1/2013
Franklin High School Library Media Center
Teen Issues in Fiction
All of these books are in The Alcove and are shelved alphabetically by the author’s last name.
Alcoholism | Body Image | Bullying | Death of a Loved One | Divorce | Drugs | Gangs | Homosexuality
Mental Illness | Rape | Suicide | Teen Sex & Pregnancy | Violence & Crime
Alcoholism
Barnes, John. Tales of the Madman Underground.
Karl Shoemaker, starting his senior year in Lightsburg, Ohio, in 1973, vows to break out of the therapy group he has
been forced to attend during school hours and become "normal."
Bauer, Cat. Harley, Like a Person.
Fourteen-year-old Harley, an artistic teenager living with her alcoholic father and angry mother, suspects that she is
adopted and begins a search for her biological parents.
Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road.
Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to
Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a
saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
Bo, Ben. Skullcrack.
Jonah, a troubled boy who escapes from his dreary life with an alcoholic father by surfing on the coast of Ireland,
discovers that he has a twin sister with whom he has an unusual mental link.
Brooks, Bruce. No Kidding.
In his twenty-first century society, 14-year-old Sam is allowed to decide the fate of his family after his mother is
released from an alcohol rehabilitation center.
Brooks, Kevin. Martyn Pig.
Martyn Pig's life goes from bad to worse when he accidentally kills his father, and he must choose whether to tell the
police the truth about what happened and be suspected of murder, or he can get rid of the body and pretend nothing
ever happened.
Coburn, LoveSick
After an accident seems to end his college and athletic dreams, Ted is offered a second chance at school if he agrees
to spy on a classmate and help her father monitor her bulimia.
Cormier, Robert. We All Fall Down. As The Avenger searches for the teenage boys who trashed a house in his
neighborhood, Buddy, one of the trashers, increases his drinking in order to cope with his parents’ separation and his
obsession with the daughter of the owners of the vandalized house.
Crist-Evans, Craig. Amaryllis. Jimmy is trying to sort out the familial relationships in his life. His dad, when
drinking—which seems to be always, is mean, angry, and dictatorial. His mom avoids life, concentrating on her
“moon tan.” Frank, his much-admired older brother, reveals through his letters that he is losing his soul in the jungles
of Vietnam. And Jimmy? He just wants to know who he is.
Deaver, Julie Reece. Chicago Blues.
Lissa, a 17-year-old art student living on her own in Chicago, must raise her 11-year-old sister when their alcoholic
mother becomes incapable of caring for her.
Dueker, Carl. Runner.
Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on 17-year-old Chance
Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the
risk.
Hopkins, Ellen. Burned.
Seventeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the
summer where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose
everything when she returns home.
Johnson, Maureen. The Key to the Golden Firebird.
As three teenaged sisters struggle to cope with their father's sudden death, they find they must reexamine friendships,
lifelong dreams, and their relationships with each other and their father.
Keizer, Garret. God of Beer.
To complete a class assignment at his high school in rural Vermont, Kyle and his friends Quake and Diana do a
social protest project involving alcohol.
Martinez, Victor. Parrot in the Oven: My Vida.
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the
alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle.
Moore, Peter. Blind Sighted.
Kirk, a creative misfit who is in trouble in high school because he is bored with his classes, learns to deal with his
alcoholic mother, new friends, and life with the help of a young blind woman who hires him to read to her.
Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable.
High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to
comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.
Quarles, Heather. A Door Near Here.
Four siblings struggle to maintain a semi-normal home life when their single mother’s alcoholism becomes
debilitating.
Rottman. S. L. Stetson. Stetson, 17 and on the verge of being thrown out of school, has two dreams: one to graduate,
which no one else in his family has; and two, to finish fixing up his car, which he keeps padlocked in a shed. Stet’s
only friend is the owner of the salvage yard where he works and has worked since he was eight. Just when Stet
thinks that things might work out, he discovers that he has a younger sister, his dad might lose his job, and that Jason
is very, very sick.
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys.
Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay
rights advocate, struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings about each other.
Scott, Elizabeth. Love You Hate You Miss You.
After coming out of alcohol rehabilitation, 16-year-old Amy sorts out conflicting emotions about her best friend
Julia's death in a car accident for which she feels responsible.
Vrettos, Adrienne Maria. Burnout.
Nan struggles to recollect her memories from the past 24 hours after she wakes up in a subway car wearing skeleton
makeup and a too-small Halloween costume, but her efforts cause her to recall memories from her previous life,
which was filled with danger and fueled by alcohol.
Body Image
Bennett, Cherie. Life in the Fat Lane.
Sixteen-year-old Lara, winner of beauty pageants and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she
starts gaining weight and becomes overweight.
Brooks, Kevin. Kissing the Rain.
Fifteen-year-old Moo Nelson, shy, overweight, and bullied by his classmates, finds his life spinning out of control
after he witnesses a car chase and a fight that results in a murder.
Robin Friedman. Nothing.
Despite his outward image of popular, attractive high-achiever bound for the Ivy League college of his father's
dreams, high school senior Parker sees himself as a fat, unattractive failure and finds relief for his overwhelming
anxieties in ever-increasing bouts of binging and purging.
Friend, Natasha. Perfect.
Following the death of her father, a 13-year-old uses bulimia as a way to avoid her mother's and ten-year-old sister's
grief, as well as her own.
George, Madeleine. Looks.
Two high school girls, one an anorexic poet and the other an obese loner, form an unlikely friendship.
Going, Kelly. Fat Kid Rules the World.
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly 300 pounds, gets a new perspective on life when
Curt, a semi-homeless teen who is a genius on guitar, asks Troy to be the drummer in a rock band.
Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.
During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, 13-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a
sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world.
Levencron, Steven. The Best Little Girl in the Wo rld.
After being a model daughter all her life, 15-year-old Francesca suddenly begins to starve herself and is diagnosed as
suffering from a psychological disorder known as anorexia nervosa.
Nolan, Han. Pregnant Pause.
Married, pregnant, and living at a "fat camp" in Maine, 16-year-old Eleanor has many questions about her future,
especially whether the marriage will last and if she should keep the baby.
Peters, Julie Anne. By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead.
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once
attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her
out.
Potter, Ellen. Slob.
Picked on, overweight genius Owen tries to invent a television that can see the past to find out what happened the
day his parents were killed.
Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now.
To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, 15-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her
aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating
the land.
Sakar, Donna. Shrink to Fit.
Basketball star Leah Mandeville thought losing weight would solve all her problems on the court and in the game of
love, but even though she is getting thinner, her troubles seem to be getting bigger.
Soto, Gary. Accidental Love.
After unexpectedly falling in love with a "nerdy" boy, 14-year-old Marisa works to change her life by transferring to
another school, altering some of her behavior, and losing weight.
Bullying
Anderson, M. T. Burger Wuss.
Hoping to lose his loser image, Anthony plans revenge on a bully which results in a war between two competing fast
food restaurants, Burger Queen and O'Dermott's.
Brooks, Kevin. Kissing the Rain.
Fifteen-year-old Moo Nelson, shy, overweight, and bullied by his classmates, finds his life spinning out of control
after he witnesses a car chase and a fight that results in a murder.
Evangelista, Beth. Gifted.
Arrogant, mentally gifted George Clark has dreaded the eighth-grade class camping trip and its inevitable bullying,
but a hurricane and a friend's loyalty make him realize what is important in life.
Geus, Mireille. Piggy.
Lizzie struggles to overcome the closed, internal world of autism when a new girl moves into her neighborhood,
befriends her, then insists that Lizzie join her in seeking revenge on the boys who tease them.
Greene, Janice. Fat Boy.
The victims at Carmichael High decide it is time to put a stop to the bullying and join forces against their
tormentors.
Harmon, Michael. Brutal.
Forced to leave Los Angeles for life in a quiet California wine town with a father she has never known, rebellious
sixteen-year-old Poe Holly rails against a high school system that allows elite students special privileges and
tolerates bullying of those who are different.
King, A. S. Everybody Sees the Ants.
Overburdened by his parents' bickering and a bully's attacks, 15-year-old Lucky Linderman begins dreaming of
being with his grandfather, who went missing during the Vietnam War, but during a visit to Arizona, his aunt and
uncle and their beautiful neighbor, Ginny, help him find a new perspective.
King, Stephen. Carrie.
Presents the unnerving story of a terribly ostracized young girl with supernatural powers of telekinesis.
Koss, Amy Goldman. Poison Ivy.
In a government class three popular girls undergo a mock trial for their ruthless bullying of a classmate.
Kropp, Paul. Scarface.
After seeking a better life outside the refugee camps in Cambodia, Tranh tries to start a new life at his new school in
Canada, but when Martin Beamis starts bullying him, Tranh wonders how better off he really is.
Love, D. Anne. Defying the Diva.
During Haley's freshman year of high school, a campaign of gossip and bullying causes her to be socially ostracized,
but after spending the summer living with her aunt, working at a resort, making new friends, and dating a hunky
lifeguard, she learns how to stand up for herself and begins to trust again.
Marino, Pete. Dough Boy.
Fifteen-year-old Tristan deals with intensified criticism about his weight when the nutrition-obsessed daughter of his
mother's boyfriend, Frank, moves in.
Myers, Anna. Confessions from the Principal’s Chair.
After participating in a cruel prank on a classmate, 14-year-old Robin and her mother move to Oklahoma, where
Robin is mistaken for the substitute principal and receives a new perspective on bullying.
Myers, Walter Dean. Shooter.
Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic
school shooting.
Peters, Julie Anne. By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead.
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once
attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her
out.
Phillips, Suzanne. Burn.
Bullied constantly during his freshman year in high school, Cameron's anger and isolation grows, leading to deadly
consequences.
Pignat, Caroline. Egghead.
Three teens, classic nerd Will Reid, his childhood friend Katie, and Devan, a member of the bully Shane's posse,
struggle to redefine themselves and their life choices as they move into high school.
Pixley, Marcella. Freak.
Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school,
and she eventually explodes in response to their bullying, revealing an inner strength she did not know she had.
Prue, Sally. Playing with Fire.
When he finds a strange weathered stone on the beach, 13-year-old Steve decides to pretend that it has mysterious
powers that can protect him from bullying and can help him impress the gang he wants to join.
Schmatz, Pat. Mousetraps.
When Maxie's best friend from elementary school returns years later after a horrible act of violence against him,
Maxie feels guilty about how she treated him and conflicted over whether or not she wants to befriend him again.
Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are.
Regina, a high school senior in the popular--and feared--crowd, suddenly falls out of favor and becomes the object
of the same sort of vicious bullying that she used to inflict on others, until she finds solace with one of her former
victims.
Williams-Garcia, Rita. Jumped.
The lives of Leticia, Dominique, and Trina are irrevocably intertwined through the course of one day in an urban
high school after Leticia overhears Dominique's plans to beat up Trina and must decide whether or not to get
involved.
Death of Loved One
Abelove, Joan. Saying It Out Loud.
With the help of her best friend, 16-year-old Mindy sorts through her relationships with her solicitous mother and her
detached father as she tries to come to terms with the fact that her mother is dying from a brain tumor.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Catalyst.
Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher's daughter, finds herself losing control in her
senior year as she faces difficult neighbors, the possibility that she may not be accepted by the college of her choice,
and an unexpected death.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls.
Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same
disorder.
Applegate, Katherine. Sharing Sam.
When Sam asks Alison to the Valentine's Dance she is elated, until she finds out that her best friend Isabella also
likes Sam and Izzy only has three months to live.
Brooks, Bruce. All That Remains.
Three stories tell about young people who are doing their best to handle the loss of a loved one.
Coman, Carolyn. Many Stones.
After her sister Laura is murdered in South Africa, Berry and her estranged father travel there to participate in the
dedication of a memorial in her name.
Coman, Carolyn. Tell Me Everything.
After her mother dies in a rescue mission on a snowy mountain, twelve-year-old Roz wonders if talking to God, and
to the boy for whom her mother died, can help her understand what happened.
Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs.
Still troubled by his older brother’s violent suicide, 18-year-old Dillon becomes deeply involved in t he terrible secret
of his friend, Jennifer, who feels she can tell no one what her stepfather is doing to her.
Delacre, Lulu. Alicia Afterimage.
Explores the life of Alicia, a popular 16-year-old, in the aftermath of a fatal car crash, as her friends, family
members, and others recall key episodes that show her impact on their lives. Includes author's note about the real
Alicia and how she inspired the book, as well as resources on teen grief.
