What’s New in Young Adult
Literature?
Donna Blackall
Deborah Will
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie
by Jordan Sonnenblick
 The hectic life of
8th grader Steven
Alper is further
complicated when his
aged 5 brother is
diagnosed with
leukemia. A story of
courage and self
discovery
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
 The gods of Ancient
Greece are alive and
well in the 21st century .
Attending a strange
summer camp, Percy
Jackson learns what
this means to him
personally. As the “halfblood” Perseus, (his
father is Poseidon) his
adventures have just
begun.
The Absolutely True Story of a PartTime Indian
by Sherman Alexie
 Budding cartoonist
Junior leaves his
troubled school on the
Spokane Indian
Reservation to attend
an all-white farm town
school where the only
other Indian is the
school mascot.
Left for Dead : A Young Man's Search
for Justice for the USS Indianapolis
by Pete Nelson
 Recalls the sinking of
the U.S.S. Indianapolis
at the end of World
War II, the Navy coverup and unfair court
martial of the ship's
captain, and how a young
boy helped the survivors
set the record straight
fifty-five years later.
Shark Girl
by Kelly Bingham
 A teen-age girl in a
pink bikini - a
perfect day a the
beach. And then the
shark attacks, and
Jane’s life is
changed forever
Crossing the Wire
by Will Hobbs
 15 year old Mexican
boy decides the only
way he can help his
family survive is to
“cross the wire” illegally enter the
US to seek work.
According to Jane
by Marilyn Brant
 Ellie Barnett has always
lived with the voice of
Jane Austen in her head
and Jane does not like
Sam Blaine, but after
years of missed chances
and misunderstandings,
Ellie has to listen to her
own heart, which has
always wanted Sam.
Impossible
by Nancy Werlein
 When seventeen-yearold Lucy discovers her
family is under an
ancient curse by an evil
Elfin Knight, she
realizes to break the
curse she must perform
three impossible tasks
before her daughter is
born in order to save
them both.
First Light
by Rebecca Stead
 There is a
civilization inside
the glaciers of
Greenland. What and
why it exists and to
whom it matters
most is what this
fantasy unravels.
A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda Urban
 Zoe’s dream of
becoming a concert
pianist is slightly
deferred when her
dad buys her an
electric organ
instead of a
Steinway. An
amusing story with
real heart.
City of Bones
by Cassandra Clare
 Suddenly able to see
demons and the
Darkhunters who are
dedicated to returning
them to their own
dimension, fifteen-yearold Clary Fray is drawn
into this bizzare world
when her mother
disappears and Clary
herself is almost killed
by a monster.
Wicked Lovely
by Melissa Marr
 Aislinn has always been
able to see faeries, but
when the Summer King
decides that she could
be the answer to a
timeless battle between
him and the Winter
Queen, Aislinn must risk
her life to save herself
and the young man she
loves.
The Boy Who Dared
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
 Historical fiction based
on the real life of
Helmuth Hubener who
came of age in Germany
as the Nazis came to
power. His heroic voice
of defiance in the midst
of the chants of
“Heil,Hitler!” by his
fellow youth is both an
inspiring and
devastating tale.
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
 Teens of the future
become gladiators
who fight to the
death to save their
families and bring
honor to their
homelands. A
survival video game
in book form.
Deadline
by Chris Crutcher
 Given the medical
diagnosis of one year to
live, high school senior
Ben Wolf decides to
fulfill his greatest
fantasies, ponders his
life's purpose and
legacy, and converses
through dreams with a
spiritual guide known as
"Hey-Soos.".
The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
 Presents the true
story of Brent Runyon,
who at fourteen set
himself on fire and
sustained burns over
eighty percent of his
body and describes
the months of physical
and mental
rehabilitation that
followed as he
attempted to pull his
life together.
Waiting for Normal
by Leslie Connor
 Left alone with her
train-wreck of a mother
when her step-dad
leaves with the younger
children from his
marriage to her mom,
Addie looks everywhere
for some stability and
acceptance. She finds it
in the most unlikely
places.
The Great Wide Sea
by M.H. Herlong
 When the mother
of three boys aged
15, 11 and 5 dies
unexpectedly in an
auto accident, their
father sells their
home and takes
them on an
emotionally charged
sailboat adventure.
Hold Tight
by Harlan Coben
 Just how far parents
will go to protect their
kids? When their son
Adam is implicated in
the death of his
classmate, Tia and Mike
Baye install a
sophisticated spy
program on Adam's
computer, and within
days are jolted by a
message from an
unknown correspondent.
