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ALA's Best Books for Teens

The Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association selected the one hundred titles they consider to be the best books for young adults from the last half of the twentieth century. Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR and BRM), and large print (LT and JL) copies of these books are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books.

View Fiction Books and Non-fiction Books:

Fiction Books

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
    When the Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway, sole earth survivor Arthur Dent is forced to take up a life of hitchhiking around the cosmos with the aid of an alien friend and a book called "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Deadpan science fiction parody.
    • BR 14438
    • RC 18339
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams
    A fable about a band of rabbits who set out bravely for a new home in the English countryside. They encounter many dangers and adventures along the way, and finally make it to safety after rescuing some does who become their mates. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • BR 10851
    • RC 35730
  • Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
    Based on the diary of a fifteen-year-old girl who turned to drugs because of her feelings of loneliness and rebellion against the world. Though she tries to stop, she dies of an overdose three weeks after her seventeenth birthday. Strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 10978
    • RC 44179
  • Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
    Bestseller. In the future the United States of America is the Republic of Gilead, a fundamentalist Christian theocracy. To reverse the declining birthrate, women are forcibly recruited to the ranks of Handmaids and are assigned to the Commanders of the Faithful, whose wives are barren. Explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language.
    • BR 11911
    • RC 24695
  • Blue Heron by Avi
    Maggie is spending August on the Massachusetts shore with her father, her young stepmother, and her new baby sister. But her father's anger seeths below the surface, and the relationship between him and his wife is deteriorating. Then Maggie sees a great blue heron, learns someone is trying to kill it, and almost loses her father. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
    • RC 36656
  • Nothing But the Truth by Avi
    Ninth grader Philip Malloy is barred from the track team because of a poor grade in English. Convinced that his teacher dislikes him, he scemes to get transferred from her homeroom. Instead of standing at attention during the national anthem, he hums. The issue is perceived to be one of patriotism, and the conflict explodes. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BR 9114
    • RC 35549
    • LT 2287
  • Long Walk by Richard Bachman
    Bestseller. "Rage", written while the author was in high school and college, features teenagers wrestling to the point of violence with angst and frustration. Also featuring teens, "The Long Walk" portrays a cruel future America. One man stands against the encroaching highway in "Roadwork." Strong language and some descriptions of sex.
    • RC 22981
  • Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
    Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 11821
    • LT 2415
  • Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
    Weetzie and her best friend Dirk, who is gay, "Duck hunt together" -- search for true love. Soon Dirk has his Duck and Weetzie has My Secret Agent Lover Man, and they all live together in Hollywood, making underground movies and taking care of their two little girls. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 37026
  • Tangerine by Edward Bloor
    Paul Fisher's parents are avid fans of his older brother Erik's promising football career. In contrast, Paul wears extremely thick glasses because, according to Erik, Paul stared at an eclipse. When they move to Tangerine, Florida, Paul's new friendships help him uncover what he's really known all along about Erik. For grades 6-8.
    • RC 46159
  • The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks
    Jerome, the "Jayfox," a brilliant black student and top-notch basketball player, reaches out to an emotionally troubled white boy. As Jerome attempts to help the boy through basketball, a special friendship develops between the two. Strong language and some scenes of racial bigotry. For junor and se
    • RC 23531
    • LT 5934
  • Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! by Terry Brooks
    First book in the "Magic Kingdom" series. Ben Holiday arrives in Landover, the magic kingdom he purchased by mail order, and finds it a shambles. The taxes have not been collected, the peasants have no hope, the barons refuse to recognize him as king, and a dragon is laying waste the countryside.
    • BR 6608
    • RC 33051
  • Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
    In a future engaged in an interstellar war against insectoid aliens, Ender Wiggins is chosen at the age of six to be trained as the military genius who will carry his people to victory. Along with his brother Peter and sister Valentine, brings the conflict to an end. Strong language.
    • RC 22934
  • Hero Ain't Nothin but a Sandwich by Alice Childress
    The story of Benjie Johnson, a thirteen-year-old addict, is told from various viewpoints, including his own. Benjie tells of his introduction to drugs and his feelings about school, his family, his best friend, and himself. We also hear the voices of these individuals as they reveal Benjie's story and their own ideas about life. Strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 37215
  • Flight #116 Is Down by Caroline B. Cooney
    Because most adult residents of remote Nearing River work in New York and are away, seventeen-year-old Patrick is trained as an emergency medical technician. But there is no call for his skills, and boredom prevails for him and other local teens, including Heidi, a lonely rich girl. Then one Saturday night, Flight #116 crashes on Heidi's estate. For junior and senior readers.
    • RC 39946
  • After the First Death by Robert Cormier
    On a rickety bridge in New England, terrorists hijack a bus loaded with small children and demand the abolishment of a secret government agency nearby. The general who heads the agency drafts his teenage son as a messenger to the terrorist leader.
    • BR 8796
    • RC 15752
  • Fade by Robert Cormier
    In 1938, thirteen-year-old Paul Mareaux thinks he is ordinary, until his uncle explains that he has inherited the ability to "fade" - become invisible. Paul is bewildered, then thrilled with his power, then disillusioned. Descriptions of sex. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 31573
  • I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
    Chilling tale of fourteen-year-old Adam Farmer's desperate search for his father and for a mysterious past that he must not remember if he is to remain alive. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 14796
    • RC 56032
    • LT 4901
  • The Chocolate War: A Novel by Robert Cormier
    A freshman in a parochial high school for boys provokes the wrath of school bullies and the revenge of a sadistic teacher when he refuses to join in the school's annual fund-raising drive. Strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 8680
    • RC 33593
  • Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories by Chris Crutcher
    Athlete protagonists deal with such issues as racism, homophobia, sexism, and coming to terms with their parents. Several stories revolve around characters featured in "Stotan!" and "Running Loose." The locales are small towns in Montana and Idaho. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 38285
  • Ironman by Chris Crutcher
    After Bo Brewster's anger at the coach gets him thrown off the high school football team, he begins training for a triathalon. Next his anger gets him into an anger management class. Surprised to enjoy the group, Bo explores his relationship with his father. By triathalon time the group members are his training team. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 42246
  • Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
    Louie Banks has the world by the tail. He has a truck, a starting spot on the football team, decent grades, good friends, and the girl of his dreams. Things begin to fall apart when Louie bucks his coach after being ordered to
    • RC 21102
  • Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
    Eric Calhoune is a chunky swimmer on his high school team. His best friend is Sara Byrnes, who is severely scarred from childhood burns. When Sara is hospitalized, Eric tries to draw her out, while reminiscing about how they banded together against cruel students and how he feared losing her when he began losing weight. Strong language. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 40522
  • Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
    Life in the last decade of the thirteenth century as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl. Birdy, the daughter of a monor lord and lady in Lincolnshire, has been ordered by her older brother, a monk, to keep a journal for one year. In it Birdy portrays the tedium of life, the unending chores, the lowly role of women, and the selling of a girl. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BRM 1033
    • RC 39832
  • The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
    Newbery Award. In medieval England, a homeless girl known only as Brat is taken in by the village's sharp-tempered midwife. Through obstacles and hardship, the waif eventually earns what she wants most: a full belly, a contented heart, a purpose, and a name: Alyce. For grades 6-9.
