A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Recommended
I loved the book and I think it would make a good Junior Theme book.  I think it gives a clear image of life in the South during the mid/late 20th Century.

Summary
A Time to Kill is set in Mississippi during the mid 20th century. The story follows the case of Carl Lee Hailey; a black man who killed two white men in revenge of the rape of his daughter.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would like this book if you were interested in racial bias in the South.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Recommended
Yes, because it is easy to understand and is a more current story.  There are also a lot of ways you can go from this book in terms of topics.

Summary
A girl named Kate is born with leukemia.  Her parents decide to have another kid so that so that the new kid can donate blood and other things to the sick daughter.  Things don't go over as one would expect.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would be interested in this book if you are into medicine or if you like a sad but meaningful story.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Recommended
Yes, because it provides a clear description of inter-relations between the prisoners in a concentration camp. Cultural differences and opinions are clearly seen, but the fusing of these to form basic means of survival is evident as well.

Summary
After being captured by the German air force, Rose is labeled as a political prisoner and sent to Ravensbruck camp. Here she is stuck fighting to maintain her own sanity with the help of others in similar situations.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would like this book if you are interested in WWII, concentration camps and women's roles in war time.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Recommended
I would recommend this book as a future Junior Theme book.  It is very current in its view on the American family and the 21st century way of life.  It is exciting and very real and honest.

Summary
It is a book about a young teenage girl named Ree who must find her father after he escapes court for being a meth dealer.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would like this book if you are interested in the new dynamic of an American family in the 21st Century, and how the American Dream changed over time with the new society created through the almost recession.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hoisseini

Recommended
Yes, it was a very interesting book that was also very inspirational. After reading the book, I thought a lot about my own life and how fortunate I am.

Summary
In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the author takes you through the life of Laila, a woman living in Afghanistan. You learn about her life growing up and her value as a woman in an un-accepting culture.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would like this book if you are interested in cultural differences.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Brant

Recommended
Yes, I would recommend this book.  I really liked that the story was different from anything I have read before. The story is fresh and I really liked the first person narration.

Summary
Greta's world is really altered when her favorite Uncle dies of AIDS. She can't forget him, and her family is nowhere near as upset as she is. She meets and befriends her Uncle's boyfriend, Toby, when she sees him at the funeral.  When her family finds out about the friendship, everything goes wrong.

Who would be interested in this book?
People would like this if they're looking for something different or if they are interested in medical history.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chrichton

Recommend
I would recommend this book for junior theme because it has a very general and flexible theme for any war, politics or biology related topics.

Summary
In the early 1970's, an experimental government satellite in search of outer atmospheric life crashes in a small town of Arizona. With the town's people all dead, a team of scientists rush to determine whether the new pathogen can help them in war, or hurt them at home.

Who would be interested in this book?
You would like this book if you are interested in space, politics, biology, technology or the Cold War.