Choosing the Perfect Book
Scroll down to see many different book genres
Books for students who like a romantic story and a lot of girl power
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Bray, Libba. I can’t say enough about her. A Great and Terrible Beauty and sequels are great but
her newer books Going Bovine and Beauty Queens are so funny! Her newest is The Diviners.
Cabot, Meg Teen Idol--Cabot has written many popular books.
Caletti, Deb. The Queen of Everything. Caletti is from Portland. This book is a bit mystery and a
bit coming-of-age. She recently published Wild Roses and another great book is Honey, Baby,
Sweetheart.
Sarah Dessen. What Happened to Goodbye. Anything by Dessen or Nicholas Sparks will make
for great page-turners.
Jennifer Donnelly. The tea series is good. Revolution really is her best.
Draper, Sharon M. Tears of a Tiger--and anything else she has written.
Gayle Forman’s books are about young adults figuring it all out –kind of like Sarah Dessen—
there are no vampires, no future worlds—just a good story and good characters.
Green, Jane Jemima J. A favorite book of many!
Love anything by Shannon Hale, like Princess Academy and the much-anticipated sequel Palace
of Stone
Kirby, Jessica. Golden—Realistic fction about a girl trying to figure it out.
Disenchantments by Nina LaCour.
Lockhart, E. The Boyfriend List. I love the books in this series hate the titles.
Marchetta, Melina Saving Francesca. About depression and empowerment. Love Jellico Road ,
Looking for Alibrandt and Finnikin of the Rock too.
Books by Wendy Mass
McCafferty, Megan. Sloppy Firsts. Very entertaining. It has three sequels--Second Helpings,
Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths.
Moriarty, Jaclyn. My Year of Secret Assignments. Written in letter form—a quick read and very
rewarding.
Oliver, Lauren Before I Fall, Delirium, Pandemonium
Zarr, Sara. Sweethearts. Two childhood friends rediscover each other as teenagers.
Zevin Gabrielle. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. A teen loses her memory after a fall.
Elsewhere is also very good.
Books even the most reluctant readers enjoy
Booth, Coe. Tyrell
Cass, Kiera. The Selection; The Elite Probably well suited for a girl reader—this series is so fun. Battles and
romance!
Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Video games meet a trashed world.
Davies, Stephen. Hacking Timbuktu
Dashner, James. The Maze Runner series
Elston, Ashley. The Rules of Disapearing. A girl’s family is in the witness protection program and she is always
facing an uncertain future.
Gorman, Ed.
Green, John. Anything he has written, particularly Looking for Alaska
Kalman, Maira and Daniel Handler Why We Broke Up
Myers, Walter Dean. Dope Sick
Palacio, R.J. Wonder. I have heard people say this should be required reading. It is about a boy with a facial
deformity who starts a new school.
Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called It
Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor and Park and her newest, Fangirl. Everyone loves and should read Eleanor and Park!
Trueman, Terry. His books are powerful. Fellas: do read Cruise Control, Stuck in Neutral and Inside Out.
Vlahos, Len. Scar Boys. A burn victim learns to play rock and roll. Powerful like Wonder.
Walker, Karen Thompson The Age of Miracles What happens when the world slows down.
Ward, Rachel. Numbers.
Yancey, Rick. The 5th Wave. A survival story with so many twists and turns. Everyone who has read this book
loves it!
Zeitlin, Meredith Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters.
A great collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Mieville, China – Start with Perdido Street Station and read on from there. Interesting, gritty postfantasy.
If you like cleverness—Piers Anthony not only creates a wonderful world in his Xanth novels, but is
punny.
Goodman, Alison. The author of Eon and Eona writes about a teenage hero.
Neil Gaiman – anything, including the classic graphic novel Sandman, also try Neverwhere for an
alternative London or American Gods for a modern America infested with the gods of ancient
Civilizations. His latest is The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Scalzi, John. Old Man’s War and Zoe’s Tale. In a future time, the old are given the bodies of the young.
Funny, great read. Zoe’s Tale is told by the 17 year-old daughter of the protagonist of Old Man’s War,
but can be read on its own. Lovers of Star Trek will love his book Redshirts!
Terry Brooks. I don’t need to say anything else. Great local author.
Banks, Ian M. The Player of Games or any of his other “Culture” novels. Set in the far, far future when
technology has advanced to the point where intelligent machines can make you anything you want and
you never need to get sick or die. What do you do with your life when at the end of history?
Stewart, Sean Perfect Circle. Punk rocker sees ghosts.
Gibson, William. Start with the classic cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, which was a terrible movie but a
great read.
Rae Carson. Girl of Fire and Thorns. A princess is needed to save a kingdom but she is being hunted at
the same time. The Crown of Embers (Book 2) and The Bitter Kingdom (Book 3) will make you a lover
of fantasy!
Goldman, William The Princess Bride. Great book, great movie. Funny, romantic, poignant.
Stephenson, Neal. Start with Snow Crash for breakthrough cyberpunk about a pizza delivery guy with a
little hacking problem. Cryptonomicon is long, but one of the best books of the decade. Set about 5
minutes in the future.
Hautman, Pete Godless. Hautman’s novel Mr. Was is a favorite of many young people.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit; Lord of the Rings The Hobbit tells the story before the Lord of the Rings
begins—a must read for any fan!
Clarke, Arthur C. Childhood’s End. A science fiction classic.
Farmer, Nancy The Ear, the Eye, the Arm. She also wrote The House of the Scorpion.
Heinlein, Robert. Check out The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. For a more advanced read try the amazing
Stranger in a Strange Land – it will open your mind.
Nix, Garth. Shade’s Children “Malevolent Overlords rule the earth, directing hideous, humanoid
creatures to harvest the brains and muscles of teens.”
M.T. Anderson Feed Computers and television signals are implanted into the brains of babies, creating
a controlled society.
Brian Jacques the Redwall books. A series with a lot of action and good battling.
Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three The first book in the Prydain Chronicles.
Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man and Dandelion Wine Bradbury is classic science fiction. In this
book the narrator meets a wanderer whose tattoos are alive.
Hearn, Lian. The Tales of the Otori series is great— inspired by feudal Japan and a great story. The
books include Across the Nightingale Floor, Grass for His Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon, and The Harsh
Cry of the Heron
Juliette Marillier. Her books are great fantasy with a strong female lead.
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Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind. A dark, gritty tale about a student learning magic. Love, love,
love.
Terry Pratchett is a winner. Students love his writing.
Zahn, Timothy. The Dragonback series is known for its sharp dialogue.
Quirky, hip, and just fabulous books
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Asher, Jay Thirteen Reasons Why. Hannah sends a tape to those who she feels caused her death.
Chabon, Michael The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Cousins Sam and Joe create a
wildly popular 1940's comic book character, the Escapist, in this clever, action-packed intersection of
war, family, myth and the power of dreams.
Chbosky, Stephen The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Charlie navigates high school using
experimentation, his wits and his good soul.
Cohn, Rachel.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a
rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in
order to avoid his ex. Cohn Also wrote a series with books including Gingerbread, Shrimp, and
Cupcake—all great.
Dunn, Katherine Geek Love Carny folks, Art and Lily, owners of the Binewski's Fabulon, breed a
family of carnival freaks with the use of experimental drugs for their traveling circus.
Eggers, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. At the age of 22, Eggers became both an
orphan and a "single mother" when his parents died within five months of one another of unrelated
cancers. In the ensuing sibling division of labor, Dave is appointed unofficial guardian of his 8-year-old
brother, Christopher.
Morgastern, Erin. Night Circus. Absolutely magical escape.
Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. An absolutely wonderful book—very rock and roll.
Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Coming of Age in a boarding school. Read anything you can by John
Green.
Mlynowski, Sarah. Her book TTYL was revolutionary for being written all in text message. Her new book Ten Things
We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) is very good. Girls will like it.
Miller, Kirsten Kiki Strike Ananka Fishbein discovers a sinkhole and meets Kiki Strike, the black-clad, Vespa-riding
girl. The two explore the shadow city beneath Manhattan.
Palahniuk, Chuck. Palahniuk’s fiction explores the dark-underbelly of human nature. Mature subject matter.
