Most Circulated Titles

The Giver

Lois Lowry.


See also: AB #807021(Playaway); AB #805002 (CD); DVD #702416. Twelve-year-old Jonah is singled out to receive special training from "The Giver" who alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life.
Date Published:1993

The Outsiders

Hinton, S.E.


See also: AB# 807001 (Playaway); #805066 (CD); DVD #702413. Ponyboy is 14, tough, confused, and sensitive. Since his parents' death, his loyalties have been to his brothers and his gang, the rough, long-haired boys from the wrong side of the tracks.
Date Published:1967

Refugee

Alan Gratz


See also: AB# 807109. Although separated by continents and decades, Josef, a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl trying to escape the riots and unrest plaguing her country in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence and destruction, embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge, discovering shocking connections that tie their stories together.
Date Published:2017

See also: AB# 807109. Although separated by continents and decades, Josef, a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl trying to escape the riots and unrest plaguing her country in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence and destruction, embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge, discovering shocking connections that tie their stories together.

Date Published:2017

The barren grounds

Robertson, David, 1977-


Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom.
Date Published:2020

Holes

Sachar, Louis


See also: DVD# 709838; AB #805001 (CD); # 807015 (Playaway). Unjustly accused, Stanley is sent to a detention centre, Camp Green Lake where the boys spend all day digging holes. Soon Stanley realizes that the warden is looking for something- But what?
Date Published:1998

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins


See also: AB #807009. In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.
Date Published:2008

The Bully Boys

Walters, Eric, 1957-


The Bully Boys tells the story of fourteen-year-old Thomas Roberts, who finds himself looking after the family farm when his father goes off to fight for the British army during the War of 1812. When Thomas inadvertently stumbles upon some American soldiers who are attempting to rob a local store, his quick thinking and bravery save the day. His actions catch the eye of the war's most famous officer - Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, leader of the unit dubbed the Green Tigers or "Bully Boys." Tommy realizes that this is his chance to escape the drudgery of the farm and join the 'real' men who are fighting for freedom. FitzGibbon does take Tommy under his wing for a time, and the young man soon finds that war is both more fascinating and more horrifying than he could ever have imagined. This is a fast-paced adventure story based on the true events surrounding the legendary James Fitzgibbon and the Battle of Beaver Dams in 1812.
Date Published:2000

The Bully Boys tells the story of fourteen-year-old Thomas Roberts, who finds himself looking after the family farm when his father goes off to fight for the British army during the War of 1812. When Thomas inadvertently stumbles upon some American soldiers who are attempting to rob a local store, his quick thinking and bravery save the day. His actions catch the eye of the war's most famous officer - Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, leader of the unit dubbed the Green Tigers or "Bully Boys." Tommy realizes that this is his chance to escape the drudgery of the farm and join the 'real' men who are fighting for freedom. FitzGibbon does take Tommy under his wing for a time, and the young man soon finds that war is both more fascinating and more horrifying than he could ever have imagined. This is a fast-paced adventure story based on the true events surrounding the legendary James Fitzgibbon and the Battle of Beaver Dams in 1812.

Date Published:2000

Restart

Korman, Gordon


Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?
Date Published:2017

Wonder

R.J. Palacio.


See also: AB# 807033 (Playaway). Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
Date Published:2012

Hatchet

Gary Paulsen.


See also: #807089 (Playaway). After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given to him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Date Published:1987

The Breadwinner

Deborah Ellis


AB# 805038. Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Parvana lives in Afghanistan where the Taliban, members of an extreme religious group run most of the country. After, Parvana's father is arrested by the Taliban she cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family.
Date Published:2000

The one and only Ivan

Katherine Applegate.


When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
Date Published:2012

Maze Runner

James Dashner


See also: AB# 807088 (playaway). Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
Date Published:2009

Freak the Mighty

Rodman Philbrick.


See also: AB #805053 (CD). The beginning of grade eight, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect affected his body not his brilliant mind, find when they combine forces they make a powerful team.
Date Published:1993

The city of Ember

DuPrau, Jeanne.,


Various publishers. In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
Date Published:2004

The rule of thre3

Eric Walters


Rule of three. 2015 Red Maple Fiction Award Winner. When a viral catastrophe causes a global technological shut down, 16 year old Adam realizes that his police captain mother and a retired government spy living next door are key to his survival.
Date Published:2014

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien.


See also AB# 807098 (Playaway). While Bilbo Baggins and his friends are on a quest for gold they meet many mystical creatures - however, the most fearsome is the dragon who guards the gold.
Date Published:1978

The wild robot

Brown, Peter, 1979-


Includes an excerpt from The wild robot escapes. When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
Date Published:2016

Includes an excerpt from The wild robot escapes. When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

Date Published:2016

Camp X

Eric Walters.


2003 Silver Birch Winner. One afternoon George and Jack stumble across Camp X-Canada's top secret spy camp-and begin the most exciting summer of their lives.
Date Published:2002

Two degrees

Gratz, Alan, 1972-


Recommended for Gr. 4-7. When three children endure separate climate change disasters-- a wildfire in the California woods, a close encounter with a hungry polar bear in Canada, and a massive hurricane in Florida-- they emerge from their experiences committed to changing the world.
Date Published:2022