Books for Young Adults

[TeachENG]

Could you recommend books that young adults, particularly high school seniors would enjoy reading, and explain why. Also, if you have opinions on what books they would NOT enjoy, also respond.

[Frenchy]

For young adults, especially those who are interested in thrillers or series novels, would love Havana by Stephen Hunter. Havana is the last book of the ‘Bob Lee Swagger trilogy’. It is a fast paced book with three parallel plots running at the same time that eventually all run together seamlessly. Set in the 1950's Cold War Era, all the post-WWII carnage and fear is consistently present throughout the book. Also, Havana takes you to the worst parts of Cuba with the trustworthy Marine Corps Gunny, Earl Lee Swagger. The characters in the book and the plot are extremely well developed. Havana is undoubtedly an exciting story that you won't be able to put down. It draws you into the world of Communist Cuba thanks to the vivid details and creative, fluent writing of Steven Hunter . It is an easy to read book packed with action and will not disappoint any type of reader. I highly recommend this book to lovers of both fiction and non-fiction.

[Butterbescotch]

How about Hunger Games? Everyone seems to enjoy it.

It is set in an post-apocalypse environment, where Katniss tries to participate the Hunger Games, a game of amusement, for those who watch, and a game of death, for those who participate.

[Fran]

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Unusual & original take on the 'ghost story' genre.

[Lola82]

I think Timothy Findley's The Wars would be a good one to read with High Schoolers. I read this when I was in Grade 10 and really loved it. It would interest guys, obviously because of the war, and also the girls too.

Also Life of Pi by Yann Martel would interest and captivate young readers because of the imagination and storyline. Plus, it can provoke a good discussion once finished reading.

[Jacob]

I suggest Geralds Game, they one is good if you are tough reader.

(Yes, I am a 12 and I just suggested a book for a guy that's looking for people that are young adults.)

[DAK616]

The Lost Executioner is a book that informs and inspires. It has fairly sophisticated language, but informs us of all details surrounding the Khmer Rouge. This book is very intense and violent, it would not suit a reader who is looking for a happy read. The Lost Executioner portrays the worst of mankind in the Cambodian Genocide, but shows us that this is a reality of man through history. This is not a book for those who are looking for creativity, but rather for those who want to be enlightened on the history of this awful tragedy. The story is explained in detail, each section provides supporting evidence. Some of the actions of other nations described in the book are very shocking. In the story, the reader will experience a feeling for Democratic Kampuchea with the author’s descriptions of the horrors of the killing fields. The Lost Executioner is a very powerful piece of literature, it makes you feel so bad for those who suffered at Tuol Sleng Prison. Some of the descriptions disturb you, but it is done in an informative purpose to prevent things like this in the future. The author is very sympathetic to the Cambodian people. I agree with the flaws he points out in communism, that have caused so many deaths in the 20th century. The Lost Executioner exposes the apathy of the world and calls us to act out against genocide at all costs. If you are a high school who enjoys historical books or books about the Holocaust then this will be a good selection for you.

[Alexbrouwer]

A great book high school seniors would highly enjoy reading is the book the The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I would recommend this book because it is full of adventure and action that will make young readers, such as kids in high school, want to read and probably never put it down like myself. It was also extremely simple and fast moving that made you never want to put the book down and keep reading till the last pages, and in even in this case, read the rest of the trilogy. The plot that involves Todd Hewitt and him finding a little girl, the first he has encountered makes you want to know what happens next and what path they are destined to take and what it leads them to in the end. It is a book that I never wanted to put down or stop reading and in anyone else’s case, do the same, because it was something that I feel anybody could read for fun. I would recommend it to every single person that likes to read and, in my case, just picks up a book every so often.

[Rpthesinger]

Young adults that envy non-fiction will enjoy “The Tiger”. First off I would like to say that “The Tiger” is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. One thing that impresses me about this book is the author, John Vaillant, goes into such great detail of a true story of a hunt for a wild Siberian tiger to where you feel like you are right there in the action. You can just imagine what is going on as you read. John Vaillant does this by allowing the storyline to be understood by almost all generations. There may be a few parts where the reading level is a bit higher, but for the most part, his writing is very clear and easy to follow. This book is excellent to those who enjoy non-fiction or who enjoy action and vividness and suggest it to all those that have not read “The Tiger”.

[Benbrouwer]

The book Hoot was clearly a great read for anyone. The story showed clear responses and was easy to understand, and showed very clear images of what the area was like that the book took place in. the best part of the book was the way that it showed a realization for helping the environment and having a pro-ecology relation in the book. With the kids trying to save the owls in the construction site can help you realize of we are doing enough for our planet. With this reflection, it brings out the personal side as well, depending on what we all believe is right for ourselves and the world. The book also had some ways of drawing you to the book, but it was really up and down in that sense. Overall, with these thoughts, it was such a great book and is surely recommended. Hoot was a hoot!!!

