In his retelling of an ancient Polynesian legend, Armstrong Sperry creates a timeless story, which in its fine depiction of the universal human emotions of love, fear, and courage remains relevant in today's world. Call It Courage is a romance in the traditional, mythic sense of the word. The hero, Mafatu, must prove his worth by leaving his family, setting forth on a quest, and undergoing a series of trials.
The Limit by Kristen Landon
An eighth grade girl was taken today . . . With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. 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. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a society that allows only two children per family, Luke is a third child, a “shadow child.” He’s illegal, strictly forbidden. So he stays hidden, alone most of the time and frightened all of time. Then one day he discovers another shadow child, Jen, living in one of the fancy new houses that the government built behind his family’s farm. Luke and Jen quickly become friends, but Jen is bold and daring and she wants more than companionship from Luke. She wants him to be a crusader, another third child willing to risk everything for freedom.
The Tiger Rising
Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger - a real-life, very large tiger - pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things - like memories, and heartaches, and tigers - can’t be locked up forever.
