Young Adult

A MUST READ! Raymo’s wonderful tale of how the prime meridian came to being is a constant page-turner for all ages, as I rarely come across an author who can take an obscure scientific topic and hold my attention with every paragraph. Raymo is an outstanding writer, and this book is pure joy.

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.

Following the death of their father, a girl and her brother cross into America seeking a better life for their family in this often depressing narrative. Good companion to Will Hobbs’s Crossing the Wire; I think people should read stories like this around Thanksgiving, in particular, to be reminded of all of their blessings here in the United States.

If you ever have a book recommendation, please e-mail it to me. Sometimes I overlook what I consider to be obvious all-star writers, and that is the case with Matt Christopher. I love his books, as he has written well over 100 engaging sports books that are particularly popular with boy reluctant readers. This entry with great photographs is part of Christopher’s stellar Legends in Sports series.

Not quite sure how I missed this book when it was released in 1996, but if you want to get teens excited about historical fiction, this is a pretty good place to start. Chronicles a 12-year-old orphan’s apprenticeship with a country doctor during the 19^th century and the role of superstition in medicine. Reminded me of a great sketch about “medieval barber/physicians” with Steve Martin on old episodes of Saturday Night Live.

We need A LOT more books like this. If you have a daughter or granddaughter, buy this book as a New Year’s gift (yes, I just created that holiday). This is the perfect way to focus girls on positive elements that will bring out the amazing qualities so many teenage girls suppress in order to “fit in.” Carrier provides a blueprint that will benefit all teenage girls. This is a gem, and I have bought multiple copies for friends and customers. I highly recommend you do the same.

Why don’t teenage boys read? Check the covers and titles of most teen bestsellers. They almost all deal with teenage romance and how to fit into the right clique. It’s enough to drive a guy crazy! Deuker writes about sports and understands the thoughts of many teenage boys (He has a lot of great titles). How can we replicate him? I am so grateful for guys who write books for guys (I’m not saying everything has to deal with red meat and bodily functions, but trying to find an appealing book for a teenage boy is often like looking for educational programming on TLC).

Swanson’s adult-level Manhunt is one of the best books I’ve read in the past 20 years, and I am so grateful he created a young adult version that is sure to intrigue teens about the hunt for President Lincoln’s assassins. Social studies made riveting!

This is one of those rare books that I noticed students passing around with mischievous smirks. Colfer’s wit and sarcasm work perfectly for teens in this enjoyable story of an outcast who blackmails the most popular kids in his high school.

Burroughs is one of my favorite science fiction writers of all time, and besides his Tarzan books I have always devoured his John Carter series. This book is the third in that series, and it will serve as a great hook for many reluctant readers.

This is a book your students will get a kick out of, especially those who like to stir the pot. While not specifically written for teens, your students will enjoy wonderful discussions about how statistics are consistently used in ways to control, manipulate and persuade people how to vote, invest and do just about anything. The book is over 60 years old, and it is just as applicable and intriguing today as when it first appeared in 1954.

I recently met a teenage reluctant reader who had never seen Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons and was appalled! How can one go through life without tasting one of the funniest cartoon strips of all time. If you are ever sick or grumpy, there are two anecdotes: watch The Price Is Right and/or read The Far Side. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

If you are the parent or teacher of a teenage boy, get him reading books by Gary Soto. Soto is a magnificent author who speaks to the trials and tribulations of adolescence, and, most brilliantly, the experiences of Hispanic-American boys. In this wonderful book, Lincoln Mendoza learns how to deal with adjusting to a new school, new friends and new culture without belittling himself or others. One of my favorite young adult authors.

I guess the theme of this month’s list may very well be “great books that I have neglected to mention in previous lists.” This hilarious classic features a cat that suspects the family’s newest pet rabbit is a vampire, and it is up to the family dog to save the day. One of my students’ all-time favorite books.

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.