Sold
by Patricia McCormick
 Thirteen-year-old
Lakshmi leaves her poor
mountain home in Nepal
thinking that she is to
work in the city as a
maid only to find that
she has been sold into
the sex slave trade in
India and that there is
no hope of escape
All Shook Up!
By Shelly Pearsall
 Josh leave his
normal teen-age life
in Boston to live for
awhile with his dad
in Chicago - a shoe
salesman turned
Elvis impersonator!
Although he resists,
Josh learns there is
more than one way
to look at the world.
Trouble
by Gary D. Schmidt
 How does the family
of a high school
BMOC recover from
his devastating loss
in a hit-and-run?
And what happens
when the truth of
the accident is even
more painful yet?
The Pact
 Three young men
growing up in a poor
neighborhood in New
Jersey make a pact
to help each other
complete medical
school. They look
out for each other,
and keep each other
focused on the goal:
to become doctors.
How to Build a House
by Dana Reinhart
 When her father
divorces her beloved
stepmother and leaves
her without her
stepsister, Tess, Harper
decides to join a
volunteer organization
to build houses for
tornado victims, but
struggling to figure out
her role in the mix upon
her arrival, Harper is
befriended by Teddy
who inspires her to love
and trust once again.
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
 Toddler Nobody Owens
survives an ancient
league of assassins who
murder the rest of his
family by escaping to an
abandoned graveyard.
There he meets and is
raised by spirits and an
un-earthly mentor. But
he can’t be kept safe
forever
Cicada Summer
by Andrea Beaty
 6th grader Lily’s
emotional paralysis
following the
accidental death of
her older brother
Pete
leads her to
a summer of
mystery, suspense
and self-discovery.
Graceling
by Kristin Cashore
 In a world where some
people are born with
extreme and oftenfeared skills called
Graces, Katsa struggles
for redemption from
her own horrifying
Grace, the Grace of
killing, and teams up
with another young
fighter to save their
land from a corrupt
king.
Savvy
by Ingrid Law
 Recounts the
adventures of Mibs
Beaumont, whose
thirteenth birthday
has revealed her
"savvy"--a magical
power unique to each
member of her
family--just as her
father is injured in a
terrible accident.
The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
 In a future where
humans despise clones,
Matt enjoys special
status as the young
clone of El Patron, the
140-year-old leader of a
corrupt drug empire
nestled between Mexico
and the United States.
Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure
by Charlie Higson
 Who was James
Bond at the age of
13? This adventure
and suspense novel
introduces us to the
young 007. A fun
ride - with sequels
to please!
Larger-Than-Life Lara
by Dandi Daley Mackhall
 New girl Lara is grossly
overweight and the sure
target for 4th grade
ridicule and humiliation.
But she refuses to
react. In fact she is
confident, even happy
most of the time. So, of
course, things get
worse for her. Laney
tells her story - and
teaches her readers to
write a narrative while
writing her “school
assignment.”
Word Nerd
by Susin Nielsen
 What an unlikely
combination: a 12-yearold self-proclaimed
loser in knock-off
Nikes, an ex-con and
the game of SCRABBLE.
Who would guess that
together they work to
make sense of life?
Warning: LOADED with
“naughty words!”
Three Weeks With My Brother
 This is an account of
two brothers who
rely on each other
throughout their
lives including when
tragedy strikes.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy
Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
 In a heart-wrenching,
candid autobiography, a
human rights activist
offers a firsthand
account of war from the
perspective of a former
child soldier, detailing
the violent civil war that
wracked his native
Sierra Leone and the
government forces that
transformed a gentle
young boy into a killer as
a member of the army.
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
 Two young, starcrossed lovers--17year-old Antonio and
16-year-old Natasha-face tragedy when
Antonio is convicted
of murder. Their
story, told through a
decade of letters,
captures their anger,
hope, and frustrations
in this coming-of-age
story.
Jerk, California
by Jonathan Friesen
 Plagued by Tourette's
syndrome and a
stepfather who despises
him, Sam meets an old
man in his small Midwest
town who sends him on a
road trip designed to
help him discover the
truth about his life.
The Looking Glass Wars
by Frank Beddor
 When she is cast out of
Wonderland by her evil
aunt Redd, young Alyss
Heart finds herself
living in Victorian
Oxford as Alice Liddell
and struggles to keep
memories of her
kingdom intact until she
can return and claim her
rightful throne.
