High School Book LIst - Federal Way Public Schools

Title Author
High School Supplementary Reading List
Content
Jack Tales, The Chase, Richard Children‘s book. One character as a central figure in eighteen folktales, told in the dialect of
the mountain country of North Carolina.
Jane Eyre Bronte, Charlotte Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre is an extraordinary coming-of-age story featuring one of the
most independent and strong-willed female protagonists in all of literature. Poor and plain,
Jane Eyre begins life as a lonely orphan in the household of her hateful aunt. She becomes a
governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her employer--the dark, impassioned
Mr. Rochester. But an explosive secret tears apart their relationship, forcing Jane to face
poverty and isolation once again.
Joy Luck Club, The Tan, Amy Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending
on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San
Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared
unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into
tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. As each woman reveals her
secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more
entwined. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives
of complexity and mystery. Sexual references.
Jungle, The Sinclair, Upton The Jungle's influence has been extraordinary for a literary work. Upton Sinclair's 1906
landmark novel is widely credited with awakening the public fury that led to the passage of the
Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), a watershed in consumer protection and government
legislation. This story of the immigrant experience in the harrowing Chicago stockyards has
drawn comment from historians, policymakers, and literary critics, and it is a widely assigned
teaching text. The novel is accompanied by an introduction and explanatory annotations.
Note: This book may contain offensive material.
Killer Angels, The Shaara, Michael This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on
the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War
features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett,
Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left flank on the
second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the
war against the rebels. There are also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what
happened July 1-3, 1863. Violence.
King Lear Shakespeare,
William
Kite Rider McCaughrean,
Geraldine
King Lear banishes his favorite daughter when she speaks out against him. Little does he
know that the two other daughters who praise him are actually plotting against him. Note:
This play may contain offensive material.
The Great Miao, master of the Jade Circus, offers Haoyou the amazing chance to escape his
family's poverty -- by becoming a kite rider. Strapped onto a beautiful scarlet-and-gold kite,
Haoyou is sent into the sky, earning money, freedom, and unexpected fame. Miao even plans
for Haoyou to perform before Kublai Khan himself.
Kitten‘s First Full Moon Henkes, Kevin Children‘s book. The struggles of Kitten, who sees her first full moon and thinks it's a bowl of
milk in the sky. Caldecott Medal winner.
Korean Cinderella, The Climo, Shirley Children‘s book. The story of Pear Blossom, a lovely girl who is sorely mistreated by her nasty
stepmother and stepsister.
Lady of Ch‘iao Kuo: Warrior
of the South, Southern
China, A.D. 531 (The Royal
Diaries)
Yep, Laurence Princess Red Bird, 16-year-old daughter of the Hsien king in 6th century Southern China, has
been born into a world of dispute and violence. Prolific Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep
(Dragon's Gate) contributes a remarkable tale to the Royal Diaries series. This fictionalized
account of the real-life princess will introduce young readers to a long-ago land with a
fascinating culture and edge-of-seat adventures, and will certainly inspire some to delve
deeper into Chinese history. As in all the titles in the series, a section in the back provides
context and historical background.
Language of Goldfish Oneal, Zibby Thirteen-year-old Carrie, clinging to memories of her idyllic early childhood, struggles to
communicate with family and classmates.
Lesson Before Dying, A Gaines, Ernest A story of injustice and redemption set in rural Louisiana during the late 1940s. Grant Wiggins,
a backwoods schoolmaster, is asked visit a young black prisoner on death row. Jefferson, the
prisoner, was falsely accused and convicted of murder and is sentenced to hang, and Wiggins'
job, once he realizes the impossibility of overturning the verdict, is to prepare the boy for
death. Although, as a nonbeliever, Wiggins at first finds himself in competition with the
minister for the boy's attention, he eventually comes to see that the cultivation of any instinct
of love--human or religious--is the essence of salvation, both for Jefferson and himself. Use of
the ―N‖ word.
High School 2011-12