Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion
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hmm.. have you tried any of these?The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (begins with The Book of Three)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (begins with The Lightning Thief)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I have to totally disagree with the I am Messenger recommendation. Violent sex is witnessed as well as lots of other violence. I have NO idea why it has a YA rating. I loved Book Thief and agree he's a good writer. IAM just wasn't the YA book I was expecting
You are right. The YA who I recommend for are usually 7th and 8th graders and I think this book is too old for them. I also think Perks of a Wallflower is too old for them. If by YA you mean over 17, then maybe they are ready. I like that my kids still think that fairytale marriages can exist even though the opposite is probably more common.
A Measure of Disorder is about an 8th grade class that get sent to another world. Fantasy, action and adventure.
I agree about IATM. My 8th grade son read it (before me) because it sounded interesting to him and I'd heard great things about it. I wish I'd read it first, because when he told me about it, I was a little surprised.It is a good book, and the violence does play a part in it all (especially Ed's unwillingness to kill), but I felt it should have been discussed when the issues came up rather than after like in my case.
Also, they alluded to non-violent sex (Audrey and her boyfriends) which is a bit more advanced than I like for my middle school aged son.
Kelly wrote: "I have to totally disagree with the I am Messenger recommendation. Violent sex is witnessed as well as lots of other violence. I have NO idea why it has a YA rating. I loved Book Thief and agree he..."Instead of just saying NO to this book and moving on, how about thinking this could open up the doors to many discussions. Violent sex and teenage boyfriend/girlfriend abuse is on the rise in this country and it is a ugly secret. By reading this book, it just may save a life.
I'm not saying NO, just saying no to my kids. At school I couldn't recommend it to students without informing their parentsthat there are strong themes in it. I feel like Speak addresses some of the same issues in a more age appropriate way. I have recommended it and have even had a girls group read it. I am not for censorship, but am for parenting.
For me, IATM wouldn't have been a no, just a NOT YET. High school, maybe?I do think Speak handles issues in a manner that's more appropriate for middle schoolers.
Allisa, these are my recommendations for you!Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Everlost by Neal Shusterman (series)
The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld (series)
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (my favorite series)
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (series)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (series)
And I second The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and Need series by Carrie Jones!
Have you read any John Green? The Abundance of Katherines and Paper Town both have some romance and no violence. Looking for Alaska is more adult. Sarah Dessen is also typically lighter reads.
AngelaSunshine wrote: "Allisa, these are my recommendations for you!Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Everlost by Neal Shusterman (series)
The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld (series)
[..."
You stole all of my recommendations! ;)
I second all of those books, and also add Watership Down and Tailchaser's Song if you like animal books.
Kelly wrote: "I'm not saying NO, just saying no to my kids. At school I couldn't recommend it to students without informing their parentsthat there are strong themes in it. I feel like Speak addresses some of th..."In your earlier post it came across quite clear that NO it is not YA, In this society with all the electronic gadgets taking over their lives, if kids are reading books we need to support it and not say NO that is not the right "theme" for you to read. They can and will get that info right her on the computer and much worse things. So if there is material in a book that could be a little troubling to read, don't ban it, read it together and share and talk about it.
so IATM is not a good choice for the violent sex, but Speak is a good choice because it has rape and sucide in it?
Check out the Tomorrow series by John Marsden. It is my favourite series of all time.
I highly recommend Pod. It's catastrophe novel that is quite a page-tuner. My daughter, a YA librarian loved it also and is recommending it to her school readers.
You should readThe Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman
Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Ben H Winters
The Keys to the Kingdom Series by Garth Nix
Loved Keys to the Kingdom series. I have the Sunday one on reserve at the library. I can't wait! Garth Nix is the master of world creation for YA.
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink was good and didn't have anything inappropriate in it. I would highly recommend it :)
I did not enjoy Graceling at all, but reading what you have enjoyed, Allisa, I think you and I might have similar tastes.I agree with the Gail Carson Levine recommendations (I especially enjoyed Ella Enchanted and Fairest, but I also liked The Wish and her Princess Tales). I also agree with the Shannon Hale recommendation (The Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days are a couple favorites). I would also recommend E.D. Baker's (author of The Frog Princess) new book that just came out: The Wide-Awake Princess. It's a good read, no pun intended LOL.
Going along with the princess/fairy tale/ YA romance theme: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier; Princess Ben; Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George; and The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry are all recent good reads of mine.
