Best Books for Young Adults

Selected by Anna Zanarini azanarini@slco.lib.ut.us
The Salt Lake County Library System does not necessarily recommend that all teens read all books. These books offer a balance in reading level, interest level, and types of fiction. We encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their teens.

Call #

Author

Title

Annotation

YF
Avi
Avi Wolf Rider The phone caller said he had just killed Nina Klemmer, now Andy has to get someone to believe it wasn't a crank call before the killer finds him.
YF
Bauer
Joan Bauer Squashed As a sixteen-year-old pursues her two goals--growing the biggest pumpkin in Iowa and losing twenty pounds herself--she strengthens her relationship with her father and meets a young man with interests similar to her own.
YF
Bennett
Jay Bennett The Executioner Three survivors of an automobile crash in which the driver was killed are threatened by a self-appointed executioner who believes they should die.
YF
Bennett
James Bennett The Squared Circle Sonny, a university freshman and star basketball player, finds that the pressure of college life, NCAA competition, and an unsettling relationship with his feminist cousin bring up painful memories that he must deal with before he decides what is important in his life.
YF
Block
Francesca Lia Block Weetzie Bat Punk teens Weetzie and Dirk search for love in a modern fairy tale that is funny, moving, and unlike any book you've read before.
YF
Bridgers
Sue Ellen Bridgers Permanent Connections 17-year-old Rob's forced exile to the mountain country of North Carolina is brightened by his growing romance with Ellery.
YF
Brooks
Bruce Brooks The Moves Make the Man As Jerome, a black athlete, shares his skills and interest in basketball with Bix, a white baseball player, their friendship grows and the game becomes a reflection of both their lives.
YF
Cannon
A.E. Cannon Amazing Gracie When her mother remarries, Gracie's life changes; she moves away from her best friend, gets a weird six-year-old stepbrother, and watches her mother sink into total depression.
YF
Carter
Alden Carter Up Country Sent to live with relatives in the country while his alcoholic mother receives treatment, city kid Carl faces a serious problem from the past.
YF
Cooney
Caroline B. Cooney Face on the Milk Carton A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity. The story continues in its sequel, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANIE?
YF
Coles
Brock Coles The Goats Stripped naked by fellow campers and left on a deserted island, social misfits Laura and Howie survive humiliation, natural dangers, and each other.
YF
Cooper
Susan Cooper The Boggart After visiting the castle in Scotland which her family has inherited and returning home to Canada, Emily finds that she has accidentally brought back with her a boggart, an invisible and mischievous spirit with a fondness for practical jokes.
YF
Cormier
Robert Cormier All Fall Down All is not peaceful in small-town Burnside -- drunk teenagers trash a house, a young girl is flung down the stairs, a murderer is quietly planning revenge, and Jane Jerome falls in love with a lost soul.
YF
Covington
Dennis Covington Lizard Sent by his guardian to live at a Louisiana school for retarded boys, Lizard, a bright, deformed boy, escapes with the help of a visiting actor who gives him a role in his repertory company's production of "The Tempest."
YF
Crutcher
Chris Crutcher Stotan! A high-school coach invites four members of his swimming team to a week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.
YF
Cushman
Karen Cushman Catherine Called Birdy The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventure beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.
YF
Danziger
Paula Danziger The Pistachio Prescription A high school "freshperson" humorously attempts to rise above such inconveniences of life as her older sister, parents, and school.
YF
Davis
Jenny Davis Sex Education Don't let the title scare you! The semester project for freshman biology appears to be a snap: find someone you never thought much about and care about them; yet good intentions are sabotaged with fatal consequences, when David and Livvie adopt a reclusive neighbor.
YF
Davis
Terry Davis Vision Quest As he prepares himself for adulthood, 18-year-old Louden finds a special joy in competitive wrestling, in the uniqueness of the Columbia River, and in his live-in girlfriend, Carla.
YF
DeClements
Barthe DeClements How Do You Lose Those Ninth Grade Blues? Elsie is no longer fat but she still cannot believe that anyone could really love her and that fear threatens her relationship with her boyfriend.
YF
Deuker
Carl Deuker On the Devil's Court Seventeen-year-old Joe Faust must decide whether it's worth selling his soul to the devil for one perfect season of basketball.
YF
Duncan
Lois Duncan Killing Mr. Griffin A group of high school students kidnap their strict English teacher to get even with him -- and what starts as a prank turns out to be a horror.
YF
Fox
Paula Fox One-Eyed Cat Sneaking out one night, young Ned Wallace shoots the air rifle his father has forbidden him to use and shortly thereafter becomes guilt ridden by the appearance of a one-eyed cat.
