For SSR and/or your class library, we suggest you select books from each category to ensure a broad selection for students, as well as investigate different texts by the same author. Teachers should always review books before giving to students.
Almond, David
Skellig (fantasy, mystery)
Michael, whose life has taken some unhappy turns, retreats into the garage of his new house and finds a mysterious stranger.
Clay
Alphin, Elaine Marie
Counterfeit Son
When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police, his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one of his father's victims in order to survive.
Alverez, Julia
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (teen issues)
Story of a family arriving in the US from the Dominican Republic.
Before We Were Free (historical fiction)
As life in the Dominican Republic becomes increasingly dangerous, Anita must struggle to overcome her fears and eventually leave all that she once knew behind.
Anonymous
Go Ask Alice (teen issues)
This classic traces a teen girl's life as it spins out of control.
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Speak (teen issues)
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.
Catalyst (teen issues)
Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher's daughter, finds herself losing control in her senior as she faces difficult neighbors, the possibility that she may not be accepted by the college of her choice, and an unexpected death.
Twisted (teen issues)
Arakawa, Hiromu
The Art of Fullmetal Alchemist
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia
Demon in My View (fantasy)
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Seventeen-year old Jessica Allodola discovers that the vampire world of her fiction is real when she develops relationships with an alluring vampire named Aubrey and the teenage witch who tries to save
Jessica from his clutches.
In the Forest of the Night (fantasy)
Risika, a teenage vampire, wanders back in time to the year 1684 when, as a human, she died and was transformed against her will.
Shattered Mirror (fantasy)
As seventeen-year-old Sarah, daughter of a powerful line of vampire-hunting witches, pursues the ancient bloodsucker Nikolas, she finds herself in a dangerous friendship with the two vampire siblings in her high school.
Avi
Nothing But the Truth (teen issues)
A ninth-grader's suspension for apparently refusing to be patriotic highlights miscommunication and misperceptions of the same event.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
PLUS MANY OTHERS
Bagdasarian, Adam
Forgotten Fire (historical fiction)
A boy from a wealthy, well-respected family from Bitlis, Turkey, is stripped of everything simply because he is Armenian.
Bauer, Joan
Hope Was Here (teen issues)
When sixteen-year-old Hope moves from Brooklyn to Wisconsin to work as a waitress and cook in the
Welcome Stairways diner, she becomes involved in a campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.
Rules of the Road (teen issues)
Sixteen-year old Jenna comes of age while driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful stores to
Texas.
Bechard, Margaret
Hanging Onto Max (teen issues)
When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, seventeen-year-old Sam is determined to keep him and raise him alone.
Block, Francesca Lia
Violet & Claire (teen issues)
Two friends struggle with their differences, set against the glittering backdrop of Hollywood.
Brashares, Ann
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (teen issues)
During summer break, four friends each embark on adventures.
Burgess, Melvin
Smack (teen issues)
A glimpse into the live of teens who want to escape their often dysfunctional families and descend into the abyss of drugs.
Cadnum, Michael
Rundown (mystery)
Intriguing story of deception jealousy and a lesson learned the hard way.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Redhanded (sports)
Stephen's chance to make it to the big boxing tournament is to go along with the dangerous plan of a local tough guy.
Breaking the Fall (realistic fiction)
Desperately trying to hold together his disintegrating life, Stanley allows his friend Jared to draw him into a dangerous game of fear.
Edge (realistic fiction)
Zachary, living with his divorced mother in California, finds violence gradually invading his life and making significant changes in his day-do-day existence.
Carter, Alden
Bull Catcher (sports)
A deeper look at sports, competition and what it takes to succeed.
Chbosky, Stephen
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (teen issues)
Funny, touching novel about a "normal" teenager - not popular, not geeky, just himself.
Cole, Brock
The Facts Speak for Themselves (teen issues)
Coleman, Evelyn
Born in Sin (realistic fiction)
Living in a housing project with drug dealers as neighbors, Keisha is determined not to let her future be dictated by her meager circumstances.
Coman, Carolyn
Many Stones (realistic fiction)
A murder in South Africa and subsequent dedication of a memorial provide the backdrop of this story.
Printz Honor Book.
What Jamie Saw (realistic fiction)
A story of abuse, uncertainty, fear and courage.
Connolly, John
The Book of Lost Things (fantasy) (2007 Alex Award)
12-year-old David learns lessons of bravery, loyalty, and honor as he copes with family changes and escaping a portal to another world.
Cormier, Robert
After the First Death (thriller)
Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists are described from various perspectives.
The Chocolate War (teen issues)
A high school freshman arouses the wrath of school bullies.
Heroes (historical fiction)
After joining the army at fifteen, Francis returns home to face his demons.
I Am the Cheese (mystery, thriller)
A conflict between a boy whose choice to unlock his past jeopardizes his life.
Rag and Bone Shop (mystery, thriller)
A story of intimidation as an ace interrogator works to procure a confession from an introverted twelveyear old.
Tenderness (thriller)
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

A story told from the points of view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girls who fall in love with him.
We All Fall Down (teen issues)
The main character learns that "the sins of omission" have consequences.
Cooney, Caroline
Hush, Little Baby (mystery thriller)
Complex situations and breathless escapes abound in this psychological thriller.
Burning Up (mystery thriller)
A string of arsons reveals a community's hidden truths.
Crutcher, Chris
Chinese Handcuffs (teen issues)
Still troubled by his older brother's violent suicide, Dillon becomes deeply involved in a terrible secret.
Dealine ( teen issues)
After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, 18-year-old Ben Wolf elects to
forgo treatment and keep his illness secret from his family and friends in an attempt to have a
"normal" senior year at his small Idaho high school
Ironman (sports)
While training for a triathlon, Bo learns about anger management and relationships.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (teen issues)
Daily class discussions about contemporary issues serve as a backdrop to solving real life issues.
Curtis, Christopher Paul
The Watsons Go to Birmingham (historical fiction)
A story of a Michigan family living during the Civil Rights Movement.
Bucking the Sarge (teen issues)
Deeply involved in his cold and manipulative mother's shady business dealings in Flint, Michigan, fourteen-year-old Luther keeps a sense of humor while working for her. A battle between greed and morality.
Dessen, Sarah.
Just Listen
Annabel Greene seemingly had everything: cool friends, close family, good grades, and a part-time modeling career in town. But it all came crashing down, and Annabel has spent the summer in shaky, self-imposed exile.
Dreamland (realistic fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Caitlin begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is brilliant and dangerous.
Keeping the Moon (teen issues)
Formerly overweight girl sheds her self-consciousness during a summer away from home.
