good novels for teenagers?

[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.

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!

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.

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!

[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. 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. 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!