering under a curse is plagued by greed, vengeful acts, and violent death. 

• Hemingway, Ernest.  The Old Man and the Sea.  1952.  (Pulitzer Prize; Classic) 

An old fisherman battles the sea and sharks to bring home the giant marlin he caught. 

• Herlong, M.E.  The Great Wide Sea.  2008.  (Adventure; Survival)

Still mourning the death of their mother, three brothers go with their father on an extended sailing trip off the Florida Keys and have a harrowing adventure at sea.

• Hilton, James.  The Lost Horizon.  1933.  (Fantasy; Survival; Classic) 

On the northwestern frontier of India, Conway was a passenger on a plane taken over by a native pilot and never heard of again. What Conway found in Shangri-La makes the story. 

• Hope, Anthony.  The Prisoner of Zenda.  1894.  (Classic; Adventure) 

Young Rudolf Rassendyll, an English ne'er-do-well, is the living image of a distant relative, Rudolf, the new king of Ruritania. Having never seen his near-twin, Rassendyll heads for the coronation, only to encounter a fantastic plot to deprive Rudolf of his throne. 

• Kidd, Sue Monk.  The Secret Life of Bees.  2002.  (Historical Fiction) 

Fourteen-year-old Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared for Lily since her mother's death ten years earlier, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers, and find a safe haven in South Carolina, at the home of three beekeeping sisters. 

• Landon, Kristen. The Limit. (Fantasy)

In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. All it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push thirteen-year-old Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

• Lawhead, Stephen. King Raven Trilogy (Hood, Scarlet.)  2007  (Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Christian Fiction)

A reimagination of the tale of Robin Hood. Lawhead creates a story of a Welsh folk hero, Bran, in 1093, who should become king after his father is murdered, but decides to flee instead. Through agony and adventure, aided by a ragtag group of colorful characters, Bran’s sense of justice grows, along with his commitment to leading the people of Elfael and his creative strategies for dealing with the enemy.

• L’Engle, Madeleine. A Ring of Endless Light. 1980.

Watching her grandfather lose his battle with cancer as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky Austin can bear. To complicate things, she finds herself the center of attention for three very different boys: an old friend; a flashy but sometimes dangerous rich boy; and her older brother’s friend, who offers her a wonderful chance to assist in his experiments with dolphins.

• Lewis, C. S.  Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength.  1938.  (Classic; Science Fiction; the Space Trilogy) 

Dr. Ransom, kidnapped by a megalomaniacal physicist and his assistant, and taken to the red planet of Malacandra as a human sacrifice, escapes and sets out on an adventure in a land very different from Earth. 

• Lewis. Till We Have Faces. 1956.

This tale of two sister princesses, and of the struggle between sacred and profane love, is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

• London, Jack.  The Call of the Wild.  1903.  (Classic) 

Buck, who is half St. Bernard and half Scotch shepherd, is abducted and taken to the Klondike where he reverts to the wild and becomes a leader of a pack of wolves. 

• Lynch, Chris. Vietnam Book Two: Sharpshooter. (Historical Fiction)

Continuing story of four friends who enter the Vietnam War. This second book focuses on Ivan, the group’s protector, who goes on to be a sniper, but discovers war does not live up to the expectations he grew up to have.

• Lynch, Chris. Vietnam Book Three: Free-Fire Zone. (Historical Fiction)

This third book focuses on Rudi, the most reluctant soldier. Rudi learns to be a good soldier and survive, but starts to change in dramatic ways in the process.

• Mackall, Dandi Daley.  Eva Underground. 2006.  (Historical Fiction) 

In 1978, a high school senior is forced by her widowed father to move from their comfortable Chicago suburb to help with an underground education movement in communist Poland. 

• Marshall, Catherine.  Christy.  1967.  (Christian Fiction; Love Story) 

Chronicles the experiences of a young woman after she arrives to teach at a mission school in a small town in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1912. 

