Some great teen reads

Here are some of my favorite YA books for teens this summer.

Wonder by RJ Palacio

A very powerful read, yet one that I would highly recommend for kids in grades 6-8th. This is a story about a young boy that has been born with some serious malformations of his face due to a genetic disease. Yet inside he is a very normal 5th grade boy. Like we always say in life, don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a person by his/her face. This is a story with many lessons in it; this is a story that can provide for many conversations in a classroom. This is a story about life, for good or for bad. But mostly it is a story about kindness. I highly recommend this remarkable book!

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Another powerful yet soulful story that I would recommend for teens, grades 8th and up. This is a story about cancer, cancer in teenagers. It is about life, death, and love. Hazel is 16 with terminal cancer when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group the two fall in love. The only caveat is they both don’t know how much longer they each have. A deeply moving story that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.  A powerful story written by an amazing author, a New York Times bestseller as well as a Printz Medal and Honor and the Edgar Award.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Macker

This is not only a great story for teens, but also a quick easy read for those of us who were teenagers during the mid-1990’s. It is a story that shows us what life was like when the Internet just became popular. When AOL sent discs in the mail so that everyone could go online and sign up for an AOL email account. Remember those days? Now think ahead, what would life been like in the 1990’s if you could see into the future, “Facebook” future. This is a story about two teenagers, Josh and Emma, that suddenly see into the future after logging onto their AOL account and find facebook 15 years later. They see what their life might be like. For good or for bad. a cute story that really shows us how Facebook has changed our lives.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This is a very powerful book about teen suicide with much suspense and emotion. This is a story about a young girl, Hannah, and how she reached out and gave 13 reasons why her life wasn’t worth living.  When Clay Jensen receives the box of her tapes in the mail he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the tapes that Hannah Baker made because Hannah is dead. He feels her secrets should be buried with her but instead he listens to the tapes and his life is changed forever. This is truly a book that you will never get out of your mind but at the same time a book that probably has saved many lives as well. The author has created a story that tells a story that many teens and parents should read on such an important topic.