I haven't read The Hunger Games yet, but I gather that the YA reading list hasn't become especially sunny or optimistic lately. When I was a YA, everything we read had to be about two or more of the following: the Holocaust, suicide, or bulimia. Also acceptable were books about racism, provided several lynchings were described in technicolor. Then, after we finished our assigned reading for the year, the school board would hold a workshop on what could possibly be causing the rampant depression in the student body.
Well, it's too late for me, of course. As soon as I'm done with this post, I'm going to go huff some wood glue, write a note blaming my parents, and OD on some Xanax I stole from the locker room while listening to Nevermind (to my younger readers: check your oldies station).
Here are seven novels I recommend for your teenager or almost-teenager. Kids that age do enjoy drama and angst, but these books don't glorify teenage gloom, or teach that it's the world's job to learn to appreciate the delicate genius that is Teenage Me. Most of these books are about courage, and about something that teenagers really need to know: how to discern true love from its flashier counterfeit. With the possible exception of the Paterson novels, I don't think this list is too girly. The only other thing they have in common is that they are stuffed with good ideas that young people need to hear, and the writing is far above average.
--1--
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
This one is often included in YA lists, but not for the right reasons, I think. Teenagers won't fully appreciate the themes of love and fidelity in this fleshing-out of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, but there is plenty else in this gorgeous and searing novel to grab them by the scruff of the neck and shake the stupid ideas out of them. Heartrending and intense. For grades 9 and up.
--2 and 3--
Two novels by Katherine Paterson:
Jacob Have I Loved is a coming-of-age novel about twin girls living on a crabbing island in the Chesapeake Bay in the 1940's. One sister is lovely, talented, fragile, and secretly vicious -- the other, the narrator, is plain, strong, and full of rage. Their horrible old grandmother is unforgettable. I especially appreciate how the narration reveals serious flaws in the main character, with flashes of sympathy for even the worst characters. Flawless in structure, characterization, and style. For grades 7 and up.
Another excellent novel by Paterson, suitable for grades 5 and up, is The Great Gilly Hopkins.
It's like Flannery O'Connor, Jr. Great portrayals of hypocrisy, great portrayals of genuine love by a genuine Christian, who happens to be a fat, trashy, semi-literate foster mother named Trotter. The story could easily have dissolved into melodrama, but resists. My only quibble is with the character of the black teacher, Miss Harris -- she seems a bit too glibly drawn as the hard-as-nails and smart-as-a-whip black teacher with a heart of gold, etc. All the rest of the characters, though, are thoroughly believable, including Trotter's pathetic ward William Ernest Teague (W.E.T.) and a greasy-haired, would-be sidekick, Agnes Stokes. I believe it's sold as a novel about racism, but it's really just about love.
Also notable: The Master Puppeteer, set in 18th century Japan, has a boy for the main character. I remember it as being very good, but haven't read it in many years.
--4--
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
I know, I know. The author passed it off as an autobiography, and it wasn't. Pretty awful -- but darn it, I still like the book. It is beautiful and funny, and I feel happy while reading it. I wish I knew the characters in real life, which is more than you can say for most novels or autobiographies. Apparently it's been criticized as perpetuating the "noble savage" stereotype of the American Indian, but I don't see that; nor is it anti-white propaganda. The main point of the book is simply the wonderful story of a boy growing up with his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the mountains during Prohibition. It's an ancient story of happiness, broken by a terrible grief and darkness of separation, and then a return to happiness, until Eden is outgrown. Also, it makes descriptions of scenery interesting. For grades 6 and up.
--5--
A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
This one is for older teens, for sure. The story is complicated and fascinating, and demands a lot of the reader. It's about Catholic monks and Jews and miracles and nuclear war and space travel and mutants. It's a crazy, grotesque, hilarious epic with lots and lots of ideas. There is a disturbing theme of the cyclic nature of history that seems to imply a "new" Immaculate Conception, but a teenager with a good grounding in the faith won't be troubled by it. I like how the priests are real men. It will appeal to lovers of science fiction, but is so much more than that.
--6--
The Don Camillo series by Giovanni Guareschi
Three collections of short, sweet, funny and poignant stories from post-WWII Italy about a large and rash village priest and his rival, the equally large and rash communist mayor Peppone. If you don't enjoy these stories, there is something wrong with you. I could do without the cartoonish illustrations by the author, but the stories are hugely entertaining, and touch on all kinds of interesting theological ideas. Don Camillo's conversations with the crucified Christ in his church are authentic and moving. For grades 7 and up.
--7--
Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra by C. S. Lewis
The first two books of the space trilogy are great stories and provide so many memorable scenes (the third in the series, That Hideous Strength, takes a different turn and is not for the kiddies). It was from Perelandra that I learned that evil isn't interesting and the devil isn't clever or charming.
For more mature teenagers -- there are ideas about sexuality which are entirely Catholic (yes, I know Lewis wasn't), but which less mature kids won't be able to manage. The only part that might strike readers as dated is the fact that the villain wants to conquer worlds and force humankind on the universe, whereas today's humanist villains are more interested in quashing or containing the human race. It might be an interesting conversation to discuss what the current evil ideas have in common with the ones in the books.
