Maximum Ride by James Patterson
YA PATTERSON, J.
1. “Just Give Me A Reason” by P!nk
2. “The Way” by Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller
3. “I Love It” by Icona Pop
4. “Titanium” by David Guetta feat. Sia
5. “Cups” by Anna Kendrick
6. “Die Young” by Ke$ha
7. “Timber” by Pitbull feat. Ke$ha
8. “22” by Taylor Swift
9. “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
10. “Symphony No. 46” by Mozart
Listen to the Playlist:
Playlist submitted by Panagiotis.
YA NEW SF LEWIS, R.
A futuristic retelling of Snow White in which seventeen-year-old Essie, a master at repairing robots and drones on the frozen mining planet Thanda, is pulled into a war by handsome and mysterious Dane after his shuttle crash-lands near her home.
YA NEW MY MCCOY, M.
In 1948 Hollywood, a treacherous world of tough-talking private eyes, psychopathic movie stars, and troubled starlets, sixteen-year-old Alice tries to find a young runaway who is the sole witness to a beating that put her sister, Annie, in a coma.
Elana Vanishing: a memoir by Elena and Clare B. Dunkle
NEW YA 362.1968 DUN
Seventeen-year-old Elena is vanishing. Every day means renewed determination, so every day means fewer calories. This is the story of a girl whose armor against anxiety becomes artillery against herself as she battles on both sides of a lose-lose war in a struggle with anorexia.
Rockin’ the Boat: 50 Iconic Rebels and Revolutionaries by Jeff Fleischer
YA NEW YA 920.02 FLE
We love to root for the underdog, and that’s part of why we’re drawn to the stories of revolutionaries. Whether they fail, succeed, or succeed only to become what they once fought against, people who can rally others to their cause and shake up the status quo tend to be inherently interesting. Rockin’ the Boat tells the stories of 50 such legends throughout the world, from people fed up with the Roman Empire, to the revolutionaries who helped create America.
Girl Defective by Simmone Howell
YA NEW HOWELL, S.
Friendship, love, and a mystery fill the life-changing summer of fifteen-year-old Sky, who lives with her unconventional family in a run-down record store in St. Kilda, a seaside suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
YA NEW AVEYARD, V.
In a world divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities–seventeen-year-old Mare, a Red, discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. But Mare risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard –a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.
No Parking at the End Times
by Bryan Bliss
YA BLISS, B.
Abigail’s parents, believing the end of the world is near, sell their house, give the money to an end-of-times preacher, and drive from North Carolina to San Francisco where they remain homeless and destitute, as Abigail fights to keep her parents, her twin brother, and herself united against all odds.
YA NEW YANSKY, B.
For the most part, aspiring screenwriter Jack Bell is just your typical Midwestern kid. He’s got a crush on his hot best friend, Ash. He’s coping with a sudden frostiness between his once crazy-in-love parents. He’s debating where to go to college next year – or whether to go at all. But then there’s his gift (or curse): Jack can see dead people, just like the kid in The Sixth Sense. Lately, the ghosts are more distracting than usual, demanding that Jack get to the bottom of their mysterious deaths — all while avoiding the straitlaced Detective Bloodsmith, who doesn’t believe in gifts or curses and can’t help wondering why Jack keeps turning up at crime scenes. Is there a happily-ever-after in Jack’s future, or is that only the stuff of movies?
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
YA NEW RYAN, C.
At fourteen, Frances survived a slaughter that claimed the lives of her parents and best friend, Libby, but she took on Libby’s identity and wealth while plotting revenge against the powerful Wells family and now, at age eighteen, is ready to destroy them, including her first love, Grey.
Gotham Academy, Volume 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy written by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher ; art by Karl Kerschl
YA GRAPH CLOONAN, B.
Gotham City’s most prestigious prep school is a very weird place. It’s got a spooky campus, oddball teachers, and rich benefactors always dropping by…like that weirdo Bruce Wayne. But nothing is as strange as the students! Like, what’s up with Olive Silverlock? Is she crazy or what? Where did she go last summer? And what’s the deal with her creepy mom? And how come that Freshman Maps is always following her around? And is she still going out with Kyle? P.S. Did you hear the rumor about the ghost in the North Hall?!
YA GRAPH STEVENSON, N.
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are. But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.
Yesterday morning the Youth Media Awards were held at the American Library’s Association‘s Midwinter Conference. These awards are held annually and recognize some of the best books written for the year for kids and teens. Check out the recording of the awards ceremony and then take a look at the winning Teen books below!
Given for excellence in literature written for young adults.
