CHEATED, by Patrick Jones Posted by Mrs. Schauer

CHEATED, by Patrick Jones
AR: Yes
Interest Level: Upper Grades

A couple of teenagers beat a homeless man to death after he stiffs them two bucks on a beer run. Talk about an opening that sucks the reader in! This is the story of Mick, one of the kids who was there and witnessed the murder. This book tells about the series of events that led up to the murder and the attempt to cover it up and avoid punishment. Jones does a fantastic job of taking the reader into the mind of a tortured and confused young man—a definite page-turner!

KISSING TENNESSEE, by Kathi Appelt Posted by Mrs. Schauer

KISSING TENNESSEE, by Kathi Appelt
AR: Yes
Interest Level: Upper Grades

A menagerie of short stories, all centering around one event—the Stardust Dance at Dogwood Middle School. Some of the stories include a boy questioning his sexuality, a girl remembering her upbringing in sadistically fundamentalist home, a boy trying to forget his dead girlfriend and move on, and a girl working up the courage to report that she’s been raped by the star athlete and most popular boy in town. Each one of these stories finds its way into the reader’s heart—I loved this book. It's a great, quick read that I was not able to put down.