Entering Grade 9

HISTORY (nonfiction)

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No Ordinary Dog
by Will Chesney and Joe Layden
Will and his Belgian Malinois, Cairo, had worked together three years before they were deployed to Pakistan in search of Osama bin Laden. At completion of the mission, only Cairo's name was made public. This book is about how Cairo and Chesney became tied to each other and Cairo's eventual saving of Chesney's life...again. For dog and military story lovers alike.
Unequal
by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau
Dedicated to revealing the history of systemic racial inequality and segregation in the United States, Dyson and Favreau connect important historical events to the current day. Included stories go beyond those of the most well-known activists to broaden the reader’s understanding of Black Americans’ fight for equality, while imploring the reader to use lessons from history to build a better future.
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The killing of Vincent Chin and the trial that galvanized the Asian American movement
by Paula Yoo
In the midst of the 1980s Detroit,  Anti-Asian sentiment fueled by Japanese Car companies dominating the car industry and leading to layoffs in that area was rampant. One night, a bar fight gone wrong leaves Chinese american Victor Chin dead and two Detroit autoworkers on trial for his murder. 
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
by Erik Larsen
An intimate chronicle of one of the modern world’s great leaders, Winston Churchill, and London during the Blitz as told through the journals and diaries of his closest friends, wife, and children.
A Queer History of the United States for Young People 
by Michael Bronski
(You may read any book from the "______ History of the United States for Young People" series)
Queer history didn’t start with Stonewall. This book explores how LGBTQ people have always been a part of our national identity, contributing to the country and culture for over 400 years.
The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
by Rosemary Sullivan
Using new technology, recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team—led by an obsessed retired FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People 
by Kekla Magoon
An in depth look at the Black Panther Party and it's history as a social movement, putting the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today.  (nonfiction)
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
By Mark Bowden
On October 3, 1993, one hundred elite U.S. soldiers were dropped by Black Hawk helicopter into the market in Mogadishu Somalia. In the morning, 18 were dead and the rest were fighting for their lives.
Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex (Young Reader's Edition)
by Nathaniel Philbrick
The story of the Nantucket based whaling ship rammed by an enraged whale, destroying the boat and casting it’s crew adrift in the Pacific for three months. ​
Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism and You
by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's "Stamped from the Beginning" reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Challenge by Choice

Dead Wake
by Erik Larson
From master researcher and storyteller Erik Larson comes this tale of the Lusitania, a luxury ocean liner (like an old-time cruise ship) sailing from New York to Liverpool (in the United Kingdom) during World War I. Germany had made it clear that the seas around the UK were a war zone. The captain of the Lusitania, however, didn't think Germany would attack a civilian vessel. This account comes in two perspectives, the hunter (Germany) and the hunted (Lusitania) and is quite a thrilling ride. 
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