    • BR 15443
    • RC 40833
  • On the Devil's Court by Carl Deuker
    During Joe Faust's senior year, his father leaves his position at Harvard for one at the University of Washington. Joe is obsessed with basketball. He gets drunk and blows his chance at a public school team. He is sent to a private school instead. Joe wishes himself into a Faustian pact and becomes a superstar on a winning team. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 37952
  • Eva by Peter Dickinson
    The memory and brain patterns of Eva, thirteen, in an irreversible coma, are transferred to a chimpanzee, Kelly. Kelly's memories and instincts stay with Eva. Problems arise as Eva/Kelly adapts to her new body and feelings, and as people adapt to her. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 32058
  • Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper
    Andy Jackson is consumed with guilt when his drinking causes an accident that kills his best friend Robert Washington, a star athlete. Journal entries, letters, homework assignments, newspaper articles, and conversations tell the tragic story of Andy's inability to deal with his depression. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 10779
  • A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
    Eleven-year-old Nhamo flees from her village in Mozambique to avoid an arranged marriage. Traveling by canoe to her father's family home in Zimbabwe, Nhamo endures incredible hardships but has her mother's spirit to guide her. For grades 6-9.
    • RC 45799
  • The Ear, the Eye, the Arm by Nancy Farmer
    Zimbabwe, 2194. Tendai, Rita, and Kuda are kidnapped by the She Elephant's minions. The children's worried parents consult a bumbling, unorthodox, mutated detective trio--the Ear, Eye, and Arm--and the chase is on, with the detectives always one step behind the kids, who fall in and out of the She Elephant's clutches. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • RC 39386
  • Bull Run by Paul Fleischman
    A series of brief vignettes, focusing on people who participated in some way in the Battle of Bull Run. Each of the characters, eight from the South and eight from the North, has special reasons for participating: one is escaping from an abusive father, another has been hired to drive wealthy spectators to the battle for a picnic. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
    • RC 37371
  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
    Brent Bishop tries to kill himself by driving drunk but causes the death of a teenage girl instead. The dead girl's mother asks him, as restitution, to make four whirligigs with her daughter's face on them and to place them in the four corners of the country. In his summer of travel, he finds that someone in each region takes comfort from the whirligig. For senior high and older readers.
    • RC 46874
  • Sixteen: Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults by Donald Gallo, ed.
    Short stories written for this collection by such notable authors as M.E. Kerr, Richard Peck, Judy Angell, and Harry and Norma Fox Mazer. Topics range from love, like and friendship to an alien teacher and the care and feeding of unicorns on the subway. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 22888
  • Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
    A sensitive novel about two girls who fall in love only to realize how much their relationship affects the people around them. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 21438
  • Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time by James Gurney
    Print/Braille. Bestseller. In 1860 biologist Arthur Denison and his son Will set out from Boston on a voyage. Later they are shipwrecked and carried by dolphins to the lost island of Dinotopia. There dinosaurs and people live harmoniously together, sharing centuries of knowledge and the newer learning brought by the humans. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • BR 9906
  • Disappearance by Rosa Guy
    Imamu Jones has been acquitted of murder and released into the custody of the Aimsley family who live in nice brownstone in Brooklyn. Life for Imamu is better until the Ainsley's daughter disappears. Imamu is the prime suspect. Some strong language. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 28734
  • The Friends by Rosa Guy
    Phyllisia hates Harlem and would give anything to have her family move back to the West Indies. The kids in Harlem hate her, too, except for one poor, sloppy, cheerful girl named Edith. But Phyllisia's snobbish pride keeps her from accepting Edith's love and friendship. Some strong language. For junior
    • RC 23131
  • Kissing Doornobs by Terry Spencer Hesser
    When she is eleven years old, Tara Sullivan begins to hear voices compelling her to repeat certain behaviors over and over. Tara drives her parents and friends to distraction, but until she meets another sufferer years later, she doesn't know she has obsessive-compulsive disorder and can be treated. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 12306
  • Downriver by Will Hobbs
    Jessie is one of the troubled teens participating in an outdoor survival program. The purpose of the program is to put the kids in life-threatening situations that they work together to resolve. The real challenges start when the group, led by charismatic Troy Larsen, decides to ditch the counselor and run the white water of the Grand Canyon. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • RC 36801
  • Far North by Will Hobbs
    A plane goes down in the Canadian wilderness, stranding two fifteen-year-old boys and an Indian elder. Before he dies, the elder teaches the boys survival skills that may sustain them in their struggle against hunger, predators, and the severe northern winter. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 45784
  • A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin
    High school girls Sam and Jules spend the summer before senior year preparing for a dance concert, struggling over Jules' breakup with her boyfriend, and agonizing about odd symptoms that baffle Jules's doctors. When she is diagnosed with cancer, the girls' friendship is put to a severe test. Strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 10714
  • Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
    Owl, born to simple witches, has shape-shifting abilities and is a suburban high school girl by day and a barn owl by night. She has fallen in love with her science teacher, Mr. Lindstrom, and keeps a nightly vigil outside his window as she pursues her ill-fated infatuation. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • RC 38770
  • The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
    Zoe, seventeen, brooding over her mother's terminal illness, her father's indifference, and her best friend's move, meets Simon, a handsome young man. He reveals he is out to kill his brother for the murder of their mother. Some strong language and some violence. For high school and older readers.
