Baxter’s Weblog

Literature Circle Books:

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
England in the year 1377. Upon his mother’s death, Asta’s son and the priest Father Quinel bury her in a pauper’s grave, only to be accosted by the village steward, John Aycliffe, with a demand for the death tax: the ox that was the family’s sole possession. In despair over his plight and his mother’s death, the boy runs into the woods, where later he witnesses a meeting between the steward and an unknown knight. The boy’s presence is discovered, and the steward tries to kill him on the spot. Thirteen-Year-old Crispin, has no parents, no home, no name. Yet he is being pursued, and his life is threatened. As he seeks to find out why, he must first learn who and what he is.

Stuck In Neutral by Terry Truman
Shawn McDaniel’s life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle-he can’t even move his eyes. for all Shawn’s father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release, and as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn’s life is in danger.

Boy in the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones
Trying to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance from their rural Canadian community, fourteen-year-old Jim gets help from the disturbed Ruth Rose, who suspects her stepfather, a local pastor. A real who-done-it novel full of suspense and questions, this book will keep you on your toes.

With Every Drop of Blood by James Lincoln and Chris Collier                       

Johnny, a white Southern boy, is captured by an African-American Union soldier while trying to transport supplies using his wagon and mule team to Richmond, Virginia . These two start out as enemies but through their tribulations during the final days of the Civil War a bond of friendship develops.

Decem ber Stillness by Mary Downing Hahn

Kelly, a rebellious and very sarcastic 15 year-old, learns about the devastating effects of the Vietnam War through her desire to help a homeless man while trying to understand and connect to her changing friends and withdrawn father.

Montmorency: thief, liar, gentleman? by Eleanor Updale

In this debut novel, the story begins at the turning point of Montmorency’s life as a thief. Mangled, from a fall through a skylight while trying to escape from a burglary attempt, Montmorency lies in the prison infirmary, sewn back together by the brilliant Dr. Farcett. Using the only muscle that doesn’t cause him pain, his brain, he invents a scheme that will change him from a petty thief to a society gentleman.