Someone Like You (teen issues)
Sixteen-year-old Haley experiences loss and the strength of relationships.
This Lullaby (teen issues)
The story of a girl who believes her heart is made of stone - and the boy who proves her wrong.
Truth About Forever (realistic fiction)
Sixteen year old Macy stays in control - good grades, perfect boyfriend, always neat and tidy - and tries to fake her way to normal.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

DeFelice, Cynthia
Under the Same Sky (realistic fiction)
Joe narrates a well-paced story that illuminates the need for understanding, tolerance, and discussion of the role and rights of migrant workers in the United States
De la Pena, Matt ( Reluctant Young Adult Readers List)
Ball Don’t Lie (sports, teen issues)
Shuffled between foster homes since childhood, Sticky devotes himself to playing basketball at Lincoln
Rec, where he has found a family among the serious players.
Deuker, Carl
Heart of a Champion (sports)
Seth faces a strain on his friendship with Jimmy, who is both a baseball champion and something of an irresponsible fool.
High Heat (sports)
Gym Candy (sports
On the Devil's Court (sports)
Struggling with feelings of inadequacy, seventeen-year old Joe attempts to make a trade.
Painting the Black (sports)
Remy's life is changed when a star athlete moves in across the street.
DiCamillo, Kate
Because of Winn-Dixie (realistic fiction)
All good things happen to India Opal Buloni because of her ugly dog.
Downham, Jenny
Before I Die (realistic fiction) (YALSA)
Through first perspective narration, a teen diagnosed with cancer chronicles her list of things to accomplish, as she fears an untimely death.
Draper, Sharon
Copper Sun (historical fiction)
Romiette and Julio (teen issues)
Same themes as the classic with interracial romance.
Tears of a Tiger (teen issues)
A teen deals with the DUI death of her best friend.
The Battle of Jericho (teen issues)
A high school junior and his cousin suffer the ramifications of joining what seems to be a "reputable" school club.
Ferris, Jean
Bad (realistic fiction)
Dallas is sentences to six months in a rehabilitation center after robbing a store when her father refuses to allow her to come home.
Love Among the Walnuts (realistic fiction)
A family becomes a victims of a vicious plot by greedy relatives.
Of Sound Mind (realistic fiction)
Theo finds support from a new student when he is tired of dealing with his family's problems.
Flake, Sharon
Begging for Change (realistic fiction)
Teenage Raspberry Hill tries to sort out her confused feelings of disgust, shame, and love for her homeless, drug addicted father and worries that she may have inherited his lying and stealing ways.
The Skin I’m In (realistic fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.
Who Am I Without Him?
(teen issues)
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Fleischman, Paul
Seedfolks (realistic fiction)
People of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden and in doing so are transformed themselves.
Whirligig (realistic fiction)
Brent finds forgiveness and atonement as it builds whirligigs in memory of the girls whose death he causes.
Seek (realistic fiction)
Rob becomes obsessed with searching the airwaves for his long-gone father when he is assigned to write his autobiography.
Breakout (realistic fiction)
After spending seventeen year bouncing among foster home, smart, sharp-tongued Del fakes her death and leaves both herself and L.A. behind.
Flinn, Alex
Breathing Underwater (realistic fiction)
An exploration of an abusive relationship between two high school students from the perspective of the abuser.
Breaking Point (realistic fiction)
Novel about trying to survive social and moral landmines of high school.
Diva (realistic fiction)
An exploration of an abusive relationship between two high school students from the perspective of the abused.
Nothing to Lose (mystery)
Story of the memories of an abusive stepfather and a helpless mother.
Frank, E.R.
America (realistic fiction)
America, a part-black, part-write, part-anything boy who spent many years in institutions for disturbed, antisocial behavior, tries to piece his life together.
Life is Funny (realistic fiction)
The lives of a number of young people of in different races, economic backgrounds, and family situations living in Brooklyn, New York, become intertwined over a seven year period.
Friction (realistic fiction)
When a new girl starts rumors about Alex's favorite teacher, Alex is not sure how to act around him.
Wrecked (teen issues)
George, Jessica Day
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (fantasy) (YALSA)
An outcast in her family, Lass tells the story of a year she spent in the home of an enchanted great white bear
Giles, Gail
Shattering Glass (realistic fiction)
A story about the use and abuse of power as experienced by five high school males.
Going, K.L.
Fat Kid Rules the World (realistic fiction)
300 pound Troy gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius of the guitar wants Troy to be a drummer in his rock band.
Green, John
Looking for Alaska (2006 Printz Award Winner)
Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter is bored, lonely, and unchallenged, so he decides to leave his family home in Florida for the Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Griffin, Adele
Amandine (realistic fiction)
During her first week at school, shy, plain Delia does not anticipate the dangerous turns her new friendship will take.
Sons of Liberty (realistic fiction)
When Rock helps his friend Liza run away from home, he wonders whether escaping from his own troubled family would be an act of patriotism or of treason.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Among the Hidden (science fiction)
Luke lives in isolation and fear that he will be discovered as an illegal third child.
Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphey (realistic fiction)
A tenth grader writes about her life spinning out of control.
Leaving Fishers (realistic fiction)
Dorry finds herself immersed in a religious cult from which she must struggle to extricate herself.
Turnabout (science fiction)
After participating in a flawed scientific experiment to reverse the aging process, the main characters face the fear of being unable to take care of themselves as they grow younger.
Hall, Daemon
Andrew Nance and Colin Polhemus (mystery) (YALSA)
A thriller about five writers competing to publish their writing
Hesser, Terry Spencer
Kissing Doorknobs (realistic fiction)
Increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over Tara's life and relationships.
Hobbs, Will
Downriver (realistic fiction)
Rebellious teenage members of a wilderness survival school team abandon their adult leader.
Jason's Gold (historical fiction)
Jason embarks on a 5,000-miles journey to strike it rich.
Maze (mystery)
A fourteen-year-old foster child escapes to a wild animal sanctuary.
Holt, Kimberly Willis
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (realistic fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, a 600 pound boy.
Ingold, Jeannette
The Window (realistic fiction)
A girl survives the car crash that killed her mother by discovering her inner strength.
Jenkins, A.M
Repossessed (2008 Printz Award Honor)
Jinks, Catherine
Evil Genius (YALSA)
14-year-old Cadel struggles with good versus evil while studying at the Axis Institute for World
Domination.
Johnson, Angela
First Part Last (realistic fiction)
Bobby's carefree life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his baby daughter.
