Others See Us, by William Sleator, acquaints readers with a 16-year-old who, as a result of an accident, is able to read minds. At a summer reunion, he discovers horrifying things about family members.

Crossing the Wire, by Will Hobbs, is a commentary on the US-Mexican immigration situation in the guise of a contemporary boy’s adventure story. A 15-year-old Mexican boy endures the dangers of the desert, including a rattlesnake bite, plus a deportation episode and encounters with drug smugglers, thieves, and the Border Patrol as he makes his way to El Norte. On his way to crossing the wire, he is helped by other Mexicans and sympathetic Americans.

The Demon in the Taikado Inn, by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, is the first in a trilogy of mystery, suspense, and murder stories set in the 18th century amid the world of geishas and revenge. Meet a real-life Sherlock Holmes judge and a 14-year-old apprentice. Followed by The Demon in the Teahouse and In Darkness, Death.

The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman, looks like something Harry Potter would have in his personal library. A comic and graphic novel.

The Legend of Drizzi Book I: Homeland Forgotten Realms, by R. A. Salvatore, is a graphic novel—so a good choice for reluctant readers.

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, is about a young Mexican girl who emigrates (legally) with her mother to the US in the 1940s. It is a riches-to-rags tale, as a sinister uncle is the catalyst for the girl and her mother losing their hacienda in Mexico and then moving to the US to work in an agricultural camp.

Probably Still Nick Swansen, by Virginia Euwer Wolff, is about a boy who knows a lot about being “special ed,” such as not driving a car even though you’re 16. But mostly he is just like any other kid: having a crush on a girl, being nervous about the prom, feeling “like a loser” when your date stands you up, working on a science project, nursing a beloved pet back to health. I think all kids should read this book—those with learning differences (the current p.c. terminology) and so-called normal kids—as all kids need to grow and learn self-acceptance and compassion. The YA section also has Wolff’s award-winning Make Lemonade.

The Cartoon History of the Universe: Volumes 1–7, from the Big Bang to Alexander the Great, by Larry Gonick, includes one volume called “The Cartoon Guide to Sex” (for parents who are reluctant to discuss “It”—at least hand your teen the book if you can grab it, as this one keeps flying off the shelf).

Fireweed, by Jill Paton Walsh, is an oldie but goodie, brought over to the YA section from Juvenile. Written in 1988, it portrays the romance between two teens who flee their homes during wartime only to become caught in the London blitz of 1940.

Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce, is the first in a fantasy series about a girl’s special affinity and powers with animals.

Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo, by Zlata Filipovic, reminds one of The Diary of Anne Frank. In 1991, 11-year-old Zlata begins to write entries in her diary when her world was peaceful. She continues to write after war shatters her world and the world of others.

And here are some adult books appropriate for high-school YA reading:

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, by Koren Zailckas, vividly relates the experience of binge drinking, beginning with experimentation and leading up to full-blown abuse.

The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, both by Chaim Potok, are classics in the genre and deal with Judaism and the universal theme of differing religions among friends.
Burro Genius, by Victor Villaseñor, tells a tale of a Mexican-American boy growing up in the United States in the 1950s, an era of innocence as well as racial prejudice.


Vicki Gundrum serves on the English Book Subcommittee of the Biblioteca Pública. You can reach her at vicki.gundrum@excite.com. 


New book place for teens
By Robin Velte

This spring, the Biblioteca Pública inaugurated a new reading area for teenagers. The Teen/Young Adult Section, with appeal to 12- to 18-year-olds, is located inside the Gloria Grant room, where one finds the recently moved travel guide section, the short-story section and the donated quality fiction, biography, nonfiction and classic paperbacks. 

Young adult literature fills the gap between adult and children’s literature. It’s a separate section in most public libraries and in most junior-high and high-school libraries in the United States. In general, it’s literature that is written for and marketed to young adults. Its fiction has teenage protagonists and deals with contemporary issues as experienced by this age group. Young adult literature includes nonfiction, mystery, historical fiction, biography, graphic novels and more. 

The birth date of young adult literature is considered to be 1967. In that year, a teenaged girl named Susan Eloise Hinton published a novel, The Outsiders, about boy teenage gangs. It could be that Susan used “S. E. Hinton” as her author name in order to disguise the fact that she was a girl writing about boys! Hinton has continued to write for young adults and children, and in 2004 she published her first adult novel. 

Where did the titles in our new section come from? Many of them were in the Children’s (Juvenile) section to the left of the patio and were pulled, recatalogued and relocated. New YA books have been purchased, thanks to the generous 2006 library book budget, recommendations from members of the English Book Subcommittee and input from many local teens. Keep the suggestions coming!

Does Spanish literature have the equivalent of Young Adult? Not yet, but perhaps one day. YA literature has become so popular in the United States that it has its own awards. Check out the Michael L. Printz Award, among others. There is even an award for best adult books for young adults!

Google ideas? Try these: young adult literature; best books for teens; teen reads; S. E. Hinton; Michael L. Printz award, to name but a few. You’ll take off in a dozen different directions and will make many interesting discoveries.

Robin Velte has chaired the Biblioteca Pública’s Book Committee since April 2005. She is a former public and school librarian.