Winner:
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Four Printz Honor Books also were named:
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
This One Summer also was named a Caldecott Honor Book: the Randolph Caldecott Medal is for the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Given for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
Winner:
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Four other books were finalists for the award:
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston
The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Winner:
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen
Four other books were finalists for the award:
Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
The Family Romanov was also named a Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book, for most distinguished informational book for children and teens:
Ida M. Tarbell: The Woman Who Challenged Big Business—and Won! by Emily Arnold McCully
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin
2015 list of Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA)
These books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both quality literature and appeal to teens, while comprising a wide range of genres, styles and subjects. Click here to find the full list!
Top Ten list from the final selections:
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
Vango by Timothee de Fombelle
The Story of Owen Dragonslayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston
The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
We Were Liars by e. lockhart
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Jackaby by William Ritter
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
Coretta Scott King Honor Book: The Coretta Scott Kind Book Award recognizes an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: The John Steptoe New Talent Award recognizes new talent and is determined by the Coretta Scott King Task Force:
When I Was the Greatest written by Jason Reynolds
Schneider Family Book Award’s Teen Selection: for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:
Stonewall Honor Books: given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience:
Try out some of these graphic novels from the Teen collection, for a different way to read about history.
March. Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell
YA GRAPH 323.1196 LEW
A graphic novel trilogy co-authored by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, with art by Nate Powell. March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights (including his key roles in the historic 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma-Montgomery March), meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.
The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long & Jim Demonakos and art by Nate Powell
YA GRAPH 323.1196 LON
This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1968 Texas, against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston’s color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
Lewis & Clark by Nick Bertozzi
YA GRAPH 917.8042 BER
Presents, in graphic novel format, the adventures of explorers Lewis and Clark during their journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi
YA GRAPH 919.8904 BER
Presents, in graphic novel format, the adventures of explorer Ernest Shackleton in the Antarctic.
Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics edited by Chris Duffy
YA GRAPH 940.3 ABO
A collection of World War I poetry interpreted by cartoonists.
World War One: 1914-1918: the War to End All Wars written by Alan Cowsill; illustrated by Lalit Kumar Sharma; inking by Jagdish Kumar; colorists, Pradeep Sherawat, Vijay Sharma
YA GRAPH 940.3 COW
It was the first major conflict of the 20th century, a war that devastated the whole of Europe and expanded across the entire globe, decimating a generation. From the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo to the armistice of 1918, World War One: 1914-1918 provides a complete overview of the war that shaped the modern world from the viewpoint of the servicemen who fought in it, creating a unique graphic novel history of one of the most destructive conflicts of all time.
YA GRAPH 796.8309 HAFT, H.
Poland, 1941. Sixteen-year-old Harry Haft is sent to Auschwitz. When he is forced to fight against other inmates for the amusement of the SS officers, Haft shows extraordinary strength and courage, and a determination to survive. As the Soviet Army advances in April 1945, he makes a daring escape from the Nazis. After negotiating the turmoil of postwar Poland, Haft emigrates to the United States and establishes himself as a professional prizefighter, remaining undefeated until he faces heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano in 1949. In The Boxer, Reinhard Kleist reveals another side to the steely Harry Haft: a man struggling to escape the memories of the fiancée he left behind in Poland. This is a powerful and moving graphic novel about love and the will to survive.
YA GRAPH 940.5318 CRO
Using the fictional story of a couple named Kazik and Cessia who lose a daughter at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration camp and barely survive themselves, Pascal Croci depicts the horror and brutality of the Holocaust in grim, searing, black-and-white illustrations.
Maus I and Maus II by Art Spielgelman
YA GRAPH 940.5318 SPI
A son struggles to come to terms with the horrific story of his parents and their experiences during the Holocaust and in postwar America.
by Max Brooks; illustrated by Caanan White
YA GRAPH 940.5403 BRO
This is a graphic novel about the first African-American regiment to fight in World War One.
Bombing Nazi Germany: the Graphic History of the Allied Air Campaign that Defeated Hitler in World War II by Wayne Vansant
YA GRAPH 940.544 VAN
Bombing Nazi Germany tells the story of the first and second generations of airmen, soldiers, and politicians from both sides who sought to bomb the enemy into submission.
Big Jim: Jim Larkin and the 1913 Lockout by Rory McConville & Paddy Lynch
YA GRAPH 941.835 MCC
On August 26th 1913, the trams of Dublin stopped. Over the next four months, James Larkin would lead the workers of Dublin against William Martin Murphy and the Employers Federation in a conflict that would change the face of Irish society.
The 47 Ronin by Sean Michael Wilson; illustrated by Akiko Shimojima, with lettering by Ben Dickson
YA GRAPH 952.025 WIL
In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot that would take over two years to complete. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai–known as ronin –all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains the most potent example of Japan’s deeply rooted cultural imperative of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice.