Johnson, Scott
Safe at Second (sports)
Major league dreams glimmer for a high school senior and his sidekick.
Kadohata, Cynthia (Newberry Medal Winner)
Kira-Kira (realistic fiction)
A tale of the trials and tribulations that a Japanese-American family goes through in the 50’s in Georgia.
Told from a youth’s perspective
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Kehret, Peg
I'm Not Who You Think I Am (mystery)
Fast-paced thriller about a girl who is abducted by her birth mother.
King, Stephen
Pet Semetary (mystery thriller)
A cult classic horror story.
Klass, David
You Don't Know Me (realistic fiction)
Fear and uncertainty cause the main character to stumble as he negotiates his way through significant issues.
Klauss, Annette
Blood and Chocolate (fantasy)
A beautiful werewolf must decide where she belongs in the world of humans.
Koertge, Ron
The Brimstone Journals (realistic fiction)
In a series of short interconnected poems, students reveal violence existing and growing in their lives.
Where the Kissing Never Stops (realistic fiction)
A high school junior finds support in dealing with his issues after meeting a new girl.
Stoner and Spaz (realistic fiction)
A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a drug-addicted young woman.
Konigsburg, EL
Silent to the Bone (realistic fiction, mystery)
When Branwell loses his power of speech because of a trauma in his life, his friend tries to uncover the truth.
Korman, Gordon
No More Dead Dogs (realistic fiction)
For expressing his true views about an assigned novel, eighth-grade football hero earns a detention that takes him off the team and plunks him in the auditorium viewing a production about the book.
Son of the Mob (realistic fiction)
Vince Luca is just like any other high school kid, except his dad happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.
Kyle, Aryn (Alex Awards 2008)
The God of Animals
Larson, Kirby (Newberry Medal Winner)
Hattie Big Sky (historic fiction)
In this engaging historical novel set in 1918, 16-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks leaves Iowa and travels to a Montana homestead inherited from her uncle
Lawrence, Iain
The Smugglers (historical fiction)
Seafaring book set on the Cornish coast 200 years ago.
Leavitt, Martin
Heck, Superhero (realistic fiction)
When life stops making sense, 13-year old Heck retreats into his drawings, learing that compassion is a superpower, and that asking for help can be the most heroic act of all.
Levenkron, Steven
The Luckiest Girl in the World (realistic fiction)
A pressured teen finds only one way to cope with a broken home and a powerful, demanding mother.
Lipsyte, Robert
The Contender (sports)
A Harlem high school dropout uses the boxing ring to figure out life.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Lowry, Lois
The Giver (science fiction)
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Lutz, Lisa (2008Alex Awards)
The Spellman Files (mystery)
Isabelle Spellman tries to get out of her family’s private investigation business by solving a 10-year-old case of a missing teen.
Lynch, Chris
Gold Dust (historical fiction, sports)
Richard befriends a Caribbean newcomer, introducing his to baseball, hoping it will win acceptance in his racially polarized Boston school.
Iceman (sports)
A ruthless hockey player prone, to violence on the ice, tries to reconcile his own needs with those of his parents.
Inexcusable (teen issues)
Mackler, Carolyn
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (realistic fiction)
Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, Virginia tries to deal with her selfimage, her first physical relationship and disillusionment with some people closest to her.
Marr, Melissa
Wicked Lovely (fantasy) (YALSA)
Two best friends, a pure vampire and half-blood vampire are captured and returned to their private school.
Martinez, Victor
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vada (realistic fiction)
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle. National Book Award.
Marsden, John
Letters from the Inside (realistic fiction)
A relationship by correspondence intensifies as terrible problems are revealed.
So Much to Tell You (realistic fiction)
A mysteriously disfigured girl who refuses to speak, reveals her thoughts and feelings in a diary.
Tomorrow When the War Began (Survival, series)
Seven teenagers return form a camping trip to discover that their country has been invaded.
Mazer, Norma Fox
When She Was Good (realistic fiction)
The death of her abusive, manipulative older sister prompts seventeen-year-old Em to remember their unpleasant life together, with their parents and then later on their own.
McCaughrean, Geraldine
The White Darkness (2008 Printz Winner)
A teenage girl learns about herself and life as she embarks on an expedition to the Antarctic.
McCormick, Patricia
Cut ( realistic fiction)
A story about a young girl so seriously lost in life that she begins to harm herself.
McNamee, Graham
Acceleration (realistic fiction)
One teen's self-conscious yet fast-paced journey into the mind of a cold-blooded killer, and the resulting manhunt that will thrill readers.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Meyer, Stephanie (Reluctant Young Adult Readers List)
Twilight (Fantasy)
New kid in school Bella falls in love unknowingly with a vampire.
Eclipse
New Moon
Myers, Walter Dean
Fallen Angels (historical fiction)
Hoops (sports)
A professional player, forced to quit basketball because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.
Monster (realistic fiction)
A sixteen-year-old records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom as he tries to come to terms with the choices he has made.
Scorpions (realistic fiction)
A teen becomes caught in gang life.
Noel, Alyson
Saving Zoe (YALSA)
High school freshman, Zoe struggles to cope with the death of her sister as she adjust to high school.
Nolan, Han
Born Blue (realistic fiction)
Janie was four years old when she nearly drowned due to her mother's neglect. Through an unhappy foster home experience, and years of feeling that she is unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a famous singer.
Dancing on the Edge (realistic fiction)
Oates, Joyce Carol
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl (realistic fiction)
A story of family and friendship, loyalty and betrayal.
Orr, Wendy
Peeling the Onion (realistic fiction)
A girl survives an auto accident in more ways than one.
Paulsen, Gary
Brian's Return (realistic fiction)
54 days in the wilderness makes it difficult to return to civilization.
Peck, Richard
A Long Way From Chicago (realistic fiction)
A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger than life grandmother
A Year Down Yonder (realistic fiction)
During the recession of 1937, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty grandmother in rural Illinois.
Peck, Robert Newton
A Day No Pigs Would Die (historical fiction)
Maturity comes early to a Vermont farm boy who learns to do what needs to be done.
Extra Innings (sports)
A story about a sixteen-year-old baseball fan.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Peet, Mal
Tamar (historical fiction) (YALSA) (Carnegie Medal Winner)
A riveting drama of resistance fighters in Netherlands during WWII.
Pennebaker, Ruth
Don't Think Twice (realistic fiction)
Anne learns who she is as she makes a decision of whether or not to give up her baby for adoption.
Conditions of Love (realistic fiction)
A teen comes to terms with her volatile emotions and changing relationships.