There are many, many wonderful scenes in both books. I was especially affected, as a teenager, by the passage in Perelandra where Ransom protests to God that there is a representative of Evil in the world, fighting for the soul of the unfallen Lady -- so why is there no champion of Good? And the silent and terrifying answer comes booming back at him: you. There is also the memorable phrase, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, here goes! I mean, Amen!" Lewis' descriptions of scenery are the only drawback to these books -- he does go on and on, and without his characteristic clarity. For grades 10 and up.
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You'll notice there is no Madeleine L'Engle in this list. I read her books several times as a Young Adult, and I'm sure they influenced me, but I just don't like her. I don't like her smarmy characters, I don't like how her ideals of family life are utterly saturated in six kinds of snobbery. I don't like the loosey goosey games she plays with syncretism, and her stories leave me cold, irritated and unsatisfied. I'm always astonished that she's described as some kind of literary genius -- her prose always strikes me as hokey and stilted. She is very original, I'll admit, but I have very little patience with the "o-the-aching-wonder-of-it-all" genre. I'm not saying "don't read her stuff," but I think you'll do just fine if you never do read her.
What would you recommend for your Young Adult?
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Anything written by Edward Eager (kids who love books, especially E. Nesbit, having magical adventures!)
The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane (ditto on the protags loving reading, good moral takeaways about redemption)
Spindles End - Robin McKinley
Terry Pratchett wrote some of his Discworld novels as YA fiction, and they are great! You have to like fantasy (Discworld is a magic-friendly flat world carried through space on the backs of four elephants standing on a turtle), but There is a lot of exploring of characters and relationships. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, is OK, but the Tiffany Aching novels (The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight) are outstanding.
A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon van Auken, an actual autobiographical work is a beautiful take of classic noble virtue and the bitter catharsis that ensues with grief.
I’m ashamed to say I have only read the Lewis in this list—and those when in college. Your first paragraph explains why; I’m still depressed around the edges by the tortured souls I read about as a “YA”.
Question: what is eoyjpiy? I suspect it is a typo, but what if it is some sort of code word you hope we will crack?
Loved this post before, and love it now. “Great Gilly Hopkins” is glorious, and “Till We Have Faces” is a great alternative to other “bold new telling of ancient myths” that always seem to spin off into New Agey delirium. “Canticle for Leibowitz”, however, pitched me into a paranoid funk for about a week after finishing it. And since my Nevermind CD had been destroyed by the 2 year old, I had no musical outlet for my dispair.
This time around, I’ll give the C.S. Lewis trilogy a whirl.
I am a sold-out, devotee of Gary D. Schmidt, especially the Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now. His realistic fiction with beautiful prose honors kids’ experience of the world without pandering. I’ve never had more fun reading aloud to my kids than Wednesday Wars (they were 10 and 12 at the time). It’s really refreshing to have a YA book as far from dystopia as can be.
Many thanks…Just ordered 5 of them!
The John R. Tunis books, especially the baseball ones (“The Kid from Tomkinsville” et al). Even if you aren’t much of a baseball fan, these books are outstanding. Also, they’re great for boys. Great writing, great character development, and makes you love baseball even if you don’t.
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“My Brother Louis Measures Worms”, while not in quite the same literary category with C.S. Lewis, is entertaining while also containing one of the better explanations of how nice people that we like can also do things that aren’t up to our moral standards (in the context of an unwed mother).
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For girls (mostly): L.M. Montgomery books (not just the “Anne” series, but her collections of short stories); Bess Streeter Aldrich books (“The Cutters” is my favorite, but her other books are great too); and Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy books. They start when Betsy is turning 5, but the high school books and beyond are perfect for girls around that age (and my brothers liked them too when my dad read them aloud).
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O. Henry’s short stories are good too.
@Colet: D’oh. Well, “eoyjpiy” is a code word for “I swear I actually spell-checked this time, but did some quick edits afterwards, and didn’t notice that my fingers were one inch too far to the left.” Thanks for the catch!
Yes to Til We Have Faces! Now I’m inspired to read it for the zillionth time.
Dickens, Dickens and more Dickens.
AMDG
Simcha! What about That Hideous Strength?! This third part of Lewis’ Space Trilogy is my favorite. It has an impressively well-constructed narrative about personal struggle between love of self and love of others. It is not to be overlooked. Also, as far as current authors are concerned, John Green is really pushing young people to understand the world, themselves and other persons more complexly. His new book The Fault in Our Stars is truly outstanding.
Any of Agatha Christie’s books. Her mysteries are always engaging and her characters very believable and human.
Ellis Peters’ Cadfael Chronicles. Her historical research is good, and Cadfael and his fellow monks seem like both real people and products of their own time.
Any of Georgette Heyer’s books. Her romances are delightfully fluffy and escapist, but never smutty and her historical novels make you learn things without thinking about it.
(All of these are for older teens <15)
I know what you mean about L’Engle, and your criticisms of her books are absolutely true, but I confess I did love them as a teenager. Even then I was aware of the faults you list (especially the silly syncretism) but at the same time they taught me to deep-down, really truly, viscerally believe the metaphysical (and moral) principle that being is good, and that evil is a privation. Which is a pretty important principle that most in our modern age reject.
