good novels for teenagers?

[EAP]

Hello folks.

What I want here are recommendations.


Well written young-adult fiction with solid prose running along the themes of 'importance of friendship' and 'coping with relationships/loss'.

Books along the lines of 'Bridge to Terebithia,' 'Where the Red Fern Grows', 'A Walk to Remember,' 'Old Yeller' etc.

I also won't mind relatively serious young-adult romance fiction recommendations.


Thanks a bunch in advance.

[Scheherazade]

Hi EAP,

I am not sure which age group you are targeting but some of the books I enjoyed reading while growing up:

Pollyanna (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853261459/qid=1122739743/sr=8-3/ref=pd_ka_3/026-3038517-3687627)

Heidi (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140621911/qid=1122739787/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_3_7/026-3038517-3687627)

Daddy Long Legs (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143039067/qid=1122739832/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-3038517-3687627)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099427575/qid=1122739941/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/026-3038517-3687627)

The Heart of a Boy (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0720612322/qid=1122740113/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2_2/026-3038517-3687627)

Jacqueline Wilson books (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440865786/qid=1122740360/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-3038517-3687627) are quite popular over here as well. I have read couple of them recently; they are alright for young teen girls.

Holes by Louis Sachar (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440414806/sr=8-1/qid=1142468032/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8460427-7345407?%5Fencoding=UTF8)

Naughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416900160/qid=1142468136/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8460427-7345407?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) - an interesting book on racism.

Strombreaker by A. Horowitz (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0698119347/104-9114671-8495166?v=glance&n=283155) - Adventures of a 14 years old MI6 Agent

[mono]

Hmmm, all of the mentioned books I would also highly recommend, though I have not read all of them myself.
A few others that come to mind: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain; anything by Jules Verne; Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; short stories by Washington Irving (like Rip Van Winkle ; The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.
Probably depending on the age and interests of the young adult, these seem the only books I can think of at the moment. Good luck, EAP, and I will report back if I think of more. :)

[shortysweetp]

http://www.sehinton.com/books/index.html
i also like S.E. Hinton. I loved "That was Then and This is Now" and the "Outsiders" and "Tex"

[EAP]

Heidi is perhaps my favorite book of all-times. (certainly in the top 3) Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer aren't too far behind either. Also enjoy every author you have mentioned Mono, with the exception of 'The Jungle Book.' (Which I read in translation and thus spoiled half the fun)

Thanks for the Hinton rec. I have her on my to-read list. :)

And thanks for recommending Rebecca and PollyAnna! Sound right up my alley.

I tried 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' sometime ago but couldn't get into it. Will try again when the whim strikes me, I am sure.

Edit: All age groups (with the exception of 1-5) are acceptable for me. Even if you feel a book might have adult elements, please recommend it.

Coming on the back of long forays into Science-fiction and Mainstream I just want something relatively light and relatively well-written to read. (Much better if it can evoke child-hood memories and the particular sense of wonder associated with them)

[Nightshade]

I read a "tree grows in Broklyn" when I weas thirteen or forteen and loved it!
Anyway I recomend
A ring of endless light (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1557361819/qid%3D1122884008/sr%3D1-1/ref%3Dsr%5F1%5F1%5F1/104-5086508-9072718) by madeline d'engle

[Taliesin]

"The Last Unicorn"?

Suitable for every age group.

[mono]

Also, I just remembered, The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis - probably suitable for all ages, but, I think, more designed for young adults. :)

[underground]

i remember a book called something like the witch of the blackbird pond and also johnny tremain. ah, then again, i seem to like everything no one likes, so don't trust my taste?

[baddad]

i remember a book called something like the witch of the blackbird pond and also johnny tremain. ah, then again, i seem to like everything no one likes, so don't trust my taste?

Perhaps others have not tasted the flavours that tickled your own palate, but dismissing one's own literary experience as inconsequential and not worth sharing is rather .........selfish.........quit holding out on us.........we do completely trust your taste................in literature........and opinion......... but we will reserve judgement on your choice of clothing until we see a photograph.......your not wearing a kilt are you??............

[underground]

wow, thanks for the encouragement. no, i'm not wearing a kilt. i usually dress like this (http://sabrina.jp/HP20021017autumn/PA070367.JPG).

[Aramis]

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was originally written as a children's novel, though many adults read it as well.

[baddad]

wow, thanks for the encouragement. no, i'm not wearing a kilt. i usually dress like this (http://sabrina.jp/HP20021017autumn/PA070367.JPG).

Nice photo Underground...........do you ALWAYS wear the handcuffs??

[EAP]

LOL.

Thanks for the recs people but I have already read Hobbit, Last Unicorn and Narnia. :)

[simon]

Perhaps something along the lines of a series of fantasy, the Dragonsmilk obsession or the Dragonsong series. Try At the End of Autumn Street or There's a Zoo in My Luggage.