Perkins, Lynn Rae (Newberry Medal Winner)
Criss Cross
Character study told from teens’ points of view involving those moments that occur in everyone's life/moments when a decision is made that leads one along one path opposed to another.
Peters, Julie Ann
Define "Normal" (realistic fiction)
Two very different girls discover who they are through a forced friendship.
Philbrick, Rodman
Freak the Mighty (realistic fiction)
Two friends discover that when they combine forces, they make a brilliant team.
Plum-Ucci, Carol
The Body of Christopher Creed (realistic fiction, mystery)
A high school junior struggles with doubts and questions surrounding the disappearance of a class outcast.
Whatever Happened to Lani Garver?
Lani helps Claire get control of her life at the risk of his own.
Rapp, Adam
33 Snowfish (realistic fiction)
A homeless boy, running from the police with a fifteen-year-old, drug-addicted prostitute, her boyfriend, and a baby, gets the chance to make a better life for himself.
Reynolds, Margaret
Too Soon for Jeff (realistic fiction)
A scholar/athlete gets his girlfriend pregnant and now has no chance for college.
Rosoff, Meg
How I Live Now (futuristic fiction)
A disillusioned 15-year-old moves to London to escape her stepmother only to find her life devastated by the start of a way. Printz Award.
Sachar, Louis
Holes (realistic fiction)
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative,
Stanley is sent to a hellish correctional camp where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Small Steps Sequel to Holes
Senna, Danny
Caucasia (teen issues)
A young girl struggles to stay true to herself while finding a balance between her white and black heritage
Shusterman, Neal
Downsiders (science fiction/fantasy)
An exploration of the two worlds of New York: the above-ground bustling city and the below-ground, dark Downside.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Full Tilt (science fiction/fantasy)
When sixteen-year-old Blake goes to a mysterious, by-invitation-only carnival he somehow knows that it could same his comatose brother, but learns that much more is at stake if he fails to meet the challenge.
The Schwa Was Here (realistic fiction)
Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the periphery of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not simply ignored.
Unwind (science fiction/ fantasy) (YALSA)
This futuristic novel tells the story of three teens trying to make it to their eighteenth birthday so they c an avoid being “unwound”.
Shange, Ntozake
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf (realistic fiction)
Classic about being of color and female.
Shea, Pegi Deitz
Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story (realistic fiction)
Mai finds life in American complicated and confusing. Ultimate, she will have to reconcile the old ways with the new and decide what kind of woman she wants to become.
Sheldon, Dyan
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (realistic fiction)
A teen wins the school's drama crown with her lead in Pygmalion, but life is not all roses.
Simmons, Michael
Pool Boy (realistic fiction)
When his father is arrested for insider trading and his family loses all their money, Brett takes a job as an assistant to a pool cleaner is his former neighborhood and learns some valuable life lessons.
Somes, Sonya
What My Mother Doesn't Know (realistic fiction, prose)
Sophie describes her relationships with a series of boys as she searches for Mr. Right.
Soto, Gary
Nickle and Dime (realistic fiction)
The story of three dispossessed men in Oakland, CA, on the margins of society.
Help Wanted: Stories
Spinelli, Jerry
Stargirl (realistic fiction)
This is a story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love.
Love, Stargirl
Son, John
Finding My Hat (realistic fiction)
A story of Jin-Han and his Korean family's search for their place in America.
Tashjian, Janet
The Gospel According to Larry (realistic fiction)
A loner-philosopher wants to make a difference in the world.
Multiple Choice (realistic fiction)
Monica tries to break free from all of the suffocating rules in her life by creating a game.
Temple, Frances
A Taste of Salt ( historical fiction)
In the hospital after being beaten by Macoutes, seventeen-year-old Djo tells the story of his impoverished life to a young woman who, like him, has been working with the social reformer Father
Aristide to fight repression in Haiti.
Tomey, Ingrid
Nobody Else Has to Know (realistic fiction)
Grandfather takes the blame for his grandson's terrible car accident.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Trueman, Terry
Stuck in Neutral (realistic fiction)
Story of hope, fear and a mutual quest for understanding.
Cruise Control (realistic fiction)
The complex portrayal of a family dealing with the heartbreak of a disability.
Veciana-Suarez, Ana
Flight to Freedom (realistic fiction)
This informative novel incorporates historical facts of Cuban exiles in Miami: their portrayal of loss, longing, and the hope of starting a new life.
Wallace, Rich
One Good Punch (BPS Summer Booklist)
A teen struggles with the decision of telling a lie and telling the truth with his future hanging in the balance
Weaver, Beth Nixon
Rooster (realistic fiction)
On a small Florida Orange grove in the 1960s, Kady Palmer is burdened with a hardscrabble life in a tiny house where she struggles with family class and the harsh environment.
Weaver, Will
Striking Out (sports)
Life and a relationship with his family begins to change as Billy begins to play baseball.
Farm Team (sports)
Billy finds himself in charge of running the family farm while trying to do what he loves most: play baseball.
Hard Ball (sports)
Continuing life lessons are learned on and off the baseball diamond.
Westerfield, Scott
Extras (YALSA)
A teen struggles with cliques and finding her niche in high school
Williams, Lori Aurelia
Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues (realistic fiction)
As she tries to help, Shayla painfully learns that friendship has its limits and the maturity she longs for comes with a price.
Werlin, Nancy
Black Mirror (mystery)
Frances uncovers surprising truths about her boarding school's charitable group.
Killer's Cousin (mystery)
David is forced to face his past as he learns more about his strange cousin Lily.
Locked Inside (mystery)
Marnie must rethink her idealized relationship with her mother and her own sense of who she is.
Wittlinger, Ellen
Hard Love (realistic fiction)
Sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl after starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings.
Long Night of Leo and Bree (realistic fiction)
A boy, tormented by his mother's insane accusations and his own nightmares, changes after spending a long night with a girl he kidnaps.
Razzle (realistic fiction)
When his retired parents buy a group of tourist cabins on Cape Cod, fifteen-year-old Kenyon Baker's days are filled with work until be becomes friends with an eccentric girl.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Wolff, Virginia Euwer
Make Lemonade (realistic fiction)
Story of a 14-year old girl who helps a struggling teen mother.
True Believer (realistic fiction)
LaVaughan, the main character, encounters obstacles in her relationships.
Woods, Brenda
Emako Blue (BPS Summer Booklist)
The story of lessons of love, friendship and family learned by three teens who mourn the sudden loss of a friend.
Woodson, Jacqueline
If You come Softly (realistic fiction)
After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen-year-old Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother has twice abandoned her, fall in love and try to cope with people's reactions.
