Reading for Teens

I am about to enter my LAST semester of the MLS program. I'll be taking the practicum (110 hours mainly after school and on Saturdays - please pray that I do not become more unglued than I already am), and the not so anticipated Young Adult materials course.

One thing I've discovered is that the Young Adult sections in the libraries round these parts are more than a bit skimpy. The required books for the course are:

• Crank by Ellen Hopkins - Book of poetry about a girl who goes to visit her father and gets hooked on crank. All the pitfalls are amazingly graphic. The poetry was hard to get into, but once I did, it really flowed.


• Beastly by Alex Flinn - Teenage retake on Beauty and the Beast. Pretty good.


• What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles - Snotty girl disses guy who kills himself. Brother kidnaps her. Story is told from several points of view. Great twist at the end. Nicely done.


• Deadline by Chris Crutcher - Boy gets medical death sentence and decides to live his last year to its fullest without telling anyone. Pretty good.


• The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin - A young man goes to live with his aunt and uncle. Having killed another teen, he clearly has issues, but his cousin also has some serious issues.


• Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block - This one was just weird. Short, but weird.


• The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks - Two young men go off to find the story behind their sister's murder. More psychological than I usually read.


• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier - I liked this one. Stubborn boy refuses to participate in the annual chocolate sale at school. A sale that is run by what can only be called a gang of thugs. Boy stands his ground but pays a very big price.


• Inexcusable by Chris Lynch - Date rape.

Still need to read the following. Hoping to have them done by the end of the week.

• Forever by Judy Blume


• Tyrell by Coe Booth


• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Then I get to find and read six more for a book talk. woohoo