Payne, CD Youth in Revolt.—Over-the-top novel about Nick Twisp. Told in journal form. A teen classic!
Raymo, Chet The Dork of Cork Frank Bois, a dwarf, who lives in Cork, Ireland, recounts his life with painfully raw
humor as he pursues his passion for astronomy and the woman of his dreams.
Robbins, Tom Another Roadside Attraction
A whimsical exploration of religion and life's mysteries in which the
supposed body of Jesus Christ winds up at a zany roadside zoo run by two hippie newlyweds.
Anything by Robbins
is wacky.
Hepherd, Sarah. Never Have I Ever. A twin tries to solve the murder of her sister while her sister looks down on her
from above.
Schneider, Robyn. The Beginning of Everything. If You like John Green you will love this. A good story for boys.
Sonnenblick, Jordan Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. From the author of Notes From the Midnight Driver. A great
book for a hip guy.
Thomas, Rob Rats Saw God This is a book about a teen who reflects on his high school years and discovers a lot
about himself. A must read! Thomas is now developing fantastic TV, including the show “Veronica Mars.”
Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The gonzo journalist travels to Las Vegas in various states of
reality.
Toole, John Kennedy
A Confederacy of Dunces Ignatius J. Reilly, an overweight 30-year-old medievalist living at
home with his Mom in New Orleans, rails against society and scrawls out his magnum opus on Big Chief writing
pads.
Roberts, Gregory David. Shantaram. An Australian escaped prisoner goes to India to get lost in the crowd and finds
himself instead. Johnny Depp has bought the rights to make the movie.
Vonnegut, Kurt Slaughterhouse-Five
While on exhibit on the planet of Tralfamadore, Billy Pilgrim, American
soldier and witness to the bombing of Dresden, revisits his memories of the past and the horrors of war.
Zusak, Markus The Book Thief
. The novel is set during World War II and is narrated by-–Death. Zusak also wrote I
am the Messenger.
Graphic Novels
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Satrape, Marjane. Persepolis. A wonderful series about a girl growing up in Iran.
Hernandez, Gilbert. Love and Rockets. Now released in multi-volume books.
Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman.
Speigelman, Art. Maus. World War II story where the major characters are mice.
Eisner, Will. The Contract with God Trilogy. About a New York City neighborhood.
Bagge, Peter. Buddy Does Seattle. Written between 1990-1994 and explores the grunge culture.
Telgemier, Raina Smile and Drama. Very smart writing for girls who love graphic novels.
Belstorf, Arne. Baby’s in Black. A beautiful graphic novel about The Beatles.
Small, David. Stitches.
Long, Mark, Jim Demarkonos. The Silence of Our Friends. A graphic novel about the Civil Rights Movement.
Social Issues—Reality Fiction
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McCormick, Patricia. Cut. This book is about a teenage girl who cuts herself. McCormick also wrote
Sold.
Burgess, Melvin. Smack. Two teenagers run away and find themselves living high on heroin.
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank and the sequel Glass are books told in poetry. It is about a girl addicted to drugs.
Impulse and Burned are also popular “issue” books by this author. All of Hopkins’ books are written in
poetry.
Anderson, Laurie Halse Speak. Amazon says, “[It] is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage
outcast.” Her new novel Twisted is also great! (sexual abuse)
Amateau, Gigi. Claiming Georgia Tate. A powerful book about combating sexual abuse.
Bauer, Joan. Best Foot Forward. This is the sequel to Rules of the Road. Alcoholism and Alzheimer’s are
part of this novel.
Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable (date rape).
Myers, Walter Dean. Shooter. This is the story of a school shooting. Myers also wrote Monster. Gritty
and good.
Alan Lawrence Sitomer. Homeboyz (gang violence), Hip Hop High School (neighborhood violence).
Cupala, Holly. Don’t Breathe a Word (homelessness/abuse) and Tell Me a Secret (teen pregnancy).
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (drug abuse).
Quick, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Suicide issues.
Jennifer Brown. The Hate List. (school violence).
Gabrielle Zevin. Because it is My Blood. (escaping a troubled past).
Pelzer, Dave. A Child Called It, The Lost Boy, A Man Named Dave. (child abuse).
