Young Adult

A severely burned teenager. A guitar. Punk rock. The chords of a rock ‘n’ roll road trip in a coming-of-age novel that is a must-read story about finding your place in the world…even if you carry scars inside and out.

Time has stopped. It has been June 23, 2020 for nearly a year as far as anyone can tell. Frantic adults demand teenagers focus on finding practical solutions to the worldwide crisis. Not everyone is on board, though. Javelin-throwing prodigy Truda Becker is pretty sure her "Solution Time" class won't solve the world's problems, but she does have a few ideas what might. Truda lives in a house with a switch that no one ever touches, a switch her father protects every day by nailing it into hundreds of progressively larger boxes. But Truda has a crow bar, and – one way or another – she’s going to see what happens when she flips the switch.

Many thanks to Tussey Mountain teacher Nathan Thompson for recommending this one, Paulsen’s only attempt at sci-fi (boys LOVE Gary Paulsen). Mark’s solo camping trip in the desert turns into a terrifying and thrilling odyssey when a mysterious beam of light transports him to another time on what appears to be another planet. As Mark searches for a pathway back to his own time on Earth, he must make a new life in a new world. His encounters with primitive tribes bring the joy of human bonds, but violence and war as well – and, finally, a contest in which he discovers his own startling powers.

Dahlia 16 sees her face in every crowd. She’s nothing special – just one of five thousand girls created from a single genome to work for the greater good of the city. But meeting Trigger 17 changes everything. He thinks she’s interesting. Beautiful. Unique. Which means he must be flawed. When Dahlia can’t stop thinking about him she realizes she’s flawed, too. Your teens will LOVE this one!

My high schoolers got a kick out of this easy-to-read memoir. Having taken on the role of Roger Moore’s executive assistant in 2002, Owen became the right-hand man to “James Bond,” as well as his co-author, onstage co-star and confidant. Faithfully at the icon’s side until his passing in 2017, Owen provides a unique and rare insight into life with one of the world’s most beloved actors in this affectionate and amusing book.

I’m always looking for good stories about strong women for my girls, and Shaw provides a compelling and concise look into the life of Joan of Ark. With Saint Joan, which distills many of the ideas Shaw had been exploring in earlier works on politics, religion, feminism, and creative evolution, he reached the height of his fame as a dramatist. Fascinated by the story of Joan of Arc, but unhappy with the way she had traditionally been depicted, Shaw wanted to remove “the whitewash which disfigures her beyond recognition.” He presents a realistic Joan: proud, intolerant, naïve, foolhardy, and brave – a rebel and a woman for Shaw’s time…and our own.

With one of my favorite subtitles of all time, “15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me,” this is the first book in the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver novels.

Good tweener that won the Newbery Award 40 years ago. All summer Sara Godfrey has fretted over herself, her impossible body, her terrible new haircut. One moment she's elated; the next, she's in tears. And she can’t figure out why. Maybe her wildly changing moods are tied to the sudden and unaccountable appearance of the swans, which hold the rapt attention of Charlie, Sara’s mentally handicapped brother, who she loves far more than herself these days. In fact, it will be the sudden disappearance of Charlie that will compel Sara to abandon her own small, annoying miseries and lose herself in searching for him. In her anguish, Sara turns to Joe Melby, whom she has long despised, and together they search through the dense woods and rough fields to find him. Sara knows that she will never be the same again.

With drug education for children more important than ever, this nonfiction book draws on the experiences of the New York Times best-selling father/son team, and inspiration behind the film Beautiful Boy – David and Nic Scheff – to provide all the information teens need to know about drugs, alcohol and addiction.

In the sequel to the best-selling novel Hope Never Dies, Obama and Biden reprise their roles as BFFs-turned-detectives, as they chase Obama's stolen cell phone through the streets of Chicago – and right into a vast conspiracy. My teenage students can’t get enough of these books. They never stop talking about them!

Nima doesn’t feel understood. By her mother, who grew up far away in a different land. By her suburban town, which makes her feel too much like an outsider to fit in and not enough like an outsider to belong somewhere else. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself. Until she doesn’t. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen in this coming-of-age exploration of family, friendship, truth, identity, love, loss, and belonging.

Good tweener. Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends. The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl. But when the group dynamic among the boys starts to shift, will Jorge be able to balance what his friends expect of him versus what he actually wants? Fans of Raina Telgemeir’s books (Smile, Drama) might enjoy this even more.

Laugh-out-loud funny, this book captures teen girl life with all its ironies and contradictions. Explores important questions around body image, fat shaming and self-confidence. Great book for discussion groups in middle and high school.

Was Rawhide Robinson really there when the Grand Canyon came to be? Is he responsible for Pikes Peak? And how about riding horseback to Hawaii? Although an ordinary cowboy in every respect, Rawhide Robinson lays claim to these extraordinary accomplishments, and more in this tall tale students love.

What does betrayal look like when your best friend is in trouble? Maddie and Ivan have been friends forever. But all is not well in Ivan's world, and as control of his life slips farther away from him, Maddie agonizes over her role in his life.