PYRCA+Past+Years

= PYRCA Titles 2011 - 2012 = = Video for Grades 6-8 titles =

**//The Nine Pound Hammer byJohn Claude Bemis//**(The Clockwork Dark, Book 1) Author pageMackin Book Talk

= ** Daneshvari, Gitty //School of Fear // ** =

Book trailer
Everyone is afraid of something.Madele ine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders. Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water. These kids are sent to the School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But Mrs. Wellington turns out to be more frightening than even their fears and the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.



Gaiman, Neil // The Graveyard Book  // Book trailer

Mackin Book Talk



Mackin Book Talk Greenwald, Lisa // My Life in Pink and Green  // Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem-solver. At her family’s struggling pharmacy, she has a line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won’t help save the business. If only she could find a way to make it the center of town again—a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. // .  //


 * [[image:http://store.scholastic.com/content/stores/media/products/43/9780525423843_xlg.jpg align="left" caption="Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer"]] ||
 * Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer ||

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
With two attorneys for parents, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most lawyers do. But when a high-profile murder trial comes to his small town and Theo gets pulled into it, it's up to this amateur attorney to save the day. Mackin Book Talk .
 * // Book Trailer 1 // **
 * // Book Trailer 2 // **


 * // Uprising by Margaret Haddix // **

// Trailer  // // .  // //  .  // Hahn, Mary Downing //  Closed for the Season: A Mystery Story  // // Book Trailer  // // Mackin Book Talk  //

Two 13-year-old boys, Arthur and Logan, set out to solve the mystery of a murder that took place some years ago in the old house Logan’s family has just moved into. The boys’ quest takes them to the highest and lowest levels of society in their small Maryland town, and eventually to a derelict amusement park that is supposedly closed for the season

Book website Mackin Book Talk
 * // Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes // **

. Ignatow, Amy //  The Popularity Papers  // // Mackin Book Talk  //


 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/616sZ%2BLtAqL.jpg caption="The Popularity Papers: Book Two: The Long-Distance Dispatch Between Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang"]] ||
 * The Popularity Papers: Book Two: The Long-Distance Dispatch Between Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang ||

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Kirby, Matthew J. // The Clockwork Three // // Book Trailer // // Mackin Book Talk //

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Lupica, Mike Hero Mackin Book Talk

// Book Trailer // Fourteen-year-old Zach Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can textmessage himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Zach. What Zach never knew was that his father was no ordinary man„he was a superhero, battling the worldÍs evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries. And now it's Zach's turn to take on the fight. It's Zach's turn to become a hero.

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Messner, Kate The Brilliant Fall of Gianna ZTrailer and site

Book TrailerMackin Book Talk

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Riordan, Rick The Red Pyramid Book Trailer The Red Pyramid

Mackin Book Talk

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Wells, Rosemary On the Blue Comet Mackin Book Talk

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Wood, Maryrose The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling Book website and trailer

Mackin Book Talk

= = = = = = =. = = **Young Adult Titles** =

Oh. My. Gods. Trailer

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Condie, Ally MatchedTrailer

// Richards, Jame // Three Rivers Rising // Knopf  //

// Richards, Jame // Three Rivers Rising Book Trailer

// Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi  //
 * [[image:http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278653923l/7800188.jpg caption="Virals"]] ||
 * Virals ||

// Virals by Kathy Reichs  // // Book Trailer  // = **// 3-6 Grade Titles //** = // **Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds** //
 * [[image:http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278427690l/6744143.jpg align="left" caption="Emily's Fortune"]] ||
 * Emily's Fortune ||

// About this book //

// [|Newbery-Winning Author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor] // // [|Outlaws of the Old West] // // [|How Far Can a Horse Travel in a Day?] //

// **Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger** // // This is one of the funniest books I've ever read! - Mrs. D. // // Origami Yoda Home Page // // How to fold Star Wars figures // // Folding Just Yoda // // Origami Yoda trailer //

// **Roberto and Me by Dan Gutman** // Sometimes you can change history. . . and sometimes history can change you//. When Stosh travels into the past to meet Roberto Clemente, a legendary ballplayer and a beloved humanitarian, he's got only one goal: warning Roberto not to get on the doomed plane that will end his life in a terrible crash. In the sixties, Stosh meets free-spirited Sunrise, and together they travel across the country to a ball game that leaves them breathless—and face-to-face with Roberto. But when the time comes for Stosh to return to the future, he finds that the adventure has only just begun. . . . Join Stosh and Sunrise on a journey that will take you into the past, from the excitement of Woodstock to a life-changing encounter with Roberto Clemente—and into a surprising future!

