BOOK LISTS FOR YOUNG ADULTS
- Adventure and Survival Stories (Cerritos Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for about 50 books, from Lloyd Alexander's The Drackenberg Adventure
to Paul Zindel's Reef of Death. March 2002.
- Youth Adventure and Survival Stories (Novi Public Library, MI)
- Author, title, grade level (from 1st grade to 12th), summary for over 25 books,
from CS Adler's A Tribe For Lexi to Elizabeth Yates's Sarah Whitcher's Story.
- Adventure Stories for Middle School Readers (Elmhurst Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, page count, and summary for 16 books,
including Ruth Riddell's Ice Warrior, Gary Paulsen's The Haymeadow,
and Eric Campbell's The Place of Lions. Oct. 2000.
- What Should I Read Next?: Adventure (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 20 adventure
books for teens, from Mark Twain's The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn to Charles Portis's True Grit.
- Survivor Stories (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, page count, summary for about 20 adventure fiction titles for teens,
from Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever, 1793 to Paul Zindel's Raptor,
as well as 6 non-fiction titles.
- Adventure Fiction for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, and webcatalog link for about 35 novels of adventure for
teens, from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
to Angels of the Swamp by Dorothy Raymond Whittaker.
- Adventure and Survival (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 adventure books for middle school and high
school students from Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
to Robb White's Deathwatch. May 2002.
- Adventurous Books for Teens (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, and summary for about a dozen adventure books, from Baby-sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts
to The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen.
- Adventure Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 20 adventure books, from
Joan Aiken's Cold Shoulder Road to Megan Turner's The Thief.
- Survival!, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 25 adventure novels for young teens,
from Someone Is Hiding on Alcatraz Island by Eve Bunting
to Danger Along the Ohio by Patricia Willis.
- Best Friends: Books about Human-Animal Relationships for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 25 novels featuring animals, from
Mildred Ames' Who Will Speak for the Lamb? to
Theodore Taylor's The Weirdo.
- Attention All Animal Lovers (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 8 books, from Melvin Burgess's Kite to
Diane Lee Wilson's I Rode a Horse Milk White Jade.
- Attention All Animal Lovers (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for a dozen books about animals, from
Gillian Cross's Pictures in the Dark to Diane Lee Wilson's I Rode a Horse Milk White Jade.
- Books About Animals (Canton Public Library, MI)
- Seven fiction and 10 non-fiction books for teens "celebrating animals and our relationships with them."
Author, title, webcat link, and summary for each. Fiction titles by
Gennifer Choldenko; Kate DiCamillo; Jean Craighead George; Will Hobbs; Madeleine L'Engle;
Deborah Savage; and Diane Lee Wilson.
- Secret World of Animals: Animal Stories (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author and title only for about 30 series and novels featuring animals,
from Animal Farm by George Orwell to Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
- The Arts in Fiction, Poetry and Drama: Adult Books for Young Adults (Massachusetts Regional Library Systems)
- Author, title, publication info, summary for 12 fiction titles involving art or music. From
Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay to August Wilson's Seven Guitars. Compiled
summer 2003.
- Take A Picture (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Fiction involving photography. Author, title, and summary for over 15 novels,
from Cloudy Bright: A Novel by John Rowe Townsend to
TV Guidance Counselor by A.C. Lemieux. Updated Aug. 2001.
- Warts and All! Biographies & Autobiographies Teens Will Read! (Santa Clara County Library, San Jose, CA)
- Author, title, summary of book. Almost 50 books. Feb. 2002.
- Well-Written Lives: Biographies and Autobiographies for Young Adults (Boston Public Library)
- Title, author, brief summary of about 50 auto/biographies, by category (writers, artists,
sports figures, etc.). April 2001.
- Biographies for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, and webcatalog link for about 40 biographies,
in categories of: By Young Adults; Historical; Anthologies, Sports and
Athletes; Artists and Entertainers; On the Job; and General. Some are
diaries or journals.
- Autobiographical Memoirs (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 55 memoirs, from
Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie to Paul Zindel's The Pigman & Me.
- Biographies: Books for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for 15 biographies/autobiographies,
from Lance Armstrong's It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey
Back to Life to Paul Zindel's The Pigman and Me.
- Biography (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for almost 20 biographies and autobiographies for middle school and high
school students from Sid Fleischman's The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life
to The Autobiography of Malcolm X. May 2002.
- High Achievers: Biographies of African
Americans for Teenagers (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2003. Author, title, summary, and webcat
link for over 15 biographies about black Americans,
including Toni Morrison, Oprah Winfrey, Kweisi Mfume,
Condoleezza Rice, Lauryn Hill, Ashanti, Venus and Serena Williams,
and others.
- Get Real! Biographies that are Fun to Read (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 5 books,
including Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face,
Sonsyrea Tate's Little X, and Adeline Yen Mah's Chinese
Cinderella.
- Autobiographies for Young People (Fairfax County Public Library, VA)
- Author and title only for almost 70 autobiographies for children, from Verna Aardema's A Bookworm Who Hatched
to Jane Yolen's A Letter From Phoenix Farm. April 2002.
- Realistic Fiction (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 100 fiction titles in these categories:
Abuse/Harassment; Alcohol/Drugs; Death/Dying; Disabilities/Diseases/Mental Health;
Divorce/Relationships; Fitting In; Food Issues/Weight Concerns; Pregnancy/Sex;
Working & Living Together.
- This Is Your Life, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 12 novels for young teens, dealing
with patriotism, eccentric families, outcasts, drug use,
bullies, war, drinking, etc.
- Young Adult Issues (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 novels about issues of concern for
middle school and high school students, from Avi's Nothing But the Truth
to Rob Thomas's Rats Saw God. May 2002.
- Teen Books with Decision-Making Themes (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 45 novels about the consequences of choices made,
from Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak to Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville's Armageddon Summer.
- Coping in a Post-9/11 World, for Teens (Project Liberty, Westchester Libraries, NY)
- "Books that celebrate diversity, open-minded thinking, an appreciation of
complexity and encourage thinking about things from a variety of
view points and perspectives. While there are titles with straight-forward information
on terrorism and the events of 9/11 and its aftermath, there are also books
that provoke reflection on issues of life, death and living in uncertain
times. These books offer hope and comfort and insight." Author, title, publisher, summary for about
85 books.
- Middle School Books Dealing with Ethical Issues (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for 15 novels,
from Rachel Anderson's Black Water to Paul Zindel's Loch.
- Too Fat, Too Thin, Too Tall, Too Short (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, grade level, and summary for over 25 books. Adapted from Booklist, 1995. Updated Sept. 2001.
- Eating Disorders/Weight Control (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 20 books on food, eating, diet, from
Liliane Atlan's The Passersby to Barbara Wersba's Fat, a Love Story.
- Dying To Be Thin (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, summary for teen and chapter book fiction, adult fiction,
and non-fiction on eating disorders. 13 fiction titles, from
Best Little Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron to
Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig. Also 7 non-fiction
titles. Updated Oct. 2002.
- Realistic Fiction about Food Issues and Weight Concerns (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for 18 novels,
from Joan Bauer's Squashed to Pamela Todd's Pig and the Shrink.
- Eating Disorders: A Booklist for Children and Young People (City of Birmingham, UK)
- These books explain "what an eating disorder is and how to get help."
Author, title, summary for about 10 titles, fiction and non-fiction,
from Claire Beeken's My Body My Enemy to Aric Sigman's Getting Physical: A Teenage Health Guide. Updated
Aug. 2005.
- The Bare Bones: Honest Fiction about Weight and Eating Disorders (Jennifer Hubert, Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists)
- Detailed summaries of more than 10 novels for teens about eating disorders. March 2000.
- Books Concerning Bullying: Senior Fiction (Booktrusted.com, UK)
- Author, title, publication info, summary for eight fiction books about bullying. Links
to picture books, junior books, and non-fiction books on the same topic.
- Freaks and Geeks (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
- Title, author, summary for about 20 books featuring freaks and geeks, from
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson to Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.
- Books on Death and Dying for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 55 novels (and one non-fiction book) about death and dying,
from Joan Abelove's Saying It Out Loud to Paul Zindel's A Begonia for Miss Applebaum.
- Young Carers' Stories (Booklist for Children and Young People) (City of Birmingham, UK)
- Books about children and teens who care for others will illnesses or injuries.
Author, title, summary for about 15 fiction titles,
from N. Cole's Bring In The Spring to Paul Zindel's A Begonia For Miss Applebaum. Updated Dec. 2004.
