Young Adult

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.

While written for young adults, this book covers time travel about as logically as any adult book I have ever read. Who would not want to own an “unner,” a device capable of taking one back in time to change events. Entertaining and surprisingly deep.

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. 

Teen horror novels rank about as high on my wish list as enduring political ads on television, so I was thrilled to read this funny spoof by Fleischman, a Newbery winner (just so you know he is a credible writer). I have found this to be an excellent book for reluctant teenage boy readers, as it is a quick read that makes them laugh and often inspires them to write their own parodies.

I loved this story because it is so relevant to the pressures I see so many teenage Latinas go through regarding their “quinceanara,” a traditional coming-of-age party for 15 year olds. There are so many pressures on girls to spend elaborate amounts of money on what many consider an event that reinforces female stereotypes. I thought this was a refreshing take on a story I have seen play out unhappily in many homes.

Warning: this book is written in a foreign language, British. I was concerned that American teens might not care for a book about a British teen, but once they get past the British slang they get a real kick out of Rennison’s teen version of Bridget Jones. A good writer, and if girls like this one, there are several more to choose from.

I am always anxious to make history “come alive” for students, and that is why I really enjoyed this fictionalized scrapbook between two teenage friends (one white, the other Japanese American) torn apart during World War II. This month we reflect on Pearl Harbor Day and the repercussions of that event. Students get a chance to see the real turmoil that war caused on all Americans, notably the atrocities endured by interned Japanese Americans.

Four short stories for teens about relationships set around December holidays. These will get the girls in your class reading and – hopefully – understanding what “the season” of December means.

Teenagers, too, need to understand that the kindness of strangers is just one of the beauties to be learned at Christmas time. A beautiful story.

I file this under “young adult” because of my juvenile reason for selecting it off a bookstore shelf: I had never seen a book where the author’s name was so appealing (can you say her name five times fast?). This is why we need bookstores; I would have never discovered this book otherwise. It’s a quick read, it invites you into an insane mind like the protagonist in L. Ron Hubbard’s Fear and it also manages to be remarkably funny. This is a book that is begging to be discussed afterwards.

I am not a fan of horror, but I am a huge fan of books that get some of my staunchest non-reading teens to read. This is one of those books, as it deals with evil witchcraft and vintage rock and roll. Even better, its many references to classic literature inspired some students to check-out books by Joseph Conrad and John Milton in the school library!

One of my students described this book as “haunting,” and I would agree. Eeerie tale about what happens to a dysfunctional family on their private island one fateful summer.