Drugs
Anonymous. Go Ask Alice; 1971. (Y-PRD-GO)
Based on the diary of a fifteen-year-old drug user chronicling her struggle to escape the
pull of the drug world.
Brooks, Kevin. Candy; 2005. (Y-Brooks)
After falling in love with Candy, a drug addict, Joe becomes desperate as he tries to keep
his dream of being a musician alive while trying to save her from self-destruction.
Burgess, Melvin. Smack; 1998. (Y-P-BUR)
After running away from their troubled home, two English teens move in with a group of
squatters in Bristol and try to find ways to support their growing heroin addiction.
Butcher, A.J. Spy High: The Serpent Scenario; 2004. (Y-P-BUT)
The members of the Bond team are on the lookout for the source of a new street drug
called Drag while one student seeks reveneg on a gang called the Serpents. Sequel to Spy
High: Chaos Rising.
Childress, Alice. A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich; 1973. (Y-Childress/Y-LPeDCHI)
The life of a thirteen-year-old Harlem black boy on his way to becoming a heroin addict
is seen from his point of you and from that of several people around him.
Cohn, Rachel. You Know Where to Find Me; 2008. (Y-Cohn)
In the wake of her cousin’s suicide, Miles experiences many changes in her relationships
with her mother anf father, her best friend and his family, and her cousins father.
DeFelice, Cynthia C. Death at Devil’s Bridge; 2000. (Y-DeFelice)
Despite a great summer job as first mate on a fishing boat out of Martha’s Vineyard,
thirteen-year-old Ben gets caught up with illegal drugs and possible murder.
De la Cruz, Melissa. Angels on Sunset Boulevard; 2007. (Y-DeLaCruz)
When good friends start to disappear, Taj and Nick hit the streets of LA looking for a way
to reach the lost souls of their friends that have been tapped by an online cult.
Denman, K.L. Spiral; 2008. (Y-P-DEN Hi/Lo)
After breaking her back, Abby tries everything to take away her pain before finding the
answer in a patient horse called Charlie and learning to have faith in herself.
Diepen, Allison van. Street Pharm; 2006. (Y-P-DIE)
Ty has had has developed smarts, skills, and mad discipline in order to survive as a drug
dealer, but now he has to rethink his strategies as things take a rough turn.
Douglas, Lola. True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet; 2005. (Y-Douglas)
Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to a small Midwestern town to recuperate
anonymously after an overdose and rehabilitation, recording her thoughts in a diary.
Dunnion, Kristyn. Mosh Pit; 2004. (Y-P-DUN)
Simone, a punk girl, is torn between her loyalty to heart-throb Cherry and her feelings
for Carol, in a story that finds them on the dark streets and alleys of the city’s drug scene.
Ehrenhaft, Daniel. The Life After; 2006. (Y-Ehrenhaft)
When Will’s estranged millionaire father dies, a bizarre clause in the will sends him on a
drug- and alcohol-fueled trip from Miami to New York with his twin half-siblings.
Ellis, Deborah. Lunch with Lenin & Other Stories. 2009. (Y-Ellis)
A collection of short stories that explore the lives of teenagers affected directly or
indirectly by drugs.
Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion; 2002. (Y-Farmer/Y-LPeD-Farmer.Y-PRDFAR)
In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special states as the clone of El
Patron, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire between Mexico and the US.
Fitch, Janet. Kicks; 1995. (Y-P-FIT)
A 15-year-old girl draws back form the false glamour of Los Angeles Street life when an
oft envied childhood friend becomes sexually promiscuous and overdoses on drugs.
Frank, E.R. America; 2002. (Y-Frank)
America, a runaway boy who is being treated at a hospital, finds himself opening up to
one of the doctors and revealing things he had always vowed to keep secret.
Green, Tim. Baseball Great; 2009. (Y-Green)
All Josh wants to do is play baseball, but when his father, a minor league pitcher, signs
him up for a youth team, Josh finds himself in a situation with potentially illegal
consequences.
Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World; 2003. (Y-Going)
Troy, depress, suicidal, and weighing 300 pounds, gets a new perspective on life when a
homeless teen who is a genius on guitar wants him to be the drummer in his rock band.
Grant, Cynthia D. The White Horse; 1998. (Y-P-GRA)
In her writing for a concerned teacher, 16-year-old Raina reveals her troubles with a
dysfunctional family, life on the streets, drug abuse, and finally an unplanned pregnancy.
Harrison, Mette Ivie. The Monster in Me; 2003. (Y-Harrison)
In a small town near Salt Lake City, a caring foster family and her love of running help
Natalie feel that she can be a part of normal life, despite having a drug-addicted mother.
