Young Adult

Tells the awe-inspiring story of an pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated – a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for white passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP. Written by Wells’s great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, this incredible story of a woman whose mark can be felt today is a must-read.

A shop teacher had asked me for some book picks, and I thought this would make a great project for any class. Community togetherness has never been so at the fore of our consciousness – or so important. Around the world, a community movement is underway featuring quaint landscape structures mounted on posts in front yards and other green spaces. A great tool on the road to helping you build community in your neighborhood.

The war with no name rages on, setting the world on fire. Humanity faces extinction at the hands of the Colony, a race of intelligent ants seeking to overthrow the humans and establish a new order. Relentless, bloody, and unforgiving, this is the story of an antihero (the bobcat Culdesac – one of the fiercest warriors fighting for the Colony) with no soul to lose, carving a path of destruction that consumes the innocent and the guilty alike. Great series.

Willink enlisted in the Navy SEALs after high school and rose through the ranks to become the commander of the most highly decorated special operations unit of the war in Iraq. Many books offer advice on how to overcome obstacles and reach your goals – but that advice often misses the most critical ingredient: discipline. Without discipline, there will be no real progress. I think more teens should learn his mantra: find your will, find your discipline – and you will find your freedom.

After meeting some travelers on a trip to Thailand in 2005, Kepnes realized that living life meant more than simply meeting society's traditional milestones – such as buying a car, paying a mortgage and moving up the career ladder. Inspired by them, he set off for a year-long trip around the world before he started his career. He finally came home after ten years – over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels and 90 different countries later! Filled with the color and perspective that only hindsight and self-reflection can offer, this collection of travel stories get to the real questions at the heart of wanderlust and will hopefully inspire people of all ages to explore this magnificent world.

Examining the psyche – and psychoses – of the likes of Richard III, Macbeth, Lear and Coriolanus, Greenblatt illuminates the ways in which William Shakespeare delved into the lust for absolute power and the disasters visited upon the societies over which these characters rule. Tyrant shows that Shakespeare’s work remains vitally relevant today, not least in its probing of the unquenchable, narcissistic appetites of demagogues and the self-destructive willingness of collaborators who indulge their appetites. Remind you of anyone?

Presents the stories of ten African-American men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to the modern day. The stories are accessible, fully-drawn narratives offering the subjects’ childhood influences, the time and place in which they lived, their accomplishments and motivations and the legacies they left for future generations as links in the “freedom chain.”

After surviving a car accident with my oldest daughter last month, I thought this would be an appropriate entry. Covering virtually every scenario a new driver may face – from changing a tire to negotiating privileges with parents to handling a car in bad weather – Gravelle helps teen drivers navigate through tricky new territory.

Coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighborhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen from one of the best young adult authors in the business.

Groundhog Day gets a hilarious French twist in this delightful upper middle grade novel about first crushes and friendship when an eighth-grade class trip to Paris goes horribly wrong and the worst day of one girl's life keeps happening over and over.

Printz Award–winning novel about a Korean girl who tells her firsthand account of trying to find her place and identity in America from the day she leaves Korea as a child to her rocky journey through the teenage years.

A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain.

Young Ada is troubled, prone to violent fits. Born “with one foot on the other side,” she begins to develop separate selves within her as she grows into adulthood. And when she travels to America for college, a traumatic event on campus crystallizes the selves into something powerful and potentially dangerous, making Ada fade into the background of her own mind as these alters – now protective, now hedonistic – move into control.

Miguel has dreamed of joining his parents in California since the day they left him behind in Mexico six years, eleven months, and twelve days ago. On the morning of his fifteenth birthday, Miguel's wait is over. Or so he thinks. The trip north to the border – la línea – is fraught with dangers in this page-turner that will lead to some great classroom discussions.

Two-time Newbery Honor winner Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.