Teens Read

Alegría, Malín

Estrella’s Quinceañera
260p. (Gr 7-10)

When Estrella takes the bus from her Eastside San Jose barrio to her “scholarship” private school, it’s like another world. She tries to keep her two lives separate, but when her mom starts planning her dreaded Quinceañera, (15th birthday party), the two worlds collide.

De la Cruz, Melissa

Fresh Off the Boat
243p. (Gr 7-11)

Vicenza still doesn’t understand why her family had to leave their rich life in the Philippines to come to California, where they’re barely scraping by. All she wants is a normal life with friends, boys, and fun. Can she really find what she wants by lying and sneaking around?

Guene, Faiza

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow
291p. (Gr 9-12)

Presents life through the eyes of Doria, a spunky but isolated Moroccan girl, dealing with poverty and other problems facing Arab-French immigrants in a tough housing project outside of Paris.

Headley, Justina

Nothing But the Truth: (and a Few White Lies)
241p. (Gr 8-12)

Patty is half Taiwanese and half white, and fitting in has always been hard for her. This summer her overbearing mother has sent her to math camp at Stanford. Patty learns more about herself, her family, and culture – and also raises her math scores.

Hobbs, Will

Crossing the Wire 
216p. (Gr 7-9)

Fifteen-year-old Victor Flores leaves the poverty of his village in Central Mexico and faces the dangers of an illegal border crossing to find work in the United States.

McCormick, Patricia

Sold 
263p. (Gr 9-12)

Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi is sold to a brothel in Calcutta by her gambling addicted stepfather.

Saenz, Benjamin Alire

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
291p. (Gr 9-12)

A 16-year-old Chicano boy living in Hollywood, New Mexico during the late 1960s deals with a doomed romance, the Vietnam War, and various forms of prejudice around him.

Schorr, Melissa

Goy Crazy
344p. (Gr 8-12)

Rachel finally has a boyfriend. The problem is she thinks her parents won’t approve because he isn't Jewish. In order to hide her relationship, she uses her neighbor Howard as a cover-up. She wonders, however, if she could really be falling for Howard instead.

Selvadurai, Shyam

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
274p. (Gr 7-12)

It’s 1980 in Sri Lanka.  Fourteen-year-old Amrith finally meets his Canadian cousin, Niresh, who leads him to question his life with his adopted family.

Triana, Gaby

Cubanita 
195p. (Gr 10+) 

College-bound Miami native Isabel Diaz resolves the constant cultural clash with her Cuban-born mom.

Wong, Joyce Lee

Seeing Emily
268p. (Gr 9-12)

The life of Emily Wu is explored in free verse. Emily loves art, talking with her friends and the hot new guy at school, but has trouble dealing with her parents and cultural identity.

Yang, Gene Luen

American Born Chinese
233 p. (Gr 7+) 

A Monkey King who wants to be a god,  an Asian American teen who wants to fit in, and an all-American  jock who wants to be rid of  his stereotypical Chinese cousin.  Three interrelated stories explore the common theme of self-image and self-acceptance in this award-winning graphic novel. 

Compiled by Teen Services Librarians 2007.