Health Class Book Choices

1. Health ClassBook Choices

2. Select the book you most want to read – you will be reading it on your own. • Please consider your parents rules/expectations for appropriate book choices. • Pay close attention to the many CONNECTIONS you find to HEALTH class. • You will be writing about the books connection to mental – physical - social health. • Many of the titles cover multiple issues – they are listed under the main issue.

3. Depression/Self Harm/Suicide

4. Remembering The Good TimesBy: Richard Peck How well do we know our best friends?They were the best of friends. Sixteen-year-old Buck first met Kate the summer before seventh grade. In eighth grade they made friends with the brilliant and wealthy newcomer, Trav.They didn't seem to need anyone else. Mostly they looked forward to the good times shared together; no one could unravel their binding ties.At least that's what they thought. When one of the trio finds the pressure of graduation and the future too great a threat, the other two can only wonder: "How well did we know our best friend?"

5. The True Color SeriesBy: Melody Carlson • Blade Silver – Color Me Scarred Cutting herself doesn’t make Ruth’s problems disappear, but at least it helps her cope – or so she things… • Pitch Black – Color Me Lost – Morgan thinks life is difficult and then when a friend kills himself she has to learn to deal with her grief and live her life before its too late…

6. Dark Blue – Color Me Lonely – dealing with the loss of a friendship Kara deals with feelings of sadness and depression

7. CutBy: Patricia McCormick • Callie cuts herself. She does not do it to kill herself, but rather to take away the pain of life. Eventually, she find herself in Sea Pines, a residential treatment facility. She is in group therapy with girls with eating disorders and substance abuse issues,

8. Healthy/Unhealthy Relationships

9. Someone Like YouBy: Sarah Dessen A quiet, predictable Halley and Scarlett, her feisty defender, have been best friends since grade school. Growing up like sisters, they've shared everything Then boys step into their teen lives. Scarlett's romance the summer before junior year has serious consequences and she needs her friend to get through them.

10. This LullabyBy: Sarah Dessen Remy always knows the perfect time to give a boyfriend "The Speech" telling him it's over-after. She's a girl who knows just how to avoid any messy emotional entanglement. After all, she's had the example of her five-times-married mother to show her what not to do. So what, then, is it about Dexter that makes it so hard for her to follow her own rules? He's everything she hates and worst of all, a musician like her father: the father Remy never knew, the father who wrote a famous song for her, the father who disappeared from her life.

11. Just ListenBy: Sarah Dessen Annabel seemingly had everything: cool friends, close family, good grades, and a part-time modeling career in town. Annabel's devastating secret is revealed in bits and snatches. Caught between wanting to protect her family and her own struggles to face a devastating experience, Annabel finds comfort in an unlikely friendship with the school's most notorious loner.

12. DreamlandBy: Sarah Dessen Caitlin has always had to follow in the footsteps of her perfect older sister. When Cassandra runs away from home, Caitlin finds herself trying to fill the gap Cass's absence creates. When she meets mysterious Rogerson, Caitlin sees a way to forge a path for herself. Rogerson seems vaguely ominous, but Caitlin is taken by surprise when he first gets violent with her.

13. Jumping The NailBy: Eve Bunting When teenagers in a California coastal community challenge each other to "jump the Nail“ (leap from dangerous cliffs into the ocean) group pressure and manipulative relationships quickly drive the game out of control. Resulting in consequences one teen may never recover from.

14. SpeakBy: Laurie Halse Anderson Melinda spoke at the wrong time; she called the police and broke up a party. Now she doesn’t speak at all. A freshman in high school with secrets she can’t share.

15. Don’t Take Love Lying DownBy: Brad Henning Brad looks at issues like: *Why all guys seem like jerks (but girls still want one). * Why girls are so hard to understand (and like it that way). * Why guys are afraid to ask girls out. * How to find the right person and know when it's true love.* How to evaluate relationships.* Why sex is such a big deal and how to deal with it.

16. Where it BeganBy: Ann Redisch Stampler When she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there. And Billy's nowhere to be found.

