Best Books for Young Adults

*Top Ten
2002 Selection(s)
Breathing Underwater
After Nick's girlfriend, Caitlin, has a restraining order issued against him, he is forced to come to grips with his anger and low self-esteem.
Damage
Football star and high-school senior
Every Time a Rainbow Dies
Thulani is drawn out from his grief over the death of his mother when he comes to the aid of a rape victim and is obsessed with forming a relationship with her.
The Land
In a prequel to the Newbery-Award winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie Logan's grandfather, Paul Edward, tells of his heart-breaking but ultimately triumphant struggle to acquire the land that would become the
Lirael
Lirael becomes a librarian in the vast warren of a library that not only houses books but also guards monstrous dangers and arcane magic that lets her conjure up the Disreputable Dog who accompanies her on a quest when the dead start warring on the living.
The Rag and Bone Shop
When twelve-year-old Jason is questioned as a witness in a young girl's murder investigation, he doesn't realize that his interrogation in the hands of a skilled detective will become a matter of life and death.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Four lifelong high-school friends and a magical pair of jeans take summer journeys to discover love, disappointments, and self-realization.
True Believer
In this poetic sequel to Make Lemonade, LaVaughn finds that her changing goals and relationships bring her both pain and joy.
Whale Talk
Multiethnic T. J. leads a high-school swim team of nonconformists on a quest for a varsity letter jacket.
Zazoo
From the moment almost 14-year-old Zazoo sees the handsome young man on the black bicycle, her life is changed forever with never-explored questions about her own past and that of her beloved "Grand-Pierre."