- Divorce -- Books for Teens (Precious Heart Chaplaincy, Crisis, Grief, Death and Divorce Archive, TX)
- Author, title, publication info, page count, and summary for over 250 books, most fiction. Some books
are also appropriate for younger readers.
- Divorce, Alcoholic Parents, Custody Battles, Parents Dating: It's not always the end of
the world (Jasper County Public Library, IN)
- Authors, titles, summaries for over 20 children's fiction titles and
over 15 teen fiction titles on these topics, mostly on divorce.
- Realistic Fiction about Divorce/Relationships (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for 8 novels,
from Betsy Duffey's Coaster to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.
- Pregnancy and Parenthood: Teen Parent Booklist (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Sections: Boys' Point of View; Diaries/Journals; Friendship (that supports teen parents); On
the Go (leaving home); and more. Author, title, summary, webcat link for over 30 fiction books,
from Patricia Calvert's Stranger, You and I to Paul Zindel's My Darling, My Hamburger.
- Library Heroes and Heroines (Fairfax County Public Library, VA)
- Title, author, genre, and summary for 16 books, from After Caroline by Kay Hooper
to The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli. March 2002.
- Classics for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for about 25 literary classics suitable
for teens, from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott to
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (includes some juvenile
titles and some adult titles as well).
- What Should I Read Next?: Classics (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 15 YA classics,
from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
to JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit. List is heavy on science-fiction and fantasy.
- Classics for Young Adults From Ancient Times to the Twentieth Century (Debra Lurie and Michelle Maes, Santa Clara County Library)
- One-line summary of books in alpha order by author, from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1958) to
Richard Wright's Native Son (1940). Feb. 2002.
- Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Cerritos Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for about 100 books, from
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart to Richard Wright's Native Son.
Updated March 2002.
- Outstanding Books for the College-Bound Student (American Library Association)
- Includes author, title, publication year, and a one-line summary of book. Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Drama, and Poetry.
- College-Bound Reading List (Arrowhead Library System, Janesville WI)
- List of about 40 works each of American Lit and World Lit (including English),
and over 30 books of history/biography, as well as works in science, social science,
drama, and poetry. Title, author, brief summary.
- Recommended College Reading (Northbrook Public Library, IL)
- "Titles recently chosen for common reading by liberal arts colleges
ranked highest by U.S. News & World Report." Author and title only for
about 10 biographies, about 20 general non-fiction works, and about 25 fiction titles.
- Books Every Child Should Read Before Graduating From
High School (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author and title only for 26 books; list developed by principals and teachers in Key Biscayne, FL. Many titles
are juvenile (like Seuss, Sendak, Charlotte's Web), some
adult. Sept. 2001.
- Exploring the Possibilities: Coming of Age Novels (Chicago Public Library, IL)
- "Novels about young people facing choices that may affect their lives forever."
Almost 40 novels, with author, title, and summary of each. Oct. 2002.
- Coming of Age Novels (Fairfax County Public Library, VA)
- Title, author, and summary of 18 novels. April 2002.
- Coming-of-Age Novels (Reader's Advice)
- 'Tales of the timeless transition from childhood to adulthood.'
Author and title (with Amazon links) for about 140 coming-of-age novels,
from Janet Appleton's That Summer to Shay Youngblood's Black Girl in Paris.
All may not be suitable to younger teens.
- Outsiders: Books for Young Teens (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, and summary for about a dozen books about misfits, runaways, and alienated kids, from Alan & Naomi
by Myron Levoy to Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block.
- Free To Be Me: Books About Finding Your Way In the World (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, one-line summary for 10 books, from Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo to
Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. Updated Oct. 2002.
- Coming of Age Novels (Johnson County Library, KS)
- Author, title, webcat link for about 40 novels, in categories: Male, Female, African-American,
Gay & Lesbian, International, Jewish-American.
- Dear Diary: Books for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary of over 25 books written in diary or journal format,
from Annie's Baby: the Diary of Anonymous, a Pregnant
Teenager to Paul Zindel's The Amazing and Death-Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman.
- Diary Fiction for Young Adults (Evanston Public Library, IL)
- Lists about 15 books, with authors and summaries of books. July 2002.
- Diaries, Real and Imagined (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for 10 real diaries
and 16 fictional. April 1998.
- Diaries, Letters, Journals (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 45 books, many in series like the Royal Diaries
and Dear America.
- Teen Parenting Fiction (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary for about 16 novels and story collections
on teen parenting, from Undra E. Biggs's When You Look at Me
to Cheryl Zach's Silent Tears. May 2002.
- Pregnancy and Parenthood: Teen Parent Booklist (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Sections: Boys' Point of View; Diaries/Journals; Friendship (that supports teen parents); On
the Go (leaving home); and more. Author, title, summary, webcat link for over 30 fiction books,
from Patricia Calvert's Stranger, You and I to Paul Zindel's My Darling, My Hamburger.
- Family Relations in YA Novels (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 books on families, from
Joan Abelove's Saying It Out Loud to Margaret Willey's The Melinda Zone.
- Mother/Daughter Relationships: Fiction for Teens (Jasper County Public Library, IN)
- Author, title, summary for 7 novels on the topic,
from Joan Bauer's Hope was Here to Cynthia Voigt's A Solitary Blue (which involves a mother-son relationship).
- Friends (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- Author, title, summary for about 20 teens' books about friendship, from The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks
to Rachel Vail's Friendship Ring series. Updated Feb. 2005.
- Friends Like These...Books for Young Teens
about Friendship (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, and summary for 15 books, from Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech
to What You Don't Know Can Kill You by Fran Arrick.
- Recommended Books for Sixth-Eighth Graders (Ann Arbor District Library)
- Author, title, one-line summary for each of 25 books/series. Compiled Jan. 2000.
- Fiction for Grades 6-8 (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 40 novels,
from Kathi Appelt's Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance
to Virginia Euwer Wolff's Bat 6.
- Summer Reading List For Students Entering Grade 7 (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer Reading List for Galvin Middle School (Mass.) 7th graders.
Author, title, summary, and webcat links for 25 fiction titles
and 16 non-fiction.
- Suggested Books for Students in Grade 7 (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary, and links to webcatalog info for 30 books
and 5 series.
- Recommended Reading: Seventh and Eighth Grade (Kings Park Central School District, NY)
- Author, title, summary, and fiction/non-fiction notation for over 100 books or series
recommended for children in 7th and 8th grades.
- Booklist for 7th and 8th Grades (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, summary, and page count for about 30 fiction titles, for seventh
and eighth graders, from Avi's Crispin: The Cross of Lead to William Sleator's Parasite Pig.
- Summer Reading List For Students Entering Grade 8 (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer Reading List for Galvin Middle School (Mass.) 8th graders.
Author, title, summary, and webcat links for 28 fiction and 9 non-fiction titles.
- Grade 7 and Grade 8 Summer Reading, 2003 (Exeter-West Greenwich Junior High, RI)
- Lists titles by category (humor, mystery, biography, adventure, historical fiction,
realistic fiction, fantasy and science fiction), followed by authors and summaries for each book.
Also includes letter to parents and book assignments.
- 7, 8, 9th Grade Book List (Anna Zanarini, Bingham Creek Library, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- PDF file. Author, title, page count, summary for each of over 75 books recommended for
this age level.
- Suggested Books for Students in Grade 8 (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary, and links to webcatalog info for 23 books and 2 series.
- Incoming Freshmen Summer Reading List (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer 2003 Reading list for Wakefield High School (Mass.) incoming freshmen.
Author, title, genre, summary, and links to webcatalog info for over 80 fiction
and non-fiction books. Books for mature readers are noted.
- Fiction for Grades 9-10 (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 25 novels,
from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back to
Ellen Wittlinger's What's in a Name.
- Booklist for 9th and 10th Grades (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, summary, and page count for about 25 fiction titles and 6 non-fiction titles,
for ninth and tenth graders, with fiction titles from Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak to
Markus Zusak's Fighting Ruben Wolfe.
- Incoming Sophomore Summer Reading List (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer 2003 Reading List for Wakefield High School (Mass.) incoming sophomores.
Author, title, genre, summary, and links to webcatalog info for over 95 books.
Books for mature readers are noted.
- Incoming Juniors Summer Reading List (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer 2003 Reading List for Wakefield High School (Mass.) incoming juniors.
Author, title, genre, summary, and links to webcatalog info for over 100 books.
Books for mature readers are noted.
- Fiction for Grades 11-12 (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 25 books (mostly novels),
from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to
Ellen Emerson White's The Road Home.
