Reading Lists for Teens
ALA Book and Media Awards and Notables -
Picture It! 25 Great Graphic Novels
Twilight - Fangtastic Fiction
Spook-tacular Short Stories -
Recent Romances
On War and Peace - Eye Read! - Rock 'n' Read
On That Note -
It's Alive!
Click on the titles to find out more about them in PamCat, our online library catalog.
Picture It! 25 Great Graphic Novels
WE3, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
A dog, a cat and a rabbit - stolen as subjects for a sinister military
program, are modified into terrible weapons. But they are just the
prototypes and are slated to be permanently decommissioned, until they
seize their one chance to escape!
Black Hole, Charles Burns
A plague transmitted by sexual contact has descended upon Seattle’s
teenagers in the 1970s. “The Bug” manifests itself in a variety of ways,
both visible and invisible, as an allegory of the painful nature of
adolescence itself. A powerful cult classic.
Kingdom Come, Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross
What makes a hero? In a world spinning out of control, the future will
be decided in a conflict between youth and experience, tradition and
change
Blankets, Craig Thompson
Cocooned in the landscape of a blustery winter, Blankets explores the
sibling rivalry between two brothers growing up in isolated rural
Wisconsin, and one brother’s experience of first love.
The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman
An epidemic has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on
the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled, and it is up to
a small band of survivors to make their way in the new world
Batman: The Killing Joke, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland!
The Joker escapes from Arkham once more in a bid to jab Batman into a
final confrontation through a violent, unforgivable act. It’s a dark,
intense story paired with candy-colored visuals.
Powers, Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
In a world where fantastic superpowers are relatively common, we follow
two police officers in a Homicide department devoted to cases that
involve "powers". With great dialogue writing by Bendis, it makes an
excellent read even if you never thought you'd enjoy a superhero comic!
Y The Last Man, Brian K. Vaughan
On July 17, 2002, something simultaneously kills every mammal possessing
a Y chromosome — including embryos, fertilized eggs, and even sperm. The
only exceptions appear to be Yorick Brown and his Capuchin monkey,
Ampersand. Yorick needs to find his girlfriend and discover why he is
the last man on Earth. But a gang of extremists and the leader of the
Israel Defense Forces are hunting him. His time is running out…
Fables, Bill Willingham
This dark fantasy reinterpretation of fairy tales and folklore
chronicles the lives of the characters from the fabled lands of legend
and their exile in New York City within an exclusive luxury apartment
building called Fabletown.
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Chris Ware
Jimmy is an awkward and cheerless young man with an overbearing mother
who attempts to escape his unhappy life through an (over)active
imagination.
The Tale of One Bad Rat, Bryan Talbot
Helen Potter lived a happy life until she got lost in a nightmare of
sexual abuse. Now she's traveling through urban and rural England on a
journey that is remarkably similar to the one a certain Beatrix Potter
once took.
Transmetropolitan, Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
After years of self-imposed exile from a job and a city he loathes,
cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return. He uses his
position as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word to
identify and fight the injustice he sees every miserable day.
Ghost World, Daniel Clowes
Ghost World is the adventures of Enid Coleslaw and Beck Doppelmeyer, two
bored, supremely ironic teenage girls. They spend their days wandering
aimlessly around their unnamed American town.
Sandman, Neil Gaiman
Sandman begins with a man interested in capturing the physical
manifestation of Death, but who captures the King of Dreams instead. One
of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half
of the 20th century opens a magical door to the world of The Endless.
Hellboy, Mike Mignola
Hellboy was brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists but
discovered by the Allied Forces and Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who
forms the United States Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.).
Hellboy becomes their primary agent fighting Nazis, demons, and anything
that goes bump in the night!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
Maus: A Survivor's Tale is the Pulitzer Prize winning story of Vladek
Spiegelman, a Polish Jew, living and surviving in Hitler's Europe. By
addressing the horror of the Holocaust through anthropomorphic animals
Spiegelman captures the everyday reality of fear and is able to explore
the guilt, relief and extraordinary sensation of survival.
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Set in the 1980s, the novel follows a middle-aged and semi-retired crew
of costumed superheroes in an alternate universe where the Cold War
remained at a fever pitch. Rorschach, a half-psychotic vigilante must
convince his ex-partners that he has uncovered a plot to murder the
remaining superheroes - along with millions of innocent civilians. Will
they be enough to avert the coming apocalypse?
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
Batman becomes a dark and brooding hero, struggling with the acceptance
of a new Robin while facing the latest generation of vicious,
hyper-violent criminals. Old foes like the Joker and Two-Face add to the
maddening mayhem of a city spiraling into chaos.
