by Brenda Obert

Created on: July 10, 2008

Knowing that many teens are poor readers or they don't like to read, when they do read, they want it to be a really good book. As a teacher, I always keep a number of books for teens and young adults in my classroom. I promote reading with a program called SSR (Sustained Silent Reading.)Students can bring their own books or select one from my bookshelf. Some of the books I offer only a few students like, but some are very popular. A few of them disappear because a student is "in a good place", and they don't want to give it up. Those are the ones I'll share with you. Most are about young people and their problems. Stories young adults can relate to.

Writer Kimberly Willis Holt has written several books for young people beginning with When Zachary Beaver Came to Town and My Louisiana Sky. Both are popular with my students, but the Holt book they seem to like the most is Keeper of the Night. A story about a young teen facing her mother's suicide.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is another favorite. It is about racism, love, and acceptance. When a teenager busts her black maid/housekeeper out of jail, the adventure begins that takes them to an unlikely place to hide out.

There are two books that are about physical abuse that keep disappearing from the shelf. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn is about a teen who seems to have it all. No one knows his secret about his abusive father. Almost as popular is You Don't Know Me by David Klass about a teen who is coping with his mother's abusive boyfriend. These two are relevant to what many teens and/or their friends are coping with in today's world.

For those teens who are into science fiction there is the popular Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Set in a futuristic world, a young boy is selected and trained to "save the world" from invaders. This favorite now has a sequel, Ender's Shadow that is equally, if not more, popular than the original.

Lastly, there is Ray Bradbury, a master of storytelling, with three books that take place in the same town. Dandelion Wine is about family and growing up in a small town. Strange things happen in town when a circus comes to town in Something Wicked This Way Comes. If young readers survive the suspense and terror, they'll enjoy the fantasy and coming of age tale of Farewell Summer.

I recommend these books only because my students have let me know these are among their favorite books that are not assigned, but they choose to read and recommend to their classmates and friends.

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