- Booklist for 11th and 12th Grades (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, summary, and page count for about 20 fiction titles and 10 non-fiction titles, for
eleventh and twelfth graders, with fiction titles from Joan Bauer's Rules of the Road
to Virginia Wolff's Probably Still Nick Swanson.
- Incoming Seniors Summer Reading List (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Summer 2003 Reading List for Wakefield High School (Mass.) incoming seniors.
Author, title, genre, summary, and links to webcatalog info for over 105 books.
Books for mature readers are noted.
- Historical Fiction: Books for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary of works of historical fiction, arranged by time period
and geographic location: Prehistory (3 books), Africa and the Middle East (3 books), Asia
and the Pacific (4 books), Europe (11 books), North America (with further subdivisions; about 30
books total), World War II and the Holocaust (15 books). About 65 books total.
- World/European Historical Fiction for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 25 historical fiction novels,
from Tracy Barrett's Anna of Byzantium to Diane L. Wilson's I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade.
- YA Historical Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 35 books of historical fiction, from
Joan Abelove's Saying It Out Loud to Robert Westall's Kingdom by The Sea.
- Historical Fiction (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary. Organised by time period: Ancient (1 book), Medieval (5), 17th Century (4),
American Revolution (3), Nineteenth Century (4), American Civil War (8),
Twentieth Century (6), Depression Era (5), World War II Era (7), and The Sixties
and Seventies (4 books). Feb. 2001.
- Historical Fiction (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for about 40 novels of historical fiction for middle schoolers and high
schoolers, organised by time period, from Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy (Medieval period)
to Trudy Krisher's Spite Fences (U.S. 1960s). May 2002.
- The World Chronicle: Historical Fiction
for Young Adults (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2002. And actually, it's historical fiction set in the
western world. Author, title, summary, publication year,
and webcat link for about 30 works of historical fiction
set from 1100s England to 1900s United States.
- Historical Fiction for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for novels of historical fiction, in categories of
Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance (11 books); 1700s - 1800s (11); 1900 - 1940 (4);
World War II (3); 1950s (2); 1960s (4).
- Doing the Decades (James Brewbaker, The ALAN Review)
- Spring 1999 journal article that provides an overview of a number of books of
quality historical fiction for young adults for each decade of the twentieth century, as
well as other works that mirror the times in which they were written. Extensive, detailed,
interesting commentary about key aspects of each decade.
- Trips in Time: Historical Fiction for Young Adults (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary for 50 YA historical novels, arranged by time period.
- Historical Gals (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- Author, title, summary, time period/place for about 20 books of historical fiction featuring girls,
from Mary Mehan Awake by Jennifer Armstrong (Post-Civil War New York State) to
My Brother, My Sister, and I by Yoko Kawashima Watkins (Post-WWII Japan). Compiled 2001, revised
Feb. 2005.
- Historical Guys (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- Author, title, summary, time period/place for almost 20 books of historical fiction featuring boys,
from King's Shadow by Elizabeth Alder (1000s England) to
Mountain Light by Laurence Yep (1855 China and United States). Compiled 2001, revised
Feb. 2005.
- Past & Perilous Historical Adventures (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, grade level, and summary for over 25 books. Sept. 2001.
- Historical Fiction for Grades 7 and 8 (Mt. Lebanon Public Library, PA)
- Title, author, summary, webcat link, and time period/place listed for
about 25 novels, from William H. Armstrong's Sounder (1900s, USA)
to Virginia Euwer Wolff's Bat 6 (Post World War II, USA). Oct. 2001.
- What Should I Read Next?: Historical Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for a dozen novels, from
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier to
The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White.
- Looking Back: Teen Historical Fiction Booklist (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 11 titles,
from Brian Burks' Soldier Boy to Frances Temple's A Taste of Salt: a Story of Modern Haiti.
- Teens: Historical Fiction (San José Public Library, CA)
- Simple list of 13 books, listed by author, with brief summaries and links to webcatalog.
Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle to Virginia Wolff's Bat 6.
- Blast from the Past: Historical Fiction, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 5 novels of historical fiction for young teens.
- Ancient Greece Booklist - Fiction (Overbooked)
- Fiction about Ancient Greece and the Trojan War. Includes titles for adults and teens(YA).
Author, title, publication info, brief reviews, notation if for YA, for about
about a dozen well-reviewed titles, from Achilles by Elizabeth Cook to
The Songs of Kings by Barry Unsworth.
- Medieval Era Fiction for Older Readers (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, publication info, summary for about 10 fiction titles about the middle ages,
from Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett to The Winter Here by Joan E. Goodman.
- Joust Read!: Knights, ladies, castles, dragons, and quests (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- 2-page PDF file. Author, title, summary for about 25 teens' books about medieval times,
from Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett to Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede. Compiled summer 2005.
- 20th Century Teens (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author and title only for a handful of books set in each decade of the 20th century,
from Dragonwings by Laurence Yep in 1900-1909 to
Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville in 1990-1999. Updated Aug. 2001.
UNITED STATES
- American Historical Fiction (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 150 historical fiction titles, organised by
time period: Early America & the Revolutionary War; Between
the Revolution & the Civil War; The Civil War; After the
Civil War; 1900-1929 & World War I; 1930s & the
Great Depression; 1940s, World War II, & the Holocaust; 1950s &
The Korean War; 1960s & The Vietnam Conflict; 1970s &
The Vietnam Conflict; 1980s; 1990s & The Gulf War.
- Young Adult Historical Fiction Reading List (Springfield Library, Springfield, MA)
- Authors and titles listed for THE COLONIAL PERIOD (16th - 18th Centuries), THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1775 - 1776),
EXPANDING THE FRONTIER (1815 - about 1860), THE CIVIL WAR (1861 - 1865),
THE CLOSING FRONTIER (1865 - 1900), and a few for THE 20TH CENTURY. Obviously, focuses
primarily on American History. Nov. 1999.
- Images of Women in Historical Young Adult Fiction (The ALAN Review)
- Lengthy article with a "Bibliography of Historical Fiction Set in America with Female Protagonists"
that includes summaries of a number of books, listed in chronological order, from
Pre-Colonial America to the Civil War period.
- YA American Historical Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for over 20 novels about American history, from
Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever, 1793 to Ruth White's Memories of Summer.
- Historical Fiction: Colonial Period (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- Over 70 books, with author, title, summary, from Lillie Albrecht's Susanna's Candlestick to Sharon Dennis Wyeth's Once On This River. For grades 5-8. April 2002.
- Historical Fiction: Revolutionary War (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- About 60 books, with author, title, summary, from Avi's The Fighting Ground to
David B. Weems's Son Of An Earl - Sold For A Slave. For grades 5-8. Nov. 2001.
- Revolutionary War Era Fiction for Older Readers (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, publication info, summary for 14 books, from Cast Two Shadows
by Ann Rinaldi to Thomas by Bonnie Pryor.
- Historical Fiction: Between the Revolution and the War of 1812 (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- About 40 books, with author, title, summary, from Joan Anderson's 1787: A Novel to
Roger Zelazny's Wilderness. For grades 5-8. April 2002.
- American Historical Fiction for Young Adults (Cerritos Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for about 35 books, organised by time period from
pre-Revolutionary War (Sally M. Keehn's I Am Regina) to
the Civil War (Scott O’Dell's The 290). Updated March 2002.
- Historical Fiction: Civil War (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- About 90 books, with author, title, and summary of each, from Merritt Allen's Blow, Bugles, Blow to G. Clifton Wisler's Thunder on the Tennessee. For grades 5-8. Nov. 2001.
- Civil War Fiction (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 40 Civil War novels,
from Elaine M. Alphin's The Ghost Cadet to G. Clifton Wisler's The Drummer Boy of Vicksburg.
- YA Civil War Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 15 novels about the American Civil War, from
Jennifer Armstrong's The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan to Gordon D. Shirreffs' The Mosquito Fleet.
- Declaration of Independence Booklist for Middle School Students (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, summary of 10 American history fiction titles, from
Bright Freedom’s Song by Gloria Houston to
Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O’Dell. Also
related non-fiction titles and websites. Updated Oct. 2002.
- Civil War Fiction for Older Readers (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, publication info, summary. About a dozen books, from Across the Lines
by Carolyn Reeder to Which Way Freedom? by Joyce Hansen. Updated July 2004.
- Historical Fiction: Overland Journeys to the West (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- Over 25, with author, title, summary, from Joan Anderson's Joshua's Westward Journal to
Elizabeth Yates' Carolina's Courage. For grades 5-8. April 2002.
