Wamego High
School's Good Reads
Dropouts / Delinquency
The following books can be found in the Fiction collection, shelved by the first three letters of the author's last name, e.g., F BAR .Arrick, Fran. CHERNOWITZ.
Bobby Cherno is 15 and has grown up in the same house and circulated among the same group of friends all of his life. Bobby has never been particularly aware of his Jewish heritage until Emmet Sundback moves into his neighborhood. Emmet is a bully. He tortures Bobby with intimidation and even manages to get Bobby's former friends to join in ostracizing him. Bobby decides to fight back when a swastika is painted on the family car and Emmet intentionally kills his cat. Bobby sets it up so that Emmet gets suspended from school. Afterward, Emmet's father beats Emmet so badly that he must be hospitalized, and Bobby is left to reflect on his own behavior.Arrick, Fran. STEFFIE CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY.
Stephanie Rudd, 14, runs away from her dismal home to glamorous New York City to become a model. Instead, she becomes one of Favor's string of prostitutes until a police officer, Calvin, finds her.Arrick, Fran. WHERE'D YOU GET THE GUN, BILLY?
In the opening pages, Billy, a senior in high school, intentionally shoots his girlfriend and is apprehended before turning the gun on himself. David, a classmate who barely knows Billy, is not only disturbed by the tragedy but is troubled by the nagging question of how a teenager could acquire a Smith and Wesson .30 Chief Special in the first place?Bonham, Frank. DURANGO STREET.
Rufus has recently been released from a detention center. Rufus is faced with a terrible dilemma: Should he rejoin his gang and risk violating parole or should he try to risk it alone?Butterworth, William. LEROY AND THE OLD MAN.
10 year old Leroy is sent to live with his grandfather in the country after he witnesses a crime. Although he's there for his safety, Leroy hates country living. When Leroy's no-good father offers him a chance to be a numbers' runner in New York City, Leroy must decide between right and wrong.Cormier, Robert. BEYOND THE CHOCOLATE WAR.
Sequel to the Chocolate War. The story shifts from Jerry Renault to the effects that Archie Costello and the Vigils have on the school. Obie revolts against Archie and tries to hurt him. Finally, Obie realizes that as bad as Archie has been, he never forced anybody to do anything against his will.Cormier, Robert. WE ALL FALL DOWN.
This novel examines the phenomena of teens who have been raised in "normal families" and their participation in random violence. Besides exploring the the motivating evil forces that drive these kids, the effects of their violence on innocent victims is also portrayed.Duncan, Lois. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.
One morning, Julie James received two letters. One is an acceptance letter to Smith College, and the other is an anonymous one with the following message: "I know what you did last summer." Julie painfully remembers how she and three of her friends concealed their responsibility for a hit and run accident. Written as a mystery, the story slowly unfolds as the four teenagers relive their nightmare.Duncan, Lois. KILLING MR. GRIFFIN.
Five teenagers are frustrated by Mr. Griffin's unfair grading procedures. They decide to kidnap and verbally abuse him in order to make him experience the same kind of anguish they all were feeling in his English class. Unfortunately, they are unaware of his heart condition, and the negative effects a bad scare can have on him. What started out as a practical joke turns into tragedy for these five impressionable teens to live with for the rest of their lives.Duncan, Lois. THE TWISTED WINDOW.
Tracy wants to help Brad get his little sister, Mindy, back. Brad explained how his stepfather just took her and the police wouldn't do anything. The two devise a plan to kidnap Mindy, but Tracy finds out that things are not always what they seem.Hinton, S. E. THE OUTSIDERS.
This novel, written when the author was 17, is about the violence between two gangs, the Socials (Socs) and the Jets (Greasers). The Socs are rich kids who live on the West side of town, and the Greasers live on the East side and are often mistaken for hoods. Ponyboy, a Greaser, tells what life is like being an outsider.Hinton, S. E. TAMING THE STAR RUNNER.
Travis is 16 and has assaulted his stepfather and nearly killed him. As an alternative to juvenile hall, Travis stays with his Uncle Ken on a ranch in Oklahoma where he is launched into a search to find himself.Hinton, S. E. RUMBLE FISH.
Rusty talks with his fists. Because he never knew his mother and his father is a drunk, the values of his life are centered around his love and emulation for his older brother, Motorcycle Boy.Hobbs, Will. DOWNRIVER.
Eight troubled teens spend nine weeks together in Discovery Unlimited, a summer Outward Bound Program designed to teach them self-reliance, discipline, and survival techniques.Hoh, Diane. THE INVITATION.
Four predominantly unpopular girls are invited to attend Cassandra Rockham's annual fall gala which is considered "the party" of the year. The girls are suspicious of their invitations but cannot resist the temptation of being included. After they arrive, they find out they are the entertainment for the night: each is locked into separate areas of the mansion to the others can participate in a "People Hunt." Meanwhile, Lynn, an emotionally disturbed adolescent, is lurking on the grounds hoping to get revenge by turning the hunt into actual murders.Lasky, Katheryn. PRANK.
