hello all, I'm new here and looking for some good recommendations. I'm a 23 year old girl who loves young adult literature. I'm interested in books about troubled teenagers/young adults, abuse, drugs, rape, suicide, depression, self-injury, mental/mood disorders, etc...

this is a list of YA books I've read:
Aimee by Mary Beth Miller
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
It Happened to Nancy by Beatrice Sparks
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
You Don't Know Me by David Klass

this is a growing list of books I own but haven't read yet:
Bloodletting: A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival by Victoria Leatham
Burned by Ellen Hopkins
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Glass by Ellen Hopkins
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Jay's Journal by Beatrice Sparks
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Witch Child by Celia Rees


Now, based on this, is there anything else you've read that you highly recommend? I'm kind of desperate and don't know where to search for related books. Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone. I'm looking for YA books (or non YA's, if you've got em') that feature characters with powers (as in super powers, like the X-men or Superman or Static Shock, as opposed to magic). Does anyone know of any books like this? I'm specifically looking for books that aren't novelizations of comic books or movies or cartoons and that don't feature classic heroes, but any and all recs would be helpful/appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Since the semester is winding to a close, I'm trying to find some new reading material, and I'd like some recommendations from you. Hopefully young adult, but if there's a novel you think I should read that isn't, feel free to suggest anyway.

More specifically, here's what I'm looking for:

~ Something about Vivaldi's orphanage. (Like Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, except not really.)

~ Something about multiracial teenagers. More specifically, I'm interested in the half-Chinese, half-white experience (as in Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley), but anything you can recommend is lovely.

~ Anything about ballet. I've probably exhausted all the YA ballet books, but there's always a chance that there's something out there I haven't read.

~ Something about teens in Malaysia. Actually, anything about teens in Malaysia.

~ Post-apocalyptic stuff.

Thank you. :)

Hola. So I just finished this book and it was so good that I have to tell you guys about it.

Title: RobandSara.com
Author(s): P.J. Petersen and Ivy Ruckman
Summary: After Sara submits a poem to a teen poetry website about shaving her head to support her best friend with cancer who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments, she begins correspondence with another poetry lover who calls himself Rob. Rob and Sara live in entirely different worlds: Sara is a military brat enjoying her father's first post in the United States while Rob is living in a youth facility cum prep school for troubled teens. Their relationship, described entirely through email, deepens idyllically, until Sara recives an email from one of Rob's classmates, warning her that "Rob" is not who he says he is.
Like Heart on My Sleeve, this is a story told entirely in emails, yet, as it was written by two authors, suffers less from lack of characterization than most. The font is readable and (for the most part) absent of annoying emoticons meant to stand in for character development. The novel itself is really a "postmodern" romance, re-situated in the teen virtual world of email and Internet posts. Admittedly, the climax is all sweeping violins and drama, but, hey, we can all use a little of that sometimes, can't we?
(summary from http://web.simmons.edu/~patteea/yaorstfu3_robandsara.html)

I seriously think that you should check this book out. It's nothing that you think it's going to be and totally farfetched but one of the best books that I've ever read.

Does anyone know of any books dealing with a student-teacher relationship? I'm not sure why, but I've had a sadistic urge to read one for quite a while. I'll blame Degrassi.

Any and all recommendations appreciated!

I'm trying to think of any books I've read recently to recommend in return. If you haven't, read The Pact by Jodi Picoult, which deals with teen suicide. A lot better than her last few books, IMO.

It's Support Teen Literature Day, and Operation Teen Book Drop is in full effect!

We invite all readergirlz and authors to join our online two-hour book party hosted at the readergirlz MySpace group forum on RIGHT NOW, from 6 PM - 8 PM Pacific / 9 PM - 11 PM Eastern. The chat is in a thread titled TBD Post Op Party.

We're giving away books and prizes, and chatting with readers and authors from around the world. Come join us!