Anyway, thanks for the recommendations, especially the Don Camillo series. About those, would you say they could be suitable for adult reading, too?
@ARM: absolutely, Don Camillo is good reading for adults. All of the books I listed are books I still enjoy re-reading. The only ones which were specifically aimed at YAs are the Paterson ones, but even they make good reading for adults.
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I know what you mean about L’Engle. My kids read her books, and I keep my mouth shut, because I know that good and important ideas come in all sorts of packages! I think her books are good; I just don’t like them!
Wait, but what Forrest Carter is rather more troubling than passing fiction off as autobiography—what he did by masquerading as Native American is more akin to what the authors of fake Holocaust survival memoirs do, laying claim to and profiting from the suffering of others. In Carter’s case, it’s particularly grotesque, since he dedicated much of his life to perpetuating that suffering in his real-world guise as as a rabidly racist political agitator—speechwriter for George Wallace, member of the Ku Klux Klan, author of a segregationist newsletter. So “The Education of Little Tree” is like a Holocaust survival memoir penned by a former Nazi functionary. However credible and poignant it might seem, it’s rotten at the core—and the fact that people who care about such things have objected to its depiction of Native Americans deserves especially careful consideration. There are better books—better in every sense of the word—out there.
@catherine: you may be right. I would not use his book as part of a history or sociology course, by any means. Once you know about what he did as a person (which I did not!), I guess it would be almost impossible to enjoy the story. But as a pure literary work, I still think it’s lovely. I don’t see why it can’t be presented and enjoyed as fiction, any more than one can objectively enjoy the work of any sinner or hypocrite. What the story teaches about love is entirely true and engaging, and I still think that that was the main focus of this particular work. I am almost always against teaching students about the biography of artists when teaching the work itself—I think it muddies the experience unnecessarily for kids who are still inexperienced with the idea that good people do bad things, and bad people do good things.
May I mention, at least for the tweens in your life, my humorous Kingdom of Patria series? Visit http://kingdomofpatria.com. There are two ebooks in the series, STOUT HEARTS & WHIZZING BISCUITS and STOOP OF MASTODON MEADOW—just follow the venue buttons on the homepage of the site. The site itself is a companion, interactive experience related to the series, featuring free short stories—including the Kingdom of Patria Storytime Radio—character blogs, and clubs for kids to join. Come on over to Patria for some fun for the whole family!
woodhouse! f. scott fitzgerald—especially the short stories. they don’t fit into the lose adventure theme you’ve got going on there, but they are so so good.
I am trying to forgive your leaving A Tree Grows in Brooklyn off this list. Trying…
I HATED A Bridge to Terabinthia. It contained absolutely everything that was wrong with books written for kids from the mid-70’s on. Are her other books really better than that? Promise?
@Michael Kirk: That Hideous Strength really is different from the others in the series, and I would be very cautious recommending it to teenagers. I think he treads a very fine line with the Fisher King stuff, but possibly I’m just overly critical because I never liked anything to do with King Arthur. The description of Mark’s path of temptation and finally his rejection of evil is outstanding, and could be really great for teens to internalize; but I think his portrayal of good married love is good but subtle, and could be misunderstood very easily. I wouldn’t necessarily warn against it, but it’s not in my top tier of recommendations for the YA age group.
Don’t be afraid to help readers dip into the classics as they’re ready! Jane Austen is an obvious choice for avidly reading high school girls. I also enjoyed “Mrs. Mike” and “Christy,” which are both powerful biographies-written-as-novels about young women taking on real life challenges. (The theology in Christy is non-denominational Christian, but many teens can sort through that and take what is helpful.) I also loved Screwtape Letters and “The Hiding Place” in my teen years. THP is a autobiography of a holocaust survivor, but is much more focused on the journey of faith the author took than the horrors that she witnessed.
I’m also and advocate of surreptitiously keeping things like Narnia in the minds and imaginations of teens, maybe by reading them aloud to younger siblings?
@suburbancorrespondent, I love Tree Grows in Brooklyn—left it off this list because I wanted to make it more boy-friendly (and also because we discussed it in a previous post, “Dangerous Books for Girls.” I haven’t reread Bridge to Teribithia in a long time, but I remember it as a blight on the otherwise excellent record of Paterson. Give the others a chance!
I appreciate Margaret’s mention of Wodehouse. My eleven year-old son is plowing through the Blandings novels now, and it’s a pleasure to hear him chuckling and cackling from his bedroom at night.
I also think that LJ’s comment about the classics is important (and I include Wodehouse among the classics). I’m reading David Copperfield myself right now and will be recommending it to my teenage girls and to my son.
The books by Chesterton Press (www.chestertonpress.com) are great. I particularly love the John Paul 2 High series. They are stories about living the faith in the real world.
@suburbancorrespondent, I love Tree Grows in Brooklyn—left it off because I wanted to make this list more boy-friendly (and also because we discussed it in a previous post, “Dangerous Books for Girls”). I haven’t reread Bridge to Teribithia in a long time, but I remember it as a blight on the otherwise excellent record of Paterson. Give her other books a chance!
