The 2006-2007 Winner

Hit the Road by Caroline Cooney

Sixteen-year-old Brittany acts as chauffeur for her grandmother and Gran's three friends on their way to a college reunion. This adventure involves lies, theft, kidnapping and lessons that will not soon be forgotten.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

When Ginny receives a pack of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to journey through Europe on a scavenger hunt. She is given several destinations and instructions to open one envelope upon her arrival at each place. Throughout her adventures, she collects pieces of her aunt's past and learns much about herself.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

Tom Ward, seventh son of a seventh son, is apprenticed to the Spook, whose job is to defend the living against ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, and witches. When Mother Malkin escapes her confinement while Spook is away, Tom is forced to use his wits and help his new friend Alice fight the evil witch.

If I have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's my Prince? by Melissa Kantor

Lucy Norton is a Cinderella! When her father remarries and moves her from the West Coast to Long Island, Lucy is left with her stepmother and twin stepsisters. Living in the basement with no furniture and a long list of chores, her life is miserable. When she meets Connor, the cutest jock in school, she goes from friendless to popular. Will he be her prince?

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel Greene seems to have it all. However, that is not the case. At school, she is shunned because she's hiding secrets about an end of the year party. At home, family peace hangs in the balance because she's hiding secrets about her sister's anorexia. Her life is changed when she meets Owen Armstrong, the school's loner who is obsessed with music and telling the truth.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

Scott Hudson is small, lost and a Freshman. The seniors trap him and take his spare change. His honors homework keeps him up all night, and his gym teacher is trying to kill him. To top it off, his mother is pregnant. He starts a journal to the unborn baby, and with comical entries he begins to cope with his life.

Runner by Carl Deuker

Chance Taylor's father, a Gulf War Veteran and alcoholic, is fired from his job. Chance worries about where they will get the money to pay the mortgage for the run-down sailboat they call home. Running along the Seattle waterfront is an escape from all his problems. When a marina employee offers to pay him $250 a week to pick up packages, Chance finds himself in danger and gets a glimpse of the heroic man his father once was.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old from a mountain village in Nepal, thinks she is being hired as a maid. Instead, she is forced into prostitution in India when her stepfather "trades" her for 800 rupees.

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

Amari is a 15-year-old Ashanti girl who is happily anticipating her marriage to Besa. When slavers arrive in her village, her family is slaughtered and her world shattered. Shackled and frightened she is shipped to the Carolinas and forced into slavery. Amari develops friendships and struggles for freedom in this historical fiction novel.

Black and White by Paul Volponi
(mature readers)

Two Island City High School basketball stars known as "Black and White" turn to robbery to get easy money for shoes and senior fees. When the gun goes off during a robbery, Marcus and Eddie tell, in alternating chapters, what happens to them in the aftermath. Their friendship is challenged as they experience the justice system differently because of race.

Rash by Pete Hautman

The year is 2076. Verbal abuse, obesity and dangerous activities in the United States are against the law. Helmets and health food are in and sports are outlawed. Bo Marsten, 16, loses self control and hits another classmate. Sentenced to work at a pizza factory, Bo finds himself a candidate for the warden's favorite past time, football.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
(mature readers)

Jeannette Walls, now a freelance writer, writes of the poverty, hunger, jokes, and bullying that she and her siblings endured while growing up. Her mother, unwilling to assume the responsibilities of parenting, and her father, an alcoholic, taught their children to fend for themselves.

Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs

Life is difficult for the Flores family. When Victor's father dies, he tries to support his family on their farm in Mexico. When corn prices drop, Victor attempts a dangerous border crossing, jumping trains and fleeing thieves and border officials to make it to the United Stated to find work.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In this futuristic society, young people believe they are ugly until, at age 16, they undergo an operation that changes them into "pretties." Tally Youngblood looks forward to turning 16 until she meets another female named Shay who questions this way of life and urges Tally to defect to a distant settlement of simple living. When Shay disappears, Tally is coerced by cruel Dr. Cable to find Shay and her patriots or stay "ugly" forever.

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
(mature readers)

Jordy, homeless, gay, and abused, finds a kindred spirit when he rescues Chloe from a rape near the building where they live. When Jordy all but commits murder to protect Chloe, he realizes they must leave New York City for their safety and sanity. They crisscross America looking for evidence of beauty in what so far has been a grim existence.