The 2008 Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award Winner

Ridgewood students and high students throughout the state of Illinois have voted and they have chosen the book "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer as the winner of the 2008 ABE award. Congratulations to everyone who read the ABE nominated books and voted for this year’s winner.

A must read for those looking to sink their teeth into something good!

Bleachers by John Grisham

As the controversial football coach of a small-town Texas high school lies dying, a group of his former players gather to share stories of their glory days under his demanding regime. (FIC GRISHAM)

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Paul, who is gay, has the good fortune to attend a high school where the members of the Gay-Straight Alliance outnumber the football team, the cheerleaders ride Harleys, the star quarterback is also the homecoming queen, and the new guy in school turns out to be the love Paul has been waiting for. (FIC LEVITHAN)

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

The spirit of a woman long dead, unable to move on to the afterlife, clings to the physical world until she encounters James, a spirit similarly marooned, who shows her how to inhabit an “empty” body. Overjoyed by their discover of each other, the two soon fall deeply in love. (FIC WHITCOMB)

Dropping in with Andy Mac by Andy MacDonald

A pro skateboarding legend, known for his rejection of the drugs and alcohol so prevalent among his peers, recounts the story of his long, uphill road to success in his demanding and wildly popular sport. (921 MAC)

Fault Line by Janet Tashjian

When Becky meets fellow comedian Kip at the improv clubs where they both perform, he seems the perfect guy for her – until the relationship turns abusive. (FIC TASHJIAN)

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

83-year-old Eddie is convinced his life has had little meaning, until his death brings him into the presence of five people who show him the unexpected impact he has had on others. (FIC ALBOM)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Walls, now an MSNBC columnist, reveals the story of her chaotic youth, during which she and her siblings were mostly left to fend for themselves while her alcoholic father and artist mother moved about the country evading bill collectors and the law. (921 Walls)

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

A girl is trapped in a virtual reality game when protestors damage the gaming center’s equipment, and losing is no longer an option for her if she hopes to escape unharmed. (FIC VANDE VELDE)

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In a near-future world, Matt learns he is the clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord who controls a private empire on the U.S.-Mexico border. Though despised by humans, Matt is sure that El Patron loves him, until he learns the true – and horrifying – reason for his existence. (FIC FARMER)

Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the U.S.S. Indianapolis by Pete Nelson

Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship sank in 14 minutes. More than 1,000 men were thrown into shark-infested waters. Later, the Navy court-martialed the ship’s captain.This is the true story of a young boy who spent six years researching the sinking of a U.S. Navy ship in World War II and exposed a major Navy cover-up.
(940.54 NELSON)

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

A group of genetically engineered children, part human and part bird, flee the lab where they were created and the pursuit of the brutal Erasers, wolf-like predators sent to eliminate them so their existence will never be discovered.
(FIC PATTERSON)

The Meq by Steve Cash

Having learned on his 12th birthday in 1881 that he is not human but an immortal creature known as a Meq, Zianno Zezen embarks on a dual quest to find his soul- mate and to destroy an evil Meq called Fleur-du-Mal. (FIC CASH)

Pirates by Celia Rees

In 1722, upon her father’s death, 16-year-old NancyKington is headed for marriage to a wealthy old man. In desperation, she flees with the slave girl Minerva to join a band of pirates. (FIC REES)

Rockstar, Superstar by Blake Nelson

When a high school bass guitar player joins a rock group which is about to make it big, his new focus on his music career forces a crisis in his relationship with his girlfriend. (FIC NELSON)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

A Chinese woman looks back on her youth, reflecting on her relationship with another girl, and on the ways in which they struggled for some degree of self-determination in a society which oppressed women through such practices as foot-binding and arranged marriages. (FIC SEE)

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Not a day goes by that Dr. David Beck does not relieve the horrifying events that occurred eight years ago. Eight years ago his wife was kidnapped and murdered. Yet eight years to the day of her horrifying death, David receives a message that indicates that she might not be dead after all. (FIC COBEN)

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Ginny’s adored Aunt Peg, a free-spirited artist, has died, and her legacy to her niece is a plane ticket to London, and a series of letters which will guide Ginny on the adventure of a lifetime. (FIC JOHNSON)

Tithe by Holly Black

With a freewheeling rock musician for a mother and a band of faeries for her childhood friends, Kaye’s life has always been weird, but it becomes weirder – and more perilous – when she discovers that she herself is a pixie changling with a special destiny to fulfill. (FIC BLACK)

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley

When the love of Jack’s life rejects his invitation to the prom, his friends jump in to “help” by posting an online ad for a date for Jack which results in 24 eager applicants. (FIC BRADLEY)