25 Books Every Teen Should Have on Their Bookshelf

On Tuesday, Flavorwire posted a list of 25 Books Every Kid Should Have on Their Bookshelf.  In looking over the list, I realized that there are several books on that list that I haven't read but have always meant to read (Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy, for example) and others than I have never even heard of (Jean Merrill's The Pushcart War, I'm looking at you!).

Of course, it inevitably got me thinking about if there was a list of the 25 books every teen should have on their bookshelf, and what that list would include.  And then I thought it would be fun if I created a list.  So I did.

As loyal readers know, while I've read hundreds of young adult titles, there are many classic (and even contemporary) books with teen appeal that I have yet to read.  So my list certainly isn't the be all and end all of lists.  It's just for fun.  But maybe in the comments, you can submit your "shoulds" for teen bookshelves.  I'm going to guess that people who have actually read books like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Fellowship of the Ring, Ender's Game, Watership Down or any of the others that are on my TBR list and that I just haven't gotten to yet, would probably take some of my choices off the list.  And some of you are looking at my list and thinking "I can't believe Pride and Prejudice isn't on that list!"  I've read it.  It's one of my favorite books.  But I didn't actually read it all the way through until I was 20 (just don't tell my high school junior English teacher).  And I don't think EVERY teen should have it on their bookshelf.  In fact, I'm not even sure there should exist a list of books EVERY teen should have on their bookshelf.  But I made a list despite that.

In alphabetical author order, here is my list of the 25 Books Every Teen Should Have on Their Bookshelf.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Weetzie Bat  by Francesca Lia Block
Forever . . . by Judy Blume
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Lord of the Flies, Centenary Edition by William Golding
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
To Kill a Mockingbird: 50th Anniversary Edition by Harper Lee
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Night by Elie Weisel
Uglies (The Uglies) by Scott Westerfeld
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And yes, I did put every.single.one. of the Harry Potter books on my list.

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Forgotten YA Classics

If are like me, then perhaps you didn't even know that YA lit was being written during the 30s and 40s.  You (and I) would be wrong!

According to Publishers Weekly, a new imprint of Ig Publishing - Lizzie Skurnick Books - will be re-releasing classic young adult titles from the 30s and 40s, and even the 70s and 80s.  Who better to this task than Ms. Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading herself? Be prepared for a new look to come to your favorite Lois Duncan and M.E. Kerr titles.  And to think that in my weed this fall several dusty and unloved Duncan and Kerr titles found their way out the door.  Perhaps a shiny new cover and the absence of old book smell will bring the readers back.  Here's hoping!

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

Friday Flashback: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Books don't have to be new to be deserving of a review! On Fridays I flashback to some of my favorite books of all-time.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier



If you've ever tried writing a one-sentence summary of The Chocolate War, then you know that it can be a bit of a challenge to describe this book without making it sound foolish.  Just the fact that the plot centers around the bullying a classmate because he doesn't want to chocolate for the school's annual fundraiser makes it seem...childish? petty?  like a silly kids book?  And yet, it is anything but childish, petty or a silly kids book.  The Library of Congress summary reads as such: "A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fundraising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies."  That's a little better, but I'm still not convinced that this is the type of book that sounds like it should be in the top ten of the Top 100 Challenged Books for both of the last two decades (while The Chocolate War was published in 1974, ALA only started tracking in 1990) for it's violent and sexual content. So how about this one-sentence summary instead: 

What started as an initiation prank for a high school secret society escalates into a stand-off that pits one student against the students and administration and could wind up costing Jerry everything he has, including his life.

That's a little better, right?  I sure hope so, since it took me about an hour to come up with that.  But what if I had more than one sentence?  What would I add?

• The point of view of the novel shifts from one chapter to next, gradually unveiling the depths of corruption at play, the motivations of each character and the lengths that certain individuals will go to in order to maintain power.  
• The novel's central question revolved around a quote from T.S. Eliot that is posted in Jerry's locker: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" And if so, at what cost?
• The novel was published in 1974 it is among the first novels written specifically for young adults.
• It is often compared to works like Golding's Lord of the Flies and Knowles A Separate Peace, which also feature all-male casts of prep-school rivals.  What makes The Chocolate War stand out from these two other works (I think, at least) is the presence of a complicit adult who knowingly allows boys to wield power over one another for personal benefit.

If you haven't read it, you definitely should.  It's pretty much one of the founding members of the YA canon.  Realistic, palpable suspense and corruption all wrapped up in hormonal teenage boys?  How could you pass that up?

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

Friday Flashback: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Books don't have to be new to be deserving of a review! On Fridays I flashback to some of my favorite books of all-time.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton



"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind.  Paul Newman and a ride home."  So begins Ponyboy's tale.  In his world, there are two types of people: Socs (the haves) and Greasers (the have nots), and never the twain shall meet. A proud Greaser, Ponyboy dresses and acts the part, even while he studies hard and does well in school.  Then a confrontation between Socs and Greasers goes horribly awry.  While hiding from authorities, Ponyboy ponders life and questions the rigid social structure he's always accepted.

What can be written about The Outsiders that hasn't already been written by reviewers more critical, analytical and talented than I?  Probably not much.  A coming of age story with echoes of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, S.E. Hinton's first novel (written when she - yes, SHE! - was a teenager) is a true member of the young adult canon.  Some say it was even the first.  While underage drinking, smoking, gang violence and indications of teenage sex (though none happens on-screen) have kept censors busy for decades as they've worked to take the book off school reading lists and out of libraries, it remains one of the most assigned and best loved teenage tales.  And with good reason.  Inside the cover of this short novel are big ideas about identity, acceptance and the value of a person.  Sure, the character names are goofy, and they slang used is outdated, but the story itself is timeless.

Recommended for: all readers!  This is a must-read for anyone who reads YA lit (and even those who look down on it).

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.