Top 100 YA Novels (#3)

#3 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)

[694 points - 96 #1s, 30 #2s, 9 #3s, 11 #4s, 15 #5s, 7 #6s, 6 #7s, 2 #8s, 5 #9s, 4 #10s]

"Life isn't complete without this book." Ciara O'Shea

"It talks about courage, conviction, justice, fairness, fear of differences and the importance of family - possible the most important things children can learn about." Steph

"Is there really anything that can be said? It's a masterpiece." Rachel Richardson, student.

"Scout's perspective is endearing and heartfelt, and we grow up with her as she encounters her first real experience with the ugliness in the world." Kristen Palic, teacher.

Lawyer Atticus Finch defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic, Puliter Prize-winning novel—a, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the eyes of Atticus's children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unanswering honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.

Is there anything I can add about this classic that hasn't been already said?

Beloved by many.

Top 100 YA Novels (#4)

#4 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)

[660 points - 15 #1s, 13 #2s, 15 #3s, 10 #4s, 7 #5s, 10 #6s, 12 #7s, 9 #8s, 14 #9s, 8 #10s.]

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that’s not safe. Because there’s something she’s trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. Mad Woman in The Forest.com

It's hard to believe that this title was once lolling around in a publisher's slush pile. Highly regarded, richly awarded and beloved - Speak recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Speak follows Melinda as she struggles to voice herself and the event that changed everything. Your number four was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a National Book Award Finalist and also graced the New York Times Bestseller List.

You can visit the author's website by clicking here.
Laurie Halse Anderson's Twitter.

Top 100 YA Novels (#5)

#5 Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995)

[649 points – 18 #1s, 19 #2s, 11 #3s, 13 #4s, 4 #5s, 4 #6s, 7 #7s, 6 #8s, 10 #9s, 9 #10s]

“ ...in the end this has it all for me--brilliant heroine, fantastic language, makes you think about the difficult stuff, plot to die for, grandeur of vision, and one I read and will keep reading over and over again. I may not agree with Pullman's personal credos but by heck the man can write. “ Lucy Coats, author

“A fantastic start to a meaty and dense series, full of adventure and wonder." Catherine, reader.

“A classic good vs. evil story in a unique world with animal souls and science as magic and some interesting moral questions- something everyone should read. " Grace Bell, reader.

“One of the books that changed my outlook on life. I still remember the state of stupor I was in when I came to the end of The Amber Spyglass. When I read Northern Lights I was physically quivering with excitement on the tram (it takes a stupendous book for me to react like that in public). Love, parallel worlds, armoured bears, physics, the existence and nature of God - all that quality in there. What a casket of wonders!” Kevin Lee, reader.

A world where daemons swoop and scuttle along the streets of Oxford and London, where the mysterious Dust swirls invisibly through the air, and where one child knows secrets the adults would kill for. Amazon

A title that hardly required an introduction, Northern Lights is the first title in the His Dark Materials series. Recipient of the Listen Up Award for Young Adults Young Adult Library Services Association and the 1995 Carnegie medal in literature, Northern Lights was also adapted for the 2007 film The Golden Compass.

• To visit the author’s website click here
• Extract
• Listen to audio extract

Top 100 YA Novels (#6)

#6 The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (2004)

[643 points – 23 #1s, 18 #2s, 8 #3s, 6 #4s, 10 #5s, 7 #6s, 4 #7s, 4 #8s, 9 #9s, 4 #10s]

“Another from Dessen, her style of writing is irresistible and the characters in the book are so real you feel as though they're your own friends." Sarah James, reader.

“My favorite book of all time! It was very well written and resided with me long after I finished it. I have read it more times than I can count.” Sarah, reader.

“This book is especially wonderful because it reminds me to live in the moment and let things go that I really have no control over. Everything is not perfect and the sooner you accept that the sooner you can move on and actually enjoy life." Susan, reader.

Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or ... Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all--so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So ... happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before? SarahDessen.com

Sarah Dessen is on record for her belief that The Truth About Forever is the most complicated book she’s written, as well as the hardest. Relating so greatly to Macy’s perfectionism she found it difficult to write a story about embracing imperfection when she wanted the story to be perfect. Readers believe she was extremely successful. She received the 2007 South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award and ALA Teens' Top Ten for her work.

• To visit the author’s website click here.
• Sarah Dessen’s Twitter

Top 100 YA Novels (#7)

#7 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2006)

[602 points – 26 #1s, 13 #2s, 6 #3s, 11 #4s, 6 #5s, 3 #6s, 5 #7s, 6 #8s, 3 #9s, 5 #10s]

"Another side to the war story, this time a child's journey and experiences during the war. Heart wrenching." Lisa McRobert, reader.

