The Ultimate Teen Reading List

The Ultimate Teen Reading List 250 great books compiled by www.teenreads.com “One of our goals each month is to inspire you to read --- and to keep reading. We have found that required reading lists for school --- especially summer reading lists --- are not exactly inspiring. Thus we have created what we think is the Ultimate Teen Reading List --- 250 titles that we think are perfect choices for reading and discussing. How did we create our list? We compiled entries from Teenreads.com readers who weighed in with their selections and we also asked our staffers for suggestions. Titles range from young adult books to books that we read on adult lists that we think would be enjoyed by teens.” • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1776 by David McCullough (History) 1984 by George Orwell (Science Fiction) THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho (Religion/Spirituality) AM I BLUE? COMING OUT FROM THE SILENCE by Marion Dane Bauer, editor (Short Stories) THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by Michael Chabon (Historical Fiction) AMAZING GRACE by Megan Shull (Fiction) ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman (Science Fiction) ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt (Memoir) ANNIE JOHN by Jamaica Kincaid (Fiction) ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan (Romance) BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS by Dai Sijie (Historical Fiction) THE BEAN TREES by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction) BEE SEASON by Myla Goldberg (Religion/Spirituality) BEGINNER'S LUCK by Laura Pedersen (Fiction) BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett (Fiction) THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath (Fiction) BELOVED by Toni Morrison (Historical Fiction) BIG FISH by Daniel Wallace (Fiction) THE BIG SHUFFLE by Laura Pedersen (Fiction) BLIND FAITH by Ellen Wittlinger (Fiction) THE BLUE GIRL by Charles de Lint (Fantasy) THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED by Carol Plum Ucci (Mystery) THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (Historical Fiction) THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne (Historical Fiction) BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan (Romance) BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley (Science Fiction) BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S by Truman Capote (Short Stories) BREAKING POINT by Alex Flinn (Fiction) A BRIEF CHAPTER IN MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE by Dana Reinhart (Fiction) THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEAD by Kevin Brockmeier (Fiction) THE BRONX MASQUERADE by Nikki Grimes (Fiction) BROOKLYN ROSE by Ann Rinaldi (Historical Fiction) BUD NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis (Historical Fiction)

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CATALYST by Laurie Halse Anderson (Fiction) CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller (Fiction) THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger (Fiction) A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT by Laura Whitcomb (Romance) CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (Humor) A CHILD CALLED "IT" by Dave Pelzer (Memoir) THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier (Fiction) THE CHOSEN by Chaim Potok (Fiction) CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis (Fantasy) COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier (Historical Fiction) COLD SASSY TREE by Olive Ann Burns (Romance) THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker (Fiction) A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by John Kennedy Toole (Fiction) COPPER SUN by Sharon Draper (Historical Fiction) CORELLI'S MANDOLIN by Louis De Bernieres (Romance) CROW LAKE by Mary Lawson (Fiction) THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon (Mystery) DAIRY QUEEN by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Fiction) DANDELION WINE by Ray Bradbury (Fiction) THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (History) THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank (Memoir) THE DISTANCE FROM NORMANDY by Jonathan Hull (Fiction) THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER by Ann Packer (Romance) DUNE by Frank Herbert (Science Fiction) THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS by Carolyn Mackler (Fiction) EAST by Edith Pattou (Romance) EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck (Fiction) THE EIGHT by Katherine Neville (Fantasy/Adventure) ELDEST by Christopher Paolini (Fantasy) ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine (Romance) ELSEWHERE by Gabrielle Zevin (Fiction) EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo (Fiction) ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card (Science Fiction) ERAGON by Christopher Paolini (Fantasy) ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan (Historical Fiction) FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury (Science Fiction) FALLEN ANGELS by Walter Dean Myers (Historical Fiction) FAST FOOD NATION by Eric Schlosser (Popular Culture) FEED by M.T. Anderson (Fiction) THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom (Fiction) FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by Daniel Keyes (Science Fiction) FOR ONE MORE DAY by Mitch Albom (Fiction) THE FORETELLING by Alice Hoffman (Fiction) THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand (Fiction)