Deriso, Christine Hurley. Then I Met My Sister.
Summer Stetson feels overshadowed by her dead sister, Shannon, but a secret birthday gift from her aunt reveals
Shannon's diary and Summer uses this gift to gain a better understanding of her sister and their family.
Forman, Gayle. If I Stay.
While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, 17-year-old Mia, a
gifted cellist, weights whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.
Friend, Natasha. Perfect.
Following the death of her father, a 13-year-old uses bulimia as a way to avoid her mother's and ten-year-old sister's
grief, as well as her own.
Grant, Cynthia D. Phoenix Rising, or, How to Survive Your Life.
Helen's death at 18 from cancer shatters the lives of her parents and siblings, especially younger sister Jessie who
tries to cope with her feelings of pain and confusion by reading pages from Helen's diary.
Green John. Looking for Alaska.
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great
pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.
Griffin, Adele. Where I Want to Be.
Two teenaged sisters, separated by death but still connected, work through their feelings of loss over the closeness
they shared as children that was later destroyed by one's mental illness, and finally make peace with each other.
Guest, Judith. Ordinary People.
When his older brother drowns in a boating accident, 17-year-old Conrad Jarrett feels responsible and makes an
unsuccessful attempt at suicide. After eight months in a mental institution, Conrad returns home to parents whose
marriage is crumbling, friends who are wary of him, and a psychiatrist who works with him to help put the pieces
together.
Haas, Jessie. Unbroken.
Following her mother's death in the early 1900s, 13-year-old Harry lives on Aunt Sarah's farm where an accident
with her spirited colt leaves her a changed young woman.
Holubitsky, Katherine. Alone at 90 Foot.
Fourteen-year-old Pamela Collins struggles to come to terms with her mother's death.
Hurwin, Davida Wills. A Time for Dancing.
Seventeen-year-old best friends Samantha and Juliana tell their stories in alternating chapters after Juliana is
diagnosed with cancer.
Koertge, Ron. Deadville.
While visiting an injured classmate in the hospital, 16-year-old Ryan, who is trying to come to terms with his sister's
death from cancer, meets a young patient who claims to be able to see into the world where the dead live.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Ring of Endless Light.
During the summer her grandfather is dying of leukemia and death seems all around, 15-year-old Vicky finds
comfort with the pod of dolphins with which she has been doing research.
Lion, Melissa. Swollen.
Unhappy San Diego teenager Samantha Pallas, a passionate runner who holds back during races, lives with her
philandering father and his pregnant girlfriend, and searches for love in casual sex on the beach, seeks validation in a
relationship with Farouk, a sophisticated new boy from Iran, while her school mourns the death of Owen, the popular
star of the track team.
Lowry, Lois. A Summer to Die.
Thirteen-year-old Meg envies her sister's beauty and popularity. Her feelings don't make it any easier for her to cope
with Molly's strange illness and eventual death.
Lynch, Chris. Freewill.
A teenager trying to recover from the tragic death of his father and stepmother believes himself to be responsible for
the rash of teen suicides occurring in his town.
Mason, Bobbie Ann. In Country.
Sam, 17, is obsessed with the Vietnam War and the effect it has had on her life - losing a father she never knew and
now living with Uncle Emmett, who seems to be suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. In her own forthright
way, she tries to sort out why and how Vietnam has altered the lives of the vets of Hopewell, Kentucky.
McDaniel, Lurlene. The Girl Death Left Behind.
Numb with grief when an accident kills her entire family, fourteen-year-old Beth suddenly finds herself living with
her spoiled cousin Terri and trying to make friends at a new school.
McGhee, Alison. All Rivers Flow to the Sea.
After a car accident in the Adirondacks leaves her older sister Ivy brain-dead, 17-year-old Rose struggles with her
grief and guilt as she slowly learns to let her sister go.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia.
The life of a 10-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently
meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
Oates, Joyce Carol. After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away.
Blaming herself for the car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge that killed her mother, 15-year-old Jenna undergoes a
difficult physical and emotional recovery.
Rapp, Adam. Punkzilla.
A runaway teenager, having overcome his addiction to meth, travels across the country from Portland to Memphis in
order to reconnect with his dying brother and meets a colorful cast of characters along the way.
Scott, Elizabeth. Love You Hate You Miss You.
After coming out of alcohol rehabilitation, 16-year-old Amy sorts out conflicting emotions about her best friend
Julia's death in a car accident for which she feels responsible.
Smith, Andrew. Ghost Medicine.
Still mourning the recent death of his mother, seventeen-year-old Troy Stotts relates the events of the previous year
when he and his two closest friends try to retaliate against the sheriff's son, who has been bullying them for years.
Spencer, Katherine. Saving Grace.
After her brother's death, Grace has difficulty finding meaning in her life and begins to get into various kinds of
trouble, until a mysterious new girl at school helps her find her way back to family, old friends, and even God.
Willey, Margaret. Facing the Music.
Through her love of music and membership in her brother's band, 16-year-old Lisa learns to deal with her feelings of
abandonment following her mother's death.
See also: Suicide
Divorce
Avi. Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name.
Thirteen-year-old Conrad decides to pay a surprise visit to his divorced parents in New York and comes face to face
with bitter reality. The friendship of an emotionally troubled girl helps to sustain him through the crisis.
Cooney, Carolyn. Tune In Anytime.
When Sophie’s father suddenly decides to divorce Sophie’s mother and marry her sister Marley’s college roommate,
Sophie feels like she is trapped in an endless soap opera.
Cooney, Caroline. A Friend at Midnight.
After rescuing her younger brother abandoned at a busy airport by their divorced father, fifteen-year-old Lily finds
her faith in God sorely tested as she struggles to rescue herself from the bitterness and anger she feels.
Dessen, Sarah. Along for the Ride.
Auden gets a chance to recapture the carefree teen life she missed while her parents were going through a divorce
when she goes to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town and meets fellow
insomniac Eli, an intriguing loner fighting demons of his own.
Deuker, Carl. Night Hoops.
While trying to prove that he is good enough to play on his high school varsity’s basketball team, Nick must also
deal with his parents’ divorce and the erratic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.
Garfinkle. Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl.
Fourteen-year-old high school student Michael "Storky" Pomerantz's journal describes his freshman year, from
dealing with his mother's dating his dentist to attempting to win the heart of the girl he loves.
