4.37 avg rating — 277,868 ratings

"Between Shades of Gray is a safe bet for making multiple best YA novel of 2011 lists. It is a powerful and terrifyingly realistic story of the genocide Stalin committed against intellectuals in the Baltic countries during the 1930's. "

4.19 avg rating — 5,909 ratings

"The Berlin Boxing Club will be a classic. Teens will be engaged by Karl's determination and harrowing experiences. Some will be enthralled by the detailed descriptions of boxing training and fights. Adults will be dismayed at how naive Karl's parents are even as their family and friends are being arrested.The Berlin Boxing Club takes the reader to heart of Berlin in the 30's and into the lives of Karl, his family and his family's friends. This is an excellent novel for people who think they don't like historical fiction. "

3.76 avg rating — 1,512 ratings

"Guantanamo Boy is a terrifyingly realistic novel. Shortly after the family's arrival in Pakistan, Khalid gets lost in the city while looking for his father. He stumbles upon an anti-America rally and is swept up in the mob. A couple of days later, police storm the house and take Khalid to jail. Because he can't offer any useful information, and no one believes his explanation, Khalid is put on a plane to Afghanistan. He is interrogated tortured for weeks and then put on a plane for Guantanamo where he is interrogated and tortured. Khalid is in a cell barely large enought for a sleeping mat for much of the novel. The story focses on how Khalid changes as a result of his experiences. The physical changes are heart-breaking. The emotional changes are frightening, but inevitable. Guantanamo Boy will generate some very in-depth and heated discussions."