TeenZone Blog

Have you ever wanted to travel somewhere else? And not just just another city, state or country…but a whole other world? Sometimes we yearn for a grand adventure in a place that is different from the world we know. And, as in some stories, we get swept away to other strange places. Here are some books that will, along with the main characters, take you away to other worlds…

We all know the classics such as…

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

 But what about these…

Abarat  by Clive Barker

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Spiderwick Chronicles Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Midnighters by Scott Westerfeld

Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix 

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Alex Rider by Anthony Horawitz

Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

Demonata by Darren Shan

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Ravenscliff  by Geoffrey Huntington

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Gregor the Overlander By Suzanne Collins

Another great way to celebrate National Poetry Month is by reading a novel in verse. The poems in verse novels all tie together to tell a story–it’s a whole different way to enjoy a story AND poetry.

Shark girl by Kelly Bingham
After a shark attack causes the amputation of her right arm, fifteen-year-old Jane, an aspiring artist, struggles to come to terms with her loss and the changes it imposes on her day-to-day life and her plans for the future.

After the death of Anna Gonzales by Terri Fields
Poems written in the voices of forty-seven people, including students, teachers, and other school staff, record the aftermath of a high school student’s suicide.

Sister Slam and the poetic motormouth roadtrip by Linda Oatman High
In this novel told in slam verse, best friends and aspiring poets Laura and Twig embark on a road trip after graduating from high school, from Pennsylvania to New York City, to compete at slam poetry events.

The geography of girlhood by Kirsten Smith
A novel in verse, in which Penny Morrow describes the pain, happiness, and humor of growing up.

Split image by Mel Glenn
A riveting story, told in poetry, about the seemingly perfect Laura Li and her life inside and out of Tower High School.

The realm of possibility by David Levithan
A variety of students at the same high school describe their ideas, experiences, and relationships in a series of interconnected free verse stories.

Street love by Walter Dean Myers
This story told in free verse is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.

What my girlfriend doesn’t know by Sonia Sones
Fourteen-year-old Robin Murphy is so unpopular at high school that his name is slang for “loser.” When he begins dating the beautiful and popular Sophie her reputation plummets, he finds acceptance as a student in a drawing class at Harvard, but where does that leave Sophie?

Make lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother.

Graphic novels don’t just deal with super heroics or fantastical places, they often tell true stories of people and places in our own world.

Some, like Persepolis, deal with growing up in a strict or opressive society.

Others like Deogratias : a tale of Rwanda tell the tale of terrible tragedies happening a world away.

Ones like Satchel Paige : striking out Jim Crow tell the stories of people in our own country overcoming great obstacles.

Laika tells the tale of a Russian pup who became the first living creature to orbit our planet.

Houdini : the handcuff king gives us the story of one of the world’s most famous escape artists.

And in Kampung Boy we learn the story of a boy growing up on a rubber plantation in rural Malaysia.

If you were to write your own life story in graphic novel format, what parts of your life would you focus on? Would you draw it yourself, or get someone else to do it for you? If not you, what artist would you like to see  illustrate your life?

You can find these and other true tales in the Graphic Novel section of the library’s Teen collection.

Are you suffering from post April Fool’s pranking withdrawal? One or all of these titles some starring, some with special guest appearances by fellow pranksters could get you through another year…or until your next big prank!

24 girls in 7 days by Alex Bradley
Jack Grammar, average American senior, doesn’t have a date for prom. Or so he thinks. Percy and Natalie, Jack’s so-called best friends, post an ad in the classified section of the online version of the school newspaper. It’s meant to be a joke but, before they know it, Percy and Natalie have a bevy of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack. He has just seven days to meet and date them before he chooses one special girl to be his prom date.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
One of the most satisfying prank scenes in literature? You be the judge when you see what Fred and George Weasley have planned for Dolores Umbridge.

The time hackers by Gary Paulsen
When someone uses futuristic technology to play pranks on twelve-year-old Dorso Clayman, he and his best friend set off on a supposedly impossible journey through space and time trying to stop the gamesters who are endangering the universe.

The adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s classic story of the mischievous but goodhearted Tom Sawyer and his adventures along the Mississippi.

How Angel Peterson got his name: and other outrageous tales about extreme sports by Gary Paulsen
Author Gary Paulsen tells tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.

King of the mild frontier: an ill-advised autobiography by Chris Crutcher
Chris Crutcher, author of books for teens, shares stories about his childhood during which he was a prankster and a prank victim.

The Shadow Club by Neal Shusterman
A high school boy and his friends decide to form a club of “second bests” and play anonymous tricks on each other’s arch rivals. When the harmless pranks become life-threatening, however, no one in the club will admit responsibility.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Now a Pretty, Tally thinks life is perfect. That is, until she starts remembering why she turned pretty in the first place. In an effort to stay bubbly, Tally and her friends pull off some amazing tricks.

Next week is Teen Tech Week! In honor of this year’s theme, Tune in @ your library, here are some musical titles:

Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist
High school student Nick O’Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Beige
Katy, a quiet French Canadian teenager, reluctantly leaves Montréal to spend time with her estranged father, an aging Los Angeles punk rock legend.

The last days
As an ancient evil stirs beneath the streets of New York City, infecting rats and people like a plague, five quirky teens come together to form a “New Sound” band whose music seems to have paranormal power.

Notes from the midnight driver
After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, sixteen-year-old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.

Just listen
Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she has not been truthful with them, sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.

Heavy metal and you
High schooler Sam begins losing himself when he falls for a preppy girl who wants him to give up getting wasted with his best friends and even his passion for heavy metal music in order to become a better person.

Guitar girl
Molly Montgomery discovers the high price of fame when her band, The Hormones, is joined by dangerous Dean and his friend T, and they become famous.

Fat kid rules the world
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly three hundred pounds, gets a new perspective on life when Curt, a semi-homeless teen who is a genius on guitar, asks Troy to be the drummer in a rock band.

Born to rock
High school senior Leo Caraway, a conservative Republican, learns that his biological father is a punk rock legend.

Did we forget a book that sang to you? Leave us a comment and let us know!

And don’t forget to sign up for the Tech Takeover MARCH 6! We want to see you there!