Young Adult

Beautifully crafted story about a 12-year-old boy with autism who feels most at home communicating with others on an Internet writing site. When he makes friends with a girl online, he becomes terrified when his parents take him to a live conference of the site’s participants. All teens will relate to the social awkwardness, and this book does a superb job of taking readers through the autistic boy’s struggles with interpreting “simple” things like body language.

Part of the Amulet series, this book – more than any other – has sold me on my oldest daughter’s fascination with manga. The artwork is beautiful, and the fantasy will hook the most reluctant readers. Make sure to read all of them.

It was almost 100 years ago (March 25th, 1911) when one of the worst fire disasters in America’s history killed over a hundred female immigrant workers (many of them girls). This fictionalized account from the eyes of an 11-year-old Jewish girl working at the factory compliments the informational text above in humanizing for students an American tragedy.

I am a sucker for biographies and anecdotes about famous people, and this book is loaded with interesting tales chronicling famous women from Joan of Arc to Mother Teresa. And don’t worry: they have a boys version called Boys Who Rocked the World.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley debuted only a couple of years ago, and already she has a loyal national following of adult readers. This is the second (and shorter) book in a young adult series she has aimed at teenage girls. I know the middle school girls who I work with absolutely love Tate Billingsley’s books, and I believe she is an author deserving of your attention.

It is rare that I come across teen literature that can be self-deprecating and funny in an endearing way. Teens will love this book for its quirkiness and ample array of photos, courtesy of the Internet sensation authors.

If you really want to introduce your teens to the perfect Western, there is no finer example (in my humble opinion) than Shane. I used to use this book with my ESL students, as the language is simple, the writing is beautiful and the story has every element of a good Western (bad cattle rancher picking on the helpless farmers when a stranger with a white hat rides in from out of town and becomes the idol of a farm boy…yada, yada, yada). After you read the book, watch the terrific film with Alan Ladd. Ah, this is as good as it gets, as American as apple pie.

My Uncle Bob reminded me to include this classic Kipling tale about a spoiled brat who loses everything before understanding not to take life for granted. In many ways this tale reads like an alternative series of events to Kipling’s fantastic The Jungle Book. We sure are lucky to have had a writer like Rudyard Kipling (I can read anything he wrote).

Historical fiction set in the Civil War that follows Sarah, a young woman who escapes her New York family’s matchmaking scheme to work at Mt. Vernon in Virginia. There, the Civil War is in full swing, and Sarah learns a lot about the treacheries of war and the goodness of all people. This one surprised the heck out of me, as I thought it was fantastic.

You now all know that I am a sap. I loved this story so much as a kid that after I saw the Disney movie, I actually wanted to read the book (this was simply unheard of when I was a young lad). One of the greatest stories of friendship and perseverance ever written (in my humble opinion).

Subtitled “Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latinos in the United States,” this fantastic poetry collection includes samples from all the big-name Latino authors, from Sandra Cisneros to Gary Soto. A good middle school or high school teacher could use this book for a couple of months to inspire teenagers to write. A real value.

No, this author has an “s” on the end of his name, and his series of books bear little resemblance to anything you’d ever see in Mayberry. I find that this author has a way of making teenage boys want to read, and I will always recommend an author who motivates reluctant readers. Parents beware, as his silly tales can sometimes be a bit “raunchy.”

Moving book about trying to overcome the stigma of mental illness. Told from the point of view of a 13-year-old girl as she tries to come to terms with her older sister’s manic depression. This should be required reading.

One of the simplest pieces of advice I can give all teachers and parents to helping children become better readers is to utilize poetry. This sequel to Koertge’s Shakespeare Bats Cleanup follows two teens who connect through their poetry. One of the best parts of this book is the number of different types of poetry students discover.

A wonderful piece of historical fiction that teachers can use to introduce students to the Civil Rights Movement. Makes a great read aloud.