Sunday, December 04, 2011

What Are Your Favorite Teen Reads?

We've talked numerous times on this blog about fav books for boys, for littles, for tweens, and so on. However, we really have not touched too deeply on reads for older teens.

Sixteen-, seventeen-, and eighteen-year olds are in a whole different ballpark. They've entered that rhetoric phase. They're thinking more deeply, asking thoughtful questions, and looking at how their own lives integrate with the world at large. They're also able to handle more mature subjects. We, as parents, have given them the tools to discern the good from the bad and so leave more room for their discretion.

I think that most of us (mothers of older teens) have given up on pre-reading ALL of their book choices. There are only so many hours in the day after all. Yet, we have not given up on guiding their choices and helping find the good stuff when we can.

My request to you Dear Reader is to tell me in the comments some of your favorite books for older teens. I'd love to hear from teens and young adults as well as moms. What do you love and why?

My goal here is twofold. One this is a great forum to help one another. I love that we can learn from each other. Two, I'm in the depths of reading high school level books for my upcoming nonfiction book, 100 Books for Kids Who Love to Read (working title).

Did I tell you that I'm actually doing three different books? Well, my publisher asked for one book for grade school children, one for middle school, and one for high school. I think it's a great idea. I'm starting with the high school book. The really fun part is that my 18-year-old daughter has agreed to be my co-author.

So, please give me some ideas on books to include. And give all the other readers here some ideas for their trips to the library and bookstore.

18 comments:

Susan said...

My older two liked the Hunger Games.

Jimmy said...

All of Chesterton's books. I can't get enough of them.

Jimmy said...

I'm Sure all of Chesterton's books are worth reading, but here are some titles.
Heretics, Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man, What's Wrong with the World, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Club of Queer Trades, all Father Brown mysteries, The Ball and the Cross, The Flying Inn, Manalive, The Man Who was Thursday, Napoleon of Notting Hill, The Trees of Pride, and many others
With C. S. Lewis there are:
Surprised by Joy, Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Four Loves, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, A Grief Observed, Miracles, The Abolition of Man, The Space Trilogy, The Weight of Glory, and others; anything Lewis wrote I think would be a good read.

Krista said...

We push the classics in our household. It's a noble cause. Favorites include: Pride and Prejudice (Austin), The Spear (de Wohl), Little Women, Dracula (my WHOLE family loved this read aloud), and Screwtape Letters. Aside from the classics, the book THE ALCHEMIST will probably become a classic at some future point. Have you read the latter?

Maureen said...

I found a few books by that title at Amazon. Who is the author? I'll put it on my to-read list.

Anonymous said...

Freakonomics provides an interesting read on economics, also The Hobbit, Till We Have Faces, anything by De Wohl, and I'm still trying to get through Pride and Prejudice - its good but its been a busy semester and as a result I've been progressing through it at a crawl. I'm also currently reading The Tell-Tale Brain - remind me to give you my opinion on it later (assuming I actually finish it).

- your son ;)

E. Stromberg said...

I would also recommend "Till We Have Faces" it is a fascinating read. I still enjoy the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and Jane Eyre.

If you're looking for some more spiritual books...Story of the Soul, I Believe in Love, and The Man Who Got Even With God are great titles to look into.

Anonymous said...

I second The Hunger Games. They're making a movie out of it too, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgssLmsOa2s

Faith said...

I'll just list some of the books my older kids enjoyed reading. Anything by Chesterton, Lewis and Father James Martin. My son especially loved The Man Who was Thursday. I think he's read it several times now. The Great Divorce was the Lewis book I recall him really loving. Anything by P.G. Wodehouse. All my teens loved Life of Pi (I did too!). My daughter loved Austen (my son hated her!). My current 16 yo loves those Terry Pratchett Discworld books. My boys really enjoyed The Bartimeous (sp) trilogy by Stroud. Also the Ender's Game series. Dickens, Holmes and Poe are also authors my older teens enjoyed.

Anonymous said...

Here are a few of my favorites, suitable for the Older Teen crowd:

To Kill a Mockingbird
The Killer Angels
Number 1 Ladies detective agency series
Death Comes 4 the Archbishop
Gone with the wind
The White Fathers
Court Martial of Daniel Boone
Cry of the Kalahari
Flame trees of Thika
Gaudy Night
A Joyful Noise-Gillespie
Our Lady of Guadalupe&the Conquest of Darkness
Endurance-Caroline Alexander
Into thin Air
Left to Tell
The Cypresses Believe in God
I Capture the Castle
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
A Town Like Alice

Kelly

Ana Braga-Henebry said...

My teens have enjoyed the Rosemary Sutcliff books.

Bamboo said...

Maureen,
Thanks so much for doing the older teens first! I have a 9th and 10th grader and struggle with finding something for their "fun" reading that isn't too overbearing, heavy, or intense. We read classics, history, historical fiction and such, and they enjoy that, but sometimes they need a fun, deep but positive, lighter level of reading.

Tanja said...

Try something with a message: Shortcomings, by Ginger Jones Simpson. The review is here: http://www.ckvolnek.com/4/post/2011/7/book-review-for-ginger-simpsons-book-shortcomings.html - it's a great book.

Elizabeth Schmeidler said...

This might seem self-serving, but I kept young adults in mind when writing both my historical fiction novels. Forget Me Not is perfect for young ladies (high school)to show them an example of an honorable courtship and God's plan for love and marriage. It is also enjoyed by guys as there is suspense and mystery and also depicts how to honor the one you are courting. A Child Will Lead Them is good also for highschoolers, dealing with forgiveness, tolerance, and many other, faith and other family/social issues, yet it too, contains suspense and mystery. Both these books can be accessed by going to my pro-life website: www.willyoubemyvoice.com
Thank you for all you are doing for our precious children and next generation of stalwart Catholics :) God bless you!

Anonymous said...

For complete fun, I recommend Georgette Heyer's Cotillion. Georgette H. writes stories like Jane Austen, set in the Regency Period. She does meticulous research too get manner, customs, dress, fads and slang exactly right. And she's very funny. She has written many books, Cotillion so far is the funniest. My daughter recommends The Convenient Marriage as well.

Terri

Anonymous said...

I like the Homalanders Series, the Fairy tale retold series, and Harry Potter... I know not everyone likes the Harry Potter, but it's just my opinion. Thanks!

Michele said...

My teen boys were riveted by the Homelanders series, 4 books by Andrew Klavan.

Anonymous said...

I haven't attempted reading them, but my older teen loves the Eragon series...