YF
Garden
Nancy Garden Annie on My Mind Liza and Annie meet at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, fall madly in love, and then find that a public declaration is too threatening to their friends and relatives.
YF
Grant
Cynthia Grant Phoenix Rising, or How to Survive Your Life Reading her sister Helen's diary of her year-long bout with cancer helps Jenny cope with her feelings of pain and anger regarding Helen's death.
YF
Greene
Bette Greens Summer of My German Soldier Sheltering an escaped German prisoner of war is the beginning of some shattering experiences for a young Jewish girl in Arkansas. Story continues in Morning is a Long Time Coming.
YF
George
Jean Craighead George Julie When Julie returns to her father's Eskimo village, she struggles to find a way to save her beloved wolves in a changing Arctic world and she falls in love with a young Siberian man. Sequel to Newbery winner Julie of the Wolves
YF
Hahn
Mary Downing Hahn The Wind Blows Backward Although they share a love of poetry and problems with their parents, a shy high school senior's attraction to a popular classmate is tempered by her fear of his moody, self-destructive side.
YF
Hinton
S.E. Hinton The Outsiders Ponyboy and Johnny, both members of the Greasers, hide form the police after a Soc from the opposing, richer gang is killed.
YF
Hobbs
Will Hobbs Downriver Fifteen-year-old Jesse and other rebellious teenage members of a wilderness survival team abandon their adult leader, steal his van and rafts, and run the dangerous white waters of the Grand Canyon.
YF
Holman
Felice Holman Slake's Limbo A loser and loner picked on by everyone, Slake finds refuge in a subway, which becomes his home for 121 days.
YF
Irwin
Irwin Hadley Kim/Kimi Kim of Irish American and Japanese American descent, secretly leaves home to search for her "real" ancestors who have disappeared after their internment during WW II.
YF
Jacques
Brian Jacques Redwall Redwall Abbey is known in the forest as a refuge, and the animals who live there are protectors of the ill and impoverished. Then word comes that the one-eyed rat, Cluny the Scourge, has decided to take over the abbey. The series continues through several novels.
YF
Jones
Diana Wynne Jones Howl's Moving Castle A talking fire with a mysterious link to a feared wizard, a walking scarecrow in pursuit of a magically aged woman and a wicked witch create an adventure in a land where magic is an everyday event.
YF
Kerr
M.E. Kerr Gentlehands Buddy's world is turned upside down when he falls in love and then, catastrophically, discovers that his refined and cultured grandfather is a notorious Nazi war criminal.
YF
Klass
David Klass Wrestling with Honor Ron Wood's anticipation of a championship wrestling season is complicated when he fails a drug test and refuses to take another.
YF
Klause
Annette Curtis Klause The Silver Kiss Feeling alienated from everyone during her mother's terminal illness, Zoe comes under the spell of Simon, a vampire doomed to live until he avenges the death of his mother 300 years earlier.
YF
Koer
Ron Koertge The Arizona Kid Working for the summer at a racetrack, living with his gay uncle, and falling madly in love, make wimpy, short, tenth-grader Billy Kennedy more self-confident and wiser in the ways of the world.
YF
Levoy
Myron Levoy Alan and Naomi A friendship blossoms between Naomi, a war refugee who has withdrawn into a private world after witnessing her father's death, and Alan, her neighbor who must cope with his despair when Naomi's fragile sanity is again shattered by violence.
YF
Lipsyte
Robert Lipsyte The Contender With the gangs after him, 17-year-old high-school dropout Alfred Brooks finds his way into a boxing club where champions work out.
YF
Lynch
Chris Lynch Iceman Fourteen-year-old Eric, a ruthless hockey player prone to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents, and attempts to find a place where he belongs.
YF
Mahy
Margaret Mahy The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance With the help of an older boy who loves her, Laura "changes over" into a witch to fight the evil forces attaching her little brother.
YF
Marsden
John Marsden Letters from the Inside The relationship between two teenage girls who become acquainted through letters intensifies as their correspondence reveals some of the terrible problems of their lives.
YF
Mazer
Harry Mazer and Norma Fox Mazer The Solid Gold Kid When five teenagers accept a ride from strangers, they become the victims of a kidnapping plot and experience six horror-filled days that change their lives.
YF
Mazer
Norma Fox Mazer Silver When 14-year-old Sarabeth Silver transfers to a new school, she is thrilled to find herself part of the in crowd, until she becomes privy to an awful secret.
YF
Miklowitz
Gloria Miklowitz After the Bomb A nuclear bomb is "accidentally" dropped on Los Angeles and Philip is the only one in his family left to take charge. He must find food, water, and first aid in a contaminated and burning city.
YF
Murphy
