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Recommended books for teens

Stories About Life Today • Fantasy and Science Fiction • Humor • Sports • Adventure and Survival • Historical Fiction • Mystery and Suspense • Nonfiction

Bucking the Sarge
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Luther keeps his sense of humor while dreaming of going to college and escaping his mother's corrupt lifestyle.

Friction
by E.R. Frank
When a new girl in class spreads a rumor about a popular teacher, Alex and her friends don't know what to do.

Shooter
by Walter Dean Myers
Written in diary, interview, and report format, this story of three troubled teenagers ends in tragedy.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
by Sonya Sones
After her mother dies, Ruby reluctantly goes to live with her famous movie-star father.

Emako Blue
by Brenda Woods
Just when Emako Blue's friendship brings together four teens in Los Angeles, tragedy tears them apart.

The Blue Girl
by Charles de Lint
After receiving warnings that soul-eaters are threatening her life, Imogene enlists the help of her new friend and the ghost of a boy who haunts the school.

The Hollow Kingdom
by Clare B. Dunkle
In nineteenth-century England, a sorcerer who is King of the Goblins chooses Kate, an orphan, to be his bride and queen.

A Crack in the Line
by Michael Lawrence
Alaric travels to an alternate reality where he finds his mother is still alive and a girl has taken his place in the family.

Gifts
by Ursula K. LeGuin
When Orrec and Gry refuse to use their supernatural gifts, they upset the balance of power among rival families.

Double Helix
by Nancy Werlin
Eli discovers a shocking secret about his life and family while working for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

24 Girls in 7 Days
by Alex Bradley
Jack needs a date for the prom, so his two best friends post an ad on the online school newspaper that gives him many choices.

A Coyote's in the House
by Elmore Leonard
A wild coyote and a pampered, movie-star dog trade places.

Death By Eggplant
by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
Bertie dreams of becoming a world-famous chef, but first he has to survive eighth grade.

Sliding Into Home
by Dori Hillestad Butler
When a star baseball player moves to a new town where softball is her only option, she resolves to start an all-girl baseball league.

Travel Team
by Mike Lupica
After he is cut from his travel basketball team, Danny forms his own team of cast-offs.

Cruise Control
by Terry Trueman
Paul, a straight-A student and three-sport athlete, struggles to deal with the helplessness and anger that come with having a severely disabled brother and a father who has deserted the family.

Leaving Protection
by Will Hobbs
Robbie fears for his life when he discovers that his fishing ship's captain is searching for long-buried Russian plaques that lay claim to Alaskan territory.

Eagle Strike
by Anthony Horowitz
Teenage spy Alex Rider uncovers a sinister plot involving a celebrity philanthropist.

Voyage of Ice
by Michele Torrey
Nick and his brother face unexpected hardship and danger while working on a nineteenth-century whaling ship.

The Trial
by Jen Bryant
Twelve-year-old Katie assists her reporter uncle at the famous 1935 trial of Charles Lindbergh's baby's accused kidnapper and murderer.

Petals in the Ashes
by Mary Hooper
In 1666, Hannah believes it's safe to return to London, which she had fled to escape the plague, but another disaster strikes.

A Boy No More
by Harry Mazer
After his father is killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Adam examines his relationship with his best friend, a Japanese-American boy who needs his help.

Private Peaceful
by Michael Morpurgo
When his older brother is forced to join the British Army during the First World War, Thomas Peaceful lies about his age so he can sign up with him.

Bound
by Donna Jo Napoli
Like Cinderella, Xing Xing is mistreated by her wicked stepmother in this tale of life in ancient China.

Picture Perfect
by Elaine Marie Alphin
A gap in his memory has Ian wondering about his own role in the disappearance of his best friend.

Firmament
by Tim Bowler
Luke, a gifted pianist who is having trouble coping with his father's death, makes a surprising discovery when he gets involved in gang activities.

Acceleration
by Graham McNamee
While working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority, Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer and sets out to stop him.

Freaky Green Eyes
by Joyce Carol Oates
When her mother disappears, Franky struggles to understand and accept the truth about her parents' relationship.

The She
by Carol Plum-Ucci
Eight years after his parents were lost at sea, Evan is confronted with questions about what really happened.

Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq
by Thura Al-Windawi
A teenager's diary provides an inside look at Iraq during Saddam Hussein's reign and the beginning of the 2003 war.

Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna
by Joseph Lekuton
The author describes growing up as a member of Kenya's poorest tribe, attending college in America, and becoming an elementary school teacher in Virginia.

The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic
by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury
It's 1925 and the people of Nome, Alaska, will not survive without the diphtheria serum, but who can deliver it in the midst of a blizzard and frozen conditions?