 |
The teenage years can be among the most important periods of a person's life, but they can also be one of the most confusing and difficult. Books about the experience of being a teenager can help readers better understand and cope with the challenges inherent in the transition between childhood and everything that comes after. The Fiction On The Edge Showcase include both light and serious fiction on the many and varied issues facing teens.
These books are available at your local bookstore. Check the ABA's directory of member bookstores for a bookseller near you. You may also purchase these books at BookSense.com.
Note: Showcase titles are selected by the books' publishers, who provide cover art, interior art, and descriptive information.
 |
Candy
by Kevin Brooks. Ages 12 and up.
In Kevin Brooks's deft hands, this is no sweet teenage romance. This is the bitter world of Candy.
(The Chicken House) |
 |
The Cottonmouth Club
by Lance Marcum. Ages 10 and up.
Eleven-year-old city boy Mitch finds his dreams of a summer vacation deflated by his mother's decision to head South to visit her extended family.
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc. Books for Young Readers) |
 |
The Cry of the Icemark
by Stuart Hill. Ages 12 and up.
The Chicken House's most exciting find since Cornelia Funke! A coming-of-age tale and an epic adventure, this dazzling debut heralds the arrival of a new kind of heroine.
(The Chicken House) |
 |
Doing It
by Melvin Burgess. Ages 16 and up.
Award-winning author Melvin Burgess has written a daringly honest and often
hilarious account of contemporary teenage life. (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) |
 |
Far From Xanadu
by Julie Anne Peters. Ages 12 and up.
What happens when you fall in love with exactly the wrong person?
(Little, Brown and Company Books For Young Readers/Megan Tingley Books) |
 |
A Fast and Brutal Wing
by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson. Ages 12 and up.
A provocative, richly layered, and utterly compelling novel that asks the unanswerable: what is truth, and what does it mean to be human?
(Roaring Brook Press) |
 |
Gangsta Rap
by Benjamin Zephaniah. Ages 14 and up.
After forming a successful band, a group of teens has to prove that you don't need to be a gangster to be a great rapper.
(Bloomsbury Children's Books) |
 |
Here Today
by Ann M. Martin. Ages 10-14.
Newbery Honor winner Ann M. Martin explores the delicate bonds of family in her most captivating novel yet.
(Scholastic Press) |
 |
Keeping You A Secret
by Julie Anne Peters. Ages 12 and up.
Why fall in love if you have to keep it a secret?
(Little, Brown and Company Books For Young Readers/Megan Tingley Books) |
 |
Kissing the Rain
by Kevin Brooks. Ages 12 and up.
The groundbreaking author of the highly acclaimed young adult novels Martyn Pig and Lucas delivers another thought-provoking thriller.
(The Chicken House) |
 |
In the Night, on Lanvale Street
by Jane Leslie Conly. Ages 12 and up.
A new novel from Newbery Honor author Jane Leslie Conly.
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) |
 |
Lucky
by Eddie De Oliveira. Ages 12 and up.
Sam is a teen boy who's attracted to both boys and girls. He doesn't know what to call himself or where he fits in.
(Scholastic Inc.) |
 |
Never Mind the Goldbergs
by Matthue Roth. Ages 12 and up.
The greatest Hollywood punk rock Orthodox Jewish girl story ever told!
(Scholastic Press) |
 |
Nobody Was Here
7th Grade in the Life of Me, Penelope
by Alison Pollet. Ages 9-12.
Alison Pollet brings us the story of an observant uptown girl named Penelope, whose posh upbringing can't protect her from changes at home and at school.
(Scholastic Inc.) |
 |
Perfect World
by Brian James. Ages 13 and up.
This powerful, beautiful novel about growing up fast in a haunted suburban world is also the proud debut of PUSH in hardcover.
(Scholastic Inc.) |
 |
Pictures in the Dark
by Patricia McCord. Ages 10 and up.
A carefully balanced story about a carefully unbalanced family.
(Bloomsbury Children's Books) |
 |
Playing in Traffic
by Gail Giles. Ages 14 and up.
"I was the ghost of school corridors.
Skye was the devil.
And I was doomed from the day she spoke to me."
(Roaring Brook Press) |
 |
Real Time
by Pnina Moed Kass. Ages 12 and up.
Pnina Moed Kass, who lives in Israel, offers the chillingly realistic depiction of a suicide bombing—and the many lives affected by one teenager's decision.
(Clarion Books) |
 |
A Room on Lorelei Street
by Mary E. Pearson. Ages 14 and up.
Can 17-year-old Zoe make it on her own?
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) |
 |
Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip
by Linda Oatman High. Ages 12 and up
Table of Contents notation: An inspiring romp of a coming-of-age story that proves you don't have to give up your home in order to live your dream.
(Bloomsbury Children's Books) |
 |
South Beach
by Tonya Alicia Martin. Ages 12 and up.
Three friends are about to learn that you never really know someone until you've been in a car with them for 48 hours straight.
(Scholastic Inc.) |
 |
Stealing Henry
by Carolyn MacCullough. Ages 12 and up
The night Savannah brains her stepfather with the frying pan is the night she decides to leave home for good.
(Roaring Brook Press) |
 |
Talk
by Kathe Koja. Young adult.
In this powerful drama about self-acceptance, Kit Webster fears openly being himself, which prevents him from finding what he wants most.
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc. Books for Young Readers) |
 |
Vote for Larry
by Janet Tashjian. Ages 14 and up.
The indefatigable Larry is back, and this time he takes on American
politics.
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) |
 |
When I Was A Soldier
by Valérie Zenatti. Translated by Adriana Hunter. Ages 14 and up.
A compelling memoir about a teenage girl's experiences during her compulsory service in the Israeli Army.
(Bloomsbury Children's Books) |
 |
The Year of Secret Assignments
by Jaclyn Moriarty. Ages 12 and up.
The hilarious follow-up to the #1 bestseller Feeling Sorry for Celia.
(Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc.) |
|