2007 Nominees

 

Confessions of a Closet Catholic - MS

by Sarah Darer Littman
Justine Silver's best friend Mac gave up chocolate for lent. Justine doesn't think God wants her to make that kind of sacrifice, so she gave up chicken, and being Jewish, instead.
 

The Lightning Thief - MS

by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson always had a hard time fitting in, especially after he finds out that his father is a Greek god who needs him to save mankind.
 

Listening for Lions - MS

by Gloria Whalen
Orphaned by the influenza epidemic of 1918 and shipped to England to take the place of her neighbors' dead daughter, Rachel struggles to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.
 

Perfect - MS

by Natasha Friend
Isabelle Lee is dealing with her father's death through bulimia. While in counseling, she is shocked to find her school's "perfect" and popular girl with the same problem.
 

The Schwa Was Here - MS

by Neal Schusterman
At first the Schwa, a boy who always seems to "disappear" into his surroundings, thinks it would be cool to have his friends experiment with him, but then finally tires of it and wants people to "see" him and learn about him as a person.
 

The Book of Dead Days - All

by Marcus Sedgwick
In this dark and foreboding mystery, the magician Valerian and his servant boy desperately search for the book that will spare Valerian's life as the deadline fast approaches.
 

The Diary of Pelly D - All

by L.J. Adlington
When Toni V, a construction worker on a colony world, finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by Holocaust-like events, he questions his own beliefs.
 

Eyes of the Emperor - All

by Graham Salisbury
During WWII, a small group of Japanese American soldiers are ordered on a secret mission to help train attack dogs to find Japanese soldiers.
 

Fake I.D - All

by Walter Sorrells
Chass and her mother have been on the run for her entire life, assuming false identities everywhere they stay. When her mother disappears under suspicious circumstances, Chass has only six days to find her mother ... if she's alive.
 

Monsoon Summer - All

by Mitali Perkins
Secretly in love with her friend and business partner Steve, Jazz must spend the summer away from him when her family goes to India during the rainy season to help set up a clinic.
 

Runner - All

by Carl Deuker
An absent mother, an alcoholic father and no way to pay the rent, Chance takes a mysterious job picking up packages.
 

Seeing Emily - All

by Joyce Lee Wong
In free verse, talented artist Emily Wu, describes her daily life in America as she struggles for independence from her Chinese immigrant parents.
 

SilverFin - All

by Charles Higson
At 14, James Bond and his new friend Alfie, investigate an isolated Scottish castle and the surrounding waters, trying to find out how Alfie's cousin suddenly disappeared.
 

The Sledding Hill - All

by Chris Crutcher
Despite his recent death, Billy helps his best friend Eddie fight to keep a controversial book from being banned from his 9th grade English class.
 

Uglies - All

by Scott Westerfeld
Tally should be getting the mandatory operation that will turn her Pretty, but instead she must choose to betray her friend or stay Ugly forever.
 

The Burn Journals - HS

by Brent Runyon
A heartbreaking and funny true story that describes the months of rehabilitation that followed the author's attempt to pull his life together after setting himself on fire at the age of 14.
 
 

Fade to Black - HS

by Alex Finn
An HIV-positive high school student hospitalized after being attacked, the bigot accused of the crime, and the only witness, a classmate with Down Syndrome, recall how the assault changed their lives.
 

Inexcusable - HS

by Chris Lynch
Keir, a senior football player, appears to be a good guy, polite and popular. However, is he guilty of an "inexcusable" crime against Gigi, a girl he adores?
 

Invisible - HS

by Pete Hautman
Andy, a star athlete, and Dougie, an outcast, are unlikely best friends. Besides being different, there is something about their friendship that doesn't seem quite right.
 

Looking for Alaska - HS

by John Green
Myles Halter's first year at a prestigious boarding school is anything but ordinary----it is a year filled with first encounters: alcohol, school pranks, and finally, tragedy.
 

Twilight - HS  (2007 winner)

by Stephenie Meyer
When Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who, she comes to realize, is not wholly human.