    • BR 8590
    • RC 33499
  • The Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
    Insecure Billy doesn't know what to expect when he arrives in Tuscon. His uncle Wes is honest, funny and caring. His job at the racetrack is hard but fun, and he likes his coworker, Lew. He is attracted to moody Cara Mae. Descriptions of sex and strong language. For senior high and older readers.
    • RC 30193
  • Kiss the Dust by Elizabeth Laird
    Spring, 1984, Tara, twelve, and her friend Leila witness an attack on four high school boys standing outside a mosque. Events lead Tara's family to flee their home in Iraq to find refuge in Iran and finally in England. Because Tara's mother becomes ill, Tara assumes responsibility for her mother and her three-year-old sister. Some violence. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
    • RC 40358
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
    Newbery Medal. Jonas lives in a utopia: there is no hunger, no disease, no fear; the elderly are cared for, and every child has attentive parents. Jonas awaits the Ceremony of Twelve, when twelve-year-olds are assigned their profession. He is selected to be Receiver of Memories. As such, he learns of misery and pain, and joy and love. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BR 9626
    • RC 37689
    • LT 4405
  • Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
    A timid, battered little boy from a London slum experiences love and laughter for the first time after he is evacuated to the safety of the countryside and housed with a crusty old man early in World War II. Both the boy and the old man are shattered when Willie's sadistic mother writes for him to return to London. A timeless story for junior and senior high and adult readers.
    • RC 19156
  • The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance by Margaret Mahy
    No one except Laura understands that her little brother is being possessed and destroyed by a demonic man. Laura thinks she can save Jacko, but only by using her latent supernatural powers -- an act that may cost her own life. For junior and senior high and adult readers.
    • BR 6100
    • RC 22780
  • Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
    A group of Australian teenagers decide to spend a week in the bush instead of attending the annual fair with their families. At their remote campsite, they notice planes flying over but think nothing of it until, returning home, they find their families gone, their pets left to die, and phones and electricity out. Some violence. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • BR 10509
  • Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
    Menolly, the only girl apprentice at Harper Hall, finds that she needs more than her gift for composing songs and melodies to fulfill her dream of being a Harper of Pern. An adventurous fantasy for grades 5-8.
    • RC 15983
  • Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
    On the fourth of July and his seventeenth birthday, Michael fires his new rifle into the air, unintentionally killing a man who is a mile away, repairing his roof. Then in alternate chapters, Michael and the dead man's daughter, Jenna, recount their reactions to the death and how it changes their lives. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 46596
  • Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
    A courageous girl called Beauty gradually learns the meaning of love from an unlikely candidate, the Beast residing in an enchanted castle. An embellishment of the classic fairy tale. For grades 5-8.
