Cool Reads
Books for Younger Teens*Click on the title for more information or to place the item on hold.
Books for Younger Teens
by Ally Carter
A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop's father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector.
by Eoin Colfer
When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
by Esther Friesner
Determined to fend for herself in a world where only men have real freedom, headstrong Helen, who will be called queen of Sparta and Helen of Troy one day, learns to fight, hunt, and ride horses while disguised as a boy, and goes on an adventure throughout the Mediterranean world.
by Carolyn Meyer
In eighteenth-century France, Marie Antoinette rails against the rules of etiquette that govern her life even as she tries to fulfill her greatest obligation, giving birth to the next king, but she finds diversion in spending money on clothing, parties, and gambling despite her family's warnings and the whispers of courtiers.
by Shelia Moses
Fourteen-year-old Joseph tries to avoid trouble and keep in touch with his father, who is serving in Iraq, as he and his alcoholic, drug-addicted mother move from one homeless shelter to another.
Books for Older Teens
by Lucy Christopher
Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed.
by Suzanne Harper
When high school junior Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" over the summer, she meets both American and Italian students and learns not just about Shakespeare, but also about star-crossed lovers--and herself.
by Brendan Halpin
Rosalind had two mommies. Now, thanks to a tragic accident, she has none. And Sean, the sperm donor responsible for half her DNA (and nothing else), is taking custody. Rosalind finds herself adjusting to a new life that seems both hateful and surreal–she’s an orphan with a new father, surrounded by friends she is beginning to despise and well-meaning adults who succeed only in annoying her. Sean made a donation fifteen years ago, and his life since has not gone according to plan. Thirty-five and single, he decides to take on the overwhelming task of caring for an unhappy teenager he doesn’t know.
by Jaye Murray
A high school boy comes to terms with his drug addiction, life with an alcoholic father, and a younger brother who looks up to him.
by Todd Strasser
After ignoring several warnings to stop dating his teacher, Garrett is sent to Lake Harmony, a boot camp that uses unorthodox and brutal methods to train students to obey their parents.
Adult Novels for Older Teens
Tired of Teen Fiction? Ready to move on to the Adult Collection? Here are some titles recommended for older teens:
*Please be advised that novels from the adult collection contain adult content.
by Steve Berry
A miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great--in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years--is the coveted prize for a cunning despot unless Cotton Malone, former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer, can beat her to it.
by Sophie Kinsella
Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Mentally stable twenty-something girls just don't get visited by ghosts. But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara's great aunt Sadie has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can't rest without. Lara's got plenty of problems of her own. Sadie couldn't care less. As this bossy ghost continues to intrude in an urgent yet hilarious manner, Lara can't help but notice that her life is changing in ways she hadn't dreamed possible.
by Christopher Reich
While skiing in the Swiss Alps, surgeon Dr. Jonathan Ransom and his wife Emma are caught in terrible weather. When Emma falls and breaks her leg, Jonathan goes to get help, only to return to find Emma's lifeless body at the bottom of a steep crevasse. While investigating her death, Jonathan finds himself at the center of a global terrorist conspiracy. It becomes clear that his beloved Emma was more than what she seemed.
by Nicholas Sparks
After World War II, Noah Calhoun returns to North Carolina, still haunted by the images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier.
by Miriam Toews
The Troutman family is facing serious change. With their mother remitted to the mental hospital again, precocious 11-year-old Thebes and rebellious 15-year-old Logan polace a call to their aunt Hattie in Paris, who has just been dumped by her boyfriend.
Recommended Non-Fiction
*Please be advised that items from the adult collection contain adult content.
by Emily Ford
We've all felt occasional pangs of shyness and self-consciousness, but for the 15 million Americans with social anxiety disorder, the fear of being scrutinized and criticized can reach disabling proportions. Such was the case for Emily Ford, who shares her firsthand experiences in these pages. Emily's true story of fear, struggle, and ultimate triumph is sure to resonate with other socially anxious teenagers and young adults. Emily's frank, often witty, sometimes poignant account of how she negotiated all the obstacles of social anxiety--and eventually overcame them with the help of therapy and hard work--makes for compelling reading.
Shoujo Manga Techniques: Writing Stories
by Mako Itsuki
This "Writing Stories volume is the first to tackle the creative process of "shoujo" manga story writing by breaking down its complicated world into a fun, easy-to-follow manga format that readers will enjoy. Text takes young writers step-by-step through the creative process, covering theme, setting, genre, character development, and other important points.
by Jane Bluestein and Eric D. Katz
Your survival guide to the maze that is the maze that is the high school experience With real-life stories from teens across the country - as well as high school "survivors" - this book paints a real picture of how teens like you feel about the struggles and triumphs of the daily grind and how they get through it.
Chasing the High: A Firsthand Account of one Young Person's Experience with Substance Abuse
by Kyle Keegan
Kyle Keegan was like many teenagers: eager to fit in at school, he experimented with alcohol and drugs. Soon, his abuse of these substances surpassed experimentation and became a ruthless addiction to heroin that nearly destroyed his life. Now in recovery, Keegan tells his remarkable story in Chasing the High. Starting with the early days of alcohol and drug use, Keegan charts his decline into crime and homelessness as his need for heroin surpassed all thoughts of family and friends, of right and wrong. He then goes on to use these experiences to offer guidance and practical advice to other young people who may be struggling with substance abuse.
Career Building Through Fan Fiction Writing
by Miriam Segall
This informative discusses just what fan fiction is and how a love of fan fiction can turn into a career.
"Scene" the Movie? Read the Book!
*Please be advised that items from the adult collection contain adult content.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Jumper by Steven Gould
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Blood and Chocolate by Anette Curtis Klause
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Holes by Louis Sachar
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
TAG Recommended Reading
*These are some titles that members of the TAG recommend to other teens. For more information, or to put the item on hold, please click on the title.
*Please be advised that items from the adult collection contain adult content.
by Kelley Armstrong
After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger.
by Kiyohiko Azuma
Funny and highly random manga series about a group of girls at a Japanese school, and the weird teachers who teach them.
by Carol Plum-Ucci
Sixteen-year-old Claire is unable to face her fears about a recurrence of her leukemia, her eating disorder, her need to fit in with the popular crowd on Hackett Island, and her mother's alcoholism until the enigmatic Lani Garver helps her get control of her life at the risk of his own.
by Darren Shan
Presumably the only witness to the horrific and bloody murder of his entire family, a teenage boy must outwit not only the mental health professionals determined to cure his delusion, but also the demonic forces only he can see.
by Julian F. Thompson
Teenage backpackers from an exclusive boarding school find themselves the target of contract killers.
by Scott Westerfeld
In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.