An Abundance of Katherines

By: John Green

Summary:
Colin Singleton, a child-prodigy, graduates from High School and soon after his girlfriend, Katherine, breaks up with him. He becomes depressed and his friend suggests they go on a road trip to cure him. They end up in Gutshot, Tennessee and are persuaded to stay. He comes up with mathematical equations for love and believes he can graph love. He's pretty nerdy, but in a funny way.

Evaluation: Funny book. John Green is a great writer.
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Language, Sexual content
Published by: Dutton Juvenile, 2006
Pages: 256

Cherry Ames Clinic Nurse

By: Julie Tatham

Summary:
This is the 13th book of the Cherry Ames series. In this book, Cherry is leaving the Hilton Clinic one afternoon when she is kidnapped and driven blindfolded to a mysterious location. She is then forced at gunpoint to help treat a gunshot wound.

Evaluation: Classic young adult book, great for aspiring nurses!
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Violence
Published by: Grosset & Dunlap, 1952
Pages: 208

King of the Mild Frontier

By: Chris Crutcher

Summary:
This is an autobiography of the Chris Crutcher. He grew up in the 50s and his family had a white picket fence all straight and orderly for the world to see. But Chris struggled with anger management. He was protective of his alcoholic mother and butted heads with his strict father. He felt inadequate, but was very competitive. He describes himself as a misfit and klutz, but brings humor into his narrative to make it an interesting story.

Evaluation: Funny autobiography, deals with many psychological issues.
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Cautions: Language, Tense family situations
Published by: Greenwillow Books, 2003
Pages: 260

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

By: John Boyne

Summary:
It's 1942 in Berlin, Germany. Bruno comes home from school one day to find all his family's belongings packed up. His dad got a promotion at work and they have to move to a new house where there is no play and nothing to do. There is a long fence that separates him from people he can't really see. But he meets boy on the other side of the fence who's life is very different from his own. This has devastating consequences.

Evaluation: Sad book with some graphic material. Very well-written.
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Language, Violence
Published by: David Fickling Books, 2006
Pages: 224

Twilight

By: Stephenie Meyer

Summary:
17-year-old Bella Swan moves in with her dad to Forks, Washington where it's raining almost all the time. There she struggles to fit in. At school, she notices the most gorgeous guy she's ever seen who seems to hate her guts. She soon finds out that Edward is actually a vampire and is so attracted to the scent of her blood that he has to fight the urge to bite her neck. She falls deeply in love with him, but he pulls back for her safety. When a rogue vampire comes to Forks and wants to suck her blood, Bella's life is in danger as Edward tries to save her without succumbing to the urge as well.

Evaluation: Very captivating book, addicting series
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Mild sexuality, Violence
Published by: Little, Brown books for Young Readers, 2005
Pages: 544

American Born Chinese (graphic novel)

By: Gene Luen Yang

Summary:
There are three plots in this graphic novel. The first is the Monkey King who wants to be revered as a god. The second is Jin Wang, a middle school student who wants to fit in with his white peers. And the third is Danny, an American boy who is so ashamed of his stereotypically Asian cousin Chin-Kee that he switches schools. The three stories collide and the first two characters end up feeling comfortable with who they are.

Evaluation: This book is about making you feel comfortable in your own skin.
Reading level: Grades 6-12
Cautions: Bullying
Published by: First Second, 2006
Pages: 233

Is That You, Miss Blue?

By: M.E. Kerr

Summary:
15-year-old Flanders has been sent to a girl's boarding school because her mother has run off with another man. At school, she meets a girl named Cardmaker and Miss Blue, a reclusive teacher who is quirky but interesting. She develops an attachment to her teacher and helps her with issues.

Evaluation: Good for those who feel like they don't belong or have divorced parents.
Reading level: Grades 6-12
Cautions: Tense family issues
Published by: Harper Collins, 1975
Pages: 170

The Misadventures of Maude March

By: Aubrey Couloumbis

Summary:
Sallie March reads dime novels about Joe Harden and wants to be just like him. When Sallie and her sister Maude are orphaned, the girls run away and even find the real Joe Harden, whose name is Marion Hardly. They steal horses and are accused of bank robbery and murder, so they are on the run. Their adventures are very entertaining to witness.