Hush (realistic fiction)
Toswiah Green's life ended the moment her policeman father decided to testify against a fellow officer, leaving her to wonder who she is now.
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This (realistic fiction)
Two young teenage girls resist the bigotry in their school and sorrow in their families to help each other find the strength to go on.
Yang, Gene Luan
American Born Chinese (2007 Printz Award Winner)
Two teens struggle with self-acceptance and self-identity.
Yolen, Jane & Bruce Coville
Armageddon Summer (realistic fiction)
Fourteen-year-old Marina and sixteen-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the
Believers, to await the end of the world atop a remote mountain, where they try to decide what they themselves believe.
Zindel, Paul
The Pigman (realistic fiction)
Two high-school sophomores from constricting, unhappy homes and looking for a way out of emptiness meet a lonely old man with an awful secret.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Alvarez, Julia
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent
Fifteen tales vividly chronicle a Dominican family's exile in the Bronx, focusing of the four Garcia
Daughter's rebellion against their immigrant elders.
Angelou, Maya
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy and finally hard-won independence.
Beah, Ishmael
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (Memoir)
A griping tale of the accounts of a boy’s experiences growing up in Sierra Leone during civil war in the
1990’s
Beals, Melba Patillo
Warriors Don't Cry: Searing Memoir of Battle to Integrate Little Rock
The author forcefully recalls how, at age 15, she and several other black teenagers were chosen to integrate Little Rock's Central High following the passage of Brown vs Board of Education.
Bell, Karen Magnuson
Fire in Their Eyes: Wildfires and People Who Fight Them
A dramatic account of the training and work of a firefighter as well as the role of fire in the natural world.
Bitton-Jackson, Livia
I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust
When Nazis invaded her Hungarian home, 13-year old Elli is shipped to a concentration camp, where she is selected for work and survives.
Gal: A True Life
Born in 1961 to a thirteen-year-old mother in South Carolina, Ruthie Bolton endured abandonment, abuse, and loss.
Brabner, Joyce and Harvey Pekar
Our Cancer Year
A recreation of the awful year when she became involved in a complicated project, and he undertook grueling chemotherapy for cancer.
Burroughs, Augusten
Dry: A Memoir
The story of one man trying to out-drink his memories, outlast his demons, and outrun his past.
Running with Scissors
When his violent, nearly homicidal parents, divorce, Augusten lives with his mother, a confessional poet battling a mental illness.
Chang, Pang-Mei Natasha
Bound Feet and Western Dress
A dual memoir that braids the story of Chinese-American Pang-Mei's own search for identity with the tale of her great-aunt, who was born at the turn of the century.
Cisneros, Sandra
The House on Mango Street
A series of vignettes about a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago.
Cleary, Beverly
My Own Two Feet
The author's unsentimental recollections of herself as a student in the Depression, a librarian and a newlywed are told humorously and candidly as she struggles for independence
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Cooper, Amy
Coloring Outside the Lines: A Punk Rock Memoir
A fascinating look at the early 80's Punk Rock subculture and an incredibly candid look into the lives of the people who held it together.
Corrigan, Eireann
You Remind Me of You
Struggling for years with eating disorders, in and out of treatment facilities, Corrigan is teetering on the brink of no return as she wends her way through profoundly difficult times.
Cormier, Robert
I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small Town Editor
A window into the life of Cormier, we find out about his childhood memories, favorite movies, family interactions, and travels.
Crutcher, Chris
King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Tough and tender reminiscences focus primarily of family, social, and school conflicts, but lessons derived from his career as a teacher, therapist, and writer are also described.
Dahl, Roald
Boy: Tales of a Childhood
The author provides a glimpse into where he got some of the plot ideas and inspirations for his most popular books from his eccentric upbringing.
Donofrio, Beverly
Riding in Cars with Boys: Confessions of a Bad Girl Who Makes Good
An outrageous and touching memoir is about becoming middle-class and compromises made between being your own person and fitting into society.
Dumas, Firoozeh
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
A story of identity, discovery and the power of family love as the author and her family balance the comedy of her family's misadventures with the more serious prejudices they face.
Fradin, Dennis Brindell, and Judith Bloom Fradin
Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
An outspoken journalist who never softened or compromised and who lashed at blacks and white with equal fervor at any sign of accommodation to racial inequity.
Frank, Anne
The Diary of Anne Frank
The classic - both in memoir and in play form
Freedman, Russell
Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life
Graham managed to turn the dance world on its tutu with her innovative approach to movement and teaching and her clear understanding that feelings are not always graceful, but always intense.
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse
Combines the life and personality of the great Lakota warrior with the dramatic narration of the bloody conflict that ended only with the forced settlement of the last free Native American nation.
Friedman, Lita
Mary Robinson: Fighter for Human Rights
Born and raised in Ireland, Robinson embraced the notion of social justice early in her career and fought for it around the world.
Fritz, Jean
Homesick: My Own Story:
Fritz draws the reader into scenes from her youth in the turbulent China of the mid-twenties.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Gantos, Jack
Hole in My Life
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
Gill, David Macinnis Gill
Graham Salisbury: Island Boy
Gottlieb, Lori
Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Sel f
Once she achieves her stick figure, Lori really sees herself for the first time in a restaurant mirror and decides then and there to bring herself back from the brink of starvation.
Hickam, Homer H .
Rocket Boys: A memoir
After watching the Soviet Satellite Sputnik, Sonny and his teenage friends took their future into their own hands, changing their lives and their town forever.
Hurston, Zora Neale
Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography
An unrestrained account of the rise from childhood poverty in the rural South to prominence among the leading artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance.
Jiang, Ji-Li
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
In 1966, twelve-year-old Ji-li had everything. But that year China's leader, Mao Ze-dong launched the
Cultural Revolution, and Ji-li's world began to fall apart.
Jiminez, Francisco
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child
A perfect portrayal of an immigrant child's view of leaving Mexico for California to pursue a letter life.
Breaking Through
An exploration of the prejudices and challenges migrants face while also relaying universal adolescent experiences of school, dances and romances.
Jones, Jasmine
Coach Carter
Coach Carter's determination to adhere to his convictions puts his philosophy and his players' trust to the ultimate test.
Kaysen, Susanna
Girl Interrupted
A startling account of Kaysen's two-year stay at a Boston psychiatric hospital.
Kimmel, Haven
A Girl Named Zippy:Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana
Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent postwar period- people helped their neighbors, went to church, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.
Kingston, Maxine Hong
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
A Chinese American woman tells of the Chinese myths, family stories and events of her California childhood that have shaped her identity.
