Reading is an important part of students’ lives, both as a component of our curricular requirements and as a healthy part of their intellectual growth. Over the years, Mooreland faculty have recommended the books below. Some of them have been assigned for summer reading. There two lists: one for fifth, sixth, and seventh graders, and one for eighth graders. We also recommend winners of the Newbery Medal for children’s literature. Note that an asterisk (*) preceding an author’s name signifies a reading challenge. Enjoy!

Recommended Reading for Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Graders

[Click here to jump to the list for eighth graders.]

Adams, Douglas. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A view of a world very unlike ours. Space at its best and wackiest.
Alexander, Lloyd. The High King: Final book in the series about the mythical land Prydain.
Armstrong, William. Sounder: A black sharecropper and his family endure cruel injustice with courage and dignity.
Avi. Man From The Sky: Jamie is the only witness to a thief’s parachute escape. Also by Avi: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting: Winnie’s life is changed forever when she learns the Tuck family secret. Also by Babbitt: The Eyes of the Amaryllis.
Bagnold, Enid. National Velvet: The story of a young girl and her dedication and love for riding; a classic.
Barrie, James M. Peter Pan: Peter Pan shows a group of children adventure and how to stay young in Neverland in this classic story.
Boston, Lucy. The Stories of Green Knowe: A young boy living in Norman England uncovers two “magic stones” and suddenly discovers he can move back and forth in time.
*Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles: In the Earth’s last days a small colony of survivors struggle to make Mars their new home.
Byars, Betsy. The Summer of the Swans: Sara is jolted out of her self-absorption when her ten year old brother disappears.
Carter, Forest. The Education of Little Tree: The adventures and love of a boy and his grandfather come together in a powerful climax.
Carter, Dorothy. His Majesty, Queen Hatshepsut: Fourteen year old Egyptian princess Hatshepsut does not feel fortunate–she is a girl. However, she eventually becomes Queen regent of Upper and Lower Egypt where she serves successfully for 20 years.
Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw: Young Leigh Botts corresponds with a writer to come to terms with the separation of his parents.
Collier, James. My Brother Sam is Dead: A Connecticut family is torn by conflicting loyalties during the Revolutionary War. Also by Collier: War Comes to Willie Freeman.
Corbett, Scott. The Great McGoniggle Pitches: The latest adventure of Mac McGonnigle. Can he come up with a play to save the championship for his baseball team?
Cormier, Robert. I Am the Cheese: Adam Farmer, an innocent young victim, arduously attempts to find his father despite the mystery that surrounds him. Also by Cormier: The Chocolate War.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes: Accident tests teenage friendship among family differences.
Cunningham, Julia. Maybe, A Mole: Cast out by the other moles because he is not blind, Maybe makes friends with a wily but appreciative fox.
Cushman, Karen. The Midwife’s Apprentice: A 14th century tale of a young girl who learns she can do the work of a midwife with some confidence and the help of her cat.
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy: Set in the 12th century, a noble and rich young girl goes against the tenets of society by choosing adventure over marriage and housework.
Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: These are the amazing adventures of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Danziger, Paula. The Cat Ate My Gymsuit: A teenager with a negative self-image and one hundred excuses for not dressing for gym, learns to think positively about herself.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Short stories about the famous detective and Mr. Watson.
duBois, William P. The Twenty One Balloons: All America wants to know what is going on when Professor Sherman is found adrift in the Atlantic clinging to the remains of twenty-one balloons.
Duggard, Thomas. Soccer Duel: Leaving stardom on the football field for the challenge of soccer, Terry fights to master the new sport and his own hunger for the spotlight.
Eckert, Allan W. Incident At Hawks Hill: A tiny child lives for days and then weeks in a hole with a fierce wild badger.
Filipovic, Zlata. Zlata’s Diary : The diary kept by a girl living in war-torn Sarajevo, from 1991 (when she was 11 years old) to 1993.
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremaine: Story of a young boy in Revolutionary Boston who gets caught up with espionage and rebellion.
Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer: A vivid portrayal of condition aboard an illegal slave ship in the 1840’s told by a thirteen-year old boy who was pressed into service. Also by Paula Fox: Western Wind.

