It occurred to me that Teen Read Week (October 13-19) would be a great time to talk about book ideas for teens. There are so many fantastic ones out there!
By definition, Teen Read Week is when libraries around the country promote teen reading with enticing activities and fun ideas. In addition to being fun for libraries, many of the ideas are great for parties, gatherings and even just plain fun at home with friends and family–including book themed cupcakes and costumes.
Often teenagers are either reading their own book choices or only reading what they must for school related subjects, but I think it is always a great idea to share links about books and sometimes even check books out of the library to leave lying about the house. I say it time and time again–the bathroom is a great place to leave a book waiting to be discovered!
Without further ado, here’s a list of great teen book ideas I gleaned from talking with several teenagers: (this list is not a review of the books nor will I copy spoilers)
*John Green’s Paper Towns – from the author’s webpage: Paper 
Towns debuted at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. I should mention that the same author’s The Fault in Our Stars is wildly popular right now.
*The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate– my daughter really enjoyed this series from the very beginning and begged me to read it. I read the first one, Fallen, and immediately saw why she liked it. Goodreads says “Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story”
*Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury– this spooky story about a terrifying carnival and two 14-year-old boys is a timeless classic, especially for the Halloween time of year.
* Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
Originally a falling star, Calcifer is a fire demon under a magical contract with the wizard, Howl.
‘It’s quite a risk to spank a wizard for getting hysterical about his hair’ – Howl’s Moving Castle
* Into the Beautiful North by Luis Urrea– from the author’s site: filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, this is the story of an irresistible young woman’s quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.
*13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – my attention is piqued–I put this book on my own reading list: Would you follow the directions? Would you travel around the world? Would you open the envelopes one by one?
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak– quite possibly one of the best books I’ve read, this book about The Holocaust is poised to become a timeless read, shared over and over again. I typically don’t read a lot of YA novels, preferring to ask those who do read them for opinions, but I did read this one at the urging of my son. I’m very glad I did.
” First the colors. Then the humans. That’s how I see things. Or, at least, how I try. –Death (from The Book Thief)
*And last–but never, ever least The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- so many now-young-adults grew up reading about Harry, so many literary lives affected–even shaped–by the stories of the young wizard’s battle for good against evil.
The actor who played Severus Snape in the movies
Clearly this is just a tiny list in the whole realm of masterful books that might be enjoyed by teens, but hopefully there’s something here that will spark an interest and open a door to astounding adventures.
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**Bonus feature: ‘The Great Big List’ – over 100 suggestions of things to do!**
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