Krakauer, Jon
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places
For generations of resolute adventurers, Mount Everest and other great peaks have provided the ultimate testing ground for the pursuit of excellence and a quest for self-knowledge.
Lanier, Shannon, and Feldman, Jane
Jefferson's Children: The story of One American Family
Lanier sheds light not only on his own heritage but also on the understanding and pride that emerge when family history is explored.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Lauck, Jennifer
Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found
Written from the viewpoint of the child, Lauch's memoir recounts a childhood troubled by an unending string of upheavals and heartbreaks, yet Lauch's lack of self-pity transform it into an odyssey of endurance and transcendence.
Lipsyte, Robert
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hercules in America
An even-handed account of the life of the champion body builder turned movie star who was raised to win at any cost.
Jim Thorpe: Twentieth Century Jock
Thorpe uses the story of "perhaps the greatest all-around male athlete in American history" as a lens through which to examine the effect of racism o Native Americans.
Mathabane, Mark
Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Balck Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa
In stark prose, Mathabane describes his life growing up in a nonwhite ghetto outside Johannesburg.
Myers, Walter Dean
Bad Boy: A Memoir
Myers paints a fascinating picture of his childhood growing up in Harlem in the 1940's and his everyday struggle for survival.
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
An introduction to Ali's life from his childhood to the present day, focusing on his career and the controversies surrounding him.
At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England
Biography of the African princess saved from execution and taken to England where Queen Victoria oversaw her upbringing and where she lived for a time before marrying an African missionary.
Opdyke, Irene Gut and Jennifer Armstrong
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Recounts the experiences of the author who, as a young Polish girl, hid and saved Jews during the
Holocaust.
Orgill, Roxane
Shout, Sister, Shout: Ten Girl Singers Who Shaped A Century
A lively collective biography presents one female singer from every decade of the twentieth century, each chosen for her music, her story and her claim to represent the times in some sense.
Paulsen, Gary
Guts
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character,
Brian Robinson.
Polly, Matthew
American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New
China
Rosen, Michael
Shakespeare: His Work and his World
After opening with a briskly dramatic account of the famous overnight removal of an entire London playhouse, Rosen looks at medieval theater, then leads a high-energy tour through Elizabethan culture and daily life.
Ryan, Terry
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less
While her sometimes abusive husband drank away a third of his weekly pay, Ryan kept her family afloat by entering every contest she came across.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Santiago, Esmeralda
When I Was Puerto Rican
A lyrical memoir of Santiago's childhood on her native island and of her bewildering years of transition in New York City.
Schwager, Tina and Michele Schuerger
Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare
The authors profile 25 young women between the ages of 14 and 24 who have demonstrated considerable mental and physical courage in pursuit of personal challenges.
Smith, Lissa
Nike is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports
In a series of 13 original narratives, top female athletes capture the profound changes women's sports have undergone and pay tribute to the remarkable athletes who led the way.
Spinelli, Jerry
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid
From first memories through high school, including first kiss, first punch, first trip to the principal's office, and first humiliating sports experience, this is not merely an account of a highly unusual childhood.
Stewart, Mark
Derek Jeter: Substance and Style
The profile of the young superstar shortstop, which unfortunately only takes the reader through the 1998 season.
Teague, Allison
Prince of the Fairway: The Tiger Woods Story
An accurate and clearly written look at Tiger Woods' short life and rise to becoming a golfing phenomenon, highlighting the importance of family and integrity.
Vancil, Mark
For the Love of the Game, Michael Jordan
Jordan traces his ascension from college star to the object of worldwide adoration.
Wiesel, Elie
Night
An autobiographical narrative, in which the author describes his experiences in Nazi concentration camps.
Winnick, Judd
Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned
Pedro taught the world that those afflicted with AIDS could live and love nobly with intelligence, humor and great humanity.
Yen Mah, Adeline
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
A riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Appelt, Kathi
Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance
Graduating eighth graders relate their stories of love and heartbreak that have brought them to the magical Stardust Dance.
Almond, Steve
My Life in Heavy Metal
Twelve passion-fueled stories that take a clear-eyed view of relationships between young men and women who have come of age in an era without innocence.
Armstrong, Jennifer, ed.
What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music
A dozen perspectives on music's life-altering possibilities that will speak to teens on a very personal level.
Bauer, Marion Dane
Am I Blue? Coming Out of from the Silence
Each of the stories honestly portrays its subject and theme - growing up gay or lesbian or with a gay or lesbian parent or friend.
Book, Rick
Necking with Louise
Seven short stories, all written by Book that explore deeply affecting and unexpected experiences.
Barrett, Peter, ed.
To Break the Silence
Thirteen short stories, some of which have been previously published, explore the human experience.
Blume, Judy
Places I Never Meant to Be
Stories by twelve authors whose works have been censored while touching readers and inviting them to think.
Brooks, Bruce
All that Remains (BPS Summer Booklist)
Three stories of teens coping with grief and life after the loss of a loved one.
Cart Michael, ed.
Love and Sex: Ten Stories of Truth
Ten very different stories that dramatize how varied and complex the intersections of love and sex are.
Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are
Ten stories by different authors that provide some illuminating and surprising answers to the question,
What does family mean today?
Cofer, Judith Ortiz
An Island Like You
Twelve stories about people caught between their Puerto Rican heritage and their American surroundings.
Coville, Bruce
Odds are Good: An Oddly Enough and Odder Than Ever Omnibus
Eighteen wildly strange, wonderful tales all written by Coville, meant to move and entertain teen audiences.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Half Human
A collection of stories about such creatures as mermaids and centaurs, who are part-human and partanimal, and their struggles to understand their true identity.
Crutcher, Chris
Athletic Shorts
Six stories, all told by Crutcher, capture the world of real teenagers who face challenges and do their best no matter what.
Duncan, Lois, ed.
Night Terrors
Ehrlich, Amy
When I Was Your Age, Volume 1
Ten stories told by writers who locate their stories in the time and space of their own childhood.
When I Was Your Age, Volume 2
A second group of ten stories by authors that chart a clear and certain path through the forest of human differences
Flake, Sharon G
Who Am I Without Him?
A collection of short stories about teenage girls and the issues they must deal wit in their relationships with boys. Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award.
Gallo, Donald, ed.
Destination Unexpected
Ten different authors tell tales about journeys that provide the backdrop to discovering surprising things about the world and themselves.
First Crossing :Stories about Teen Immigrants
Ten stories by different authors describing the experiences of teens from a mix of countries who have
left their homelands.
