2018 TOP 50 - SECONDARY

On March 9, we presented Kiss the Book's Top 50 books that every secondary school should have in their library.  You can find the whole list here, but these are a few - I will post more over the next few days.

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder - Are you ready for heart-wrenching? What a stunning look at life in South America in 1999.  It doesn’t feel like historic fiction; it just feels like raw, honest humanity trying to survive in desperate situations.  An excellent choice for a classroom read in Language Arts or Geography.

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz - Gratz has really done his homework here.  I’m guessing that he has first hand knowledge of book challenges, perhaps? He weaves together a compelling story with true-life circumstances in an authentic heart-filled look at knee-jerk book bannings.  Hand this to every PTSA, parent, teacher, and administrator you know as a MUST READ. 

Ugly by Robert Hoge - I love that Robert is heart-felt and honest without being crass or inflammatory.  All of this is compelling to read, but take a special look at the list of nicknames he remembers with the chart of how much power they had (have) over him.  An excellent companion to Wonder.

The Adventurer's Guild by Clark and Eliopulos - Wow!  I loved this so much!  I think we may have another hit fantasy series on our hands!  The authors combine engaging plot, with action, introspection, and world-building to make a novel that is sure to attract attention quickly.

Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar - Bathazar’s years working with Disney shine through in his story and his illustrations.  At first I was alarmed at how heavy the book was because of the special paper for the brilliant illustrations.  I find this a perfect melding of text and pictures!  I can’t imagine that this won’t be a movie – I’m betting Balthazar already has the screenplay written!  Even though younger kids will definitely love this, I can see high school students enjoying it too.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr -  I could not put Flora’s book down.  Watching her cope with her memory wipes and still taking the steps to be where she wants to be is amazing!  I won’t say more, because I don’t want to spoil your journey either!

Wild Bird by Wendelin VanDraanen - VanDraanen packs so much heart and emotion into every page of Wren’s journey –I flipped to the last few pages for a quick reread and I felt like I had relived a life time.  It will just grab you and drag you along for the ride.

Love and other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey - Winfrey addresses time spent online, broken homes, anxiety, and friendship, with an overall message of anxiety being a part of your life –not who you are. The characters and dialogue are 100% believable and incredibly well written. I literally felt like I was there hanging out with them. The plot keeps your attention by moving forward at just the right pace and providing a high level of interest.

Don’t Cosplay with My Heart by Cecil Castelucci - Castellucci also does a great job highlighting the reason we become passionate about books, movies, shows, comics, and anything else: we find parallels of ourselves and make connections with characters (and other fans) that help life make sense. 

Lost Boys by Darcey Rosenblatt - Rosenblatt has chosen a little known (for Americans) war as the background for a book about hope and courage.  The descriptions of life in the detention camp would be excellent to read aloud in any modern history class to help students connect to the harshness of life in a war zone. 

If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams - What would happen if sharks, in danger in may places,  were to disappear?  Read on and find out.  What a great introduction to so many different science lessons.  I foresee teachers in almost any grade wanting to use this in their classroom.  Great for ecology, food chains, biodiversity, the consequences of over-fishing – so many choices.

Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook by Iva-Marie Palmer - This book is strong in every category. The writing style is humorous and entertaining. It’s easy to root for the main character. The storyline, which is really about being true to yourself and accepting less than perfection, teaches these lessons through a sports narrative. Readers who like sports will be especially fond of this book, but it’s a win for all types of readers. 

Read the rest of the list to see what else made the final cut and fill your library with books that students and teachers will devour!