Battle of the Books 2008

This year’s selection of books is I think the best we’ve had since Plattekill’s participated.

• The Boggart by Susan Cooper
• The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
• Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach
• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Hero by S.L. Rottman
• Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
• A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
• Downsiders by Neal Schusterman
• All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall
• Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

The  Boggart by Susan Cooper

After visiting the castle in Scotland which her family has inherited and returning home to Canada, twelve-year-old Emily finds that she has accidentally brought back with her a boggart, an invisible and mischievous spirit with a fondness for practical jokes.

 

The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

After an earthquake has destroyed much of the planet, an epileptic teenager nicknamed Spaz begins the heroic fight to bring human intelligence back to the Earth of a distant future.

 

Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach

Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth-grader Hero becomes interested in exploring this unusual connection because of a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school.

 

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas.

 

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

 

Hero by S.L. Rottman

After years of abuse from his mother and neglect from his father, ninth-grader Sean Parker is headed for trouble until he is sent to do community service at a farm owned by an old man who teaches Sean that he can take control of his own life.

 

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.

 

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story.

 

Downsiders by Neal Schusterman

When fourteen-year-old Lindsay meets Talon, who lives in the secret Downsider community that evolved in the subterranean passages of the subway built in New York in 1867, she and her new friend try to bridge the differences between their two cultures.

 

All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

Five urban middle school students, their teacher, and other community members relate how a school project to build the world’s largest tetrahedron affects the lives of everyone involved.