The Catcher in the Rye

All morons hate it when you call them a moron.

-The Catcher in the Rye

Salinger, J.D. (1991). The catcher in the rye. New York: Little, Brown.

ISBN: 978-0316769488

Annotation: Teenager Holden Caulfield is on the journey of his life: to find out why he's alive.

Summary: Holden Caulfield is a teenager coming to grips with all of the aspects of his self-involved and depressing life. He drops out of school and roams around New York City, but the love for his little sister is what keeps him sane.

Evaluation: This is the quintessential teenage angst book. Nearly every teen who reads this identifies in some way with Holden-- nearly all of us have felt like Holden at some point in our lives. It's a fabulous coming of age story, as Holden struggles with his life and what it means to be alive and to love. This book is on the banned list for Holden's casual cursing and attitudes toward sex.

Age level: 15+

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Brashares, A. (2004). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell.

Annotation: Four best friends embark on a memorable summer apart as they fall in love, grow up, face death, and learn about the power of friendship through a pair of magical jeans.

Summary: Best friends Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget are spending a summer apart. They have a pair of jeans that fits all of them perfectly, on which they record the best adventures of their summers.

Evaluation: There is some mature content that is discussed, such as Bridget's mother's suicide, which makes it a good movie for older teen girls. Apart from the magic pants, there is a lot of emotional and dramatic experiences that will feel real to teens. This is a great coming of age story.

Age level: 12+

The Giver

Lowry, L. (2002). The giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday.

ISBN: 978-0440237686

Annotation: 12 year old Jonas lives innocently in his Utopian community until he meets The Giver and realizes that not everything is as perfect as it seems.

Summary: Jonas lives in a community in which every child, once they reach the age of 12 is assigned a role for the rest of their lives. Jonas is assigned the role of Receiver in which he receives memories from The Giver from another time and place. Jonas learns the dark side of his seemingly perfect community and has to learn to cope with the truth.

Evaluation: A Newbury Award winner (1994), this book is a great example of how communities work. It's easy to read and teens will love the simplicity of the text. However, the book is a good one for reluctant readers.

Age level: 10+

Reviews: Publisher's Weekly: "Lowry is once again in top form... unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers."