books the guys are talking about

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Eighth grade is tough for Vladimir. Bullies harass him, the principal is hounding him, and he struggles with bloodlust and elongated fangs. To top it all off, a vampire hunter is now stalking him!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Drought, fire, famine and war have caused the collapse of the US. In the new country of Panem, each district must send two children to fight in a televised, "survival of the fittest" game. When Katniss takes her younger sister's place in the games, she must discover how far she will go to survive.

The Dirt Eaters by Dennis Foon
Roan's peace-loving village thrived for seventy-five years in isolation. In less than one hour they were annihilated. Now Roan is torn between the desire for revenge and his peaceful upbringing.

Pendragon: Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J Machale
Meet Bobby Pendragon, good student, star basketball player, and time traveler. Magically transported journals keep his friends updated as he tries to free the gentle, enslaved Milago in a medieval world.

The Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Arthur should be dead. After a severe asthma attack, Arthur dreams of a key shaped like a clock's minute hand. When he wakes holding the key, strange things begin to happen.

Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen
Based on a true story, Charley Goddard lies his way into the Union Army, believing war is a great adventure. He is right...until he sees the horrors of his first battle.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
It is 1967, Vietnam is on everyone’s mind, and Holling is in for a tough year. His teacher hates him, she must. Why else would she make him read Shakespeare outside of class? Can Holling stay out of trouble for the sake of the family business?

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
When Darren Shan wins a ticket to a bizarre freak show, his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler.

Crash by Jerry Spinelli
“Crash” Coogan has tormented Penn Ward since first grade. Now that they are in seventh grade, Penn is an even better target. His clothes are out of style and he joins the cheerleading squad. So why does the most gorgeous girl in school prefer Penn over Crash, the star football player?