Amy Efaw. After. (teen pregnancy).
Angela Johnson. The First Part Last. (teen pregnancy).
Books with cultural themes
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Alvarez, Julia. A favorite writer of all readers. Latina characters are featured.
Woodson, Jacqueline Locomotion, The House You Pass on the Way and From the Notebooks
of Melanin Sun. these books have African-American protagonists.
Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. The Secret Story of Sonja Rodriguez. Sonja fears the deportation of
her immigrant parents.
Coert Vorhees. The Brothers Torres. A book about family loyalty.
Allende, Isabel City of the Beasts. Adventure in the rain forest.
Blackman, Malorie Naughts and Crosses
The naughts, who are white, are ruled by the
powerful crosses, who are dark-skinned, and the two are deeply divided.
Dhami, Narinder Bollywood Babes. These books about Bollywood (India produces more
movies than Hollywood) are fantastic. Also see Bhangra Babes and Bindi Babes.
Diaz Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Coming of age in the Dominican Republic.
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Garcia, Christina. Dreams of Significant Girls. Three girls from very different cultures meet at school.
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Zenatti, Valerie. When I Was a Soldier. Chronicles a young woman spending two years in the
Israeli army.
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy. Not new, but re-released. A book about coming of age during
apartheid in South Africa.
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Osa, Nancy Cuba 15 Violet Paz spends a year preparing for her quinceanera.
Whitney, Kim Ablon. See You Down the Road. The protagonists of this novel are Romano.
Garcia, Rita Williams. No Laughter Here. Female genital mutilation is at the center of this
novel.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel about a high
schooler with a foot on and a foot off his reservation.
Sports
Murdock, Katherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen, The Off Season, Front and Center. A girl playing football
with a bit of romance.
Lypsite, Robert. The Contender. The Brave. Boxing.
Deuker, Carl. Heart of a Champion. Baseball. LOCAL AUTHOR!
Kinsella, W.P. Shoelss Joe. Baseball
Crutcher, Chris. He writes well about many sports. Whale Talk is about swimming and is getting a lot
of good press.
Armstrong, Lance. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. Bicycling.
Maclean, Norman. A River Runs Through It. Flyfishing.
Myers, Walter Dean. Slam!, Hoops. Basketball.
Peet, Mal. Soccer
Chabon, Michael. Summerland. Baseball.
West, Stanley Gordon. Blind Your Ponies. Beautiful. Basketball, Montana, humor.
Weaver, Will. Superstock Rookie, Saturday Night Dirt.
Some authors who write about gay, lesbian and transgender issues:
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Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Road, Rainbow High, So Hard to Say); Carol Plum-Ucci What
Happened to Lani Garver?
Hartinger, Brent The Order of the Poison Oak. Sixteen-year-old Russel Middlebrook is a gay
guy at his high school. He uses fable to teach others about bigotry.
Julie Peters. Luna and now Rage: A Love Story.
Also, author Francesca Lia Block incorporates gay characters into many of her books.
John Green also has gay themes in his books.
Francesca Lia Block. The Weetzie Bat books.
Beam, Chris. I am J.
Danforth, Emily. The Miseducation of Cameron Post—Guilt over feelings and the trauma
religious conversion therapy make this a serious look at what GLTBQ teens struggle with.
George, Madeline. The Difference Between You and Me—The secret crush between two very
different girls
Koinigsburg, Bill. Openly Straight—a boy is tired of being the token gay kid.
So you liked Twilight? The Supernatural? Other books that follow trends
Trend: people encounter non-humans that look human
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Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books. Well written and she used to teach in the Edmonds School
District!
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Black, Holly Tithe. Fairies and magic! The sequels are Valiant and Ironside now there is White Cat.
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Bray, Libba. The hottest writer going. Strong women, perilous adventures. A Great and Terrible Beauty
and Rebel Angels are very well received.
Books by Alison Noel. The Soul Seekers series is good.
Brooks, Max. Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. Zombies!
Kraus, Daniel. Rotters. More zombies.
Cast, PC. Marked and the sequel Betrayed. A girl who does not fit in finds comfort with supernaturals.