    • BR 6800
    • RC 55360
  • Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
    Sequel to "The Hero and the Crown." Bored with her sheltered life in the remote colony of Daria, Harry discovers magic in herself when she is kidnapped by a native king with mysterious powers. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BR 8274
    • RC 23523
  • Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
    With dreams of college fading, Ritchie Perry, a black youth enlists in the army. He is sent to Vietnam where he sees desperate heroism and equally desperate cowardice. He struggles to survive racist officers, pitch battles, and wounds. Strong language and violence. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 29775
  • Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
    A father-son relationship develops between seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson and his basketball coach, Cal Jones, a professional player who quit after a point-shaving incident. Describes action on the basketball court. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 6545
    • RC 34574
  • Slam by Walter Dean Myers
    When Harlem basketball talent Greg "Slam" Harris transfers to a magnet high school in the Bronx, everyone expects him to do well and go on to college. But Slam is feeling pressure in school and at home, then discovers that his best friend is dealing drugs. For senior high readers.
    • RC 49501
  • Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers
    I'm your father, the man tells Jimmy Little. They don't know each other. Crab, the father, has been in jail for nine years. Seriously ill, he escaped in order to clear his name and win his son's respect. As they drive to Chicago and then to Crab's Arkansas' hometown, the police close in and Jimmy sees the failure of his father's dreams. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 36958
  • Earthshine by Theresa Nelson
    Slim, a twelve-year-old girl, narrates this emotional story of a quest for a miracle to overcome the AIDS virus. Slim is distraught from helplessly watching her dying father, and her friend Isaiah wants a cure for his mother. Together they develop the strength and understanding to help them deal with their common tragedy. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • RC 42727
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix
    Sabriel was sent to school outside the Old Kingdom for her safety. Now in her last year of study, she receives her father's necromancy tools, indicating that he is dead. Determined to find his body, Sabriel reenters the Old Kingdom and confronts the evil forces of life and death. Some violence. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 44682
  • Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
    Seemingly the only person left alive after a nuclear war, a sixteen-year-old girl is relieved to see a man arrive in her valley until she realizes that he is a tyrant and she must somehow escape. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 8837
    • LT 5936
  • Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
    In the title story, O'Brien uses the items that young American soldiers in Vietnam carried as a metaphor for their inner burdens--cowardice, peer pressure, self-delusion, and fear. He continues the sequence with discussions of his own decision not to flee to Canada, friends, fetishes, killing, love, and how to tell a true war story. Strong language and violence.
    • RC 34768
  • Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr
    After winning a karate championship, seventeen-year-old Anna is hurt in a serious car accident. Before the full extent of her neck and ankle injuries is diagnosed, she endures intense physical pain. Her emotional trauma, from all the changes in her life, is even deeper. Some strong language. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 45969
  • Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
    Newbery Medal. Louise has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful twin sister on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island. Tomboy Louise grows up hating delicate Caroline, who robs her of her friends, her hopes for schooling, and even the boy she loves. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 15613
    • RC 59388
    • JL 37
  • Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
    As their mother becomes more mentally ill, Lyddie and her brother, Charlie, manage the farm through a Vermont winter. Then her mother apprentices Charlie to a miller and hires Lyddie to a tavern, where she is almost a slave. She works long hours in dangerous mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, where she learns more about friendship. For grades 5-8.
    • RC 33521
  • Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen
    When the war starts, fifteen-year-old Charley Goddard is eager to join up with the Minnesota Volunteers. The physical and mental agonies of combat change his attitude. Some violence. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • BR 12076
    • RC 48672
  • The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
    In this autobiographical novel by a contemporary young poet, the events, parallel the author's twentieth year when she experienced a mental break-down and attempted suicide.
    • BR 16452
    • RC 21558
    • LT 2396
  • The Chosen by Chaim Potok
    Two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn after World War II and before the founding of Israel become friends despite their conflicting family backgrounds, and together pursue the study of the Talmud.
