Young Adult

What a wonderful book with quirky characters. Your students will breeze through this set of tales from a small island town in Maine. A great read aloud for all ages, as the book reminds me a lot of Tom Bodett’s End of the Road. Glin Dibley’s illustrations are an added treat, the way Quentin Blake’s drawings add to Roald Dahl’s books.

A stirring look at racism in a 1920s Vermont town, written entirely in verse. Many thanks to Tacy Trowbridge for the recommendation.

I very rarely use the word “poignant,” but I think that is the best description of this important inner-city tale. True, I used to teach in inner-city Los Angeles, so I found the book particularly powerful for my “peeps” (translation: my “people”). Woods is such a wonderful storyteller, though, that I think it would be pretty difficult for anyone to finish this book with dry eyes.

One of the most popular books read by middle school girls in the schools I speak at. Why? They relate to the two young girls in the book and empathize with the struggles of the main character, a recent West Indian immigrant to Harlem named Phyllisia.

True story of the Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre of 1871, this compelling and quick read follows 12-year-old Ming and his family as they deal with this shameful incident in American history. Be sure to get plenty of Angie Ma Wong’s books in your library, as she writes stories that delight audiences of all ages.

Miles Halter lives a dull teenage life until coming to an Alabama boarding school and meeting the girl of his dreams. She and his roommate introduce Miles to a world of mischief and meaning that makes for a story that all students can easily relate to and discuss.

I am sort of irked by the popularity of vampire literature, as it is severely over-represented on bookshelves. That said, I find that if I want to relate to middle schoolers, I need to read what they read. I found myself actually enjoying the vampires in this story. What I like about Robar’s writing is she is very funny, and I hope she writes outside the vampire genre (I’d like to read more of her work).

Let’s face it: every teenager is messed up. That’s a fact. The world collapses for every teenager, regardless of the degree of seriousness. Popularity contests, bulimia – this book has everything your middle school girls will love to talk about in literature circles.

I was saddened to recently hear of Sutcliff’s passing, as she was a master of bringing alive Greek mythology in ways that students could easily comprehend and enjoy. She was a highly gifted storyteller.

When the face of a missing child on a milk carton begins to bring back memories, 15-year-old Jane begins to question if her loving parents are truly hers. An older book (it’s about 15 years old), but a real page-turner.

Order multiple copies of this one (written in verse), as your girls will love this cautionary tale that all teenagers (and their parents and teachers) need to read.

Picked this book up because of its clever play on “Khan Academy,” and I wound up breezing through this very funny book about a teenage con artist navigating his way through prep school. Very entertaining.

“Haunting” is the best way to describe this extraordinary book that asks, “How can a bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing?” Adults should enjoy this tale just as much as young adults. Many thanks to Cynthia McDermott for introducing me to this pick.

Subtitled “The Ultimate 24/7 Guide to Surviving the High School Years,” this book is the perfect gift for the child who is preparing to enter high school (or even, I daresay, middle school). The book is filled with practical advice from real-life teens, checklists and interesting tidbits from the authors, who I understand are quite good speakers (I have not had the opportunity to see them yet).

When I was a teenager one of the few authors I devoured was Robert Louis Stevenson. Lawrence’s High Seas Trilogy captures the time period perfectly, and I have observed a number of reluctant readers who complained when they finished all three books in this series. These are keepers.