• Miller, Sarah.  Miss Spitfire:  Reaching Helen Keller.  2007.  (Historical Fiction) 

At age twenty-one, partially-blind, lonely but spirited Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to try and teach six-year-old Helen Keller, deaf and blind since age two, self-discipline and communication skills 

• Mitchell, Margaret.  Gone with the Wind.  1936.  (Pulitzer Prize; Historical Fiction; War, Classic) 

Scarlett O'Hara, a headstrong Southern belle, survives the hardships of the Civil War. Throughout the book she is motivated by her unfulfilled love for Ashley Wilkes, an honorable man who is happily married. Along the way she meets the dashing Rhett Butler, who determines to win her heart.

• Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness.  The Scarlet Pimpernel.  1905.  (Classic; Historical Fiction; Action) 

Sir Percy Blakeney becomes a master of disguise, and defies the French revolutionaries in order to save innocent men and women from being put to death in the guillotine. 

• Orwell, George. Animal Farm:  A Fairy Story.   1944.  (Classic; Political Satire) 

Animals take over running a farm but find their utopian state is turning into a dictatorship. 

• Paolini, Christopher. Eragon, Eldest.  2005.  (Fantasy; the Inheritance Trilogy) 

In Aagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters. 

• Park, Linda Sue. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a true story.

The alternating stories of Nya, a girl in Sudan in 2008 who fetches water from a pond two hour from her home, and Salva, a boy in Sudan in 1985, who becomes one of the “lost boys,” refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

• Paton, Alan.  Cry the Beloved Country.  1948.  (Classic) 

Accused of murdering a white man, a young black man in South Africa is helped by his minister father and by a white attorney, but racism prevents justice from being done. 

• Pearson, Mary E.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  2008.  (Science Fiction)

In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.

• Peretti, Frank.  This Present Darkness.  1986.  (Christian Fiction) 

After a reporter and a prayerful pastor begin to compare notes on the town of Ashton, they find themselves fighting a New Age plot to subjugate the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race. 

• Potok, Chaim.  The Chosen.  1967.  

Story of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders, one an orthodox Jew the other the son of a Hasidic rabbi, living their adolescent lives in Brooklyn. 

• Richter, Conrad.  The Light in the Forest. 1953. (Classic) 

After being raised as an Indian for eleven years following his capture at the age of four, John Butler is forcibly returned to his white parents but continues to long for the freedom of Indian life. 

• Rivers, Francine.  Redeeming Love.  1991.  (Christian fiction; Historical Fiction; Love Story) 

Retells the biblical story of Hosea, set in California's gold country in 1850, in which Angel, sold into prostitution as a child, cannot accept that her husband truly cares for her, and must make peace with God before she feels free to take the love Michael offers. 

• Sheth, Kashmira.  Boys Without Names.  2007. (Historical Fiction) 

Eleven-year-old Gopal and his family flee life in their rural Indian village to move to the city in hopes of finding work and a brighter future. Gopal ends up in a sweatshop, fearful of ever seeing his family again. Late one night, when Gopal decides to share kahanis, or stories, he realizes that storytelling might be the boys' key to survival.

• Sheth, Kashmira.  Keeping Corner.  2007. (Historical Fiction) 

In India in the 1940s, thirteen-year-old Leela’s happy, spoiled childhood ends when her husband, whom she barely knows, dies, leaving her a widow whose only hope of happiness could come from Mahatma Ghandi’s social and political reforms. 

• Sheth, Kashmira.  Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet.  2007. (Historical Fiction) 

In contemporary India, Jeeta begins to question her tradition-bound family’s expectations. When she falls in love, she struggles to strike a balance between independence and duty.

• Steinbeck, John.  The Pearl. 1947.  (Classic)

The story of Kino, a poor diver gathering pearls to provide himself, his wife, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull's egg, as "perfect as the moon." A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.

• Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1886.

The story revolves around a London lawyer, Gabriel John Utterson, who investigates strange incidents between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and a mysterious, evil criminal, Edward Hyde.

• Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Kidnapped:  The Adventures of David Balfour.  1886.   (Classic; Adventure; Survival; History) 

In 1751, David Balfour, a Scottish boy, is cheated out of his inheritance by his uncle, who has him kidnapped and sold as a slave. With the help of a fugitive, David fights his captors, makes a daring escape, and hopes to survive a treacherous journey home. 

• Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Treasure Island.   1883.  (Classic; Adventure) 

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune. 

• Stowe, Harriet Beecher.  Uncle Tom's Cabin. 1852.  (Political Fiction; Classic) 

Harriet Beecher Stowe offers an indictment of the pre-Civil War South through the story of Uncle Tom, an elderly slave who maintains his human dignity in the face of cruelty, suffering, and death. 

• Tolkein, JRR. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King. 1954. (Fantasy)

Series, in which hobbit Frodo Baggins and his friends set out to destroy the powerful ring of the evil Lord Sauron.

• Twain, Mark.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  1884.  (Classic) 

Huckleberry Finn, the son of the town drunk, and Jim, an escaped slave, make a break for freedom down the Mississippi River on a raft, sharing adventures along the way. 

• Tyers, Kathy. Firebird, Fusion fire, Crown of fire. 2004. (Fantasy; Christian Fiction, Firebird Trilogy)

Chronicles one courageous woman’s spiritual and physical battles and the eternal consequences of her struggle, not only for herself and Brennan Caldwell, the man she loves, but also for the worlds she seeks to save. With her own people seeking her sacrifice, Lady Firebird finds herself swept toward an exciting but perilous destiny.

• Verne, Jules.  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  1869.  (Classic; Science Fiction) 

Jules Verne's classic tale about a French professor and his companions who are trapped aboard a futuristic submarine with a mad sea captain and come face to face with exotic ocean creatures and strange sights hidden from the world above. 

• Wells, HG. The Invisible Man.

One of the most famous scientific fantasies ever written, this highly imaginative tale focuses on the powers and bold ventures of a scientist, who, after discovering the means to make himself invisible, unleashes a bizarre streak of terror on the inhabitants of an English village.

• Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer. (Historical fiction)

Set during the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement, this comical novel follows three girls as they search for the mother who abandoned them.

• Wilson, Diane Lee. Black Storm Comin’. (Historical Fiction)

Story of Colton Wescott, an 18-year-old black man suddenly finding himself as the head of his household, newly transplanted out west, who considers the Pony Express, with all of its challenges, as a way to take care of his family.

• Wolf, Allan.  New Found Land:  A Novel.  2004.  (Historical Fiction) 

The letters and thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, members of the Corps of Discovery, their guide Sacagawea, and Captain Lewis's Newfoundland dog, all tell of the historic exploratory expedition to seek a water route to the Pacific Ocean. 

Grades 9 and 10 Book Project Choices

Nonfiction Books

• Adeney, Miriam. Daughters of Islam: Building Bridges with Muslim Women.

Adeney uses true-life stories to introduce readers to Muslim women living very diverse lives around the world. You'll learn about their lives, questions and hopes, and you'll discover what has drawn them to Christ.

• Allen, Thomas B.  Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War:  How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War.  2009. 

Examines how Abraham Lincoln's interest in technology played a role in the outcome of the Civil War; and explains how the telegraph, railroads, surveillance balloons, and other inventions helped the North win the war and rebuild the economy.

• Armstrong, Jennifer.  Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World:  the Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance.  1998. 

Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition when, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, their ship, Endurance, was finally crushed, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a very long and perilous journey to reach inhabited land.

• Bernall, Misty.  She Said Yes:  the Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall.  1999.  (Christian biography) 

Misty Bernall, mother of one of the teenagers killed at Columbine High School, tells the story of her daughter's life, describing how Cassie had, at one point, started down a troubled path before dedicating her life to God, and sharing the details of the moment when Cassie's affirmation of faith resulted in her death. 

• Bradley, James; adapted for young people by Michael French.  Flags of our Fathers:  Heroes of Iwo Jima.  2001.  (U.S. Marine Corps Biography; World War II) 

James Bradley examines the lives of the six young men who raised the American flag over Iwo Jima in February 1945 and were immortalized by a famous photograph—one of whom was Bradley's father. 

