Young Adult

Teens especially appreciate Sonnenblick’s quick, witty dialogue. His books always make for fun reading.

If you are an Olympic junkie like me, you'll love the interviews with these 100 Olympians as they reflect on what it took for them to succeed.

This is a MUST BUY for all middle school teachers. I think it is one of the best books I have read for young adults in years. A wordless picture book that captures the immigrant experience and speaks loudly to my English language learners, this book can be used to stimulate amazing class discussions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I always liked the idea that there are little people living in our floorboards recycling our matchboxes for storage units and stamps for paintings. This is a classic and sure to interest any child.

Chbosky knows teenagers, and this book does a decent job of addressing the issues so many 11th graders face. I recommend this book to parents of teens, as I hope it will make more parents empathetic with the trials and tribulations of today’s adolescents.

I think every middle school teacher should be forced to read this book, so they can keep it in mind when dealing with their students. Extremely well-written, the book paints the life lessons of Palmer as he tried to emulate others before discovering that he was unlike anyone else. Every child needs to understand that s/he is unique and important to the world. This is a WONDERFUL book.

The story of two opposites discovering they are not so different after all is nothing new. Still, many teenage girls I read with connect to 15-year-olds Antonia and Jazz. I think Peters does a good job of capturing the way teens communicate.

Van Draanen is renowned for her wonderful mysteries (check out her Sammy Keyes series), and I was thrilled to read this departure that proves to me she is one of the great young adult authors of our time. A great book for class discussions, as the boy/girl teen voices make for a wonderful battle of the sexes.

I have become fascinated with anything associated with Jackie Robinson, and I am so pleased to have come across this book. It is a funny and moving story about an immigrant girl from China who moves to Brooklyn in 1947 and manages to fit in when she realizes that if a black man and the grandson of a slave can make it in America, everyone has an opportunity to succeed. I love this book, and it won a ton of awards when it was published in the mid-1980s.

Great book! We need more books for teens that emulate this tone, a sort of It’s a Wonderful Life-like tale for teens. Mass accomplishes what great authors aim for: she makes you laugh, cry and think.

How do you deal with a horrible secret? Write about it. That’s the advice the “girl next door” gives a troubled sophomore skateboarder. Nelson has a command of teen-speak that appeals to middle- and high-school readers.

At the request of a bunch of teenage girls, I reluctantly picked up this book. It could have been really lame. Surprisingly, it was really well-written, fast-paced and filled with terrific plot twists. A car thief is surprised when he realizes a teenager is in the backseat. Then, it turns out she is blind. Oh, and then, it turns out her father is rich, so kidnapping becomes a profitable opportunity for the thief(s). But what happens when the blind girl proves to be less helpless than her captives realize? I’m ashamed to say that I could not put this book down.

If you’ve never read a Gordon Korman book, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book. Korman has a way of writing that teens find engrossing during read alouds. The absurdity of his tales leave students eager to hear what will happen next (that is why so many students opt to check-out copies of his books themselves rather than wait for teachers to finish the read aloud…this book is no different).

Perfect self-help guide for teenage boys looking to find their inner evil. Tons of laughs and terrific black-and-white comics in this must-read.

While no one would argue I have ever had the body of a long distance runner, I have always been one. Even as an offensive lineman in high school, I prided myself on beating all of the backs in our weekly Monday 5k. Inman has written a quick read (complete with huge fonts and lots of pictures) that perfectly captures the insanity and beauty of long distance running.