King, Stephen. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland, lost in the woods after she wanders off to escape the bickering between her mom
and her brother, boosts her courage by imagining that her hero, Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tom Gordon, is with
her, helping her survive an unknown enemy.
Koontz, Dean. Voice of the Night.
After his parent's divorce, 14-year-old Collin makes friends with Roy in the new town where he moves. But Roy
takes pleasure in torturing animals and soon Collin finds that Roy has hurt his former friends. No one will believe
him that he is not safe with Roy.
Korman, Gordon. Pop.
Lonely after a midsummer move to a new town, 16-year-old high-school quarterback Marcus Jordan becomes
friends with a retired professional linebacker who is great at training him, but whose childish behavior keeps Marcus
in hot water.
Marino, Peter. Dough Boy.
Fifteen-year-old Tristan deals with intensified criticism about his weight when the nutrition-obsessed daughter of his
mother's boyfriend, Frank, moves in.
Quarles, Heather. A Door Near Here.
Four siblings struggle to maintain a semi-normal home life when their single mother’s alcoholism becomes
debilitating.
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet.
After a plane crash, 13-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid
of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Peck, Richard. An Unfinished Portrait of Jessica.
A trip to Mexico to visit the divorced vagabond father whom she idolizes cures Jessica of certain illusions and helps
her reconstruct her relationship with her mother.
Thomas, Rob. Rats Saw God.
In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a 100-page writing assignment, which helps him to sort out
his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from a promising student to
troubled teen.
Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love.
After starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents’ divorce,
16-year-old John meets an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality.
Drugs
Brooks, Kevin. Candy.
Joe is a clean-cut English teen who falls for Candy, a troubled, addicted teen, and Joe risks everything to help her.
Childress, Alice. A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich.
At the age of 13 Benjie Johnson is hooked on "horse." He believes that he can break the habit whenever he is ready.
When two of Benjie's teachers realize that he is on drugs, they report him to the school principal. Then begins his
seesaw battle to break his addiction.
Coy, John. Crackback.
Miles barely recalls when football was fun after being sidelined by a new coach, constantly criticized by his father,
and pressured by his best friend to take performance-enhancing drugs.
De la Cruz, Mellissa. Angels on Sunset Boulevard.
When the people closest to them start to disappear, Taj and Nick hit the streets of Los Angeles looking for a way to
reach the lost souls of their friends that have been "tapped" by The Angels Practice, a World Wide Web-based
movement that connects young people and makes them feel good with no apparent consequences.
Dean, Zoey. Girls on Film.
Her sister Susan's arrival in Beverly Hills further complicates Anna's life, with Ben still mooning over her, Adam
wanting more than friendship, an internship in her father's girlfriend's new company, and a class project that brings
her in close contact with Sam, Cassie, and Dee.
Douglas, Lola. Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.
Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to a small midwestern town to recuperate anonymously after an overdose
and rehabilitation, recording her thoughts in a diary.
Glovach, Linda, Beauty Queen.
In attempt to leave behind her unhappy home life, Sam becomes a dancer and a heroin addict.
Go Ask Alice. (Anonymous)
Based on an actual diary, this is the story of a 15-year-old, white, middle-class girl unsuspectingly introduced to
LSD who immediately becomes an avid user of any drug available.
Going, K. L. Saint Iggy.
Iggy Corso, who lives in city public housing, is caught physically and spiritually between good and bad when he is
kicked out of high school, goes searching for his missing mother, and causes his friend to get involved with the same
dangerous drug dealer who deals to his parents.
Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World.
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly three hundred pounds, gets a new perspective on
life when Curt, a semi-homeless teen who is a genius on guitar, asks Troy to be the drummer in a rock band.
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank.
Kristina Georgia Snow's life is turned upside-down, when she visits her absentee father, gets turned on to the drug
"crank", becomes addicted, and is led down a desperate path that threatens her mind, soul, and her life.
Hopkins, Ellen. Fallout.
Written in free verse, explores how three teenagers try to cope with the consequences of their mother's addiction to
crystal meth and its effects on their lives.
Hopkins, Ellen. Glass.
Kristina is determined to break her addiction to drugs in order to keep her newborn child; but when she fails and the
pull becomes too strong, her greatest fears are quickly realized.
Kern, Peggy. No Way Out.
Afraid of being taken from his grandmother and placed in a foster home, Harold Davis, a Bluford High freshman,
begins to work for the neighborhood drug dealer, Londell James, but Harold's choice leads him to world more
dangerous than he could have imagined.
Koertge, Ron. Stoner & Spaz.
A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a drug-addicted young
woman.
Kuehnert, Stephanie. Ballads of Suburbia.
An aspiring film writer tells about her troubled teen years in the Chicago suburbs when she and her friends tried to
escape the pain of their lives through rock music and drugs.
Myers, Walter Dean. Motown and Didi.
Mowtown and Didi, two teenage loners in Harlem, become allies in a fight against Touchy, the drug dealer whose
dope is destroying Didi's brother, and they find themselves in love with each other.
Oates, Joyce Carol. After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away.
Blaming herself for the car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge that killed her mother, 15-year-old Jenna undergoes a
difficult physical and emotional recovery.
Rapp, Adam. Punkzilla.
A runaway teenager, having overcome his addiction to meth, travels across the country from Portland to Memphis in
order to reconnect with his dying brother and meets a colorful cast of characters along the way.
Tharpe, Tim. The Spectacular Now.
In the last months of high school, charismatic eighteen-year-old Sutter Keely lives in the present, staying drunk or
high most of the time, but that could change when he starts working to boost the self-confidence of a classmate,
Aimee
Van Diepen, Allison. Street Pharm.
Seventeen-year-old African-American drug dealer, Ty Johnson, takes over his father's business and struggles to
make sense of his life when competition from out of town threatens him and those who are close to him.
Vrettos, Adrienne Maria. Burnout.
Nan struggles to recollect her memories from the past 24 hours after she wakes up in a subway car wearing skeleton
makeup and a too-small Halloween costume, but her efforts cause her to recall memories from her previous life,
which was filled with danger and fueled by alcohol.
Gangs
Ashley, Bernard. Little Soldier.
Taken from Africa to a foster home in London after his family is killed by an enemy tribe, Kaninda discovers the
meaning of hate and the value of not hating.
