Young Adult

Too proud to work fast food, two star basketball buddies, one black and the other white, wound a victim in a robbery to earn extra cash, then wait for the authorities to track them down. What is so interesting to teen readers is the different treatment the two boys receive, making this a great classroom fodder.

Arguably the best of the Sherlock Holmes stories, there is no denying that this is a classic mystery. When I say “classic” in reference to someone like Doyle, though, it is to acknowledge his genius. This is not one of the dry texts that usually pop up on required reading lists at middle schools. Kids that read Doyle’s books usually wind up becoming avid readers, as opposed to kids that are forced to read other dreary things. Do you think I was scarred by a traumatic reading experience in middle school? You betcha, and I did not regain the fun reading habit until I was a junior in college.

Beto says it’s art; the police say it’s graffiti. So when Beto moves to Utah and stumbles upon cave drawings, he is surprised to learn that ancient graffiti is considered art. It is up to Beto to protect the cave drawings from thieves in this intriguing beginning chapter book.

I’ve been on a roll lately, as it seems like every book I pick turns out to be amazing. Thus is the case with Angela Johnson’s riveting story of a 14-year-old girl who discovers her family is not exactly as it seems. Perfect book for discussing the differences in 21^st century families. Who’s to say what a family is supposed to look like? A book that will stick with you days later.

Wow! Yeah, this is the kind of book I would have liked to read when I was a teenage boy. Haugaard immerses the reader in 16^th century Japan. There, the young protagonist Taro (an orphan – of course!) serves the great warlord Takeda and avenges the death of his family. Boys can read this book faster than the Nestle Quik bunny downs a glass of chocolate milk.

For those who often complain of not enough stories with strong female protagonists, I give you Joan Aiken. She has the rare gift of creating tales that girls and boys can appreciate, and all of her books fly off bookcases once teachers and parents treat their children to this first tale of misery, suspense and adventure. A fantastic book.

Subtitled “The Mostly True Story of a Former Bully,” hip hop star 50 Cent’s debut young adult novel makes a great classroom discussion starter about the all-too-prevalent bullying that occurs in schools.

Very popular series with girls. Easy to read and entertaining…a great way to get a lot of disengaged girl readers excited about reading.

Subtitled “Poems of the Terezin Ghetto,” Janeczko – who has written all sorts of wonderful books for teachers to inspire a love of poetry in their students – creates moving first-person accounts of Jews incarcerated in the infamous Czech concentration camp for “artistic” Jews. Good poetry is meant to be read aloud, and this book is the impetus for wonderful classroom lessons about tolerance and humanity gone awry in world history.

A buddy just reminded me that I have never included any books about Sir Ernest Shackleton on the list, and I love the story of Shackleton and his men. This book can be read by all ages (in fact, it is written for adults, but teens just DEVOUR it), and it is a great companion with Alfred Lansing’s Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. Incredible true story of courage, perseverance and overcoming adversity.

Filled with enough romance, Fantasy and adventure, this book will appeal to both girls and boys.

Written in second person, Freewill (an interesting play on words) deals with the thoughts of “Will” as he tries to come to terms with the deaths of his father and stepmother. Definitely a page-turner that will provoke interesting class discussions.

Maybe it’s the winter cold or my yearning to get motivated for the new year – I just cannot seem to get enough stories about grueling Antarctic adventures. This book (which contains wonderful photographs from the expedition) chronicles the 1910 saga of the crew of the Terra Nova. The crew finds itself confronted with dangers like frostbite, scurvy and killer whales as it tries to collect the eggs of Emperor penguins.

Fascinating memoir of a Chicano ex-gang member from East Los Angeles. Makes for some great discussions with your boys.

A lot of people say this book is about clashes between traditional Chinese culture fitting into America, but I prefer to look at it as the story of a teenager and her Chinese grandmother getting to know and appreciate one another. This story transcends cultures.