Classic YA Novels
The Pigman
by Paul Zindel
"Our life would be what we made of it--nothing more, nothing less."
For John and Lorraine, life is meaningless; nothing seems to matter anymore. They feel at odds with the world and especially their parents. To fill the void they play pranks on unsuspecting people. It is during one of their pranks that they meet The Pigman. He's a fat, balding man with a crazy smile. It isn't long before they begin to understand his zest for life.
The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton
This profound novel was written by S.E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, back in 1967. Today it's a classic. The story of Ponyboy and his bifurcated world where there's only two kinds of people; socs and greasers. Socs can get away with anything because they have money. Greasers always live on the outside. One night Ponyboy and his friend Johnny are assaulted by two Socs and Johnny accidentally kills one of the boys. He and Ponyboy go on the run and Ponyboy realizes that pain feels the same no matter who you are.
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
Who ever thought that refusing to sell chocolates for a school fundraiser would be such a big deal? Jerry Renault certainly didn't. When a boy tries to stand up for what he believes, it tears the whole school apart and pits student against student in a fight for their lives. Some see Jerry as a hero, some as a scapegoat. Will Jerry ever escape being a pawn in the battle for control?
Z for Zachariah
by Robert C. O'Brien
Ann is 16 years old and after a nuclear holocaust she believes she may be the only one left alive. Her family went into the neighboring city to see what had happened and they never came back. The radiation that devastated the rest of the world has not touched the valley where Ann lives, so for the past year she has survived on her own as best as she knows how. One day, the sighting of distant campfire shatters the solitude of Ann's world. John Loomis, protected by his radiation-proof suit has come. He's an assertive man, bending Ann to his will. As his attitude becomes more and more violent, Ann must decide how she will live. Will she be his slave? Or will she strike out on her own and brave this frightening new world?
Killing Mr. Griffin
by Lois Duncan
Mr. Griffin is a tough teacher and not well liked by most of his students. One day a group of them get together and decide to scare Mr. Griffin by kidnapping him. They had no idea it would all go so wrong. They never meant to kill him, just to scare him. Will they be able to live with the secret or will it tear them apart and come spilling out.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
The winner of several literary awards, this book is the story of Kit Tyler. A free spirited young girl who wears silk, goes swimming, and talks back to her elders. When she is forced to leave the Caribbean for the Puritan Colony in Connecticut, she's filled with anxiety. She befriends an old Quaker woman known as a witch to the community and soon finds herself standing trial for witchcraft as well. Will her unsinkable spirit be able to rise above?
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
This bestselling book for over 30 years, this classic is about two friends attending boarding school during World War II. Gene is a lonely intellectual. Phineas is a handsome daredevil. The story begins with a small incident and then blossoms out into a deeply moving parable as large as a cloud that hangs over adolescence.
Forever...
by Judy Blume
What does forever mean anyway? Katherine loves Michael and as their relationship goes on she can't imagine living without him. She was willing to give up her virginity to him and now that they are separated for the summer, she begins to have feelings for another boy. Maybe first loves aren't meant to last forever. A candid novel about teenage sexuality, Judy Blume writes as though she has never forgotten what it means to be a teenager.
A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich
by Alice Childress
In 1973 Alice Childress wrote a profound novel about what it's like to be an addict. Benjie is 13 and he's hooked on heroin, but he can quit anytime he wants... Really. His shattered domestic life leads him to a serious drug habit which lead him to trouble. The story is related in 23 short narratives. Along with the ramblings of Benjie, are also the voices of his mother, his teachers, his friends and the people who know him. It's one of the most original explorations of the world of an addict.
After the Rain
by Norma Fox Mazer
At fifteen, Rachel's tyrannical grandfather is diagnosed with cancer, and she becomes his main caretaker. When spending so much time with a hardheaded man who had always been unreachable, she finds that their relationship is more important than other things on her mind like, does her family understand her, will she ever find a boyfriend, what about that first kiss. Her grandfather shows her that she is someone important and she has very special gifts.
Homecoming
by Cynthia Voigt
At 13 is Dicey ready to take on the role of being mother to her abandon siblings? Their father left them a long time ago, and one day their mother leaves them in the mall parking lot. Together they set out to find a home and to find themselves. Most important to Dicey is to keep her family together and away from the authorities who seek to place them in separate foster homes. With $11 and some change, the Tillerman family make their way from Rhode Island to Connecticut in hopes of finding someone to trust and someone to take them in.