*Gaines, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman: Freed from slavery at the end of the Civil War, Miss Jane lived another hundred years and became a civil rights marcher at the age of 108.
George, Jean. My Side of the Mountain: A city boy survives happily for an entire winter living off the land in the Catskill Mountains.
Gibson, William. The Miracle Worker: A deaf, mute, and blind child is taught the fundamentals of knowledge by a very determined young woman.
Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier: A Jewish girl befriends an escaped German POW during WWII.
*Gunther, John. Death Be Not Proud: John Gunther’s moving tribute to his son Johnny who died at the young age of seventeen while he was a student at Deerfield Academy.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders: The Socs and the Greasers, two gangs of teenagers, provide plenty of conflict in this popular story. Also by Hinton: Rumble Fish.
Holman, Felice. Wild Children: Although life was supposed to improve after the Russian Revolution, Alex finds he must join a band of dezprizorni, a gang of homeless children, in order to survive.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils: Jethro, living on a Southern Illinois farm during the Civil War, is intensely loyal to the Union, but also loves his rebel brother and sympathizes with a friend who is a deserter.
Juster, Norton. Phantom Tollbooth: Milo drives his electric car through a tollbooth and finds himself in an unusual land.
Kerr, M. E. When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit: A Jewish family flees France and finally settles in Switzerland, not without peril.
Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: Claudia and her brother find refuge in the Metropolitan Museum of Art when they run away from home. Also by Konigsburg: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time: A brother and a sister set off on a search for their father who is held prisoner on a distant planet.
*Lewis, C. S. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: The back of an old wardrobe is the doorway to the land of Narnia. If you have read this one, read others in the Narnia collection.
London, Jack. Call of the Wild: The exciting story of Buck, a sled dog, who breaks free from his savage master to roam the Alaskan wilderness.
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars: When the Nazis begin rounding up Jews in Copenhagen, Annemarie and her family take in her best friend, Ellen Rosen. Also by Lowry: The Giver.
Merrill, Jean. Pushcart War: When the livelihood of New York City’s pushcart peddlers is threatened, they decide to fight back.
Myers, Walter Dean. Artemis Bonner: A story of adventures and misadventures of Artemis Bonner as he sets out in 1880 to avenge the death of his uncle, Uncle Ned Bonner, at the hand of Catfish Grimes.
Naylor, Phyllis. Shiloh: The moving story of Marty Preston and his rescue of a mistreated dog. Newbery Award winner.
North, Sterling. Rascal: A boy’s memories of a year spent with a mischievous pet raccoon half a century ago.
O’Dell, Scott. Sing Down the Moon: This is the story of the forced migration of the Navajos as told from the Native American point of view.
Paterson, Katherine. Park’s Quest: Park is determined to find out why his mother refuses to talk about his father who died in Vietnam eleven years before. Also by Paterson: The Great Gilly Hopkins and Bridge to Terabitha.
Paulson, Gary. Hatchet: Thirteen year old Brian is forced to spend fifty-four days alone in the wilderness with only the aid of a hatchet. Also by Paulson: Dogsong.
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game: Sixteen people are invited to a reading of the strange will of the very rich Samuel W. Westing. One may be the murderer.
Richter, Conrad. Light in the Forest: A white boy, captured by the Indians, comes to love and understand the culture of his captors and prefers it to his own.
Rylant, Cynthia. Missing May: After Aunt May dies, Summer and Uncle Ob are brought together in their struggles to come to terms with the death. This simple and sweet story, is injected with just the right touches of humor and mysticism. A Newbery Award winner.
Selden, George. Cricket in Times Square: This is the charming story of Chester the cricket who inhabits a Times Square subway station and becomes friendly with a mouse, a cat, and a little boy named Mario.
Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive.
Snyder, Zilpha K. The Egypt Game: Melanie and April, who love anything to do with Egypt, are excited to find the perfect place where they can play the Egypt Game.
*Soto, Gary. A Summer Life: In these short essays, Soto recreates the sights, smells and textures of his boyhood neighborhood in Fresno, California. Also by Soto: Small Faces and Living Up the Street.