Cross, Gillian. Tightrope.
When she begins receiving bizarre threatening messages from someone who seems to know her every move, teenage
Ashley, after seeking help from the neighborhood tough guy, comes to realize that she alone can end the stalker's
reign of terror.
Draper, Sharon M. Romiette and Julio.
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after
falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders.
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the
conflicting values of their adolescent society
Mowry, Jess. Way Past Cool.
Young gang members are living on the edge in Oakland as they cope with a rival gang, drug dealers, and other
problems.
Myers, Walter Dean. Autobiography of My Dead Brother.
Jesse pours his heart and soul into his sketchbook to make sense of life in his troubled Harlem neighborhood and the
loss of a close friend.
Myers, Walter Dean. Scorpions.
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him
with respect when he acquires a gun--until a tragedy occurs.
Randall, Kristen D. Breaking Rank.
Seventeen-year-old Casey has some of her preconceived notions challenged when she begins to tutor Baby, a
member of a gang-like non-conformist society called the Clan.
Shusterman, Neal. Red Rider’s Hood.
After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a 16-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of
the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for
good.
Wright, Richard. Rite of Passage.
When 15-year-old Johnny Gibbs is told that he is really a foster child, he runs off into the streets of Harlem and
meets up with a gang that wants him to participate in a mugging.
Homosexuality
Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence. (SC AM)
A collection of short stories about homosexuality by such authors as Bruce Coville, M.E. Kerr, William Sleator, and
Jane Yolen.
Ferris, Jean. Eight Seconds.
Eighteen-year-old John must confront his own sexuality when he goes to rodeo school and finds himself strangely
attracted to an older boy who is smart, tough, complicated, gorgeous, and gay.
Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind.
Liza never knew that falling in love could be so wonderful...and so confusing.
Garden, Nancy. The Year They Burned the Books.
While trying to come to terms with her own lesbian feelings, Jamie, a high school senior and editor of the school
newspaper, finds herself in the middle of a battle with a group of townspeople over the new health education
curriculum.
Garsee, Jeannine. Say the Word.
After the death of her estranged mother, who left Ohio years ago to live with her lesbian partner in New York City,
seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher's life is transformed by revelations about her family, her best friend, and
herself.
Harmon, Michael. The Last Exit to Normal.
Yanked out of his city life and plunked down in a small Montana town with his newly outed father and his father's
boyfriend, 17-year-old Ben, angry and resentful about the changed circumstances of his life, begins to notice
something is not quite right with the little boy next door and determines to figure out what is going on.
Hartinger, Brett. Geography Club.
A group of gay and lesbian teenagers finds mutual support when they form the "Geography Club" at their high
school.
Hartinger, Brett. The Order of the Poison Oak.
Sixteen-year-old Russel, having endured the antagonism of his classmates since admitting he is homosexual, decides
to take a counselor job at a summer camp for burn victims, but finds 10-year-old boys have just as many problems as
he does.
Jacobson, Jennifer. Stained.
In Weaver Falls, New Hampshire, in 1975, 17-year-old Jocelyn looks for answers when her lifelong neighbor and
friend, Gabe, turns up missing and she learns that, while her boyfriend has been telling everything to a priest, Gabe
has been keeping terrible secrets
Jenkins, A.M. Breaking Boxes.
When in the course of an unusual friendship Charlie reveals something confidential about his brother, he must decide
if he can accept the risks of caring.
Kerr, M. E. “Hello,” I Lied.
Summering in the Hamptons on the estate of a famous rock star, seventeen-year-old Lang tries to decide how to tell
his longtime friends that he is gay, while struggling with an unexpected infatuation with a girl from France.
Koertge, Ronald. Boy Girl Boy.
Three troubled high school seniors, who plan to run away together from Illinois to California after graduation, try to
figure out who they are and who they want to be.
LaRochelle, David. Absolutely, Positively Not.
Chronicles a teenage boy's humorous attempts to fit in at his Minnesota high school by becoming a macho, girlloving, "Playboy" pinup-displaying heterosexual.
Peters, Julie Anne. Far from Xanadu.
Sixteen-year-old Mary-Elizabeth “Mike” Szabo, struggling to understand her father’s suicide and her own
homosexuality, reaches the breaking point when she falls in love with Xanadu, an exotic girl who has moved to
small Coalton, Kansas, from the big city.
Ryan, Sarah. Empress of the World.
While attending a summer institute, 15-year-old Nic meets another girl named Battle, falls in love with her, and finds
the relationship to be difficult and confusing.
Sanchez, Alex. Boyfriends with Girlfriends.
When Lance begins to date Sergio, who is bisexual, he is not sure that it will work out, and when his best friend
Allie, who has a boyfriend, meets Sergio's lesbian friend, she has unexpected feelings which she struggles to
understand.
Sanches, Alex. Rainbow Boys.
Three high school seniors--a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay
rights advocate—struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings about each other.
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow High.
Gay friends Nelson, Kyle, and Jason, nearing the end of their high school days, struggle with issues of coming out,
safe sex, homophobia, being in love, and college choices.
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Road.
While driving across the United States after high school graduation, three young gay men encounter various bisexual
and homosexual people and makes some decisions about their own relationships and lives.
Schmatz, Pat. Mousetraps.
When Maxie's best friend from elementary school returns years later after a horrible act of violence against him,
Maxie feels guilty about how she treated him and conflicted over whether or not she wants to befriend him again.
Trueman, Gary. 7 Days at the Hot Corner.
Varsity baseball player Scott Latimer struggles with his own prejudices and those of others when his best friend
reveals that he is gay.
Wallace, Rich. Dishes.
Nineteen-year-old Danny spends an eventful summer in Maine, looking for romance, working as a straight
dishwasher in a gay bar, and trying to reconnect with his estranged father.
Weyr, Garrett. My Heartbeat.
As she tries to understand the closeness between her brother and his best friend, 14-year-old Ellen finds her
relationship with each of them changing.
Mental Illness
Atwater-Rhodes. Persistence of Memory.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, sixteen-year-old Erin has spent half of her life in therapy and on drugs, but
now must face the possibility of weird things in the real world, including shapeshifting friends and her "alter," a
centuries-old vampire.
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man.
Jerome Foxworthy, a black star basketball player, and Bix, a white baseball player, forge a friendship that carries
them through racial discrimination and the disturbance in Bix's family.
