One of the best things about being a Young Adult Librarian is all of the fantastic Teen and Tween books that are being published! No longer are you left trying to find a children’s book that isn’t “too childish” or an adult book that “isn’t too mature.” On the Second Friday of the month I will give reviews and synopses for a few of my favorite Teen and Tween Reads!
Moms and Dads, give them a try too. You will be amazed at just how great YA literature is, and it can be the start of some great conversations with your teen!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hazel was only 13 when diagnosed with Stage IV Thyroid Cancer, and now that she is 16 all she wants is to be a normal teenage with a normal life. But being a “kid with cancer” there is no such thing as normal. She feels disconnected to her pre-cancer friends and finds comfort in reading and being a hermit. Forced to go to a Cancer Kid Support Group, she watches the revolving door as new faces enter the group and others pass away. Then one day, her world is turned upside down by the smile of the new boy in the group. Augustus Waters shows Hazel how to live and open herself up to the love of others, despite of her “cancertastic” life.
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton Books, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0-525-47881-2. (hardback). Ages 14+
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Carter and Sadie Kane are not your typical brother and sister. After their mom died, they were raised separately and in different continents. Then, on a rare night together with their father, they go with him to the British Museum where chaos breaks lose as he blows up the Rosetta Stone. Carter and Sadie must find a way to work together to bring him while learning the truth about their family and a whole new world of Egyptian mythology.
In the third and final volume, published on May 1st, the Kanes must work fast to save the world from being destroyed by Apophis. If you are a fan of Percy Jackson and haven’t read the Kane Chronicles then you have been missing out. Told in alternating points of view by Carter and Sadie, with the same great brand of humor, Riordan seamlessly weaves a modern day adventure with the brilliance of ancient Egypt and the way of the Gods.
Riordan, Rick. The Kane Chronicles, Book 1: The Red Pyramid. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2010. ISBN-13: 978-1-423-11338-6. (hardback). Ages 10+
Riordan, Rick. The Kane Chronicles, Book 2: The Throne of Fire. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-1-423-14056-6. (hardback). Ages 10+
Riordan, Rick. The Kane Chronicles, Book 3: The Serpent’s Shadow. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-1-4231-4057-3. (hardback). Ages 10+
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E . Smith
Seventeen year-old Hadley Smith has been dreading this day for months. She has no desire to go to London and not only watch her father remarry, but participate in the ceremony by being a bridesmaid to a future step-mother she has never even met. Mad at her dad for breaking up their family and mad at her mom for making her go see it, Hadley’s morning seems like a comedy of errors that makes her miss her flight by four minutes. Then fate intervenes in the form of a young man named Oliver. He is charming, sweet and on her new flight to London. In the following twenty-four hours Hadley learns what it means to love, lose and accept that it is ok to move on. But what about Oliver and was it really love at first sight?
Smith, Jennifer E . The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0-316-12238-2. (hardback). Ages 13+
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