Wonder
by R. J. Palacio | 
Eleanor and Park
by Rainbow Rowell | 
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
by Carol Rifka Brunt | 
Luna
by Julie Anne Peters | 
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
by Chris Crutcher | 
The Rules of Survival
by Nancy Werlin | 
Whale Talk
by Chris Crutcher | 
Rule of the Bone
by Russell Banks | 
Perfect
by Natasha Friend | 
Garden of Angels
by Lurlene McDaniel | 
Birthright
by Willow Cross | 
Belligerent
by B. N. Mauldin | 
Catalyst
by Laurie Halse Anderson | 
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
by Matthew Quick | 
Hole in My Life
by Jack Gantos | 
Trouble
by Gary D. Schmidt | 
A Step from Heaven
by An Na | 
The Center of Everything
by Laura Moriarty | 
The Talk-Funny Girl
by Roland Merullo | 
The Girl Death Left Behind
by Lurlene McDaniel |
2011 National Book Award Finalist As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the '??skinny thug'? that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer'??a fiery young lady who '??smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.'? In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon'??s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.