2008/2009 Battle of the Books
Explore the complete 2008/2009 Battle of the Books reading list! Discover the must-read titles and prepare for the competition with this official book selection.
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The White Mountains
by John Christopher
Presents a series of novels that tell the story of how the Tripods came to rule the Earth and the small group of boys who work to retain their autonomy and win freedom for Earth's people.
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Redwall
by Brian Jacques
Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice, is threatened by Cluny the Scourge - the evil, one-eyed rat warlord - and his battle-hardened horde of predators.
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Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. At birth, Ella of Frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom--and she'll have to obey? Ella's quest to break the curse and discover who she really is, is both funny and poignant.
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Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be courageous and resourceful as she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. Reprint. Newbery Medal Winner. AB. SLJ. K. H.
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Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read. Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother’s infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. At first consumed by despair and self-pity, Brian slowly learns survival skills—how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire—and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite. When Brian is finally rescued after fifty-four days in the wild, he emerges from his ordeal with new patience and maturity, and a greater understanding of himself and his parents.
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Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker
Armed with attitude, individuality, and a penchant for disaster, Clementine, a wonderfully wacky girl who is the inventor of the world's first pair of bologna glasses, makes her first appearance in this hilarious chapter book. Reprint.
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Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
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Love, Ruby Lavender
by Deborah Wiles
A charming and hilarious coming-of-age story relates the trials and tribulations of two Mississippi chicken thieves--nine-year-old Ruby Lavender and her grandmother, Miss Eula. An ALA Notable Children's Book. Reissue.
