Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang. "In 1966 Ji-li Jiang turned twelve.  An outstanding student and leader, she had everything: brains, the admiration of her peers, and a bright future in China's Communist Party.  But that year China's leader, Mao Ze-dong, launched the Cultural Revolution, and everything changed.  Over the next few years Ji-li and her family were humiliated and scorned by former friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  They lived in constant terror of arrest.  Finally, with the detention of her father, Ji-li faced the most difficult choice of her life. "  -- Book cover

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  13-year-old Anne, hiding with her family in Amsterdam from the Nazis, records in her journal her secrets, her difficulties with her mother, sister and another person with whom she is confined, and the ordinary problems of growing up.  Spanning her two years in hiding, Anne’s diary provides such detailed insight into a young girl’s thoughts and hopes that her discovery and eventual death by the Nazis become even more poignant.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. The early 1900s childhood of Francie Nolan reveals her as melancholy and romantic like her father, realistic and practical like her mother. Francie struggles against life’s disappointments (such as financial security and  the postponement of a high school education) and eventually captures her dreams.

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye. The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was moving from St. Louis all the way to Palestine. Though her father grew up there, Liyana knows very little about her family's Arab heritage. Her grandmother and the rest of her relatives who live in the West Bank are strangers, and speak a language she can't understand. It isn't until she meets Omer that her homesickness fades. But Omer is Jewish, and their friendship is silently forbidden in this land. How can they make their families understand? And how can Liyana ever learn to call this place home? From the Publisher

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  Free-spirited Lyra and her animal companion Pantalaimon grow up together in Oxford. In a quest to free her imprisoned father and find her friend, Lyra takes risks and uses her keen mind to overcome obstacles placed in her path.  Follow Lyra through this fantasy of twists and turns. 

Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor. Set in Mississippi in 1941, The Road to Memphis describes three harrowing, unforgettable days in the life of an African-American high school girl dreaming of law school. Caught up in the center of tense racial dramas unfolding around her, Cassie Logan is forced to confront the adult world as never before. From the Publisher

Miracle Worker by William Gibson. Twelve-year-old Helen Keller lived in a prison of silence and darkness. Born deaf, blind, and mute, with no way to express herself or comprehend those around her, she flew into primal rages against anyone who tried to help her, fighting tooth and nail with a strength born of furious, unknowing desperation. Then Annie Sullivan came. Half-blind herself, but possessing an almost fanatical determination, she would begin a frightening and incredibly moving struggle to tame the wild girl no one could reach, and bring Helen into the world at last.... From the Publisher

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.: First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion. from the publisher.

The Land by Mildred D. Taylor.  "After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own." -- from BarnesandNoble.com

Let the Circle be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor. "The year is 1935. The young Logan family watches as their friend is charged with murder and tried by an all-white jury." -- Ingram

A Wind in the Door by Madeline L'Engle."With Meg Murry's help, the dragons her six-year-old brother saw in the vegetable garden play an important part in his struggle between life and death." -- from barnesandnoble.com

Going, Going by Naomi Shihab Nye. Florrie's favorite coffee shop, with its open mike night, dreamy candles, and cute waiters ... Going?

The mysterious little hut selling fresh lemon ice on the west side of town ... Going?

The boutique featuring clothes you don't find at the mall, allowing you to look like ... an interesting person ... Going?

Individuality. Originality. Quality. Independence. Opportunity. Going, going, gone.

What's a girl to do? from barnesandnoble.com

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson. Sara Louise Bradshaw is sick and tired of her beautiful twin Caroline. Ever since they were born, Caroline has been the pretty one, the talented one, the better sister. Even now, Caroline seems to take everything: Louise's friends, their parents' love, her dreams for the future.

For once in her life, Louise wants to be the special one. But in order to do that, she must first figure out who she is . . . and find a way to make a place for herself outside her sister's shadow. from barnesandnoble.com.

Darby by Jonathon Scott Fuqua. Nine-year-old Darby Carmichael decides her destiny is to be a "newspaper girl" in the 1920's South. She and her best friend even write articles for the town's newspaper. Their article about racial inequality creates an uproar in the community, as crosses are burned and bricks are hurled through windows. Readers will marvel at Darby's courage and remarkable insight throughout this tumultuous time.

Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed The Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal Can girls play softball? Can girls be school crossing guards? Can girls play basketball or ice hockey or soccer? Can girls become lawyers or doctors or engineers?Of course they can...today. But just a few decades ago, opportunities for girls were far more limited, not because they weren't capable of playing or didn't want to become doctors or lawyers, but because they weren't allowed to. Then quietly, in 1972, something momentous happened: Congress passed a law called "Title IX," forever changing the lives of American girls.

Hundreds of determined lawmakers, teachers, parents, and athletes carefully plotted to ensure that the law was passed, protected, and enforced. Time and time again, they were pushed back by Perce opposition. But as a result of their perseverance, millions of American girls can now play sports. Young women make up half of the nation's medical and law students, and star on the best basketball, soccer, and softball teams in the world. This small law made a huge difference.

Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly Donnelly weaves the fictional story of 16-year-old Mattie into the events of the Gilette murder case (also the inspiration of Dreiser's An American Tragedy). "The author's ability to recast the murder mystery as a cautionary tale for Mattie makes the heroine's pending decision about her future the greatest source of suspense," said PW's Best Books citation. Reed Business Information.