Showa: a History of Japan, 1926-1939 and Showa: a History of Japan, 1939-1944 by Shigeru Mizuki
YA GRAPH 952.033 MIZ
A look at the Showa period in Japanese history with events leading towards World War II. On a personal level, these years mark a dramatic transformation in Mizuki’s life, too.
Grant vs. Lee by Wayne Vansant
YA GRAPH 973.73 VAN
Grant vs. Lee tells the dramatic story of the final year of the Civil War in Virginia – a bloody and unyielding fight for both sides – through the eyes of the two greatest Civil War generals: the North’s Ulysses S. Grant and the South’s Robert E. Lee.
The Warren Commission Report by Dan Mishkin, Ernie Colón, and Jerzy Drozd ; foreword by Richard Reeves
YA GRAPH 973.922 MIS
Within days of the murder of President John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the assassination. In its report, the Warren Commission determined that there was “no credible evidence” conflicting with its conclusion of a lone gunman. Artist Ernie Colón, bestselling illustrator of The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation , teams up with author Dan Mishkin to provide a unique means of testing the commission’s findings, unraveling conflicting narratives side by side through graphic-novel techniques.
The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown
YA GRAPH 978.032 BRO
A speck of dust is a tiny thing. In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence. On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster–a savage storm–on America’s high southern plains. The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow–people got lost in the gloom and suffocated. . . and that was just the beginning. Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America’s most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.
Gandhi: My Life is My Message by Jason Quinn; illustrated by Sachin Nagar
YA GRAPH B GANDHI
In graphic novel format, introduces the life and accomplishments of the Indian political and spiritual leader who led his country to freedom from British rule through his policy of nonviolent resistance.
Best Shot in the West: the Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr.; illustrated by Randy DuBurke
YA GRAPH B LOVE, N.
Describes, in graphic novel format, the life of Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick, who grew up to become the most famous African-American cowboy in the Old West.
War is– : Soldiers, Survivors, and Storytellers Talk About War edited by Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell
YA 810.8035 WAR
An anthology of fiction, speeches, poems, and essays about war.
Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
YA REINHARDT, D.
Although they have never gotten along well, seventeen-year-old Levi follows his older brother Boaz, an ex-Marine, on a walking trip from Boston to Washington, D.C. in hopes of learning why Boaz is completely withdrawn.
If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy
YA REEDY, T.
For a responsible sixteen-year-old, Michael Wilson has a lot of problems–his father was killed in Afghanistan in 2005, his overworked and overprotective mother will not talk about their situation, and does not want him playing football, and he has suddenly started to receive letters that his father wrote before his death.
Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
YA PAULSEN, G.
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
YA MCCORMICK, P.
While recuperating in a Baghdad hospital from a traumatic brain injury sustained during the Iraq War, eighteen-year-old soldier Matt Duffy struggles to recall what happened to him and how it relates to his ten-year-old friend, Ali.
I Pledge Allegiance by Chris Lynch
YA LYNCH, C.
Four best friends serving in the Vietnam War make a pledge to one another that they will do all they can to return home safely together.
Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie
YA KOKIE, E.
Matt has been sleepwalking through life while seeking answers about his brother T.J.’s death in Iraq, but after discovering that he may not have known his brother as well as he thought he did, Matt is able to stand up to his father, honor T.J.’s memory, and take charge of his own life.
YA MASSEY, D.
Only eighteen when she is sent to Afghanistan, British army medic Elinor Nielson is continually at odds with her hard-nosed bunk-mate, Heidi Larson, but connects with a mysterious Afghan girl and local children, as well as an American lieutenant.
YA HUGHES, D.
Two boys, one German and one American, are eager to join their respective armies during World War II, and their paths cross at the Battle of the Bulge.
YA DAVIS, T.
Teens Octavia and Tali learn about strength, independence, and courage when they are forced to take a car trip with their grandmother, who tells about growing up Black in 1940s Alabama and serving in Europe during World War II as a member of the Women’s Army Corps.
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks, illustrated by Caanan White
YA GRAPH 940.5403 BRO
This is a graphic novel about the first African-American regiment to fight in World War One.
Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics edited by Chris Duffy
YA GRAPH 940.3 ABO
A collection of World War I poetry interpreted by cartoonists.
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis
YA MAZER, H.
Wounded in Iraq while his Army unit is on convoy and treated for many months for traumatic brain injury, the first person Ben remembers from his earlier life is his autistic brother.
Stitching Snow
Dead to Me
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Utopia, Iowa
Nimona
The Boxer
Auschwitz 
Torn by David Massey
Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes
Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis