Teen Readers

If you want drama, this is your book. Panic is filled with drama, dancing, dating dilemmas, social media, loyalty, abduction by a pedophile, and warnings to be safe. Read and learn. Ages 14 and up.  - Julia

Note: Sharon Draper is a skillful writer who addresses the difficult issues of teen dating violence and what could happen when a pedophile has a victim under his control.

Zombie invasions, apocalyptic ruin, dystopian dictatorships – Pulse contains none of these and yet portrays a future even more frightening. Patrick Carman has created a future you can envision slowly unfolding from current technology, insidiously taking over. Inventive, compelling, and poignant,  Pulse is the start of a heart-pounding (and heart-breaking at times) trilogy. You'll be surprised for whom you end up rooting!

He's best known for his Thursday Next series for adults. But now Jasper Fforde's YA fantasy series, already in publication in England, comes to the States.

Jennifer Strange manages an agency of quirky, temperamental magicians. Combine this with her newly-found destiny as a dragon slayer and a greedy monarch, and you'll see she has her 16-year-old hands full. Jasper Fforde's creativity and humor are in full force in this start to a marvelous trilogy. Ages 12+. - Rosemary

Myers modernizes Rousseau's philosophical look at society. The setting is Harlem. His characters are Paul DuPree (a teen assigned to work in a soup kitchen), Elijah (an elderly gentleman who makes tasty soup), Keisha (a teen mother with basketball skills), and Sly (the local scoundrel with power). What is your opinion of the social contract? Learn more by reading All the Right Stuff. For ages 13+. - Julia

I was drawn to this book because Arn Chorn Pond is now a human rights activist who works to promote the learning of traditional Cambodian music. “Why?” I wondered. “What is his story?” The subject matter is tough – surviving the horrific living conditions imposed upon thousands by the Khmer Rouge – but eye-opening. Never Fall Down is truly an intense, emotional book which should motivate everyone to overcome obstacles within their own lives. - Julia

Jordan Sonnenblick is pitch perfect (pardon the baseball pun) in a winning novel that will capture the hearts of his audience.

Baseball and his grandfather have been the loves of Pete's life. Now the first is lost to injury, and Grandpa may be falling into the fog of Alzheimer's. We're along for the ride as Pete navigates his entry to high school, a potential romance, and family drama. It's a journey filled with humor, fear, discovery, and the overriding hope of reinvention.  For ages 11 and up. - Rosemary

Anyone who has been disappointed in love will relate to this book. The well-known situation where the artsy girl gets the popular, athletic guy and then it doesn't work out, is given a fresh, smart, and sympathetic treatment by Handler. Maira Kalman's fabulous, expressive illustrations deepen the emotional impact of the story.

I loved this book. Min Green is an original character with a memorable voice that resonates beyond the story. - Trish

And more from Sally - The fine illustrations enhance a wonderful story of unexpected love found and then unexpectedly lost. I recognized my teen self in Min Green as she struggled in a relationship outside of her crowd and with the compromises needed to maintain the relationship. The interesting and sometimes quirky characters came alive for me, and I found myself cheering for Min.