[Aramis]

Oh, I completely agree with simon. I only read one Dragonsong book, but I loved it! (I've never been able to find the others.)

There's also the Redwall series or the Harry Potter series. (I know, I'm still thinking fantasy.) I liked Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and The Grey King by Susan Cooper.

I've also heard that Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson is good, but I've never read it myself.

[EAP]

I love Susan Cooper! Great to see another fan. She is way too often overlooked when compiling names of great young-adult fantasy writers. Same goes for Redwall. Every man and his dog have read Harry Potter these days. :p

I am not a fan of Anne Mccaffrey at all.

Will check out Katherine Paterson.

Thanks for the many great recs so far, people. :) Please keep them coming.

[LittleLotte]

Hi, I'm new here! :wave:

I hope you don't mind me interjecting. . .

I have a few suggestions, the Ann of Green Gables series was my all-time favorite series when I was growing up. I must have read each book 7 times! I also enjoyed Tuck Everlasting, which was made into a movie, of which I have not had the opportunity to watch. Of course there were the pioneer girl books, Caddie Woodlawn and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, which were also enjoyable to read.

I hope that helps a little!

LL

[Whifflingpin]

“Well written young-adult fiction with solid prose running along the themes of 'importance of friendship' and 'coping with relationships/loss'.”

Peter Dickinson - he has written for readers of all ages. “Young adults," whatever they are, might enjoy any of his books, including his “children’s” fiction or his crime novels. To focus on your request, though, I would recommend "The Dancing Bear," "The Blue Hawk," "Tulku," "King & Joker," "Eva," "Skeleton-in-Waiting," "AK," "Shadow of a Hero," "The Ropemaker," and "Tears of a Salamander." Friendship, relationships and loss are themes, amongst others, in all these books.

Richard Adams, “Shardik” and “Watership Down”

Amanda Prantera, “Proto Zoe,” “Zoe Trope,” “Kindom of Fanes”

Joan Aiken, “Go Saddle the Sea,” “Bridle the Wind,” “The Teeth of the Gale”

Paul Zindel, “Pigman”

Alan Garner, “Owl Service,” “Red Shift”

Ursula Le Guin, “Tehanu,” “The Birthday of the World”

T. H. White, “The Once and Future King.” The first part of this trilogy is, perhaps, a children’s book, but the second and third parts are definitely not. Maybe this trilogy says everything that needs to be said about anything.

[Zarathustra]

Ursula LeGuin is good for young adult sci-fi. I'd recommend The Dispossessed. I like Ray Bradbury's short stories as well (particularly the collections Golden Apples of The Sun & I Sing The Body Electric)

[EAP]

Thanks for the great recs, folks.

I have enjoyed a couple of books by Joan Aiken in my time. I have yet to come across anything like Anne of Green Gables in literature. Red Shift is a literary masterpiece. I liked all the Earthsea books a lot but my favorite was The Tombs of Atuan. I am a big fan of Richard Adams (Maia, Watership Down) and, to a lesser extent, Paul Zindel (The Pigman) as well.

[SleepyWitch]

The Brothers Lionheart
and
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
by Astrid Lindgren

[Boris239]

I'd recommend:

Jules Vern's books
Dumas books, especially Count of Monte Cristo
There is a series of great books by Polish writer Alfred Szklarski about Tomek
"Heart" by Edmondo de Amicis is great, though for a younger age
Yanush Korchak's books

[ale]

dear all,
I'm trying to find a good, gripping novel to teach to my 14-year-old students. I'd like it to be funny (if possible), modern and appealing to adolescents. This year I tried Anita Desai's The Village by the Sea (which was not successful, unfortunately) and Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (which was great!).
Can anyone give me a hand? Thanks a lot!
Ale

[Charles Darnay]

I think Curious Incident is a good choce.

Depending on the type of group you have, I might recommend Orwell's Animal Farm (not necessarily funny or too modern but usually does well in high schools I think).

[JBI]

Get something with sex in it.

[Bakiryu]

Get something with sex in it.

:lol: True. That's probably the only way they'll read it! Teenagers today don't like to read. What you could do is ask them what they want to read and go with the majority, that way when they complain you can say they were the ones who chose it! :lol:

[papayahed]

it's been a long time since I was 14 but I think somewhere around that age I was reading SE Hinton (The Outsiders, Rumble Fish)....maybe...I think....

[Lily Adams]

A Tale of Two Cities. They ALWAYS like that one. :lol: Kidding.

I dunno...what's that new vampire one? Interview With a Vampire? There's another popular vampire one...not sure of the title, sorry.

