Quoted: Vacation’s Over

This one’s for the kids… It’s almost time to get back to school. That means if you took the summer off of reading books that make you think, or ever worse stopped reading altogether (is this possible?), it’s time to hit the books once again.We’re taking a cue from Harper Lee and have put together a list of books that will definitely get you thinking.PS. If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a classic for a reason!

Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron (Coteau Books)In the midst of dealing with his grief over his grandfather’s passing, Ari must also come to terms with his inheritance. His grandfather left him his cabin and land in a small lakeside community that is ripe for development. While his dad and aunt see this as a way out of the family’s money troubles, Ari discovers a place he sees himself fitting into. But time is running out for Ari to find the courage to speak up.Chasing Freedom by Gloria Ann Wesley (Roseway Publishing)In this historical drama, Sarah Redmond is a slave on a South Carolina plantation when the American Revolution happens. She and her grandmother are given their Certificates of Freedom and assigned to a ship bound for the first all-black community in North America: Birchtown, Nova Scotia. But as Sarah and her grandmother arrive and settle into their new home, they come to realize that old fears and hate have travelled to their barren, isolated new home and their freedom is in name only.Monoceros by Suzette Mayr (Coach House Books)When a seventeen-year-old boy hangs himself, he sets off a chain of reactions around him that he probably never would have expected given the bullying and loneliness he suffered during his short life. The ripple effects of his death spread in Monoceros not to those closest to him but much further than that: his secret boyfriend’s girlfriend, a random classmate, his English teacher, his guidance counselor, and his principal.Tough Case by David S. Craig (Playwrights Canada Press)Sixteen-year-old Dane is caught breaking into and vandalizing an elderly woman’s home and will be charged unless he participates in a restorative justice program. Dealing with a tough home life plus the possibility of a permanent record, which would jeopardize any future military career, Dane is not easy to deal with but his new social worker Nessa is able to reach him.Free Like Sunshine by Christina Kilbourne (BookLand Press)Katrina has spent the last five years fending for herself and her three little sisters through six foster homes and deadbeat parents. Katrina dreams of a forever home—it doesn’t have to be a Disney-princess dream—but giving up on her parents is still tough. When she and her sisters get the opportunity to have a forever home Katrina lives in a constant state of tension and fear that something will blow this chance.Rosa Rose by Robert Priest, illustrated by Joan Krygsman (Wolsak & Wynn)The inspiring poems found in Rosa Rose feature such notable figures as Terry Fox, Ghandi, Rosa Parks, and Elijah Harper. These thought-provoking verses about people who changed the world are accompanied by wonderful line drawings by Joan Krygsman.Project Superhero by E. Paul Zehr, illustrated by Kris Pearn (ECW Press)Thirteen-year-old Jessie and her class have been given a yearlong research project on superheroes, to culminate in a Superhero Slam. For comics-obsessed Jessie, this is both a good and a bad thing. Follow along as she keeps a diary, including science facts, illustrations, comic-book trivia, and correspondence with actual superhumans.