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Teens > Books > Quick reads for teens ages 12-18

Quick reads for teens ages 12-18

Please note some of these books contain subject matter more appropriate for older teens. Some titles may not be available at all locations. Please ask library staff for help if you are unable to find the item you want.

FICTION

Bechard
Hanging onto Max
When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, 17-year-old Sam is determined to keep him and raise him alone.
Flake
The Skin I'm In
Dark-skinned Maleeka struggles to fit in only to find out that it might not be worth it.
Grimes
Bronx Masquerade
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.
Haddix
Among the Hidden
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to two children, Luke lives in isolation and fear until he meets another "third."
Johnson
Toning the Sweep
As 14-year-old Emmie says goodbye to her dying grandmother, secrets are revealed that draw the family closer together.
Lowry
The Giver
In a perfect world, can everyone be happy? Jonas discovers the truth.
McCormick
Cut
While confined to a mental hospital, 13-year-od Callie slowly comes to understand some of the reasons behind her self-mutilation.
McDonald
Spellbound
Raven, a teenage mother and high school dropout, decides to study for a spelling bee, which could lead to a college preparatory program and a four-year scholarship.
MacLachlan
Baby
If a baby were left on your doorstep, would your family take her in?
Marsden
Letters from the Inside
What if your pen pal had a secret life that you could not imagine?
Myers
Monster
While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, 16-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom.
Paulsen
Soldier's Heart: A Novel of the Civil War
Eager to enlist, 15-year-old Charley experiences physical horrors and mental anguish during the Civil War.
Skurzynski
Virtual War
Three teenagers are given the task of saving the world through virtual reality.
Sleator
Rewind
Peter is hit by a car and is given several chances to alter events that could lead to his death.
Smith
Zach's Lie
As Zach begins to adjust to his new life in the Witness Security Program, the drug cartel against which his father will testify is tracking the family down.
Staples
Dangerous Skies
Friendship isn't about the color of your skin, or is it?
Taylor
The Friendship
Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly black man and a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s.
Trueman
Stuck in Neutral
Could his father really be planning to kill 14-year-old Shawn?
Walter
Making Up Megaboy
Why, on his 13thth birthday, does Robbie kill a man he doesn't even know?
Williams-Garcia
Like Sisters on the Homefront
At 14, Gayle is pregnant for the second time and her mother hopes that sending her to live with her strict aunt and uncle will turn her life around.

NONFICTION

Fleischman
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story about Brain Science
The amazing story of a man, an iron rod, and what doctors learned when the two intersected.
Holt
Spiders in the Hairdo: Modern Urban Legends
Fifty urban myths and legends are related, from alligators in the New York City sewer system to the mysterious "vanishing" hitchhiker.
Jones
Every Girl Tells a Story: A Celebration of Girls Speaking Their Minds
A diverse group of girls between the ages of 13 and 18 discuss their attitudes and achievements.
Kehret
Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays
The stories of eight stray dogs that were adopted from animal shelters and went on to become services dogs, actors, and heroes are told.
Kostyal
Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton
Trace the adventurous life of the South Pole explorer whose ship was frozen in ice and crushed, leaving the captain and crew to fight for survival.
Layden
NBA Game Day
Take an inside look at the lives of professional basketball players.
Paulsen
My Life in Dog Years
The author recounts stories about dogs that have held a special place in his life.
—
Thrasher: Insane Terrain
All the skateboarding you want and more from the skate mag, Thrasher.
Wilcox
Mummies & Their Mysteries
Mummies have been found in countries all over the world and studying them provides clues to the past.

POETRY/SHORT STORIES/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Arnoldi
The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom
Dreams can come true, even for a teenage single mom.
—
The Body Eclectic: An Anthology of Poems
The many aspects of life in a human body are revealed in poetry and prose.
Brennan
Electric Girl
This book contains the stories from the first four issues of the Electric Girl comic book.
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Dirty Laundry: Stories About Family Secrets
Does your family have any secrets like these?
—
Girls Got Game: Sports Stories & Poems
Short stories and poems written by and about young women tell about their experiences in sports.
Jimenez
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child
A Hispanic migrant farmworker family faces many trials and challenges.
—
Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth
Characters reveal different angles on the pressures and complications of romantic life.
Merriam
The Inner City Mother Goose
Poems inspired by nursery rhymes depict the grim reality of inner city life.
Moss
The World's Shortest Stories
Murder, love, horror or suspense are captured in 55 words or less.
—
Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers
Trapped with a vengeful cheerleader? In a fire set by a fellow student? These are just a few of the places you don't want to be.
Rice
Crazy Loco: Stories
A collection of nine stories about Mexican American kids growing up in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas.
Smith
Rim Shots: Basketball Pix, Rolls, & Rhythms
Stories and poems describe playing basketball.
—
Things I have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls
A collection of poems, stories, and essays written by girls 12 to 18 years of age reveals the secrets which enabled them to overcome the challenges they faced.
Wong
Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving
These poems look at driving: getting a license, getting into an accident and getting pulled over by the police.
—
With Their Eyes: September 11: The View From a High School at Ground Zero
The 9/11 stories of students from a high school just blocks away from the World Trade Center.
—
You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
An anthology of stories, poems, and essays by adolescent boys on issues that concern them.