Darn kids. YOU GET OFFA MY LAWN!!! *shakes fist*

[Bakiryu]

A Tale of Two Cities. They ALWAYS like that one. :lol: Kidding.

I dunno...what's that new vampire one? Interview With a Vampire? There's another popular vampire one...not sure of the title, sorry.

Darn kids. YOU GET OFFA MY LAWN!!! *shakes fist*

Um, Interview with the Vampire is a bit....gay for most people. Do you mean Twilight!

[Lily Adams]

Um, Interview with the Vampire is a bit....gay for most people. Do you mean Twilight!


Ha ha. I wouldn't know...

YES. Twilight.

I'm so out of it, sorry. This kid at my school said "steazy" and I had no clue what it meant, so that shows you what I know about kids these days...:p

[Bakiryu]

What does steazy mean anyway? (Like Sleazy?) My math teacher was talking about hoochies and hoodrats and I was so out of it!

To anyone interested the 3rd book in the Twilight series is out! it's called Eclipse! I hope is better than New Moon!

[Lily Adams]

What does steazy mean anyway? (Like Sleazy?) My math teacher was talking about hoochies and hoodrats and I was so out of it!

Lessee...he said it's when you do something really cool.

But according to UrbanDictionary.com, (love that site) it means, "it can pretty much meen almost any thing like shadey, cool, dank, wierd. this is a word that you could use almost everywhere. it can also be its own sentence using any of theese meenings"

Yeah...I think it's some kinda skater gibberish. :p Like, "That alley-oop 360 thingy (:lol:) that you did right now was so steazy!"

[Shurtugal]

me being foreteen... you should take all advise from me. (i'm just teasing i'm a strange gal.) but anyway, "The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle" is a gripping one, i read it in the matter of days. It's taken place at sea, in 1832. or you might want to try the books "eragon" or "eldest". eragon is the first book, but "eldest" is the second and is somewhat better. all three are excelent. hope you find what you're looking for-argetlam

[Bakiryu]

I saw EAP's thread and burst into laughter. Even thought I have read some of those books most people my age cringe at the thought of reading
"Heidi, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain; anything by Jules Verne; Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck"

Maybe you should pay them to read. And I'm being honest I'm 14 going on 15!

[MarkHockley]

At the risk of sounding biased, my own novel, The Magic Lands, is rather good :)

[Niamh]

Over here they recently put Artemis fowl on the english curriculum for 14 year olds. Its every funny and clever. The boys in the class will love the technology in the books andthe girls will love Holly short.

[Pensive]

I think all the books I have in my mind have been mentioned before, but it doesn't hurt seconding them sometimes! :p

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (it's certainly a very good choice)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Heidi (lovely novel though the translation I read was not very good but still it looked very nice)

[Hyacinth42]

I can't remember that far back, so I might have books more suitable for younger people mixed in with books more suitable for older people but *shrugs* I like all of these books:

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (one of the best books in the world)
Tuck Everlasting
Where the Red Fern Grows (everyone cried in our class, even the boys ;) )
Angels and Demons (I liked it much better than The DaVinci Code, and books don't get much more gripping than this one ;) )

[Whifflingpin]

I seem to remember that Martel's "Life of Pi" was funny, where it wasn't strange & gripping.

And how about "Strange Loop" by Amanda Prantera - maybe for older teenagers, perhaps - probably banned in American schools on grounds of sex & religion - OK, forget I suggested it.

"Henderson the Rain King" by Bellow - Exciting and funny

[Shurtugal]

i was thinkin of taking up where the red ferns grows myself, actually.

p.s. hoot is an awsome book also.

[aabbcc]

Going through my old reading journals from that period, I seem to have liked:

Bosco, H. - Sylvius
Canetti, E. - The Tongue Set Free (though this is not quite "novel")
Chamisso, A. von - Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte (I do not know how it is translated into English - if it is translated at all?)
Doxiados, A. - Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture
Hesse, H. - anything, especially Demian and Glass Bead Game
Wilde, O. - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Yourcenar, M. - Alexis, Memoirs of Hadrian

I realise that probably none of those novels is quite what you seek for (starting with that they are not quite modern, most of them), however, just in case you wish to consider them. ;)
Does it really have to be a novel? For if it doesn't... then I have some other potential suggestions.

[krukop]

Look no further - The secret diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4

The growing pains of Adrian Mole

+ sequels

Enjoy :)

[Lioness_Heart]

The Tales of The Otori (Across the Nightingale Floor; Grass for his Pillow; Brilliance of the Moon) by Lian Hearn, and the follow-on to the trilogy, The Harsh Cry of the Heron.

They are amazing books. They're really easy to get into because of the action, but then there's also the complexity of the beautiful language and the detailed plot. Loads of different types of people of all ages (teenage+) love them.