Speare, Elizabeth. The Sign of the Beaver: Matt is able to survive in the Maine wilderness because of Attean, a young Indian boy of the Beaver clan. Also by Speare: The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
Sperry, Armstrong. Call It Courage: A boy faces a sea voyage single-handedly.
Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee: Never was there such a kid as Jeffrey (Maniac) Magee; a legend in his own time. Funny, heartbreaking, terrific novel. Newbery Award.
*Spyri, Johanna. Heidi: The story of a young girl growing up in the Alps with her grandfather.
*Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony: The story of a young boy who learns what it takes to take care of a young pony.
Stevenson, Robt. L. Kidnapped: A boy is nearly killed by an evil uncle and gets hooked up with a political rebel. Set in the wilds of Scotland. Also by Stevenson: Treasure Island.
Taylor, Theodore. The Cay: Stranded on a barren Caribbean island, Phillip finds himself totally dependent on the only other person on the island – an elderly native.
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: A Black family living in Mississippi during the height of the Depression struggles to maintain its integrity and independence.
Twain, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper: A prince and a pauper who look like twins change places. Also by Twain: Pudd’nhead Wilson.
Ullman, James. Banner in the Sky: Rudi is determined to conquer the Citadel, the treacherous mountain his father died trying to climb. Based on an actual ascent of the Matterhorn.
*Verne, Jules. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Join Capt. Nemo on this exciting adventure with monsters and beasts of the sea. Also by Verne: Journey to the Center of the Earth and Around the World in 80 Days.
Voight, Cynthia. Dicey’s Song: In this sequel to Homecoming, Dicey becomes the parent and guiding spirit to the younger Tillerman siblings. Also by Voight: The Vandermark Mummy.
White, E.B. Charlotte’s Web: An intelligent and beautiful spider rescues the pig Wilbur from a cruel fate.
Wilder, L. Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods: The first in a series of books chronicling the adventures, hardships, joys and sorrows of frontier life.
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings: Though surrounded by poverty and prejudice, a Chinese immigrant has a grand dream of building a flying machine.
Yolen, Jane. The Devil’s Arithmetic : When 12-year-old Hannah is transported back to a 1940’s Polish village, she experiences the very horrors that had embarrassed and annoyed her when her elders related their Holocaust experiences.

Recommended Reading for Eighth Graders

*Aeschylus. Agamemnon: Tragic drama of a man torn by his loyalties as ruler, soldier, and husband.
*Aristophanes. Complete Plays of Aristophanes: The Clouds, The Frogs, and others.
*Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice: Social falsity and reliance on appearances are corrected in time to assure two marriages.
Azimov, Isaac. Fantastic Voyage: A team of doctors are miniaturized and injected into a patient’s blood stream to perform a delicate brain operation.
Baldwin, James. If Beale Street Could Talk: Gritty study of black urban life.
*Balzac, Honore de. Pere Goriot: The story of an avaricious father, from Balzac’s immortal Human Comedy series.
*Bolt, Robert. A Man For All Seasons: Sir Thomas Moore’s fatal conflict with King Henry the VIII of England.
Borland, Hal. When The Legends Die: A Ute Indian boy is civilized against his will but finally returns to his native land to rediscover himself.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451: Montag, a fireman whose job is burning books, undergoes a conversion from book burner to preserver and joins the underground of “living books.”
*Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre: A dark mystery stands between a shy governess and unconventional employer whom she loves.
*Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights: A London waif accepts a family’s affections, only to repay them in later years with heartbreak.
Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: The history of the American West, told from a Native American’s perspective.
*Chayefsky, Paddy. Twelve Angry Men: Locked in a hot jury room in New York City, a mix of men from different walks of life face their prejudices to fairly judge an accused youth.
*Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard : A once wealthy family, unable to cope with the onslaught of time, loses both pride and property in this Russian drama.
Christopher, John. The White Mountains: Earth is conquered by aliens; technology is destroyed; people are controlled by brain implants. The first in a trilogy about humans getting a second chance, but the prospects aren’t bright.
*Conrad, Joseph. Lord Jim: A young seaman commits an act of cowardice and spends the rest of his life struggling to atone for his error and to regain his self respect.
*Cooper, James F. Deerslayer: Natty Bumpo, a young hunter, lives with the Delaware Indians fighting against the Hurons and resisting the romantic inclinations of Judith Hunter.
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage: A study of fear as it affects the life and romantic presuppositions of a young Union soldier in the Civil War.
Craven, Margaret. I Heard The Owl Call My Name: A young priest, who is assigned to live and work among the Kwakiutl Indians, learns enough about life from them to accept his impending death.
Crichton, Michael. The Andromeda Strain: Earth’s destruction by a super-virus is averted at the last moment by virologists in this suspenseful tale.
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe: An island castaway and his native companion mix ingenuity and adventure in making a civilized life for themselves.
*Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations: Pip’s life is changed by a strange circumstance. He grows to manhood expecting a great inheritance and marriage with his childhood sweetheart. Neither expectation is fulfilled. Also by Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities.
*Dumas, Alexander. The Three Musketeers: The friendship and adventurous exploits of four young swordsmen in 17th century France.
DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca: The mysterious atmosphere of an old English estate, coupled with the peculiar behavior of the housekeeper, arouses a bride’s suspicions about the death of her husband’s first wife. Also by DuMaurier: The House on the Strand and My Cousin Rachel.
*Euripides. Medea: The drama of a wife and mother who in seeking revenge proves how fine is the line between love and hate.
Farell, James T. Studs Lonigan: Depicts the rise of a classic American character. Lonigan battles his way up from the squalor of the Chicago slums.
Fast, Howard. April Morning: A boy’s growth to maturity during the fateful day of the “shot heard around the world.” Excellent historical fiction. Also by Fast: The Hessian.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby: One man’s search for self and desire to be accepted into a social class into which he was not born.
Forester, C.S. The African Queen: Caught in an African jungle as German forces advance, a spinster missionary and a rough hewn boat pilot join forces to reach open water.
Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl: The diary of a young Jewish girl in hiding with her family in Holland during World War II. An insight into the thoughts and emotions of this very real person.
Gardner, John. Grendel: Beowulf from the monster’s point of view.
Gibson, William. The Miracle Worker: Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, fights her teacher’s patient and enlightened attempts to teach her.
Griffin, John H. Black Like Me: After taking medication which darkens the skin, John Griffin learned first hand what it was like to be a black person in the deep South during the 1950’s.
Guest, Judith. Ordinary People: Seventeen year old Conrad Jarrett returns from an institution to family and teachers who can no longer relate to him.
Hammet, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon: Detective Sam Spade must track down the valuable statue, the Maltese Falcon, while avoiding treachery in San Francisco.
Hard, T. W. Sum VII: The resuscitation of an ancient Egyptian mummy makes for an intriguing blend of medical possibility and science fiction.
*Heller, Joseph. Catch 22: War is the ultimate macabre comedy as Captain Yosarian and fellow flyers attempt to cope with ridiculous rules and regulations at their North African battle station.
*Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea: Tale of a Cuban fisherman’s quest of a gigantic deep-sea prize.
Herriot, James. All Things Wise and Wonderful: Further adventures of the Yorkshire veterinarian who wrote All Things Bright and Beautiful and All Creatures Great and Small.
Hershey, John. Hiroshima: A year after the atomic blast over Hiroshima, the respected American writer, John Hersey, wrote this moving account based on eyewitness reports.
*Hesse, Herman. Damian: Sinclair’s adolescence is torn by his attempt to balance the sensual, realsitic side of his nature with his idealism and mystical yearnings. Also by Hesse: Siddartha and Beneath the Wheel.
Heyerdahl, Thor. Kon-Tiki: A Danish anthropologist constructs a balsa raft and sails it with a crew of five from South America to the South Pacific Islands.
Highwater, Jamoke. Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey: Out of love for the beautiful Ko-ko-mik-e-is, Anpao undertakes a long and dangerous quest.
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders: A novel about the tensions between two gangs, told from the point of view of Ponyboy, a young Greaser. Also by Hinton: Tex.
Hoffman, Alice. Second Nature: A woman adopts a “wolf man” and, by teaching him, learns a lot about good and evil.
Holm, Anne S. North to Freedom: The dramatic story of a young boy who escapes from a concentration camp and has to learn the most elementary things about the world outside.
*Hudson, W.H. Green Mansions: Romance and untimely loss in the South American jungles. Powerfully descriptive.
Hughes, Richard. A High Wind in Jamaica: Children on a ship bound for England are captured by pirates.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World: A future in a very different world.
*Irving, John. World According to Garp: Delightful, wacky story about a man’s life and the forces that make him what he is and how he deals with them.
*James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw: Perhaps the greatest ghost story ever written, this terrifying tale depicts an atmosphere of sinister evil, into which innocent children are drawn.
*Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis: The bizarre story of a young man’s evolution as an insect.
Kaufman, Bel. Up the Down Staircase: A teacher’s humorous and sincere reflections on her first year of teaching in a high school.
Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon: Retarded, gentle Charlie has a short-lived experience with superior intelligence in this story about the abuses of unchecked scientific experimentation.
*Khayyam, Omar. The Rubaiyat: Translated by Edward Fitzgerald. A series of Persian quatrains dwelling on the beauties and satisfactions of a sensual life.
Kipling, Rudyard. Captains Courageous: The spirited son of a millionaire is washed overboard off the Newfoundland banks, picked up by a fishing schooner, and forced into the life of a seaman. Also by Kipling: Kim.
Kjelgaard, James. Big Red: The famous wilderness adventure of a boy and a prize-winning red setter who form an unbreakable friendship.
Knowles, John. A Separate Peace: A young man revisits the prep school where as a student he was involved in the death of his best friend.
Lawrence, J. & Robert E. Lee. Inherit The Wind: Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan battle in court over the theory of evolution in the famed Scopes monkey trial.
*Llewellyn, Richard. How Green Was My Valley: The harsh life of Welsh coal-mining family is depicted in this powerful tale about human devotion to simple values and dreams of a better future.
London, Jack. The Sea Wolf: During a long sea voyage a young man is shanghaied into service by a ruthless captain.
Lord, Walter. A Night To Remember: Supposedly unsinkable, the Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and went down in the Atlantic in April of 1912.
Lorenz, Konrad. King Solomon’s Ring: Well written, amusing anecdotes and insights into animals by a famous naturalist.
Malcolm X. Autobiography of Malcolm X: The autobiography of an influential civil rights activist.
*Malory, Sir Thom. Le Morte d’Arthur: The life of King Arthur and related legends.
Masters, Edgar Lee. Spoon River Anthology: A dramatic novel in poetic form.
McBride, James. The Color of Water: Ruth Jordan battles not only racism, but also poverty to raise her children and, despite being sorely tested, never wavers. The story of Ruth and her son.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A play based on the Salem witch trials.
*Moliere. The Misanthrope: Sharply incisive comedy dealing with human pretension.
Morris, Jeannie. Brian Piccolo: A Short Season: The true and moving story of football star Brian Piccolo’s life and friendships.
Nordhoff, C. Mutiny On The Bounty: The story of the men who mutinied against the infamous Captain Bligh.
North, Sterling. The Wolfling: Robbie Trent, living in the Midwest during the 1870’s, has a great love of the wild and gathers his courage to crawl into a wolf den to take a cub to raise.
Orwell, George. 1984: Fictional totalitarianism; can thoughts be controlled? Also by Orwell: Animal Farm.
Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved: A twin overshadowed by her talented, charismatic sister, is tormented by jealousy.
Peck, Robert. A Day No Pigs Would Die: Through the relationship with his hardworking father, twelve year old Rob learns to cope with the harshness of Shaker life and emerges a mature young man.
Petry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: A story of a remarkable woman.
*Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar: The autobiographical account of the author’s teenage years and descent into madness and depression.
Potok, Chaim. The Chosen: Two Jewish boys of different sects meet in a baseball game and become friends in spite of parental rivalry.
Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife: The second book in the “Dark Materials” trilogy. Will is 12 years old and he’s just killed a man. Determined to discover the truth about his father’s disappearance, he steps through a window into another world.
Rawlings, Marjorie. The Yearling: Jody and his pet fawn grow to maturity together in the Florida everglades.
Reis, Johanna. The Upstairs Room: The author’s own story of growing up Jewish in Holland during World War II.
Remarque, Eric M. All Quiet on the Western Front: Classic war novel about a young man’s vision of and realities of war.
Richter, Hans Peter. Freidrich: Tragedy and terror suffered by German Jews made vivid by the simplicity and candor of a child’s viewpoint and by focus on one family.
Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity: Boredom and frustration in a small Puritan town provide fertile ground for a band of teenage girls to incite and nurture deadly mischief, involving them in what would become the Salem witch trials.
Robertson, Dougal. Survive The Savage Sea: The Robertson family’s tale of survival on the open sea proves that truth can be more impressive than fiction.
*Rostand, Edmond. Cyrano de Bergerac : In this remarkable play, a dashing poet and would-be lover encounters problems because of his long nose.
*Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe: A romance of chivalry and intrigue set in the time of Richard the Lionhearted and Robin Hood.
*Shaw, G.B. Pygmalion/My Fair Lady: Classic tale of the transformation of an ill-bred cockney girl into a well-spoken woman.
*Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle: Set in Chicago of the early 1900s, this story shows the terrible sanitary and labor conditions and exploitations in the stockyards.
*Sophocles. Oedipus Rex: Man’s blindness is shown in this drama as the hero tries to escape the fate prophesied by the Delphic oracle and brings disaster to his family and country.
Salinger, J.D. Franny and Zoey: The crises, triumphs, and tragedies of the Glass family. Also by Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye.
Shute, Neville. On The Beach: Classic World War III has begun and ended and the last place on earth still habitable is Australia but only for a short while longer.
Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony: A boy’s love for his pony leads him into frightening responsibilities as well as joy. Also by Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men.
Stevenson, Robert. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Respectable doctor or brutal killer. Also by Stevenson: Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae, and Treasure Island.
*Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels: A satirical fantasy of Gulliver’s capture by the tiny Lilliputians and later by the gigantic Brobdingnags. Finally he lives with the Houyhnhnms, rational horses who are the masters of irrational human beings.
*Thoreau, Henry. Walden: Chronicle of the author’s two year search for values as he lived alone at the edge of Walden pond.
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: What it would be like to live in Arthur’s court coming from industrialized Connecticut. Also by Twain: Life on the Mississippi and Puddin’head Wilson.
Valens, E. G. The Other Side of the Mountain: The true story of Olympic skier Jill Kinmont’s fight to recover after she is paralyzed in a skiing accident.
Voight, Cynthia. The Homecoming: Four abandoned children on a journey from Connecticut to Maryland in search of love.
*Voltaire. Candide: An unlikely series of misadventures leads a young man to doubt his tutor’s belief that all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five: A man lives his life in a random sequence of events.
*Waugh, Evelyn. The Loved One: A satirical story of a famous Los Angeles cemetery and the family that runs it.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple: How it is to be poor, black, and female.
Wells, H. G. The Time Machine: The first and still great adventure into time travel. First published in 1895. Also by Wells: War of the Worlds.
Wiesel, Elie. Night: The personal account of a fifteen year old Jewish boy who survived the horrors of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
*Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A comedy of errors; a hilarious story of mistaken identity that pokes fun at Victorian society and morals. Also by Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray.
*Wilde, Thornton. Bridge of San Luis Rey: A Franciscan friar inquires into the lives of people killed in the collapse of an ancient bridge in colonial South America to discover if it was an accident or divine plan.
Wojciechowska, Maia. Shadow of a Bull: The son of Spain’s greatest bullfighter believes he has no choice but to follow in his father’s footsteps, although he would prefer to be a doctor.
Wolff, Tobias. This Boy’s Life: When his mother remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed.
Wright, Richard. Native Son: A black man’s struggle against racism.
Wyss, Johann. Swiss Family Robinson: An English family is marooned on a deserted island where they salvage what they can from their wrecked ship, build a tree house, and set up a survival existence.
Zindel, Paul. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds: A young girl tries to pursue her interest in science in spite of her sister who is only concerned with how she looks to the rest of the school, and her mother, who is too wrapped up in her own problems to encourage her daughter.