Roberto Clemente by Carin Ford

Roberto Clemente is a name you may have heard. He is a true baseball legend. Not only was he a great player, he was a great humanitarian. Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico dreaming of playing baseball. His dreams came true when he was picked up by a major league team. He eventually would play for the Pittsburgh Pirates and become known as one of the best right fielders ever to play the game. His career was cut short by tragedy.

Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury

Eddy felt duty-bound. His friends had already enlisted in the army and it was just a matter of time before he was drafted. Sure, he was only 16 but with a little careful alterations, his birth certificate now proclaimed he was 18 and old enough to enlist. Army life started out as drills and orders but that was all about to change. When the bombs started falling around his island, he just couldn't believe that it was the Japanese who were bombing Pearl Harbor. His dad was from Japan and always wanted to send Eddy back to attend college. But in a few short hours, lives and dreams were shattered. How could Japan attack their new country? And now Eddie, along with the other Japanese American soldiers, were the enemy too. Sent to an island off the coast of Mississippi, Eddy and his friends were now being used in a top secret training mission. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is based on real events that happened during World War II. You may be very surprised to find out what Eddy's mission was.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

Mitty plans to be a rock concert reviewer so he really sees no use for the classes he is forced to take at school. Especially Advance Biology. When he is told that he had better do well on his project or be moved to another bio class, you'd think he would be happy. And he might have been if this hadn't been the only class he had with Olivia. At the family's country home, Mitty realizes that he has forgotten to get any books for his project and now is stuck with no book store and no library around. Fortunately, his mother has just received a collection of books that she will use to decorate some house but there are books that used to belong to a doctor. There must be something in there that Mitty can use. And sure enough, he finds so old medical books. In one of the books is an envelop that holds two scabs from an outbreak in 1902. After Mitty handles the scabs, he begins to think they might still be contagious. And after a little research, Mitty realizes he is dealing with smallpox. Will Mitty be responsible for bringing back a disease thought eradicated?

Here I am at MVHS

Hi kids. It's me the Blue Duke and I'm spending the day at MVHS. Lots of cool people here who also love books.

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine

Have you ever heard of Never Land? It's a magical place where fairies live and humans never grow old. A new fairy arrives to join the others but Prilla has no talent that she can claim. Mother Dove accepts Prilla and assures her that her talent will become clear. When a hurricane hits the island, Mother Dove and her egg are injured and now the island is in danger. Without their magic, Peter Pan begins to grow up and the magical creatures and in danger of losing their magic. Mother Dove sends Prilla and two other fairies on a quest to repair the egg and to save Never Land. Clap if you believe in fairies.

Invisible by Pete Hautman

Doug isn't a school athlete or a popular student. He doesn't go out for theater. And he spends a lot of time working on his model railroad. Andy is a popular student, a great athlete and involved with school theater. The two aren't what you would expect for best friends. But they live next door to each other and have been best friends forever. Late at night, they talk to each other through their windows. But things are just not right somehow. As the days go by, we learn what it is.

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going

We all have things that scare us. Some people are afraid of the dark, or high places or, ick, spiders. Gabriel King is afraid of lots of things. So his best friend, Frieda, comes up with a great plan that she thinks will help him be braver. She has Gabe write up a list of all the things that scare him, including entering 5th grade in the fall. One by one, they will work on those fears until they can cross them all off. Good plan, right? Do you think it will work? And what kinds of things are Frieda afraid of? Join Gabe and Frieda as they work on their lists during the summer of 1976.