About Roberto Clemente .

. === **D****ay-Glo Brothers: the True Story of bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Color** === About the book How does glow-in-the-dark stuff work? What is flourescence?

**A Tale Dark and Grimm**

Author Site and Book Trailer

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Shannon Hale's website ======

Book Trailer

=Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Awards 2010/2011= =NEMS Middle School List=

=Video of 6-8 titles=

=**Book Trailers, Author Information and Web Sites to Explore :**=

**Leviathan - Simon and Schuster**

 * Peace, Locomotion**


 * The Wednesday Wars - Roselle Public Library**
 * The Wednesday Wars - student**


 * Savvy - Penguin Book Trailers**
 * Savvy - Librarian Book Trailer**


 * Skeleton Creek - Patrick Carman**
 * Patrick Carman's web site **


 * Masterpiece - Book Trailers for Readers**
 * Masterpiece - 60 second book review**


 * 11 Birthdays**
 * 11 Birthdays - by Ms. Arhams**
 * NERDS - Michael Buckley talks about his book**
 * Mudshark - See Gary Paulsen talk about his books**
 * The Red Blazer Girls - a review**

Pennyslvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominees 2009 - 1010 == Watch this move about the grade 6-8 titles! http://www2.scasd.org:16080/developers/dkd11/SCASD/2009-10_Movie.html

Grade 6-8 Titles
**//Chains// by Laurie Halse Anderson** []  She promised! Isabel had seen the papers. When Miss Finch died, Isabel and her sister Ruth  would be free, but they were sold again. As the Americans were fighting for their independence  from the British, Isabel was fighting for her freedom. Follow her as she goes from slave to  American Revolutionary War spy.

// **Seer of Shadows** //**by Avi** [] It all begins with a “trick of the trade.” In 1872, Horace is apprenticed to photographer Enoch Middleditch. When Mrs. Von Macht requests a photograph of herself be made to calm the spirit of her dead daughter, Middleditch sees a chance for some extra money. He instructs Horace to find, and secretly take, some photos of Eleanora, the Von Macht child. Middleditch will use his skills to add Eleanora’s image to her mother’s photograph, making it seem as if the child’s ghost is watching over her mother. But Eleanora’s death wasn’t what it seems and neither is her mother’s grief. Horace discovers he has the skills of a “seer” – he can see things that aren’t there – and more, including the ghost of Eleanora. Horace and his new friend, Pegg, must find out why Eleanora is back and what she wants.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**//Dragon’s Keep// by Janet Lee Carey** [] There is a prophecy that says the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island will do three great things. This is the story of Rosalind, who will become that queen and her path to power. When Rosalind discovers she has dragon blood, her whole life changes, beginning with serving as nursemaid to four motherless children; but they are not just any children!

Jared’s church is sponsoring a family from Africa, refugees from the civil wars raging there. When he finds out that they must stay with Jared’s family temporarily instead of going to an apartment, Jared is furious. Now he must share his room, his home, even his friends; and Jared does not share well. When they pick the Africans up at the airport, things do not seem right. As days pass, Jared senses that this family is not who they seem to be. What are these people really doing in America?
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:diamonds.jpg align="left"]]Diamonds in the Shadows by Caroline B. Cooney ** []

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman** [] How did Ehrich Weiss, a poor immigrant from Hungary, transform himself into The Great Harry Houdini. Read Escape! The Story of Harry Houdini to find out. Follow his journey as he leaves home at the age of twelve to make his way in the world. See him perform in Vaudeville and learn basic magic tricks as he begins devising his famous escape acts. While none of his tricks will be exposed, you will learn about his colorful life.