[Morgan]

Looking for Alaska is a young adult fiction book that has already proved to be a favorite of teenagers. I found it extremely easy to relate to, me being a teenager in all, but it dealt with daily life incidents, and it was easy to understand. Looking for Alaska was very straight forward, and it was clear and easy to understand. When reading this book I felt the ability to escape into the characters world, being able to imagine my life in theirs. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this book was that similar incidents in the book have happened in my life making it easy to connect in a different way with the book. John Green was able to paint images in my mind giving the novel a touch of artistry. I recommend this book to anyone who does not like shifts in the plot, because it was easy to follow and it had no bizarre shifts in the events, almost like you know what was going to happen next, but not? John Green did a great job in expressing his thoughts throughout the book giving the book a sense of tone from the author. I think tone from the author shows that the author really reveals what he thinks about his own novel. Another reason I loved this novel is the emotional sections. This book was a rollercoaster of ups and downs making it even more intriguing to finding out what was going to happen next. In my opinion, I believe the life of the teenagers in the book was wonderful, it gave me the ability to relate to the characters and actually feel my own beliefs. Overall, the issues that were addressed throughout this novel were phenomenal. I recommend this book to everyone, it is a really intriguing book and extremely hard to put down. I highly recommend it to girls. I also cannot wait for the movie, which is hopefully coming out in 2013.

[Taylerscottsa]

If you are interested in history and autobiographies of inspiring and influential people, then "Long Walk to Freedom" is a great book. This autobiography is about Nelson Mandela. A very famous and inspiring man that changed South Africa and brought an end to apartheid. The book is surprisingly good, Mandela is not known for his literature but this book is outstanding. Its a book you never want to put down and keeps you in aw the whole way through. The only down parts are that you may not agree with some of is personal believes which is understandable because we really don't know what it felt like to live like he did, and the book is pretty hefty. Other than that i highly recommend this book to all high school students learning world history.

[LexiBart]

Numbers was a great book in how it gave you amazing insight on the topic of death and life and made you question your own beliefs on the topic. The ethical insight on whether or not you would want to know when you would die takes you on a psychological roller coaster into the mind of Jem who can see everyone’s number whether she like it or not. The topic was extremely interesting but from the summary on the back cover I was expecting more of Jem trying to change the dates of people’s deaths instead of just avoiding them. I was also disappointed in the way the author portrayed the characters at some parts because I felt it was hard for me to make a connection with either of the characters until the middle of the book. I was mainly disappointed on the way that the book was not relatable to reality in some specific sections. The book in a whole was believable and consistent but a few chapters were totally unbelievable for me. Along with the consistency of the book, the authors writing style was clear and understandable, which made it easy to read. The only part that I was confused on was what the London Eye, since I am not from England I was hazy on what it was and why it was so important. I was extremely impressed with the ending and it made me eager to read the next one. Overall Numbers was a book that gave you insight on life and death and how society deals with it.

[Bassmaster]

Zero the biography of a dangerous idea by Charles Seife was a book that not many young readers could relate to. The book isn't like many other books. Instead of telling a story of a person or an animal, it tells the story of the number zero. The number of Zero wasn’t seen in the earliest years of humanization; it took until the eighteenth century for zero even to show up. The ancient Babylonians created it as part of their number system; they wanted to use something that would be an easy symbol to see and to identify. This book was very difficult to read because of the word usage, the topic and it was very boring to me. You need to be educated on the topic if you want to understand it. You couldn't get into the book, it didn’t keep you wanting to read, and it made you mad and just wanted to stop. If you were trying to get lost in the book I am sorry but this does not do it. The only positive I saw in the book is that it was consistent. It always was on same page and you knew where you were in the story. Young Adults should not read this in my opinion. It will make you not want to read. I only recommend this book to math scholars or to anyone in a math profession.

[Dpratt27]

I have recently read The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. This book belongs to the detective-fiction genre, and is the recipient of the 2011 Alex Award. Michael is the main character, lives in Detroit, and refuses to speak in all situations. He is eighteen years old writing the book for us in his prison cell, revealing his past experiences. As I said, Michael never speaks due to his troubled past, which contains horrifying family issues. Michael has a hobby and talent for picking locks, and falls into the hands of a Detroit mobster who loves to crack safes. Throughout the book, Michael falls in love, is arrested several times, cracks multiple safes, and learns life lessons along the way. I consider this book an easy and intensity-filled read. Hamilton clearly placed a lot of effort into this work, creating unique characters and complex situations. There is not a dull moment within the novel, making it a hard book to put down once started. If you enjoy suspense and emotion, The Lock Artist is a perfect read.