“A beautifully written story that treats this important period of history in an original way." Michelle Sweeney, librarian.

"Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful." Steph, reader.

“Even though I was no longer a ""young adult"" when I read this book, it made me feel like I was in the throes of adolescence again. The life of Liesel Meminger, told through the lens of Death as a narrator during Nazi Germany, is filled with moments that are exuberant and painful at the same time. I finished the book crying and immediately picked it back up and read it again." Kristal LeMaistre, reader.

“It was a fabulous story. I loved how it was simply written, yet it had a profound message.” Natalie Klinger, reader.

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

Inspired by the stories he would hear from his parents, Australian Zusak allowed stories of Munich’s bombing to influence Death’s story. A widely critically praised novel, The Book Thief has been awarded National Jewish Book Award, Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature, Printz Honor, Exclusive Books Boeke Prize, Zilveren Zoen,Prijs Kinder- en Jeugdjury Vlaanderen, Teen Read Award Nominee for Best All-Time-Fave(2010.)

• To visit the author’s website click here.
• Excerpt
• Discussion questions

Top 100 YA Novels (#8)

#8 The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967)

[536 points – 12 #1s, 11 #2s, 11 #3s, 7 #4s, 9 #5s, 9 #6s, 8 #7s, 5 #8s, 8 #9s, 18 #10s]

“From the Capulets and the Montagues to the Bloods and the Crips, rivalling factions will always have a place in society. Experiencing them through literature in this fabulously written story, is as close as most of us will ever want to come. This draws readers, particularly reluctant boys, in like no other book in my library collection. For that reason alone, I would have included it, but I do love it, too." Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn, librarian.

“A seminal YA novel. It is easy to forget how long ago it was written. One of the first YA novels to have a big impact on me. It remains as fresh and powerful for me today as it did when I first read it as a teenager.” Kevin Lee, reader

“I'd heard about this book for years, but never read it. When I finally picked it up, I thought, it can't be that good. Nothing can be that good. OH BUT IT IS. Bobby and Suzy can just go suck their malts, because this is real life--doing your best with what you've got, which frankly ain't much, and navigating the unholy mess that is the adult world, where people hate each other or love each other for the way they comb their hair.” Maureen K, Confessions of a Bibliovore

“It's raw, it's honest- and it was written BY a teen. You don't get more YA than that.” Saundra Mitchell, YA author http://www.saundramitchell.com

“The book that made me want to be a writer.” Margie Stohl, YA author

“This novel was a game-changer, and ushered in a brave new world of what is known today as 'edgy' young adult." Kathy Charles, YA author

“Boys, angst, growing up in a rough environment despite not being rough yourself. This book just pains me for all the bright, young men whose lives can be destroyed by a single night, single act of violence. Despite all that there are ways of trying to keeps yourself positive and childlike for a little bit longer.” Vassiliki Veros, librarian.

“Though it is older, Ponyboy's strife still rings true. " Melanie Shoemake, reader.

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. SEHinton.com

As Saundra Mitchell mentioned, SE Hinton was a teenager when she wrote The Outsiders in 1967. Aged fifteen, Susan started working on a story that would represent her world and taught herself to type as she went as she couldn’t read her own handwriting. Forty years after first being published, The Outsiders still sells more than 500,000 copies a year (more than thirteen million copies since 1967) and is taught in hundreds of thousands of English classrooms worldwide. Hinton was awards the New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, ALA Best Young Adult Books (1975) and the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1979). Not bad for a book that Hinton describes as “melodramatic.”

• To visit the author’s website click here.
• The Outsiders Study Guide 1 and 2
• The Outsiders Book and Movie website

Top 100 YA Novels (#9)

#9 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005)

[549 points – 21 #1s, 9 #2s, 6 #3s, 7 #4s, 7 #5s, 12 #6s, 5 #7s, 6 #8s, 7 #9s, 7 #10s]

“I like this particular part of Bella's story because it is the beginning. It is your first glimpse into this world that I have grown to love." Sarah Mytnik, reader

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife—between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite. Goodreads

A phenomenon in its own right, Twilight has swept the publishing industry by storm. Debut author, Meyer was inspired to write the story of Bella and Edward after dreaming of the young lovers in a field. This lead to three additions to the series, a graphic novel and a host of film adaptations. Awarded an ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2006), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2006) and a Teen Read Award Nominee for Best All-Time-Fave (2010) amongst many others.

• To visit the author’s website click here.
• Playlist
• Fantastic Twilight teaching site