Thirteen years ago there was a phantom airplane that had suddenly appeared at the gate with 36 babies on board. Flash forward thirteen years and meet Jonah, who has always known that he was adopted. His best friend, Chip, has just discovered that he was adopted as well. The two begin getting mysterious letters claiming that the boys are ‘One of the Missing’. Jonah and Chip are invited to an all day conference where the kids are separated into two groups. Jonah and Chip's group go on a hike and are led into a cave. Why are all the kids in this group 13 years old? Why was the one group of kids taken into a cave? Where did the 36 babies come from? Read this book to find out the answers to these intriguing questions.
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:found.jpg align="left"]]Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix ** [|www.haddixbooks.com]

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Schooled by Gordon Korman** [] Capricorn Anderson lived on a defunct commune and was home-schooled by his grandmother, Rain. He had never seen television or used a computer. When his grandmother breaks her leg, Cap has to go live with a social worker and her daughter, as well as attend the local middle school. Cap, dressed in his hemp clothing and practicing Tai Chi at noon, draws the attention of the Big Man in School, Zach. Suddenly, Cap finds himself elected school president. Will Cap survive the maneuvering by Zach and his crowd? Will he succeed as school president? Read Schooled to find out.

Almost everyone knows of Jackie Robinson, but before Jackie, there were many other talented black baseball players whose names would be lost to history without the recognition in this wonderful picture book. For baseball fans and history buffs alike, this is a superb book. The book unfolds like an old-timer recounting the glory days of the Negro Leagues and the unsung, unknown greats. [] http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/ [] (Negro Leagues Baseball Museum)
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:wearetheship.jpg align="left"]]We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson **

What a perfect day for a baseball game! Not just any game but the regional Little League championship. In the announcer’s booth, Sam could feel the tension as the players took the field. He really wanted to be out there with all his friends, but that was not to be, at least not now.
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:sixinnings.jpg align="left"]]Six Innings by James Preller ** []

[] Once a long, long, long time ago, the kingdom of the Danes was besieged by the giant ogre Grendel. At night he would leave his home in the nearby marsh and devour the soldiers in the castle hall. No one could stop him. Beowulf retells the legend of a hero’s life long battle against the ogre, his mother and a dragon.
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:beowulf.jpg align="left"]]Beowulf written and illustrated by James Rumford **

[] "So, there I was, tied to an altar made from out-dated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians." Alcatraz Smedry, an orphan, has never been able to stay at any one foster home very long because he breaks things, though not on purpose. This incredible talent just may save the world! On his thirteenth birthday, he receives a bag of sand from his long–lost (dead?) father and a visit from his formerly unknown grandfather. His grandfather explains the importance of the sand and the many pairs of glasses he shares with Alcatraz. The librarians have stolen the special sand and taken it to the grand library where they plan to take over the world. Every once in awhile, Alcatraz will step out of character to address the reader, even when battles are occurring. This is a unique book filled with humor, adventure and EVIL librarians. How can a bungling klutz with a set of crazy eye glasses and his grandfather stop the EVIL Librarians?
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:alcatraz.jpg align="left"]]Alcatraz versus the Evil Librariana by Barry Sanderson **

Find out what made the Scieszka household work. Each boy had a color and all their shirts were the same color. Jon Scieszka still hates the color brown today. There was the family Christmas photo production where the six boys were all dressed the same. Then there was the smell in the basement, the time Jim and Jon tried to put the metal coil heater out by peeing on it. Read the hilarious escapes that happened while growing up with six boys in the Scieszka family. []
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:knucklehead.jpg align="left"]]Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka **

Sixteen-year-old Alex Gregory decides to get revenge on his parents who have recently split. Not exactly planning well, he drinks a pint of vodka, steals his mother’s car and ends up decapitating his neighbor’s lawn gnome, getting alcohol poisoning, and being charged with “DUI”. As penance he must spend 100 hours with Solomon Lewis, a bitter old man with no family and emphysema. At first, he is turned off by Sol’s sharp comments, but Alex takes this as a challenge. His best friend, Laurie, whom Sol calls Alex’s wife, helps Alex find the sunnier side of Sol. Eventually it is music that unites the two. Alex brings his guitar and Sol is soothed. Sol was a jazz musician who teaches Alex more than music. He gets Alex to care about what happens even if life isn’t what you expect. In the end though, it is Alex who helps Sol finish the business of his life. This book is about taking responsibility and Alex is not the only one who needs to learn this. [] []
 * [[image:notes_midnight.jpg align="left"]]Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick **

**<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Curse of the Wendigo by Scott Welvaert ** Sixteen-year old Buck and his ten-year old sister Agate set out in the 1898 Canadian wilderness to find their missing parents. While searching they realize that they are being stalked by something. Is it the mythical human flesh eating Wendigo, said to live in the woods? Join Buck, Agate and the Majietaw Indians as they travel through the forests avoiding the Wendigo and learning new things about themselves and their parents. []

**Into the Volcano by Don Wood** When brothers Sumno and Duffy are told they must travel to a volcanic island to help an aunt they have never met, they are both surprised and a little suspicious. When they arrive on the island, they soon discover that their mysterious auntie is up to no good. They are sent on an expedition straight into an erupting volcano. Things are not what they seem as the brothers try to escape the volcano and their relatives in this action adventure that will immediately hook young readers. []

**Grade 3 - 6 Titles for 6th Grade Readers**
**Kickoff! by Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber** [] As Tiki and Ronde Barber leave elementary school they look forward to junior high where they can play football for their school. But things don’t go as smoothly as the boys had hoped. For the first time in their lives the twins are in separate classes which forces each to be more independent and try outs for the football team prove to be a challenge as well. Will the Barber twins make the team and rise above the many obstacles they face? Kickoff! holds all the answers.

**The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin** [] Winston Breen finds puzzles everywhere, even on pizzas, and solving them is what he does best. But when his sister uncovers mysterious wooden strips with words and letters that even Winston can't figure out, the entire family is obsessed. It turns out the strips are part of a scavenger hunt set up for the children of one of the town’s eccentric residents. If all four sets are put together, they will lead to a ring worth thousands of dollars. Cooperating seems like a no-brainer to Winston, but to solve the puzzle, the group has to overcome mysterious threats, mutual mistrust, 25-year old clues, and participants who will do anything to keep the treasure for themselves. Chock full of puzzles to solve: some involving the mystery and others Winston runs into along the way. This treasure hunt will keep readers challenged right to the end.If you go to the author’s website, you can download and print the puzzles in the book so no one needs to write in your library copy.

**Room One by Andrew Clements; illustrated by Chris Blair** [] Ted attends a one-room school in Plattsford, Nebraska that is a really small town. He has been delivering newspapers every morning for two and a half years until one morning he sees a face in the window of an abandoned farmhouse. Ted tries to make friends with the face but he is told to keep it a secret. The ghost family is in trouble with no money, job or food. Ted does not know whom he can trust with the secret and whom he can get to help the family. Read the story to find out what happens to Ted’s ghost family.

**Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball written by Sally Cook and James Charlton; illustrated by Ross MacDonald** What color is the uniform for the team you play on? Did you know that uniform jerseys showed the position of the player not the team? That would be confusing! To get a player out who was off base, players used to hit him with a ball. Aren’t you glad that’s not a rule anymore? In olden days, there was only one umpire, and players used to cheat. These are just a few of the facts about baseball that you can learn in “Hey Batta Batta Swing.” But people still love baseball, and “each team will always try to find new ways to win,” so check out this book for some fantastic baseball history. [|http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/04/02/interview-with-sally-cook/ - podcast interview]

**Surfer of the Century: the Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe; illustrated by Richard Waldrep** Surf is up! Way up! Imagine riding nearly two miles on a giant wave! Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to the world and was a champion Olympic swimmer. “Surfing – body, board or otherwise-is a sport that is in a class by itself. And for those who indulge in it, here is a wish that the surf may always be breaking big, fast, clean and fine for you.” [] [] []

**Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonnell; art by Jonathan Bean** No one in school seemed to notice Emmy, although she tried hard to be good. The only one who seemed to notice her was the class pet, a rat. And after he bites her finger, Emmy thinks she can hear him talking…and even if he is the only one who notices her, he isn’t very nice. Why do her parents keep going away and leaving her with her nanny, Miss Barmy? And what happens when the rat bites one of Emmy’s classmates, twice? Will he ever return to normal size?? []

