Selecting books for my Adolescents’ Literature course is always a struggle. There are so many good books out there, and a week after I submit my book order, I always wonder if I should have used X book or highlighted the amazing work of X author. I will admit that some of my favorite authors aren’t even on the list. I try to mix it up each semester. I believe that I am only keeping four (of almost forty) books from last semester. This allows me to spread the author love and placate my guilt for not being able to include X work or X author. I am really excited to hear what the students think about the books this semester! Sharing this list brings some anxiety for me. I really struggle to build a list that is diverse, but I recognize that I am missing major topics and texts. This feels inevitable, but it doesn’t make it feel right.
For some of the weekly topics, only one book is listed. This means the entire class is reading the book. For other topics, three books are listed. This means that the class is divided in thirds. Each third reads a different book, and then we look across the texts to talk about the topic. I recognize that categorizing books has its problems, but we unpack this and discuss how it also helps us talk about many aspects of adolescence in a focused way. Many of the texts on this list could fit under several topics.
Identity (and Complications with Studying Identity)
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
Nontraditional Forms of YAL
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Family and Friendship
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Sexuality
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Gender
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Time and Place
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Grief
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
Nonfiction
Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi
Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman
Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge
Mental Health
Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
Considerations of Class
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King
Refugees and Immigration
Refugee by Alan Gratz
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi
Disability and the Body (Literature Circles)
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
The Politics of Adolescence
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
What books do/would you include on a course list?
Some marvelous books here, Ricki, some I’ve loved, some I still need to read! What a great class it will be. My latest (YA-middle) love is about immigration, but very new. I loved Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh. Happy Reading!
Looks like a great list that will stimulate good conversations about teen literature!