Asterios Polyp, David Mazzucchelli
This book follows a middle-aged architect whose fate seems governed by
ancient urges and forces he can barely perceive. His story is rich and
evocative, and made all the more astonishing by how carefully the art
matches the plot.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel
Fun Home is Alison Bechdel ‘s amusing, difficult account of childhood
and her relationship with her academic father. The book was a critical
success and became a bestseller.
The Mystery of Mary Rogers, Rick Geary
Roughly once a year, Rick Geary delivers another of his carefully
researched, beautifully drawn books about real life murder cases. All
are essential reading, but this one is especially fine, turning the case
that inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Mystery Of Marie Roget” into a
thoughtful meditation on the origins of stories.
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
One of the most unlikely comics success stories of the decade was the
warm reception given to a pair of graphic novels about a young girl
growing up in post-revolutionary Iran. From her holy-terror childhood to
her haltingly rebellious adolescence to her deeply troubled college
years, Satrapi portrays herself as a complex figure, neither pure nor
damned.
Why Are You Doing This?, Jason
Why Are You Doing This? Is a Hitchcockian "wrong man" thriller about a
lovesick slacker framed for the murder of his best friend. It builds to
a gut-punch ending that attempts to answer the titular question. Why do
people fall in love, chase each other, kill each other?
Bone, Jeff Smith
Bone is a grand story that starts small, with the three Bone cousins,
Fone, Phoncible, and Smiley, exiled from Boneville and uncertain about
their future. Things get considerably more complicated from there, as
the three leads face off against rat creatures and the Lord of Locusts,
and become entangled in the lives of humans living in a nearby valley.
Flight, Scott McCloud
Flight is a collection of stories playing on the theme of flight in its
many incarnations. From the maiden voyage of a home-built plane to the
adventures of a young courier and his flying whale to a handful of
stories about coming of age and letting things go.
Thirsty
by M.T. Anderson
In the Forests of the Night
by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Blue Bloods series
by Melissa de la Cruz
Sweetblood
by Pete Hautman
Blood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klaus
Suck it up
by Brain Meehl
Vampire Kisses series
by Ellen Schreiber
Tantalize
by Cynthia Smith
Peeps
by Scott Westerfeld
Hellsing manga series
by Kohta Hirano
Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novel series
by Joss Whedon
Check out the Twilight Reading Map, too!
Thirsty
by M.T Anderson
It's bad enough having divorcing parents, a bossy older brother, and
fickle friends, but discovering you're on the verge of becoming a vampire?
Haunted: A Tale of the Mediator
by Meg Cabot
As a mediator, Susannah communicates between the living and the dead; as a 16
year old, she has to choose between a living heartthrob and a ghost.
The Silver Kiss
by Annette Curtis Klause
Handsome yet frightening, Simon is unlike any boy lonely Zoë has met - perhaps
it's because he is a vampire!
The Body of Christopher Creed
by Carol Plum-Ucci
Christopher Creed, the class outcast, vanishes, while popular Torey Adam's
perfect life starts to disappear at the same time.
Full Tilt
by Neal Shusterman
Blake's kid brother runs away to a bizarre phantom amusement park. To save him,
Blake has to complete 7 rides before dawn - which no one has ever done before.
Companions of the Night
by Vivian Van Vende
After vampires kidnap her family, Kerry enlists Ethan to help her find
them. But will he turn into the love of her life or the creature who takes it?
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Gothic! 10 Dark Tales
edited by Deb Noyes
Double Dare to Be Scared
edited by Robert Sans Souci
Be Afraid: Tales of Horror
edited by Edo Van Belkom
Vampires: a Collection of Original Stories
edited by Jane Yolen
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Princess in Love: Princess Diaries Volume 3
By Meg Cabot
What a life! Modern-day princess, Mia, is just as concerned about
assuming her "princessly" duties, as she is worried about whether Kenny
will invite her to the winter dance.
Forbidden Forest
By Michael Cadnum
In 12th-century England, Robin Hood is robbing and rescuing, and our
heroine Margaret finds sanctuary in the forest, where she meets Robin
and the gentle giant, Little John.
Postcards from No Man's Land
by Aidan Chambers
Past and present entwine as a Dutch girl in World War Two and a
contemporary teen find love in unexpected places.
My Heartbeat
By Garrett Freymann-Weyr
Ellen adores her confused older brother, Link, and has a crush on his
friend, James, who seemingly loves them both.
The Hunting of the Last Dragon
By Sherryl Jordan
Romance and adventure meet when Jude, an illiterate peasant, defeats a
terrible dragon with the help of a Chinese noblewoman.
Stoner and Spaz
By Ron Koertge
In this quirky love story about what draws people together and keeps
them apart, Ben's cerebral palsy has made him an outsider drawn to
Colleen, the school's most infamous druggie.
