Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Does My Head Look Big In This?

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full- time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else. Can she handle the taunts of "nappy head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy... (more)

Rainbow Boys

by Alex Sanchez

Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex...with other guys. Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone -- especially his parents. Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends. Three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet. In a... (more)

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is a lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this story - a black man charged with raping a white girl in the Deep South of the 1930s. To Kill a Mockingbird has become a staple of American literature and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name.

Green Angel

by Alice Hoffman

Left on her own when her family dies in a terrible disaster, fifteen-year-old Green is haunted by loss and by the past. Struggling to survive physically and emotionally in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself, erasing the girl she'd once been as she inks darkness into... (more)

When the Circus Came to Town

by Polly Horvath

Although Ivy and her family welcome the Halibuts, and their son Alfred becomes her best friend, not all the townspeople are pleased to have circus people as neighbors, especially as other circus families move in.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

by Kristin Levine

The last thing Harry “Dit” Sims expects when Emma Walker comes to town is to become friends. Proper -talking, brainy Emma doesn’t play baseball or fi sh too well, but she sure makes Dit think, especially about the differences between black and white. But soon Dit is thinking about a whole lot more when the town barber, who is black, is put on trial for a terrible crime. Together Dit and Emma come up with a daring... (more)

Onion Breath

by Steph & Dan Allosso

Roy and Eugene are picky eaters. They really like mac-n-cheese. And nothing else. Until one day their quirky, mysterious nanny Shmirna gives them a good reason to try new things...Onion Breath is a colorful, funny verse story of two brothers as they react to Shmirna's outrageous tale. It's also the VERY FIRST children's book ever to introduce atheism. Shmirna, Roy & Eugene are atheists, and this is... (more)

Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems

by Duane Simolke

The first edition of Holding Me Together received a StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Award. Simolke’s publisher, iUniverse, named it an Editor’s Choice selection. This revised, second edition begins with an updated version of his multi-part essay “Reactions to Homophobia,” followed by poems and short essays on a variety of topics, such as writing, AIDS, religion, violence, family, friendship, and gay... (more)

The Jewel Trader of Pegu: A Novel

by Jeffrey Hantover

In the autumn of 1598, Abraham, a melancholy young Jewish gem merchant, seeks his fortune far from the imprisoning ghetto walls of Venice. Traveling halfway across the world, he lands in the lush and exotic Burmese kingdom of Pegu—an alien place, yet one where the jewel trader is not shunned for his faith. There is a price for his newfound freedom, however. Local custom demands that Abraham perform a duty he finds... (more)

The Paradise Novels: Book 3

Sinner: The Books of History Chronicles

by Ted Dekker

Some say roll with the punches. Drift with the tide. Nothing can stop the inevitability of change. There was a time when 300 Spartans disagreed with such mindless thinking and stood in the gap. Now it's time for 3,000 to stand in the gap. Sinner is the story of Marsuvees Black, a force of raw evil who speaks with wicked persuasion that is far more destrictive than swords or guns. Beware all who... (more)

Surrendering to Sweet Serenity

by Sharon, M. Fisher

Author Sharon M. Fisher poetically states, "I AM Spirit on a Journey Through This Emerald World of Duplicity and Duality. A little Yin in Yang & a little Yang in Yin is what makes this classroom what it is. Perfect in its inception of conceptuality." beautifully expresses this inspirational message throughout each poem. Consciousness and energy creates the nature of reality. Your spirit will soar and your... (more)

Perfect Chemistry

by Simone Elkeles

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that... (more)

Bait

by Alex Sanchez

When a guy in his class looks at him funny, Diego punches him in the face, and ends up on probation. At first he wants nothing to do with his probation officer. But as Diego starts to open up, he begins to realize that Mr. Vidas is the first person in his life who ever really wanted to listen to him. With Vidas's help, Diego begins to make real progress in controlling his anger. He even opens up enough to tell... (more)

The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

by Marilynne K. Roach

The Salem Witch Trials is based on over twenty-five years of archival research--including the author's discovery of previously unknown documents--newly found cases and court records. From January 1692 to January 1697 this history unfolds a nearly day-by-day narrative of the crisis as the citizens of New England experienced it.

Hunchback of Notre Dame (Eyewitness Classics)

Hunchback of Notre Dame (Eyewitness Classics)

by Victor Hugo

Literature is full of stories that today's children can enjoy when they are made accessible. This retelling of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" combines narrative and illustrations with photographs providing factual content. Information panels add information on the historical dimensions of the story.

Born on a Blue Day

by Daniel Tammet

Conduct unbecoming : gays and lesbians in the U.S. military

Conduct unbecoming : gays and lesbians in the U.S. military

by Randy Shilts

The definitive book on the contentious issue of lesbians and gays in the military Conduct Unbecoming is a unique exploration of gays in the military and gay persecution in the military. As he did in And the Band Played On, his documentary history of the AIDS epidemic, Randy Shilts takes issues and histories with an epic scope and renders them into readable, understandable narratives. For Conduct Unbecoming, Shilts... (more)