** Young Adult List - Books for Middle School Students **
<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman** [|http://gordonkorman.com/ Patty McClune] They’re three juvenile offenders: Gecko who drove a getaway car; Terence the tough Chicago gang member and Arjay who’s accused of murder. They’re all doing time in brutal detention centers. Enter Doug Healy, a man who had his own difficult times growing up and is now willing to lend a hand to teens who made mistakes like he did. Doug’s opening a new type of halfway house for a few select juvies. Lucky for Gecko, Terence and Arjay; they’re the ones chosen for this noble experiment. They’re going to get a second chance, even though society and the social worker in charge of them, all think they’re beyond redemption. Doug and the boys live together in an apartment in NYC. They each have distinct personalities and things don’t always go smoothly. A fight breaks out and Doug is accidentally hurt, badly hurt. The boys are scared and anonymously drop an unconscious Doug off at an emergency room. The juvies eventually realize this really is their last chance and they better work together to pull off the appearance of normalcy or they’ll all be back in hellish lockups. Can three kids labeled “no good” follow the rules and make the right choices without any adult supervision? What follows is a fast-paced, exciting story complete with humor, romance, and suspense.

It’s 2003, and Harlem teen Robin Perry has graduated from high school. Although his father wants him to go to college, he makes his first major adult decision and decides to join the military. His life quickly becomes a blur of activity as he is introduced to his unit – a Civil Affairs detail – and before he knows it, he is in the thick of the war in Iraq. The soldiers in his unit quickly become tight; they stick together and watch each other’s backs like brothers and sisters. All the while they struggle with their mission to interact and make peace with the people of the war-torn but beautiful land of Iraq – the very same people they are fighting. Through tragedy and triumph, they simply try to survive a war that just doesn’t seem to make sense. [|http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/ Cara Woudenberg]
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:fallujah.jpg align="left"]]Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers **

**<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They Came From Below by Blake Nelson ** Seventeen-year-old Emily comes to Cape Cod every summer to spend time with her scientist dad. She’s made a really close friend there, Reese. Emily and Reese are prepared to spend another lazy summer together at the beach and other local hangouts. Their prime objective? Get boyfriends! Well they meet two really great looking guys, Steve and Dave, who behave a little oddly, but hey, they claim to be foreign exchange students, so that makes sense, right? But strange things happen when Steve and Dave are around. They miraculously heal injuries, and they can talk to any living thing. Weird! Well, Steve and Dave aren’t really foreign exchange students, but they’re not from around here either. They’re aliens who have come from the sea to rescue a friend and in the process offer a warning about global pollution. This book is funny, exciting and has a bit of a message, too. [|http://www.blakenelsonbooks.com/ Patty McClune]

IMHO the most terrifying science fiction stories are the ones that are most similar to our own contemporary world. Here’s the scenario for Unwind: a civil war was fought between Pro-live and Pro- choice forces with an end result more chilling than either side could have imagined. Abortion is now strictly illegal, but between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent or the government may choose to retroactively 'abort' a child. Teens have no legal rights and can be sent to “Harvest Farms” where their body parts are parceled out to others in need through a process called “unwinding”. Unwinding at the end of the day? NOT a good thing. If a kid is in trouble a lot, or an orphan who is an expense for the state, they’re expendable. For totally different reasons, three teens find themselves on the way to a “harvest farm” and end up in a fight for their lives. This is an exciting and thought-provoking story of survival.
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:unwind.jpg align="left"]]Unwind by Neal Shusterman ** http://www.storyman.com/books/index.html Patty McClune

April 1864, spring had come to Washington and the long Civil War had come to an end. President Lincoln, his wife and several friends were enjoying an evening out at Ford’s theater, Suddenly, someone stepped into the booth and shot the President. Who was John Wilkes Booth? Was he a lone terrorist or part of a bigger conspiracy? Follow the author’s investigation of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[[image:lincolns_killer.jpg align="left"]]Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson ** []

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **Uglies by Scott Westerfeld** []Cara Woudenberg In three months, Tally will become pretty. In her world, everyone is an “ugly” until they turn 16 and are officially transformed into a “pretty” through surgery. It’s supposed to be the best time of Tally’s life, but things change when she meets Shay. Shay raises questions that are forbidden. Why can’t society accept them for who they are? Are they really freaks if they remain uglies? Why does everyone have to look the same? Although Tally is shaken by her encounter with Shay, she still looks forward to her chance to join the pretties. But now it is not clear if her chance will ever come. She is given orders to spy on Shay after she runs away to the Smoke – a secret place where everyone lives together in freedom, where there are no uglies and no pretties. Struggling with her future and what is right, Tally learns that what she finds in the Smoke may actually change things for good.