Nothing But The Truth, a documentary novel by Avi came to mind. A junior high age boy gets in trouble for singing the national anthem in school, and the story is in the papers and on tv. The book is written entirely in school memos, phone calls and diary entries. This would make for some interesting discussions.
Across Five Aprils, about a young boy coming of age during the Civil War.
Diary of Anne Frank, and did you know they have published a volume of her other writing as well? The small book has poetry, short stories and part of a novel that Anne was working on while in hiding. I forget the title, but I'm sure you could do a search and find it easily.
The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. A teenage Indian boy decides he wants to go to an all-white school off the reservation. The book deals with racism, Indian rights, death in the family, and friendship. (Just FYI, I used the word Indian, because that is the word the author uses throughout the book.)
Please Stop Laughing At Me, a memoir by Jodee Blanco. The true story of a young girl who was bullied and harassed from grade school through high school. An amazing story of triumph, you will need a box of kleenex nearby.
"She went from room to room, floor to floor, stack to stack, reveling in books, books, books. She loved books. She loved them with her senses and her intellect." From Joy In The Morning, by Betty Smith
Melissa_W
