Best Books for Young Adults
Fiction
2008 Selection(s)
Before I Die
Tessa, who has terminal cancer, creates a list of ten things she wants to do in the months she has left to live. This fierce and devastating novel explores end-of-life realities with honesty and grace.
Beige
Prim, proper Katy relaxes into a new identity when she is forced to live in L.A. with her father, a punk rocker and recovering addict.
Derby Girl
Bliss, a smart, athletic Texas teen, forges an identity apart from her beauty-pagent–obsessed mother by secretly joining a roller derby team.
I Am Rembrandt's Daughter
Cornelia, illegitimate daughter of the great artist Rembrandt, strives to escape her life of poverty and low social status.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
In this offbeat, bawdy romance, Denis declares his love for a high school cheerleader in his valedictory speech—and lives with the consequences.
Looking for JJ
Recently released murderer JJ, a British teen whose childhood crime stirred a media frenzy, fears that her past will be discovered despite her new identity.
One Whole and Perfect Day
Lily, the sensible one in her quirky Australian family, longs to fit in with her classmates even while belittling their shallow interests. Then grandpa goes berserk and Lily falls in love. A 2008 Printz Honor book.
Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
China’s Cultural Revolution drastically alters the lives of Ling and her family as political oppression and violence sweeps away their comfortable, middle-class existence.
A Swift Pure Cry
Coolbar, Ireland, is a village full of secrets, and Shell is not about to reveal hers until suspicion falls on the wrong person.
This Is What I Did
Logan, whose family has moved to a new neighborhood where he is bullied, won’t talk about a disturbing incident from his past until encouraged by a counselor.