The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis

Details the life of University of Mississippi football player Michael Oher, who was raised by a crack addicted mother and adopted at the age of sixteen by a wealthy family, and explores the rising importance and salary of the offensive left tackle in the game of football.

Recommended by a UHS student: “I enjoyed this book. It has much more detail than the movie, and there is much more description of the characters. 10/10!”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Monstress #1)

The story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services.

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

Frequently imitated and widely influential, Howard Philips Lovecraft reinvented the horror genre in the 1920s, discarding ghosts and witches and instead envisioning mankind as a tiny outpost of dwindling sanity in a chaotic and malevolent universe.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from stories, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries. As her feelings toward him transform from hostility to a fiery passion, the threats against the faerie lands grow. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose Tamlin forever.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)

Lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, and all the forces of good and evil prepare for trouble in the land of Winterfell where summers can last for decades and winters a lifetime.

Recommended by UHS students: “It’s an amazing book with great characters.”

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Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #1)

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the back of a wardrobe or tumbling down rabbit holes, and emerging somewhere ... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children, and sometimes, they send them back.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “This series is beautiful and dark, and incredibly rewarding for folks who grew up on books about secret worlds like Narnia and Harry Potter—about both the miracle of finding your place and the heartbreak of losing it.”

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The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

Once the thriving attraction of rural Vermont, the Tower Motel now stands in disrepair, alive only in the memories of Amy, Piper, and Piper's kid sister Margot. The three played there as girls until the day that their games uncovered something dark and twisted in the motel's past, something that ruined their friendship forever.

Recommended by Mrs. Gaudet, Spanish Teacher: “Literally so scary I turned all the lights on.”

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The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie, whose mind has been almost completely taken over by an alien named Wanderer, convinces the alien to search for her lost lover, who fled the extraterrestrial invasion, and tries to find a way in which she and Wanderer can coexist.

Recommended by a UHS student: “It’s good sci-fi.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Inheritance Cycle #1)

In Alagaesia, a boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

As coordinated attacks by animals against humans increase and escalate, young biologist Jackson Oz and ecologist Chloe Tousignant warn world leaders that soon there will be no place for humans to hide.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer (Last Survivors #1)

Through journal entries, Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Recommended by Mr. Borden, English Teacher: “For me, this novel, like Orwell’s 1984, created a thrilling frisson of anxiety as Pfeffer describes how unexpectedly fragile our society actually is via the ever so gradual deterioration of a family and their town.”

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The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #1)

A wizard named Rincewind is pursued, not by a deadly messenger, but by Death himself while guiding a tourist through the unique land of Discworld.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Effective and empowering story that uses multiple perspectives to explore the feelings and politics around police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

Percy learns he is the son of Poseidon. His mother sends him to a camp for demigods where he sets out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Recommended by a UHS student: “Anything Rick Riordan is good!”

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The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)

Magnus is the son of a Norse god. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.

Recommended by a UHS student: “Anything Rick Riordan is good!”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Explores how human cadavers have been used throughout history, discussing how the use of dead bodies has benefited every aspect of human existence.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Gross, compassionate, and thought-provoking read that answers a lot of questions we all want to ask but would rather not have in our browser history.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Sandstorm by James Rollins (Sigma Force #1)

Twenty years after a wealthy British financier disappears near the site of a lost fabled city, the man's daughter leads an expedition of scientists in search of the city, which harbors a powerful but dangerous energy source.

Recommended by Mr. Halacy, Social Studies Teacher.

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Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #1)

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Recommended by Mrs. Marshall, English Teacher.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #1)

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Recommended by a UHS student. 

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Ari is an angry loner, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Just beautifully written. While this is ultimately a love story, it’s one of my favorite depictions of friendship in a book as well.”

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services: “Seconded!”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Contact by Carl Sagan

Scientist Eleanor Arroway risks her life and reputation in an attempt to respond when radio telescopes on Earth receive a signal indicating the existence of life twenty-six light-years away in the vicinity of the star Vega.

Recommended by UHS students: “So good. Also: aliens.”

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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon, the victim of a sexual assault and murder, looks on from the afterlife as her family deals with their grief, and waits for her killer to be brought to some type of justice.

Recommended by the grade 8 team.