- Historical Fiction: The Thirties & The Great Depression (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- Over 45 books, with author, title, and summary of each, from Chester Aaron's Lackawanna: A Novel
to Jane Yolen's Letting Swift River Go. For grades 5-8. Nov. 2001.
- Fiction for Teens Set in 1930s America (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author and title only for about 20 books set in American in the 1930s,
from Clayton Bess's Tracks to Joan T. Zeier's The Elderberry Thicket.
WARS of the 20th CENTURY/HOLOCAUST
- 20th Century Wars: Novels for Teens (Kristy Glashagel, Madison Public Library, WI)
- [WWII is excluded.] Title, author, publication info, summary for about 30 books, about these wars or wars among these countries: World War I,
Vietnam, Gulf War, Thailand, Korean War, Korea-Japan, Africa, Iran-Iraq,
Arab-Israeli Wars, Ireland, Central and South America, Cambodia, Greek Civil War. Compiled 1999.
- Beyond All Quiet on the Western Front: Novels about War (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Novels about WWI (15 books), WWII (11 books), and the Vietnam War (12). With author, title, publication date, page count, and one-line summary.
May 1999.
- Stories from the Holocaust (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- Author, title, summary, for about 25 books (fiction and non-fiction), from Anne Frank & Me
by Cherie Bennett to The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. Compiled
June 2002, revised Feb. 2005.
- YA World War I Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for over 15 books about WWI, from
Malcolm J. Bosse's Deep Dream of the Rain Forest to
Cynthia Voigt's Tree by Leaf.
- The Second World War: Fiction (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, grade level, and summary for over 70 books in these categories:
Europe, Holocaust, Asia, Homefront, and Afterwards. Most are recommended for
grade 6 and up. Sept. 2001.
- Historical Fiction: World War II, Back Home in America (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- About 25 books, with author, title, summary, from Chester Aaron's Alex, Who Won His War to Virginia Euwer Wolff's Bat 6. For grades 5-8. Nov. 2001.
- Historical Fiction: World War II (Bishop Learning Center, Punahou Educational Technology Center, Honolulu, HI)
- About 55 books, with author, title, summary, from Marion Dane Bauer's Rain of Fire to
Don Wulffson's Soldier. For grades 5-8. April 2002.
- YA World War II Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for over 20 books about WWII, from
Chester Aaron's Alex, Who Won His War to
Hilma Wolitzer's Introducing Shirley Braverman.
- World War II: Young Adult and Children's Fiction (Voorheesville Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary of 10 novels about WWII, from Martin Booth's War Dog
to Graham Salisbury's Under the Blood Red Sun.
- YA Holocaust Literature (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 novels about the Jewish Holocaust, from
Gila Almagor's Under the Domim Tree to Jane Yolen's The Devil’s Arithmetic.
- Holocaust Bibliography for Young Adults (Chicago Public Library, IL)
- Includes lists of Non-Fiction Information Books (7);
Non-fiction Autobiographical and Biographical Accounts (12);
and Fiction (8). Author, title, publication info, summary, and grade level for each. April 1999.
- Holocaust Booklist for Young People (Carrie Kelley, Sandy Library, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary, page count, book cover image for each of ten books,
See also Eyewitness
Accounts for Older Readers (13 books; PDF file), with author, title, book cover image, page count,
and brief summary. Compiled Jan. 2001; updated Jan. 2004.
- Do You Know? Will You Remember?: Books and Websites about the Holocaust for Young Adults (Karen L. Simonetti)
- Stylish, simple site, featuring background on 11 books on the Holocaust and links to ten other websites
to help learn about the Holocaust. Also a list of print resources for further reading.
- World War II in Europe and the Homefront, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 10 novels set during WWII for young teens,
from Alex, Who Won His War by Chester Aaron to The Boys from St. Petri by Bjarne Reuter.
- Vietnam Fiction for Young Adults (Jasper County Public Library, IN)
- Author, title, summary (for some) for about 10 novels involving the Vietnam War,
from William E. Butterworth's (WEB Griffin's) Orders to Vietnam to Ellen Emerson
White's The Road Home.
Holidays and Seasons, generally
Spring and Spring Holidays
Summer and Summer Holidays
- Labor History Resources for K-12 School Children and Their Teachers (John L. Revitte; American Labor Studies Center)
- Extensive list of resources for kids from K-12 concerning work and leisure and labor history.
List includes title, author, publication info and occasionally comments about books, comic
books, poetry; audio-visual materials; teacher curriculum. Some focus on Michigan.
Fall and Fall Holidays
- Back to School Books for Teens (Arapahoe Library District, CO)
- Author, title, summary for about 15 books, half fiction and half non-fiction;
fiction titles include Bloomability by Sharon Creech,
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles, and Tangerine by Edward Bloor.
- Haunting Stories for Fall Nights (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, and summary for over 20 scary novels, from
Sollace Hotze's Acquainted with the Night to
Gilbert B. Cross's Witch Across Time Updated Oct. 2001.
- Halloween for Teens (Arapahoe Library District, CO)
- Author, title, and summary for about a dozen books, from Burning Issy by Melvin Burgess
to Witch Child by Celia Rees.
Winter and Winter Holidays
- Horror and the Supernatural For Young Adults (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary for over 20 books, from David Almond's Kit's Wilderness
to Paul Zindel's Rats. Feb. 2001.
- Horror Fiction for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for over 25 horror novels and story
collections, from A Fit of Shivers: Tales for Late at Night by Joan Aiken
to The Blooding by Patricia Windsor.
- Horror (Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Glastonbury CT)
- Author, title, summary for about 30 books (in two sections: When Hell is Other People; and Featuring Creatures You Never Want to Meet),
from In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes to The Blooding by Patricia Windsor.
- Bone-Chilling Books, Read If You Dare: Horror! (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary for over 15 horror books for YA, from
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Demon in My View to Paul Zindel's Reef of Death. May 2002.
- Monsters and Maniacs: Books of Horror (Mt. Lebanon Public Library, PA)
- Title, author, summary, webcat link for 15 books,
from Companions of the Night by Vivian VandeVelde
to Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle.
- What Should I Read Next?: Paranormal Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 40 books and series
featuring Ghosts, Monsters & Beasts, Fairies, Unexplained Phenomena, Vampires, and the Occult.
- Horror (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for almost 20 horror novels for middle school and
high school students, from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's In the Forests of the Night
to Patricia Windsor's The Blooding.
- Haunting Stories for Fall Nights (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, and summary for over 20 scary novels, from
Sollace Hotze's Acquainted with the Night to
Gilbert B. Cross's Witch Across Time Updated Oct. 2001.
- Read Them If You Dare!: Horrifying Stories for Adults and Young Adults (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for about 10 horror novels for teens and adults,
from Galilee by Clive Barker to Forbidden Zone by Whitley Strieber.
- Gore Galore: A Frightening Reading List for Young Adults (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2001. Author, title, one-line summary, webcat link for over 35 books,
about 5 each in categories of classics, ghosts, horror stories, monsters,
scary stories, vampires, and werewolves.
- Ghost Stories (Evanston Public Library, IL)
- Lists about a dozen 'ghost stories for young adults,' with author, title,
summary, publication year, from Pam Conrad's Stonewords to
Thelma Hatch Wyss's A Stranger Here. July 2002.
- Ghosts - For Teen Readers (Arapahoe Library District, CO)
- Author, title, summary for 7 ghostly novels, from Taste of Smoke by Marion Dane
to Being Dead: Stories by Vivian Vande Velde.
- Young Adult Horror and Suspense Novels (Cynthia Leitich Smith - Children's Literature Resources)
- Sixteen recommended books, with authors, titles, publication info, and detailed summaries. Also
web resources on the topic and links to cited authors' homepages/interviews. Sept. 2002.
- Vampire Fiction (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, and summary for over 15 books featuring vampires,
from Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan to Vlad the Undead by Hanna Lutzen. Updated May 2002.
- Charmed Lives: Witch Stories for Teens (Pasadena Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 YA, Adult, and Juvenile books, from Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes to
Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Velde. Compiled April 2006.
- Humorous Books for Young Adults (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, summary for almost 30 books. Sept. 2001.
- Funny Fiction for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 55 novels,
from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to
Paul Zindel's The Undertaker's Gone Bananas.
- If You Liked Dunk by David Lubar ... (One Book New Jersey)
- Author, title, publication info, and summary for 23 humourous YA books,
from Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Rob Thomas's Rats Saw God.
- YA Humor Stories (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author, title, summary for over 15 funny novels, from
Joan Bauer's Squashed to Rona Zable's Landing on Marvin Gardens.
