Suggested Reading
Set in a dystopian society, three kids are on the run
from a society who “unwinds” or harvests body
parts of unwanted adolescents. Told from the
viewpoint of three teens on the run for their lives,
this story brings to discussion the issues of rights to
life. In Unwind author Neal Shusterman skillfully
crafts a thrilling story that asks readers to think
about social issues. Intense, fast paced, and
methodical, this book is a perfect read for reluctant
readers and teens interested in futuristic societies.
Recommended for ages 14-18, the book is the first
of four books in the Unwind Dystology. (Simon and
Best friends Chris and Win celebrate senior
Schuster, 2009. ISBN: 9781416912057)
graduation by taking a cross country bicycle trek
9781416912057)Buy from Amazon »
from West Virginia to Washington, but Win
never makes it. The FBI investigates Chris to
piece together the mystery of his friend’s
disappearance. Alternating chapters from present
day to the friends’ road trip slowly reveals clues
about the nature of the boys’ friendship, and the
mystery surrounding Win’s disappearance. The
author of Shift is Jennifer
Bradbury. Recommended for ages 14Fifteen year old Benny is angry. His parents are
18. (Atheneum, 2008. ISBN: 9781416947325) Buy
dead, his brother is a zombie hunter, and now
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Benny must find a job in order to keep his food
rations. Patrolling the borders of “Rot and Ruin”
is not what Benny wants to do, but it will keep
food in his belly and help him understand the
decisions his brother made the night zombies
invaded their home. Although this novel by
Jonathan Maberry is full of gruesome zombie
violence, the underlying coming of age story is
what readers will remember. Recommended
for ages 14-18. (Simon and Schuster, 2010.
ISBN: 9781442402324) Buy from Amazon »
Alex Rider is about to discover that all is not what it
seems when he learns that his guardian uncle was not a
bank president, but a spy for the British
government. Determined to find his uncle’s murderer and
forced by British Intelligence to take over his uncle’s
mission, the teen begins to search for clues to find the
killer. With all the gadgetry and ammunition of a James
Bond novel, this first book in the Alex Rider series by
Anthony Horowitz is a sure hit for teens looking for high
tech spy adventure. Recommended for ages 12-14. (Puffin,
Thomas Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, is
2004. ISBN: 9780142401651) Buy from Amazon »
apprenticed to Old Gregory the local spook whose
job is to ride local villages of their ghosts, ghouls,
and witches. While learning the trade, Thom makes
friends with Alice, a witch, who aides him in his
many encounters with haunting creatures. Basing his
books on the legendary stories surrounding his
English home, author Joseph Delaney has created a
long running and popular series for teens who are
fans of ghost stories. Recommended for ages 12-18.
(Greenwillow, 2005. ISBN: 9780060766184) Buy from
Amazon »
This multiple award winning book by Nancy Farmer takes
a futuristic look at a society who believes in cloning.
Matt, a clone of the powerful 140 year old drug lord El
Patron, is kept isolated from other members of his
household and is both despised and feared by those
around him. When Matt learns that his sole purpose is
to provide El Patron with organs to help him live longer,
he seeks the help of a good friend to help his escape.
Written for mature teen readers, this book will raise
questions about the value of life, individual freedom, and
the ethics of cloning. Recommended for ages 12-18.
(Atheneum, 2004. ISBN: 9780689852237) Buy from
Amazon »
For all his life fifteen year old Hallie Sveinsson has heard
the legendary stories of heroes. But Hallie is short, round
and an unlikely candidate for the stuff of legends.
Instead, Hallie is a prankster, and one day a harmless
prank sets into motion a chain of events that leads to his
uncle’s murder. Setting out on a quest to avenge the
murder, Hallie and learns what it means to be a true
hero. This epic stand alone fantasy set in medieval times
is a rich tale about separating truth from
fiction. Jonathan Stroud is the author of Heroes of the
Valley. Recommended for ages 12-18. (Hyperion, 2009.