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Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin

A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story of how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “There is nothing about sports that I enjoy, but even I have to admit that the early days of football are fascinating.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)

Alice Bell must learn to fight the undead to avenge her family and learn to trust Cole Holland, who has secrets of his own.

Recommended by a UHS student: “Fun book, extremely interesting and captivating!” 

Learn more on Goodreads.

Firstlife by Gena Showalter (Everlife #1)

Ten Lockwood has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Her refusal to let her parents choose where she'll live—after she dies.

Recommended by a UHS student.

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Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI by Ryan Smithson

Ryan Smithson recounts the experiences he had serving his first tour of duty as an Army engineer in Iraq when he was only nineteen.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Ryan is very open about what led him to enlist in 2003, and what his life was like in the army, as well as his struggles when he returned to the U.S.”

Lean more on Goodreads.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Follows a young Jewish orphan in the Warsaw ghetto during World War Two as he slowly understands the horrible reality that surrounds him and attempts to steal in order to help others survive.

Recommended by Mrs. Marshall, English Teacher.

Learn more on Goodreads.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Lord Ballister Blackheart seeks to bring down the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics with the aid of his new shapeshifting sidekick Nimona.

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services.

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women—black and white, mothers and daughters—view one another.

Recommended by a UHS student.

Learn more on Goodreads.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Rose and her parents go on vacation to Awago Beach like they do every year, but this year Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting and she turns to her friend Windy for help dealing with her troubled family life.

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services.

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friend's family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother, a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld.

Recommended by a UHS student: “It has Boris Pavlikovsky and stolen art!”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services.

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor (Scot Harvath #1)

When the United States President is kidnapped by one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the Middle East, it is up to ex-Navy SEAL Scot Harvath, the only survivor of the Secret Service detail to survive the kidnapping, to find the President before it is too late.

Recommended by Mr. Halacy, Social Studies Teacher: “Excellent suspense writer.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.

The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King: Frodo the hobbit and a band of warriors from the different kingdoms set out to destroy the Ring of Power before the evil Sauron grasps control.

Recommended by Mrs. Woislaw, ELL Teacher: “The Lord of the Rings is a wonderful adventure story with deep themes. The movies do not do justice to the books - so definitely worth reading.”

Recommended by UHS students: “My precious! And hobbitses.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

NK3 by Michael Tolkin

In a Los Angeles devastated by a weaponized microbe that has been accidentally spread around the globe, deleting human identity, two new classes have formed, The Verified, who still have the power of memory, and the rest, whom The Verified control with an invented mythology.

Recommended by Mr. Halacy, Social Studies Teacher.

Learn more on Goodreads.

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner

Documents the true story of the legendary samurai who was raised in the household of the enemies who killed his father before being sent to live in a monastery where, against the odds, he learned and perfected his fighting skills.

Recommended by Rashaa Al-Sasah, Uxbridge Free Public Library Youth Services.

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for.

Recommended by Mrs. Penza, Performing Arts Teacher: “Suspenseful!”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

They came from a depleted, dying planet. Their target: the riches of a moist, green Earth. With horrifyingly advanced machines of destruction, they began their inexorable conquest. The war for Earth seemed destined to be ... but was it?

Recommended by a UHS student.

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The Martian by Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded and completely alone on Mars, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive, but Mark isn't ready to give up. Drawing on his engineering skills, he faces each obstacle with resourcefulness, but will it be enough to survive?

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Suspenseful and hilarious. Mark’s log entries are sarcastic, but also so real you finish the book feeling like you, too, could grow potatoes on Mars.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Two highly decorated Navy SEALs, now successful businessmen, demonstrate how to lead and win in business and in life with principles learned on the battlefield.

Recommended by Mr. Smutok, Technology Education Teacher: “There are lots of practical life skills in it.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave #1)

Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them.

Recommended by Mrs. Marshall, English Teacher.

Learn more on Goodreads.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

The story of a teenage girl who's literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she's ever known.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Nicola Yoon's love stories are great, and her novels deal with the tough realities of family relationships.”

Learn more on Goodreads.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Daniel has always been a good son and good student. But when he sees Natasha he forgets all that and believes there is something extraordinary in store for both of them.

Recommended by Ms. Charpentier, Librarian: “Nicola Yoon's love stories are great, and her novels also deal with the tough realities of family relationships.”

Learn more on Goodreads.