500 Great Books for Teens

published	2006 by Houghton Mifflin
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0618612963 (isbn13: 9780618612963)
pages	416
description	Thousands of books for teens are published every year, but until now no general reference has existed. Anita Silvey's book is the one everyone has bee...more [close] Thousands of books for teens are published every year, but until now no general reference has existed. Anita Silvey's book is the one everyone has been waiting for. Parents will see what their teenagers are actually reading and be able to lead them to the best of an overwhelming bunch. Teachers will spot excellent additions to summer reading lists. Booksellers will have a host of suggestions in every genre to offer their customers. Librarians can round out collections, teens can choose their own books, and both teen and mother-daughter book groups can make the best selections. 500 Great Books for Teens is divided into twenty-one sections, including adventure and survival, horror, graphic novels, humor, mystery, and poetry, each with additional reading lists. Silvey's cogent descriptions of the plot and essential style of each book make it exceptionally easy for anyone to decide whether a book will appeal to a specific teen reader. The books are also grouped by geographic area and time period because teachers often assign book reports this way. Sixty of the best audio books are also listed. [close]
date added	04-14-07 edit book

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | more...

discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 26)

Carter rated it:

01/30/08

bookshelves: textbooks

Read in January, 2008

I consider myself a pretty avid reader. But after going through the 500 books in this collection, I found my reading history lacking and suspect. Good thing I got this book. There are tons of great recommendations of what teens actually read. It also serves as a good primer of what one "should" read if they want to specialize in teen fiction. At least providing a solid grounding in teen lit.

So the only issue I have with this collection, and it's a big one, is that it's rife wi...more I consider myself a pretty avid reader. But after going through the 500 books in this collection, I found my reading history lacking and suspect. Good thing I got this book. There are tons of great recommendations of what teens actually read. It also serves as a good primer of what one "should" read if they want to specialize in teen fiction. At least providing a solid grounding in teen lit.

So the only issue I have with this collection, and it's a big one, is that it's rife with spoilers. Aargh! As I was going through the books I've read, looking for some of my favorites, I noticed time and time again the book's central "a-ha" moment had been revealed in the brief synopsis of the book.

Take for example The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (one of my all-time favorites). The plot synopsis is given (which is very helpful, mind you), but at the end, the key moment where we learn why Charlie is the way he is is revealed. What the heck?!

This happens throughout many of the book descriptions. But interestingly enough, not all of them. At times, the big moments are only hinted at vs. revealed, so that we're still left with anticipation for the story.

Why has Anita Silvey done this?

In the acknowledgments, she thanks various people who helped her develop this book. I'm wondering if maybe some of the mini-essays were written by folks other than Silvey. That could explain a few things.

I was also wondering if maybe the plot secrets were revealed so that librarians/parents wouldn't need to read all of the books in order to feel comfortable in recommending them. I.e., a librarian could just look up the title and then briefly talk up the book to a young reader. I don't know...

While this book makes for a great reference for teen reads, because the books' plots are revealed throughout, it's more of an extended list. I'm afraid to read the descriptions of books I haven't yet read because I'm worried everything's going to be revealed before I get the chance to discover it on my own. It's like someone telling you that Bruce Willis is really a ghost, or the chick in the "Crying Game" is really a dude.

Aargh!...less

Like this review? yes

3 comments

Jackie rated it:

10/30/07

bookshelves: non-fiction, reference, youngadult

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: if you work with teens

I may not agree with every selection, but I appreciate the clear organization of this book, and the summaries of each title. There's a good mix of age levels and fiction and non-fiction books. There are some useful indexes - Books by Geographical Location, and Books by Historical Timeline. A very good resource for librarians and teachers.

Like this review? yes

title link
avg rating
small image
med image
large image

500 Great Books for Teens

discuss this book

friend reviews (0)

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 26)

book data (includes all editions)

blog this book

popular shelves

other editions