Another series that I absolutely adore for one reason or another is the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. I actually did not enjoy the first one very much. But by three pages into the second book, I fell completely in love with it and have been an avid reader ever since. Meyer puts out a new book in the series every September. This year will be number 8.
Sorry for the novel-lengthed recommendation list. I got a little too into it, I'm afraid. Also, for whatever reason, the webpage isn't letting me "add book/author link", so I'm afraid, if you're interested at all, you're going to have to search the titles yourself. LOL Hope this helps!
Sarah wrote: "I did not enjoy Graceling at all, but reading what you have enjoyed, Allisa, I think you and I might have similar tastes.
I agree with the Gail Carson Levine recommendations (I especially enjoyed ..."
I get into my reviews a lot too :) lol
I agree with the Gail Carson Levine recommendations (I especially enjoyed ..."
I get into my reviews a lot too :) lol
Jillian -always aspiring- wrote: "Since you liked The Book Thief, I would suggest his other book I Am the Messenger, which packs a message just like TBT did. Also, even though they're not technically YA, I would suggest Gail Carso..."
O I loved the Goose Girl! Fantastic choice :) I liked the following books, Enna Burning and River Secrets, too :)
O I loved the Goose Girl! Fantastic choice :) I liked the following books, Enna Burning and River Secrets, too :)
@Sarah -You liked Princess Ben? It had great potential, but fell pretty flat for me. I didn't think it was in Goose Girl class at all. I loved Two Princesses of Bamarre by GC Levine too. None of my libraries have any Jessica Day George. Is she worth actually buying? The covers and summaries sound good.
@Kelly- Yes, Jessica Day George is worth buying. Everything I've read by her is fun and fabulous.
Teresa in Ohio wrote: "so IATM is not a good choice for the violent sex, but Speak is a good choice because it has rape and sucide in it?"Rape is rape and is in both books, but I guess I feel the manner in which it's presented in Speak talks to issues that teens face. It's a teen girl raped at a party vs. a wife being raped by her husband. The wife's feelings aren't really explored or the situation explained well enough to stand on it's own without needing parental discussion, IMO.
Also in IATM, his friend (a girl) has boyfriends and sex is mentioned more than once. The characters are out of high school. I feel that kind of sex, with no condemnation by the author, is definitely a cause for parents to use their discretion. I'm not saying it shouldn't be talked about or that it's not happening with kids right now, but with so much other great lit out there, I choose to steer my son away for a couple more years.
Emily wrote: "AngelaSunshine wrote: "Allisa, these are my recommendations for you!Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Everlost by Neal Shusterman (series)
The Secret Hour by..."
Emily, you have great taste! Lol...
AngelaSunshine wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "so IATM is not a good choice for the violent sex, but Speak is a good choice because it has rape and sucide in it?"Rape is rape and is in both books, but I guess I feel ..."
Not letting your son read is your choice, but in your earlier post, you stated "I'm not saying NO, just saying no to my kids. At school I couldn't recommend it to students without informing their parentsthat there are strong themes in it. I feel like Speak addresses some of th..." which to me is censorship.
Kelly wrote: "@Sarah -You liked Princess Ben? It had great potential, but fell pretty flat for me. I didn't think it was in Goose Girl class at all. I loved Two Princesses of Bamarre by GC Levine too. None of ..."Hahaha, yea Kelly I actually did. It's funny. I'd read a lot of mediocre reviews of it, so I was a little nervous to start it. I guess I wasn't expecting much, and I was pleasantly surprised. No, I don't think it's Goose Girl equivalent though. Goose Girl definitely appeals to older audiences as well as YA. I think Princess Ben is similar to younger fiction, anything age 12 and up. But I did like it a lot. I thought Ben herself was great, and the book's action was dramatic and romantic, hence wonderful ;)
And you're absolutely right. I loved The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine too. It was the first book in my young life that made me cry. Not cry uncontrollably, because obviously it ends well, but I did tear up.
Jessica Day George is fabulous, in my opinion. My favorite is definitely Princess of the Midnight Ball (I just read the new one, Princess of Glass, and it was good, but I still prefer the former). Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is good too, but it's different and took me a bit to get into. If your worried about buying, try finding it used. But if you can read her, please do. She's a really really good storyteller.