Join In: Multiethnic Short Stories
A mix of seventeen short stories that reflect young adult views from a variety of ethnic backgrounds on friendship and prejudice, expectation and disappointment, happiness and pain, connection and confrontation.
No Easy Answers
Sixteen short stories about teenagers who find themselves in situations that test the strength of their character and ability to do the right thing.
On the Fringe
Eleven stories that show outsiders taking center stage, and the constant struggle of popularity, nonconformity, hate, and acceptance.
Sixteen
Sixteen respected novelists with reputations for speaking to young adult concerns and interests provide something for everyone.
Ultimate Sports
Sixteen original sports stories take the reader into the heart of the sporting experience.
Visions
Nineteen stories by different authors range the spectrum of teenage interests.
Howe, James
Color of Absence
Twelve stories about loss and hope that is born through change.
13: Thirteen Stories about Being 13 by 13 Different Authors
Sometimes touching, sometimes funny, sometimes disturbing look at characters who are trying to make sense of the world.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Jones, Diana Wynne
Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction
A sparkling range of contemporary speculative fiction, from dark humor to high sword and sorcery to traditional ballads.
Mazer, Anne
America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories
Fourteen stories by some of the best American writers who explore the complex experience of growing up in our diverse society.
Going Where I'm Coming From: Memoirs of American Youth
Fourteen autobiographical narratives, accounts of journeys of self-discovery, are shared by some of
America's finest writers
Working Days
Short stories About Teenagers at Work
Mazer, Harry, ed.
Twelve Shots
A riveting collection of stories that explores the emotion driven world of guns and how they impact our lives.
Myers, Walter Dean
145th Street Stories
Ten stories of life in Harlem illustrating the lives of people who experience every mood from fear to despair, from hilarity to joy.
Orringer, Julie
How to Breathe Underwater: Stories
Orringer delves into the complex lives of girls and young women, discovering passionate and disturbing feelings, an intense struggle to make sense of the world of adults and a determination to survive.
Palacios, Angentina
Standing Tall: The Stories of Ten Hispanic Americans
Stories of influential and important Hispanic-American women and men from very different backgrounds and times who made history.
Paulsen, Gary
S helf Life: Stories By the Book
Ten short stories in which the lives of young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books.
Rochman, Hazel and Darlene Z. McCampbell
Who Do You Think You Are? Stories of Friends and Enemies
Fifteen diverse and distinguished writers explore the complexity and joy of friendship.
Leaving Home
Stories about departing form familiar worlds and discovering new ways of being.
Shusterman, Neal
Mindquakes: Stories to Shatter Your Brain
A spectacular collection of stories that are by turns terrifying, comic, darkly inventive, thoughtprovoking, and always just slightly off-center.
Mindtwisters: Stories to Shred Your Head
Eight stories that deal with the bizarre and the supernatural.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Singer, Marilyn
Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls
Eleven different authors tell stories about girls who made difficult choices.
Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color
Collection of eleven short stories, many by well-known writers for young adults, which explores issues of racial identity and race relations in contemporary U.S. high school.
I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion
In these twelve brushes with religion, written by leading young-adult authors, teens from a wide range of beliefs search for answers to the hard questions of faith at crucial points in their lives.
Soto, Gary
Baseball in April and Other stories
A fine collection of stories that offers a different cultural perspective about feelings common to all teenagers, written with tremendous insight into the process of growing up.
Local News
A collection of thirteen short stories about the everyday lives of Mexican American young people in
California's Central Valley
Help Wanted: Stories
Twelve stories of teens all caught up in the difficulties of figuring out what it means to be alive.
Thomas, Rob
Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad
Ten stories of seniors at Robert E. Lee High who do community service in very different ways, learning not all life's problems can be solved quickly.
Weiss, M. Jerry and Helen S.
Big City Cool
Fourteen compelling stories about young people from all backgrounds who make their way in this interesting and risky world
From One Experience to Another
Fifteen Award-winning authors for young adults draw upon their own experience to create fictional stories that explore adolescence.
Lost & Found
Eight stories told by authors who write for adolescents take a look at their own life experiences for inspiration to create fiction.
Yep, Laurence
American Dragons: Twenty Five Asian American Voices
The writers in this anthology represent just a portion of the diversity of theme and talent among Asian
American writers.
Yolen, Jane
2041: Twelve Short Stories About the Future by Top Science Fiction Writers
Twelve fictional stories about school life, fads, inventions, and cultural activities in the future.
Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Stories
This collection of short stories is a good introduction to various types of fantasy.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Aguado, Bill
Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems from WritersCorps
Young people have a lot to say about race, drugs, abuse and self-image as seen in these honest and sometimes raw poems written by teens who have taken part in a writing program run by a national nonprofit organization.
Alarcon, Francisco and Maya Christina Gonzalez
From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems
A bilingual collection of poems in which the renowned Mexican American poet revisits and celebrates his childhood memories of summers, Mexico, and nature
Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems
A bilingual collection of humorous and serious poems sketch family, nature, and celebrations.
Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems
This celebration of winter is an ode, as well, to San Francisco, a city where people are bridges to one another and a multiplicity of language are heard.
Angels Ride Bike and Other Fall Poems
Poems in Spanish and English combine with large, vivid pictures to relate a wonderful story celebrating the daily encounters of city life.
Appelt, Kathi
Poems from Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start
A wonderful collection of Appelt's poems for young adult readers, accompanied by fascinating accounts of how and why the poems came to be, along with writing exercises to inspire readers to create their own accessible poetry.
Blaustein, Noah
Motion: American Sports Poems
These poems rescue sports from our society's focus on superstars, multimillion-dollar contracts, and gold medals to capture champions and losers, competitors and spectators.
Carlson, Lori
Cool Salsa
A spirited, significant collection of 36 poems successfully celebrate the particular experience of growing up Latino in the United States.
Red Hot Salsa
Cisneros, Sandra
Loose Woman: Poems
A candid, sexy and wonderfully mood-strewn collection of poetry that celebrates the female aspects of love.
Cotner, June
Teen Sunshine Reflections: Words for the Heart and Soul
Thoughts and poems that are meant to help the reader through the tough times, offering encouragement during challenges and inspiration to reach goals.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Dakos, Kalli
If You're Not Here, Raise Your Hand: Poems About School
An illustrated collection of poems about a variety of elementary school experiences.
Fletcher, Ralph
Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out
A concise, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating poetry.
Relatively Speaking: Poems about Family
A collection of poems that describe the experiences and relationships in a close-knit family.
Buried Alive: The Elements of Love
A collection of poems about young love and all of its complications.