ISBN: 9781423109662) Buy from Amazon »
This New York Times bestselling novel and
National Book Award nominee from acclaimed
author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of
Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile
detention and on trial. Presented as a
screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and
peppered with journal entries, the book shows
how one single decision can change our whole
lives. Buy from Amazon
Andy Jackson was driving the car that
crashed one night after a game, killing
Robert Washington, his best friend and
the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers.
It was late, and they'd been drinking, and
now, months later, Andy can't stop
blaming himself. As he turns away from
family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he
finds he's losing the most precious thing of
all -- his ability to face the future.
Buy from Amazon
Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the
other kids in her class. If they're not getting at her
about her homemade clothes or her good grades,
it's about her dark, black skin. When a new
teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling
white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can
see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But
the new teacher's attitude surprises Maleeka.
Miss Saunders loves the skin she's in. Can
Maleeka learn to do the same? Buy from Amazon
Jamie Sullilvan is a nice, religious girl whose Baptist
minister father makes sure that she keeps away
from trouble. When Landon, a local troublemaker,
reluctantly asks her to a dance, he finds there’s
more to Jamie than he realized. Set in 1950s North
Carolina this thoughtful book about first love will
be hard to put down. Nicholas Sparks is the author
of A Walk to Remember. Recommended for ages
12-18. (Grand Central Pub, 2000. ISBN:
9780446608954) Buy from Amazon »
Living in France for your senior year should be
wonderful, right? Anna Oliphant is anything but
happy when her father ruins her senior year by
forcing her to spend it at an elite French
academy. Although she doesn’t speak the
language and the cutest guy is already taken,
love and adventure await for her in the City of
Lights. Stephanie Perkins is the author of Anna
and the French Kiss. Recommended for ages 1418. (Dutton Juvenile, 2010. ISBN: 9780525423270)
Buy from Amazon »
After a tragic car accident kills her family and leaves
her hovering between life and death, seventeen year
old Mia must make a choice. Should she stay and
continue in this world as a gifted cellist bound for
Julliard without her family, or should she allow herself
to die. Her quiet observations of her past and present
give meaning to what is most valuable about life. If I
Stay is by Gayle Forman. Recommended for ages 1418. (Speak, 2010. ISBN: 9780142415436) Buy from
Amazon »
Macy Queen believes that keeping her life organized
and predictable will help her deal with the loss of her
father. However, when her safe boyfriend breaks up
with her, she decides to start taking chances
beginning with an impulsive decision to get a summer
job with a small catering company. With a cast of
quirky and endearing characters, popular
contemporary teen writer Sarah Dessen delivers a
winning story about love and the power to
heal. Recommended for ages 14-18. (Viking
Children’s Books, 2004. ISBN: 9780670036394) Buy
from Amazon »
Brandi, Marissa, and Shane are excited to begin
their freshman year at Port City High, but find their
friendship tested by Shane’s drug addiction and
Marissa’s relationship with Brandi’s ex. Buy from
Amazon
Two fifteen-year-old girls–one a slave and the other an
indentured servant–escape their Carolina plantation and
try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish
colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
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At fourteen, Marley knows she has Momma’s hands and
Pops’s love for ice cream, that her brother doesn’t get on
her nerves too much, and that Uncle Jack is a big
mystery. But Marley doesn’t know all she thinks she does,
because she doesn’t know the truth. And when the truth
comes down with the rain one stormy summer afternoon,
it changes everything. It turns Momma and Pops into
liars. It makes her brother a stranger and Uncle Jack an
even bigger mystery. All of a sudden, Marley doesn’t
know who she is anymore and can only turn to the family
she no longer trusts to find out. Buy from Amazon
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson
always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems,
she shares what it was like to grow up as an African
American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the
remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of
the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful,
each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged,
each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches
for her place in the world. Woodson’s poetry also
reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing
stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading
as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed
with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she
was to become.
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