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February 9, 2007
YOUNG ADULT CLASSICS
Every now and then I pick up a magazine called BOOKLINKS. It reviews books and does lists on specific subjects. The July 2006 issue was there 15th anniversary issue and they had a list of 15 classic Young Adult novels. It was a great list spanning my many years working as a Young Adult librarian. So here it is. What do you think?
THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier
A high-school freshman who refuses to participate in the annual fund-raising chocolate sale is forced to defend his convictions. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADE 8 AND UP (This classic is now taught in Englsh classes.)
THE CONTENDER by Robert Lipsyte
A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP. (It took the author more than 24 years to write the sequel, THE BRAVE.)
FALLEN ANGELS by Walter Dean Myers
Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP
FAREWELL TO MANZANAR: A TRUE STORY OF JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR II by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston
This is the true story of a Japanese American family sent to an internment camp during World War II; where the conditions were cramped and unhealthy. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 9 AND UP
GENTLEHANDS by M.E. Kerr
A teenage boy falls in love with an "upper-class" girl and gets to know his estranged grandfather in one heartbreaking summer which climaxes in a shattering search for Nazi war criminals. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (This is another personal favorite of mine.)
THE GOATS by Brock Cole
Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and disappear without a trace. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 AND UP
JACOB HAVE I LOVED by Katherine Paterson
Feeling deprived all her life of schooling, friends, mother, and even her name by her twin sister, Louise finally begins to find her identity. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 9
KILLING MR. GRIFFIN by Lois Duncan
A teenager casually suggests playing a cruel trick on the English teacher, but did he intend it to end with murder? RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (It is my personal favorite. I was not a great English student.)
THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (This is another classic English teachers use.)
THE PIGMAN by Paul Zindel
A teenage boy and girl, high school sophomores from unhappy homes, tell of their bizarre relationship with an old man. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 9 AND UP. (This is another title English teachers just love, but back in 1968 it was not selected as a BEST BOOK FOR TEENS by young adul librarians. We can't always be right.)
SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE by Julie Reece Deaver
When a car accident kills her best friend Jimmy, with whom she has shared everything from childhood escapades to breaking into the professional theater scene in Chicago, seventeen-year-old Morgan must find her own way of coping with his death. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP
STOTAN by Chris Crutcher
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP
A SUMMER TO DIE by Lois Lowry and Jenni Oliver
Thirteen-year-old Meg envys her sister's beauty and popularity. Her feelings don't make it any easier for her to cope with Molly's strange illness and eventual death. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 T0 8
TIGER EYES by Judy Blume
Resettled in the "Bomb City" with her mother and brother, Davey Wexler recovers from the shock of her father's death during a holdup of his 7-Eleven store in Atlantic City. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP
THE UPSTAIRS ROOM by Johanna Reiss
A Dutch Jewish girl describes the two-and-one-half years she spent in hiding in the upstairs bedroom of a farmer's house during World War II. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8 (In 1972, when the book was published, I was fortunate to meet and hear the author's experience. This book is autobiographical.)
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at February 9, 2007 10:55 AM
Comments
i luv the book killing mr griffin!!!!!
Posted by: drew at October 15, 2007 8:25 AM
i love this book.. its so amazing
Posted by: kimberly at May 16, 2008 11:16 AM