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FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE by Fannie Flagg (Fiction) FROZEN RODEO by Catherine Clark (Fiction) GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry (Futuristic Fiction) THE GEOGRAPHY OF GIRLHOOD by Kirsten Smith (Fiction) GIFTS by Ursula K. Le Guin (Fantasy) GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson (Fiction) GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING by Tracy Chevalier (Historical Fiction) THE GIRLS by Lori Lansens (Fiction) THE GIVER by Lois Lowry (Futuristic Fiction) GODLESS by Peter Hautman (Fiction) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY by Janet Tashjian (Fiction) THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Fiction) THE GREAT SANTINI by Pat Conroy (Fiction) A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Libba Bray (Fiction/Literary Suspense) GREEN ANGEL by Alice Hoffman (Fiction) THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood (Science Fiction) THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers (Historical Fiction) HEART'S DESIRE by Laura Pedersen (Fiction) THE HIGHTEST TIDE by Jim Lynch (Fiction) THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams (Science Fiction) THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkein (Fantasy) HOOPS by Walter Dean Myers (Fiction) THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Mystery) THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer (Science Fiction) THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by Sandra Cisneros (Fiction) HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff (Fiction) HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS by Julia Alvarez (Fiction) THE HUNGRY OCEAN by Linda Greenlaw (Memoir) I AM THE CHEESE by Robert Cormier (Psychological Thriller) I AM THE MESSENGER by Markus Zusak (Fiction) I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith (Romance) I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE by Wally Lamb (Fiction) I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by Maya Angelou (Autobiography) IF YOU COME SOFTLY by Jacqueline Woodson (Fiction) IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote (True Crime) IN COUNTRY by Bobbie Ann Mason (Historical Fiction) INTERPRETER OF MALADIES by Jhumpa Lahiri (Fiction/Short Stories) INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer (Nonfiction) IRONMAN by Chris Crutcher (Fiction) IT by Stephen King (Horror) IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY by Ned Vizzini (Fiction) THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan (Fiction) JUMPING THE SCRATCH by Sarah Weeks (Fiction) JUST IN CASE by Meg Rosoff (Fiction) KEEPING THE MOON by Sarah Dessen (Fiction)

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KING DORK by Frank Portman (Fiction) THE KITCHEN BOY by Robert Alexander (Historical Fiction) THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini (Fiction) KIT'S WILDERNESS by David Almond (Fiction) LAST CALL by Laura Pedersen (Fiction) LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo (Fiction) LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET by Rainer Maria Rilke (Nonfiction) LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel (Fiction/Adventure) THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis (Fantasy) THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Fantasy) LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green (Fiction) LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding (Fiction) THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkein (Fantasy) THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES by Shirley Jackson (Fiction/Short Stories) THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold (Fiction) MARLEY & ME by John Grogan (Memoir) MAUS I: A SURVIVOR'S TALE: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (Graphic Novel) ME & EMMA by Elizabeth Flock (Fiction) ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by David Sedaris (Memoir) MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden (Historical Fiction) THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Kim Edwards (Fiction) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE by Nicholas Sparks (Romance) MESSENGER by Lois Lowry (Futuristic Fiction) THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER by Julie Hearn (Fiction) MONSTER by Walter Dean Myers (Fiction) MY JIM by Nancy Rawles (Historical Fiction) MY LIFE AND HARD TIMES by James Thurber (Autobiography) MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult (Fiction) MYSTIC RIVER by Dennis Lehane (Thriller) NATIVE SON by Richard Wright (Fiction) THE NECESSARY BEGGAR by Susan Palwick (Fiction) NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction) NEW MOON by Stephenie Meyer (Horror/Romance) NICKEL AND DIMED: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Current Affairs) NIGHT by Elie Wiesel (Memoir) NINE STORIES by J.D. Salinger (Fiction/Short Stories) THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery) A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly (Historical Fiction) THE NOTEBOOK by Nicholas Sparks (Romance) ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey (Fiction) ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Fiction) THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton (Fiction) A PAINTED HOUSE by John Grisham (Legal Thriller) PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger (Fiction) PERFECT by Natasha Friend (Fiction)

