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Hot Topics! Reading List
On Being Gifted...

On Being Gifted...

Non-Fiction

And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-city High School Students by Miles Corwin

In this troubling yet uplifting book, the ills of the inner city have not completely defeated Toni Little's advanced-placement students at Crenshaw High School...

Gifted Kids Speak Out: Hundreds of Kids Ages 6-13 Talk About School, Friends, Their Families, and the Future by James R. Delisle

In their own words... Great reading for the gifted child! (out of print, now replaced by Smart Talk, below)

The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide (For Ages 10 and Under) by Judy Galbraith Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

The ultimate guides to surviving and thriving in a world that doesn't always value, support, or understand high ability...

More Than a Test Score: Teens Talk About Being Gifted, Talented, or Otherwise Extra-ordinary by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

What is giftedness all about? What's it like to be smarter than some of your friends? What about expectations, mistakes, getting along, gifted programs, and dull days at school? Includes hundreds of quotes from teens ages 13-19, brief biographies, and activities. Essential reading for gifted teens... 

Philosophy for Kids: 40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder ... About Everything! by David A. White

"What does it mean to be fair?" "How do you know who your friends are?" "What is time?" "Are you the same person you were five years ago?" "Can something logical ever not make sense?" If you have ever wondered about questions like these, you are well on your way to becoming a philosopher! Become acquainted with the wonders of philosophy...

Philosophy for Teens: Questioning Life's Big Ideas by Sharon M. Kaye and Paul Thompson

"What is love?" "Is lying always wrong?" "What is discrimination?" "Do you think about weird things?"  What a perfect opening line for our kids! Lots of ideas, to help teens (and gifted pre-teens) think about the big questions that they have.  Full of "thought experiments" to keep them thinking after they put the book down...

Smart Talk: What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

Hundreds of kids from around the world, ages 4 to 12, share their deepest, truest thoughts about about peers, families, school, and their futures.  Being gifted has its upside and downside, and the kids talk about both... 

Fiction

For the Youngest Gifted Child...

There Were Those by Nathan Levy (also available directly from Nathan Levy There Were Those)

A picture book for those young gifted children in our lives!

For Older Gifted Kids...

All the Answers by Anne C. Lemieux

Jason Hodges is having problems on all fronts. His accountant father is under a lot of stress at work, and the boy's messy room and failing grades in math have become sore spots in their relationship. He is smitten with Phelicia Nevimore, but can't get close to her because of her bullying twin brother. Jason's narration is filled with humor and great vocabulary, like Jason's excuses. Mrs. Meehan, the boy's math teacher, tells him he has "shown quite an epistolary talent"...

Black Powder by Staton Rabin

Langston Davis loves to go to his science class, where he studies astronomy. He and Neely Neubart have been best friends forever, and Langston becomes concerned when his pal starts running with a gang and lets his grades fall. Then Neely is gunned down by his own gang, and Langston will go to any measures to get him back. When Mrs. Centauri, his science teacher, shows him the time machine she's invented, the 14-year-old uses it to go back to the 13th century so he can convince Dr. Roger Bacon to destroy his formula for gunpowder, thus preventing Neely's murder. A touching story of two great scientific minds discovering the humanity behind the ideas. Langston is well-developed as an intelligent, mostly responsible African-American finding his way...

Callahan's Con by Spider Robinson

Barkeep Jake's scientifically precocious daughter, Erin, comes to the rescue with a scheme to sell Tony the fabled Fountain and "prove" its existence with increasingly youthful incarnations of herself conjured through time travel. Mishaps involving Erin's uptight truant officer, misuse of a timehopping gizmo, and-in the tale's soberest moment-terminal illness for one of the regulars, steer the story down fantastically unpredictable avenues...

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Dr. Mel Levine and Jarvis Clutch

Fictionalized biography of the mathematician and astronomer who realized his childhood desire to become a ship's captain and authored The American Practical Navigator (Also Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Study Guide)

Deliver Us From Normal by Kate Klise

Charles Harrisong is obsessed with the idea that he is strange and can't fit in with the sixth grade in Normal, IL. He feels that he possesses a special talent, the ability to know what people are really saying and thinking, all of which, he is sure, is directed at him and is negative to the extreme...

The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross (or from the Amazon.co.uk The Demon Headmaster)

Dinah moves in with the Hunter family and starts going to the same school as her foster-brothers Lloyd and Harvey. It's not easy, as they seem to hate her, and school is really strange. Pupils suddenly talk like robots and do weird things - even Dinah finds herself acting oddly. She's sure the headmaster has some kind of power over them, and is determined to find out more. But the Demon Headmaster is equally determined to stop her.  And it's sequels...