Evaluation: Cute, humorous story of 2 girls who become outlaws.
Reading level: Grades 6-12
Cautions: Mild Violence
Published by: Yearling, 2007
Pages: 320

Forever

By: Judy Blume

Summary:
Katherine becomes attracted to Michael after a party. They begin dating and the issue of sex comes up early in their relationship. They speak of it as more of a health issue than a moral one. They finally do have sex and she believes that they will be together forever. But they are separated over the summer and she falls in love with her tennis instructor, Leo. She breaks the news to Michael when he comes to visit and begins to understand that relationships are more complicated than she thought.

Evaluation: This book is not for the faint-hearted. It's very sex-related.
Reading level: Grades 10-12
Cautions: Sexual content, Language
Published by: Pocket, 1989
Pages: 224

I Love You, Beth Cooper

By: Evan Dorkin

Summary:
Doyle surprises himself when he professes his love to the head cheerleader, Beth Cooper, and she actually shows up at his party. Him and his friend try to party with the girls, but end up being pretty awkward. Beth's boyfriend shows up drunk and tries to fight Doyle, but they escape. They end up hiding out at a cabin and Doyle finds that Beth is not as perfect as he imagined she would be.

Evaluation: Pretty crazy teenage tale, not for conservative readers
Reading level: Grades 10-12
Cautions: Language, Sexuality, Crude language, Violence
Published by: Ecco, 2007
Pages: 272

The First Part Last

By: Angela Johnson

Summary:
16-year-old Bobby is a single dad who has struggles to take care of his kid and go to school. The mother of the child is in a coma because of eclampsia. Despite his struggles, Bobby loves his kid and makes the best of the situation. He snaps at one point and vandalizes a wall, but his experiences cause him to grow.

Evaluation: This is an endearing story of a teen parent.
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Death
Published by: Simon Pulse, 2004
Pages: 132

Love That Dog

By: Sharon Creech

Summary:
This is a story written in free verse about a boy who is assigned a poetry assignment in school, but he has no intention of being poet. He believes that boys don't write poetry. As the story progresses, he begins to develop a tolerance toward poetry that soon turns to love as he uses his recent experience of losing his dog to write poetry.

Evaluation: Sweet, endearing book that causes you to look at poetry differently.
Reading level: Grades 6-12
Cautions: Death
Published by: HaperCollins, 2004
Pages: 128

Number The Stars

By: Lois Lowry

Summary:
Annmarie Johannesen is a 10-year-old German girl living during the Holocaust. Her Jewish friend
Ellen is in danger of being captured by the Nazis and Annmarie's family must hide the Rosen family from them, risking their own safety. Their family helps the Rosen's flee out of the country.

Evaluation: This is a great book for understanding the Holocaust from a German's perspective
Reading level: Grades 3-12
Cautions: Violence, Tense moments
Published by: Laurel Leaf, 1998
Pages: 136

Bomba the Jungle Boy

By: Roy Rockwood

Summary:
Bomba, a white boy, gets lost in the Amazon jungle. He and his friend Casson are the only white people there. The story is about his adventures growing up there. Then his parents find him and he returns to New York for a bit. Then his father gets lost in the jungle and he has his adventures finding him.

Evaluation: This is a classic young adult adventure book that deals with different cultures
Reading level: Grades 6-12
Cautions: Tense family scenes, violence
Published by: Grosset & Dunlap, 1978
Pages: 180

Beast

By: Donna Jo Napoli

Summary:
This is a Beauty and the Beast story told from the perspective of the Beast, Prince Orasmyn. He has been turned into a lion by a curse that can only be reversed through the love of a woman. He travels to France and finds a castle that he breaks into. He plants a rose for a woman to find, she comes and finds it, and the story ends like the original.

Evaluation: A new, refreshing take on the story of Beauty and the Beast
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Cautions: Mild language, sex-related
Published by: Atheneum, 2000
Pages: 272

Inexcusable

By: Chris Lynch

Summary:
Keir is being blamed for the rape of one of the most popular girls in school, Gigi. He proceeds to explain why he couldn't possibly have done what they said he did. First of all, he was blamed for basically crippling a kid in football, but they did an investigation and determined that he was not guilty. And then during the date she gave plenty of hints that she was into him. His word should count for something, right?

