Edition Three of book recommendations from students, compiled by grade. Have a suggestion? Submit here:

7th Grade

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

“In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.” — Goodreads

8th Grade

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, “To Kill A Mockingbird” takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.” — Goodreads

9th Grade

The Giver by Lois Lowry

“The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.” — Goodreads

10th Grade

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

“It’s a great book (in my opinion, anyways) because it’s an exciting piece of science fiction and it’s completely believable. The author actually did a lot of the math and worked out the science behind what happens in the book, so it doesn’t sound made up in any way.” —Anonymous OHS student

11th Grade

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 

“An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.” — Goodreads

12th Grade

Just Kids by Patti Smith

“Reading rocker Smith’s account of her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, it’s hard not to believe in fate. How else to explain the chance encounter that threw them together, allowing both to blossom? Quirky and spellbinding.” — People