Book Challenge
Intellectual Freedom

Booksense Picks, teen reading

Book Sense is a consortium of indie booksellers and they make LISTS of their fave books of the year (of the season? whatever). Anyway, click here to see all the Book Sense children's books picks -- or look below to see the picks for young adult readers!
Then run out to your local library or bookstore and get yourself something new to read.
--E

BAD KITTY, by Michele Jaffe. The Book Sense reviewer said: "This YA/'chick lit'/amateur sleuth/funny novel featuring 17-year-old Jasmine Callihan kept me glued to the pages to find out what calamity would strike next. Jas employs her friends, family, and her ever-expanding wardrobe as she detects her way through clues..."

BOY GIRL BOY, by Ron Koertge. The reviewer (the awesome Literaticat, whose taste you must certainly trust, said: "All the drama, humor, and awkwardness of best-friend-maybe-love-teen-angst relationships, told from three points of view..."

THE BURN JOURNALS, by Brent Runyon. The reviewer said: "This is a stirring memoir about desperation and riding it out..."

DANCING WITH ELVIS, by Lynda Stephenson. The reviewer said: "For older readers, this is a funny book set in Texas featuring...a lovable girl who is the president of the Elvis Presley Fan Club, West Texas Chapter."

ELSEWHERE, by Gabrielle Zevin. The reviewer said: "...An amazingly imaginative version of the afterlife in a novel full of love, laughter, and tears."

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP, by Richard Yancey. The reviewer said: "Alfred Kropp is an average guy living an average life until his uncle ropes him into a get-rich-quick scheme that changes both of their lives...."

ITHAKA, by Adele Geras. The reviewer said: "A delightful story of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. This is a tale of loyalty and perseverance set in ancient Greece."

A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE, by Wendy Mass The reviewer said: "... Combining an engaging main character, a medical mystery, and a special pet make this novel a must-read for all who are sure their life is stranger than anyone else's."

MARIE, DANCING, by Carolyn Meyer. The reviewer said: "This is a touching and beautifully written story that all dancers will treasure."

NEW BOY, by Julian Houston. The reviewer said: "....A story that combines normal adolescent concerns with the larger issue of being African American in the 1950s. It's a moving tale and an important reminder of our history and society."