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Reading List for Teens

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Fiction

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott YSF SCO The Book of Abraham the Mage, with the power to destroy the world, has been stolen. Josh and Sophie Newman join forces with the immortal Nicholas Flamel to save the world from certain destruction.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang YFIC YAN These three apparently unrelated tales come together with an unexpected twist in a hilarious, poignant and action-packed story.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak YFIC ZUS After reading becomes Liesel's escape from her harsh life in book-burning Nazi Germany, she begins to acquire books by any means available.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau YSF DUP Artificial light is better than no light at all. With storerooms nearly empty and the generators failing, what will happen when the lights finally go out?

For Freedom: the Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley YFIC BRA Based on a true story, 13-year-old Suzanne risks her life to spy for the French Resistance in 1940.

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman YFIC SHU Have you been watching Fear Factor? Sixteen-year-old Blake and his younger brother must ride seven deadly carnival rides (each worse than the one before) by dawn in this edge-of-theseat thriller! Fear is definitely a factor here.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale YFIC HAL After her maid steals her identity, Crown Princess Ani's adventures prepare her to be a better ruler.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore YSF CASWith the use of her Graceling powers Katsa travels on a dangerous mission to save her homeland from an unknown evil power.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer YFIC BAU Hope, 16, and her Aunt Addie take work in small town Mulroney's Welcome Stairway Diner and find a big life of love, loss, community and food.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins YSF COL Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in a gruesome reality show where teens fight to the death.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher YSF FIS Finn, 17, convinced he is falsely imprisoned, turns to the legend of Sapphique in his quest to be the second to escape to the Outside.

Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein YMYS FEI Two teen reporters inadvertently discover a college basketball scandal.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan JFIC RIO Join Percy and his sidekick, Grover, as they cross the U.S. in search of Zeus' lightening bolt.

Lionboy: the First Book in a Trilogy by Zizou Corder YFIC COR Charlie arrives home from school and discovers his scientist parents have been kidnapped in this first of a trilogy. A chase that takes him across several countries, finds him enlisting the aid of lions imprisoned in a circus. You MUST read the sequels!

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork YFIC STO He hears music, lives in a tree house and has a deft touch with animals, not humans. Forced to work in the real world, Marcelo's discovery of a disturbing photograph changes lives.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult FIC PIC A child conceived to save her sister fights back by taking control of her own body.

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith MYS MCC When her father dies, lively and intelligent Precious Ramotswe sells the cattle and uses the money to become Botswana's first female detective.

Sabriel by Garth Nix YSF NIX Sabriel must put her inherited power of necromancy to use while attempting to rescue her father from death in this intense and complex fantasy.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar YFIC LUB Scott Hudson outgrows his freshman insecurities in this funny, upbeat look at high school.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz YFIC HOR Recruited to locate his uncle's killers, 14-year-old Alex finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Tequila Worm by Viola Canales YFIC CAN Sofia, a boarding-school student from a close-knit barrio, develops even stronger family ties.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld YFIC WES Discover the future cost of beauty in the first installment of this fascinating dystopia trilogy.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix YFIC HAD Over 100 years ago young women were expected to act like ladies and could not vote. At the same time immigrant girls were working under hazardous conditions for very low pay, stirring Bella, Yetta and Jane to join the fight for change.

White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean YFIC MCC Fourteen year-old Sym's dream to visit Antarctica turns into a nightmare when obsession threatens the expedition's survival in the land of white darkness.

Whodunit?: Detective Stories by Philip Pullman YMYS 808.83 W Unexplained disappearances, daring thefts and perplexing mysteries can all be found in this collection of classic detective stories.

Nonfiction

A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me by Jon Katz 636.7 K Devon, a high-strung border collie, comes to live with the author's family and the dog and owner learn a lot about trust, understanding and love.

Escape!: the Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman JB HOUDINI Come one, come all! Read about the incomparable Harry Houdini, the greatest magician the world has ever seen. After reading Escape! it seems impossible not to ask yourself: How did he do it?

Guys Write for Guys Read by Jon Scieszka J 808.8 G Stories from more than 80 guys, including Chris Crutcher, Dav Pilkey and Stephen King.

I Wanna Re-do My Room by Clea Hantman J747.7 H No fancy tools or machinery needed; re-do your room using creativity and a few cheap supplies!

Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans by Troy Snow 976.335 N How the Best Friends Animal Society rescued abandoned pets after Hurricane Katrina.

Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi B SATRAPI A memoir in comic strip form continues where Persepolis ends - Marjane is leaving Iran and arriving in Austria to attend high school.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns J551.462 B Find out how studying the movement of plastic trash on ocean currents leads to a greater understanding of the marine environment.

A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson Y811 N Fifteen sonnets remind us of the boy whose murder sparked the civil rights movement.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Bittner Mark 636.6 B An idealistic drifter becomes fascinated by a flock of wild parrots inhabiting his San Francisco neighborhood.

Summer Reading Program