books4teens

Bella has moved from sunny Phoenix to Forks, Washington where the sun is rarely seen. She is intrigued by Edward and his family and eventually discovers their secret. They are all vampires. Bella is desperately in love with Edward. Jacob and others in the nearby Native American tribe have their own secrets. Be sure to check the Twilight Movie Trailer below as well as the books at Amazon.

The sequels are: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. A fifth book will tell the story from Edward's perspective.

The Host, also by Stephenie Meyer, is not part of this series and is, in fact, intended for adults.

This is a wonderful story about Tibby, Carmen, Lena, and Bridget (Bee), four very different friends who are spending their first summer apart from one another. The have literally been friends since birth as their mothers met in an exercise class for pregnant moms.

Each of the girls faces her own crisis and, in the end, they are there for each other. It's a great story of friendship.

The sequels are: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood; Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood; and Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) is by the same author, but is not part of this series and is, in fact, intended for an adult audience.

You may also want to check out books by Sarah Dessen.

Suze sees and speaks to ghosts, though only one of those ghosts was someone she knew when he was alive. Her father has died and her mother has remarried. Now they are moving all the way across country. Not only has Suze acquired a stepfather, but three stepbrothers as well. She is now living in an old mansion near the coast and attending a private school. Life is complicated by several factors including a ghost at school who hates her though they just met and a second ghost in her own bedroom. As mediator, it is up to Suze to help ghosts cross over, but the one at school isn't going anywhere.

The Mediator Series includes: Shadowland; Ninth Key; Reunion; Darkest Hour; Haunted; and Twilight.

Other books by Meg Cabot include:

All American Girl and Ready or Not; Teen Idol; Nicola and the Viscount; Victoria and the Rogue; Pants on Fire; Jinx; Avalon High and Avalon High 2: Coronation

1-800-Where R You? Series - When Lightning Strikes, Code Name Cassandra, Safe House, Sanctuary, and Missing You

Princess Series - Princess Diaries; Princess in the Spotlight; Princess in Love; Princess in Waiting; Project Princess; Princess in Pink; Princess in Training; The Princess Present; Party Princess; Sweet Sixteen Princess; Valentine Princess; Princess on the Brink; Princess Mia; Princess Lessons; Perfect Princess; and Holiday Princess

By age 13 Anna had undergone far too many medical procedures though she is not ill. Anna's parents chose to produce a baby they hoped would be a donor match for their daughter Kate who suffered from leukemia. Now the teenage Anna rebels against the role that has been forced upon her though it could mean the death of her sister. Anna hires a lawyer to sure her parents for the right to make decisions about her own body.

Other books by Jodi Picoult include: Nineteen Minutes * (A Columbine Like Incident), The Pact * (A suicide pact), Vanishing Acts, and Change of Heart.

The year is 1664 and 16 year old Griet has been forced by family circumstances to take a job as a maid in the home of the Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Eventually she poses for one of his most famous paintings. In this historical fiction, we learn much about Holland at that time, but also about the manner in which painters created their own paints and went about their work. As Vermeer explains to Griet, clouds aren't really white. In the future, you will wonder about the story behind each work of art.

Gemma Doyle grew up in India, but after the death of her mother the 16 year old is sent to Spence Academy in London. It is the Victorian Age and these young ladies are being trained for their future roles as wives to men they may not want to marry. As so many have experienced, initially she is an unwelcome outsider. Eventually, she makes friends with three girls and together they explore Gemma's supernatural powers and a group known as the Order. Gemma finds out much about her mother's past association with the Order.

The sequels to this fantasy are: Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing.

Mary Boleyn comes to court at the age of fourteen and is noticed by Henry VIII. She basks in her role as unofficial queen until Henry begins to lose interest in her and turns to her sister, Anne. Of course, students of history know what fate befell Anne Boleyn.

This is a wonderful look at Chinese culture as told by four Chinese women and their American daughters. The mothers are: Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-ying St. Clair. The daughters are Jing-mei "June" Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, and Lena St. Clair. As the book begins, Jing-mei's mother has died and her father has asked Jing-mei to take her mother's place as the fourth corner in the Joy Luck Club. The four mothers had met for years to play mah jong and talk. Though unrelated, the children of all four grew up calling the others "Auntie". Each mother had had difficulties in her life in China. Each daughter knew little of her mother's life before.

Tally is anticipating her 16th birthday when she will undergo an operation to make her unbelievably gorgeous. Her friend Shay isn't interested in having the operation and takes off. Tally is forced to make a choice: locate Shay and turn her in or remain ugly. (Science Fiction)

The sequels are: Pretties, Specials, and Extras.

