Literature for Adolescents
(Last update: January 7, 2011)
Table of contents
Adventure and survival
Autobiography
Biography
Contemporary life and problems
Coming of age
Coping with death
Family life and problems
Physical and emotional problems
Romance
Sexual identity
Social issues
Ethnic diversity
African American
Asian American
Latino/Latina
Native American
Interactions/intermingling of cultures
Fiction/poetry set in other countries
Fantasy
Historical fiction
Medieval times
Salem witch trials
Colonial days/Revolutionary war
The Industrial Revolution and early 19th century
Civil war
Westward migration/pioneer life
Turn of the Century
WWI
The Roaring Twenties
The Great Depression
Holocaust
World War II/the 40’s
The 50’s
The 60’s
Vietnam War
Horror
Humor
Mystery
Poetry
Science fiction
Collections of short stories
Sports
Compiled by Jean Boreen, Northern Arizona University
Adventure and Survival
Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. NY: Avon Books, 1990. 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle boards a boat to America in 1832, never dreaming that she will become involved in an intrigue that will force her to re-examine her life, her identity, and her loyalties. The great adventure book for girls that boys will also love. A must for middle school.
Bodeen, S. A. The Compound. NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2008. Eli’s father, a scientific genius who has turned his gifts into a financial bonanza, prepares for all possibilities, even the end of the world as we know it. When the nuclear war happens, some of Eli’s family makes it to the compound, but his brother and grandmother are accidentally left behind. With the promise of 15 years ahead of them in the compound until the radiation dwindles to safe levels, Eli and his sisters try to make the best of their situation. But as time passes and the family found supply begins to dwindle, the family faces bizarre choices for survival. And when Eli makes contact through his brother’s computer to the world outside, he begins to question his father’s motives…and if his father has actually been honest about what happened six years before. A strong and startling read. High school.
Bunting, Eve. Jumping the Nail. New York: Harcourt Brace, Jovanovich, 1991. Jumping from a cliff almost 90 feet
above the Pacific Ocean becomes a peer pressure sport for Scooter and Elisa. The book does an exceptionally good job getting into the character’s heads as they face different issues, including the death of one of their friends. A good middle school book.
Butcher, A. J. Spy High: Mission One. Little, Brown, 2004. Deveraux Academy is a front for one of the most prestigious spy schools in the world. Students asked to come to Deveraux either become successful spies or have their memories wiped. The six students featured all have their own strengths and weaknesses, but until they understand how to work WITH each other, they’ll never become the Bond Team. Fun read for middle school.
Casanova, Mary. When Eagles Fall. NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002. Alexis Castille-Reed, reacting badly to her parents’ separation, gets drunk and almost drowns. At her wits end, her mother sends her to spend the summer with her biologist father who happens to be working in Minnesota studying bald eagles. Unable to talk honestly to each other since the separation, Alex grudgingly spends time with her father. Finally, determined to prove to him that she is capable, Alex decides to rescue an eaglet on her own, but when she and the young eagle are stranded on an island during a storm, Alex learns that her father is not the only one she needs to prove something to. A female version of Hatchet, although on a smaller scale. A solid upper elementary/middle school read.
Clements, Andrew. A Week in the Woods. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Mark Chelmsley is the new kid at school, but not just any new kid. His parents have just bought the factory in town so everyone knows he’s “RICH.” Combined with Mark’s apparent apathy about school and his new life in Whitson, NH, teachers and students alike at Whitson Elementary think that Mark is no good. But during the school’s annual “Week in the Woods,” Mark shows all those involved that he really does care and is capable of being part of the school. (Great upper elementary/middle school read, and would work especially well for older ESL students who need a story line that will interest them.)
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay. 2008, 2009, 2010. The hottest series since Harry Potter, the three books follow Katniss Everdeen as she participates in the Hunger Games to protect her sister. The Hunger Games occur every year, and each district in the in the larger state must send two tributes to fight to the death against teens from other districts. Katniss and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark form an alliance that will not only help them survive the Hunger Games but also propels them into a sort of rebellion against the state that neither of them planned. Characters are exceptionally well-developed and the action is nerve-wracking. Middle/high school.