Birdie Flynn's family is constantly fighting about something, and her sister is frequently beaten by her husband. After Birdie's brother vandalizes a synagogue and gets caught, Birdie finds herself confronting her own bigotry. Nothing ever comes easy for her, but Birdie is determined to create a better life and future for herself.McDonell, Nick. Twelve : a novel.
A
young drug dealer chronicles a week in the lives of several bored, rich
Manhattan teens who entertain themselves with drugs and sex while their
parents vacation overseas, which culminates in a brutally violent New
Year's Eve party.
Mikaelsen, Ben Touching Spirit Bear
After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen year-old Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.
Myers, Walter Dean. SCORPIONS.
Jamal has some tough decisions. As a black boy growing up on the streets of Harlem, opportunities are scarce but drugs are plentiful. His older brother is in jail for a gang related robbery where a delicatessen owner was killed. Jamal wants to help raise the bail needed, but must decide if joining the gang for a "quick fix" is the right way to go.Santiago, Danny. FAMOUS ALL OVER TOWN.
Rudy is 14 and a member of a Chicano street gang in Los Angeles. This coming of age novel insightfully depicts what it's like to grow up in a less than ideal circumstance.Sebestyen, Ouida. WORDS BY HEART.
Set in 1910, Lena learns what it is like to be an outsider. Her family is the only black family in a small, Southern town. At every turn it seems that Lena confronts fear and hatred, especially when 16 year old Tater Hanley shoots Ben Sills, a black man, because he is perceived to be a threat to Tater's drunken father's job.Tolan, Stephen. PLAGUE YEAR.
David's life was pretty normal until Bran and his father moved into town; Bran Slocum was different. Not only does his ponytail and earring set him apart, but Bran's father's crime sets him apart from the community as well.Voigt, Cynthia. THE RUNNER.
The first of the Tillerman novels, this is the story of Samuel "Bullet" Tillerman, a high school senior and loner whose chief concern in life is running. Set in the turbulent era of the late Sixties, trouble begins at his school when black students begin joining the athletic teams.Voigt, Cynthia. COME A STRANGER.
This is the story of Wilhemina Smith's experiences from the 5th to the 10th grade. As a child, Mina wins a scholarship that enables her to attend an all-white ballet dance camp. Mina wants to be a dancer but is unaware of the problems she will encounter because she is black. As her family and Tamer Shipp, a minister, help her to deal with the problems, Mina realizes the value of being what God intended her to be.Yep, Lawrence. THE STAR FISHER.
15 year old Joan must act as an interpreter for her Chinese family. She directly hears the hurting prejudicial slurs which forces her to grow up faster than most.Zindel, Paul. I NEVER LOVED YOUR MIND.
Two bright but lost high school students drop out of school in order to search for meaning to life in a world that they find unbearable.Zindel, Paul. TO TAKE A DARE.
Chrysta runs away from home at the age of 13 to be free of her parents. She hitchhikes around the country for two years until, tired of running, she settles down in a small town in Arkansas. Through a series of events, Chrysta realizes that freedom doesn't have to mean running. Freedom can mean a home where there is love and happiness.362.74 TEE
Ojeda, Auriana. Teens at risk: opposing viewpoints.
Looks at issues dealing with teenagers such as teen crime, teen pregnancy, and media violence.
363.4 COX
Cox, Vic. Guns, violence and teens.
Provides readers with an honest look at the parties involved in the gun control debate and describes the harsh realities of easy access to guns by the seemingly "trigger-happy" members of the younger generation.
Gerdes, Louise I. Gangs: opposing viewpoints.
Presents twenty-five critical essays by experts and policy makers on the subject of gangs and addresses issues such as the seriousness of gang activity in a number of ethnic communities and law enforcement strategies to combat gangs.
Bode, Janet and Mack, Stan.
Hard time: a real life look at juvenile crime and violence. Young people whose lives have been impacted by violence and crime, either as perpetrators or as victims, tell their stories. The book includes comments from concerned adults who work with these teens.
Miller, Maryann. Coping with weapons and violence in your school and on your Streets.
Examines the roots of violence and extreme behaviors and the histories of such conflicts, as well as ways that we can make a difference as students, peer mediators, teachers, and community members.
Stewart, Gail and Frost, Natasha. Teens in prison.
Four teenagers who were sent to prison at an early age discuss their life in prison and their hopes for the future.
Ojeda, Auriana. Juvenile crime : opposing viewpoints.
Contains twenty-seven essays that provide opposing opinions on the topic of juvenile crime, discussing its causes and remedies, gang-related juvenile crime, and the questions of whether or not juvenile crime and violence is on the rise.
Weill, Sabrina Solin.
We're not monsters: teens speak out about teens in trouble. Commentaries by teenagers about their fellow teens who commit crimes or violate social norms.
Kim, Henny H. Youth violence.
Roleff, Tamara L., ed. Crime and Criminals: opposing viewpoints.
Salzman, Mark. True notebooks.
Mark Salzman chronicles his first years teaching at Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for
REF 364.1 WIE
Wiener, Valerie. Winning the war against youth gangs: a guide for teens, families, and communities.
Describes many basic issues and needs common to all children; addresses how and why certain children enter gang alliances; discusses how several key components of a child's life and community can work together to resolve gang involvement; and analyzes the critical influence of families as children approach important life choices.
