Author Terri DeGezelle asked librarians and English teachers what books junior high boys were reading and enjoying. This is an abbreviated list of their recommendations.

Anthony Burns
written by Virginia Hamilton

The subtitle for this is book is, "The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave." Anthony Burns is based on fact and includes a timeline and historical footnotes. Anthony Burns was a slave who escaped to freedom but, because of the Fugitive Slave Act, was returned to slavery until a benefactor bought his freedom.

My Brother Sam is Dead
written and illustrated by James Lincoln Collier

My Brother Sam is Dead recounts the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family during the Revolution when one son joins the rebel forces while the rest of the family tries to stay neutral in a Tory town.

Artemis Fowl Series
written by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. Artemis hatches a plot to divest the fairy folk of their pot of gold. Kidnapping one of them and waiting for the ransom to arrive may be just the answer. But then the extra-small, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) Unit arrives.

Touching Spirit Bear
written by Ben Mikaelsen

Cole Matthews is an angry bully. He beat up a ninth-grade classmate and is facing a prison sentence. That’s when he meets the Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey. The officer suggests an alternative sentence called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions. Cole is banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled and close to death, Cole awaits his fate and begins his journey from anger to humility.

Staying Fat for Sarah Burns
written by Chris Crutcher

Overweight, Eric Calhoune is a social outcast. He finds a kindred spirit in Sarah Byrnes, whose face and hands are disfigured and hard to look at. Even now, a senior and slimmed down because of competitive swimming, Eric remains devoted to his friend, whose tongue is her only protection from life's unfairness. When Sarah stops talking and is committed to a mental ward, Eric vows to take action to help her. He risks their friendship by breaking his vow of secrecy. He enlists the help of others.

Summer of the Monkeys
written by Wilson Rawls

Set in the late 1800s, Jay Berry Lee is happy until the summer he is 14 years old. Down by the creek bed he discovers monkeys living. Jay Berry Lee attempts to capture 29 monkeys that have escaped from the circus. With help from his grandfather, and without the blessings of his mother, Jay begins a journey that teaches him monkeys are much smarter and harder to catch than people might think

The Upstairs Room
written by Joanna Reiss

This Newbery Honor book is a fictionalized account of Reiss’ own experiences as a Jewish girl during World War II. The youngest of three daughters tells how she and her sister hide for more than two years in the upstairs room of the peasant Oosterveld family.

A Single Shard
written by Linda Sue Park

The 2002 Newbery Award-winning story is about Tree-ear, a 12th century Korean orphan. Tree-ear's early years have been spent in the care of the homeless but inventive Crane-man. Tree-ear longs for more in his life; he wants to become a skilled potter, like the potters of his village, Ch'ulp'o, famous for its prized celadon ceramic ware.

A Day No Pigs Would Die
written by Robet Newton Peck

A Day No Pigs Would Die tells the story of Shaker farm life in the early 1900's that was a hard, scraping-by, day-to-day existence. The main character is one of the first generation required to attend public school. The author lived such a life near a small Vermont town.

The Teacher's Funeral
written by Richard Peck

"If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," begins Richard Peck's The Teacher’s Funeral. In 1904, Russell Culver is fifteen and he's raring to leave his tiny Indiana farm town. To him, school has been nothing but a chain holding him back. Maybe now that his teacher has passed on, they'll shut the school down entirely and leave him free to roam. But luck would not have it—his sister Tansy is the new teacher. Despite stolen supplies, an outhouse fire, and snakes, Tansy manages to keep the school alive and, just maybe, set her brother on a new, wiser course for life.

The Outsiders
written by S.E. Hinton

According to Ponyboy, a greaser, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy learns that pain and hurt feels the same whether you're a soc or a greaser.

Red Badge of Courage
written by Stephan Crane

Red Badge of Courage is a story of a soldier’s experiences during the American Civil War in the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville. Both North and South have stated that the book is an accurate representation of war.