Teens Read

Books for Guys

Click on the book images below for catalog, holding, and location information.

Allende, Isabel

City of the Beasts
406 p. (all ages)

Alexander suddenly finds himself in the care of his grandmother, and they immediately depart for the Amazon rain forest. His grandmother is part of a scientific expedition in search of a legendary nine-foot-tall "Beast."

Asgedom, Mawi

Of Beetles and Angels: A True Story of the American Dream
148 p. (grades 8+)

Ethiopian refugee Mawi tells of coming to America at age seven after spending three years in a Sudanese refugee camp, the hardships and prejudice he faced, and his triumphant graduation from Harvard University.

Crutcher, Chris

Whale Talk
220 p. (grades 10+)

TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports at his school until he agrees to form a swim team and recruits some of the less popular students.

Deford, Frank

An American Summer
229 p. (grades 10-12)

In 1954, a fourteen-year-old boy, Christy Bannister, needs a swim coach. He finds a coach in the most unlikely of people: 23-year-old Katherine Slade, who has been paralyzed by polio and lives in an iron lung.

Flinn, Alexandra

Breathing Underwater
236 p. (grades 9-12)

Nick, who is sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, begins to understand the reasons behind his abusive, controlling behavior by keeping a journal analyzing his relationships with his friends and his abusive father.

Franco, Betsy

You Hear Me? Poems and Writings by Teenage Boys
107 p. (grades 7-12)

Collection of poems, love stories, and essays by teen boys aged twelve to twenty. Covers many subjects, from love and relationships to conformity and drug abuse.

Gantos, Jack

Desire Lines
138 p. (grades 9-12)

Sixteen-year-old Walker betrays two friends to save himself from public scorn and ridicule. The tragic consequences will haunt him all his life.

Hobbs, Will

Wild Man Island
192 p. (grades 8-10)

On the last day of a kayaking trip to Alaska, 14-year-old Andy slips away from his group to investigate the island where his father died.

Horowitz, Andy

Stormbreaker
192p. (grades 6-9)

When Alex's uncle dies unexpectedly, Alex is surprised to learn that his uncle worked as a spy, and doubly surprised when his uncle's employer asks him to finish his uncle's assignment. Also read Point Blank: An Alex Rider Adventure.

Howe, Norma

The Adventures of Blue Avenger: A Novel
230 p. (grades 9-12)

Sixteen-year-old David Schumacher changes his name to "Blue Avenger" after a comic super hero that he created, hoping to make a difference in the world.

Mazer, Harry

A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor
192 p. (grades 8-10)

While fishing off Honolulu, teenaged Adam Pelko witnesses the attack on Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona, the battleship on which his father is stationed.

Myers, Walter Dean

Monster
281 p. (grades 10-12)

At his trial, the prosecutor calls him a monster after a store owner is shot and killed. But did 16-year-old Steve commit the crime?

Rodriquez, Luis J.

Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.
260 p. (grades 10-12)

This brutal memoir of a former East Los Angeles gang member describes what lured him to gang life at the age of 12, as well as the violent crimes he witnessed which claimed both family members and friends.

Tashjian, Janet

The Gospel According to Larry
227 p. (grades 7+)

Seventeen-year-old Josh creates a Website bashing consumerism and celebrities, then ends up being a celebrity himself.

Watt, Alan

Diamond Dogs
243 p. (grades 10-12)

While driving home one night, 17-year-old Neil accidentally hits and kills a classmate. Neil's father steps in without a word and hides every evidence of the crime. What will Neil do when the police start to investigate?

Weyland, Jocko

The Answer is Never: A Skateboarder's History of the World
354 p. (grades 9 -12)

A Thrasher journalist tells the raucous history of skateboarding through a series of personal experiences, including those of pioneer, Greg Weaver, and living legends, Steve Caballero and Tony Hawk.

Compiled by Teen Services Librarians May 2003.