ValleyReads

Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
Shy and unremarkable, seventeen-year-old Matt Lathrop is surprised and flattered to find himself singled out for the sexual attentions of the alluring Skye Colby, until he discovers the evil purpose behind her actions.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Halley’s junior year of high school includes the death of her best friend Scarlett’s boyfriend, the discovery that Scarlett is pregnant, and Halley’s own first serious relationship.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult
The Hartes and the Golds, longtime neighbors and friends, are not surprised when their children Chris and Emily fall in love, but the bond between the families is placed under an enormous strain when Emily is killed, leaving behind the question of whether her death was a suicide, or murder.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function, relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially as he believes his father is planning to kill him.

Improving your Memory for Dummies by John Arden
A guide to memory improvement that provides tips and exercises designed to help people remember important dates, events, faces, and facts.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North. It’s the first book in the series His Dark Materials.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school’s rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.  The story continues with The Off Season.

The  Boy who Couldn’t Die by William Sleator

When his best friend dies in a plane crash, sixteen-year-old Ken has a ritual performed that will make him invulnerable, but soon learns that he had good reason to be suspicious of the woman he paid to lock his soul away.

Hush by  Jacqueline Woodson

Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.

It Came from Outer Space by Marjolijn Bijlefeld and Robert Burke

Describes hundreds of everyday devices and products that were either invented or improved with technology first developed for the space program.

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Wrecked by E. R. Frank

After a car accident seriously injures her best friend and kills her brother’s girlfriend, sixteen-year-old Anna tries to cope with her guilt and grief, while learning some truths about her family and herself.

Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn

Yearning to escape the small Massachusetts town where her family retreated after her sister’s death, Wonder Blake gets her chance when her sister’s manager offers Wonder a record contract on her sixteenth birthday.

Shooter by Walter Dean Meyers

Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic school shooting.

Candyfreak by Steve Almond

Examines the modern candy industry, investigating the influence of corporate power on what sorts of chocolate bars survive and why many “quirky” ones perish.

In honour of banned books week:

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school’s annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver.

Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

any and all from the Alice series by Phyllis Naylor

The Earth, My Butt and other big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.

Gossip Girls series by Cecily von Zeigesar

Gossip Girl, an unknown narrator, shares the inside scoop on her friends and foes in a privileged private school in New York City, focusing on the return of the beautiful Serena van der Woodson, who is rumored to have been kicked out of boarding school.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

An eleven-year-old African-American girl in Ohio, in the early 1940s, prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be beautiful.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Sethe, an escaped slave who now lives in post-Civil War Ohio, has borne the unthinkable and works hard at “beating back the past.” She struggles to keep Beloved, an intruder, from gaining possession of her present while throwing off the legacy of her past.

and in honour of Hallowe’en, Stiff:  The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Explores how human cadavers have been used throughout history, discussing how the use of dead bodies has benefited every aspect of human existence.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.

Meagan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

While her military parents are stationed in South Korea, high school junior Megan learns a great deal about boys and herself when moves to Massachusetts to live with family friends who have seven sons.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

A car accident causes fifteen-year-old Izzy to lose one leg and face the need to start building a new life as an amputee.

Team Moon:  How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

Chronicles the Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that landed the first man on Earth’s moon on July 20, 1969, emphasizing the contributions and reactions of the thousands of people who made the mission successful.

Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy

A new cops-and-crooks computer game becomes a nightmare when someone starts duplicating the fictional murders in real life. Now the game’s designer, Grace, and her oddball programmers must rethink their game to deduce the killer’s next target.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle

High school freshman Jane believes that she would do anything to be popular until she is selected to be in the school’s most exclusive clique and learns that popularity has a price.

Firestorm by David Klass

After learning that he has been sent from the future for a special purpose, eighteen-year-old Jack receives help from an unusual dog and a shape-shifting female fighter.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

Examines cultural issues in the American health care system through the case of Lia, a Hmong-American girl suffering from epilepsy whose treatment by doctors in California conflicted with the traditional healing beliefs held by her family.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is faced with a difficult choice when her new friend Shay decides to risk life on the outside rather than submit to the forced operation that turns sixteen year old girls into gorgeous beauties, and realizes that there is a whole new side to the pretty world that she doesn’t like.  The story continues with Pretties and Specials.

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Fake ID by Walter Sorrells

After a lifetime of moving and assuming new identities, sixteen-year-old Chass begins to piece together the past that haunts her and her mother which involves a mysterious tape, a deceased popular singer, and the secrets of several people in a small Alabama town.

Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson

A sixteen-year-old Portland, Oregon skateboarder, whose parents are going through a difficult divorce, is engulfed by guilt and confusion when he accidentally kills a security guard at a train yard.  

Teen Ink Our Voices, Our Visions

A collection of prose, poetry, and artwork by teens that reflect how they feel about the issues they face every day.

     Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Troubled by family problems, Henry finds his life taking a whole new dimension when he and his friend, old Mr. Fogarty, become involved with Prince Pyrgus Malvae who has been sent from the faerie world in order to escape the treacherous Faeries of the Night.

     The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Amir, haunted by his betrayal of Hassan, the son of his father’s servant and a childhood friend, returns to Kabul as an adult after he learns Hassan has been killed, in an attempt to redeem himself by rescuing Hassan’s son from a life of slavery to a Taliban official.

     The Last Domino by Adam Meyer

Vulnerable following his brother’s suicide, a high school boy comes under the thrall of a darkly violent classmate and events at home and at school go chillingly out of control.

     The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

Seventeen-year-old Josh, a loner-philosopher who wants to make a difference in the world, tries to maintain his secret identity as the author of a web site that is receiving national attention.

     Hoops by Mark Jacobson

A collection of photographs and essays that highlight the players, coaches, fans, and momements that have shaped professional basketball in the last four decades.

   Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris

Tired of interpreting for his deaf family and resentful of their reliance on him, high school senior Theo finds support and understanding from Ivy, a new student who also has a deaf parent

   Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

When Rob, the charismatic leader of the senior class, turns the school nerd into Prince Charming, his actions lead to unexpected violence.

   Players by Joyce Sweeney

Eighteen-year-old Corey sees a threat to his dream of winning the basketball championship when he discovers that the new player on his team is a girl-stealing, friend-framing, team-destroying force of evil.

I was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott

As a brunette on the all-blonde cheerleading squad at her new Florida high school, sophomore Annisa Gobrowski tries to fit in with her popular teammates without losing the friendship of Bethany, the only other non-blonde at the school.

Hungry Planet by Peter  Menzel and Faith D’aluisio

Presents approximately two hundred color photos of thirty families from twenty-four countries and the foods they eat over the course of one week, and discusses their eating habits; shopping, farming, fishing, or hunting practices; and cooking methods. Each profile includes a family recipe.

 Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.

 After by Francine Prose

In the aftermath of a nearby school shooting, a grief and crisis counselor takes over Central High School and enacts increasingly harsh measures to control students, while those who do not comply disappear.

 Flip by David Lubar

Eighth-grade twins Taylor and Ryan are complete opposites and seem to have nothing in common, until they find a set of mysterious disks that magically allow them to transform into legendary figures from the past.

 The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Andre Anderson, an African-American teenager enjoying a summer filled with pickup basketball, a new girlfriend, and an internship at a popular magazine, becomes the target of violent bigotry when he writes a powerful article on racism.

 Skateboarding is not a Crime by James Davis

An account of the history of skateboarding from the 1950s to the present, also including the techniques of skateboarding, the skateboarding subculture, the sport in different countries, and the top skateboarders.