Did I mention I love being an English Teaching major? Part of the curriculum for this major is an adolescent literature class where I have to read 3o books in six weeks of the”Young Adult” genre. Might you be able to help me in my quest? What are some truly fantastic adolescent lit books you’ve read in the past?
I loved Wednesday Wars and The Green Glass Sea, though I'm not sure if they are adolescent lit. Also anything by Madeleine L'Engle.
have you looked at Janssen's blog everydayreading.blogspot.com.
She does tons of YA book reviews.
Amen to the above comment. Also, Sierra, Janssen happens to be Landen Gates' sister, and a librarian who reads like crazy. Just so you know. And she is probably the best ready-made source for awesome YA lit.
Since when are you an English Teaching major?!?! I'm glad you've seen the light though. It's definitely a good decision. I'm taking YA lit in the fall, and I'm stoked too. We should take some classes together, friend.
And for YA lit, pretty much anything Robin McKinley (except "Sunshine," which is adult lit) is awesome, as is The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
Can I recommend the "Pit Dragon Trilogy" by Jane Yolen. I really enjoyed those books as a young adult.
Probably my favorite was "The Curse of the Blue Figurine" by John Bellairs and Edward Gorey. That was a great book. He has a bunch of books that are all pretty similar in their awesomeness.
Out of the Dust! A Wrinkle in Time! Girl with a Pearl Earring! The Giver! ANYTHING BY JOAN BAUER–PLEASE READ AT LEAST ONE–Rules of the Road, Hope Was Here, etc.
Yay! Everyone! Thanks for the comments! I'm so excited… I will probably read all of these, no joke.
Megan Whalen Turner's "The Thief", "The Queen of Attolia", and "The King of Attolia". Those will fulfill your three books by one author requirement. Oh, and they're AMAZING. I dropped the class but not because I don't love you anymore!
YOU DID!? NO! ASHLEE! I'm so devastated.
The Young Merlin series by T.A. Barron captivated me when I was younger. There are five books in the series. You can thank me later.
Okay, last summer I read "The Thirteenth Tale" & LOVED it – it was a bit creepy at times, but the twin theme appealed to me a lot.
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones. Second the Robin McKinley and L'Engle votes. I always enjoyed the Riddle-Master Trilogy by Patricia McPhillip. I think it's YA, but I've seen in the children's sections, YA, and adult so… The Dark is Rising series, Susan Cooper. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Graveyard Book are amazing (underscore!) but might be children's– the border is a bit fuzzy. Blog about what you read– I would love to hear about your literary adventures and thoughts!
-The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
-The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (5 books)
-Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix (7 books) (I think you actually introduced me to Nix through the Abhorsen books)
So many good ones.
"Parallel Journies" by Eleanor Ayer, "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson… both good reads. How did I not know you were an English Teaching Major?! Why did I for some reason connect you to Drama Teaching? Regardless, you'll be fantastic.
The Only Alien on the Planet is about the only one that hasn't been mentioned yet, and it is by a Utah writer.