Resource Summary

Where do I go to find good teen books to read?

Lucky 13!

 

Teachers, librarians, and teens often struggle with what to read next. The sites listed in this summary will help both teens and librarians and teachers find books that appeal to the teens. The resources come from around the globe, which provides teens with a cosmopolitan benefit that may attract even reluctant readers. These URLs are also comprehensive enough to insure that at least a few titles found, will be readily available somewhere close to home. The sites listed below have all been checked thoroughly in November 2006. All links were in fine working order!

 

  1. Genrefluent (http://www.genrefluent.com/ ) This site is maintained and updated by author, librarian, and omnivorous reader, Diana Tixier Herald. Ms. Herald is on the advisory board of “The Reader’s Advisor Online” . She runs The Center for Adolescent Reading in the Denver area in Colorado (http://www.genrefluent.com/whatiscar.htm#whatis ). Teens may use this site to inform other teens of good books to read. There is even a place for teens to submit reviews of books they read. Ms. Herald’s work with incarcerated youth, is especially helpful to teachers working at alternative high schools, with incarcerated populations, or reluctant readers.

 

  1. Reading Rants (www.readingrants.org ). Not to be confused with readingrants.com ( a horrible, commercial filled site), Jennifer Hubert’s site is hugely popular across the country. Ms. Hubert is the author of Reading Rants: A Guide to Books that Rock! (http://www.neal-schuman.com/db/4/584.html ).

 

  1. Teen Reads (http://www.teenreads.com/). Like Ms. Hubert’s site, this site is intended for teens between 12 and 17. Organized and maintained by Carol Fitzgerald, this site is a part of The Book Report Network (www.tbrnetwork.com/ ), a commercial group that also produces kidsread.com and many other reader advisory titles. Students may sign up for newsletters (free).

 

  1. Teen Reading/YALSA (http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/recreading/recommendedreading.htm) If teens need a site with lists of books that are current, this is the place to go. This list includes the Alex Awards for the best adult books with teen appeal published each year. The Best Books for Young Adults list includes the years best books right up to the work that my committee is doing today. Outstanding Books for the College Bound, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and the Printz Award lists are included at this site. http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2007/booklists07.cfm This page on the Teen Reading site does have a useful, annotated list for the current theme of the annual Teen Read Week in October. This year, the theme was “Lots of Laughs (LOL)” and all the titles reflect books that will make teens (or anyone) laugh.
  2. Reads For Teens (http://reads4teens.org/) This Indiana site is run by the Carmel Clay Public Library. It has links to books in many different categories.

Books by Subject

Users may write reviews, chat about books, While there is not any information expressly providing when the site is updated, the title listing and other information make it clear that this site is regularly updated. It includes voting information from October 2006. Teens can easily write reviews about books and they can easily make comments on topics such as, “What is your favorite book?”

 

  1. Guys Read (http://www.guysread.com/ ) Lots of research has been conducted in the last few years to determine why so many boys seem to lag behind girls in reading motivation. Jon Scieszka, author of several great books for children, especially boys, is the founder of this web-based, literacy site. The web site includes recommended “guy” books, a search engine for finding books, information about Jon, and other links. The books are divided by age, from elementary through high school.

 

  1. The Goddess of YA Literature http://professornana.livejournal.com/ ) My daughter has her own blog. See for example her review of David Levithan’s new book, Wide Awake: http://aidenfire.livejournal.com/155813.html  Students, perhaps, are far more aware and far more interested in blogging than their teachers are. Other blogs to explore include the Hip Librarian http://hiplibrariansbookblog.blog-city.com/ or What I’m Reading Now http://yabooks.blogspot.com/ or Richie’s Picks http://richiespicks.com/

 

