Chasing Lincoln's Killer written by James Swanson

This volume is an adaptation of Swanson's Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. Devoted to the South, John Wilkes Booth had planned to kidnap Lincoln and hold him hostage, but when that plan did not materialize, he hatched his assassination plot. Co-conspirators in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia helped him escape and evade capture for 12 days before being surrounded in a barn and killed.

Ways to Live Forever written by Sally Nicholls

What matters most when every minute counts? When I finished reading this book, I didn't shed a tear. The author prepared me the reader for the ending. This book is a VRC for 2011- 2012.

Sam is in the last stages of leukemia and wants to know facts. Facts about UFOs, ghosts, how it feels to kiss a girl. He wants to break a world record, watch horror movies, go up the down-escalator. ..and find answers to all of the questions nobody ever answers.
Written as a collection of journal entries, lists, questions, and pictures, Sam's story will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will show you how one boy finds a way to live forever.

Mockingbird written by Kathryn Erskine

(mok'ing-burd)

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead, and her father cries a lot. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of “closure” in the dictionary, she realizes that is what she and her father need. In her search for Closure, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white--the world is full of colors--messy and beautiful, and it is through this discovery that she embarks on a road which leads her to find both healing and Closure.

POP written by Gordon Korman

Marcus is happy to have somebody to practice with, and has a ball interacting with his new friend, Charlie Popovich, but as time goes on, he can't help but noticing that Charlie really seems to be a little strange. As time goes on, Marcus realizes Charlie is suffering from Early Onset Alzheimer's, a fact which his family is struggling to keep hidden.
Marcus means no harm, but his friendship with Charlie is bringing Marcus into conflict with the ex-ball player's family, the football team, a grumpy exterminator, and even the law. Marcus may have to make some considered choices in regards to his own future, if he wants to keep up his friendship with Charlie!

The Leanin' Dog written by K A Nuzum

Fear keeps Dessa Dean tied to her home, a cabin in the snowy woods. It is 4 days before Christmas and she tries very hard to step off her front porch to meet her father who is coming home from a day of hunting and trapping. She wants to welcome him home and show him that she is ok now, but she is not ok. Try as she might, Dessa Dean's legs don't obey her any more. With an iron will she can make it to the edge of the porch, but no further. If she manages to kick one foot over the edge, her frostbitten ears begin to ache again, filling her from head to toe with the dreaded "losing-Mama ache." With a scream, she bolts and runs back into the safety of the cabin. It is always the same, day after day. One afternoon there is a scratching at the door. She pushes against the door, which seems stuck. Finally she pushes it open and trips and falls on top of an injured dog. With all her heart, Dessa Dean tries many different ways to encourage the dog to come back: leaving the door to the cabin open, cooking some meat and placing it on the porch, and calling to the dog again and again. Several times she tries to get off the porch to follow the dog's footprints, but each time it is the same: her frostbitten ears begin the "aching process," which culminates in the world spinning and caving in on her. The dog does come back, and Dessa Dean starts an elaborate and creative taming and training program. Initially her father is upset about the arrival of the dog and having another mouth to feed during these lean winter days, but then he realizes that the injured dog is a blessing for Dessa Dean. They each need healing, and they find a way to help each other.

A VRC for 2011-2012

out of my mind written by Sharon Draper

Melody is 11 yrs old, she has a photographic memory. She remembers everything. Melody is smart but no one knows it. Most people don’t think she can learn, including her doctors and teachers. She can’t express herself, she is stuck in her mind making herself go out of her mind. Her family discovers a machine that lets Melody speak for the first time. But will people listen to her?

This is a VRC book for 2011-2012.