YA Fiction
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
Hazel does not particularly enjoy support group. It consists of sitting in a church with a bunch of other teenagers with cancer of various kinds at various stages, all in the process of dying–even those in remission. All humans are in the process of dying, after all. But it is at support group that she first meets Augustus Waters, an incredibly attractive guy with an unrelenting wit and an affinity for metaphorical cigarettes. Their friendship forms quickly around conversations about nuances of language, action movies, video games, and in particular a somewhat philosophical novel by a reclusive author. Peter Van Houten’s novel has had a profound influence on Hazel and her worldview, but there is one problem. It ends mid-sentence with the main character’s death. Not a very satisfying conclusion. As Hazel tries to balance her feelings for Augustus with her reluctance to begin a relationship that must inevitably soon end with her death, Augustus tries to track down Van Houten to find out how the novel ends.
The Fault in Our Stars is at once hilarious and heartbreaking. Through an exploration of love, family, hope, disappointment, and loss, John Green captures the infinite beauty, tragedy, and potential of finite human life. Hazel and Augustus are witty, intelligent, imperfect, and so utterly human that I could not help but fall in love with them. Although it is heart-wrenching, I would not call this book depressing. In fact, I would describe it as uplifting, a reminder that the transience of human life does not diminish its beauty or its meaningfulness. Thank you for this book, John Green. It is truly a masterpiece.
If you liked The Fault in Our Stars, you might like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
Matt spent his early life in a secluded cottage, raised by Celia, a maid for El Patron, the 140 year old drug lord who rules over the land of Opium. But when Matt’s attempt to communicate with three new children leads to a serious injury, he is suddenly whisked into the strange world beyond the cottage. There, he learns that he is a clone of El Patron, a sub-human creation that many people consider to be equivalent to livestock. El Patron decides to protect Matt and raise him with the education and lifestyle befitting of a drug lord’s son, but Matt senses something sinister about the old man and his complicated family business, although Celia and his new bodyguard Tam Lin will not explain it to him. Matt will have to come to grips with his identity as a clone, the reason he was created, and the truth about El Patron’s Opium empire–because his life may depend on it.
Another great Sci-Fi novel from Nancy Farmer! She builds a vivid and terrifying dystopian landscape that explores potential moral consequences of cloning, as well as providing a commentary on how humans treat other humans, particularly immigrants and the working class. The novel has a nice blend of action and philosophical musing and will certainly be relatable to anyone who has ever struggled to find their identity or place in society. I highly recommend it to lovers of dark Sci-Fi novels!
Older teens who liked The House of the Scorpion might like Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood–and of course Nancy Farmer’s earlier Sci-Fi classic, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm.
Thanks for the suggestion, Grace!
THE ROCK AND THE RIVER by Kekla Magoon
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
In some ways, Sam has led a sheltered life. He has experienced some of the racial prejudice that his father, a well-known Civil Rights activist, is fighting against, but living in his middle-class neighborhood, he has never quite understood the struggle in the same way that others seem to. His older brother, Stick, on the other hand, seems to be getting involved in things that are over his head. He has grown frustrated with his father’s methods of peaceful protest and joins the Black Panthers. Sam is stuck in the middle of the fight between his father and brother, trying to understand the implications for the struggle for Civil Rights and figure out on which side he should take his stand.
This wonderful historical novel weaves realistic family tensions into the political tensions of an important historical period. The story is gritty, realistic, action-packed, and thought-provoking. Not the feel-good book of the year, but a gripping read. The well-researched historical backdrop of the story along-side the intense, character-driven fictional story would also make this an enjoyable book to use in a high school classroom.