Demon Headmaster and the Prime Minister's Brain (or from the Amazon.co.uk Demon Headmaster and the Prime Minister's Brain)
The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster (or from the Amazon.co.uk The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster)
Facing the Demon Headmaster (or from the Amazon.co.uk Facing the Demon Headmaster)
The Demon Headmaster Takes Over (or from the Amazon.co.uk The Demon Headmaster Takes Over)
The Demon Headmaster Strikes Again (or from the Amazon.co.uk The Demon Headmaster Strikes Again)

Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar

Gary Boone (who calls himself "Goon") is the self-proclaimed clown of his seventh-grade class. He never stops joking, despite the fact that nobody laughs much, and he has no real friends at school. Entering a talent contest as a stand-up comedian forces him to look more closely at the effect his humor has on others and on himself...

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

A genius IQ, hacking into computers by age 7, grooming for world domination by age 14... sound like anyone we know? A complex tale, fun to read...

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

Ida B lives life to the fullest, firmly believing there is never enough time for fun. When her mother develops cancer, her parents sell part of the orchard and send Ida B to public school rather than homeschooling her. The changes leave her feeling fiercely angry and betrayed. With the help of a wise and caring fourth-grade teacher and the enduring love of Mama and Daddy, the girl slowly begins to heal. Ida B is a true character in every sense of the word...

In Search of Molly Pitcher by Linda Grant De Pauw

When Peggy McAllister learns about the Rattletop Award for "excellence in eighth grade social studies," she is determined to win it with a research paper on a Great American Hero. But when she chooses Molly Pitcher, the famous Revolutionary War heroine of the Battle of Monmouth, as her subject, she runs into difficulties. With the help of her Greatgramps, a retired private investigator, his lady friend Mrs. Spinner, a local historian and secret author of historical romance novels, and Ms. Guelphstein, a dedicated reference librarian, Peggy sorts through a maze of confusing and contradictory evidence to identify the "real" Molly Pitcher...

Jarvis Clutch - Social Spy by Dr. Mel Levine and Jarvis Clutch

Jarvis Clutch—Social Spy is mainly about something very important called social thinking, which most likely is a term you’ve never heard before, even though it’s something you use all day long. Even most grownups don’t know exactly what it means. Let me explain... (See All Kinds of Minds for a complete review)

Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes

Cadence sees her life as a modern-day fairy tale in which she is Rapunzel, alone, abandoned, and waiting for answers. Her father's clinical depression she terms the Evil Spell; the teacher at the after-school Homework Center is dubbed the Wicked Witch. Through a series of journal-like writings to the elusive owner of box #5667, she comes to terms with her life and begins to understand her father's illness...

Mildew on the Wall by Suzanna E. Henshon

At one time, fifth grader Millie had a lovely bedroom, but she had created apparent chaos in it. It became the room  that defined her identity. To the outside world, it was a mess; but Millie simply could not bring herself to clean her room, no matter how her mother insisted. Finally, her allowance was cut off until the room was cleaned. But, rather than capitulate, Millie began to run secret guided tours to her room for money.  Carried away, Millie called a radio talk show during its Promotion Hour, and 'promoted' her room. The DJ thought it was great fun, and a huge crowd showed up on Saturday for a viewing. Bad things happened...  Finally, a state of cease-fire began. Millie gained insight, realizing that it has been her personality, not her room, that had made her unique, that in meeting some of society’s standards (cleaning her room up), she didn’t have to sacrifice her own essential uniqueness...  Read the sequel, Spiders on the Ceiling

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

Yee's first novel examines child prodigies from a refreshing angle, showing the ups and downs of being a whiz kid. An excellent job of showing Millie's grown-up brain and her decidedly middle-school problems... 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

After Reynie Muldoon responds to an advertisement recruiting "gifted children looking for special opportunities," he finds himself in a world of mystery and adventure... Read the first pages at The Curiosity Chronicle

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

A new adventure, full of brain teasers and adventures...

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman

Tired of school-assigned novels where the dog always dies, Wallace tells the teacher how he feels... and ends up kicked off the football team and into detention, along with an English teacher doing a dramatic production of the novel Wallace hates.  By the end of the production, the tables are turned and the dog pulls through... Great for our sensitive readers!

Saving Lilly by Peg Kehret

A gifted girl takes on the project of saving an elephant from an abusive circus. One child can make a difference...

Some Day Angeline by Louis Sachar

Nobody understands why Angeline is so smart. But being smart is causing Angeline nothing but trouble. The mean kids in school call her a freak, her teacher finds her troublesome, and even her own father doesn't know what to do with an eight-year-old girl who seems to be a genius. Angeline doesn't want to be either a genius or a freak. She just wants the chance to be herself and be happy

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

"She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her...