Clare Cassandra. City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass—Wow!!! Her newer series including
Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Princess is even better
Cole, Stephen The Wereling Prey. Kate Folan is part of a werewolf family.
De La Cruz, Melissa. Blue Bloods and the sequel Masquerade both combine high fashion with vampires.
Ewing, Lynne. Possession. Part of the Sons of the Dark Series. About teens with powers.
Hinton, S. E. Hawkes Harbor. This is a new book from the author of The Outsiders. Reviews say it is
very good and very scary.
Stiefvafir, Maggie. Linger, Shiver, Forever. Girl loves a werewolf. Also she wrote the wonderful Scorpio
Races and Raven Boys.
Pascal, Francine. Her books are like James Bond with the females doing all the spying!
Pierce, Tamora. You must read this series which includes Trickster’s Choice and Trickster’s Queen. Aly
is a female knight in a magical, medieval world.
Cremer, Andrea. Nightshade series. A lot of actual history as well.
Johnson, Maureen. The Name of the Star; The Madness Underneath. A great read with a little bit of
Victorian London and ghosts.
LeFevers, R.L. Grave Mercy. An order of nuns goes to battle—Dark Triumph is a wonderful follow up.
Taylor, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Are the monsters good or bad?
Trend: Fiction based on Fairy Tales
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Flinn, Alex. Beastly.
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McKinley, Robin. Spindles End and others
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Meyer, Melissa. Cinder.
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Dixon, Heather. Entwined
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Kontis, Alethea. Enchanted
Trend: Steampunk Literature (literature that blends Victorian times and the future)
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Carriger, Gail. Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and her new book Etiquette and
Espionage
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Priest, Cherie Boneshaker, Drednought
Trend: Post-Apocolyptic/Dystopian World—What the world will be like after people destroy civilization
Charbonneau, Joelle. The Testing. The world seems a little too perfect. Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games,
Catching Fire, Mockingjay
Condie Ally. Matched, Crossed, Reached.
Kizer, Amber. A Matter of Days. Post-apopolyctic adveture—pretty scary.
Lu, Marie. Legend and Prodigy
Mafi, Tahereh, Shatter Me, Unravel Me.
Revis, Beth. Across the Universe trilogy
Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now—During World War 3 a teenage girl is sent to live in the English
countryside
Yancey, Rick. The 5th Wave
Young, Moira. Blood Red Road. Amazing book and so is its sequel Rebel Heart
Trend: Series with monsters, mythology, or action (Like the Percy Jackson stories)
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Riordan Rick. In addition to The Last Olympian, he wrote the Kane Chronicles with The Red Pyramid,
Throne of Fire, Serpent’s Shadow
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Flanagan, John. The Ranger’s Apprentice series
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Horowitz, Anthony . Alex Rider Maximum Ride series
Horror Books
McNeil, Gretchen. Ten. A beachhouse and ca reepy DVD warning teens of doom.
A great list for college-bound students!!!
1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (1960)
2. The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger (1951)
3. 1984 - George Orwell (1949)
4. The Color Purple- Alice Walker (1982)
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
6. On the Road - Jack Kerouac (1957)
7. Beloved - Toni Morrison (1987)
8. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (1939)
9. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (1936)
10. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (1932)
11. Animal Farm - George Orwell (1954)
12. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White (1952)
13. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison (1952)
14. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller (1955)
15. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
(1962)
16. Ulysses - James Joyce (1922)
17. East of Eden - John Steinbeck (1952)
18. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
19. Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison (1977)
20. Lord of the Flies - William Golding (1955)
21. Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon (1973)
22. The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien (1937)
23. My Antonia - Willa Cather (1918)
24. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (1989)
25. The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan (1989)
26. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess (1962)
27. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
(1952)
28. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway (1926)
29. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale
Hurston (1937)
30. The Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver (1988)
31. Tropic of Capricorn - Henry Miller (1939)
32. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
33. All the Kings Men - Robert Penn Warren
34. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (1927)
35. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
36. Deliverance - James Dickey
37. Howard's End - E. M. Forster (1910)
38. The Forsyte Saga - John Galsworthy
39. Dune - Frank Herbert
40. The World According to Garp - John Irving
41. A Separate Peace - John Knowles
42. The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
43. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
44. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
45. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
46. The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
47. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
48. The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
49. Native Son - Richard Wright
50. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
51. The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles
52. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
53. The Book of Ruth - Jane Hamilton (1988)
54. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway (1929)
55. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
56. From Here to Eternity - James Jones (1951)
57. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James
Joyce (1916)
58. Sometimes a Great Notion - Ken Kesey (1964)
59. Animal Dreams - Barbara Kingsolver (1990)
60. Being There - Jerzy Kosinski (1970)
61. The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin
(1969)
62. Martha Quest - Doris Lessing (1952)
63. The Four-Gated City - Doris Lessing (1969)
64. The Call of the Wild - Jack London (1903)
65. All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
66. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry (1985)
67. Hawaii - James Michener (1959)
68. Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller (1934)
69. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice (1976)
70. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair (1906)
71. Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner (1971)
72. Rabbit Run - John Updike (1960)
73. Trinity - Leon Uris (1976)
74. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
75. The Temple of My Familiar - Alice Walker
76. Go Tell it on the Mountain - James Baldwin
77. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (1952)
78. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck (1931)
79. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (1985)
80. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke (1968)
81. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (1902)
82. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies (1970)
83. Ragtime - E. L. Doctorow (1975)
84. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett(1930)
85. Stones from the River - Ursula Hegi (1994)
86. Ironweed - William Kennedy (1984)
87. The Stand - Stephen King (1978)
88. Sons and Lovers - D. H. Lawrence (1913)
89. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - John Le Carre
(1963)
90. Babbitt - Sinclair Lewis (1922)
91. Of Human Bondage - W. Somerset Maugham
92. The Enigma of Arrival - V. S. Naipaul (1987)
93. The Shell Seekers - Rosamunde Pilcher (1987)
94. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
95. Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
96. My Life as a Man - Philip Roth
97. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
98. Sophie's Choice - William Styron
99. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - Anne Tyler
100. Bastard Out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison
Historical Fiction
Anything by Eva Ibbotson (Regency Romance)
Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution is good—switches between modern times and the French Revolution
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (World War II)
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (Vietnam)
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers (Iraq War)
And just plain history—Sarah Vowell and her take on American history isinteresting and funny. Titles
include: The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Assasination Vacation, The Wordy Shipmates, Unfamiliar Fishes
Books that should be taught in high school
Some modern classics not written by dead, white guys
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang
July’s People by Nadine Gordimer
One-Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Q & A Vikas Swarup
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Lives of Girls and Women by -Alice Munro
Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
The Body by Stephen King
Michael L. Printz Award-Given annually for the best books written for teens in a given year
2013
Winner: In Darkness by Nick Lake
Honor Books: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz; Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Dodger by Terry
Pratchett; The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna
2012
Winner: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor Books: Why We Broke Up, written by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman; The Returning, written by Christine Hinwood; Jasper Jones, written by
Craig Silvey; The Scorpio Races, written by Maggie Stiefvater
2011
Winner: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Honor Books: Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King, Revolver written by Marcus Sedgwick, Nothing written by Janne Teller
2010
Winner: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Honor Books: Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes
2009
Winner: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Honor Books: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
2008
Winner: The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Honor Books: Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill
2007
Winner: American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
Honor Books: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Surrender, by Sonya Hartnett
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
2006
Winner: Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Honor Books: Black Juice , by Margo Lanagan
I Am the Messenger , by Markus Zusak
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, a Photographic Biography, by Elizabeth Partridge
A Wreath for Emmett Till, by Marilyn Nelson
2005
Winner: how i live now, by Meg Rosoff
Honor Books: Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt
2004:
Winner: The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson
Honor Books: A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly
Keesha’s House, by Helen Frost
Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
2003
Winner: Postcards from No Man’s Land, by Aidan Chambers
Honor Books: The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
My Heartbeat, by Garret Freymann-Weyr
Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos
2002
Winner: A Step From Heaven, by An Na
Honor Books: The Ropemaker, by Peter Dickinson
Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art, by Jan Greenberg Abrams
Freewill, by Chris Lynch
True Believer, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
2001
Winner: Kit’s Wilderness, by David Almond
Honor Books: Many Stones, by Carolyn Coman
The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison
Stuck in Neutral, by Terry Trueman
2000
Winner: Monster, by Walter Dean Myers
Honor Books: Skellig, by David Almond
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_in_literature
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an
American author, preferably dealing with American life.
