There’s nothing better than a Young Adult title when you
want a quick immersion into a book that makes you think. The novels on this
list will appeal to adults as well as teens. Read any one of these books, give
it to a teen you love, then talk (and listen). Almost everything that scares
you about the state of the world, is covered in young adult literature. If you
want to understand topics that frighten you, read young adult books.
The
Best YA Novel of 2017 (It’s a three-way tie):
The
Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U
Give is a riveting
glimpse at today’s world where young African-Americans lose their lives in
senseless police shootings. Sixteen-year-old Starr watches as a policeman
shoots her friend. She can’t figure out how to survive in two separate worlds –
the impoverished area where she lives and the elite suburban prep school she
attends. If you want to understand the Black Lives Matter movement, read this.
The novel’s title comes from a Tupac acronym for “thug life” meaning “The Hate
U Give Little Infants, F---s Everybody.” This would be the perfect companion to
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
and Brandon Kiely. DC/SN, BC Ages 13 and up
Long
Way Down by
Jason Reynolds
Long Way Down begins when fifteen-year-old
Will‘s brother Shawn is killed and Will feels like “the ground opened up and
ate him.” Most of the book takes place in the sixty-seven seconds after Will
finds Shawn’s gun then rides the elevator downstairs while deciding whether to
murder Shawn’s killer as he encounters ghosts from his life on each floor. Told
in dazzling, staccato free verse, this book will help you comprehend teen gun
violence. Listen to the author read it for even more of an impact. I listened to
it and read it and gained from both experiences.
G/RT/SF/SN, BC
Turtles
All the Way Down by
John Green
Turtles All
the Way Down explores teen anxiety like nothing I’ve ever read. Thankfully,
John Green has written a novel that teens will read just because he wrote it
and that many teens, parents, teachers, and mental health professionals will
find to be a lifesaver. Aza has thoughts that she can’t control. She knows that
thoughts are not actions, but that doesn’t help on bad days. Aza’s friend Daisy
loves Aza and her spirit. When a billionaire disappears, Aza and Daisy decide
to seek the reward using Aza’s connection to the missing man’s son. Green’s
explication of Aza makes us care enough to want to understand mental illness.
G/DC/SN, BC
The
Best YA Debut Novel of 2017:
A
List of Cages by
Robin Roe
A List of
Cages is a gripping debut that will have you holding your breath as you fly
through the pages. Adam is one of the most popular kids in school. Julian
isn’t. But Adam, a senior, has a connection to weird freshman Julian. Julian
lived with Adam and his mother in a foster care situation after Julian’s
parents died, then Julian’s uncle showed up and took him away. What’s happening
at Julian’s house? Why does he miss so much school? What’s happening with
Adam’s friends? DC, Ages 13 and up
The
Best YA Novel for Tweens
The
Warden’s Daughter by
Jerry Spinelli
The Warden’s
Daughter is a spirited ode to grief as suffered by a twelve-year-old “tough” girl
who lives in a large jail and who wishes Eloda, the trustee who cares for her,
her father, and their apartment, could be her mother. It’s set in 1959 in Two
Mills, PA, the setting of Spinelli’s Maniac
Magee. Spinelli continues to capture the way kids act and thus he grabs and
holds their attention. The twist at the end of this marvel is poignant and
powerful. There are so few good books for this age group that don’t involve sex
that it’s even more of a wonder. DC/PP Ages 10–14
The
Best YA Book for “Girls:”
Girl
Up by
Laura Bates
Girl Up is
brilliant, bold, profane, sarcastic, and just what teenage girls and young
women deserve to have in their corner. If you’re a parent, teacher, counselor,
or just someone who cares about the future of girls, read this book. The “f”
word, slang words for genitalia, and some statements and drawings may bother
some adults but it isn’t for them; it’s for teens. My full review is here. DC/SN/S Ages
13 and up
Top Photo Credit: http://blogs.overdrive.com/library/2014/04/14/teenreads-presents-ultimate-reading-list/
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