- Guaranteed Gut-Busting Reads: Humorous Fiction for Young Adults (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary for over 15 funny novels,
from Matthew Anderson's T. Thirsty to Karen R. Young's The Beetle and Me: a Love Story.
- Young Adult Books to Make You Laugh (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary, and links to webcatalog info for 13 funny books.
- Laught Your Butt Off! (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, summary for about a dozen humourous novels for older and younger teens, from Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove
to Holes by Louis Sachar.
- Teens: Humor Books (San José Public Library, CA)
- List of 10 funny books, with author, title, summary, and link to webcatalog.
- Just for Laughs, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for about 10 humourous novels for young teens, from Romeo and Juliet...Together (and alive!) At Last by Avi
to Summer of Wheels by Gary Soto.
For Harry Potter lists, see our page on Harry Potter Readalikes.
- If You Like ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, and webcatalog link for 8 books Buffy fans might like.
- If You Like Charmed, Try ... (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Fiction about magic and witchcraft. Author, title, summary for about 30 titles
listed in three groups: Historical, Contemporary and Fantastic, and Series.
From Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky to Witch's Sister by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Updated Nov. 2002.
- Charmed Lives: Witch Stories for Teens (Pasadena Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 YA, Adult, and Juvenile books, from Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes to
Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Velde. Compiled April 2006.
- If You Liked Lord of the Flies ... (Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Ontario)
- Author, title, webcat link, brief summary for 20 books that fans of William Golding's Lord of the Flies
may enjoy, from Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood to Random acts of senseless violence by Jack Womack.
- If You Liked Brave New World ... (Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Ontario)
- Author, title, webcat link, brief summary for about 40 books that fans of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
may enjoy, from The Cockatrice boys by Joan Aiken to The day of the triffids by John Wyndham.
- Redwall Read-Alikes: For Teens and Adults (Edmonton Public Library, Canada)
- Author, title, webcat link for books for teen readers (12 books) and adults (8 books) similar
to Brian Jacques' Redwall series. Updated Nov. 2003.
- If You Liked Dunk by David Lubar ... (One Book New Jersey)
- Author, title, publication info, and summary for 23 humourous YA books,
from Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Rob Thomas's Rats Saw God.
- John Marsden 'Tomorrow Series' Read-a-likes (Invercargill City Libraries, NZ)
- Author and title for over 20 books/series similar to this one.
- Sad Stories (If You Like Lurlene McDaniel ...) (The Teen Place, Canton Public Library, MI)
- "If you like a good cry -- or like Lurlene McDaniel's books -- these are for you."
Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 books, from Joan Abelove's Saying It Out Loud to
Maureen Crane Wartski's Candle in the Wind.
- If You Liked The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci ... (One Book New Jersey)
- [Scroll 2/5 down page for list.] Author, title, publication year, grade level, and summary for about 50 books similar to this one, based on
aspect of the book that was attractive: mystery & suspense; insiders & outsiders; novels with a New Jersey setting. Compiled in 2004.
- Tolkien Read-Alikes (Pollard Memorial Library, Lowell, MA)
- Lists 18 series, with author, series name, book titles and descriptions,
from Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain to Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.
- If You Like ... The X Files (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, and webcatalog link for seven books X-Files fans might like.
- If You Don't Like To Read - Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for over 25 books (mostly fiction)
for teens who don't like to read, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
to Rats by Paul Zindel.
- Inspirational Fiction Series for Teens (The Logan Library - Utah)
- Arranged by series title, this site lists author, brief description of series, and series titles in order.
- Believers and Doubters (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- "Some of the teens in these novels have strong faith; others are skeptical. All
of them are challenged to think about what they believe about God
and religion." Author, title, summary, webcat link for 9 books,
from Bruce Brooks's Asylum for Nightface to Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville's Armageddon Summer.
- Teen Spirit: Religion (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 1999. Author, title, summary, and webcat
link for almost 20 books published between 1995 and 1999,
from Karleen Bradford's There Will Be Wolves to
Jane Yolen's Armageddon Summer.
- Inspired Reading for Adults and Young Adults (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 10 novels and non-fiction books about God and faith for
teens and adults, with fiction titles from The Shepherd by Joseph Girzone to
The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope Stokes.
- Inspired Reading for Middle School, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 10 novels and non-fiction books about God and faith for
young teens, with fiction titles from Tell Me Everything
by Carolyn Coman to Preacher's Boy by Katherine Paterson.
- Inspirational Fiction for Teens (Carolyn Reinhard, Arlington Heights Library, IL - Fiction-L List)
- Author and title listed for over 70 books or series for teens. A few age ranges provided.
- Inspirational Fiction for Teens (Monroe County Public Library, IN)
- List of about 60 authors, with titles and series listed. No summaries.
- Religious Fiction for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 60 novels and a few series
featuring 'teens who are trying to figure out what they believe,
and how they integrate those beliefs into their daily lives.'
From Laurie Halse Anderson's Catalyst to
Jane Breskin Zalben's Unfinished Dreams: A Novel.
- Latter-Day-Saints [Mormons] Fiction (Ruby Cheesman, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- "These books are written by authors of the LDS faith and contain
references to LDS doctrine or religion." Adutl and YA fiction combined and marked.
Author and title only, over 100 books.
- Jewish Themes: Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for 8 works of Jewish fiction.
- Ineffable Fiction for Teens About Religion, God & Spirituality (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Ineffable: Incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable.
Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for over 30 books.
Not typical "inspirational" fiction selections.
Includes Cynthia Rylant's A Fine White Dust,
Chaim Potok's The Chosen, some Ursula LeGuin novels,
Tony Hillerman's Dance Hall of the Dead,
and Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima. Updated Sept. 1998.
- Christian Fiction Booklist for Young Adults (Corpus Christi Public Libraries, TX)
- Lists about 20 book titles and a few series titles. No summaries. From Jennifer Armstrong's Steal Away
to Cynthia Voigt's Jackaroo.
- Middle School Books Dealing with Ethical Issues (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for 15 novels,
from Rachel Anderson's Black Water to Paul Zindel's Loch.
- Multicultural Fiction: Jr. High School (Fairfax County Public Library, VA)
- Author, title, summary, and ethnicity/culture noted for about 50 books, from
My Land Sings by Rudolfo Anaya to Ribbons by Laurence Yep.
- Multicultural Fiction: High School (Fairfax County Public Library, VA)
- Author, title, summary, and ethnicity/culture noted for about 20 books, from
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie to Wild Meat and Bully Burgers by Lois-Ann Yamanaka.
- Books of Different Cultures for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for about 40 novels and a couple of non-fiction books,
from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back (an Amazonian village in the Andes) to
Diane L. Wilson's I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade (Mongolia in 1339).
- From Strangers to Neighbors: Race, Dignity and Acceptance
Beyond To Kill a Mockingbird: For Older Children (Duluth Public Library, MN)
- Author, title, publication date, summary for 20 books exploring issues similar to those raised
by Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, from William H. Armstrong's Sounder
to Laurence Yep's The Star Fisher.
- World Literature: Authors Recommended for High School Students (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, homeland or native language, and titles with very brief comment about them.
Authors from Kobo Abe to Banana Yoshimoto, with about 140 titles recommended.
- Teen Fiction From Other Lands (Multnomah County Library, OR)
- Author, title, publication year, summary for over 25 YA books set in other
countries, from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back (Peru)
to Kathryn Winter's Katarina (Slovakia).
- Strangers in a Strange Land: Novels About the Immigrant Experience (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication date, and summary for 24 books. Compiled Jan. 1998.
- Multicultural Fiction (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for about 35 novels for middle school and high school
students, from Joan Abelove's Go and Come Back to
Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club.
- Multicultural Fiction for Teens (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, publication info, and summary for more than 25 books, from Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis to
Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi.
- Race in America (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, summary for over 25 YA books (fiction and non-fiction) about ethnicity
and race in America; fiction titles from Zack by William Bell
to If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.
- Multicultural Books for Middle School Readers (Elmhurst Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, page count, summary, and country or ethnicity concerned, for novels, biographies,
and non-fiction. About 55 fiction titles in author order from The Real Plato Jones by Nina Bawden
to The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto.
- African-American Fiction for Teens (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, summary for about 25 recent fiction titles, from Apollo's Concrete Candy to
Jacqueline Woodson's I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This.
- African-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for 15 books,
from James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain to Rita Williams-Garcia's Blue Tights. The
same site also lists African-American non-fiction titles.