What My Mother Doesn't Know
By Sonya Sones
Sophie thinks that she has a crush on handsome Dylan until she discovers
she shares more with someone completely different.
Razzle
by Ellen Wittlinger
Lonely guy Ken befriends artsy, independent Razzle, only to be taken in
by sexy, gorgeous Harley. But is Harley really the girl for him?
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After the First Death
by Robert Cormier
The hijacking of a school bus by terrorists seeking the return of their
homeland is described by three people close to the events.
Habibi
By Naomi Shihab Nye
When Liyanne and her family move from St. Louis to her
Palestinian-American father's home village, they face many challenges
and tension between Jews and Palestinians.
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Eye Read! (Eye-catching Graphic Novels, Photography, and Puzzles)
Magic Knight Rayearth Vol. 1
by Clamp
Left Behind Graphic Novel Vol. 1
by Tim Lahaye
In one cataclysmic moment, millions of people disappear. What will life
be like for those left behind?
There's a Hair in My Dirt: A Worm's Story
by Gary Larson
When his son declares, "I hate being a Worm," after finding a hair in
his dirt dinner, Father Worm isn't pleased. So he tells the boy a little
story about Harriet, a young maiden who loves nature but doesn't really
understand it. When her ignorance leads to Harriet's untimely demise, we
find how the hair got into his son's dirt and learn Father Worm's
lesson. Gary Larson presents an outrageous version of Ecology 101 for
adolescents of all ages.
Ruse Vol. 1: Enter the Detective
by Mark Waid
Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned
by Judd Winick
Elvis Lives! And Other Anagrams
by Jon Agee
Material World: A Global Family Portrait
by Peter Menzel
A Poke in the I
by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka
Harlem
by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers
The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle
East
by Naomi Shihab Nye
The Magic of M.C. Escher
by M.C. Escher
Tibet: Through the Red Box
by Peter Sis
Impossible Objects: Amazing Optical Illusions to Confound & Astound
by J. Timothy Unruh
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LBD: It's a Girl Thing
by Grace Dent
The Kings Are Already Here
by Garrett Freymann-Weyr
Two teenagers, one obsessed with the world of ballet and the other with
that of chess, join together in a quest across Europe and begin to learn
not only how to connect with other people, but why?
Fat Kid Rules the World
by K.L. Going
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly 300
pounds, gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a
genius on guitar wants Troy to be the drummer in his rock band.
Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem
by Anthony Bozza
The Book of Rock Stars
by Katherine Krull
This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
by Elizabeth Partridge
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Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys
by Francesca Lia Block
With their parents away, four young people form a rock band that becomes
wildly popular, carrying them into a "freer" life than they can cope
with.
Midnight Hour Encores
by Bruce Brooks
A sixteen-year-old cellist and musical prodigy travels cross country
with her father, a product of the 1960s, to meet her mother, who
abandoned her as a baby.
Angry Blonde: The Official Book
by Eminem
Aaliyah: More Than a Woman
by Christopher John Farley
Broken Chords
by Barbara Snow Gilbert
While practicing relentlessly for an important competition,
seventeen-year-old Clara wonders if she has the dedication to pursue a
career as a concert pianist.
Sandy Bottom Orchestra
by Garrison Keillor
Fourteen-year-old Rachel comes to terms with her eccentric family while
taking refuge in her violin playing.
The Exes
by Pagan Kennedy
A rock-and-roll group composed of musicians who used to date one
another, inluding a bisexual Pakistani bassist and a science nerd, tries
to survive long enough to make it big.
I Will Call It Georgie's Blues
by Suzanne Newton
Because the Baptist minister's children in a small North Carolina town
have difficulty conforming to the roles their father wishes them to play
for public consumption, fifteen-year-old Neal feels he must hide his
consuming interest in jazz music.
Born Blue
by Han Nolan
Janie was four years old when she nearly drowned due to her mothers
neglect. Through an unhappy foster home experience, and years of feeling
that she is unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a
famous singer.
Remembering Selena: A Tribute in Pictures and Words
by Himilce Novas & Rosemary Silva
Beethoven in Paradise
by Barbara O'Connor
Martin longs to be a musician, and with the encouragement of two very
different friends, he eventually is able to defy his mean-hearted father
and accept himself and the talent within him.
Come Sing Jimmy Jo
by Katherine Paterson
When his family becomes a successful country music group and makes him a
featured singer, eleven-year-old James has to deal with big changes in
all aspects of his life, even his name.
Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star
by Randy Powell
For a tribute to his mother, a dead rock star, fifteen-year-old Grady
returns to Seattle, where he faces his mixed feelings for his retarded
younger half-brother Louie while pondering his own future.
Jam Master Jay: The Heart of Hip-Hop
by David E. Thigpen
Never Fade Away: The Kurt Cobain Story
by Dave Thompson
Days Like This
by J. Torres and Scott Chantler
The Song Reader
by Lisa Tucker
Orphaned sisters Leeann and Mary Beth live in a small town with Leeann
attending high school and Mary Beth working two jobs, until Mary Beth's
special gift for helping people with their problems uncovers their
family's dark secret.
A Slipping-Down Life
by Anne Tyler
Evie Decker, one of the most overweight girls in her high school in
Pulqua, North Carolina, has always been on the outskirts of the popular
crowd. She falls in love with a rock and roll singer and guitar
player named Bertram "Drumstrings" Casey. To demonstrate her absolute
devotion to him, Evie uses a pair of nail scissors to carve his name on
her forehead. Although her father wants her to go to a plastic surgeon,
Evie refuses. Tyler explores the relationship between Drum and Evie with
compassion and grace.
Hopeless Savages
by Jen Van Meter, Christine Norrie and Chynna Clugston-Major
Hip Hoptionary: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology
by Alonzo Westbrook
Drive
by Diana Wieler
Jens, a young car salesman, and his sixteen-year-old musician brother,
Daniel, head out on a weekend trip in hopes of earning some of the five
thousand dollars Daniel needs to pay off a debt.
The Mozart Season
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Allegra Leah Shapiro spends her twelfth summer practicing a Mozart
concerto of a violin competition and finding many significant
connections in her world.
Boots and the Seven Leaguers
by Jane Yolen
Teen troll Gog and his friend Pook work as roadies for a troll rock and
roll band until Gog's younger brother gets kidnapped.
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Thirsty
by M.T. Anderson
From the moment he knows that he is destined to be a vampire, Chris thirsts for the blood of people around him while also struggling to remain human.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Ray Bradbury
Story of two young boys who begin to encounter evil secrets when a
lightning rod salesman gives them one of his contraptions covered with
mystical symbols.
Rag and Bone Shop
by Robert Cormier
Trent, an ace interrogator from Vermont, works to procure a confession
from an introverted twelve-year-old accused of murdering his
seven-year-old friend in Monument, Massachusetts.
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into
a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where
she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her
parents, and the souls of three others.
The Ghost Sitter
by Peni R. Griffin
When she realizes that her new house is haunted by the ghost of a
ten-year-old girl who used to live there, Charlotte tries to help her
find peace.
Stranger in a Strange Land
by Robert Heinlein
Valentine Michael Smith, born and raised on Mars, arrives on Earth
stunning Western culture with his superhuman abilities.
The Door into Summer
by Robert Heinlein
Daniel Davis, put into a state of suspended animation for thirty years,
awakens to a startling discovery.
Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
An anthropologist conducts an unusual research project in a reputedly haunted house.
Mammoth Book of Best New Horror
edited by Stephen Jones
A collection of the best horror stories of 2002 showcases the work of such authors as Neil Gaiman, Paul McAuley, Kim Newman, Brian Hodge, Kelly Link, Jay Russell, and David J. Schow.
(This refers to the 14th edition)
Pet Sematary
by Stephen King
When a little boy's pet dies, and he persuades his parents to bury it in an old Indian
cemetery, reputed by legend to house restless spirits, a nightmare of death and destruction begins.
Carrie
by Stephen King
An introverted girl with remarkable powers of telekinesis faces the
horrors of teenage life and unleashes a few of her own when she
attends the high school prom.
Blood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klause
Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle
both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she
belongs and with whom.
The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death
by H.P. Lovecraft
30 Days of Night
by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith
The Body of Christopher Creed
by Carol Plum-Ucci
Torey Adams, a high school junior with a seemingly perfect life,
struggles with doubts and questions surrounding the mysterious
disappearance of the class outcast.
The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time
edited by Leslie Pockell
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
A monster assembled by a scientist from parts of dead bodies develops a
mind of his own as he learns to loathe himself and hate his creator.
Includes illustrated notes throughout the text explaining the historical
background of the story.
Be Afraid: Tales of Horror
edited
by Edo Van Belkom
An anthology of fifteen horror stories includes works by such authors as
Monica Hughes, Robert J. Sawyer, Scott Nicholson, and Ed Gorman.
Companions of the Night
by Vivian Vande Velde
When sixteen-year-old Kerry Nowicki helps a young man escape from a
group of men who claim he is a vampire, she finds herself faced with
some bizarre and dangerous choices.
Vampires: a Collection of Original Stories
edited
by Jane Yolen
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