Best Young Adult

aspirit: Not YA

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1886 Historical Fiction, Adventure Classic. A "Boy's Novel" but girls enjoy it too. A favorite. Original Title: Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Cast away; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; his Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he Suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called ... R.L. Stevenson (Scotland, 1850-1894). Novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Greatly admired by his fellow authors and one of the most translated authors in the world. -wiki. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1975 Fantasy adventure classic. Sirius, former guardian luminary of the Dog Star, is helped by Kathleen, the luminary Sol (our sun), and his own quick wits as he tracks a lost cosmic tool in order to regain his former status. An intricate and intriguing tale. [Generally I am not a Diana Wynne Jones fan but this book is excellent.]

aspirit: Not YA

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1990 Multiple Award-Winner. Spinelli is an excellent writer... A beautifully written poem of a book, an elegant parable, a wondrous fable...An innocent yet wise boy hero who makes the world a better place just for having passed through... One of the best books I've read in the past 10 years! Inspires and gives one hope not just for this generation but for oneself! A 20th century classic.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. Multiple Award-Winner. 1953 SF&F Classic. One of Bradbury's best. Dystopia. Societal ban on all books with book burning as the solution. One of the few high school reading assignments that I adored!

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 2011 Multiple Award-Winner. SF&F, Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Quest, Adventure, Mystery, Suspense. Even this non-80s kid and non-gamer loved it! If you like SF&F in the least, this is a must-read. I believe a large percentage of non-SF&F fans would go for it too. Seriously good!

: Didn't enjoy it as a teen, perhaps because I'm not a boy

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 2008 Multiple Award Winner. BritLit, Fantasy. After his family is murdered, a baby is raised to boyhood by the departed denizens of the local graveyard. Interesting concept. Fun read. Equally appealing to boys & girls.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. Award-Winner. 1. It's a well-written, interesting and altogether compelling piece of historical fiction. 2. You can't live in America without reading it at least once. 3. If you love the movie (who didn't?), the book is even better. 1960 Pulitzer Prize winner. "Deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Despite being Lee's only published book, it led to Lee being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007. Lee has also been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees..." per Wikipedia. Simply the most outstanding & compelling read ever!

sturlington: Should be read by everyone, regardless of age.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1962 Multiple Award Winner. SF&F classic. Loved this as a kid. Still do. First and best of the four book series.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Multiple award winner. The 1998 book that started it all, first & best of the 7-book series. Harry Potter learns he's to be a student wizard at Hogwarts and so escape his awful Muggle relatives. Despite the dire predicaments his new status brings him, he is buoyed up with new friends and a wizard mentor. If you read one, you'll end up reading them all ... Barney: There's nothing new under the sun.

aspirit: Not YA

aspirit: Not YA

aspirit : Not YA

jain : Adult fiction.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Politically Correct Kids Versions Available. Swift's Masterpiece. 1726 BritLit Fantasy Adventure Satire Classic. The original adult edition contains 4 voyages: 1. Lilliput (tiny people); 2. Brobdingnag (Giants); 3. Laputa (Flying Island, Impractical Music & Math, Preposterous Schemes & Silly Science), Balnibarbi, Luggnagg (Aged & Infirm Immortals), Glubbdubdrib (Magician & Ghosts), and Japan; 4. Houyhnhnms (Intelligent horses rule, Human animals act as beasts of burden). Milo Winters did excellent illustrations for an unedited edition. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745). Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org ... Gang: Seriously, there are JF & YA editions of just about every classic title. And classics are classics for a reason - they stand the test of time. YAs certainly are capable of understanding satire. I read the original as a young teen. I think that each of us has to realize that not every reader has the same interests or reading ability. I appreciate your comments and views and keep 'em coming... On the flip side, I will state, not all PopLit is worth reading (case in point: Twilight and its baseball-playing vampires - does anyone think this series should be listed as a must-read classic that generations to come will derive great insights from? Not me)

sturlington : This is political satire, not YA

pwaites : Not all classics are young adult novels.

jain : Adult fiction.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. Multiple Award Winner. 1959, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction. A missionary moves his family from Georgia, USA to the small rural village of Kilanga, Belgian Congo, close to the Kwilu River. An altogether interesting book about a well-meaning but pretty clueless fundamentalist missionary in the 1950s Congo with his wife and four daughters who adapt much better than he to the realities of this new world. As the girls grow, age, & mature, they are able to interact with local people on a more human and realistic level than any of the white adults. A keeper to read more than once. ... Dystopias are a popular theme in YA lit today. This fits right in - just a bit more realism in highly readable literature.

sturlington : Adult novel

jain : Adult fiction.

aspirit : Not YA

sturlington : Better for younger children.

: It was fine but not great

jain : Adult fiction.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1983, Fantasy, Humor. The first of Pratchett's amazing & funny Discworld Series. One of the few authors I've found who's been able to maintain a quality (& lengthy) book series due to his excellent writing & top-notch humor. A good number of the books are award-winners. Series best read in order. You read one, you'll want to read them all. And you won't be disappointed!

pwaites : Not young adult (crosses age boundaries, but is primarily aimed at adults)

jain : Adult fiction.

aspirit : Taught in high schools, but it isn't YA

jain : Adult fiction.

jain : Adult fiction.

jain : Adult fiction.

jain : Adult fiction.

aspirit : Not YA

sturlington : Better for younger children.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1977 Multiple Award Winner. Fantasy Adventure. First and best of the Xanth series (stop after book 3). Magic, puns & humor.

sturlington : I wouldn't recommend Piers Anthony to anybody.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. 1949 Award Winner. Action, Adventure. "Set in England during the Middle Ages, as the bubonic plague is sweeping across the country. Young Robin is sent away to become a knight like his father, but his dreams [& life] are endangered when he loses the use of his legs [and is abandoned]." - wiki

merrystar : childrens, not ya

merrystar : childrens, not ya

merrystar : childrens, not ya

sturlington : Better for younger children.

sturlington : Better for younger children.

sturlington : Better for younger children.