Anita Silvey - 500 Great Books for Teens

A FRANCES TENENBAUM BOOK
Houghton Mifflin Company Boston New York
2006

Copyright 2006 by Anita Silvey

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

For information about permission to reproduce selections
from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Silvey, Anita.
500 great books for teens / Anita Silvey.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN -13: 978-0-618-61296-3
ISBN -10: 0-618-61296-3
1. TeenagersBooks and readingUnited States. 2. Young
adult literatureStories, plots, etc. 3. Young adult
literatureBibliography. 4. Best booksUnited States.
I. Title: Five hundred great books for teens. II. Title.
Z1037.S577 2006
028.5'5dc22 2006003350

Book design by Melissa Lotfy

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

EUS 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acknowledgments

Introduction

ADVENTURE AND SURVIVAL

AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR

EDGY, TRENDSETTING NOVELS

FANTASY

GRAPHIC NOVELS

HISTORICAL FICTION

HORROR, GHOSTS, GOTHIC

HUMOR

INFORMATION

MANY CULTURES, MANY REALITIES

MYSTERY AND THRILLER

PLAYS

POETRY AND POETIC NOVELS

POLITICS AND SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

REALISTIC FICTION

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

ROMANCE

SCIENCE FICTION

SHORT STORIES

SPORTS

WAR AND CONFLICT

Beyond the 500: Additional Titles of Interest

Books by Geographic Location

Books by Historical Time Line

Recommended Audio Books

Index

For my father, John Silvey, with love.

***

Because he worked in the coal mines as a teenager,
I have been free to devote my life to books.

IN THE FINAL STAGES of this book, Patty Campbell and Michael Cart, veteran young adult book critics, looked over my list of titles. They definitely led me to some better choices in many of the categories. I value both of them for their insight, passion, and years of devoted service to the cause of young adult books.

Over the past few years, some of my students in the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science have applied their superb research abilities to many of the books in this volume and found material that I incorporated. Thanks to Georgia Alexander, Michelle Angell, Eileen Barrett, Heather Dubnick, Carrie Eastman, David Flynn, Jacqueline Gaston, Senele Gonzalez, Jackie Hockett, Danielle Kimerer, Sarah Mason, Suzanne McGowan, Nell Mone, Sam Musher, Sarah Paquet, Michael Sapiroto, Vijay Shah, Rosanne Sheridan, and Anne-Marie Taylor.

Some professional groups agreed to listen to early stages of my research and gave me invaluable feedback. With great thanks to the Loudoun (Virginia) County school system, particularly W. David Jones, supervisor of the Library Media Services, and librarians Connie Niccolls, Beth Jespersen, Karen Farzin, Willa Kiser, Esther Kim, and Janice Smith for their spirited defense of titles I had not previously considered. To members of the Ohio Library Association in general and to Rollie Welch of the Cleveland Public Library, in particular, for their recommendations of new sports titles and books that appeal to male teens. To Anne Scott MacLeod of the University of Maryland for her insights into early-twentieth-century literature and its similarities to early-twenty-first-century literature.

I particularly want to thank the entire staff of the Westwood (Massachusetts) Public Library for their willingness to share their opinions with me. The glorious Minuteman Library Network allowed me to examine several thousand titles for this book.

As I worked on different sections, certain specialists and critics helped me decide on the contents. Young adult enthusiast and author Susan Cappetta guided me through the thorny paths of edgy, trendsetting fiction; Ruth Lynn, the author of Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults, scrutinized the final titles in the fantasy section. GLIS students David Flynn and Sam Musher not only educated me about the art form of the graphic novel but helped me choose some of the best examples of the genre. Maria Salvadore aided me in selecting titles in "Historical Fiction," "Humor," "Many Cultures, Many Realities," and "War and Conflict." Maria and I have worked together on projects for almost three decades, and she gets smarter every year!

The research assistant for the volume, Peter Sieruta, pulled together material for most of the essays. He also worked on choosing titles in "Plays," "Poetry and Poetic Novels," and "Short Stories." Peter's enthusiasm for work that others would find daunting always amazes me. We've collaborated on every book that I have published, and I always benefit from his fine counsel and advice. He also keeps me going when the going gets tough.

Leda Schubertthe most widely read individual I know in young adult and adult literaturespent long hours with me discussing these books. Her patient husband, Bob Rosenfeld, listened, amused, through many of these sessions. Unfortunately, I could not include his favorite title, Terry and Bunky Play Football.

Many others made helpful suggestions along the way. But I'm especially indebted to Ellen Myrick, who wanted me to include the best audio titles. With Tracy Taylor and Jeannine Wiese, Ellen actually listened to the available audios of these 500 books and pulled together the recommendations at the back of the book.

Several people conducted reality tests with teenage readers. My deep appreciation goes to Erica and Molly Wilder of Rhode Island; Emma Pancoast of New Hampshire; Dr. Charlotte Bennett and the staff of St. John School in Newburgh, Indiana; Christi Showman and young readers at the Flint Memorial Library in North Reading, Massachusetts; and Teresa Gallo-Toth, librarian at the Martin Sleeper Library, and the amazing readers of the seventh and eighth grades at the John D. Runkle School in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Some individuals provided insights and personal support. With thanks to Marge Berube, Susan Bloom, Bindy Fleischman, Vicky Hallett, Anne Marie Kennedy of Barnes and Noble, Joanne Lee, Stephanie Loer, Karen MacPherson, Harold T. Miller, Neal Porter, Dave Richardson of the Blue Marble Bookshop, Ann Rider, Hannah Rodgers of Curious George Goes to WordsWorth, Terri Schmitz of the Children's Book Shop, Carol Stoltz of the Porter Square Bookshop, Duncan Todd, and Laura Williams McCaffrey.

For all of those who participated in "adbooks," a YA discussion group, a thousand thanks. I eavesdropped in cyberspace every day, and you led me to a lot of superb titles. Although I wasn't able to include everyone's favorites, I tried to mirror the enthusiasm and commitment of this group.

Laura Wollett, a fine editor in her own right, agreed to give the manuscript a final read to check facts. Any errors are still mine, but she saved me numerous times.

No book of this complexity and scope exists without a very dedicated publishing team behind it. Without the enthusiasm and good cheer of my agent, Doe Coover, I might never have embarked on the project. Frances Tenenbaum, Houghton's legendary editor still working in her eighties, enthusiastically tackled a book about adolescent reading. In the early stages of the project, Dave Thomas shared his ideas about what would be helpful to parents. For the last four years, Megan Wilson has never failed to provide publicity for all my books, and on this one Carla Gray stepped in with valuable marketing assistance. The Houghton Mifflin sales representatives, one of the finest groups ever assembled, did the rest. I loved them when I worked on staff with them; as an author, I appreciate them even more.