- What Should I Read Next?: African-American Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 15 novels
featuring African-Americans and race issues, from A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich
by Alice Childress to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
- African American Voices: Fiction (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for 23 novels or short story collections by
African-Americans. Compiled Feb. 1998.
- African American Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library)
- Lists author, title, publication year, and summary for over 30 books.
- This Is My Own Story: Autobiographies of African Americans (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication info, and summary for over 20 books.
Updated January 1998.
- African-American Novels for Young Adults (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2003. Author, title, summary, publication year,
and webcat link for about a dozen books published in 2001 and 2002,
from Evelyn Coleman's Born in Sin to
Jacqueline Woodson's Hush.
- Hispanic Books for Young Adults (San Antonio Public Library, TX)
- Author, title, summary, and publication year for each of 15 books,
from Patricia Beatty's Lupita Manana to Gloria Velasquez's Maya's Divided World. No publication date after 1996.
- Hispanic/Latino Voices: Teen Fiction (Tucson-Pima Public Library)
- Lists author, title, publication year, and summary (for most) for over 30 books.
- Latino Literature for Children and Young Adults (Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- PDF file. Author, title, publication year, book cover image, page count, grade level recommendation,
and brief summary for over 30 books for grades 2-9 and over 20 YA books (including a few biographies).
- Libros Cheveres: Latino Books for Teens (Seattle Public Library)
- Title, author, summary for about 20 fiction titles and 10 non-fiction books.
Fiction titles from Julia Alvarez's Before We Were Free to
Gary Soto's Buried Onions.
- Hispanic-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for 7 books.
- South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora In Children's Literature: An Annotated Bibliography: Young Adult Books (Pooja Makhijani)
- An annotated bibliography of young adult literature about South Asia (includes the countries
of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and by
South Asians. Author, title, and summary for about 30 novels,
from Aruna's Journeys by Jyotsna Sreenivasan to
The Valiant Chatti-Maker by Rumer Godden. Created 2005.
- Asian and Asian American Culture (Stanly County Public Library, NC)
- Author, title, publication year, page count, summary for
about 12 books, set in the U.S. and in Asia, from Haemi Balgassi's Tae's Sonata
to Jean Davies Okimoto's Molly By Any Other Name. For ages 12+.
- Asian-American Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, publication year for 9 books,
from Linda Crew's Children of the River to
Paul Yee's Breakaway.
- Latter-Day-Saints [Mormons] Fiction (Ruby Cheesman, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- "These books are written by authors of the LDS faith and contain
references to LDS doctrine or religion." Adutl and YA fiction combined and marked.
Author and title only, over 100 books.
- Jewish Themes: Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for 8 works of Jewish fiction.
>>Girls/Women
- Great Girls (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, summary for almost 60 titles with strong female characters,
from Alanna: the first adventure by Tamora Pierce to
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien.
- Strong Female Characters in Books for 11th Grade Students (Alan Nichter, Lutz Branch Library - Fiction-L List)
- Compiled March 1999. Over 80 titles listed, with author, including
Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, Octavia Butler's Kindred,
Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street,
Karin Cook's What Girls Learn, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series,
and Gary Paulsen's The Night the White Deer Died.
- Images of Women in Historical Young Adult Fiction (The ALAN Review)
- Lengthy article with a "Bibliography of Historical Fiction Set in America with Female Protagonists"
that includes summaries of a number of books, listed in chronological order, from
Pre-Colonial America to the Civil War period.
- Girls Who Read for Fun, for Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 10 novels for young teens about girls
who take charge, from The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
to Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor.
- Wisdom, Wonder, Women: Strong Females in Fantasy (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 teen fantasy novels featuring strong women characters,
by these authors: Tamora Pierce; Mercedes Lackey; Jane Yolen; Piers Anthony; Nalo Hopkinson;
Robin McKinley; Naomi Kritzer; Gail Carson Levine; Jeanne DuPrau; and Cornelia Funke.
- Teenage Fiction with a Female Central Character (Booktrusted.com, UK)
- Author, title, publication info, summary for eight teen books with female protagonists.
>>Boys/Men
- Boys To Men: Fiction and Non-Fiction About Young Men (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, one-line summary, and link to webcatalog for each of over
25 fiction books and 7 non-fiction books. Compiled Jan. 1998.
- Hey Guys: A Booklist for Boys from 13-16 (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia)
- Author, title, and webcat link for about 35 books selected for boys, from Moses Aaron's Man Dragon
to Markus Zusak's The Underdog.
- Teenage Fiction with a Male Central Character (Booktrusted.com, UK)
- Author, title, publication info, summary for eight teen books with male protagonists.
- Books for Guys (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, summary for a dozen (mostly fiction) books selected especially for teenaged boys (listed
separately for older teens and younger teens), from Ender’s Game by
Orson Scott Card to Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson.
- Books for Boys (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, summary for almost 50 books that appeal to boys,
from Apprenticeship of Lucas Whittaker by Cynthia DeFelice to
Zero at the Bone by Michael Cadnum. Updated Jan. 2002.
- Fiction for Boys (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for over 15 books 'that teen boys will enjoy,'
from Russell Banks' Rule of the Bone to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.
- PinkBooks.Com
- A "specialist site for books and resources about
gay and lesbian teenagers and young people. ... I have tried to limit the
lists to those books containing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer characters
and themes which are still in print and are readily available." Summaries and
cover images. Sections: Gay and Lesbian Recent Releases; Gay and Lesbian Teen Fiction By Title;
Queer Teen Fiction By Author; Gay and Lesbian Teen Non-Fiction; Queer Parent Non-Fiction;
Queer Staff Non-Fiction; Queer Non-Fiction; Lesbian and Gay Children's Books By Title;
Queer Children's Books By Author; Hard To Find Books with GLBTQ Themes and Characters;
and Lesbian and Gay Youth Links.
- Teen Books with Gay & Lesbian Characters (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for almost 50 books (most fiction),
from Marion Dane Bauer's Am I Blue? Coming Out from the
Silence to Jane Breskin Zalben's Unfinished Dreams.
- You Are Not the Only One (Seattle Public Library)
- "Resources for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered teens."
Title, author, summary for about a dozen fiction titles and 10 non-fiction books.
Fiction titles from Marion Dane Bauer's (ed.) Am I Blue? Coming out from the Silence
to Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.
- Not the Only One: Books with Gay Characters Recommended for Teens (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for
28 books with gay characters. Updated June 1998.
- Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transsexual Booklist for Young Adults (Multnomah County Library, OR)
- Fiction and Non-Fiction. Author, title, publication year, summary for
over 25 fiction titles, from the story collection Am I Blue?: Coming Out From the Silence
to Lois-Ann Yamanaka's Name Me Nobody, and eight non-fiction titles.
- Coming Out: Fiction Bibliography for Gay and Lesbian Teens (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary for about 25 novels and story collections (and 4 non-fiction titles)
about being gay, from Amrion Dane Bauer's Am I Blue? Coming Out
From the Silence to Ellen Wittlinger's What's in A Name.
- Being Gay: Fiction for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for over 35 books featuring gay/lesbian characters,
from Margaret Bechard's If It Doesn't Kill You to
Jacqueline Woodson's From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun.
- Gay and Lesbian Issues: Books for Young Teens (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Title, author, and summary for 10 fiction and non-fiction books, from Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence to
When Someone You Know Is Gay.
- Not the Only One: Gay and Lesbian (YA) (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 1999. Author, title, summary, and webcat
link for eight non-fiction titles and about 15 fiction titles;
fiction titles include books by Nancy Garden, M. E. Kerr,
Ann Heron, Jacqueline Woodson, Ron Koertge, and others.
- What Should I Read Next?: Gay & Lesbian Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for a dozen books,
from the anthology Am I Blue? to Toby’s Lie by Daniel Vilmure.
- Out and About: Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Fiction and Non-Fiction (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 10 titles (most fiction),
from Francesca Lia Block's Baby Be-Bop to
Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love.
- Gay Positive Fiction and Non-Fiction for Teens (Watertown Free Public Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary of ten books (most fiction) with positive gay characters or message.
- GLBT Literature for Young Adults (Christopher Libby)
- Author and title listed for over 50 fiction, plays, biography, and other books
about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues for young adults.
Few books contain graphic sex scenes.
- Books for Kids ages 13+ (Our-Kids: Devoted to Raising Special Kids with Special Needs)
- Author, title, publication info, reading level, and summary for a dozen books about people
with disabilities, including cerebral palsy, being in a wheelchair, autism, mental retardation,
blindness, amputation and loss of limb, strabismus, Down syndrome, hearing impairment, epilepsy,
diabetes, tourettes, etc. Updated June 2002.