Colfer, Eoin. The Artemis Fowl Series: Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident, The Time Paradox. (2001-2009). NY: Scholastic. The series follows the adventures of maniacal teenaged genius Artemis Fowl and his battles against and with Captain Holly Short from the LEPrecon Special Forces. Great reads one and all! Upper elementary/middle school!
Cormier, Robert. We All Fall Down. New York: Delacorte Press, 1991. Buddy, one of the thrashers of a home, sees
the incident as a lark until his friends throw Karen, the teen-aged girl who lives in the house, down the stairs,
causing her to go into a coma. When Buddy falls in love with Karen’s sister, he is torn between telling her the
truth and lying to keep her in his life. A high school read.
Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. (2000). NY: Scholastic. 13-year-old Sophie is the only female crewmate on board the Wanderer. Along with her three uncles and two male cousins, Sophie traverses the Atlantic, learning about her cousins, what it means to be part of a family, and how to deal with her own past, one filled with loss. A Newberry Honor Book. An upper elementary/middle school book.
Easley, MaryAnn. I Am the Ice Worm. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 1996. Allison survives a plane crash in
Alaska, is befriended by an Inupiat trapper who brings her to his village and from there, begins a thousand mile
journey to the Alaskan coast and her mother. Not only is this an adventure story, it is also the story of how
Allison comes to appreciate a culture very different from her own. A good middle school read.
Farmer, Nancy. The Sea of Trolls. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Jack and Lucy are captured by Norseman berserkers shortly after their attack on Lindsforne Abbey. But in capturing Jack, Olaf the One-Eye gets more than he bargains for as Jack has been in training with the Bard and is capable of no small amount of magic. Although Jack and Lucy endear themselves to Olaf and his wives, their lives are endangered when Thorgil, a female Norsewoman intent on getting herself sent to Valhalla in death, gives Lucy to the troll princess and Jack inadvertently curses her. Jack and his loyal crow, Bold Heart, with the help of Thorgil, must travel to the queen of the trolls and find Mimir’s Well, which will enhance Jack’s magic. A rollicking adventure from one of YA’s best. Middle school.
Farmer, Nancy. The Land of the Silver Apples. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2007. This sequel to Sea of Trolls finds Jack once again trying to protect his little sister Lucy. But things are different now, especially after their father admits that Lucy isn’t really his daughter but a founding he ran into in the forest. Lucy is actually an elf, and she has been taken back to her people by the Lady of the Lake. Accidentally casting himself down a knocker hole, Jack encounters some friends from his first adventure—Thorgil—as well as a new groups of characters—Pega and Bugaboo, the hobgoblin prince who would like to woo Pega. Even though this is the second book in the series, it certainly stands on its own. Another great adventure from Nancy Farmer. Middle school.
Gould, Steven. Wildside. NY: Tor, 1996. Charlie finds the door to another world, a world where passenger pigeons and saber-toothed tigers still exist. A born entrepreneur, Charlie enlists his friends in a money-making scheme selling passenger pigeons and mining for gold that will make them all rich. But can they outsmart the CIA, FBI, and their parents as they pursue their goals? A high school read.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 1998. Luke is a “third child”; his parents cannot acknowledge that he exists because if they do, he will be taken away, probably killed, and they will be fined and possibly imprisoned. But when the government opens up a housing development around his parents’ farm, Luke sees a girl’s face looking out from a window, and he begins to wonder if there are other shadow children like himself and what they can do to break into the sunlight. An excellent upper elementary/middle school read.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Imposters. NY: Aladdin Fiction, 2002. Picking up with Luke’s life as he becomes Lee Garner, Luke finds himself begin taken to Hendricks School for Boys by his friend Jen Talbot’s father. But Hendricks isn’t what Luke expected, and he finds himself in a tension-filled situation where he still cannot trust those around him An excellent upper elementary/middle school read.
Higson, Charlie. (2005). Silverfin. NY: Miramax for Hyperion. This first book in the series highlights a young James Bond and how he came to be “The Spy Who Loved Me.” This story does a great job of creating dimension to the personality of the young James. A sure hit with male readers. Middle School.