Evaluation: A date rape from the mind of the rapist... interesting indeed.
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Mild language, sex-related
Published by: Ginee Seo Books, 2005
Pages: 176

Keeper

by Mal Peet

Summary:
Paul Faustino, a famous journalist, gets the assignment to write about the World Cup soccer star, El Gato, who is at the height of his career. He gets a story that is surprising and captivating. El Gato recounts growing up in Brazil and how exactly he got to be so good at playing soccer. His tale of being a scrawny, clumsy boy growing up in the rain forest and a mentor from a different world becomes quite the article.

Evaluation: Very unique and interesting spin on soccer, with some supernatural elements thrown in there. Great for soccer-lovers!
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Cautions: Mild language
Published by: Candlewick, 2007
Pages: 240

So Yesterday

by: Scott Westerfield

Summary: Hunter, 17, is a "cool hunter". His job is to find what the new trends are. He meets a girl named Jen who is amazing at coming up with new innovative trends and styles. Hunter's boss Mandy wants to meet Jen, so they go to meet her in Chinatown and they can't see her. They find her cellphone and some cool shoes, but all they see is a scary bald man. Hunter loses his phone inside the building and now the man has it. They go on an adventure to figure out what happened to Mandy and who this man is.
Evaluation: This story is an interesting blend of adventure and fashion
Reading Level: 9-12
Cautions: Crude language, violence
Published by: Razorbill, 2004
Pages: 240

Stuck In Neutral

by: Terry Trueman

Summary: Shawn McDaniel has cerebral palsy and cannot communicate with anyone. His family assume is virtually brain-dead, but inside he is just a normal 14-year-old boy. Although he doesn't know for sure, he thinks his father wants to kill him. He struggles with the knowledge that his father may want to end his life without him being able to do anything to stop it.
Evaluation: It's very eye-opening to cerebral palsy, makes you thin
Reading Level: 7-12
Cautions: Tense family scenes, death
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 128

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing

by M.T. Anderson

Summary:

Taking place during the 1800s in Boston, Octavian and his mother realize that they are experiments in a household of scientists and philosophers. They are dressed well and educated, but are still living a life of slavery. Octavian finds out the horrors of what it means to be a slave as the political unrest of the area increases.

Evaluation: Very well-written, unique style

Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Violence

Published by: Candlewick, 2006
Pages: 368

Chocolate War

by Robert Cormier

Summary:
Jerry Renault refuses to sell chocolates for a fundraiser at Trinity Catholic High School. This action causes a stir among the students and faculty. This was the first assignment he is given by Archie Costello, a member of the Vigils. He decides to continue to refuse to sell the chocolates, which causes division among students as they attempt to stand up for what they believe in despite opposition.

Evaluation: Classic YA literature book, very deep
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Cautions: Profanity, crude language, violence
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1974
Pages: 264

Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac

by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary:
Naomi, a junior, hits her head and cannot remember anything since sixth grade. She is surprised to see how her life has changed since 6th grade as she has started to deal with more mature subjects. As her memory starts to return, she tries to sort through her old and new self to try to understand which one is more herself.

Evaluation: Great writing, get great insight into this character's head
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Cautions: Mild Sexual topics, Family tension, Some language
Published by: Square Fish, 2009
Pages: 304

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

Summary:
Taking place in the future, the United States has been changed to the country Panem. In this country, they have what's called the Hunger Games every year where two representatives from each district competes against each other, killing one another until there is a declared winner. 16-year-old Katniss decides to take the place of her sister who was picked as one of the representatives. Her and Peeta work together to face a possible death by the other competitors who seem to have much more of an advantage.

Evaluation: Great adventure book, gripping and interesting read!
Reading level: Grades 7-12
Cautions: Violence
Published by: Scholastic Press, 2008
Pages: 384

Twisted

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary:
Tyler Miller has a crappy life. He's got problems at school and problems at home. He has suicidal thoughts sometimes and just can't seem to get ahead in life. On the bright side, after doing community service all summer he has developed great muscles. This popular girl, Bethany, shows she's interested in him. The only problem is that she's the sister of his tormentor, Chip. We follow Tyler on his journey to decide how he wants to live his life.

