Young Adult

Older students get a kick out of this guide to deciphering body language. A former FBI agent who commonly used these techniques to help crack cases, Navarro cautions about jumping to conclusions and encourages using clusters of nonverbal patterns to help discover whether a person is lying or just under stress.

Great gateway to introduce students to one of my favorite authors, the always dependable John Maxwell. Easy, quick read with lots of inspirational quotes and practical ideas that can be easily implemented.

Schab seeks to help teens learn to develop a healthy, realistic view of themselves by honestly assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The book also includes practical exercises to help teens deal with setbacks and self-doubt, skills for dealing with criticism and activities that will aid in the development of self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-worth.

Introduces readers to more than 75 notable female figures, real and imaginary, representing a diverse group ranging from ancient times to present day. This graphic-rich book will attract browsers, hold their interest and inspire further research.

Great reading for middle school boys, as it's a dark cross between Holes and Lord of the Flies.

As we head into 2018, check out this excellent chronicling of the events that shaped our country 50 years ago – from the assassinations of MLK and RFK to the Tet Offensive and Vietnam War to the Apollo 8 Mission which beamed the first pictures of Earth as seen from outer space.

Alex Gray wakes up in Philip Garamond's body, a boy the same age who he doesn't know living miles away from where he lives. Six months have passed that he doesn't remember, and no one believes Alex is who he says he is. Students love discussing this body-swapping mystery about lost souls.

When Lila's parents leave her alone with her little brother for Christmas weekend, Lila thinks it will be the perfect opportunity to host her very first party and establish her popularity. Plans take a strange twist when her little brother Cooper runs away with his best friend to help save Santa from the melting ice caps. When Lila is reunited with her old beau to bring back Cooper and his best friend, Christmas romance ensues in this sweet, quick read.

I’ll tell you why I am recommending this book for young adults. Some of the best books I have read are on personal development, and most of these books were never mentioned to me as a teen. Assaraf is a great speaker, and his books offer practical tips on how to improve one’s life. Expose our youth to more positive books, and you’d be amazed how they become more positive and feel more in control of their own destinies.

This book can be read in one sitting or studied week-by-week as a guide on how to develop as a young leader. Again, to help our teens we need to gently steer them from reading books about dystopian futures and date rape to how to contribute positively to society and grow as human beings.

Ever have a reluctant reader in your classroom? Then why not give him a book about a reluctant reader who discovers a book he cannot put down? Eleven-year-old Nathan Cole discovers a very old book in his attic that has special powers and soon becomes consumed with understanding its secrets. Real page-turner for middle school boys.

Part of The Orphan Train series that chronicles the adventures of six Irish-American siblings who have been sent from the slums of New York City to new homes on the Frontier in the years just prior to the Civil War. Written by the only four-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Best Young Adult Mystery Award.

Deeply moving historical fiction about Hungarian Jews who flee to Australia during WWII. It is a story about illness, resilience and recovery that makes for stimulating classroom discussions.

From the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of American Born Chinese, comes a magical realist coming-of-age graphic novel fable, by turns whimsical and deadly serious.

On April 14, 1846, the Donner Party set out from Springfield, Illinois, in search of a better life in the largely unsettled California territory. The trip started well but eventually questionable choices and infighting delayed the pioneers' attempt to cross the Sierra Nevada until winter. This account focuses on the children's experiences.