Every librarian, especially school librarians, in our country and around the world practices some form of "censorship" if you think about it. I am given only X amount of money and it is up to me to decide on which books/titles to spend that money on. Would I add a book that I personally feel is a little too mature for the majority of students and KNOW that I will probably have a bunch of parents upset or would I add a book that is of equal literary value with the same themes in a slightly tamer manner instead? I can't buy every book out there.... nor should every person read every book. The books have to "fit" with the readers. AngelaSunshine was telling us why she would have a problem with recommending IATM to students which is perfectly okay for a discussion board and I appreciated reading what she had to say. In my opinion, she is not censoring the book (she is not saying no one should the book), she is just saying that she would not feel comfortable recommending it to high school students. You can and that is your choice. But I have to agree that there are several books that I absolutely loved that I would not recommend to high school students as it is not a good "fit" for the age group.
Teresa in Ohio wrote: "AngelaSunshine wrote: "Teresa in Ohio wrote: "so IATM is not a good choice for the violent sex, but Speak is a good choice because it has rape and sucide in it?"Rape is rape and is in both ..."
Actually, that was Kelly who said that. But I am in agreement with her that Speak is more appropriate for that age than IATM, so I responded to your question.
I'm not a librarian, just a mom of a 14 year old. :)
But I as a teacher agree to a certain extent. Some books are more appropriate for certain ages and should be left up to the parents if they feel it is something they want their child to read or not. Just because I don't put some books in my classroom library doesn't mean I agree with censorship. Just because I tell a parent that they shouldn't let their 12 year old read Push by Sapphire isn't censorship. It is good parenting and teaching. We need to expose kids to realistic situations, but age appropriate realistic situations.
Now, I don't agree with taking these books of the shelf at libraries and book stores- that is pure censorship. I may not have a book in my classroom because I feel it isn't age appropriate, but a parent can find the books somewhere else if they feel it is okay for their child to read it. Censorship is "the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the government or media organizations as determined by a censor." It doesn't say anything about a parent or teacher...
Don't worry about buying Jessica Day George her books are great!! I have met Jessica Day George a couple times because I am from Utah and she is too. Her books are all great and I have them all and they are all signed by her. All her books are good so go and by them!
By looking at the books you like I think you might enjoy.Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan (It's a series of 12 books)
Demonata by Darren Shan (Series of 10 book but I don't know if the whole series is good because I'm only on book 7. but I've liked all the books up till now as in 5 stars each)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (series of 5 books)
You also might like the Fear Street series by R.L.Stine he is my favorite author.
Or anything by Kathryn Reiss
If you need any more suggestions I have plenty, or you can look at my 1,001 books to read before you die list or my 5 star book list:)
I also recommend Coraline by Neil GaimanYou might want to check out Avi
The Hunger Games and it's sequal Catching Fire
The Diary of Anne Frank
Hate List now this is the book I recommend to everyone ( moving on from beuatiful creatures) this is the aftermath of a school shooting. The shooter is dead, the girlfriend survives but it was her hate list. It shows many different sides of how people react and cope after this. It was quite gripping to read and painful at times too.
ther is city of bones, wicked lovely, vampire academy, shiver, fallen, boys that bite, vampire beach, evernight and vampire kisses. soz if they arn't wat u r lookin for and soz if ther is anythin yucky in them!
Mel wrote: "Check out the Tomorrow series by John Marsden. It is my favourite series of all time."Mel, I have to agree, I loved the tomorrow series (just finished the last book the other day) and Im looking forward to seeing the movie for the first book in September.
I also loved the vampire academy series - I put off reading it for months and I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
♪Yue wrote: "Try Howl's Moving Castle :)"Ooo I've read that one!
Paper Towns by John Green: I think out of all the books he's written it can be considered the most appropriate.The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith: it has a feel very similar to Twilight but in my opinion the writing and story are much better.
KAREN KINGSBURY BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lyndsey wrote: "KAREN KINGSBURY BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"I just discovered here, and she is amazing.
Young Adult Book Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Hate List (other topics)Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (other topics)
Princess of Glass (other topics)
The Two Princesses of Bamarre (other topics)
Princess of the Midnight Ball (other topics)
More...
I did enjoy:
The Book Theif- Markus Zusak
The Second Time Around- Mary Higgins Clark
The Harry Potter Series
Chasing Vermeer- Blue Balliett
The Frog Princess- E.D. Baker
The Warrior Series- Erin Hunter
Series of Unfortunate Events
The Uglies Series- Scott Westerfeld
Shakespeare's Secret- Elise Broach
The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman
I did not enjoy:
The Riddles of Epsilon- Christine Morton-Shaw
Peeps- Scott Westerdfeld
Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of The West- Gregory Maguire
The Giver: Lois Lowry