Hinton, S.E. That Was Then, This Is Now; 1971. (Y-PRD-HIN)
Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement
with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank; 2004. (Y-P-HOP)
Kristina is the perfect daughter: gifted student, quiet, never any trouble, but on a trip to
visit her absentee father, she takes on a new identity and falls into crank addiction.
Hopkins, Ellen. Glass; 2007. (Y-Hopkins)
Kristina is determined to defeat her addiction to crack in order to keep her newborn
child, but when she is unable to manage her use, her greatest fears are quickly realized
Hopkins, Ellen. Fallout; 2010. (Y-Hopkins)
Written in free verse, explores how three teens try to cope with the consequences of their
mother’s addiction to crystal meth and its effects on their lives.
Koertge, Ronald. Stone & Spaz; 2002. (Y-Koertge)
A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a
drug-addicted young woman.
Lynn, Tracy. RX; 2006. (Y-P-LYN)
Thyme uses a friend’s Ritalin to help her get through crunch time at school and develops
a full-blown addiction, becoming the ringleader for a prescription drug trade circle.
MacGregor, Rob. Hawk Moon; 1996. (Y-P-MAC)
Will faces a mystery involving drugs at his high school while being framed for the
disappearance and possible murder of his girlfriend.
Marchetta, Melina. Jellicoe Road; 2008. (Y-Marchetta)
Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, Taylor Markham struggles
with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.
McCormick, Patricia. My Brother’s Keeper; 2004. (Y-McCormick)
Toby, a prematurely gray-haired baseball fan and baseball card collector, tries to cope
with his brother’s drug abuse, his father’s absence, and his mother’s new boyfriend.
Mowry, Jess. Babylon Boyz; 1997. (Y-Mowry)
Inner-city teens find a suitcase full of cocaine and must decide whether to sell it and take
the money for their dreams or destroy it to keep it from poisoning their community.
Mowry, Jess. Way Past Cool; 1992. (Y-PRD-MOW)
Living by a strict code of honor, two rival gangs in Oakland – the Friends and the Crew
– find a common enemy in Deek, the drug dealer cruising their neighborhood.
Muchamore, Robert. The Dealer; 2005. (Y-P-MUC)
Teenage CHERUB agent James is sent on a mission against the worlds most powerful
drug dealer.
Murray, Jaye. Bottled Up; 2003. (Y-Murray)
A high school boy comes to terms with his drug addiction, life with an alcoholic father,
and a younger brother who looks up to him.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Beast; 2003. (Y-Myers)
A visit to his Harlem neighborhood and the discovery that the girl he loves is using drug
gives Anthony a new perspective on both his home and his life at a prep school.
Myers, Walter Dean. Dope Sick, 2009. (Y-Myers)
Seeing no wait out of life in Harlem, Jeremy “Lil J” Dance flees into a house after a drug
deal goes awry and meets someone who shows different turning points when Lil J could
have made better choices.
Myracle, Lauren. ttfn; 2006. (Y-Myracle)
Now juniors, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela continue to share instant messages as one of them
experiments with marijuana, another gets her first boyfriend, and a third moves away.
Sequel to ttfn.
Nelson, Blake. Recovery Road; 2011. (Y-Nelson)
While she is in rehab for drugs and alcohol, Maddie meets Stewart, who is also in
treatment, and they begin a relationship, which they try to maintain when they get out.
Oates, Joyce Carol. After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew
Away; 2006. (Y-Oates)
Blaming herself for the car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge that killed her mother,
Jenna undergoes a difficult physical and emotional recovery.
Parker, Daniel & Lee Miller. Find the Miracle; 2005.
With help from Chi Chi, Tom continues to break the code in Alice’s diary and track down
clues to finding Alice, but new and more dangerous foes arrives as they figure things out.
Quitero, Sofia. Efrain’s Secret; 2010. (Y-Quintero)
Ambitious senior and honor student Efrain Rodriguez makes some questionable choices
in pursuit of his dream to escape the South Bronx and attend an Ivy League college.
Rapp, Adam. Under the Wolf, Under the Dog; 2004. (Y-Rapp)
Steve struggles to make sense of his mother’s terminal breast cancer and his brother’s
suicide. He is in a drug facility called Burnstone Grove, where he doesn’t fit in.
Stoehr, Shelley. Crosses; 1991. (Y-P-STO)
Unhappy at home, Nancy and her friend Katie adopt punk lifestyles and find relief in
cutting themselves, until Nancy is forced to confront her problems.
Tate, Eleanore E. A Blessing in Disguise; 1995. (Y-P-TAT)
Zambia thinks life with her aunt and uncle is boring and dreams of going to live with her
smooth-talking, fast-living father until she gets to know the darker side of his world.
Werlin, Nancy. Black Mirror; 2001. (Y-Werlin/Y-PRD-WER)
Convinced her brother’s death was murder rather than suicide, 16-year-old Frances
begins her own investigation into suspicious student activities at her boarding school.