And the sequel... Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Picking up a year after the end of Stargirl, Love, Stargirl is the diary of the next year in Stargirl's life, with the past and her new present mixed in her memories, including her thoughts on life, and love...

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Newbery Honor title! When Jake Semple is kicked out of yet another school, the Applewhites, an eccentric family of artists, offer to let him live with them and attend their unstructured Creative Academy...

Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan

In a world of random violence and multiplying militias, four brilliant young misfits are thrown together in a group home for troubled youth. Isolated by their special abilities, Miranda, Doug, Taryn, and Elijah are unable to cope in a society that regards them as freaks. But in the experimental program they dub the Ark, the four discover they are not alone...  (young adult)

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

What do the children you know usually do when school is out for the summer? Go crazy with boredom? Head poolside with friends? Plan a self-sufficient civilization with its own staple food crop? That is precisely how Wesley decides to spend his summer vacation. Wesley is not an ordinary boy...

by Carole Hamburger

Wonderful stories of a family of dots, and their adventures.  Picture books, but for older kids, full of great vocabulary and idiomatic phrases and more!
The Star Pupil: A Dot's Quest to Find His Place in the World

A dot's quest to find his special calling. After excelling in school, he heeds his parents' advice to follow his heart and to always be himself

The Zippity-Do-Dot: The Dot Who Dared to Pick Her Knows

The escapades of a feisty little dot who pursues her dreams...
 

Social Stuff...

These fun books for kids and teens are full of great ideas and information!

Gifted and LD...

Keeping a Head in School: A Student's Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders by Mel Levine

Designed to help students with a wide range of learning disorders "gain a realistic insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses."  Levine heartens his readers -- not only by demonstrating a clear understanding of their difficulties but also by providing hope for the success that everyone needs...
 

What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews

Designed to help students with a wide range of learning disorders "gain a realistic insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses."  Levine heartens his readers -- not only by demonstrating a clear understanding of their difficulties but also by providing hope for the success that everyone needs...
 

The Adventures of Everyday Genius... by Barbara Esham, illustrated by Mike Gordon
Visit Mainstream Connections for many great reviews and endorsements by the Eides, Silverman, Reis, Baum, and many more!

If You're So Smart, How Come Can't You Spell Mississippi?

Katie always thought that her dad was smart; he is one of the busiest attorneys in town! People are always asking him for advice! She has been a bit confused since asking for help with her weekly spelling list. How can her "very smart" dad struggle with one of her spelling words? This definitely did not make sense.  The word "Mississippi" had changed everything...

Stacey Coolidge's Fancy Smancy Cursive Handwriting

How does Stacey do it? How can Carolyn not do it? Carolyn has been practicing cursive handwriting every day for weeks, but she is not getting any closer to Frederick, the class guinea pig. It's a good thing her teacher, Mrs. T., is able ot turn her frustration into confidence...

Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have The Wiggle Fidgets

David doesn't know how he ends up in such "situations." At the time, it just seems like such a great idea. His teacher, Mrs. G., has had about enough; he can tell by the way her voice changes when she speaks to him. This time, he believes that he has come up with the best idea yet - the perfect plan to make everything better...

Last to Finish: A Story About the Smartest Boy in Math

One by one, Max's classmates turn in their finished papers before the timer rings.  Not Max, as soon as the teacher starts the timer, "it" happens! His heart begins to pound. Once his heart begins to pound, his hands begin to sweat and his brain freezes!  Math must not be his thing...

Gifted and Dyslexic...

Gifted and Aspergers / Autistic...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

A murder mystery of sorts -- told by an autistic boy. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers...

Gifted Young Authors...

The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner

"John Gardner was famous for his generosity to young writers, and (this book) is his . . . gift to them. The Art of Fiction will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together. For the young writer, it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend." -- The New York Times Book Review.
 

On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner

John Gardner understands the poor, young, serious-fiction writer. Gardner's sympathetic On Becoming a Novelist is the novelist's ultimate comfort food--better than macaroni and cheese, better than chocolate. Gardner, a fiction writer himself (Grendel), knows in his bones the desperate questioning of a writer who's not sure he's up to the task. He recognizes the validation that comes with being published, just as he believes that "for a true novel there is generally no substitute for slow, slow baking." Gardner also has strong feelings about what kinds of workshops help (and whom they help), and what kinds hinder. But a full half of Gardner's book is devoted to an exploration of the writer's nature...
 

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