Higson, Charlie. Blood Fever. NY: Miramax for Hyperion. The second in the series about a teen-aged James Bond, this story finds James visiting his Uncle Vincent in Sardinia. James quickly becomes involved in an intrigue which pits villagers against villains, schoolteacher against schoolteacher. As James struggles to figure out the mystery of Count Ugo Carnifex, he inadvertently discovers the whereabouts of Amy, the sister of a school chum who had mysteriously disappeared from her family’s yacht. Can James save Amy and himself from the evil surrounding them? Middle School.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Dell, 1967. Ponyboy tries to survive in a world of brothers and gangs and
must cope with the death of his best friend. The great classic of a boy’s world written by, at the time, a teen-aged girl. A must read for middle and high school students.
Hinton, S. E. That Was Then, This Is Now. New York: Dell, 1971. Bryan discovers love and wants to retreat from
a life of fights and violence. All of that is complicated, though, by the discovery that his best friend is a drug dealer. Bryan’s loyalties are tested, and when he finally makes his decision, he discovers that regret and doing what’s right are often in conflict. A middle/high school book.
Hobbs, Will. Jackie’s Wild Seattle. NY: HarperTroophy, 2005. Shannon and her younger brother, Cody, are sent to stay with their uncle Neal for the summer when their parents go to Afghanistan with Doctor’s Without Borders. Expecting a summer at the beach, the kids are surprised to find out that they’ll be living with Neal at a wildlife reserve called Jackie’s Wild Seattle and working with him to rescue wild animals who have been injured by the amenities human’s take for granted. Along the way, Shannon befriends Tyler, who is fighting a pattern of parental abuse at home, and finds out that her uncle has been hiding a pretty big secret from the family. Great read for upper elementary and middle school students.
Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. NY: Philomel Books, 2002. Alex Rider senses that something is very wrong concerning the reports of his uncle's death. Shortly after, he discovers that his uncle was actually a spy for the
British Secret Service MI6 and that he, Alex, is the only one who can avenge his uncle's death and solve MI6's problem. Armed with gadgets James Bond might envy, Alex sets out on a world-wide chase to find his uncle's assassins. Middle/Lower high school.
Horowitz, Anthony. Eagle Strike. NY: Philomel Books, 20042. Alex Rider was simply trying to enjoy his school vacation when he noticed the nefarious Yasson Gregorivich lounging around a café; hours later, the house in which Alex is staying is bombed, injuring the journalist father of his friend Sabina. Alex has one clue; he’s able to look at Yassen’s phone and finds the phone number of the man who paid Yassen to bomb the house. Alex’s relentless searching turns up the frightening fact that British popstar Damian Cray is planning something evil…and only Alex can stop him, especially when MI6 turns their back on Alex and his investigation. Another great read in the Alex Rider serious. Middle/Lower high school.
Horowitz, Anthony. Point Blank. NY: Philomel Books, 2002. Alex Rider, teen-age spy, returns in Point Blank to solve the mystery surrounding the deaths of two rich and powerful men who had one thing in common: both had sons
attending the Point Blanc School for Boys. Blackmailed by masterspy Alan Blount into attending the school, Alex faces life and death situations as he deals with Dr. Grief and his strange "right-hand woman" Mrs. Stellenbosch.
Great adventure story--as one critic put it--teen-age James Bond--that will have reluctant readers bemoaning the fact that they have to wait for book 3 in the series. Middle/Lower high school.
Horowitz, Anthony. Scorpia. NY: Philomel Books, 2004. Alex Rider, teen-age spy, returns once again, this time to go up against the mysterious Scorpia group, a group for whom his father supposedly worked before Alex was born. Alex is both intrigued and upset by his interactions with the group, especially as he learns their truths about his father and his father’s death. But can he really believe Julia Rothman, the head of Scorpia? Or is Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt still his allies. Another strong offering in the series. Middle/Lower high school.
Horowitz, Anthony. Snakeshead. NY: Philomel Books, 2007. Alex Rider is unwittingly pulled in to another adventure against the mysterious Scorpia group when the Australian version of MI6 pulls him in with the lure of getting to work with his godfather. But Ash is not exactly what Alex expects, and he is torn between his desire to learn more about his parents and his concerns about Ash’s trustworthiness. The book works well and provides Alex devotees, as well as Alex, more information about his life and identity. Middle/Lower high school.