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Young Adult

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things

By Cy Tymony 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

The best way I know to get boys to read is to give them a book they can put to good use, and this one does not disappoint. Filled with all sorts of tips for “aspiring MacGyvers,” the book is especially popular with boys who have short attention spans (which is most boys). 
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Secrets of the Cicada Summer

Secrets of the Cicada Summer

By Andrea Beaty 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Last month I had the pleasure of speaking in beautiful Kentucky, and I asked everyone I came across what was making that deafening noise outside? “Cicadas,” Derek Shouse said, and that peaked my interest in learning more about these annoying and freaky insects. Lo and behold, the first book I came across with cicadas in the title turned out to be Beaty’s first young adult novel, and what a treat. Eleven-year-old protagonist Lily is a Nancy Drew lover, and this book should impress fellow Nancy Drew devotees.
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Unexplained

Unexplained

By Judy Allen 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Jackpot! If you have a ten-year-old boy who does not like to read, I insist you buy this book. It is filled with the cool types of stories that draw boys to read The Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
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Like a Thorn

Like a Thorn

By Clara Vidal 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I admit, when faced with lots of “girlie” books to read, I try to always choose the slimmest. What this slim volume rewarded me with was an intriguing coming-of-age story about a teenager who has learned to deal with her mother’s psychotic mood swings and now must learn to find herself. On top of a good read, it is a slim, small book with big print (my favorite)!
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The Mystery of the Burmese Bandicoot

The Mystery of the Burmese Bandicoot

By Judy Cox 254 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

The story of two rats fleeing the cage of Ms. Dove’s fifth grade classroom and embarking on a marvelous adventure. This is the kind of book that makes me sound like a curmudgeon wondering, “Why don’t they write books like this anymore?” You can tell the author used to be a teacher, as this is a book any teacher could read aloud to students.
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So Far from the Bamboo Grove

So Far from the Bamboo Grove

By Yoko Kawashima Watkins 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A spectacular, true account of the author’s harrowing experiences as a ten-year-old daughter of a Japanese official in Korea. The story follows the family as they flee Korea for post-WWII ravaged Japan. The action is non-stop, and I’d love to see this book made into a television mini-series. While the story is spellbinding, my guess is that Watkins actually downplays the atrocities she had to endure. A book that belongs in every middle school classroom.
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Skin and Other Stories

Skin and Other Stories

By Roald Dahl 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the short stories in this collection, “Lamb to the Slaughter,” sealed my interest in everything by Roald Dahl when I was in ninth grade. In “Lamb,” a wife murders her husband with a leg of lamb before feeding the murder weapon to local investigators. Dahl’s wicked sense of humor is perfect for teens.
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Dear Zoe

Dear Zoe

By Philip Beard 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A lot is going on in this book about a 15-year-old girl who witnesses her sister die in a car accident on September 11th. I sort of felt that all the stuff was a distraction, as I enjoyed the main character’s attempts to cope with her grief. I have had many wonderful book discussions with middle schoolers on this book.
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Across Five Aprils

Across Five Aprils

By Irene Hunt 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A touching story about the cost of war on families over the course of the Civil War. I re-read this recently on an airplane where I sat next to a Marine returning home with the body of a fallen brother in Iraq, and I realized that some themes are timeless. Poignant and compelling for boys and girls (and their parents). 
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Donuthead

Donuthead

By Sue Stauffacher 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This book includes characters that would make Albert Camus and Quentin Tarantino blush. Fifth grader Franklin Delano Donuthead’s obsessive cleanliness versus new girl Sarah Kervick’s sloppiness make for plenty of laughs and demonstrate the power of kindness to others. I would have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable books I have read for middle schoolers since Holes. A must read.
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Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel

Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel

By Kathleen Karr 242 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Memoirs of a camel? Sounds hokey, but this book actually captivated me. It shows, from the camel’s point of view, the true story of how the U.S. army shipped camels from Egypt to Texas in the 1850s to help troops cope with desert terrain.

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How to Hook a Hottie

How to Hook a Hottie

By Tina Ferraro 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I have to confess that I grabbed this book after reading the author’s delightful bio. Keep an eye out for Tina Ferraro because I am convinced she is going to become one of the next big teen authors. I read this book and her first (Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress), and I am impressed by how she takes stories about high school and makes them funny, realistic and meaningful. Write me to tell me what you think about this one.
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Players

Players

By Joyce Sweeney 226 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

While the story is set around a high school basketball team, this tale deals more with forces of good and evil. Filled with laughs and suspense, Players deals with the serious issue of competitiveness gone too far. An excellent book for teens.
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Beacon Hill Boys

Beacon Hill Boys

By Ken Mochizuki 208 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

. I was appalled when I learned in college of the Japanese internment camps. It bothered me to hear about that dark mark on America’s history, and it bothered me even more that I had not heard about it until college. Mochizuki also wrote the wonderful Baseball Saved Us, and I appreciate how he contextualizes the Japanese-American experience into relatable characters for students. This profile of four teens follows four Japanese-American boys in 1972, but they could be four teenagers from anywhere in America.
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Trouble in My Way

Trouble in My Way

By Michelle Stimpson 256 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

This one does not come out until next month, so pre-order it now. A great book to use with teens when trying to show them how to express themselves through journal-writing. Karis Reed is grounded indefinitely, and her battles with her mother force her to re-examine her life (the teens I read this book aloud to said they could readily identify with how Karis defied her parents). Through it all, Karis discovers faith through her trials. Nice to read an uplifting book for teens for a change. 

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