Magic's Child
Writer: Justine Larbalestier
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
Pages: 291

I was pretty happy to finally be able to pick up the conclusion to Justine Larbalestier's Magic or Madness trilogy when it was released in paperback. Happier still to be finished with my thesis so I could actually read it.

Like Magic Lessons, Magic's Child picks up right where the previous book left off. I really enjoy this trilogy, and I adore the constraints to the magic system, but these are not books you read out of order. Start at the beginning with Magic or Madness and work your way through to the end. Trust me, the story's much better for it.

The wrap-up is good and satisfying, but I think a little too much is packed into this book because so much has to be resolved. Of the three, I think Magic's Child is the weakest, but it's still satisfying, and gives the reader a new insight into the magic ruling this particular urban fantasy. Overall, good stuff, and easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys UF, whether they like it YA or not.

If you're interested in my specific and spoiler-laden review of Magic's Child, it's in my LJ. Just click the link below. ;) As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Justine Larbalestier's MAGIC'S CHILD

Happy Reading! :)

(I read the rules and I'm pretty sure this is allowed, but feel free to delete if not.)

I'm trying to revive my old community, hollyblackfans. With all of the new Holly Black fans coming in due to the The Spiderwick Chronicles books and movie, I figured there were a bunch of you out there looking for some sort of safe haven to post. We acquired more than a handful of members over the last few years, but it would be nice to have more for discussions and whatnot. There is a possibility for a read-along, if you're interested in something fun like that! :D

So, if you're a fan of Holly Black you might want to join us at hollyblackfans.

We haven't had a poll for book-of-the-month for a few months. Sorry about that! I broke my arm, went to Europe, and then had a little car accident. I think the excitement in my life is over for the time being.

Do you have any suggestions? Post them here! I'm suggesting James Patterson's 'Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment'.

Your turn ;)

YALSA and readergirlz are partners in Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD). To celebrate April 17th, 2008, Support Teen Literature Day, we've organized a massive, coordinated release of 10,000 publisher-donated YA books into the top pediatric hospitals across the country!

We invite you to celebrate Support Teen Lit Day with us. Donate one of your own books to your community, then join our amazing online book bash, The TBD Post-Op Party, the night of April 17th.

Donate a Book

First, download and print the appropriate readergirlz/YALSA/TBD bookplate. Paste it into the book you plan to donate.



If you are an author, download this plate.
If you are a reader, download this plate.

Blog about Operation TBD and place the I Rock the Drop icon on your site. Get the icon at http://www.readergirlz.com/tbd.html - Simply cut and paste the code we've provided into your blog or at your site, and the result will look like this!



Talk About It

At the readergirlz MySpace group forum (http://groups.myspace.com/readergirlz) look for the threads entitled TBD rgz! and TBD Authors! Post a reply in the thread that applies to you, and participate in other TBD threads as they are posted in the forum.

Drop a Book on April 17th

Leave one copy of your novel, with a TBD bookplate pasted inside, in a teen gathering spot in your community. Place it where the book will be found, taken, and read. (i.e. a coffee shop, the park, your school, a bus stop.) Imagine the fun someone will have when they find your donation! This is the same day all 10,000 publisher-donated books will be dropped in pediatric hospitals across the country, and it is the same day authors and readergirlz worldwide will release their own books into their communities just as you have.

Join the TBD Post Op Party on April 17th

We invite all readergirlz and authors to join our online two-hour book party hosted at the readergirlz MySpace group forum on April 17th, Support Teen Literature Day, from 6 PM - 8 PM Pacific / 9 PM - 11 PM Eastern. The chat will be in a thread titled TBD Post Op Party. The readergirlz divas will be giving away books and prizes, and chatting with teens and authors from around the world.

Operation TBD has special meaning to the readergirlz divas. After researching pediatric oncology wards for her novel GIRL OVERBOARD, Justina Chen Headley spent a year purchasing autographed YA novels to donate to her local Children's Hospital, specifically because most hospitals do not have comfort objects for teens. Lorie Ann Grover (ON POINTE) and Dia Calhoun (AVIELLE OF RHIA) personally know the healing power of stories during hospital stays, since they both live with chronic illness. Mitali Perkins (WHITE HOUSE RULES) has recently joined the team and is eager to support a readergirlz/YALSA special project.

