Young Adult

Subtitled “The Fine Art of Face-to-Face Communication for Teenagers,” this book could assist plenty of adults who are stuck behind their iPhones and Androids most of the day. Very practical advice for those interested in making positive impressions with fellow human beings.

Part of the wonderful Horrible Histories series, this book is particularly popular with boys who want to read about truly evil things. Deary is a wonderful teacher, as he dependably turns dry subjects into required reading

If you love riddles, brainteasers and puzzles as much as me, you’re in for a treat. I use these books as incentives for students who finish their work early.

More of a book for “tween” girls, this story reads a lot like The Parent Trap...plus one.

This could probably be categorized as a children’s book because it is illustrated and super-short, but I have found that the 6th graders I read this book to find it hilarious. And why not, as the author is a writer from the greatest show on television (no, not The Bachelor), The Simpsons.

Thanks to Bob Matulich for another great recommendation.

Part of a wonderful series of books called Snapshots in History by Compass Point Books (compasspointbooks.com). Students love the photographs, and I like the way the author organized all the information in a visually appealing way. History books were always boring when I was in middle school. I’m a fan of this series, and my students were amazed by how this act caused one of the greatest catastophes the world had known to that point (World War I, for those of you keeping score at home).

And now for a more somber but uplifting book. I often read young adult books to learn about times in history that I never studied in school.

About a girl’s suffering in North Korea in the 1950s under Japanese and Russian rule, this book truly moved me. I promise it has a happy ending.

Wow! I have my friend Nancy Frey to thank for this pick, as she mentioned every student at Hoover H.S. in San Diego seemed to be reading this graphic novel (which, I confess, is a genre that I have not done a good enough job of recommending on past lists). What an AWESOME book. Don’t take my word for it, though. Here is what Stan Lee (the creator of Spider Man) has to say: “Never before have I seen a non-fiction book as beautifully and compellingly written and illustrated as The 9/11 Report, A Graphic Adaptation.  I cannot recommend it too highly.  It will surely set the standard for all future works of contemporary history, graphic or otherwise, and should be required reading in every home, school and library."

The author is a high school English teacher, and it made sense that my high school students got a kick out of this one. Nonstop action, as this one is not for the faint of heart. The perfect book to take to the park and devour in an afternoon.

Bless you, Florence Hochman, for turning me on to this book.

This is now one of my favorite ideas. Dave Eggers writes under a pen name and creates the most horrific idea man could have ever dreamed of: the first in a series of reference books written by people who want to mess with future generations by providing erroneous information (e.g. giraffes did not evolve but rather came here from Neptune via the largest escalator in the galaxy).

I think this concept has been adopted by major political parties. Kids of all ages (from 3 to 83) get a kick out of this book.

The first in the Tales of Alvin Maker series. I really enjoyed reading this book with my middle schoolers. The boys, in particular, got a kick out of it, as it blends fantasy with historical fiction. Even better, it hooks readers to read the other books, which is one of my favorite ways to encourage students to develop the “daily reading habit.”

Gantos wrote the wonderful Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, and I think this memoir makes for even more riveting reading. Jailed briefly as a young man, Gantos paints a picture of prison that is sure to make it feel like the last place any teenager wants to go. Essential reading.

I breezed through this book, as it kept my interest throughout (not easy, as most books have a good beginning, middle or end, but not all three). Maybe it is because the author is from Vermont, but I felt like I was in the world of Ichabod Crane. Lots of authors have tried to imitate J.K. Rowling, but this is one of the first books that has read like a Harry Potter book to me.

I am not usually one who goes for drawn-out prose, but Qualey is such a gifted writer that I do not mind that she takes her time. Protagonist Hanna is a teenager whose guilt consumes her after witnessing the deaths of two teens along a lake. When another witness, Will, tracks her down, the two deal with the issues together.

If you are not reading young adult books, you are missing out on some of the coolest stories told. When a mother’s child prodigy stops getting piano recital bookings, she creates a scheme to convince the world that a deceased composer is channeling his music from the grave through her son. The trick works until the prodigy’s older brother becomes convinced that the dead composer really has taken over the fingers of his younger brother. This is just an eerie and fascinating book.