Franklin, Kristine L. Dove Song.
When Bobbi Lynn’s father is reported missing in action in Vietnam, she and her brother must learn to cope with their
own despair as well as their mother’s breakdown.
Greenberg, Joanne. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.
A 16-year-old girl retreats from reality into an imaginary kingdom. This is the story of her momentous struggle to
regain the real world.
Griffin, Adele. Where I Want to Be.
Two teenaged sisters, separated by death but still connected, work through their feelings of loss over the closeness
they shared as children that was later destroyed by one’s mental illness.
Griffin, Paul. The Orange Houses.
Tamika, a 15-year-old hearing-impaired girl, Jimmi, an 18-year-old veteran who stopped taking his antipsychotic
medication, and 16-year-old Fatima, an illegal immigrant from Africa, meet and connect in their Bronx, New York,
neighborhood, with devastating results.
Hautman, Pete. Invisible.
Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends—one a loner obsessed with his model trains, the other a popular students
involved in football and theatre—who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever.
Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs.
Tara describes how her increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over her life and affect her relationships with
her family and friends.
Johnson, Angela. Humming Whispers.
Sophy fears that she will become like her older sister Nicole who has schizophrenia.
Kehret, Peg. I’m Not who You Think I Am.
Thirteen-year-old Ginger becomes the target of a disturbed woman who believes that she is her dead daughter.
Kellerman, Jonathan. Monster.
How can a nonfunctional psychotic locked up in a supposedly secure institution for homicidal madmen predict brutal
murders in the outside world? Alex Delaware and his friend and partner Detective Milo Sturgis must penetrate this
enigma in order to stop the horrific killings.
Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
This classic chronicles the power struggle between a head nurse and a male patient in a mental institution.
Lamb, Wally. I Know This Much Is True.
For most of his life Dominick Birdsey has been living in the shadow of his schizophrenic identical twin, Thomas, but
when Thomas commits a violent act that affects both their lives, Dominick decides to leave his home and search for
his true identity. (Oprah’s Book Club)
Larbalestier, Justine. Magic or Madness.
From the Sydney, Australia, home of a grandmother she believes is a witch, 15-year-old Reason Cansino is magically
transported to New York City, where she discovers that friends and foes can be hard to distinguish.
Levenfron, Steven. The Best Little Girl in the World.
After being a model daughter all her life, 15-year-old Fransesca suddetly begins to starve herself and is diagnosed as
suffering from the psychological disorder anorexia nervosa.
Mason, Bobbie Ann. In Country.
Sam, 17, is obsessed with the Vietnam War and the effect it has had on her life - losing a father she never knew and
now living with Uncle Emmett, who seems to be suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. In her own forthright
way, she tries to sort out why and how Vietnam has altered the lives of the vets of Hopewell, Kentucky.
Myers, Anna. Ethan between Us.
In an Oklahoma oil drilling camp in 1960, 15-year-old Clare finds her relationship with her best friend threatened by
her new romance with Ethan, a boy carrying a dark secret.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Don’t Scream.
When two new guys come to her school, Jess thinks things are really looking up, but she doesn't know their real
identities or if she can trust them.
Rottman, S. L. Head above Water.
Skye, a high school junior, tries to find the time for both family obligations and personal interests, which include
caring for her brother who has Down Syndrome, dating her first boyfriend, and swimming competitively.
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What Happened when My Big Sister Went Crazy.
A younger sister has difficulty adjusting to life after her older sister has a mental breakdown.
Trueman, Terry. Inside Out.
Zach has problems. First, he is caught in the middle of a holdup. Second, he is schizophrenic and needs his meds.
Third, his schizophrenia causes him to exist in two worlds: the world of Dirtbag and Rat in which he is a
“wasteioid” and the everday world where he is that weird kid or untrustworthy idiot. So when the holdup goes bad,
Zach offers to be held hostage, not realizing the danger he is in.
Warman, Jessica. Breathless.
At boarding school, Katie tries to focus on swimming and becoming popular instead of the painful memories of her
institutionalized schizophrenic older brother.
White, Ruth. Memories of Summer.
In 1955, 13-year-old Lyric finds her whole life changing when her family moves from the hills of Virginia to a town
in Michigan and her older sister Summer begins descending into mental illness.
See also: Body Image
Rape
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak.
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.
Cadnum, Michael. Rundown.
As a game, 16-year-old Jennifer pretends that she has been attacked by a serial rapist, but then she finds herself
getting more attention than she wanted, from the police and her parents.
Cole, Brock. The Facts Speak for Themselves.
At the request of her social worker, 13-year-old Linda gradually reveals how her life with her unstable mother and
her younger brother led to her rape and the murder she witnessed.
Downham, Jenny. You against Me.
Eighteen-year-old Mikey's younger sister claims to have been raped and he seeks to avenge the crime, but when he
meets and makes friends with Ellie, the sister of the accused, he complicates the situation considerably for all of
them.
Draper, Sharon M. Darkness before Dawn.
Recovering from the recent suicide of her ex-boyfriend, senior class president Keisha Montgomery finds herself
attracted to a dangerous, older man.
Dressen, Sarah. Dreamland.
After her older sister runs away, 16-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life
and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.
Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable.
High school senior and high school player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to
comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.
Miklowitz, Gloria. Past Forgiving.
Fifteen-year-old Alexandra finds that her boyfriend Cliff demands all her time, isolates her by his jealousy, and
finally becomes physically abusive.
Oates, Joyce Carol. We Were the Mulvaneys. Judd recounts how life in the Mulvaney family is tragically altered after
his sister is raped and their father banishes her from the home.
Peck, Richard. Are You In the House Alone?
Gail Osburne is raped and nearly killed by the son of the most influential family in town - and nobody will bring
charges against the boy.
Picoult, Jodi. The Tenth Circle.
Comic book artist Daniel Stone, a stay-at-home dad with a 14-year-old daughter Trixie, and an unfaithful wife, turns
a blind eye to Trixie's first broken heart and wife Laura's affair, but the feelings of rage he has buried for years come
to the surface when Trixie is raped at a party and accuses her former boyfriend.
Reynolds, Marilyn. But What about Me?
Erica has always been a serious student but when her boyfriend’s life starts spinning out of control, she does not
anticipate the tragic consequences his behavior could have on her future.
