If you don’t know by now, I am a middle school counselor and teacher as well as a licensed professional counselor, who is obsessed with 2 things in life, art and reading! I read more books than almost anyone I know and anyone you know, lol. Books are wonderful for our children and this is my love list of what the kids I work with adore right now! Hopefully your children will love this top ten list of young adult literature.
Young Adult Literature That Is Empathetic without Belittling
Restart by Gordon Korman- basically anything by him, but this one I love because it puts a totally different perspective on the bullying theme.
Amazon writes it best when it says, “Chase’s memory just went out the window. Chase doesn’t remember falling off the roof. He doesn’t remember hitting his head. He doesn’t, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again… starting with his own name.
He knows he’s Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.”
Pretty soon, it’s not only a question of who Chase is — it’s a question of who he was… and who he’s going to be. From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start”
This book deals with bullies, bystanders, victims and everything in between but with a very unique twist. It shows that we can all make changes for the better.
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.
Do I even have to share the why? Lol. I waited until book 7 was released before I read them. I read all 7 in less than a month. I dragged all 7 books with me to a weeklong conference in St. Louis and spent a great deal of my free time just reading away! It was glorious. I lost myself in this world of magic and friendship and everything in between.
In case you have never heard the backstory for book 1, Amazon sums it up by writing, “Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That’s because he’s being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s really a wizard, just as his parents were.
But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.”
It’s much much more than this description can do justice, but it’s a start.
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Goodreads online describes this book as “two boys- a slow learner stuck in the body of a teenage giant and a tiny Einstein in leg braces- forge a unique friendship when they pair up to create one formidable human force. A wonderful story of triumph over imperfection, shame and loss.
This book takes on a variety of unique themes and puts them together in such a way that keeps the reader on edge with anticipation. A gem that has been around for twenty years. I cannot believe I only heard about it a year ago!
The Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling.
Barnes and Nobles has the best write up about this little gem. “Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them.
And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.
Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.”
Now you can see why this is such a good book, but read it and see why it’s just that much better. I grabbed the second one real quick and read that one in one day.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
“A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas’s New York Times-bestselling paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as “groundbreaking.” According to the website Macmillan.com
This is the first book I read that dealt with a person transitioning and the struggles they experience within their family. They address wearing a binder and navigating family and friend relationships. I was impressed with how the content was dealt with and the themes were greatly respected.
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, Wikepedia describes this book, “Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a novel by Jessica Townsend and published by Little, Brown and Company. It was released October 10, 2017 in Australia and October 31, 2017 in the United States. The plot follows the titular character Morrigan Crow, who is cursed to die because she was born on an unlucky day”. The twists and turns in the plot are fun for all ages. The content is appropriate and fun to read. I listened to this one on my audible account and the voices of the characters really came to life.
More Excellent Young Adult Literature
39 Clues by Rick Riordan et al. This is a GREAT series of books that are written by several talented authors. Wikipedia gives the initial description of the first books in the first series, “The path Amy and Dan took in the first ten books. The first series revolves around orphans Amy and Dan Cahill, who discover upon their grandmother’s death that the Cahill family has shaped most of world history.
Amy and Dan pursue the Clues while evading the sabotage of other Cahills. Each book chronicles one location which Amy, Dan, and their au pair Nellie Gomez travel to and focuses on one historical character associated with a Clue.”
These books are educational, intriguing, fun and a little humorous when it comes to the dynamics of the siblings who are in a typical love/hate relationship.
The books also have playing cards that you can log into on line with and use for even more fun.
Something I loved about them is that they educate you about famous people from our past as the siblings are expected to learn about them so that they can solve the clues.
Readers are learning about history without even realizing they were.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.
This book was so good they turned it into a movie! You can find it on Disney Plus. I think they did a pretty good job of depicting all of the various creatures that people that you come into contact with in the books.
Goodreads describes it as, “Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories—they’re dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.”
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
The library store website describes this series as, “For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe?
Well, actually, quite the opposite… Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies.
However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most. Perma-Bound® Library Bound, Grades: 3-8.” I LOVED these books. Again with the sibling situation much like 39 clues but it was just so well written and fuelled my magical creative land imagination.
A Special Young Adult Book
Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
From the goodreads website they write, “Debut YA author Natasha Díaz pulls from her personal experience to inform this powerful coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds.
Who is Nevaeh Levitz?
Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocated to her mom’s family home in Harlem and was forced to confront her identity for the first time.
Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can’t stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh’s dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she’s always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.
It’s only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom’s past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?”
As you can see I have eclectic taste in books. I try to read all the books that my students are required to read for school, as well as the young adult literature they are choosing to read for fun. It connects us. It brings me a glimpse of their world.
Students are also able to come to me when they are confused about something they’ve read or working on a project and need some support. It’s a great way for me to stay connected with them in a very organic way.
I don’t do it because I feel like I have to. I’m a bibliophile and I have no shame in my game. So I’m happy to read whatever people suggest to me.
Send me your favorites and you might see them on my next top ten list!