ENG350: Literature for Young Adults
 Summer I, 2011

Texts
 These are fast reads, even if some of them seem long. Reading level is, for the most part, middle school, even though the themes of most are mature.
  • Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers (2005)--An award-winning novel with a strong graphic element.
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007)--A largely autobiographical novel about getting off the reservation for a better education.
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)--First volume in an action-packed, suspenseful trilogy.
  • The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin (2009)--A  veteran with PTSD, an illegal immigrant, and a disabled girl share friendship amidst urban dangers.
  • Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)--A  ninth-grade outcast wryly observes the world of high school as she suppresses her pain until her personal growth and a crisis lead her to speak out.
  • The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (2003)--In this non-chronological novel, a seventeen-year-old father has to grow up fast.
  • True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff (2002)--The award-winning second volume in the Make Lemonade trilogy about a teen who's determined to fight her way out of poverty through education.
  • Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp (2006)--A book about football and friendship, prejudices and romance in Oklahoma's hill country.
  • Keesha's House by Helen Frost (2003)--A novel in poems about kids in trouble who need a place to stay for a while, with no questions asked.
  • Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peņa (2008)--A novel about a biracial baseball player that's good enough to have a summary on eNotes already. You'll enjoy the book more than you'd enjoy the eNotes.
  • Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia (2009)--Sports and girl-fights in a novel told in several voices.
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 Course Links

Resources

Recent Books I Did Not Choose But Wanted To:

  • Going Bovine by Libba Bray
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Updated June 1, 2011