Williams-Garcia, Rita. Every time a Rainbow Dies.
After seeing a girl raped and becoming obsessed with her, 16-year-old Thulani finds motivation to move beyond his
interest in his birds and his grief over his mother’s death.
Suicide
Albom, Mitch. For One More Day.
After years of drinking, being rejected by his wife and daughter, and a suicide attempt, ex-baseball star Charley
Benetto returns to his childhood home where he encounters the ghost of his mother, who tells him family secrets and
guides him in making his life better.
Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why.
High school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing seven cassette tapes recorded by his crush,
Hannah Baker, who committed suicide, and spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town,
listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.
Connelly, Neil. St. Michael’s Scales.
Keegan Flannery, feeling responsible for his twin brother’s death and his mother’s mental illness, believes he must
atone by committing suicide before his sixteenth birthday, but he gains new insights when he joins his school’s
wrestling team.
Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs.
Still troubled by his older brother's violent suicide, eighteen-year-old Dillon becomes deeply involved in the terrible
secret of his friend Jennifer, who feels she can tell no one what her stepfather is doing to her.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.
The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence of God, abortion, organized religion, suicide, and
other contemporary issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school senior’s attempt to answer a friend’s dramatic cry
for help.
Foxlee, Karen. The Anatomy of Wings.
After the suicide of her troubled teenage sister, 11-year-old Jenny struggles to understand what actually happened by
studying the clues her sister left behind in a cardboard box.
Gile, Gail. What Happened to Cass McBride?
After his younger brother commits suicide, Kyle Kirby decides to exact revenge on the person he holds responsible.
Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World.
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly three hundred pounds, gets a new perspective on
life when Curt, a semi-homeless teen who is a genius on guitar, asks Troy to be the drummer in a rock band.
Guest, Judith. Ordinary People.
When his older brother drowns in a boating accident, 17-year-old Conrad Jarrett feels responsible and makes an
unsuccessful attempt at suicide. After eight months in a mental institution, Conrad returns home to parents whose
marriage is crumbling, friends who are wary of him, and a psychiatrist who works with him to help put the pieces
together.
Hornby, Nick. A Long Way Down.
A former talk-show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother, each intending to commit suicide, find themselves
together on the roof of a London building and begin to contemplate their individual choices and circumstances.
LaCour, Nina. Hold Still.
Caitlin wrestles with her feelings of devastation and helplessness after her friend Ingrid commits suicide, and she
turns to her family and newfound friends for help while encountering love, broadening her horizons, and using
Ingrid's journal to heal.
Mahy, Margaret. 24 Hours.
During his first 24 hours after finishing high school, Ellis unexpectedly becomes part of an inner-city world far
different from his comfortable life, which helps him deal with his best friend’s recent suicide.
Mori, Kyoko. Shizuko’s Daughter.
After her mother's suicide when she is 12 years old, Yuki spends years living with her distant father and his resentful
new wife, cut off from her mother's family, and relying on her own inner strength to cope with the tragedy.
Nixon, Jean Lowery. Secret, Silent Scream.
A high school senior is convinced her friend Barry did not commit suicide, but was a murder victim, and she
endangers her own life to prove it.
Peters, Julie Anne. By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead.
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once
attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her
out.
Peters, Julie Anne. Far from Xanadu.
Sixteen-year-old Mary-Elizabeth “Mike” Szabo, struggling to understand her father’s suicide and her own
homosexuality, reaches the breaking point when she falls in love with Xanadu, an exotic girl who has moved to
small Coalton, Kansas, from the big city.
Picoult, Jodi. The Pact: A Love Story.
The Hartes and the Golds, long-time neighbors and friends, are not surprised when their children Chris and Emily fall
in love, but the bond between the families is placed under an enormous strain when Emily is killed, leaving behind
the question of whether her death was a suicide, or murder.
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar.
Chronicles the mental breakdown of Esther Greenwood--a brilliant, beautiful, talented and successful young woman.
Trueman, Terry. Inside Out.
A 16-year-old with schizophrenia is caught up in the events surrounding an attempted robbery by two other teens
who eventually hold him hostage.
Trueman, Terry. No Right Turn.
After three years of wanting only to be invisible, 16-year-old Jordan begins to recover from his father's suicide and
start living again when a neighbor's vintage Corvette Stingray opens up new possibilities for him.
Wild, Margaret. Jinx.
Tired of being the “good girl,” Jen seeks to have fun. She meets Charlie who seems to also appeal to her friends
Serena (the cool and the aloof) and Ruthless (the truth seeker). Unexpectedly, Charlie kills himself. Later, when Jen’s
next boyfriend is accidentally killed, the kids at school start calling Jen “jinx.” Jen then seeks to “live” up to her new
nickname while trying to deal with her suppressed feelings of depression, rejection, and worthlessness. (This is
written in verse.)
Williams, Carol Lynch. Glimpse.
Living with their mother who earns money as a prostitute, two sisters take care of each other and when the older one
attempts suicide, the younger one tries to uncover the reason.
Teen Sex and Pregnancy
Bechard, Margaret. Hanging on to Max.
When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, 17-year-old Sam is determined to keep him and raise him alone.
Buckhannon, Kalisha. Conception.
Fifteen-year-old Shivana Montgomery, raised by a physically and verbally abusive single mother on the south side of
Chicago, assumes her life will follow the same course as the other women she sees around her, but a visit from her
beautiful and free-spirited Aunt Jewel, and a budding relationship with Rasul, lead her to hope for more, even after
she accidently becomes pregnant.
Cole, Shelia. What Kind of Love? The Diary of a Pregnant Teenager.
When a 15-year-old girl with a promising future learns that she is pregnant, she faces the most difficult decision of
her young life.
Effaw, Amy. After.
Devon Davenport is a straight-A student and prominent player on her school's soccer team, but when she is linked to
an abandoned baby found in the trash she is accused of attempted murder.
Hopkins, Ellen. Burned.
Seventeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the
summer where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose
everything when she returns home.
Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last.
Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.
Knowles, Jo. Jumping Off Swings.
Tells, from four points of view, the ramifications of a pregnancy resulting from a "one-time thing" between Ellie,
who feels loved when boys touch her, and Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life.
Letts, Billie. Where the Heart Is.