Chesterton.
Great picks! “Till we have Faces” is my favorite book. Ever. Best book Lewis wrote and deeply profound.
I’d not only recommend Jane Austen for high school girls but boys as well, particularly Mansfield Park. Believing Saint Jane only wrote books the girls is sexism at its worst! :^P Seriously though, young men can absolutely learn quite a bit about right behavior and good morals from Jane Austen.
I’d also recommend anything Tolkien, except the boring stories in the Silmarillion, for High Schoolers.
Wodehouse’s “Indiscretions of Archie” are for everyone.
Also, Louis de Wohl’s saint books are good, and not saccharine in the least, especially “The Spear,” and “The Last Crusader.”
For high school guys, I’d recommend “No Bended Knee” by Merrill Twinning, and “With the Old Breed.” Some gruesomeness involved, but nothing worse than what you see in PG-13, and much to be learned about manliness, honor, courage, and committment.
I was really glad to see A Canticle for Leibowitz in the list. There was this book that I liked a lot when I was a kid called A Day No Pigs Would Die. It is about Shakers. There is this science fiction novel called Lord of the World, written in 1906, by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson that is trumpeted by such people as Fr. C. John McCloskey III. I haven’t read it myself, but I would like to and it my be readable by teens.
“Chronicles of Narnia” by Lewis should be great and have been adapted to movies.
“Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry: A Danish girl helps her Jewish friend and her family escape during the Nazi occupation of Denmark.
I think the problem with Jane Austen is not that young men can’t learn anything from her work, it is rather that it would be a rare young man who would be willing to pick up one of her books.
Personally, I trying to decide whether to recommend one of my favorite novels (well actually two of them). Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead. I first read them when I was a teenager, and I just reread the first and am working on the second right now. What I totally missed when I was a teen is how the main character is, in the first novel, a Christ figure. I will finish reading the Speaker and then revisit the topic with my final opinion.
I’m still reeling from the fact that Nevermind is considered oldies…
Just a few, off the top of my addled head: Alex Rider series, Ender’s Game, Samurai’s Tale, Call of the Wild, The Hatchet, Brian’s Winter, The Giver. My daughter also really liked Gone With the Wind…ALL of them went crazy about The Hunger Games, but I just can’t muster it up to read it. Oh, and this one is great too: In The Shadow of His Wings—true story about a Catholic priest, forced into the Nazi Army, amazing story.
I guess these are more for the younger end of YA, but two series I love are Ralph Moody’s Little Britches et. al. (autobiographical cowboy-type books) and Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series (highly imaginative, self-sufficient, responsible kids having adventures set in merry old England). Also Regina Doman’s retelling of fairy tales incorporating Catholicism and modern-day adventure are excellent for both guys and girls. My 16yr old son also recently enjoyed the Midshipman Quinn books.
Don’t forget everything by Louis de Wohl. Find it, and you can’t stop devouring his healthy, wholesome historical fiction.
Well, I don’t know—I mean, I agree that we don’t need good writers to be good people (Marlowe! Heidegger! Charles Dickens, the world’s worst husband!) and I also don’t expect literary works to reflect the character of their authors in any straightforward manner, but here the book itself is part of the problem. I don’t see Carter’s willingness to impersonate a Native American (or his idealized portrayal of Indian life) as counterweights to his racial politics but as a pretty direct expression of them—of his self-serving disregard for the dignity of non-white people. Could kids read the book and learn wonderful lessons from it? No doubt, just as a well-written fake Holocaust memoir by a former Nazi could testify to genuine principles of human kindness and strength—I just wouldn’t promote it.
we must be the exact same age…same on the YA book list when I was a kid. You summed it up, perfectly! lol
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings
Both my kids (preteens) thoroughly enjoyed “Olivia and the Little Way” and its sequel “Olivia’s Gift.” In fact, our youngest read them last summer and she was only 10. Highly recommended, especially because of the solid Catholic values woven into both books!
Forrest Cater aka Asa Carter…many of the supposed “native american” words in the book he actually made up.
great suggestions here and can’t wait to pass them on to my kids.
Lord of the World would be an excellent choice for teens. A fine Catholic apocalyptic tale, and it holds up well as a story (even if the technology is quaintly steampunkish).
Haven’t read “Little Tree,” but PBS just had an excellent documentary about Carter about three weeks back. He also wrote “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” and a couple of other popular works whose names escape me. If his story wasn’t true, you’d never get it published.
THE GREAT DIVORCE BY C.S. LEWIS. STRUGGLING TO OVERCOME A CHILDHOOD THAT INCLUDES DIVORCE, IT WAS GREAT TO PUT THE WORD TO BETTER MEANING. GOD BLESS~
To Kill a Mockingbird. In my opinion, required reading for all ages, pre-teens, teens and adults.
Oh, and the Redwall series!
Personally I would Reccomend the Twilight Series.
Now before you all crucify me let me say this, I found the depiction of family, faith (of all things),redemption and love (familial as well as romantic) to be especially compelling, and this is before we’ve moved on to the main story. I really enjoy the way that Mrs Meyers incorporates the plots of Romeo and Julliet as well as Wuthering Heights into the storyline and how with a little editing of the grammer and setence structure (the books’ major weak point, it could be a wonderful piece of literature.
AS for others I would Second the Alex Rider series, The Artimas Fowl series is always entertaining, Lord of the World and Dawn of All by Fr. Benson are good reads as is anything by Lewis
Madeline L’Engle did also write The Austin Family Chronicles. I think there are five books in all. My Daughters (12 and 9) and I have really enjoyed the first two so far. The series is not as well know as A Wrinkle in Time but they are sweet, stories about a nice family, set in the 60’s. I recommend them, they are totally unlike the other series.
Thank you for the great suggestions!
Love your blog Simcha!
Heather said the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. ABSOLUTELY! And young adults should be eager to read the book before the The Hobbit movie comes out in December in all its 48 frames per second glory.
But the Tolkien book that always gets overlooked is The Silmarillion. Just like The Chronicles of Narnia is to Til We Have Faces, The Hobbit is to The Silmarillion. It describes the mythology and history behind the world of The Hobbit and LOTR. Mythologies are usually created by civilizations over centuries, Tolkien did it in one lifetime (almost). The book is breathtaking and intricate and even pretty dark sometimes, Tolkien has no illusions about the struggle between good and evil, and how characters can be complex combinations of both (contrary to the common charge against LOTR, that his characters are morally either black or white). The only problem is that the book is very demanding of its readers - some parts are only understandable if you memorize parts of his invented languages - in fact it may be asking a lot of a YA. But still…. can’t say enough about it!!
Simcha, have you read Life of Pi yet? About the boy adrift on the Pacific ocean for several months? If you haven’t, I would greatly recommend it. It’s stance on religion is very refreshing—the main character has an unshakeable faith in God and deep love for religion, and in fact loves God and religion so much that he worships Him as a deeply devout Christian, Muslim, and Hindu simultaneously. It’s definitely for older kids, as the religious themes are quite mature and there’s some violent scenes as well. But oh what a masterpiece it is…
As far as L’Engle’s work…I think A Wrinkle in Time is an unquestioned classic, and it’s sequel A Wind in the Door is quite good too (although it gets a little out there). But the rest of her books…! The quality of the writing, plots, characterizations, themes, etc. take a complete nosedive, at least in the subsequent books dealing with the Murry family. An Acceptable Time might be the worst of these. What the heck happened?
I would recommend the Odd Thomas books older teens. They get pretty dark with the horror elements, but there’s a sense of ultimate hope underlying them.
Kathy,
I second your recommendation of To Kill A Mockingbird. In a world where so many people play the “race card,” that novel shows just how far we’ve come as a society.
Jack Hughes,
I won’t read the Twilight series because of one thing: if they don’t spontaneously combust in sunlight, they aren’t vampires…
My son is 12, a little younger than you’re looking for, but here’s a few suggestions for his age. Hilda van Stockum, The Mitchells: Five for Victory then there are two more books with that family. Also her series The Cottage at Bantry Bay, and the following two books (Francie on the Run and Pegeen). Then Henry Reed, Inc. series by Keith Robertson. He also like the Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart, 4th book just released. I appreciate all the suggestions.
While a huge fan of many of the aforementioned books, I applaud those who have suggested titles on this end of the century. As a MS teacher, I have more converts to the “oldies but goodies” when my students realize that I will read books currently on the market. After a few best seller converstations, it is easier to get a classic in their hands. There are some wonderful books/authors out there—some with overtly Christian themes, that will inspire (Mistmantle Series is a real winner for the 5-7th graders whose will read animal stories); all of Gary Schmidt’s books have that Christian world view without being preachy. I’m finding the beloved fantasy genre (that supporter of “wonder and awe”) tough to find these days, but there are plenty of books that make our kids think critically about what is right and just in the world, while at the same time enjoying a good story.
I would like to put in a plug for a brand new author, Theresa Fisher, who has written “Joy in the Ordinary.” Her story is aimed at young adults who are discerning their vocations. It’s told in a contemporary style but with old fashion values.
“Personally I would Reccomend the Twilight Series.”
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Um, what about this highly erotic YA series is good for anybody, especially highly impressionable teens and pre-teens?
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“Now before you all crucify me let me say this, I found the depiction of family, faith (of all things),redemption and love (familial as well as romantic) to be especially compelling, and this is before we’ve moved on to the main story.”
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Yes, there are some elements of family life in the first book that I found compelling, but much of it went out of the window due to the excruciatingly badly written second and third books (never bothered to read the last one, and probably never will).
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“I really enjoy the way that Mrs Meyers incorporates the plots of Romeo and Julliet as well as Wuthering Heights into the storyline”
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Literally thousands of romance novels have used the old “Romeo and Juliet” (star-crossed lovers) theme before, and in a much better way. Here, the issue is not so much the star-crossed lovers theme, but the unhealthy obsession of one teenage girl with a supposedly “perfect” boyfriend. There’s plenty of kissing, groping and ogling on the part of the girl (who doesn’t mind becoming a vampire for him, even if that means separating from her family and wanting to kill people as well). Bella spends pretty much the entire third book wanting to have sex with Edward, who nobly refuses for a while, but still wants her to have an abortion “for her own good” in the third book. He also stalks her, but that’s OK, since he’s so dreamy and all, right?
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“and how with a little editing of the grammer and setence structure (the books’ major weak point, it could be a wonderful piece of literature.”
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I vehemently disagree. To make the Twilight books into an acceptable piece of literature, besides fixing the atrocious grammar and sentence structure one would also need to take entire paragraphs (and even entire chapters) out of the books, not to mention changing a good part of the plot as well. Part of the reason I found the third book nearly unreadable (besides the story itself) was reading Bella go into paroxisms of lust every darn time she saw Edward. Barely a chapter went by without Bella describing every physical detail of her dreamy vampire boyfriend in the most gushing terms available: He was like a Greek God, he looked like Michaelangelo’s David, his lips were full and sensual, etc, etc, etc… it was almost comical.
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Ladies, I know it’s way too late to say this, but still: Twilight is NOT a good YA series for girls. Set the bar a bit higher for them and don’t accept trashy novels as a substitute for good literature!
Not sure about Life of Pi. I got some serious ‘all religions are equal’ vibes. Not a bad story otherwise though.
Personally, I loved Jane Austen’s books, most especially Pride and Prejudice. The Shadow of His Wings by Fr. Gereon Goldman was amazing too! The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas was fantastic…
Oh, Simcha, you are gracious! A typo ‘catch’ after publication is just finger-wagging; at the very least it should be mentioned privately. I really did wonder if you’d made a new word and I just wasn’t getting it.
my almost 12 year old boy rattled off some of his likes:
Hatchet
The Lab & Remote Control
The Shakespeare Stealer
Moby Dick
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Ivanhoe
Black Beauty (liked it but obviously depressing)
Hoot
I bought used copies of the Don Camillo series for my son last year, when he was in 8th grade, and he absolutely ate them up! Just love Guareschi’s brand of humor! We were delighted to find out some time later that Netflix carried the 1951 Italo-French production of “The Little World of Don Camillo” on DVD. Though it was in B&W, with English subtitles, this charming and wholesome movie was beautifully filmed in Italy and brilliantly acted by Fernandel, the actor who played Don Camillo. The whole family enjoyed it! To see a glowing 1953 NY Times review of the film during its U.S. premiere, click here:
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http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E00E6D91F3CE23BBC4C52DFB7668388649EDE
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We also rented its sequel, “The Return of Don Camillo,” from Netflix. The story was less cohesive than the first, but it wasn’t a total waste of time. There were still some funny & memorable moments. Click here for the 1956 NY Times film review:
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http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907E1DD1E31E23BBC4F51DFB566838D649EDE
For sci-fi: Piers Anthony Xanth series (over 20 books)
The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Schusterman, 2004. My son, Asa, BEGGED me to read this book. Begged me for months! I finally gave in, and it’s just a marvelous story, unlike anything else I’ve read. Excellent for boys.
Also, World War Z, by Max Brooks, 2006. Yeah, I know that zombies are all the rage, but this book goes far beyond the usual. I think it is the best of the genre by far, and we had many, MANY interesting political discussions after reading it.
The Hunger Games have also prompted lot of discussions and soul searching. I see a general affinity between teens today and post-apocalyptic literature. Something about that troubles me. They seem to be planning (in their heads) for the End Times.
BTW, when I say Asa begged me, I mean that he had read it three times already, and thought it was the best book ever, and wanted to discuss it with me, and that meant I needed to READ IT. ;-)
I see “Twilight” is the new “Harry Potter”. Oh well. I would challenge anyone here, today, to tell me that the *only* literature, TV, movies that they or their children are allowed to read is high art. Good grief. I let my sixteen y.o. daughter read “The Thorn Birds”—We talked a lot about the human condition. Lots of creepy stuff to wade through—Like they won’t ever live in a college dorm?? For Gosh sakes, be human and wade through the semi-crap *with* them. Who here*really* thinks they are going to be able to keep their kid in a zip lock environment forever?
OOh, yeah! “Hoot,” and “Flush,” by Carl Hiaasen. LOVE those.
And “Holes,” by Louis Sachar, 1998. Three more that appeal equally to boys and girls.
I love reading the books that my grand children are reading. I drew the line at the Twilight series and the Hunger Games. I don’t do vampires and the “Games” were so dark. But I have read all of the Narnia,Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Ranger’s Aprentice,and the Percy Jackson Series. I have suggested the Louis de Wohl books because I have read many of them and agree that The Spear and The Last Crusader are wonderful. But I have found that they aren’t drawn to them. I also read the Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow series. I liked the series but I would recommend them to someone older. The important thing for me what ever the series is that I talk over the plot and motivations of the characters with the children. If you are looking for a great series for boys, The Ranger’s Apprentice is the one to suggest.