17. Breathing UnderwaterBy: Alex Flynn Nick’s life seems to be perfect. He drives everyone’s dream car and his father is rich. But that’s not really how it is. Like father like son, right? Except that when Nick goes to far one day, he loses not only the one he loves the most, but his friends and the life he came to know.

18. A Thousand TomorrowsBy: Karen Kingsbury Cody Gunner has no use for real love. Abandoned as a child by the person he needed the most, he swears he will never allow himself to love again. Ali Daniels denies love as well. Carrying a terrible secret, she lives life to the fullest, taking risks and refusing relationships. The story of two separate lives brought together through shared secrets and a drive to overcome obstacles and succeed. SECOND BOOK Just Beyond The Clouds

19. The Last SongNicolas Sparks Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

20. FaultlineBy: Janet Tashjian • When Becky meets fellow comedian Kip at the improv clubs where they both perform, he seems the perfect guy for her until the relationship turns abusive. • Why couldn’t she see the signs that her mother and her best friend were trying to warn her about????

21. The Vow By: Kim and Krickett Carpenter Life as Kim and Krickitt Carpenter knew it was shattered beyond recognition on November 24, 1993. Two months after their marriage, a devastating car wreck left Krickitt with a massive head injury and in a coma for weeks.When she finally awoke, she had no idea who Kim was. And yet, against all odds, but through the common faith in Christ that sustained them, Kim and Krickitt fell in love all over again. Even though Kim stood by Krickitt through the darkest times a husband can ever imagine, he insists, “I’m no hero. I made a vow.”

22. Torch Red – Color Me Torn - Zoe feels like the only virgin on the planet… she battles with the decision to give up her virginity or wait to have sex.

23. Drugs/Alcohol/Addiction

24. My Brother’s KeeperBy: Patricia McCormick The novel follows a young boy named Toby as he tries to keep his family from falling apart. His little brother has reverted to hiding under his blanket and sucking his thumb and his older brother is delving into drugs. Toby fights desperately to cover up for his brother and spare his mother any more heart break.

25. InexcusableBy: Chris Lynch A football player is left paralyzed, a series of “pranks” do major damage, and one night forever changes two lives – in unthinkable ways…. A story about taking responsibility and facing the consequences of our actions whether intended or not….

26. Dope SickWalter Dean Meyers A drug deal goes south and a cop has been shot. Lil J's on the run. And he's starting to get dope sick. He'd do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned building, it actually might be possible. . . . Elements of magical realism intensify this harrowing story about drug use, violence, perceptions of reality, and second chances.

27. Chasing the HighBy: Kyle Keegan • “The real truth about the worst seems like the best place to start.” From a harrowing night on a rooftop, gravely ill and in withdrawal, Keegan tracks back through his young-adult years spent addicted to drugs, primarily heroin. Now clean and sober in his early thirties, Keegan remembers with dark honesty his slide from experimentation to addiction. • This title is more than just a memoir, however. Coauthored with a psychiatrist and produced in conjunction with the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, the book provides a wealth of up-to-date information about addiction and explains why teens are at a higher risk for drug abuse than are adults. • Detailed descriptions of rehab and recovery approaches and lists of resources for further help are also included.

28. Burnt Orange – Color Me Wasted – Amber is getting heavy into drinking and concerns from friends are forcing her to take a look at her problem…

29. Crystal Lies Carlson's Crystal Lies brings to life the horror of crystal methamphetamine addiction. Hapless Glennis Harmon, who thought she was a typical suburban wife and mother, wakes up one day to find her resentful teenage son, Jacob, addicted to meth, the "poor man's cocaine." In the bargain, Glennis' high-rolling husband is having an affair. Carlson provides no easy answers; instead, she offers a realistic portrait of addictive behavior. the trap of enabling, and the always incomplete process of recovery. 

30. Beautiful Boy What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.

31. We All Fall Down Nic Sheff’s powerful follow-up to his memoir We All Fall Down, this book is about his continued efforts to stay clean, Nic writes candidly about eye-opening stays at rehab centers, devastating relapses, and hard-won realizations about what it means to be a young person living with addiction. *Language Warning*

32. Bullying/Friendship/Peer Issues

33. Deep Green Color Me Jealous Jordan feels envious of a friend and has to learn to move on to better things…

34. Please Stop Laughing at MeBy: Jodee Blanco While other kids were daydreaming about dances, first kisses and college, Jodee was just trying to figure out how to get from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or spit upon as she walked through the halls. This powerful  memoir chronicles how one child was chunned - and even physically abused - by her classmates from elementary school through high school. It is a look at what it means to be the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it wrong and why schools are often unable to prevent disaster.

