Young Adult

A teen soldier returns home from the Iraq War with a tramautic brain injury, and everything has changed for him and the people closest to him. Not since All Quiet on the Western Front have I read a book that deals better with the realities rather than the “glamour” of war. This book should be in every school.

A teen will do just about anything legal to secure her family’s financial future to avoid ever being homeless again. Very touching and poignant story of life in the inner city.

This book is awesome. Your students – boy and girls alike – will not be able to put it down, as it chronicle’s a 14-year-old girl’s harrowing adventures on a sailboat, dealing with storms, pirates and all sorts of twists and turns.

I am always on the lookout for books that engage teens with positive messages. King’s book is funny and easy to read, and it provides very useful strategies anyone can use to maintain a proper and product positive perspective (how’s that for alliteration?).

There are plenty of books about bullying, but rarely do books address the power of friendship in overcoming the nastiness of others. Karen Bessey Pease has done all middle school and high school teachers a service in how to address the bullying of teenage girls in an informative and inspiring manner. I am so grateful for this book.

Ben has always believed that someday he would sprout wings and fly, and as he grows older he tests this theory from greater heights, much to the chagrin of his disbelieving brother. I love books with short chapters because they encourage page-turning and rapid reading, and I have witnessed some of the most reluctant teenage boy readers devour this book in only a couple of sittings.

Middle schoolers will appreciate the story of a 12-year-old African-American girl growing up in segregated Alabama. Terrific surprise ending makes for great classroom discussions.

Don’t know how I missed this great coming of age story about a Midwestern transplant to southern California who finds her sanity in surfing.

This National Book Award finalist will haunt you, as it tells the story of a Nepalese teen sold into prostitution in India. The writing is outstanding.

Great for teen class discussions, as it blends romance and math in this wonderful introduction to multiple dimensions of space. Great precursor to Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth.

Here’s one to give your teen readers “the chills,” as seven students wait to get picked up from school during New England’s worst recorded nor’easter ever.

Funny tale that shows teenagers how each of us in charge of crafting our own destinies. Finn Easton is one of the most clever characters created in years.

Inspired by the Rio Olympics, a lot of students may have discovered a newfound interest in Brazilian culture. Popular book because it offers something for everyone: romance, mystery, quirky characters. Makes a really interesting book dialogues in class.

If you enjoyed Matthew Quick’s wonderful Silver Linings Playbook, you have to grab a copy of this story of “friendship, romance and mental illness.” A wonderful read.

A twist of fate bring a star football player and nerd together in an unlikely friendship. Harmon is an excellent author, but be warned that some of the language is more appropriate for older audiences.