Book Lists

2011 Young Adult Choices

Send to My Email

The 2013 Young Adults' Choices list is the 25th that U.S. teenagers (grades 7–12) have helped create. This project began in 1986, funded by a special grant given to the International Reading Association, and was supervised by the Association's Literature for Young Adults Committee. The goals of the project are to encourage young people to read; to make teens, teachers, librarians, and parents aware of new literature for young adults; and to provide middle and secondary school students with an opportunity to voice their 
opinions about books being written for them.

30 results found

You Wish

by: Mandy Hubbard
You Wish
1 Wish
2 Girls in love with the same boy
14 Days to stop the madness!

Kayla McHenry's sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla's secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin' do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year's supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla's wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP.

Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her.

And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes

by: Lisa Greenwald
release date: Aug 01, 2011
Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes

When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine's Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they've been keeping from one another.

Confident Kate doesn't notice much but the latest gossip, and shy Georgia can't say out loud what's always on her mind. They're joined by observant, careful Olivia, whose epic, single-minded crush on PBJ (real name: Phillip Becker-Jacobs) is starting to frustrate them. Using fortune cookies that mysteriously always seem to speak directly to the person who opens them, the three girls try to work together to bring some love to their building while reminding each other why they're such good friends to begin with.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

by: Jenny Han
release date: Jan 01, 2009
The Summer I Turned Pretty
This book is fresh fun and exciting. 15 year Belly Conklin is enjoying another summer with the people that she loves in Cousins, a place she's been going to since she was a baby! The fishers, Aka Jerimiah and Conrad, are finally grown up, and Belly feels like she can fit in aswell. Belly would be turning 16 this year, as now she feels as if she can fit in with the boys. She thinks the summer will be fun, Hanging out on the beach and Playing with the people she loves, Belly is looking foward to her summer vacation. But that's when she finds out that Susannah Fisher is diagnosed with Cancer, which changes everything. Things are different in the Summer house. Her first love, Conrad is different, he's distant. While the stay in the house was supposed to be enjoying, they need to focus on things that matter the most. Sussanah. Belly decides that it's time she acts like the adult that she is. Choosing between her 2 lovers Jerimiah and Conrad Fisher. Will either of them like her? Because this...Is the Summer I turned Pretty.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by: Tom Angleberger
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.

The Sons of Liberty

by: Joseph Lagos
The Sons of Liberty
Forget everything you thought you knew about America's early days-history packs a punch in this full-color, two-fisted, edge-of-your-seat adventure!

Graphic novels are a revolution in literature, and The Sons of Liberty is a graphic novel like no other. Visual and visceral, fusing historical fiction and superhero action, this is a tale with broad appeal-for younger readers who enjoy an exciting war story, for teenagers asking hard questions about American history, for adult fans of comic books, for anyone seeking stories of African American interest, and for reluctant readers young and old.

In Colonial America, Graham and Brody are slaves on the run-until they gain extraordinary powers. At first they keep a low profile. But their mentor has another idea-one that involves the African martial art dambe . . . and masks.

With its vile villains, electrifying action, and riveting suspense, The Sons of Liberty casts new light on the faces and events of pre-Revolution America, including Ben Franklin and the French and Indian War. American history has rarely been this compelling-and it's never looked this good.

For more information and exclusive content, visit thesonsoflibertybook.com

The Sky Is Everywhere

by: Jandy Nelson
release date: Mar 01, 2010
The Sky Is Everywhere
Seventeen-year old Leannie spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies suddenly, Leannie is catapaulted to centre stage of her own life. A vibrant, deeply romantic and unmissable debut. Ages 13+.

Shiver

by: Maggie Stiefvater
release date: Jan 01, 2010
Shiver
In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.

Sea

by: Heidi R. Kling
Sea
Still haunted three years after the disappearance of her mother in a plane over the Indian Ocean, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones decides to face her fear of flying in order to accompany her psychiatrist father and his team of relief workers for a two-week visit to an Indonesian orphanage never suspecting this experience will change her life forever.

