For Teen Boys:
- Runner by Carl Deuker...Boys really like this story which is set in Seattle. It has the character teetering on the edge between good and bad. Good wins.
- Swim the Fly by Don Calame...just about the funniest book I've ever read. Naked ladies, farts, burps, silly stuff.
- Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach...fun, spots stuff, yet a serious storyline, too.
- I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak...older teen males really like this book where a slacker guy makes good.
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner...kids who love the dystopian genre, this is the book I recommend after Hunger Games.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...only for the students who enjoy quirky books. Some kids aren't ready for the type of humor in this book.
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline...I would recommend this book more but it is always checked out.
For Teen Girls:
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green...I have yet to meet a girl who doesn't like this book.
- Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson...this book really speaks to older teen girls who are ready to leave the nest.
- The Sky is Everywhere by Mandy Nelson...girls love this touching story of grief and young love.
- Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater...actually anything by this author. I am a huge fan.
- The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting...this book is set in a near-by community. Girls who like the paranormal genre really like this whole series.
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins...French culture and romance. Ah!
Both:
- Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers...assassin nuns. Need I say more?
- Seraphina by Rachel Hartman...fantasy, dragons, half-dragons, music, adventure.
- Divergent by Veronica Roth...dystopian adventure
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews...even though there is a dying girl in the book there is lots to like and laugh about. Boys appreciate the varied writing styles used in the text. Girls sigh about the way things turn out.
- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...It is still so popular.
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore...I wasn't going to add this book because it has been out for so long, but just today a boy stopped by the circulation counter to rave about this book.
I need to read a few of those guy reads. I loved Ready Player One and I am the Messenger! Great girl picks. Grave Mercy is taunting me-rave reviews and I have yet to pick up the copy that I own! Why?? I have seen Me and Earl on a bunch of lists too, so I think I will give it a try. Thanks for the recommendations. Here are mine http://wp.me/pzUn5-1sn
ReplyDeleteGreat recommendations! I got my son Ready Player One after seeing your recommendation and he loved it. Runner looks like another good option- what age/grade do you recommend it for? (He also loved The Fault in Our Stars, so that might be a "both" book not just a girls' book. The John Green fans are awfully loyal - male and female.)
ReplyDeleteAs I high school librarian I always think that books that I recommend are high school material, so I would say that Runner is for students in grades 8-12. It might be written at a little lower level but it has a high school protagonist. And you are probably right about the Fault in Our Stars being for both sexes. It was one of our Mock Printz books and most students really liked it, but a few boys said it had too much romance in it to appeal to them. I have lots of devoted John Green fans at my school but only the females have owned up to it to me. Sigh.
DeleteGreat list! I haven't read Deuker's Running. I'll have to check it out. And Stupid Fast is on my list to read, but I keep forgetting about it
ReplyDeleteRunner is set in Seattle so those of us in the Northwest can picture the landscapes that are mentioned in the book. That may enhance the appeal for my teens. It is also a fairly short book with short chapters and like I said in my little blurp, good wins the day.
DeleteGreat list! I would add Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, especially for teen boys. A classic but still as popular as ever (after decades, they are finally making a movie from it!). And for girls, the Wolves of Mercy Falls series - fabulous!
ReplyDeleteSue
Great Books for Kids and Teens
Book By Book
Great lists! I'm very interested in the teen boy list. Not that I have teen boys but because it is harder for me to think of books for boys of any age.
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