We all know that books give hope. Together, let's show our love of teen lit and ROCK THE DROP.

Read, reflect, and reach out!

~ Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, Justina Chen Headley, and Mitali Perkins (readergirlz divas / authors)

TBD Recommended Reads

The postergirlz advisory council recommend a variety of titles for teens dealing with health issues. Their list of picks is split into two sections: Under Redefining Normal, the book characters are facing similar trials themselves or their friends or family have health concerns. Escape Reads are for all teens who need a moment to journey to another place and refuel their own energy and hope. The readergirlz divas and postergirlz hope that many find comfort and encouragement through these works of literature.

YALSA librarians selected books all about teens whose lives are affected by illness and injury, either their own or a loved one's. Some of these books are realistic fiction, some nonfiction, some historical fiction, some science fiction and fantasy. By reading these books, ill and injured teens, or those with sick family members or friends, will know that they are not alone in their battles against disease.

Download the list of books recommended by the postergirlz

Download the list of books recommended by YALSA

Download, print, and share the TBD bookmarks



For more on this and other literacy and activism projects, plus recommendations of remarkable books for teens and adults, please visit www.readergirlz.com</b>

Hey y'all, I just started an RP based around the books of Francesca Lia Block- slinkstercoolrp. I'm looking for members and possibly even a co-mod.

I'm doing some research...

Can you think of some YA/MG titles that feature a character who gives advice to other characters as a central theme? The only ones that are coming to mind are DEAR MR. HENSHAW and LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET. I'm not talking about GO ASK ALICE-type problem novels, but ones that are more along the lines of Lucy's backyard psychology stand in "Peanuts".

Thanks in advance!

X-posted: yalitlovers, teenliterature, bostonerin

Hi! Do you keep a Reading or Book Live Journal? Would you like to meet other people who do, in order to make new LJ Friends, and discuss literature, or share common interests? Check out addmy_readinglj in order to do so! (:

From today's Publisher's Lunch:

Introducing BRISINGR
That's the name of the third book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle, following Eragon and Eldest, announced today by Knopf Children's. (It's an old Norse word for fire, and "the first word in the ancient language that Eragon hears.")

The publisher has announced a first printing of 2.5 million copies, the biggest ever for a Random House children's book and the release date has been altered slightly, in response to bookseller requests to schedule midnight launch events, to 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, September 20.

Poison
Writer: Chris Wooding
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Pages: 273

A friend of mine introduced me to this author via this book, and I have to say, I'm very impressed. I was sucked right in, and anyone who enjoys reading YA, particularly fantasies (of the epic sort) with strong female leads, will enjoy this. I really appreciated how the characters had to rely on wit instead of magic, and while story seems simple, by the end, it's so much more. Makes you think, in a good way.

The full review's in my journal, if anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Chris Wooding's POISON

Happy Reading!

Please click (here) to read a review I wrote for the new young adult suspense thriller, Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz. :)

(x-posted to lstolarzfans, bifn_fans, bookish, bookshare, teenliterature, yalitlovers)

Please click (here) to read a review I recently did for the Twilight series. :)

(x-posted to bookish, teenliterature, bookshare)

Travel Light
Writer: Naomi Mitchison
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Pages: 135

Just finished Naomi Mitchison's Travel Light, an enjoyable YA fairy tale that takes your conventional stereotypes and has fun turning them on their heads. For some reason, this reminded me of Catherynne Valente's The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, without the story-within-a-story structure. The themes, the handling of fairy tales, the settings, are all comparable. It's a good read, recommended for adults and YA alike.

The full review's in my journal, if you're interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Naomi Mitchison's TRAVEL LIGHT

Happy Reading! :)