• Bridges, Jerry. Respectable Sins Student Edition: The Truth About Anger, Jealousy, Worry, and Other Stuff We Accept. 2013. (Bible study/devotional)

Christians talk a lot about sin, especially “bad stuff” such as doing drugs or stealing. But what about the sins that Christians tend to overlook or tolerate in their own lives—“respectable” sins like pride, anger, and anxiety? This book explores “good Christian sin” and what to do when you recognize it in your life.

• Brother Andrew. God’s Smuggler. 1967.

Autobiography of how a Dutch man came to faith in God, and his miraculous experiences over years of smuggling Bibles in Communist countries in Eastern Europe. Written by the founder of Open Arms, which supports persecuted Christians around the world.

• Carson, Ben. Gifted Hands. 1996. (Autobiography)

Carson narrates his journey through encountered prejudice, negative peer pressure, and personal anger to become one of the nation’s leading neurosurgeons who pioneered surgeries to separate conjoined twins. Carson shows how he overcame his struggles through the power of his sense of humor, faith in God, patience, and work ethic. In the last chapter, Carson gives recommendations to students on ways to live and to achieve.

• Colson, Charles. Born Again.  1976.  (Christian Autobiography; History) 

Chuck Colson, confidant to Richard Nixon, recounts Nixon's landslide presidential victory in 1972 and the ensuing Watergate Scandal as well as Colson's conversion to Christianity and time spent in a federal prison for his part in the Watergate Scandal. 

• Covey, Sean.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens:  The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide.  1998.  

Describes seven habits teenagers can cultivate to help them improve their self-images, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve goals, get along with parents, and make other positive changes in their lives. 

• Davis, Sampson . . . et. al.  We Beat the Street:  How a Friendship Pact Helped Us Succeed.  2005.  (Collective Autobiography) 

Shares anecdotes from the childhoods, teen years, and young adult lives of three men from Newark, New Jersey, who made a pledge to each other in high school to stay safe from drugs, gangs, and crime, and work to become doctors. 

• Dungy, Tony.  A Quiet Strength:  the Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life.  2007.  (Football; Christian literature; Autobiography) 

NFL football coach Tony Dungy reflects on his personal and professional life; discussing his childhood, family, religious beliefs, coaching practices, Super Bowl victory, and more.

• Elliot, Elisabeth.  Through Gates of Splendor.  1981.  (Christian Biography; Missions) 

Recounts the events surrounding the 1955 murder of five missionaries who were killed after making contact with a Stone Age tribe deep in the jungles of Ecuador. 

• Gordon, Wayne. Real Hope for Chicago. 1995.

The impressive story of how a Bible study with teenage boys in a decaying inner-city neighborhood in Chicago grew to a ministry that revitalized the community into a place of vibrant life, faith, and hope. One of the most amazing holistic ministry stories in the US.

• Hall, Ron and Lynn Vincent. Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, An International Art Dealer and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound them Together. 2006.

The memoirs of Ron Hall (an educated white gentleman of comfortable means) and Denver Moore (an unschooled black man) begin in distant walks of life and intersect in a homeless shelter. In the end, the two individuals form an unlikely friendship resulting from charity and challenged by tragedy.

• Hamilton, Bethany.  Soul Surfer:  A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board.  2004.  (Christian Autobiography) 

Bethany Hamilton shares the story of her lifelong love of surfing, and tells how she was able to recover and return to competition with the help of her family, friends, and faith, after losing her arm in a shark attack at the age of thirteen. 

• Hamilton, Josh, with Tim Keown.  Beyond Belief:  Finding the Strength to Come Back.  2008.  (Christian Autobiography; Sports)

Josh Hamilton chronicles his comeback from drug and alcohol addiction to playing baseball in the major leagues.

• Hampton, Wilborn. War in the Middle East:  Black September and the Yom Kippur War:  A Reporter's Story.  2007.  (Military history) 

News correspondent Wilborn Hampton relates his experiences covering two civil wars in the Middle East and discusses the important issues that have plagued the region for decades. 

• Haugen, Gary. Good News about Injustice: a witness of courage in a hurting world.