35. Sisterhood of the Traveling PantsBy: Ann Brashares One pair of old jeans from a thrift shop - four friends – a summer of adventure in a pair of jeans that fit each girl perfectly. We also have the 2nd, 3rd and 4th summers!

36. Love, StargirlBy: Jerry Spinelli Star girlBy: Jerry Spinelli Ever wonder what happened to Stargirl??? Now we get to see through letters she writes to her old boyfriend, Leo. • Ukulele playing, pioneer dresses, laughs at nothing, sings when it’s not your birthday. • The students love her. • The students hate her • The pressure to be “normal” may be too much…

37. LoserBy: Jerry Spinelli Zinkoff is not like the other kids -- raising his hand with all the wrong answers, tripping over his own feet, falling down with laughter over silly things. The kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. Loser is a touching book about the human spirit, the importance of failure, and how any name can someday be replaced with "hero."

38. Driver’s EdBy: Caroline B. Cooney An innocent night of thrill-seeking gone wrong… A driver’s license: freedom and responsibility… A prank with fatal consequences… How will they come to terms with what they have done? How will they face their families and friends?

39. Featuring contemporary, real-life stories that young adults will relate to, with important life lessons that are not too preach, these two book continue this new series focusing on the students of Bluford High School.

40. The Body of Chris CreedBy: Carol Plum-ucci The Body of Christopher Creed is the story of the mysterious disappearance of a high school outcast. Christopher Creed is the boy no one likes, the boy the popular kids bully and tease, the boy that never seems to fit in. When Christopher Creed disappears, however, he captures the attention of the entire town, and he upsets the lives of those who tormented him.

41. Big Mouth Ugly GirlBy: Joyce Carol Oates Matt has always been a BIG MOUTH. But it's never gotten him in trouble -- until one day when two detectives escort him out of class for questioning. Matt has been accused of threatening to blow up Rocky River High School. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, Ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating -- or at least that's what she tells herself. Ursula – self titled – “Ugly Girl” is content with minding her own business. She doesn't even really know Matt. But Ursula is the only person who knows what Matt really said that day … and she is the only one who can help him.

42. Staying Fat For Sarah ByrnesBy: Chris Crutcher Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend. Now Sarah Byrnes -- the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known -- sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under.

43. Wonder I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. 

44. White and Black Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other's backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night—and one wrong decision—will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friendship . . . and their future?

45. Human ExperienceOvercoming Obstacles

46. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens By: Sean Covey This ultimate teenage success book provides a step-by-step guide to help teens improve their self-image, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve goals, get along with parents, and more.

47. Black and White is an interesting title for a book that aims to prove there's no such thing as black and white. Four stories are told simultaneously, with each double-page spread divided into quadrants. The stories do not necessarily take place at the same moment in time, but are they really one story? Black and WhiteDavid Macaulay

48. The Juvie ThreeBy: Gordan Korman Gecko, Terence, and Ajay are serving time in juvenile detention centers until they get a second chance. Douglas Healy, a former juvenile delinquent himself, takes them into his halfway house, hoping to make a difference in their lives. One night there is a scuffle, and Healy is accidentally knocked unconscious. When he awakes in the hospital, he has no memory of them or of the halfway house. Afraid of being sent back to Juvie, the guys hatch a crazy scheme to continue on as if the group leader never left. But if the boys are found out, their second chance will be their last.

49. WorthBy: A. LaFaye What is the source of one's worth? In the hardscrabble life of the Nebraska plain, a fluke accident crushes an only son's leg, bringing even more difficult times to the family. Nathaniel's sense of self is also crushed. Through grappling with his feelings toward his father, the orphan boy who comes to help out, the Greek family attending school, and the power struggles between farmers and ranchers, Nathaniel emerges as a whole individual.

50. Once Was LostBy: Sara Zarr Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.