Barbara Murphy Ace Hits the Big Time A black eye patch and a dragon-emblazoned jacket help transform Horace Hobart into Ace -- gang member, movie star and cool guy.
YF
Myers
Walter Dean Myers Scorpions Jamal's ability to be a good student and to live up to his father's expectations is challenged by his role as gang leader.
YF
O'Brien
Robert C. O'Brien Z for Zachariah In a peaceful valley, two survivors of an atomic holocaust are brought together, one a self- sufficient young girl, the other a killer bent on killing again.
YF
O'Dell
Scott O'Dell Streams to the River, River to the Sea As a young girl, Sacajawea was captured by a tribe hostile to the Shoshone and endured many trials before her fateful meeting with Lewis and Clark.
YF
Paterson
Katherine Paterson Jacob Have I Loved While growing up among the "water people" on an island off the coast of eastern Maryland during the 1940's, Louise searches for her identity and fights the jealousy she feels toward her talented, fragile, and beautiful twin sister.
YF
Paulsen
Gary Paulsen Hatchet When the small plane taking him to his divorced father crashes in the Canadian wilderness, Brian, the only survivor, remains there 54 days, struggling against not only the harsh surroundings, but also the inner rage and loneliness he feels because of his parents separation. What if Brian had not been rescued and was forced to spend the entire winter alone? Find out in Paulsen's story BRIAN'S WINTER.
YF
Peck
Richard Peck Are You in the House Alone? After receiving a series of threatening notes and phone calls, Gail Osburne is raped by one of the richest and most popular boys in her school -- and no one believes her.
YF
Pfeffer
Susan Beth Pfeffer Year Without Michael Somewhere between home and the softball field, Jody's 14-year-old brother disappeared, and now Jody must deal with her disintegrating family and the hope that he will return.
YF
Pierce
Meredith Ann Pierce The Darkangel Although both fascinated and repelled by the vampire, Aeriel tries to save her mistress and the other vampire brides.
YF
Plummer
Louise Plummer Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeir When 16-year-old Annie Sehlmeier immigrates form Holland to live on 8th South in Salt Lake City, she plans to speak perfect English, look like a movie star and take East High School by storm. However, things never turn out the way they are planned.
YF
Pullman
Philip Pullman Ruby in the Smoke In 19th Century London, 16-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.
YF
Rinaldi
Ann Rinaldi Wolf by the Ears Harriet Hemmings, rumored to be Thomas Jefferson's daughter, faces the difficult choice of passing as white or remaining a slave in the sheltered but restrictive life at Monticello.
YF
Rostkowski
Margaret Rostkowski After the Dancing Days Annie defies her mother by going to the VA hospital and befriending Andrew, a burn victim of World War I.
YF
Ruckman
Ivy Ruckman No Way Out A two day hike through Utah's Zion Narrows turns into a nightmare for six teens when a flash flood roars through the canyon and there is no way out.
YF
Scoppettone
Sandra Scoppettone Trying Hard to Hear You Sixteen-year-old Camilla recalls the tumultuous summer of 1973 when her best friend, Jeff, and Phil, the boy she had a crush on, fell in love.
YF
Sleator
William Sleator Interstellar Pig Teenage Barney is thrilled when the unusual new neighbors invite him to play a fascinating game called "Interstellar Pig" until he realizes he is involved in a life and death contest with menacing aliens.
YF
Thomas
Rob Thomas Rats Saw God In order to graduate, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred page writing assignment which helps him sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from promising student to troubled teen.
YF
Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit The adventures of the well-to-do hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who lived happily in his comfortable home until a wandering wizard granted his wish. Also by Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Series
YF
Voigt
Cynthia Voigt Izzy, Willy-Nilly Who are your real friends? Izzy struggles to rethink her friendships after losing a leg in a car crash.
YF
White
Robb White Deathwatch Ben's hunting expedition for bighorn sheep becomes a deathwatch in the desert -- with someone hunting him and hope of survival over 45 miles away.
YF
Wrede
Patricia Wrede Dealing With Dragons Unconventional Cimorene, fed up with her dull life as a princess, runs away and joins the dragons. A fun book that turns fairy tales upside down.
YF
Wyss
Thelma Hatch Wyss Here at the Scenic-Vu Motel A group of teenagers from Bear Flats must live at the Scenic-Vu Motel during the week to attend high school and Jake, the oldest, must try to keep the group together and out of trouble.
YF
Yep
Lawrence Yep Dragon's Gate When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to America to join his father, an uncle, and other Chinese working to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1867.
YF
Zindel
Paul Zindel The Pigman Two high school sophomores tell of their friendship with a lonely old man whom they delight and then deeply hurt.


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