Novalee Nation, 17, pregnant, and living in a Wal-Mart store discovers friendship, encouragement, direction and love
with a group of caring people in Sequoyah, Oklahoma.
Piccoult, Jodi. Plain Truth.
Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway, unsatisfied with the course of her career and personal life, leaves her
job for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise, Pennsylvania, arriving just in time to become
embroiled in the case of a young, unmarried Amish woman accused of killing her newborn baby.
Reynolds, Marilyn. Detour for Emmy.
Emmy, whose future had once looked so bright, struggles to overcome the isolation and depression brought about by
being a teen mother who gets little support from her family or from the child’s father.
Reynolds, Marilyn. Too Soon for Jeff.
High school senior Jeff Browning is upset when he learns that his girlfriend is pregnant, and determined not to let a
baby ruin his plans to go to college on a debate scholarship, but his feelings change after the baby is born.
Ruby, Laura. Good Girls.
Audrey, a 16-year-old high school senior, is humiliated when a compromising photograph of her is sent around her
school, but she discovers a toughness within her that she never knew she had.
Sapphire. Push.
Precious Jones, a 16-year-old girl who is pregnant with her second child by her father, is pushed by her courageous
African-American teacher to learn to read, and discovers the truth about herself and her life.
Searles, John. Strange but True.
Philip Chase moves back home with his mother who is still grieving over the death of Ronnie, her younger son five
years previous, but life makes an unusual turn when Ronnie's high school girlfriend shows up nine months pregnant
with Ronnie's child.
See also: Homosexuality
Violence and Crime
Avasthi, Swati. Split.
A teenaged boy thrown out of his house by his abusive father goes to live with his older brother, who ran away from
home years earlier under similar circumstances.
Brooks, Kevin. Martyn Pig.
Martyn Pig's life goes from bad to worse when he accidentally kills his father, and he must choose whether to tell the
police the truth about what happened and be suspected of murder, or he can get rid of the body and pretend nothing
ever happened.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War.
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school’s annual fund
raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.
Cormier, Robert. Tenderness.
A psychological thriller told from the points of view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girl who falls in love
with him.
Cormier, Robert. We All Fall Down.
One night four middle-class kids from the next town, looking for something to do, trash Jane Jerome's house while
her family is out. Her younger sister Karen comes home early, interrupts the mayhem, and is thrown down the
basement stairs. There is a secret witness - The Avenger - and he is determined to exact revenge on the trashers.
Dressen, Sarah. Dreamland.
After her older sister runs away, 16-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life
and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.
Duncan, Lois. Killing Mr. Griffin.
Just to show their English teacher who has the upper hand, a group of high school seniors kidnap him
only to watch the unthinkable happen.
Duncan, Lois. Ransom.
Five high school students from a wealthy neighborhood are kidnapped while on their way home in the school bus and
try to find a way to escape their captors while their parents scrape to meet the ransom demands.
Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater.
Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his
relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.
Giles, Gail. Shattering Glass.
Rob, the charismatic leader of the senior class, provokes unexpected violence when he turns the school nerd into
Prince Charming.
Koertge, Ron. Margaux with an X.
Margaux, known as a "tough chick" at her Los Angeles high school, makes a connection with Danny, who, like her,
struggles with the emotional impact of family violence and abuse.
Lynch, Chris. Sins of the Father.
Drew's friendship with Skitz and Hector is tested as he becomes more aware of the personal lives of the priests at his
Boston Catholic school and deals with the pending expulsion of one friend and the possible abuse of another.
Mazer, Norma Fox. When She Was Good.
The death of her abusive, manipulative older sister prompts 17-year-old Em to remember their unpleasant life
together, with their parents and then later on their own.
Miklowitz, Gloria. Past Forgiving.
Fifteen-year-old Alexandra finds that her boyfriend Cliff demands all her time, isolates her by his jealousy, and
finally becomes physically abusive.
Myers, Walter Dean. Monster.
While on trial as an accomplice to murder, 16-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the
courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
Myers, Walter Dean. Shooter.
Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic
school shooting.
Prose, Francine. After.
In the aftermath of a nearby school shooting, a grief and crisis counselor takes over Central High School and enacts
increasingly harsh measures to control students, while those who do not comply disappear.
Rash, Ron. The World Made Straight.
After stumbling into a bear trap surrounding a large marijuana grove on his neighbor's property, Travis Shelton finds
himself drawn into a world of subtle evils and danger as he struggles to free himself from his neighbor's influence
and protect his close friends from a painful conflict.
Reynolds, Marilyn. Baby Help.
Because her partner continues to abuse her, 17-year-old Melissa takes their young child and goes to a shelter for
battered women where she begins the healing process.
Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. Hip-Hop High School.
Theresa Anderson and Devon Hampton set out to beat the SAT in order to get into a top college; however, they must
also deal with the reality of street violence that could keep them both from realizing their dream.
Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. Homeboyz.
Seventeen-year-old Teddy Anderson, who is known on the streets as T-Bear, decides to seek revenge on the person
responsible for his little sister's death, which was caused by a stray bullet from a semiautomatic handgun.
Soto, Gary. Buried Onions.
When 19-year-old Eddie drops out of college, he struggles to find a place for himself as a Mexican American living
in a violence-infested neighborhood of Fresno, California.
Spinelli, Jerry. Wringer.
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or
find the courage to oppose it.
Velasquez, Gloria. Rina’s Family Secret.
A Puerto Rican teenager describes her family's life with her abusive stepfather in alternating chapters with the story
of the counselor who is trying to help them.
Walter, Virginia. Waking Up Megaboy.
When thirteen-year-old Robbie shoots an old man in a liquor store, everyone who knows the quiet, withdrawn youth
struggles to understand this act of seemingly random violence.
Woods, Brenda. Emako Blue.
Monterey, Savannah, Jamal, and Eddie have never had much to do with each other until Emako Blue shows up at a
chorus practice, but just as the lives of the five Los Angeles high school students become intertwined, tragedy tears
them apart.
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman.
John and Lorraine, high school sophomores, are both troubled young people who have problems at home. They
become friendly with an elderly widower, Mr. Pinati, who welcomes them into his home and shares with them his
simple pleasures, including his collection of ceramic pigs, of which he is proud. When the Pigman, as the young
people call him, goes to the hospital after a heart attack, they take advantage of his house for a party that becomes
destructive with a tragic outcome.
See also: Rape