My Mother the Cheerleader
by Rob Sharenow
 Thirteen-year-old
Louise uncovers
secrets about her
family and her
neighborhood during
the violent protests
over school
desegregation in
1960 New Orleans.
Perfect Chemistry
by Simone Elkeles
 When wealthy,
seemingly perfect
Brittany and Alex
Fuentes, a gang member
from the other side of
town, develop a
relationship after Alex
discovers that Brittany
is not exactly who she
seems to be, they must
face the disapproval of
their schoolmates--and
others.
A Room on Lorelei Street
by Mary E. Pearson
 To escape a miserable
existence taking care of
her alcoholic mother,
seventeen-year-old Zoe
rents a room from an
eccentric woman, but
her earnings as a
waitress after school
are minimal and she
must go to extremes to
cover expenses.
Sight
by Adrienne Vrettos
 Sixteen-year-old
Dylan uses her
psychic abilities to
help police solve
crimes against
children, but keeps
her extracurricular
activities secret
from her friends at
school.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
 Two women born a
generation apart witness
the destruction of their
home and family in
wartorn Kabul, losses
incurred over the
course of thirty years
that test the limits of
their strength and
courage.
Saving Francesca
by Melina Marchetta
 Francesca doesn’t
understand how
her self-sufficient
mother is suddenly
unable to get out
of bed in the
morning and is
completely useless
to her family as
they face everyday
problems
Avalon High
by Meg Cabot
 Having moved to
Annapolis with her
medievalist parents,
high school junior
Ellie enrolls at
Avalon High School
where several
students may or may
not be the
reincarnations of
King Arthur and his
court.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
 Death narrates this
tale of a normal
German girl and her
family who are
shocked and
horrified as Hitler
takes control of
Germany during the
Second World War.
Inexcusable
by Chris Lynch
 Keir is a “good guy”
and he’ll tell you what
a prize catch he is.
Yet the reader begins
to understand that
Keir’s goodness is only
in his imagination,
especially when it
comes to his
treatment of the
women in his life.
The Good Guy
by Dean Koontz
 Chatting with a nervous
stranger sitting at a
local bar, Timothy
Carrier soon realizes
that he has been
mistaken for a killerfor-hire and has been
given an envelope full of
cash and a contract on a
pretty young woman
whose photograph and
address accompany the
money.
Gym Candy
by Carl Deuker
 Groomed by his father
to be a star player,
football is the only thing
that has ever really
mattered to Mick
Johnson, who works
hard for a spot on the
varsity team his
freshman year, then
tries to hold onto his
edge by using steroids,
despite the
consequences to his
health and social life.
Crank
by Ellen Hopkins
 Kristina Snow is the
perfect daughter,
but she meets a boy
who introduces her
to drugs and
becomes a very
different person,
struggling to control
her life and her mind
Hawksong
by Amelia Atwater Rhodes
 In a land that has been
at war so long that no
one remembers the
reason for fighting, the
shapeshifters who rule
the two factions agree
to marry in the hope of
bringing peace, despite
deep-seated fear and
distrust of each other
Peeps: A Novel
by Scott Westerfield
 Cal Thompson is a
carrier of a parasite
that causes
vampirism, and must
hunt down all of the
girlfriends he has
unknowingly infected
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote
Peace – One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson
 “The first time you
share tea with a
Balti, you are a
stranger," a villager
tells Greg
Mortenson. "The
second time, you are
an honored guest.
The third time you
become family."
A Certain Slant of Light
by Laura Whitcomb
 After benignly
haunting a series of
people for 130
years, Helen meets a
teenage boy who can
see her and
together they unlock
the mysteries of
their pasts.
Tell No One by Harlen Coben
 Eight years after his
beloved wife,
Elizabeth, was
supposedly murdered
by a serial killer, Beck
receives information
that suggests she may
still be alive, but his
search for the truth
could mean setting
himself up as the
prime suspect in a
number of crimes.
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
 When Rob, the
charismatic leader
of the senior class,
turns the school
nerd into Prince
Charming, his actions
lead to unexpected
violence.
Dreams from my Father
o Details the story
of Barack
Obama’s childhood
and how he came
to terms with his
father, a man with
a difficult temper
and high
standards.
Please Stop Laughing at Me
oThis personal
account
explores the
issue of
bullying and its
underlying
psychological
effects and
long term
ramifications.
Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick
Discovers Why We Need Disease
This text
examines how
disease has
helped mankind
survive short
term
environmental
threats by
privileging deadly
diseases.
My Forbidden Face
by Latifa
Details daily life
inside Taliban
controlled
Afghanistan
from the
perspective of a
young Afghani
woman.
Tuesdays With Morrie
This book details
the relationship
between a student
and his former
teacher who is
dying of ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s Disease) .