Teens Read

Auch, Mary Jane

Ashes of Roses
250 p. (grades 7 and up)

Margaret Rose Nolan and her family leave Ireland for a better life in America. Instead Rose and her sister end up working at the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist factory.

Ayers, Katherine

North by Night: A Story of the Underground Railroad
176 p. (grades 6-9)

Lucy and her family face danger as they help fugitive slaves escape to Canada.

Libba, Bray

Great and Terrible Beauty
403 p. (grades 10 and up)

After her mother commits suicide in India, Gemma Doyle is sent to a Victorian English boarding school where a secret diary is found that reveals some frightening truths

Cadnum, Michael

Raven of the Waves
200 p. (grades 7-9)

During the Middle Ages, Vikings attack a small English village and kidnap Wiglaf, a 13-year-old boy with healing abilities.

Crew, Linda

Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined
223 p. (grades 9 and up)

Tragic events occur when the young women of Corvallis, Oregon become enthralled by Joshua Creffield, an itinerant, charismatic preacher who claims to be the son of God.

Crist-Evans, Craig

Amaryllis
184 p. (grades 9 and up)

To escape an abusive father, Frank joins the army and is sent to fight in Vietnam. Dreams of returning home to a life of surfing are overshadowed by looming tragedy.

Donnelly, Jennifer

A Northern Light
389 p. (grades 9-12)

It’s 1906 in upstate New York and a drowned body helps Mattie choose between accepting a scholarship to college or staying home to care for her family.

Galloway, Priscilla

The Courtesan's Daughter
259 p. (grades 9 and up)

In Ancient Athens, 14-year-old Phano and 30-year-old Theo want to marry but an enemy claims that Phano is a slave that belongs to him.

Geras, Adele

Troy
358 p. (grades 9 and up)

Women care for the wounded soldiers during the last weeks of the Trojan War, while bored gods and goddesses find ways to stir up trouble.

Hearn, Lian

Across the Nightingale Floor
288 p. (grades 9-12)

After his monastic home is burned, 16-year-old Takeo discovers that his ancestors are a tribe of superhuman assassins. An epic samurai warrior fantasy.

Heuston, Kimberley

Dante's Daughter
302 p. (grades 9 and up)

Antonia Alighieri tells her story of life in fourteenth-century Italy and France under the shadow of her father, the great Italian poet Dante.

Ingold, Jeanette

The Big Burn
259 p. (grades 8-10)

On August 20, 1910, 16-year-old Jarrett finds himself on the front line of the biggest wildfire of the century.

Morpurgo, Michael

Private Peaceful
208 p. (grades 7 and up)

During World War I, 15-year-old Thomas Peaceful lies about his age so that he can serve as a soldier for England with his brother Charlie.

Donna Jo, Napoli

Breath
260 p. (grades 7 and up)

In a country wracked by the Black Death, Salz struggles to help his family’s farm until he becomes sick with a persistent and worsening cough.

O'Brian, Tim

The Things They Carried
273 p. (grades 9 and up)

A collection of stories weaves the daily chaos of a platoon of American in Vietnam.

Trumbo, Dalton

Johnny Got His Gun
243 p. (grades 10 and up)

Joe Bonham loses his arms, legs, most of his face, his hearing, and eyesight when an enemy shell bursts near him.