I Am Wings
Written from the point of view of a smitten young man, these 33 short, free-verse poems narrate the ups and downs of a teen romance.
Franco, Betsy
You Hear Me: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
Through these mostly free-verse lines, the hopes, dreams, fears, and desires of young men from different cultures and backgrounds shine through in words that are openly honest.
Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls
A collection of poems, stories and essays written by girls twelve to eighteen years of age and revealing the secrets which enable them to overcome the challenges they faced.
George, Kristine O'Connell
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems
Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the eyes of one girl.
Glenn, Mel
Class Dismissed! High School Poems
Seventy poems about the emotional lives of contemporary high school students
Class Dismissed II: More High School Poems
The subjects of these poems are fictional adolescents based on actual student that cut to the bone of adolescent life.
Foreign Exchange: A Mystery in Poems
The tale is presented by its cast in a series of free verse conversations or ruminations, as young people describe their personal worlds, older adults express a range of attitudes toward teenagers, and nearly everyone hold stereotypical views.
Giovanni, Nikki
Blues for All Changes
Fifty-one poems challenge the fates and invoke the precarious state of our environment and other topics seminal to one of our most compassionate, outspoken observers.
Love Poems
More than twenty new poems center around the power theme of love.
Gordon, Ruth
Pierced by a Ray of Sun: Poems About the Times We Feel Alone
This collection presents mood poems about differences and feelings, using a diverse range of contemporary voices to present many different viewpoints about modern times.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Grandits, John
Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems
Through words, ideas, type and design, 15-year-old Jessie uses concrete poetry to express her concerns and thoughts on high school life.
Graves, Donald and Paul Birling
Baseball, Snakes and Summer Squash: Poems About Growing Up
The author takes an unsentimental look at his childhood in this collection of poems for young people.
Greenberg, Jan
Heart to Heart
Forty-three poets choose a piece of modern art and write a poetic response to it.
Hemphill, Stephanie
Your Own Sylvia: A verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath (poetry)(Printz Honor Book)
Collection of poems written by people close to Plath, each poem exhibiting a different point of view on the poet’s life.
Herrera, Juan Felipe
Laughing Out Loud, I Fly
A series of poems in both English and Spanish celebrating the author's childhood.
Holbrooke, Sara
I Never Said I Wasn't Difficult
The collection depicts the thoughts of teenagers and their outlook on everything from boring school to overreacting parents.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett
Opening Days: Sports Poems
A collection of eighteen poems about various sports including baseball, skiing, karat, and tennis.
Janeczko, Paul B.
Seeing the Blue Between
Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets: Letters of advice from 32 of today's best poets for teens are accompanied by their poems.
Poetspeak
A collection of 148 poems on a variety of topics by 62 modern poets who provide commentary of their individual works.
The Place My Words Are Looking For
Thirty-nine United States poets share their poems, inspirations, thoughts, anecdotes, and memories.
Johnson, Dave
Movin': Teen Poets Take Voice
An anthology penned by teens who participated in poetry workshops at the New York Public Library focusing on real-life subjects.
Koertge, Ron
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup
When a fourteen-year-old baseball player catches mononucleosis, he discovers that keeping a journal and experimenting with poetry not only helps fill the time, but it also helps him deal with life, love, and loss.
Brimstone Journals
A series of poetic journals chronicling the lives of 15 fictional high school students.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Korman, Gordon
The D-Poems of Jeremy Bloom
A collection of poetry held together loosely by a narrative involving a year in poetry class.
The Last Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom
The poetry, all about sports, actually provides examples of many different forms: haiku, concrete poetry, quatrains, and couplets.
Levy, Constance
Splash! Poems of Our Watery World
Water runs through our lives; it is, in fact, essential to all life. It takes many forms: It can be the liquid that quenches our thirst, the rain that pours from the sky, or the juice of a ripe tomato.
Morrison, Lillian
Way To Go!
Morrison describes the sports enthusiast's spirit and determination to try again.
Myers, Walter Dean
Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices
An anthology of poems from various poets in which each poem voices a thought, reflection, or memory from a Harlem resident.
Nelson, Marilyn
Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem
This volume sets history and poetry side by side, and combined with the author's personal note on inspirations, creates a unique amalgam that brings the past to life.
Nye, Naomi Shihab
What Have You Lost?
From 140 contemporary poets, Nye gathers observations, ruminations, and informal prose comments on the theme of loss.
Come With Me: Poems for a Journey
Nye challenges readers with a range of her own poems, linked thematically as an investigation of journeys to inner spaces as well as literal journeys to real and imagined places.
This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World
A poetry anthology in which 129 poets from sixty-eight different countries celebrate the natural world and its human and animal inhabitants.
The Space Between Our Footsteps
100 poets from 19 different Middle Eastern countries share their innermost feelings about place, family, war, and peace.
Okutoro, Lydia Omolola
Quiet Storm: Voices of Young Black Poets
A collection of sixty-one poems celebrating the African diaspora through the eyes of youths of African descent from the United States and around the world.
Reed, Ishmael
From Totems to Hip Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas
A multicultural anthology of poems that explores poetry from the pre-Columbian era to today’s hip-hop lyricists.
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft

Rosenberg, Liz
The Invisible Ladder: An Anthology of Contemporary American Poems for Young Readers
This anthology combines modern poetry with commentary by the poets and photos of them as children and adults.
Sones, Sonya
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
In a sequence of short, intense poems based on the author's own experiences, a 13-year-old girl suffers through her shifting feelings about her sibling's mental illness.
Soto, Gary
Junior College: Poems
This book of poetry is both a place for discovery and an exploration of how discrimination limits one's potential for growth.
Turner, Ann
Poems of First Love
Thirty-six ultra-short, free verse poems trace a teen's relationship during one school year from first blush to intense crush to melancholy memory.
Vecchione, Patrice
Whisper and Shout: Poems to Memorize
A collection of poems on different subjects and in different styles, that lend themselves to memorization.
Von Ziegesar, Cecily
SLAM
An introduction to slam type of poetry, filled with everyday emotions.
Watson, Esther Pearl
The Pain Tree
A collection of poetry culled from teen Web sites and magazine that address a wide range of emotions while coping with the trials of growing up, sometimes under less than ideal circumstances.
Worth, Valerie
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
A virtual catalog of brief meditations on little earthly wonders form amoeba to zinnia.
Summer/08
High Interest Recommended books –recommended by Diploma Plus and DYS teachers
Compiled by Bill Diehl, Mary Lou Reid, and Sonal Vyas
Commonwealth Corp . August, 2008 draft