Evaluation: Very realistic to High School, great for kids who have problems
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Drinking, mild sexual content, family tensions, language
Published by: Speak, 2008
Pages: 272

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

by Ally Carter

Summary:
15-year-old Cammie Morgan looks like the typical private school girl. That's what she wants you to think. What you will never know is that Gallagher Academy for girls is actually a spy-training school and her mom happens to be the Headmistress. Field trips are usually missions where the most important objective is to fit in and look invisible, something she manages to do a little too easily. That's why she didn't plan on falling in love with a boy who has no idea what she really is. Sneaking out to see him is no biggie, but how can she keep this forbidden relationship if she can't be honest?

Evaluation: Great spy adventure book
Reading level: Grades 7-10
Cautions: Mild romantic talk, mild violence
Published by: Hyperion Book, 2006
Pages: 288

Plan b

by Jenny O' Connel

Summary:
It's Vanessa's senior year and she has everything all planned out. She'll ace her SAT's and be reunited with her boyfriend Patrick next year at Yale. Everything is set in place until one day her father gets a call. She has a half-brother. He's coming to live with them for his senior year. Oh, and he's a famous actor, Reid Vaughn. Apparently this was part of some rehab program his mother was putting on him. Vanessa should be star-struck and happy. She's not. This was not part of her plans.

Evaluation: Hilarious writer, very real to High School, and very girly
Reading level: Grades 10-12
Cautions: Language, sex-related, drugs
Published by: MTV, 2006
Pages: 288

The Beast

by Walter Dean Myers

Summary:
Anthony "Spoon" Witherspoon has gone off to Wallingford Academy for his senior year. He's from Harlem and returns during his holiday break to realize how different everything looks to him now. There are gangs and drugs. It seems that everyone in his hometown is going down paths that don't look good except of course his girlfriend Gabi. But she does act a little different from last time he saw her. Plus, her mother is terminally ill. Spoon must figure out how to live in Harlem again without falling into the same traps as his peers.

Evaluation: A lot of different themes going on at once, drugs being forefront
Genre: Science fiction, Future, Identity
Reading level: Grades 9-12
Cautions: Mild language, sexuality, drugs, violence
Published by: Scholastic, 2005
Pages: 272

The Moves Make The Man

by Bruce Brooks

Summary:
Jerome Foxworthy has the unfortunate luck to be the first African-American boy in a white school since he happens to live in the school's boundaries. His love is basketball, and he practices it in his free time. At school he wants to join the basketball team, but the coach seems to think he doesn't have what it takes. He gets put in a Home Ec class with Bix, a white kid who plays Baseball. The unlikely pair become friends.

Evaluation: Good example of racism issues, touching story
Reading level: Grades 6-8
Ideas for use of the book: Teach about racism issues
Cautions: Mild language
Published by: Harper Collins, 1995
Pages: 280

Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt

Summary:
Holling Hoodhood goes to a school where half the kids are Jewish and half are Catholic. He's the only Presbyterian. So during their release time, he's stuck with his teacher Mrs. Baker who he believes hates his guts. During their times together, she gets him to read Shakespeare. He begins to find the value of Shakespeare: wonderfully horrible sounding curses. He even gets involved in a Shakespeare play. His 7th grade year proves to be an interesting one between two giant rats and some chalk-dusted cream puffs.

Evaluation: Great messages in the story without sounding preachy
Reading level: Grades 6-8
Ideas for use of the book: Shakespeare precursor
Cautions: Mild tense family scenes
Published by: Clarion Books, 2007
Pages: 272

Prepare to be SHAKESPEARE INSULTED!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

by Mary E. Pearson

Summary:
17-year-old Jenna Fox wakes up from a year-long coma with very little memory of who she was before the "accident". Her parents have moved to California from Boston, but something doesn't feel right. As her memory slowly returns, she had more questions. Her father is a notorious doctor who developed something called Bio Gel that has the ability to substitute for
human cells. While she tries to piece together her life before the accident, Jenna attempts to discover who she really is.

Evaluation: Very good writing, interesting and unique storyline, exciting suspense
Reading level: Grades 8-12
Ideas for use of the book:
Cautions: Mild language, kissing scenes
Published by: Henry Colt & Co, 2008
Pages: 272