1948: Tales of the South Pacific by James A.
Michener
1949: Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens
1950: The Way West by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.
1951: The Town by Conrad Richter
1952: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
1953: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest
Hemingway
1954: no award given
1955: A Fable by William Faulkner
1956: Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor
1957: no award given
1958: A Death in the Family by James Agee
1959: The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert
Lewis Taylor
1960: Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
1961: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1962: The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor
1963: The Reivers by William Faulkner
1964: no award given
1965: The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann
Grau
1966: Collected Stories by Katherine Anne Porter
1967: The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
1968: The Confessions of Nat Turner by William
Styron
1969: House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday
1970: Collected Stories by Jean Stafford
1971: no award given
1972: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
1973: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
1974: no award given
1975: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
1976: Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
1977: no award given
1978: Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson
1979: The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever
1980: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
1981: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy
Toole
1982: Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike
1983: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
1984: Ironweed by William Kennedy
1985: Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
1986: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
1987: A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
1988: Beloved by Toni Morrison
1989: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
1990: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by
Oscar Hijuelos
1991: Rabbit At Rest by John Updike
1992: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
1993: A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by
Robert Olen Butler
1994: The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
1995: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
1996: Independence Day by Richard Ford
1997: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American
Dreamer by Steven Millhauser
1998: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
1999: The Hours by Michael Cunningham
2000: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
2001: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
by Michael Chabon
2002: Empire Falls by Richard Russo
2003: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2004: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
2005: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2006: March by Geraldine Brooks
2007: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
2008: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by
Junot Diaz
2008: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by
Junot Diaz
2009: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stroud
2010: Tinkers by Paul Harding
2011: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
2012: No winner
2013: Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
The Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy
novel of the previous year.
2012 Redshirts by John Scalzi 2011 Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis 2010 City in the City by China
Meiville and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (tie) 2009 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 2008
Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon 2007 Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge 2006 Spin by Robert
Charles Wilson 2005 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 2004 Paladin of Souls by Lois
McMaster Bujold 2003 Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer 2002 American Gods by Neil Gaiman 2001 Harry
Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling 2000 A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge 1999 To Say
Nothing of the Dog: Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump At Last by Connie Willis 1998 Forever
Peace by Joe Haldeman 1997
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson 1996 The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal
Stephenson 1995 Mirror Dance by Lois Mcmaster Bujold 1994 Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson 1993
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis and A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge1992 Barrayar by Lois McMaster
Bujold1991 The Vor Game: The Continuing Adventures of Miles Vorkosigan by Lois McMaster Bujold1990
Hyperion by Dan Simmons1989 Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh 1988 The Uplift War by David Brin1987 Speaker for the
Dead by Orson Scott Card1986 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card1985 Neuromancer by William Gibson1984
Startide Rising by David Brin1983 Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov1982 Downbelow Station by C. J.
Cherryh1981 The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge1980 The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur Charles Clarke1979
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. Mcintyre1978 Gateway by Frederik Pohl1977 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by
Kate Wilhelm1976 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman1975 The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula
Le Guin1974 Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur Charles Clarke1973 The Gods Themselves by Isaac
Asimov1972 To Your Scattered Bodies by Philip Jose Farmer1971 Ringworld by Larry Niven1970 The Left
Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin1969 Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner1968 Lord of Light by Roger
Zelazny1967 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein1966 Dune by Frank Herbert and This
Immortal by Roger Zelazny1965 The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber1964 Way Station by Clifford D. Simak1963 The
Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick1962 Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein1961 A Canticle
for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller1960 Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein1959 A Case of Conscience by
James Blish1958 The Big Time by Fritz Leiber1957 No award was given.1956 Double Star by Robert A
Heinlein1955 They'd Rather Be Right by Frank Riley1954 No award was given.1953 The Demolished Man by
Alfred Bester