INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION TEENAGE BOOK CHOICES Teenager’s Literature Choices for 2003

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy

November 2003

The top 30 choices listed by students in 5 different regions of the United States were:

1.Among the Imposters. Margaret Peterson Haddix This book is a sequel to Among the Hidden. It’s a suspense book about a boy named Luke who is enrolled in a boarding school under an assumed name. His life depends on how well he learns to blend in and whom he chooses to trust.
2.And Sometimes Why by Mame Farrell. Romantic teen novel which invites the reader into the world of inner feelings, emotions, boundaries and friendship.
3. Anne Frank and Me by Cherrie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld. Transports the reader to a time and place where the Holocaust takes on true meaning for Nicole Burns, a self-absorbed, 21st-century 10th grader. Nicole’s tragic journey and meeting with Anne Frank touch her soul and transform her forever.
4.Being Dead by Vivian Vande Velde. This is book of 7 chilling ghost stories. Stories include scary phone calls and dances and messages from the dead.
5.Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin. This story is told in the insightful voice of the title character, Belle Teal, who rises above the hatred that pervades her school when a black student enters her fifth-grade class.
6. Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer. This historical fiction novel traces Princess Elizabeth’s life from after her father’s death until she becomes queen.
6.Born Blue by Han Nolan. Janie Leshaya was born into a life of hardship, but she finds the courage to break away from her past and becomes the person she was meant to be.
7. Born in Sin by Evelyn Coleman. An African American girl, considered at risk at one high school, is sent away to an all-white urban school.
8. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn. Nick Andreas, a 16 year old rich kid and honor student, is the coolest guy around. Everyone is jealous of him. Nick’s life, however, is a fake. He has never told anyone about his father’s violent temper.
10. Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon Draper. It’s about the darkest moments of a girl’s life during her junior year in high school. Topics deal with anorexia, an attempted rape by her boyfriend and dating a much older boy.

11. Girlhearts by Norma Fox Mazer. It’s about a teenage girls struggle after the death of her mother. She is taken in by her mother’s friend.

12. Jimi Hendrix by Rita Markel. Biography of Jimi Hendrix’s difficult childhood, when his only means of expressing himself was through music.

13. The Land by Mildred Taylor. Historical novel that tells the story of Paul-Edward as he struggles to buy land in the south and build a life.

14. Lirael by Garth Nix. A fantasy novel, a sequel to Sabriel.

15. Parsifal’s Page by Gerald Morris. Story of 11 year old Piers, who longs for the adventures of knighthood.

16. The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Story of 12 year old Jason who is wrongly accused of murdering his 7 year old sister.

17. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez. Portrayal of gay teen life. A book for those teens struggling with their identity.

18. Scribbler of Dreams by Mary Pearson. Novel about money, power, deceit, and betrayal. It depicts a 100 year old feud that finally ends.

19. Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Seductive novel of good and evil women through a supernatural cast of witches and vampires.

20. : The JouSlave Narrativerney to Freedom by Elaine Landau. Four testimonies by former slaves chronicle the details and horror of daily life under bondage, the risks of escape, the anguish of families being torn apart and the determination and sacrifices made to obtain freedom.

21. Soldier X by Don Wulffson. This is about a 16 year old boy who is a member of Hitler’s youth program. He is sent to the Russian front in 1943.

22. Spellbound by Janet McDonald. This is about a teenage girl who gets pregnant her senior year of high school. It details the struggles she has with the realities of her life.

23. Taggerung: A Tale From Redwall by Brian Jacques. A tale of sadness and joy, comedy and tradegy, a little mystery, a good dose of rousing action. A babe stolen at birth, a ruthless leader’s delusions, a journey home, and the discovery of an Abbess.

24. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls. Betsy Franco. Collection of poems, stories, and essays written by girls 12 to 18 years of age.

25. This Side of Paradise by Steven Layne. Mom’s missing, Gram’s being sent to a nursing home, Troy’s being used as a punching bag, the family is moving to Paradise, and Dad has raised perfection to new levels.

26. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones. Trials and joys of a 15 year old girl. Teen romance, silliness with friends. It has a happy ending.

27. When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester. An 8th grade girl and her younger brother must deal with life after their mother is murdered by their father. Together they must determine that the truth behind their mother’s death must be revealed in the courtroom.

28. Witch Child Celia Rees. About a girl who has a gift for healing an is accused of being a witch in a Massachusetts colony.

29. You Don’t Know Me by David Klass. Deals with a 14 year old boys universal teenage problems: being an outsider, coping with school, dating and dealing with his mother marrying her abusive boyfriend.

30. True Believer by Virginia Wolff. This is the second volume of the Make Lemonade trilogy. Deals with a 15 year old girl, told in blank verse poetry.