  1. Teen Lib Wiki (http://yalibrarian.com/yalib_wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page ) \ Wikis are a collective presentation of knowledge. This one is sponsored by the YALibrarian.com As is true with most Wikis, it is updated sometimes by the minute or even second, as long as the person doing the updating has registered a free account. On the “Featured Pages” list is a link to “Wiki Booklists.”  A quick tour through this site and one will discover many of the lists included in this report. It will not take too many days for the Wiki information to be a much better source of teen book information than this list. Perhaps one day soon, resource summaries will be an out-of-date activity because of Wikis? For another Wiki, see: http://childlit.info/index.php?title=Main_Page or http://atn-reading-lists.wikispaces.com/

 

  1. Voice of Youth Advocates (http://voya.com/WhatsInVoya/booklists.shtml#booklists) Even though this site, like the YALSA site above, is geared more toward teachers and librarians than to teens, it is worth listing because this magazine is the only one that regularly features both adult and teen reviewers. The VOYA review scale (5Q,5P) is widely used in schools and libraries across the country (the Q stands for quality and the P stands for popularity; the higher the number, the better or more popular the book).  The URL above includes information such as: VOYA's Best High School Summer Reading List . First published in 2006, this annual competition recognizes an actual school summer reading list that embodies elements that motivate teens to become lifelong readers. See Contest Guidelines.

 

  1. Cynthia Leitich Smith (http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/diversity/native_am/NativeThemes_intro.html)  This is not the home page for Ms. Smith’s site. However, when doing a list of books for teens it is important to be aware of cultural difference. This page is the page with an essay on Native American themes in books for teens and children. On the left side of the page, users will see the links for finding all sorts of books, such as multiracial books, Asian books, etc. Educators, unfortunately, do not always seek out titles that reflect the bigger world in which we live. Teens need to know that there are places to find information about different races, different family structures, different social issues. This site is one of the very best ones at trying to find quality resources for a wide spectrum of races, religions, cultures, and peoples. Ms. Smith is an award winning author and speaker. She has written both children and young adult novels, her latest entitled Tantalize. Here is information about her site, note the seal of approval from the Association of Library Services to Children.

This Web site includes substantial teacher support information about Cynthia's books as well as tremendous resources related to the entire body of children's and young adult literature.

It has been recognized among "Great Web Sites For Kids" by the American Library Association (in the "Authors & Illustrators" category)), and listed among "Useful Online Resources" in the CHILDREN'S WRITER'S AND ILLUSTRATOR'S MARKET by Alice Pope (Writers Digest, 2008).

 

  1.  Nancy Keane’s Booktalks (http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/ya.htm) Booktalks are short commercials designed to peak the interest of teen (or other) readers without giving away the ending or other surprises crucial to maintaining interest in the story. Nancy Keane is an author who has compiled booktalks over the years. She does presentations at state reading conferences on how to get students, even that most reluctant reader, to beg for books. This is a site to use when you need to know just bit more than the brief annotation provides. It is a site that is more useful for teachers and librarians than it is for teens. Every librarian should know how to do a booktalk and should give them regularly. If librarians or teachers are not sure how to do one or what to say, this site gives permission (within guidelines) for using these prewritten booktalks. Here is an example:

 

  1.  Teen Lit (http://www.teenlit.com/) This site includes teen reviews, providing both name and grade level of students writing the review.

 

  1. See Me 4 Books. (http://seeme4books.com/) This Canadian site is run by my friend Betsy who would be upset with me if I didn’t put in a plug for: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggla/ While our Canadian friends often see books from the states, Betsy works hard to make sure that US students see the exceptional work written by Canadians that we Staters in our, what?, arrogance or ignorance often do not find. Try reading, for example, True Confessions of a Heartless Girl by Martha Brooks, or Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton, or Tribes by Art Slade or Megiddo’s Shadow, his more recent title. Read one of my all time favorite books: Heck, Superhero by Martine Leavitt, one of the 2006 National Book Award runner-ups for the BBYA nominated, Ketura and Lord Death. Listen to Ms Leavitt (and the rest of the 2006 NBA finalists) here: http://bookexpocast.com/category/national-book-awards/