Janie discovered when she was 8 years old that if someone nearby began to dream she was pulled unwillingly into that dream. She has always hated the falling dreams, and those where someone is naked in public, and the steamy sex dreams, but this latest dream is the worst. A boy at school is not as he appears to be and Janie is about to learn his real story.

The sequel to his fantasy, Fade, will be released February 2009.

Thirty one year old, Noah Calhoun is back in coastal North Carolina after WWII and thinking constantly about the girl he lost years ago. Twenty nine year old Allie Nelson is set to marry a wealthy lawyer, but is haunted by thoughts of the one she loved long ago. The Notebook which Noah keeps in his desk drawer contains their story. This story had special meaning to me since my favorite Uncle Lee died from Alzheimer's, a truly horrid disease.

Theresa Osborne is divorced and cynical about love and life. This changes when she finds a bottle on the beach which contains a love letter. This is a beautiful story for those who choose to believe in the miracle of finding that special someone.

Other books by Nicholas Sparks include: A Walk to Remember, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Guardian, The Wedding, True Believer, A First Sight, Dear John, and The Choice.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger * and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith are both coming of age novels which though they were written quite some time ago, teens today still relate to. A Separate Peace by John Knowles * is another book about teens, this time at a prep school. Warning: a tragedy takes place.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is historical fiction set in WWII Italy. Pilots are required to fly a certain number of missions, but everytime Yossarian gets close to completing that number of missions, they raise the requirement. He keeps asking the doctor to ground him, but the doctor explains that there is a Catch, Catch-22. *

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther is a memoir about the death of the author's son from a brain tumor. *

Slaughterhouse-Five * and Cat's Cradle * by Kurt Vonnegut are perhaps as popular now as when first written.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a True Crime story. *

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher * - A girl has committed suicide and left behind messages about why to those people she believes need to hear her comments.

Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck - In the first book, a brother and sister are sent to their Grandmother's house for the summer. In the sequel, the brother has joined the military and the sister will spend an entire school year with her grandmother, an unusual character.

A Child Called "IT" * and the sequels: The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave by David Pelzer are the true story of the author's abuse by his mother and his subsequent life in a foster home.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - A girl is raped and murdered and now watches from the beyond as her family attempts to find her body and come to terms with her fate.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous* looks at drug addiction and self destruction.

Crank* by Ellen Hopkins and its sequel Glass* is about a girl (the author's daughter) addicted to drugs. Burned is about a girl who is abused by her father and after being thrown out of school is sent to live with her aunt. Impulse* is about teen suicide, drugs, and other issues discussed at a treatment facility for teens.

Prom, Twisted, Speak (Rape), Catalyst, and Fever 1793 (The first four are Contemporary and the last is Historical Fiction by Laurie Halse Anderson.)

The Outsiders * ; Rumble Fish * ; Tex * ; That Was Then, This is Now * ; Taming the Star Runner * ; and Some of Tim's Stories * by S. E. Hinton

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky *

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

TTYL (Talk to Ya Later); ttfn (Ta Ta For Now); and L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle. WARNING: Strong language in all of these and the last contains lots of sex! Written as text messages. Very little plot

This is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and loyalty. It has much to teach us about the history and culture of Afghanistan from the last days of the monarchy to the present. Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man. Hassan is the son of Amir's father's servant. They grow up together in Kabul and their lives are forever intertwined.

Caution: This book is NOT for younger teens. A boy on Yahoo Answers one evening said that there was a scene in this book he didn't understand. He didn't know how that scene was possible. It was clear to me, he was too young to be reading this book. Unfortunately, several people explained to him in detail how the scene was possible.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is by the same author.

Lois Lowry:
The Giver * , Gathering Blue, and Messenger (Fantasies)

Bobbie Ann Mason:
In Country * (Historical fiction about the impact of the Vietnam War on a small town in Kentucky)

Mildred D. Taylor: (Writing about Blacks in America during the Depression) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry * and Let the Circle Be Unbroken

Corrie Ten Boom:
The Hiding Place (Non-Fiction about the Holocaust)

Elie Wiesel:
Night * (Non-Fiction about the Holocaust); Dawn; and Day

Markus Zusak:
The Book Thief (Historical Fiction set during WWII) and I Am the Messenger

Mitch Albom:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven * ; Tuesdays With Morrie * ; and For One More Day * .

Maya Angelou: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Autobiography)

Kim Edwards: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife (Fantasy) Intended for adults and definitely not for younger teens.

Alice Hoffman: Green Angel (Fantasy)

Sue Monk Kidd: Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair