Great Reading: Bookmark It!

Volume 29, Number 5, June 2002

Taking Control
Grades 7-12

Rosemary Chance

A hole in the world. Sid Hite.
Scholastic, 2001. $16.95. 0-439-09830-0. Paul Schackelford, 15 years old, thinks he has lost control of his life when he’s sent to live on a farm in Virginia for the summer. The experience turns memorable as he makes friends with a dog, a girl and a ghost.

The million dollar kick. Dan Gutman.
Hyperion, 2001. $15.95. 0-786-82612-6. Despite her hatred of sports, 13-year-old Whisper Nelson accepts the chance to win a million dollars with a single goal post kick. Of course, she hopes to win the money, but she didn’t expect to learn so much about soccer, other people and herself.

The rag and bone shop. Robert Cormier.
Delacorte, 2001. $15.95. 0-385-72962-6. A last chilling story by Cormier shows readers a 12-year-old boy, Jason, who is accused of murdering a seven-year-old girl. Jason’s final response to the accusation is horrifying. Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2002.

A single shard. Linda Sue Park.
Clarion, 2001. $15.00. 0-395-97827-0. At first, it appears that Tree-Ear, a 13-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, has little hope for his future. Then he experiences a potter’s world and learns the secrets of creating delicate celadon ceramics. Newbery, 2002.

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Rosemary Chance is assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She can be reached at rchance@student.necc.cc.ms.us.