Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

"Far away from here, following the Jade River, there was once a black mountain that cut into the sky like a jagged piece of rough metal."

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Abstract: Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.

Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 278 pages

The Unknowns - A Mystery by Benedict Carey

"So here's the thing, and you can ask anyone about it: People were praying for something twisted to happen last summer."

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Abstract: When people start vanishing from a godforsaken trailer park next to the Folsom Energy Plant, two eleven-year-olds investigate using mathematical clues that were hastily planted by their friend Mrs. Clarke before she disappeared.

Publisher: Amulet Books; 259 pages

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

Nothing is the way it's supposed to be when you live on an island with a billion birds, a ton of bird crap, a few dozen rifles, machine guns, and automatics, and 278 of America's worst criminals -- "the cream of the criminal crop" as one of our felons like to say.

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Abstract: Moose Flanagan, who lives on Alcatraz along with his family and the families of the other prison guards, is frightened when he discovers that noted gangster Al Capone, a prisoner there, wants a favor in return for the help that he secretly gave Moose.

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers; 270 pages

The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus

"Five more minutes and I'm gone."

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Abstract: On his way to State University, nineteen-year-old James runs into a former friend and is immersed in memories from the year they were twelve and learned that monsters exist in the world--and within themselves.

Publisher: Delacorte Press; 245 pages

Reading List Number Two! It's Finally Here!

This is the second of four reading lists for this year's Mock Newbery at the Allen County Public Library. These titles, along with those on our first list, will be brought to the table for discussion at our in-person program at the Main Library on January 9th. If you'd like to attend this event, please click here for our registration form.

We'd love to hear what you think about these books! Just click on the links below to leave comments about any of the titles. If you would like to suggest a book for the next list, send me an email or leave a comment here.

1. Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

3. Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle

4. Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari

5. Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

6. Brooklyn Nine: A Novel in Nine Innings by Alan Gratz

7. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

8. Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

9. Melonhead by Katy Kelly

10. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne M. LaFleur

11. Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal

12. Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino

13. How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills

14. Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

15. When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton

16. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

17. Sacred Mountain: Everest by Christine Taylor-Butler

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari

"Just 'cause I was a girl in 1941, don't think I was some sissy."

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Abstract: In 1942, an eleven-year-old girl who longs to be a pilot and her family try to manage their lives in Rhode Island when the father goes to fight in World War II.

Publisher: Delacorte; 212 pages

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle

"Last year in Berlin,
on the Night of Crystal,
my grandfather was killed
while I held his hand."

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Abstract: Escaping from Nazi Germany to Cuba in 1939, a young Jewish refugee dreams of finding his parents again, befriends a local girl with painful secrets of her own, and discovers that the Nazi darkness is never far away.

Publisher: Henry Holt; 198 pages

Sacred Mountain Everest by Christine Taylor-Butler

"On the border between Nepal and Tibet lies a mountain of unparalleled beauty and immense power."

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Abstract: A cultural, geological, and ecological history of Mount Everest focusing on the indigenous Sherpa and their spiritual connection to the mountain, record-setting multinational climbing expeditions, and the effects of tourism on the environment. Illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and timelines.

Publisher: Lee & Low; 48 pages

The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman

"Muchachos and muchachas, boys and girls, do you know what happened to the fearless little girl who lives in the pink stucco house behind the plaza?"

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Abstract: A plucky Mexican girl tries to recover her dream from the Dream Stealer who takes her to his castle where countless dreams and even more adventures await.

Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 89 pages

Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

"Sudden light burst against the foal's closed eyes."

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Abstract: When twelve-year-old Lidie leaves Brazil to join her father and brother on a horse ranch in New York, she has a hard time adjusting to her changed circumstances, as does a new horse that has come to the ranch.

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books; 147 pages

Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

"Daddy was snuggling with Momma on the sofa and I was pretending to read the newspaper."

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Abstract: In 1945 Hickory, North Carolina, Ann Fay's father is back from the war but she must still rely on her own strength and determination as she faces the problems of her polio-induced disability and her father's failure to get a job. Includes facts about the disability rights movement.

Publisher: Calkins Creek; 292 pages