Synopsis: In June 1861, when the Civil War began, Charley Goddard enlisted in the First Minnesota Volunteers. He was 15. He didn't know what a "shooting war" meant or what he was fighting for. But he didn't want to miss out on a great adventure. The "shooting war" turned out to be the horror of combat and the wild luck of survival; how it feels to cross a field toward the enemy, waiting for fire. When he entered the service he was a boy. When he came back…

Synopsis: The breakthrough modern sports novel The Contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero.This acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in YA fiction, is the story of a young boxer in Harlem who overcomes hardships and finds hope in the ring on his path to becoming a contender.Alfred Brooks is scared. He’s a high-school dropout, and his grocery…

Synopsis: This coming-of-age classic and the bestselling Chicano novel of all time follows a young boy as he questions his faith and beliefs -- now one of PBS's "100 Great American Reads."Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and he will discover himself in the magical…

Synopsis: Imagine...Nineteen superb stories by today's best-known authors of young adult novels, coming together to create a window of the mind, a vision illuminating the joys and sorrows of young people.These nineteen splendid stories range from tales of tender romance and the delights of mystery and fantasy to the struggles of death, divorce, and growing up. Here are recollections from the past, stories of today, and visions of the future.

Synopsis: A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICKNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A coming-of-age classic about a young girl growing up in Chicago • Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught in schools and universities alike, and translated around the world—from the winner of the 2019 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature.“Cisneros draws on her rich [Latino] heritage...and seduces with precise, spare prose, creat[ing]…

Synopsis: At seventeen, Dru gets involved with the latest high school stunt--leaping between deadly cliffs into the ocean far below. Things get out of hand as manipulative relationships and resulting jealousies cause more students to risk their lives. "It's Bunting's acknowledgment of the allure of danger and the power that comes from facing it, as well as her on-target depiction of how easy it is to lose perspective when you fall in love, that makes her…