I’d suggest the wheel of time series. With adult guidance (someone who can help a teen struggle through some of the concepts in the book) this series is fantastic! It’s a shame that Robert Jordan died prior to the end of the series (the 12th 400-ish page book), but it’s very good stuff. Enough to keep a teen engaged and reading, that much is certain. Harry Potter proved that teens want to read, they just don’t get good enough stories. The distinction between good literature and a good story is critical. “Good literature” consists of academically approved stories while good stories consists of stories that enthrall a person’s interest. Funny how good stories almost alway end up good literature but good literature not run through the ‘popular’ gamut tends to flop pretty consistently.
Cornelia Funke’s Ink trilogy, Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath.
Well written, tuned to teens, Meggie is a main character although it is mostly the adults around her that make the momentous changes in her world. Really! The world isn’t run by the teenager?
I loved the themes. Books create a world with good and evil. The author has lots of fun with his evil creations until he has to live with them. Great discussions on good people versus bad people without sacrificing the meaning of good and evil.
My boys liked them;full of fighting and bravery.
I applaud the CS Lewis! Glad to see the Space Trilogy on this list. Til We Have Faces can be read many times.
Wodehouse, and more Wodehouse. We don’t need to depress them with life just yet.
I’ll agree with Dickens on both counts. Among the worst husbands ever. And the best writers ever. I never read A Tale of Two Cities when I was younger. Now I’m reading it aloud to my kids. It’s fascinating, managing the feat of being both dignified and dramatic at the same time.
“Red badge of courage”
“How Green was my Valley” (Growing up in a Welsh mining town, great story).
“A child’s Christmas in Wales”
Wind in the Willows
Hiawatha
A Christmas Carol
The Little Prince
Night Flight
Shakespeare’s plays, a challenge but not as difficult as it seems, with a little help and detective work, and an accompanying DVD of each play as you read. When I was in high school, we read a comedy and a tragedy every year.
The Bible, wonderful stories and the proverbs are full of useful advice for how to live a life of integrity.
A Man for all Seasons
Murder in the Cathedral
Animal Farm
1984
I think I’d better stop…..........
I loved Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked this way comes” and “Fahrenheit 451” as a teen…still do:)
Thumbs up to Cornelia Funke, and also the books by Christopher Paolini, the Inheritance trilogy. Bonus points to Chris Paolini for being homeschooled, and publishing Eragon at age 18 or 19. Boys love all these books, and knowing that a kid wrote them has inspired my kids to aspire to be authors themselves.
Making a boy a reader can be a special challenge. For years, most youth and YA fiction was appealed mostly to girls. Also, boys tend to want to read non-fiction, and that’s another whole kettle of fish.
I agree wholeheartedly with whoever (above) said that good stories make good readers, more than good literature makes good readers. And reading, reading anything, is the single best predictor of academic success, high test scores (yadda) and all the other steps on the way to becoming a truly educated person, which often has very little to do with formal education. Finding a book that is both a great story and great literature…that’s like a home run on the 4th of July.
Kids and teens need to read. And if it takes Twilight, or Harry Potter, or The Traveling Pants, or zombie/apocalypse/dystopian stuff, or the Warriors saga by Erin Hunter…bring it on. The more words a kid digests before he or she turns 18 or 20, the better. The earmark of good YA fiction is “do I, an adult, enjoy the heck out of this book?” YA’s are us, they just need to be monitored with regard to sexual content and dark themes.
“Hothead” by Cal Ripkin Jr. is an excellent book for 8 to 12 year olds. We played the audio book to our grandchildren on a long, 2 day trip to Florida last year. They enjoyed it and it had great messages ofr tweens.
“Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury
“Maniac Magee” and “Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli
“Where the Red Fern Grows” and “Summer of the Monkeys” by Wilson Rawls
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (lots to talk about!)
“Sign of the Beaver”
“A Day No Pigs Would Die”
“A Separate Peace” by John Knowles
“Across Five Aprils”
“The Devil’s Arithmetic”
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I’ve been collecting lots of classic YA literature because I hope to one day teach language arts to middle school students. This is a non-exhaustive list, but include just a few that I’ve read over and over again!
I don’t have much to offer in the way of suggestions, but experience of high school English (and this was honors English) was that EVERY SINGLE BOOK WE READ was about depression, mental illness or suicide. It was, well, depressing.
Junior year was better as we read Shakespeare, Dante, and other good stuff. Senior year we read Russian classic lit.
I would recommend The Truth about Celia Frost for 12 up. It’s gripping, full of twists and turns and subtle but clear positive messages about bioethics.
Sorry - forgot to give the author: The Truth about Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne
“Feed” by M.T. Anderson is a very entertaining but dark look at a future when the internet is wired directly into people’s heads. His “Octavian Nothing” historical novels are also excellent.
I glad that I read Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, in high school.
Tolkien was my absolute favorite as a teen! I personally enjoyed the Silmarillion, but did have to read it twice to really get what was going on (there are like a bazillion names in that book, and swear half of the elves’ names start with ‘F’).
I highly recommend the Redwall books for teens. I enjoyed them, and they were some of the only books my brother would read, as he was not big on reading. I think the battle aspects of the books are what appealed to him. I wouldn’t throw out Jane Austen for boys. Those are also some books that my brother, the non-reader, enjoys!