- Books for Teens about Disabilities and Disabled Persons (Logan Library, UT)
- Author's last name and title only for non-fiction (more than 15), biography (about 15), and
fiction titles (over 30) about teens with disabilities. Fiction titles
from William Golding's Darkness Visible to Cynthia Voigt's Izzy, Willy--Nilly
- Books About the Disabled and Mentally Disordered (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 30 novels,
from Barbara Barrie's Adam Zigzag to
Dawn Wilson's Saint Jude. Some topics covered are dyslexia,
bipolar disorder, autism, cerebral palsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,
suicide, anxiety disorders, limb loss and deformity, spinal cord injury,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and scoliosis.
- Fiction Books for Students with Learning Disabilities (LD Online)
- Author, title, publication year, grade level (grades 1-12), and summary for about 75 fiction books that may
be helpful for kids with learning disabilities, from CS Adler's Kiss the Clown
to VE Wolff's Probably Still Nick Swansen.
- Top 20 Young Adult Books of the 20th Century (Seattle Public Library)
- Title and author of top 20 ranked books, as chosen by the Seattle Public
Library's Young Adult Librarians & Specialists, along with 10 honorable mentions.
- Fiction Booklists for Young Adults on the Web (Maggi Rohde)
- Links to LOTS of lists, in categories of Best Of/General Lists,
If you liked this, try that, Specific Topics, For Specific Readers, and
Multicultural. Within these categories, links are simply listed, without titles or annotation.
- Booklists for Teens (Boston Public Library)
- Includes these lists: Americanos - English and Spanish versions;
Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves; Cool Books for Hot Nights!;
Harsh Realities: Recent Fiction about Teenagers from Many Cultures;
I have lived a thousand years: Readings on the Holocaust;
Survivors: A Booklist for Young People; Torn in Two: Selected Fiction Featuring Asian, Hispanic, and Native American Young People;
Two-Way Mirror: Multicultural Fiction for Young People; Well-Written Lives Biographies and Autobiographies for Young Adults;
Young Sisters and Brothers: Selected Recent Fiction Featuring Black Youth; School Summer Reading Lists.
- Book Lists: Young Adults (American Library Association)
- Award-winning books for 1996-2004: Alex Awards; Best Books
for Young Adults; Margaret A. Edwards Award;
Michael L. Printz Award; Outstanding Books for the College Bound;
Popular Paperbacks; Quick
Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers; Selected Audio Books; Selected DVDs and Videos.
- Good Books: Recommended Titles for Young Adults (New York Public Library)
- Booklists for these themes, each recommending from 6-12 books:
Are you afraid of the dark?; Around the World in Books; A Celebration of Women; Challenged and Banned Books;
The Dream Lives On; East Meets West; From Bliss to Breakup; Get Graphic at Your Library;
Historical Fiction; Just Visiting this Planet; Latino Roots; Love. Sigh. - Great Books for Valentine's Day;
Math Books for People Who Think They Don't Like Math; On the Bard; Poetry Unleashed: Rhymes, Rants, Stanzas, Free Verse;
Proud Pages; Slammin' Poetry Books; Snowy Stories for Winter; Strange Orbit; What's Your Fantasy?;
Winning Ways; Work It; and Worth a thousand words: Books for New English Speakers.
- Hot Titles for Teens (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- 'Titles That Have Stood the Test of Time & Season.' Author, title, summary for 15 novels for
teens, from Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause to Wildside by Steven Gould.
- Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (American Library Association)
- View list for each year 1996-2001, or view books by genre.
- Flamingnet Book Reviews (Maryland-based son and dad team)
- Book reviews (about 200 posted as of 4/04) for preteens and young adults. Books are
rated on a 0-10 scale and brief reviews and suggested age ranges accompany each. Created by a student
who loves to read, with his dad's help. Browse reviews, or search by keyword, category, title, or author.
- Young Adult Books for the Young At Heart (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
- Compiled 2000. One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, a list of 12 titles, with author and detailed summaries of each title. These
are YA books that adults may also like.
- Booktalks - Quick and Simple (Nancy J. Keane - Rundlett Middle School, Concord NH)
- Over 700 short plot outlines of books for K-12. Indexes by titles, authors, and an incredible array of subjects --
including adoption, alcoholism, animals, death, evolution, holidays, mysteries, music, slavery, etc. Also
a separate page for Reading Lists
by topic.
- Teen Books for the Mind, Heart and Soul (Mary Linden, Minneapolis Public Library, MN)
- Author, title, summary, and catalog link for each book, listed by category:
Discovering a Bigger World (7 books); Love (5); Growing Up (8); Adventure, Action
and Survival (6); Fantasy, Science Fiction and Time Travel (5);
Mystery (4); and Classics (8).
- Favorite Teenage Angst Books
- Categories of sex and love, fitting in, mixed-up families, journeys,
awakenings, creativity, challenge, out of bounds, healing, trouble, and pressure. Title,
author, description.
- Adult Novels for Young Teens (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, and summary for almost 30 adult novels that are appropriate for young teens. From
Emily Bonte's Wuthering Heights to T.H. White's The Once and Future King.
- Young and Impressionable (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Recommendations in these categories: Been There, Done That (historical fiction); Rainbow Coalition;
Laugh It Up; What's the Difference? (multiculturalism); and Keep It Real (mostly struggles with
severe injuries and illnesses). Author, title, summary.
- Fiction for Teens (14+) (Booktrusted.com, UK)
- Author, title, publication info, summary, cover image (some) for eight novels for older teens.
- Is There A Doctor in the House?, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 8 medically themed novels for young teens,
from Emergency Room by Caroline Cooney to Izzy, Willy Nilly
by Cynthia Voigt.
- Fiction with Alternating Points of View (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 40 novels whose narrator
switches from one character to another, from Kathi Appelt's Kissing Tennessee and
Other Stories from the Stardust Dance to Paul Zindel's The Pigman.
- Verse Novels and other Narrative Poetry for Teens (Edmonton Public Library, Canada)
- Author, title, brief summary, webcat link for almost 20 novels, from After the Death of Anna Gonzales by Terri
Fields to Witness by Karen Hesse. Compiled Dec. 2003.
- Novels in Poetry Form (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 8 novels for teens, from Split Image by Mel Glenn
to True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff.
- Mysteries for Teens (Plymouth District Libraries, MI)
- Title, author, summary, and webcat link for over 110 mystery books,
from Anthony Dana Arkin's Captain Hawaii to Mary Frances Zambreno's Journeyman Wizard.
- YA Mystery Fiction (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY)
- Author and book title for over 45 YA mysteries, from
Vivien Alcock's The Mysterious Mr. Ross to Laurence Yep's The Case of the Lion Dance;
L-Z authors are at YA Mystery Fiction - Part II.
- Mysteries for Teens (Tucson-Pima Public Library)
- Lists 9 series, then about 25 single titles, with author, title, publication year, summaries.
- Mystery Fiction for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for about 25 teen mystery novels, plus
a handful of movie mysteries, from Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror by Avi
to Never Trust a Dead Man by Vivian Vande Velde.
- Mystery and Suspense (Glen Ellyn Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for about 25 mystery novels for middle school and
high school students, from Avi's Wolf Rider to
SJ Rozan's Stone Quarry.
- Mysteries: Books for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary for over 30 books of suspense and mystery, from
Avi's Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror to Robert Westall's A Place to Hide.
- What Should I Read Next?: Mystery (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, summaries, and webcat links for about 20 novels, from
Deadly Deception by Betsey Haynes to Who Killed Mr. Chippendale by Mel Glenn.
- It's a Mystery to Me (Mount Prospect Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, and summary for over 15 mystery novels suitable for young adults, from
Lydia Adamson's A Cat of a Different Color to
Joan Lowery Nixon's Secret Silent Screams.
- Mysteries for Teens (The Teen Place, Canton Public Library, MI)
- "From the flat-out mysterious to the subtly suspenseful."
Author, title, webcat link, and summary for about a dozen books, from Avi's Wolf Rider
to Nancy Werlin's Killer's Cousin, plus a smattering of adult mysteries suitable for teens.
- It's A Mystery Booklist, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 12 mysteries for young teens, from
The Drackenberg Adventure by Lloyd Alexander to The Case of the Goblin Pearls by Laurence Yep.
- YA Mystery/Suspense (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2002. Author, title, summary, publication year, and webcat
link for about 10 books, published between 1997 and 2001, from
Jenny Carroll's Ninth Key to Nancy Werlin's Black
Mirror.