POWERLESS by Matthew Cody
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
When Daniel and his family move to a new town to take care of his aging grandmother, Daniel immediately notices something odd about the kids of Noble’s Green. At first he excuses the strange things he sees as tricks of his mind. Mollie couldn’t possibly move as fast as he thought she did. Certainly the bully Clay couldn’t be strong enough to hurl him that far through the air. But when Eric rescues him from a would-be-fatal fall and flies him up to their secret hide-out, Daniel has to face the truth. The kids of Noble’s Green have superpowers. Most of them choose to use their powers only for good and to hide their abilities from the adults. But one thing is universally true: the powers disappear on your thirteenth birthday. Your old talents vanish, and with them your memories of your childhood adventures and even of your friendships. Some of the kids have accepted this change as destiny, and watched their older friends drift away from them, knowing it would one day be their turn. But Mollie suspects that something else might be going on. Unfortunately, any kid who tried to figure out the truth in the past lost their powers prematurely. But Daniel has no superpowers, and his talent at detective work makes him the perfect man for the job. It is all up to Daniel to discover who or what is stealing the superpowers of Noble’s Green, before the supers lose another friend.
I just picked this book up when I was browsing, and boy am I glad I did! This is a great adventure mystery, built on themes of growing up and changing relationships that we can all relate to. It will probably appeal most to upper elementary and middle schoolers. A truly fun, imaginative read–I highly recommend it!
If you liked Powerless, you might like Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo.
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE by Gene Luen Yang
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
The monkey king masters the disciplines of kung-fu but cannot earn the respect of the gods because he wears no shoes. Jin Wang moves from China to America and tries to adjust to the new culture while dealing with the prejudices–not all of them ill-intentioned–of his classmates. Danny lives in a world similar to a sitcom where his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee constantly embarrasses him with his unusual behavior.
Yang weaves these three stories together to highlight the challenges of moving to a new culture and struggling to develop one’s identity as an individual. The graphic novel earned him the Printz Award in 2007. It may seem disjointed at first, but it comes together in the end. It will probably appeal most to teenagers, especially high schoolers.
LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
In sixteen years of life, nothing interesting has ever happened to Miles Halter. When he leaves his home in Florida to attend boarding school in Alabama, he hopes that something remarkable will happen. But he never could have imagined anything as remarkable as Alaska Young. Alaska is beautiful, funny, reckless, and charismatic; Miles is drawn to her instantly, and finds himself in awe of the girl-goddess. But through their friendship, adventures, and late-night pranks, Miles begins to discover that there is more to Alaska than meets the eye. When tragedy strikes their lives, Miles will be forced to question everything he has assumed about Alaska, the world, and his own life as he tries to come to terms with his grief.
I have extolled the virtues of John Green’s YA novels in the past, and I will continue to do so here. He approaches realistic and difficult subject matter with a snarky sense of humor and a touch of philosophy that makes his characters believable and enjoyable to read about. Looking for Alaska won the Printz Award, and fully deserved it. I highly recommend this book, especially to high school and college-age readers. Audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton!
FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
The letter only had six words, and though they didn’t mean anything to Jonah, he found them somehow disturbing: “You are one of the missing.” When he learns that his friend Chip received the same letter, they realize that something strange is definitely going on. As more mysterious letters arrive, the two friends and Jonah’s sister, Katherine, begin to investigate the situation, which seems to have some connection to the FBI, and the fact that Jonah was adopted. But if things weren’t strange enough, level-headed Katherine claims she’s seen a ghost, and Jonah may have seen a mysterious intruder vanish from his bedroom. As matters get increasingly complicated, the teens begin to suspect that they are caught up in something much bigger than they realized, and perhaps beyond anything they ever imagined to see in this world.
Found is a suspenseful sci-fi mystery that starts off Haddix’s “The Missing” series. It is followed by Sent and Sabotaged, and four more books are likely to join the series in the coming years. It’s a fast, fun read for teens!
RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE by Dean, Shannon, & Nathan Hale
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
Rapunzel’s mother, Gothel, raised her in a beautiful home surrounded by luscious gardens–the product of Gothel’s growth magic–and a high stone wall which separated them from the outside world. When Rapunzel grows old enough to wonder what lies beyond the wall, she disobeys her mother’s orders and climbs to the top. There she sees the barren wasteland outside her mother’s protected garden, land stripped of all fertility by the witch’s powers and peopled by laboring peasants, Gothel’s slaves. Rapunzel also learns that one of the peasants is her true mother, from whom Gothel stole her in infancy. When Rapunzel confronts the witch with her new knowledge, Gothel takes her to a far off forest and imprisons her in the hollow of a tall, tall tree. Gothel expects that her “daughter” will eventually come to her senses and choose to support the system of slavery that keeps them living in luxury. Instead, Rapunzel grows increasingly bitter in her isolation. Gothel’s growth magic that made the tree tall also makes Rapunzel’s hair grow quickly and soon she has enough to create a lasso to help her in her escape. Teaming up with a young thief named Jack, Rapunzel adventures across the desert countryside, trying to devise a plan to destroy Gothel’s empire and using her hair to bring vigilante justice to the lawless towns she passes through.
This adventurous Wild West retelling of Rapunzel is tons of fun. The graphic novel format is perfect for the story’s fantastic action sequences. Plus, it is very, very funny! I highly recommend this book to middle grade and teen readers.
The sequel Calamity Jack came out recently and I am very excited to read it!
RECKLESS by Cornelia Funke
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
After his father disappeared, twelve-year-old Jacob sneaked into his study searching for answers. Instead he found a magic mirror. For twelve years, Jacob journeyed back and forth from his own world to the Mirrorworld, a parallel dimension where dark fairy tales became real: questers can sell magical objects on the black market, dangerous fairies seek human lovers, and sleeping princesses decay in eternal sleep, waiting for princes who never arrive.
For Jacob, the Mirrorworld is an escape from everything that he does not want to face in his own world. But when his younger brother, Will, follows him and is wounded by a stone Goyl, everything changes. As Will begins to turn to jade stone, Jacob and the fox-girl who loves him have to guide Will and Will’s fiancee, Clara, through his dangerous world, hoping to find a cure, though he is fairly sure none exists. Meanwhile Goyl army, led by the Dark Fairy, race to find the jade Goyl who has been prophesied to protect their king and lead them to victorious dominion over the human empire.
Based in a German fairy tale tradition that is already fairly dark, Funke’s Mirrorworld is chilling and grotesque. The book is marketed for teens, and will certainly appeal especially to an older teen audience, although adults who enjoy these kinds of twisted fairy tale fantasies will find the characters very accessible as well. I enjoyed reading this book very much.
If you liked Reckless, you might like Dreamwood by Heather Mackey or Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (both for a slightly younger audience).
THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff
I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, online retailers that support independent booksellers. If you make a purchase by clicking through the links in this post, I will receive a commission. For more information, see my “About” page.
Mackie Doyle’s father has always taught him to avoid attention. If he keeps a low profile, no one will notice his unusually dark eyes, or his severe allergy to iron, or his inability to set foot on the consecrated ground of the church. No one will notice that he is just a replacement, a changeling left by the faerie folk when they stole the real Mackie Doyle from his crib and offered him up as a blood sacrifice. Of course Mackie’s parents and his sister Emma realize the truth, and others certainly suspect, but the people of Gentry are used to turning a blind eye every seven years when another child is taken. It is just the way things are.
Unlike most replacements who die in infancy, Mackie has survived to the age of sixteen, but as his allergic reactions and difficulty breathing become more acute, he doesn’t know how much longer he can live. When his sister Emma takes a terrible risk to save his life, Mackie finds himself suddenly caught up in the world of the “others,” the creatures he once belonged to and the only ones with the power to save his life. Unfortunately, it is the year for the blood sacrifice, and they have stolen his friend Tate’s little sister. When Mackie learns that young Natalie is still alive, he must decide where his loyalties lie, and how much he is willing to risk to protect those he cares about.
This book is exciting, incredibly creepy, and brilliantly imagined! Yovanoff combines the world of Celtic folklore with the world of modern high school seamlessly and believably, with a great balance between the fantasy conflict and Mackie’s struggles with friendships, love, and identity. I enjoyed every minute of this book, and highly recommend it to fans of dark fantasy, or just creepy gothic literature in general!
- ← Previous
- 1
- …
- 17
- 18
- 19
- Next →
Susan the Librarian 