Rules of Attraction

by: Simone Elkeles
Rules of Attraction
From the New York Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles comes an epic love story like no other . . . The second book in the gripping PERFECT CHEMISTRY series, this is the next addictive read for fans of Anna Todd's AFTER series, and Caroline Kepnes's YOU. Carlos Fuentes isn't happy about leaving Mexico to start the 'new' life his older brother, Alex, has planned for him. Carlos liked his freedom; living life on the edge – just like Alex did. Kiara Westford doesn't talk much; instead preferring to shut out the world. And when Carlos bounds into her life she struggles to understand him. Carlos is sure that Kiara thinks she's too good for him, which is just fine because he's not interested anyway, right? But when they finally open up to each other, the connection they feel shocks them both. Can they overcome their fears and realise that sometimes opposites really do attract? 'Elkeles once again delivers a steamy page-turner bound to make teens swoon' School Library Journal 'If Perfect Chemistry was good, Rules of Attraction is better! …fans of Perfect Chemistry need to read this book, and those who haven't read Perfect Chemistry need to get their hands on both pronto!' Once Upon a Bookcase 'Elkeles has perfected the way she writes these novels, because like its predecessor, the writing is fast paced and make for easy reads because they never dwindle too much on unnecessary factors.' The Crooked Shelf 'A high recommendation for all fans of teen romance - and there's enough depth to it and action, coupled with a fairly gritty feel, that I can also see it appealing to many people who normally wouldn't look twice at this genre.' The Bookbag

Ruined

by: Paula Morris
release date: Jan 01, 2009
Ruined
Rebecca goes to New Orleans to stay with her aunt and sees the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and meets a ghost girl named Lisette.

The Pale Assassin

by: Patricia Elliott
The Pale Assassin
In early 1790s' Paris, as the Revolution gains momentum, young and sheltered Eugenie de Boncoeur finds it difficult to tell friend from foe as she and the royalist brother she relies on become the focus of "le Fantome," the sinister spymaster with a long-held grudge against their family.

Out of My Mind

by: Sharon M. Draper
release date: May 01, 2012
Out of My Mind
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school, but no one knows it. Most people — her teachers and doctors included — don't think she's capable of learning, and until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows...but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind — that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice, but not everyone around her is ready to hear it. From two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget. (Back Cover)
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Fiction, Children's Middle Grade Books / Realistic, Children's Middle Grade Books / Disability

The Necromancer

by: Michael Scott
The Necromancer
Sophie and Josh have returned to San Francisco. They must protect themselves from the Dark Elders, but they've not yet mastered the magic they'll need to do so. Their trust in Nicholas Flamel is shaken, and their friend Scatty is missing. Unbeknownst to the twins, John Dee has amassed an enormous army of foul creatures, with which he plans to battle Nicholas and his wife, Peronelle. In order for his plan to work, he must train a necromancer to raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. The twins of legend will make the perfect pupils in his diabolical scheme.

The Hunger Games

by: Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the perspective of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle royale to the death. The book received critical acclaim from major reviewers and authors. It was praised for its plot and character development. In writing The Hunger Games, Collins drew upon Greek mythology, Roman gladiatorial games, and contemporary reality television for thematic content. The novel won many awards, including the California Young Reader Medal, and was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008. The Hunger Games was first published in hardcover on September 14, 2008, by Scholastic, featuring a cover designed by Tim O'Brien.
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Science, Children's Middle Grade Books / Dystopian, Young Adult Books / Science, Young Adult Books / Dystopian

Matched

by: Ally Condie
release date: Jan 01, 2010
Matched
Cassia has always followed the autocratic Society without question. So when Xander's face is displayed on the screen at the Matching ceremony, she knows that they are the perfect mates. However, Ky Markham's face also flashed on the screen, if only briefly. Although the Society claims it was a glitch and Cassia knows she is to be with Xander, she cannot stop thinking about Ky. In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices, but she begins to question just how perfect her world really is when she notices things are not what they seem. As Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility, she is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. - Publisher.
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Romance, Children's Middle Grade Books / Dystopian

Low Red Moon

by: Ivy Devlin
Low Red Moon

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver―deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school―Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him―at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilight and as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting―by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin.

The Lost Hero

by: Rick Riordan
The Lost Hero
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea―except that everything seems very wrong. Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on? Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all―including Leo―related to a god.
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Fantasy, Children's Middle Grade Books / Mythology
Other List with This Book:

Leviathan

by: Scott Westerfeld
release date: Jan 01, 2009
Leviathan
**Choose Your Weapon: Beastie or Clanker** Alek is a prince without a throne. On the run from his own people, he has only a fighting machine and a small band of men. Deryn is a girl disguised as a guy in the British Air Service. She must fight for her cause--and protect her secret--at all costs. Alek and Deryn are thrown together aboard the mighty airship *Levithan*. Though fighting side by side, their worlds are far apart. British fabricated beasts versus German steam-powered war machines. They are enemies with everything to lose, yet somehow destined to be together. This description comes from the 2010 Simon Pulse edition.

Jumping Off Swings

by: Jo Knowles
release date: Oct 25, 2011
Jumping Off Swings
Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character's point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl's life—and the realities of leaving innocence behind.

It Started with a Dare

by: Lindsay Faith Rech
It Started with a Dare
When fifteen-year-old honors student Cynthia Gene Silverman moves to a new school, she decides to reinvent herself as a reckless daredevil in order to be accepted by the popular clique.

