"The House of Scorpion," Nancy Farmer. Ages 12 and up. Matt is a young child who is a clone, though he doesn't know it at first in this coming-of-age fantasy book.
"The Lightning Thief," Rick Riordan. Grades 5-9. A 12-year-old boy, who is really the son of Poseidon, and two friends must find Zeus' master lightning bolt in order to prevent World War III.
"Going Nowhere Faster," Sean Beaudoin. Ages 12 and up. Stan Smith has an IQ of 165 but doesn't want to go to college and is left figuring out who he is and what he wants to be.
"Cirque du Freak," Darren Shan. Ages 10 and up. A young boy's journey into the dark world of vampires.
"Eragon," Christopher Paolini: Grades 5 and up. A fantasy about a boy named Eragon and a pet dragon who go on a journey to fight evil.
"Heat," Mike Lupica: Grades 5-8. The story is about a young baseball player who immigrated from Cuba to New York City with his family, and dreams of leading his team to the Little League World Series.
EMILY JOHNS
