ValleyReads

What would February be without some romance?  And chocolate, of course.  Read one of these books.

Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.

Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
Feeling alienated from everyone around her, Los Angeles high school senior and cinephile Victoria Jurgen hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies.

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Seventeen-year-old Vince’s life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

Try any book by Lori Wick.  We have 24 different titles she wrote.  Pick one!

Chcolate:  from Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers by Nick Malgieri
Contains 380 recipes for chocolate cakes, cookies, creams, mousses, custards, souffles, ices and frozen desserts, pies, tarts, pastries, confections, sauces, and beverages; and includes information on storage, handling, techniques, and different types of chocolate, as well as tips on decorating and showpieces.

Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
Shy and unremarkable, seventeen-year-old Matt Lathrop is surprised and flattered to find himself singled out for the sexual attentions of the alluring Skye Colby, until he discovers the evil purpose behind her actions.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Halley’s junior year of high school includes the death of her best friend Scarlett’s boyfriend, the discovery that Scarlett is pregnant, and Halley’s own first serious relationship.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult
The Hartes and the Golds, longtime neighbors and friends, are not surprised when their children Chris and Emily fall in love, but the bond between the families is placed under an enormous strain when Emily is killed, leaving behind the question of whether her death was a suicide, or murder.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function, relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially as he believes his father is planning to kill him.

Improving your Memory for Dummies by John Arden
A guide to memory improvement that provides tips and exercises designed to help people remember important dates, events, faces, and facts.

CIA World Factbook

National Geographic Countries

Countries of the World

Countries

World Atlas

Geography

Flags

Visit this site to credit the websites you consulted for your works cited page.  You must first register.  If you used any books or other materials, follow the links on the left of the page to the kind of source and fill it in.

Effects of alcohol on the human body

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.htm

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/ph323/

http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/alcohol.htm

http://www.girlshealth.gov/substance/alcohol.htm

http://www.howstuffworks.com/alcohol.htm

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html

http://www.pamf.org/teen/risk/alcohol/effectonbody.html

http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/alcohol/eff-body.htm

Effects of tobacco on the human body

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/  make sure you look at all six articles

http://www.girlshealth.gov/substance/tobacco.htm

http://www.who.int/tobacco/statistics/tobacco_atlas/en/

http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/Tobacco.html

Visit this cite to credit the websites you consulted for your works cited page.  You must first register.  If you used any books or other materials, follow the links on the left to the kind of source and fill it in.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North. It’s the first book in the series His Dark Materials.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school’s rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.  The story continues with The Off Season.

The  Boy who Couldn’t Die by William Sleator

When his best friend dies in a plane crash, sixteen-year-old Ken has a ritual performed that will make him invulnerable, but soon learns that he had good reason to be suspicious of the woman he paid to lock his soul away.

Hush by  Jacqueline Woodson

Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.

It Came from Outer Space by Marjolijn Bijlefeld and Robert Burke

Describes hundreds of everyday devices and products that were either invented or improved with technology first developed for the space program.

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Wrecked by E. R. Frank

After a car accident seriously injures her best friend and kills her brother’s girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Anna tries to cope with her guilt and grief, while learning some truths about her family and herself.

Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn

Yearning to escape the small Massachusetts town where her family retreated after her sister’s death, Wonder Blake gets her chance when her sister’s manager offers Wonder a record contract on her sixteenth birthday.

Shooter by Walter Dean Meyers

Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic school shooting.

Candyfreak by Steve Almond

Examines the modern candy industry, investigating the influence of corporate power on what sorts of chocolate bars survive and why many “quirky” ones perish.

In honour of banned books week:

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school’s annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver.

Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

any and all from the Alice series by Phyllis Naylor

The Earth, My Butt and other big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.

Gossip Girls series by Cecily von Zeigesar

Gossip Girl, an unknown narrator, shares the inside scoop on her friends and foes in a privileged private school in New York City, focusing on the return of the beautiful Serena van der Woodson, who is rumored to have been kicked out of boarding school.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

An eleven-year-old African-American girl in Ohio, in the early 1940s, prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be beautiful.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Sethe, an escaped slave who now lives in post-Civil War Ohio, has borne the unthinkable and works hard at “beating back the past.” She struggles to keep Beloved, an intruder, from gaining possession of her present while throwing off the legacy of her past.

and in honour of Hallowe’en, Stiff:  The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Explores how human cadavers have been used throughout history, discussing how the use of dead bodies has benefited every aspect of human existence.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.

Meagan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

While her military parents are stationed in South Korea, high school junior Megan learns a great deal about boys and herself when moves to Massachusetts to live with family friends who have seven sons.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

A car accident causes fifteen-year-old Izzy to lose one leg and face the need to start building a new life as an amputee.

Team Moon:  How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

Chronicles the Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that landed the first man on Earth’s moon on July 20, 1969, emphasizing the contributions and reactions of the thousands of people who made the mission successful.

Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy

A new cops-and-crooks computer game becomes a nightmare when someone starts duplicating the fictional murders in real life. Now the game’s designer, Grace, and her oddball programmers must rethink their game to deduce the killer’s next target.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle

High school freshman Jane believes that she would do anything to be popular until she is selected to be in the school’s most exclusive clique and learns that popularity has a price.

Firestorm by David Klass

After learning that he has been sent from the future for a special purpose, eighteen-year-old Jack receives help from an unusual dog and a shape-shifting female fighter.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

Examines cultural issues in the American health care system through the case of Lia, a Hmong-American girl suffering from epilepsy whose treatment by doctors in California conflicted with the traditional healing beliefs held by her family.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is faced with a difficult choice when her new friend Shay decides to risk life on the outside rather than submit to the forced operation that turns sixteen year old girls into gorgeous beauties, and realizes that there is a whole new side to the pretty world that she doesn’t like.  The story continues with Pretties and Specials.

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Fake ID by Walter Sorrells

After a lifetime of moving and assuming new identities, sixteen-year-old Chass begins to piece together the past that haunts her and her mother which involves a mysterious tape, a deceased popular singer, and the secrets of several people in a small Alabama town.

Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson

A sixteen-year-old Portland, Oregon skateboarder, whose parents are going through a difficult divorce, is engulfed by guilt and confusion when he accidentally kills a security guard at a train yard.  

Teen Ink Our Voices, Our Visions

A collection of prose, poetry, and artwork by teens that reflect how they feel about the issues they face every day.