Character Counts Books for Middle School Readers

Trustworthiness
Be honest - Don't deceive, cheat or steal - Be reliable - Do what you say you'll do - Have the courage to do the right thing - Build a good reputation - Be loyal
• That Horse Whiskey! by C.S. Adler
• The Return of Gabriel by John Armistead
• Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
• On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
• Blackwater by Eve Bunting
• Wanted... Mud Blossom by Betsy byars
• The Cheat by Amy Goldman Koss
• Slake's Limbo by Felice Holman
• Flight of the Fisherbird by Nora Martin
• The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
• Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
• Deathwatch by Robb White

Respect
Treat others with respect - Follow the Golden Rule - Be tolerant of differences - Use good manners - Be considerate - Don't threaten or hurt anyone - Deal peacefully with disagreements
• Stand Tall by Joan Bauer
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham by C. Curtis
• The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger
• The Misfits by James Howe
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• Petey by Ben Mikaelson
• Won't Know Till I Get There by Walter Dean Myers
• Music from a Place Called Half Moon by J. Oughton
• Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters
• Freak the Mighty by W. R. Philbrick
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• The Cay by Theodore Taylor
• The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
• Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff
• The Pigman by Paul Zindel

Responsibility
Do what you're supposed to do - Persevere - Do your best - Use self-control - Be self-disciplined - Think before you act; consider the consequences - Be accountable for your choices
• Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill Cleaver
• One-eyed Cat by Paula Fox
• My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Flour Babies by Anne Fine
• Old Yeller by Frank Gipson
• Over the Joshua Slope by Lyman Hafen
• Shadow Boxer by Chris Lynch
• The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen
• The Same Stuff as Stars by K. Paterson
• The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
• Chicago Blues by Julie Reece Deaver
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
• Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
• Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Fairness
Play by the rules - Take turns and share - Be open-minded; listen to others - Don't take advantage of others - Don't blame others carelessly
• Tangerine by Edward Bloor
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? by Paula Danziger
• The Robber and Me by Josef Holub
• Anastasia Has the Answers by Lois Lowry
• Taking Terri Mueller by Norma Fox Mazer
• Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by S. O'Dell
• A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
• Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
• Cat Running by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• There's a Girl in My Hammerlock by Jerry Spinelli

Caring
Be kind - Be compassionate and show you care - Express gratitude - Forgive others
• What Hearts by Bruce Brooks
• Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly
• Yolanda's Genius by Carol Fenner
• Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Giff
• Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
• Destiny by Vicki Grove
• Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse
• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by K. Holt
• Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
• Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright by Ron Koertge
• The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry
• Taking Care of Terrific by Lois Lowry
• After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer
• A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
• Crash by Jerry Spinelli
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
• Colt by Nancy Springer
• Surviving the Applewhites by S. Tolan
• Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White
• A Begonia for Miss Applebaum by P. Zindel

Citizenship
Do your part to improve your school and community - Protect the environment - Cooperate - Stay informed - Vote - Be a good neighbor - Obey laws and rules - Respect authority
• Nothing But the Truth by Avi
• Smuggler's Island by Avi
• Flight #116 Is Down by Caroline B. Cooney
• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
• Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
• Just Ask Iris by Lucy Frank
• The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo by J. George
• Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs by Jamie Gilson
• The Day They Came to Arrest the Book by Nat Hentoff
• The Big Wander by Will Hobbs
• The Maze by Will Hobbs
• Cages by Peg Kehret
• Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
• California Blue by David Klass
• Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
• The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
• Lyddie by Katerine Paterson
• Downsiders by Neal Shusterman

Biographies
• Peace and Bread: The Story of Jane Addams by Stephanie McPherson
• Alexander Graham Bell: Making Connections by Naomi Pasachoff
• An Eye on the World: Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer by Beatrice Siegel
• Jimmy Carter: On the Road to Peace by Caroline Lazo
• The Life and Death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman
• Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corinne Szabo
• Marian Wright Edelman: The Making of a Crusader by Beatrice Siegel
• Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein by Stephanie McPherson
• Gandhi: Great Soul by John B. Severance
• Langston Hughes by Milton Meltzer
• Sky: A True Story of Resistance During WWII by Hanneke Ippisch
• I Have a Dream: The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jim Haskins
• Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
• Dear Dr. Bell... Your Friend, Helen Keller by Judith St. George
• A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy
• Barbara McClintock by Mary Kittredge
• With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow by Norman Finkelstein
• Heart and Soul: The Story of Florence Nightingale by Gena Gorrell
• Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks
• A Woman Unafraid: The Achievements of Frances Perkins by Penny Colman
• Within Reach: My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer
• Janet Reno: Doing the Right Thing by Paul Anderson
• Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman
• In Kindling Flame: The Story of Hannah Senesh, 1921-1944 by Linda Atkinson
• Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers by Jean Fritz
• Mother Teresa by Amy Ruth
• Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Stopped Death by Sharon Linnea
• Ryan White: My Own Story by Ryan White

Heroes and Superheroes
• The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
• Of Heroes and Villains by Mark Delaney
• The Last Warrior by Suzanne Pierson Ellison
• The Man in the Ceiling by Jules Feiffer
• Prince Valiant (series) by Hal Foster
• Boston Jane: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm
• The Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe (for older readers) (J & YA Fic)
• Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
• Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
• Hero of Lesser Causes by Julie Johnston
• Pendragon: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
• Eggs in One Basket by Kathy Mackel
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
• The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
• Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen
• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• Hero's Song by Edith Pattou
• The White Fox Chronicles: Escape; Return; Breakout by Gary Paulsen
• First Test by Tamora Pierce 216p
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
• The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen

Updated: 31 December 2003 cei
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