[ReynardtheFox]

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is funny.
Something with sex in . . .

You could try 120 Days of Sodom and see how they handle it:thumbs_up :bawling:

[syiah]

You could try 120 Days of Sodom and see how they handle it

xD How would the parents handle that?

Though, some sensual hints would be good to hold their attention. I'd think I'd go with the afore mentioned Angels and Demons by Brown...

If you're feeling courageous, try Nabokov's Lolita? It's a great book, but I wonder if they'd be able to handle it in class without making fun of it. =l

[*Classic*Charm*]

Snow Falling on Cedars

[babyrey]

I have to say when I was fourteen (A little less then three years ago) my all time favorite books we read in class were;
S.E. Hinton - The Outsider
John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men (This personally wasn't a favorite, but the majority of my class loved it
Jane Yolen - The Devil's Arithmetic

I must say I read Animal Farm when I was fourteen, and while it is a well written book, it did not catch the intrest of very many in my class. I would not recommend this book, if you are looking for something the majority will enjoy.

[Nico87]

What about The Heart of a Dog by Bulgakov, or maybe The Time Machine by Wells?

[bazarov]

Only one to recommend: Children from ZOO station or whatever English title is. It's a must read for every teenager.

[brainstrain]

We read Harry Potter in my English class last year, it was great fun and everyone learned a lot. Well, I did, I always learn a lot in English. But at least the rest of the class read the book =P

Oh, and if you're looking for sex AND educational in a book, try 1984 =)

Artemis Fowl would be a GREAT choice too, it would make an amazing study of character development. The series is one of my all-time favorite, right up there next to Earthsea and Inkheart/Inkspell.

[bluelightstar]

Though it is pretty long, I found that my pre-AP 10th graders really enjoyed A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

[Zelly]

Wow.. I can think of a lot. Hehe.

10 lb. Penalty by Dick Frances would be fun... So would And Sometimes Why, by Mame Farrell... Flipped, though the characters are in 8th grade, so they may be "above" it. =P The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein, is not a novel but it reads like one. Terrific biography. I would HIGHLY recommend it. I read it about a month ago, (I'm fourteen) and it was fascinating. Ties in very well with Romeo and Juliet as well.

[Pandora Eve]

Though a horror novel Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman has a lot going for it.
The Outsiders is a great book. The Eye, the Ear, and the Arm and The House of the Scorpion were also good. The Eye... is a lighter book with cliff hanging chapters we have a class using that one. The House... though is about cloning. The best place though to go for advice is the local public library. The librarian will probably fall off her chair if you explain what you want. I know as a children's librarian I love to hear this question. As a public librarian I would love to help the teachers but, I can't seem to contact them.

[Joreads]

I am not a teenager but I know a lot of teenagers that enjoyed the Harry Potter Series. I have also recommended the His Dark Material Series to a lot of teenagers and they love it. The first book is Northern Lights or the Golden Compass depending on where you are. The bonus with these books is that they are being made into movies the first of which is coming out (in Australia as least) on the 26th December

Hope this helps

[aabbcc]

Only one to recommend: Children from ZOO station or whatever English title is. It's a must read for every teenager.
I second this. It is a book written based on recorded interviews with the young girl who from experimenting with drugs in her early teens and even pre-teens, went quite downhill... The book is almost a culturary icon in some European countries (including the one Bazarov and I come from), sort of read-by-everybody type of book, and perfect age to read it are probably early teens. It remains pretty unknown in America, as it seems, but it is still the best book on drugs and drug abuse amongst minors I have ever read.:thumbs_up

[browneyedbailey]

In my opinion, Peeps by Scott Westerfeild is exelent!!

[edsbar101]

Look at the cover of Charolette Doyle...Tell me that doesn't have phallic representation on it!

As far as literature for 14 yr olds.. How about Speak, or Chocolate War, The Outsiders, or this new book out by Kate Morgenrath called "Echo." Defeniately some zit lit that works well...

[pufferfishpower]

A fantastic book that I would recommend would be THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPIONS. It is a book that deals with the controversy of uses clones, but it does not have the futuristic sterile vibe. It is a great book with a intense plot and ending. I higly recommed it to anyone up for a good read, especially for teenagers.

[Babyguile]

For young teenagers up to about 15 I would certainly recommend His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. The plot and story is expertly paced and is very engrossing through it's adventurous and other-wordly nature. It also has a poignant message to deliver to its young readers about religion and beliefs. So it teaches and well as thrills them - like the best of them really.

[annatak]

I don't think these have been mentioned yet:

Markus Zusak's The Book Thief and I am the Messenger -- two very different books, but compelling. I think back to both of them frequently.

Another fairly new book is Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. He has a voice that can easily hold the attention of a teenager (or even more advanced younger readers).