Glad to see “Canticle for Leibowitz.” I tried over the last 20 years to convince several people to read it, but was only successful 1 in 10 times. Those that did read it thought it was mind-blowing. I would definitely add “The Hero and the Crown” by Robin McKinley- a fun fantasy about defying those who make you feel worthless because they are jealous. Also “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be” by Farley Mowat- rich in language and spirit about growing up on the Canada prairies with one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs. It will make you laugh out loud and cry, too. Lastly there is “Moonwind,” but I don’t know who wrote it. It’s about a non-corporeal alien left to watch the ship after it crashes on the moon while the rest of the crew goes to earth in search of help. They never return, and several thousand years later, humans colonize the moon and the lonely alien (girl) finds a companion in a boy who won a trip to the moon for writing an essay.
The Brothers Karamazov
Jim Kjelgaard’s boy and dog books
Andre Norton - Scarface, the first 8 Witch World
books for teens
George MacDonald, especially for younger children
Robert Louis Stevenson
David Eddings - The Belgariad, The Mallorean,
Belgarath, & Polgara
Dianne Wynne Jones (Have not read these, but
highly recommended by Happy Catholic)
Second recommendations of Agatha Christie, Heyer,
& Wodehouse
Trixie Belden mystery series
My son’s high school assigned 3 “summer reading” books each year, and they were always outstanding. A Canticle for Leibowitz was on the list one year, and another I loved was Their Eyes Were Watching God. I ditto the reccomendation for Mrs. Mike; I read it in 8th grade, and reread it frequently, the last time a couple of months ago. The story never gets old. Holocaust books are compelling stories, that’s why they’re so good, and The Book Thief and Summer of my German Soldier are probably the best of the lot. The Robe, by Lloyd Douglas, is and outstanding novel appropriate for high schoolers. Great topic!
Anything by Tolkien, but my favorite is the Silmarillion. I also liked Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey series etc.), Stephen Lawhead (Pendragon Cycle, Byzantium, Patrick Son of Ireland etc) Hitchhikers Guide, Beowulf, anything by Alexandre Dumas ...
I’m going to be weird and defend Bridge to Terabithia.
Reason? I had to read Josef Pieper’s “Leisure, the Basis of Culture” for college, which basically makes the point that focusing on the nitty-gritty everyday “lower things” is less than human. What makes us truly human is to reach out for the higher. (And I know this condensation does injustice to Pieper, so I recommend you read it!)
I’d never liked Terabithia before that, but after I read Pieper I saw it as about Leslie lifting Jesse out of his narrow world and introducing him to a wider, higher world - and then the end of the book becomes hopeful and beautiful, with Jesse beginning to pass that on to others. Seen in that light, it’s not a be-a-hippy-save-the-whales book. N.B., I also think a very telling scene in the book is when Leslie goes to church with the Aaronses - she sees the “higher” where Jesse, with his workaday mindset, sees nothing, and she is touched.
@Quid est Veritas? : Hear, hear! on Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series. They’re not only a good intro to medieval culture, but Peters also does a great job on her character descriptions. In fact, that’s one of the draws of Peters’ fine writing in this series: the classic fears, sorrows, and joys of mankind are well-portrayed in her characters. I also found Brother Cadfael himself someone I wish I knew in real life; he’s laid-back, perceptive, insightful, wise, and clever…‘d make a good spiritual director or Newman Centre chaplain :)
@ Mary (Apr 28, 2012 3:53 AM): YES!! to both the dear and marvelous Geo. MacDonald, and to the wholesome Trixie Belden series. Good mention!
I love all of these titles! Especially C.S. Lewis :}. I have read Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, which is one his best. You might also enjoy Neil Shulman and Susan Wrathall’s new book, The Corporate Kid. This book is written for older children and teens and has a refreshing message of teaching the reader the values of honesty, integrity and ethical decision-making. You can learn more about it at the authors’ website: http://www.thecorporatekid.com
I would have added Tuck Everlasting to the list, myself. (Although maybe that’s considered juvenile, rather than young adult.) Love this list—I read most of these as an adult, or while in college, though. I was the freak reading Anna Karenina, Crime & Punishment, Sherlock Holmes, and everything Dickens in 7th and 8th grade. (Drug use, affairs, prostitution, murder, and intrigue—who says the classics are boring?) Ah well.
What about Regina Doman and her cohorts? “Midnight Dancers” is great!
“Not sure about Life of Pi. I got some serious ‘all religions are equal’ vibes. Not a bad story otherwise though.”
Well, yeah. But smart teens can handle it. And how often do you come across a modern-day book where trials do nothing to shake the main character’s faith in God’s existence?
“Smart teens can handle it.”
Then shouldn’t the title be ‘Good Fiction for SMART Young Adults’?
I thought that went without saying, but if you prefer that clarification you can call it that in your head if you want. :-)
Great little article, very funny intro, and thanks for the suggestions.
Young adults’ fiction is about the teens or adults between the age of 12-18.It helps the adults about Knowledge like their thinking and fictions. Kids that age do enjoy drama and angst, but these books don’t glorify teenage gloom.
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