    • RC 26399
    • LT 1590
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
    A tale set in Victorian England on an alternate Earth. Young Lyra Belacqua and her daemon enjoy an idyllic, scholarly life at Jordan College. Then her friend Roger and other children are abducted by the Gobblers. Venturing north in pursuit, Lyra encounters an alien and sinister world. Violence. Prequel to "The Subtle Knife" (RC 45857, BR 13277). For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 13276
    • RC 44343
  • The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
    In this novel of nineteenth-century London, orphan Sally Lockhart leaves her guardians to work with a young photographer and his sister. She encounters unforgettable characters, murder, and mayhem as she discovers her own heritage and a mysterious ruby. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 27311
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
    Bestseller. Prequel to "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (RC 48437, BR 12276). On Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, he learns that he is more than an unwanted orphan. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry recruits him because he has inherent magical abilities. As he purchases unusual supplies, Harry looks forward to attending his new boarding school. For grades 4-7.
    • BR 11879
    • RC 47260
    • LT 0621
  • Holes by Louis Sachar
    Newbery Medal. Stanley Yelnats IV finds himself in a detention center for possessing stolen property that he didn't take. While digging holes under the summer Texas sun, he sees a fellow inmate running away -- and follows him. Legends, loyalty, and buried treasure are revealed as Stanley learns to survive. For grades 5-8.
    • BR 12174
    • RC 47444
    • JL 204
  • House of Stairs by William Sleator
    Five 16-year-old orphans are imprisoned in a building of endless flights of stairs and landings where scientists control their behavior and thought by r ewarding them when they are cruel to each other. For junior and senior high
    • RC 8990
  • Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
    Shabanu, daughter of a nomad, lives in the desert of Pakistan where she helps her father with the camel herd. Pledged to marry an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, will she risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes? For junior and senior high readers.
    • BRM 1328
    • RC 32145
  • The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
    A fairy-tale quality permeates this story of Merlin, the fifth-century wizard- prince who guided King Arthur of Britain to his throne. Relates the parentage of Merlin, his "magic" powers, and the origin of the Arthurian legend. Followed by "The Hollow Hills."
    • BR 5771
    • RC 57055
  • The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
    Bestseller. In 1949 four Chinese women living in San Francisco founded the Joy Luck Club where they met to play mah jong and "feast" on scraps. Forty years later one of the women dies and a secret is revealed about that unleashes the need for each one to reach back and remember.
    • BR 7747
    • RC 29021
    • LT 5014
  • Runner by Cynthia Voigt
    Running helps Bullet cope with life at school, home and work. At first it is a way of escaping unpleasant realities but eventually becomes a stern discipline through which he interacts with others. Strong language. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • RC 24825
  • Deathwatch by Robb White
    To earn money for college, Ben agrees to take a businessman hunting in the desert. When Ben discovers that his companion has accidentally killed a man, the quiet hunting trip becomes a fight for survival. For junior and senior high readers.
    • RC 8730
  • Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
    To earn money for college, LaVaughn, age fourteen, babysits. Jolly, a seventeen-year-old mother of two who does factory work, offers LaVaughn a job. Then Jolly is fired, and LaVaughn learns how to take hold of her own plans, of Jolly's situation, and of the children's needs as they all work on lessons in and out of school. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 40705
    • LT 2929
  • Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
    First in the "Enchanted Forest Chronicles." Princess Cimorene is lively and not proper like her parents. Determined to not marry the prince chosen for her, she runs away and becomes a dragon's princess. As she fends off nosy wizards and helps hysterical princesses, she makes a firm place for herself in the dragon world. For grades 5-9.
    • RC 33457
  • Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
    The tale of Sleeping Beauty, aka Briar Rose, linked with the Holocaust. Becca loved to hear Grandmother Gemma tell of being Briar Rose. Now Gemma is gone, and Becca is fulfilling her promise to find the castle. Her quest will lead to Chelmno, Poland, where 320,000 people were exterminated. Violence and some strong language. For high school and older readers.
