Class Book Vote
Choose Our Next Read-Aloud!
The Setup
Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake — a juvenile detention center in the middle of the Texas desert where there is no lake at all. Every day, each boy must dig a hole exactly five feet wide and five feet deep in the hard, dry earth. The warden says it "builds character," but Stanley starts to suspect they're really digging for something.
Why You Might Love It
This book weaves together mystery, friendship, and a family curse that stretches back over a hundred years. It's funny, surprising, and every single detail connects in ways you won't see coming. If you like stories where the pieces of a puzzle slowly click together — this one's for you.
The Setup
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is flying on a tiny bush plane to visit his dad in the Canadian wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack. The plane crashes into a remote lake, and Brian is left completely alone in the forest with nothing but the clothes on his back and a small hatchet his mom gave him as a gift.
Why You Might Love It
This is a raw, edge-of-your-seat survival story. Brian has to figure out how to find food, build shelter, and stay alive with zero help. You'll feel like you're right there in the wilderness with him, learning from every mistake. If you've ever wondered whether you could survive on your own in the wild — this book will put you to the test.
The Setup
Junior is a kid growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation who loves to draw cartoons. When he decides to transfer to the wealthy, all-white school in the town next door to get a better education, he suddenly feels like he's living in two worlds — not fully fitting into either one. His best friend on the rez sees it as a betrayal, and the kids at his new school don't know what to make of him.
Why You Might Love It
This story is laugh-out-loud funny and deeply real at the same time. Junior tells his story through cartoons and diary entries, and he's honest about everything — the hard stuff and the hilarious stuff. It's about finding your voice, having courage to chase something bigger, and figuring out who you are when you feel caught between two places. This book was written about a kid from our reservation.
The Setup
Chase Ambrose falls off his roof and wakes up in the hospital with no memory at all — he doesn't even know his own name. When he returns to school, some kids are thrilled to see him and some are terrified. Slowly, Chase starts to piece together who he used to be, and he's not sure he likes what he finds out.
Why You Might Love It
What would you do if you could completely start over? Chase gets that chance — but first he has to deal with everything the "old Chase" did. This book makes you think about whether people can really change, what makes someone a bully, and whether you are who you choose to be or who you used to be. It's told from multiple points of view, so you get the full picture from every angle.
🕳️
Holes
by Louis Sachar
Mystery • Puzzle • Family Curse
🪓
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Survival • Wilderness • Solo Adventure
✏️
True Diary
by Sherman Alexie
Humor • Identity • Our Reservation
🔄
Restart
by Gordon Korman
Second Chances • Bullying • Identity