Dead-End Job
10 best books like Dead-End Job (Vicki Grant): Twenty and Ten, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Frindle, The Dog Who Knew Too Much, Medicus, Wait Till Helen Comes, Maniac Magee, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Perfect, Countdown
| Author | Claire Huchet Bishop |
| ISBN | 0140310762 |
This must have been one of the earliest historical fiction children titles for World War II, since it came out in 1952. I probably read it in the 1960s. It meets one of my main problems with WWII lit for young kids: while it makes it clear that it was a case of life and death for the kids, it never actually says...
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
| Author | Brian Selznick |
| ISBN | 0439813786 |
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most...
| Author | Andrew Clements |
| ISBN | 0689818769 |
From bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Clements, a quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words that will have readers inventing their own words.
Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty...
The Dog Who Knew Too Much
| Author | Carol Lea Benjamin |
| ISBN | 0440226376 |
The key to a beautiful woman's tragic death is locked in a dog's broken heart.
P.I. Rachel Alexander is stepping into a dead woman's life. Hired by the young t'ai chi teacher's grieving parents, Rachel is determined to find out why their apparently happy daughter jumped from the window of her...
| Author | Ruth Downie |
| ISBN | 1596912316 |
Gaius Petrius Ruso is a divorced and down-on his luck army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. His arrival in Deva (more commonly known as Chester, England) does little to improve his mood, and after a straight thirty...
| Author | Mary Downing Hahn |
| ISBN | 0380704420 |
Beware of Helen...Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we're stuck with her...our "poor stepsister" who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire. But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend,...
| Author | Jerry Spinelli |
| ISBN | 0590452037 |
He wasn't born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. Maniac Magee took to the streets.
And Maniac Magee became a legend.
Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how...
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
Television has conditioned us to tolerate visually entertaining material measured out in spoonfuls of time, to the detriment of rational public discourse and reasoned public affairs. In this eloquent, persuasive book, Neil Postman alerts us to the real and present dangers of this state of affairs,...
| Author | Natasha Friend |
| ISBN | 1571316515 |
Depicting with humor and insight the pressure to be outwardly perfect, this novel for ages 10-13 shows how one girl develops compassion for her own and others’ imperfections.
For 13-year-old Isabelle Lee, whose father has recently died, everything's normal on the outside. Isabelle describes...
| Author | Deborah Wiles |
| ISBN | 0545106052 |
Franny Chapman just wants some peace. But that's hard to get when her best friend is feuding with her, her sister has disappeared, and her uncle is fighting an old war in his head. Her saintly younger brother is no help, and the cute boy across the street only complicates things. Worst of all, everyone is...
| Author | Brian Selznick |
| ISBN | 0545027896 |
Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone...
| Author | Laurie Halse Anderson |
The modern classic Speak is now a graphic novel.
"Speak up for yourself-we want to know what you have to say."
From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless--an outcast--because...
Catching him will make her career - and change her forever.
August, 1999
On the hottest day of the year, Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, the convicted murderer she arrested thirty years earlier. A master carpenter and funeral director,...
| Author | Beth Goobie |
| ISBN | 1551432137 |
Jujube is thrilled when Brent asks her out. She is not so happy when the rumors start flying at school. Pretty soon her name is showing up on bathroom walls and everyone is snickering and sniping. When her mother gets involved, Jujube's reputation takes another hit. Deciding that someone has to take a...
| Author | Eric Walters |
| ISBN | 1551435888 |
When a Division One coach comes to their smaller school to bring the football program up to contender status, Moose and the rest of the players on the team are pumped. Coach Barnes has new ideas and a vision for the future--nothing is too good for his players. With a new training regimen, everything seems...
Evie was pregnant and forced to give up the baby. But she can't just leave the child with strangers, especially when she thinks the baby is being neglected. With her boyfriend waiting in the truck, Evie snatches the baby and convinces him to drive her to Montreal where she plans to start a new life with her...
| Author | Beth Goobie |
| ISBN | 1551435608 |
Sophie is in a lot of trouble. She is on probation for stealing and is doing poorly at school. Her mom doesn't really talk to her, and the other adults in her life are pressuring Sophie to talk about her bruises. Sophie worries that if she tells, she will be sent to live in a group home. Her friend Jujube is the...
| Author | Margarita Engle |
| ISBN | 1481490575 |
A middle grade novel in verse that tells the story of a Cuban-American boy who visits his family’s village in Cuba for the first time—and meets a sister he didn’t know he had.
Edver isn’t happy about being shipped off to Cuba to visit the father he barely knows. The island is a place that...
| Author | Anne Schraff |
| ISBN | 0944210031 |
In grade school, Darcy Wills and Brisana Meeks were friends. But all that changed at Bluford High when Darcy started hanging with "the zeros"--a group of students Brisana despises. Now the former friends are bitter rivals, and the tension between them is getting worse. For a while, Darcy tries to stay...
When things get bad, I take out the bourbon. When, as occasionally happens, time drags on and things don't get any better, I put the bourbon away and take out C. S. Lewis. His books are short, readable, and filled with an uncanny amount of wisdom. His genius, and the reason he's always been a comfort to me,...
Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published in 1961 and concerns the death of C. S. Lewis's wife, the American-born poet Joy Davidman. In her introduction to this new edition, Madeleine L'Engle writes: "I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell,...
Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that’s way better...
"A smart, affecting graphic young adult novel," declares the New York Times.
Before you write me off as a delusional psycho, think about what it's like to be thrown into a situation where everyone knows everyone... and no one knows you. Sadie has the perfect plan to snag some friends when she...
Rhinoceros Success: The Secret to Charging Full Speed Toward Every Opportunity
| Author | Scott Alexander |
| ISBN | 0937382000 |
Success Is Difficult But ... tomorrow morning, you could wake up as a full grown rhinoceros and - * charge your way to success * use audacity to reach your goals * be happier than you've ever been before * make your life an exciting adventure * have the persistence and tenacity necessary for success * never...
| Author | Linda Byler |
| ISBN | 1561487007 |
Everything has led up to this moment in Lizzie Glick's life. All of her curiosity, concern, and dreams have pointed to this time when she must make some very big decisions. Will she join the church? Will she continue teaching? Will she marry Stephen? Questions and indecision as well...
Running Around (And Such)
| Author | Linda Byler |
| ISBN | 1561486884 |
A romance novel by an Amish writer, based on true experiences!
It isn't that Lizzie doesn't want to stay Amish. It's just that there is so much to figure out. Like why can't she let her hair a little looser on top? And why can't she wear shoes with a little bit more of a heel? And will she ever really...
New love and even more questions enter Lizzie Glick's life in When Strawberries Bloom, the second novel in this series written by an Amish writer and based on true life experiences. Lizzie's dream of teaching school has finally come true. She loves the brand-new school building,...
| Author | Brett Wright |
| ISBN | 0553535390 |
Romeo and Juliet, one of the greatest love stories ever told . . . in texts?!
Imagine: What if those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
Two families at war.
...
The Creeds: Reflections and Scripture on the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds
| Author | Anonymous |
| ISBN | 0310343380 |
A new line from Zondervan Gift, the Timeless Faith Classics series brings together foundational faith writings that have stood the test of time in one beautiful package. Combining modern, stylish designs with thoughts specific to select classics, each beautiful volume will be a welcome addition...
The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World
Imagine hearing your physician tell you that chips and queso contain more nutritional benefits than kale and quinoa.
In her new book, The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World, Lisa Harper unveils a similarly extravagant, unexpected surprise, declaring that happiness...
