Realistic Fiction
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, is determined to take his future into his own hands. He leaves his school on the rez to attend a nearby school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. While there, he grapples with questions about community, identity, and tribe. |
Twisted
Laurie Halse Anderson Tyler used to be the guy in the background. But since he got busted for graffiti and spent the summer doing outdoor work, he stands out like you wouldn't believe. He catches the eye of Bethany Milbury, and that sets off a string of events that has Tyler questioning his place in school, in his family, and in the world. |
Close to Famous Joan Bauer Foster has a big secret: she can’t read. But with the help of a retired movie star, she overcomes her struggles and wins over hearts with her exceptional baked goods. |
Gingerbread
Rachel Cohn After being expelled from a fancy boarding school, Cyd Charisse's problems with her mother escalate after Cyd falls in love with a sensitive surfer and is subsequently sent from San Francisco to New York City to spend time with her biological father. |
Whale Talk
Chris Crutcher T. J. Jones is determined that the Cutter All Night Mermen - the unlikeliest swim team a high school has ever seen – will succeed, but won't be easy. For one thing, they don't even have a pool. But for T. J. and his merry band of misfits, the quest itself may be far more valuable than the reward. |
The Difference Between You and Me
Madeleine George Jesse cuts her own hair with a Swiss Army knife. Emily wears sweaters with faux pearl buttons. These girls have nothing in common, except the passionate "private time" they share every Tuesday afternoon. Jesse wishes their relationship could be out in the open, but Emily feels she has too much to lose. When they find themselves on opposite sides of a heated school conflict, they each have to decide what's more important: what you believe in, or the one you love? |
Looking for Alaska
John Green Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She pulls Pudge into her world and steals his heart. Nothing is ever the same. |
Dark Sons
Nikki Grimes Sam can't believe it when his father leaves the family to marry another woman-and a white woman, at that. The betrayal cuts deep. Now who can he turn to? Who can he trust? Even God seems to have ditched him. Ishmael is his father's first son, the heir, his favorite. But when his father is visited by mysterious strangers who claim that Abraham's wife, Sarah, will finally give birth to a son, Ishmael is worried. And when baby Isaac arrives, Ishmael becomes more isolated from his father. Could Abraham's God now betray him in favor of this new son? |
Dunk
Dave Lubar Chad wants to be the Bozo, the clown who sits in the dunk tank and goads people into taking a shot. What could be better than using his razor-sharp wit against a random stranger? But Chad soon discovers that he’s in a strange, twisted world where humor packs a punch. |
Monster
Walter Dean Meyers “Monster" is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. Was he really the lookout who gave the all-clear to the murderer? Or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? |
Feeling Sorry for Celia
Jaclyn Moriarty Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else. But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter... |
All American Boys
Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely A bag of chips. That’s all 16-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter. But there were witnesses: Quinn, who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan, and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting accused of prejudice and brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has been his savior could be guilty. But as tensions threaten to explode, Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. |
Rainbow Boys
Alex Sanchez Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex...with other guys. Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone -- especially his parents. Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends. These three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet, are drawn into a triangle of love, betrayal and, ultimately, friendship. (Sequels: Rainbow High and Rainbow Road) |
Peak
Roland Smith After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a skyscraper, he’s left with a choice: wither away in juvenile detention or fly to Kathmandu with his long-lost father. Peak quickly learns that his father’s renewed interest in him has strings attached. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit. |
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
Sonya Sones 15-year-old Ruby leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born. |
How to Say Goodbye in Robot
Natalie Standiford On her first day at her new school, Bea meets Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a friend since 3rd grade. Something about him gets to Bea, and they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly, but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish? |