    • RC 37340

Non-fiction Books

  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
    Memoir by well-known African American poet and college professor Maya Angelou. She describes her childhood and adolescent years in rural Arkansas, in St. Louis, and in San Francisco, and the racial and gender hardships she endured.
    • BR 15665
    • RC 57200
  • Always to Remember: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Brent Ashabranner
    This poignant account of the crusade for a memorial tells of Jan C. Scruggs, the Vietnam veteran who spearheaded the crusade, of Maya Ying Lin, the architectural student whose memorial design was chosen, and of the effect of the memorial on those who visit it. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • RC 31108
  • We Are Witnesses: The Diaries of Five Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust by Jacob Boas
    A collection of diary excerpts from five Jewish teenagers -- David Rubinowicz, Yitzhak Rudashevski, Moshe Flinker, Eva Heyman, and Anne Frank -- who lived in Nazi-occupied Lithuania, Hungary, Belgium, and Holland between 1940 and 1944. Boas, a Holocaust survivor, provides biographical information and comparison of experiences. For junior and senior high and older readers.
    • BR 10662
  • Secret House: 24 Hours in the Strange and Unexpected World in Which We Spend Our Nights and Days by David Bodanis
    Using the discoveries of microscopic physics and chemistry, the author discusses what goes on in an ordinary house during the course of one day, from the alarm clock's morning eruption to the last drip of the bathroom tap at night. A book of wonders revealed in witty prose.
    • BR 6794
  • Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir by Beverly Cleary
    The author has written an account of her early years. She was transplanted to city life in Portland, Oregon, when the family farm failed. Her father, who love the outdoors, spent years as a bank guard while her demanding mother devoted herself to Beverly. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BR 9166
    • RC 29704
  • Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam by Bernard Edelman
    Poignant collection of letters and poems, mostly from soldiers to their loved ones back home. Provides insight into why many Vietnam veterans are still having difficulty adjusting to civilian life. Some strong language.
    • RD 24170
  • Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman
    Told partly through her own words, Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, overcame both an unhappy childhood (her parents separated and had died by the time that she was ten) and a timid nature to become a vigorous, outspoken social activist and the first first lady with a public life and a career. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
    • RC 38664
  • Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
    Wilbur and Orville Wright were inseparable throughout their lives. From their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, the two set out to prove the possibility of powered human flight. They succeeded in 1903, and, with dogged determination, were also successful in promoting their new flying machine and overcoming the government's lack of interest. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
    • RC 34862
  • Place My Words are looking For: What Poets Say About and Through Their Work by Paul B. Janeczko
    A collection of poems by thirty-nine poets who also comment on why they write -- their inspiration, memories, and enjoyment of playing with words. For grades 4-7.
    • BR 13513
    • RC 52326
  • Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black man in America by Nathan McCall
    Bestseller. Although raised in a working-class family, McCall, as a 1970s youth, became caught up in the violence and crime afflicting many black communities. As fist fights turned into gun battles and sweet talk into gang rape, McCall was sentenced to prison. He is now a journalist with the "Washington Post." Strong language, violence, and descriptions of sex.
    • RC 38865
  • Woodsong by Gary Paulsen
    Natural phenomena, chilling experiences, and exhilarating adventure are all part of Paulsen's recollections of sled-dog training and racing, including participation in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Contains eloquent, spare remembrances of his initiation, education, and unabashed awe of the wilderness and its inhabitants. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
    • BR 8849
    • RC 34757
  • The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll
    A computer security expert describes his search for and "capture" of the Hannover hacker. His discovery ultimately broke up a spy ring that was selling computer secrets to the KGB. Some strong language.
    • RC 30791
  • Pigman and Me by Paul Zindel
    Paul Zindel writes of the angst, humor, and mishaps that fill the year he spends with his mother and sister on Staten Island. Lacking funds but able to talk a mile a minute, his mother arranges to buy a house with Connie, a single mother with a set of twins. Connie's father becomes Zindel's own pigman. For junior and senior high readers.
    • BR 9267
    • RC 36599