Tells stories of courageous Christians who have stood up for justice in the face of human trafficking, forced prostitution, racial and religious persecution, and torture. Throughout, Haugen provides concrete guidance on how ordinary Christians can rise up to seek justice throughout the world.

• Herriot, James.  All Creatures Great and Small. 1971.  (Autobiography) 

An English veterinarian reminisces about his life, career, and animal patients in a small village. 

• Jeter, Derek. The Life You Imagine. 2001.

Jeter’s autobiography, sharing the ten lessons that have guided him throughout his life on and off the field, from his dream of being a gifted, hardworking athlete to his goal of becoming an active community leader.

• Jones, T. Read, Think, Pray, Live. 2003.

Directed at students, this book is a guide to engaging one’s faith through the use of lectio divina, or sacred reading, a time-tested method used by believers to experience God in a personal and real way.

• Keller, Bill.  Tree Shaker:  The Story of Nelson Mandela.  2008.  (Biography) 

Explores the life and accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, discussing his political protests, imprisonment, selection as president of South Africa, and more. 

• Kinley, Jeff. The Losers Club: Lessons from the Least Likely Heroes of the Bible. 2005.

A real-life look at famous Bible figures such as Moses, Solomon, David, Thomas, Rahab, and others, and how God took them beyond their humble, imperfect lives to dub them proud members of the ‘losers’ club.

• Moller, Carl and David Hegg. The Privilege of Persecution: And Other Things the Global Church Knows that We Don’t. 2011.

A combination of inspiring real-life stories, first-hand experiences on the field and exposition of key Scripture passages. The authors explore the areas of community, leadership, worship, prayer, and generosity, revealing specific attitudes and actions of suffering Christians that can renew the spiritual lives of Christians in the West.

• Morley, David.  Healing Our World:  Inside Doctors Without Borders.  2007.  

Presents excerpts from the author's journals, depicting his experiences and those of other volunteers as they travel the globe bringing medicines and treatment to those in war-torn areas of the world. 

• Richardson, Don.  Peace Child.  1974.  (Missions) 

Describes the fifteen-year ministry of the author and his wife among the Sawi headhunters and cannibals of New Guinea, and how they risked their own lives in order to change a value system based upon treachery.   

• Rohm, Robert. Positive Personality Profiles: Discover Personality insights to understand yourself and others. 1994.

Using the easily learned “D-I-S-C” system, this book helps readers understand themselves and others by clearly describing key differences in basic personality types and giving practical insights into how people respond.

• Swanson, James. Bloody times:  The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis.

This book brings to life two epic events of the Civil War era: the thrilling chase to apprehend Confederate president Jefferson Davis in the wake of the Lincoln assassination and the momentous funeral that took Abraham Lincoln’s body home to Springfield. A true tale full of fascinating twists and turns, Bloody Crimes is a riveting true-crime thriller.

• Ten boom, Corrie. The Hiding Place. 1971.

As the Nazi madness swept across Europe, a quiet watchmaker's family in Holland risked everything for the sake of others, and for the love of Christ. This book tells the story of their bravery, the great price the ten Boom family paid for obedience, and God’s remarkable grace, even in the darkest of places.

• Wasdin, Howard E and Stephen Templin. I am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier.

Autobiographical story of how Howard Wadsin overcame a challenging childhood to become a member of the most elite Naval force in America—SEAL Team Six, including narration of his action in the Battle of Mogadishu.

• Wilkerson, David.  The Cross and the Switchblade.  1962.  (Christian literature) 

A minister who left his small church in Pennsylvania to go to New York City relates his experiences working with street gang members. 

• Wurmbrand, Richard. Tortured for Christ.

A story of amazing faith in shocking circumstances: Richard Wurmbrand endured years of solitary confinement, physical torture, and constant suffering as a Christian prisoner in Communist Romania. Yet he went on to tell the West the truth about Christianity behind the Iron Curtain.

• Yousafza, Malala. I am Malala. The autobiography of the Pakistani teenager who earned the praise of many around the world by advocating for girls’ education, but, in the process, also drew hostility and violence from the Taliban.

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