Incarceron

by: Catherine Fisher
release date: Jan 01, 2010
Incarceron
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible. And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside. She is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know. - Publisher.

If You Live Like Me

by: Lori Weber
If You Live Like Me

Before her plane even touches down in Newfoundland, Cheryl is already plotting her escape. She knows life on this isolated rock will be no better than it was in the other places she's been forced to live, ever since her parents launched a cross-Canada tour so her father could gather material for his book. The unwilling spectator of her father's morbid fascination with dying cultures, Cheryl has seen more than her fair share of small towns so depressing they could haunt your dreams. As events bigger than Cheryl swirl around her, will her refusal to let a new life in cut her off from those who love her? If You Live Like Me explores the bonds that form in strange and unexpected ways and shows how letting go can lead to the strongest connections of all.

Lori Weber, a native of Montreal, Quebec, is the author of several acclaimed titles for young adults, including Klepto, Strange Beauty, Tattoo Heaven and Split in the SideStreets series. Weber teaches in the English department at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec.

If I Stay

by: Gayle Forman
release date: Jan 01, 2009
If I Stay
*Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. Stay, he says.* Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind? Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters. If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Fiction, Children's Middle Grade Books / Romance

I Am Number Four

by: Pittacus Lore
I Am Number Four
The first book of the #1 New York Times bestselling series and the inspiration for the hit movie from Dreamworks! John Smith seems like an ordinary teenager, living a normal life with his guardian Henri in Paradise, Ohio. But for John, keeping a low profile is essential, because he is not an ordinary teenager. He’s an alien from the planet Lorien, and he’s on the run. A group of evil aliens from the planet Mogadore, who destroyed his world, are hunting anyone who escaped. Nine Loric children were sent to Earth to live in hiding until they grew up and developed their Legacies, powers that would help them fight back—and help them save us. Three of them are now dead. John is Number Four, and he knows he’s next…. Michael Bay, director of Transformers, raved: “Number Four is a hero for this generation.” This epic story is perfect for fans of action-packed science fiction like The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner, and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. The battle for Earth’s survival wages on. Read all of the books: #2: The Power of Six, #3: The Rise of Nine, #4: The Fall of Five, #5: The Revenge of Seven, #6: The Fate of Ten, and #7: United as One. Don’t miss the first book in the brand-new I Am Number Four spin-off series: Generation One.
Categories: Children's Middle Grade Books / Young Adult, Children's Middle Grade Books / Fantasy, Children's Middle Grade Books / Science, Young Adult Books / Fantasy, Young Adult Books / Science

Silence

by: Becca Fitzpatrick
Silence
A powerful YA romance about the forbidden love between a girl and a fallen angel. Perfect for fans of the Twilight series, eagerly awaiting Midnight Sun! The noise between Patch and Nora has gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust... and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for - and their love - forever. Praise for Silence: 'An action packed suspenseful story that had my eyes glued to the page and tears falling…Silence is another fascinating, memorable, heart-breaking, story.' Dark Readers 'The perfect escape into fantasy and a love that can break all boundaries.' Sugarscape 'Heady read for the teens of the family.' Liverpool Echo 'I really enjoyed Silence. It was a great instalment in the series.' Cheezyfeet Books 'An enjoyable read…I'm really excited to see where book four will take us.' Bookaholics

Happyface

by: Stephen Emond
Happyface
After going through traumatic times, a troubled, socially awkward teenager moves to a new school where he tries to reinvent himself.

Halo

by: Alexandra Adornetto
Halo
Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she won't be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself - from the Dark Forces.

City of Glass

by: Cassandra Clare
City of Glass
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost? Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

Candy Bomber

by: Michael O. Tunnell
release date: Jul 01, 2010
Candy Bomber
"World War II was over, and Berlin was in ruins. US Air Force Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen knew the children of the city were suffering. They were hungry and afraid. The young pilot wanted to help, but what could one man in one plane do?"--dust jacket flap.

The Big Ideas That Changed the World

by: Collectif
The Big Ideas That Changed the World
Discover the big ideas that changed our world. From matches to mobiles, antibiotics and the flexible drinking straw - some inventions don't just change the way we do things but change the world. Marvel at some of the world's most amazing discoveries that have made a sensation, from the first wheel to satellite navigation. Kids will love the incredible facts and info, such as why the tin can was invented 60 years before the can opener? Read on in wonder at the stories behind each ground-breaking discovery - the people, ideas and knock on effects. Some of the biggest ideas covered include the Model T Ford, Edison's lightbulb, Catseyes and the first Apple.
30 results found


  • Aboutread.com makes it one-click away to discover great books from local library by linking books/movies to your library catalog search.

  • Copyright © 2026 Aboutread.com