- Teen Thrillers and Mysteries for the Adrenaline Junkie (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 10 titles,
from Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese to Gail Giles's Shattering Glass.
- Crime and Punishment: Legal and Detective Thrillers, Grades 6-8 (Harford County Public Library, MD)
- Author, title, summary for 6 thrillers for young teens, in title order from
Gateway by Lee Robinson to The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney.
- It's A Mystery To Me! (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, summary for 10 YA mysteries, from The Rag and Bone Shop
by Robert Cormier to The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence.
- Mysteries for Young Adults (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary for over 15 mysteries, from Elaine Marie Alphin's Counterfeit Son
to Nancy Werlin's Locked Inside.
- Cloak and Dagger: Mysteries for Young Adults (Fresno County Public Library, CA)
- PDF file. Author, title, summary for over 25 YA mysteries/suspense,
from Jay Bennett's The Skeleton Man to
Nicholas Wilde's Death Knell.
See also Bibliotherapy for fiction on teen issues.
- Hip-Hop! Teen Rap Titles (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 7 non-fiction books,
from Cathy Scott's Murder of Biggie Smalls to Eminem's Angry Blonde.
- It's Rough Out There: Teen Life and Issues Fiction Booklist (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, webcat link, cover image, and summary for 14 novels, from
Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak to Jacqueline Woodson's Miracle's Boys.
- Realistic Fiction (Mt. Vernon Junior High, Mt. Vernon, Indiana)
- Author, title, summary for about 75 books, from After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer to
Yolanda's Genius by Carol Fenner. For teens and older children.
- What Should I Read Next?: Contemporary Fiction (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, webcat links, and issues dealt with (death, fundamentalist beliefs,
divorce, prejudice, family violence, etc.), for about 20 books,
including Joan Bauer's Rules of the Road, Revolutions of the Heart
by Marsha Qualey, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block,
and Live a Little by Colin Neenan.
- What Should I Read Next?: Social Issues (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
- Provides authors, titles, and webcat links for books in these categories: Life Changes, Life Choices,
Life Happens, Life in Society, and Life in the World.
Reluctant readers are: Children who are intelligent and interested in
reading, but don't read well; children who seem to have no
interest and, as a result of not reading regularly, are
falling behind; children who are dealing with specific learning
problems that impede their ability, and willingness, to read;
and children who read well but have little interest in doing so [adapted from
About.Com definition]. Advanced readers are teens who are able and
emotionally ready to read at an adult level. These two groups may overlap.
- High Interest/Lower Reading Level Books for Middle and High Schoolers (Madison Public Library, WI)
- "List taken from More Rip Roaring Reads for Reluctant Readers by Bette
Ammon and Gale Sherman, 1999. List includes title, author, publication info,
summary for about 20 books, organised by grade level (middle school interest and high school interest).
Notes reading level and interest level for each (e.g., Fifth grade reading level with sixth to ninth grade interest level).
- High Interest Low Vocabulary Fiction (Watertown Free Public Library, MA)
- Author, title, publication year, summary of about a dozen books for teens
with low reading skills.
- High Interest Low Vocabulary Non-Fiction (Watertown Free Public Library, MA)
- Author, title, publication info, summary of ten biographies and other non-fiction books
for teens with low reading skills.
- Resources for Reluctant Readers (About.Com)
- Definition of 'reluctant reader,' and resources to encourage your child to read and for selecting
appropriate books. Links to publishers and other online resources.
- Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 1997-2005 (American Library Association - YALSA)
- "Books that teens, ages twelve to eighteen, will pick up on
their own and read for pleasure, ...geared to the teenager who, for
whatever reason, does not like to read." Title and author listed only for
fiction and non-fiction books. Lists selections for years 1997-current.
- Choosing Books for Reluctant Readers (The Word Pool, UK)
- Not a booklist but a few ideas about how to select books relucant readers will read.
- Books about Dyslexia (Booktrusted.com, UK)
- Author, title, publication info, and summary for 19 fiction books (some series) and 2 non-fiction books
on dyslexia, with age levels noted (ages 8-16+)
- Speed Reads: Thin Novels of 150 Pages
or Less! (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore)
- Compiled 2002. Author, title, summary, publication year,
and webcat link for almost 15 short novels, published between 1997 and 2001,
from Bruce Brooks's Vanishing to Jacqueline Woodson's The House
You Pass On the Way.
- Children's Books for Teens (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, and summary of 6 children's titles with teen appeal,
from Heaven Eyes by David Almond to The Longitude Prize
by Joan Dash.
- Picture Books for Teens (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, summary for almost 20 picture books that appeal to teens,
from Anno's Journey by Mitsumasa Anno to Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg.
- Hey Guys: A Booklist for Boys from 13-16 (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia)
- Author, title, and webcat link for about 35 books selected for boys, from Moses Aaron's Man Dragon
to Markus Zusak's The Underdog.
- Adult Novels for Older Teens (Edmonton Public Library, Canada)
- Author, title, brief summary, webcat link for 25 novels, from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
to Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. Compiled Dec. 2003.
- Slacker Fiction: or 20-Something Reads for Older Teens (Jennifer Hubert, Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists)
- Detailed summaries of more than novels for teens who came of age in the 1990s.
Includes Better Than Running at Night by Hilary Frank, Bongwater by
Michael Hornburg, and Slab Rat by Ted Heller.
- Adult Books for Teens (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
- Author, title, and summary of 8 adult fiction titles and almost 20 non-fiction
books with teen appeal; fiction titles from The Yokota Officers
Club: A Novel by Sarah Bird to Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel.
- Adult Books for High School Students: 2002 (School Library Journal)
- Selection of 17 titles 'that we believe will find enthusiastic readers
across the board.' Includes fiction, memoir, general nonfiction, and
true adventure, culled from almost 300 books published in 2002 and
reviewed in the 'Adult Books for High School Students' section of
SLJ. Author, title, publication info, ISBN, summary for each, from
Tamim Ansary's West of Kabul, East of New York: An
Afghan American Story to Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones
- Romance Booklist (Teen Cyber Center)
- Book or series title, author, one-line summary of over 65 romance books for teens, in these categories:
Series; Classics; Contemporary; Historical; Supernatural; Fantasy;
Love Stinks; Romance in Verse; Romance Gone Bad; and True Stories.
- A Little Romance? (Berkeley Public Library, CA)
- Author, title, publication date, and one-line summary for
29 novels and short story collections about love. Compiled Sept. 1998.
- Young Adult Romance (Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Glastonbury CT)
- "Some humorous love stories, some true romances, and a few tragic romances." Author, title, summary
for about 50 books, from Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott to My Darling, My Hamburger
by Paul Zindel. Updated Jan. 2005.
- YA Love Stories Booklist (Anna Zanarini, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
- Love stories for young adults. Author, title, summary, book cover image for each of
about 40 books.
- Love Stories: Books for Teens (Skokie Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, publication year, summary of about 25 novels featuring a love interest, from
Miriam Bat Ami's Two Suns in the Sky to Barbara Wersba's Whistle Me Home.
- Romance Fiction for Young Adults (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author, title, grade level, and summary for 18 books. Adapted from Booklist, Sept.1998.
- Love Stories for Young Adults (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA)
- Author, title, summary, and links to webcatalog info for about 25 books,
from MT Anderson's Burger Wuss to Jacqueline Woodson's If You Come Softly.
- Romance Fiction for Young Adults (Wheaton Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, summary, and webcatalog link for about 25 teen romance novels,
including literary classics as well as contemporary fiction,
from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.
- Matters of the Heart: Romantic Reads
for Teens (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
- Title, author, summary for 11 romance novels, from Forever by
Judy Blume to Bellwether by Connie Willis.
- Love All Around: Teen Fiction About Love (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link for 11 titles,
from Robert Cormier's Tenderness to Jacqueline Woodson's If You Come Softly.
- Love Bites: Stories to Break Your Heart (Louisville Free Public Library, KY)
- Author, title, and summary for 8 teen books about love,
from Running Loose by Chris Crutcher to Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas.
Updated Aug. 2001.
- The Love Tug (Mount Prospect Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, publication year, summary for about a dozen books, from
Paul Allman's The Knot to Susan Vreeland's What
Love Sees.
- Romantic Fiction for Adolescent Boys (Linda G. Fields, Rochester Hills Public Library, MI - Fiction-L List)
- About fifteen title recommendations, with author. Compiled Sept. 1999.
- Read 'Em and Weep (Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Glastonbury CT)
- "For those of you who like a good cry now and then. Most of them are about
teens coming to terms with the death of a friend or parent, or maybe their own illness. Some of
them are about a