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THE PERFECT STORM by Sebastian Junger (Nonfiction/Adventure) THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky (Fiction) PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Novel) THE PIGMAN by Paul Zindel (Fiction) PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett (Fiction) THE PILOT'S WIFE by Anita Shreve (Fiction) PLAINSONG by Kent Haruf (Fiction) THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA by Philip Roth (Fiction) THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction) A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving (Fiction) PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld (Fantasy/Adventure) PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen (Fiction) THE PRINCESS BRIDE by William Goldman (Fiction) THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot (Fiction) PROM by Laurie Halse Anderson (Fiction) THE RAG AND BONE SHOP by Robert Cormier (Mystery) A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry (Plays) READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN by Azar Nafisi (Memoir) REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier (Horror) REBEL ANGELS by Libba Bray (Fiction/Literary Suspense) THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant (Fiction/Religion & Spirituality) ROCKET BOYS/OCTOBER SKY by Homer Hickam (Memoir) ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D. Taylor (Historical Fiction) ROSEMARY'S BABY by Ira Levin (Horror) THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE by Philip Pullman (Thriller) THE RULE OF FOUR by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (Suspense) RUNNING WITH SCISSORS by Augusten Burroughs (Memoir) SARAH by Marek Halter (Fiction/Religion & Spirituality) SAVING FRANCESCA by Melina Marchetta (Fiction) THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt (Thriller) THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd (Historical Fiction) SENIORITIS by Tate Thompson (Fiction) A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles (Fiction) SHADOW DIVERS by Robert Kurson (Nonfiction/Adventure) THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Fiction) SIGN OF THE RAVEN by Julie Hearn (Historical Fiction) THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares (Fiction) SKELLIG by David Almond (Fiction/Religion & Spirituality) THE SLEDDING HILL by Chris Crutcher (Fiction) SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS by David Guterson (Thriller) SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See (Fiction) SNOW IN AUGUST by Pete Hamill (Fiction/Religion & Spirituality) SO B. IT by Sarah Weeks (Fiction) SOMEONE LIKE YOU by Sarah Dessen (Fiction) SOPHIE'S WORLD by Jostein Gaarder (Fiction)

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THE SPACE BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar (Fiction) SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson (Fiction) SPECIALS by Scott Westerfeld (Fantasy/Action & Adventure) STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli (Romance) SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER by Bette Greene (Historical Fiction) SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA by Lynne Cox (Autobiography) TANGERINE by Edward Bloor (Fiction) THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by Zora Neale Hurston (Fiction) THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien (Fiction/Short Stories) THIRSTY by M.T. Anderson (Horror) A TIME FOR DANCING by Davida Wills Hurwin (Fiction) A TIME TO KILL by John Grisham (Legal Thriller) THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger (Fiction) TITHE: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black (Fantasy) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee (Historical Fiction) A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith (Historical Fiction) TRUTH & BEAUTY by Ann Patchett (Memoir) TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Mitch Albom (Memoir) TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer (Horror/Romance) UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld (Fantasy/Action & Adventure) VOICES by Ursula K. Le Guin (Fantasy) VOTE FOR LARRY by Janet Tashjian (Fiction) WAIT FOR ME by An Na (Fiction) A WALK TO REMEMBER by Nicholas Sparks (Fiction) WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen (Fiction) THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM by Christopher Paul Curtis (Historical Fiction) WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver (Fiction) WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block (Fiction) WHEN CRICKETS CRY by Charles Martin (Fiction/Religion & Spirituality) WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN by Kimberly Willis Holt (Fiction) WHITE GHOST GIRLS by Alice Greenway (Fiction) WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch (Fiction) THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH by Robert Hicks (Historical Fiction) THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS by Tamora Pierce (Fantasy) A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA by Ursula K. Le Guin (Fantasy) A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madelene L'Engle (Fantasy) A YELLOW RAFT IN BLUE WATER by Michael Dorris (Fiction) YOU, MAYBE by Rachel Vail (Fiction)

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