Battle of the Books 2008
Explore the complete list of 2008 Battle of the Books titles! Discover the exciting books featured in this year's literary competition for young readers.
Book
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia in this novel from Laurie Halse Anderson where "the plot rages like the epidemic itself" (The New York Times Book Review). During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out. Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.
Book
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn." Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you an extensively strange story," I warned. "Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!" And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic. As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold--the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother. In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
Book
Thames Doesn't Rhyme with James
by Paula Danziger
While spending Christmas in London with her family, her boyfriend, and his family, fifteen year-old Kendra finds herself roaming the city in another scavenger hunt, like the one in New York the previous summer.
Book
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
In a future society, young Jonas is given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
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Reluctantly Alice
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Alice experiences the joys and embarrassments of seventh grade while advising her father and older brother on their love lives.
Book
A Year Down Yonder
by Richard Peck
A Newbery Medal Winner Richard Peck's Newbery Medal-winning sequel to A Long Way from Chicago Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature. "Hilarious and poignant." âPublishers Weekly, starred review A Newbery Medal Winner A New York Times Bestseller An ALA Notable Book An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A Booklist Best Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Book
Freak the Mighty
by W. Rodman Philbrick
At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.
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Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and manâs best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool. Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when heâs finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his ownâOld Dan and Little Annâheâs ecstatic. It doesnât matter that times are tough; together theyâll roam the hills of the Ozarks. Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Danâs brawn, Little Annâs brains, and Billyâs sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined huntersânow friendsâand Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.
Book
The Schwa was Here
by Neal Shusterman
They say his clothes blend into the background, no matter where he stands. They say a lot of things about the Schwa, but one thingâs for sure: no one ever noticed him. Except me. My name is Antsy Bonano, and I was the one who realized the Schwa was âfunctionally invisibleâ and used him to make some big bucks. But I was also the one who caused him more grief than a friend should. So if you all just shut up and listen, Iâll tell you everything there is to know about the Schwa, from how he got his name, to what really happened with his mom. Iâll spill everything. Unless, of course, âthe Schwa Effectâ wipes him out of my brain before Iâm doneâŠ.
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Grab Hands and Run
by Frances Temple
An El Salvadorian family flees political oppression in their homeland and takes a perilous journey north, through Mexico to America, where they hope they will find a better life. A âcompelling, provocative, and exciting novel.ââV. âDetails of the brutal realities in El Salvador are dexterously woven into the story of one familyâs struggle to beat the odds.ââPublishers Weekly. âNot to be missed.ââH.
Book
The Rules of Survival
by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.