Monday, 9th August 2010

Non-”Teen” Books for Teens, Plus Books for Boys

I’m sick of my teenage daughter reading trashy teen “chick-lit.” This page will be dedicated to keeping a list of books that aren’t aimed at teens, but that teens might like, and that aren’t trashy. I’ve also decided to start a list below of great books for teen boys. So many of the Young Adult novels are written for girls that it’s often hard to find great books for the guys.

If you have any suggestions or comments, please . Thanks!

  • Anonymous:
  • Becker, Jim:
  • Burns, Olive Ann:
  • Card, Orson Scott: Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
  • Chabon, Michael:
  • Chimianda Ngozi Adichie:
  • Dunn, Mark:
  • Edwards, Kim:
  • Goldberg, Myla:
  • Haddon, Mark:
  • Hinton, S.E.: The Outsiders
  • Kidd, Sue Monk:
  • Kimmel, Haven: and
  • Krakauer, Jon: and
  • Krauss, Nicole:
  • Lee, Gus:
  • Lewis, Michael:
  • Martel, Yann:
  • McCourt, Frank: and
  • McCullough, David: Many biographies
  • McCunn,Ruthanne Lum:
  • Neely, Barbara: Blanche White mysteries (e.g., )
  • Oyeyemi, Helen:
  • Patchett, Ann:
  • Penick, Harvey:
  • Potok, Chaim: and
  • Robbins, Alexandra:
  • Rosoff, Meg: How I Live Now
  • Salzman, Mark: and
  • Seierstad, Asne:
  • Smith, Alexander McCall:
  • Smith, Dodie:
  • Stewart, Mary: Merlin Series:
  • Tam, Amy:

Classics to consider: (I’m defining “classic” as anything current adults might have read as teens.)

  • Adams, Douglas:
  • Adams, Richard:
  • Asimov, Isaac: Many – please give me some specific titles!
  • Austen, Jane:
  • Bronte, Charlotte:
  • Card, Orson Scott:
  • Defoe, Daniel:
  • Dickens, Charles: Many…
  • Freedman, Benedict & Nancy: (series)
  • Herriot, James: Anything! E.g., , , etc.
  • Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki:
  • L’Engle, Madeleine:
  • Mitchell, Margaret:
  • Salinger, J.D.: (note: it’s required reading for 10th grade at LCHS)
  • Saroyan, William:
  • Thurber, James:
  • Tolkien, JRR:
  • White, TH:

The following books are probably ok for older teens:

  • Butler, Octavia:
  • Clancy, Tom
  • Hosseini, Khaled: (Notes: This includes a rape scene. Also, this is required reading at LCHS for AP English, so you might want to wait.)
  • Hosseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid Suns (personally, I liked this better than The Kite Runner)
  • Kingsbury, Karen: (Forever Faithful Series)
  • Michener, James:
  • Walls, Jeannette:

These books are aimed at teens, and were highly recommended by friends. I’m only listing ones I think you might miss:

  • Allende, Isabel:
  • Barker, Clive: and
  • Bartolett, Susan Campbell:
  • Stratton-Porter, Gene:
  • White, Ruth:

And finally…the promised books for boys! Of course, girls can read them too!! Many thanks to BookSlut (sic!) and the King County Library System blog for many of these suggestions.

  • Atinsky, Steve: Trophy Kid, or, How I Was Adopted by the Rich and Famous
  • Bodeen, S.A.: The Compound
  • Buckingham, Royce: Demonkeeper
  • Cooney, Caroline B.: Diamonds in the Shadow
  • Crisler, Curtis:
  • Daley, Michael J.: Shanghaied to the Moon
  • Deem, James M.: Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Rediscovery of the Past
  • Farndon, John: Do Not Open
  • Fisher, Vardis:
  • Fleischman, Sid: The Entertainer and the Dybbuk
  • Garigliano, Jeff:
  • Gee, Joshua: Encyclopedia Horrifica: the Terrifying Truth! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More
  • Gipi:
  • Higson, Charlie: series
  • Hinton, Nigel:
  • Irving, John:
  • Parker, Robert B.:
  • Parker, Robert B.:
  • Petrucha, Stefan: Teen, Inc.
  • Portman, Frank:
  • Roth, Philip: Portnoy’s Complaint
  • Sedgwick, Marcus: My Swordhand is Singing
  • Tharp, Tim:
  • Walker, Sally M.: Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
  • Yang, Gene:
  • Yeahpau, Thomas:

Here are some books I’m not sure about…I read them so long ago I forget if they’re completely appropriate or if they’d hold a teenager’s interest. Any would be appreciated!!

  • Grisham, John: (and others) At least one of Grisham’s books has some mature stuff in it…so PLEASE be sure about any you recommend!
  • Naslund, Sena Jeter:
  • Patchett, Ann:

And finally, here are some online lists that include some good recommendations:

Amazon.com “Listmania!” Lists: