Tag Archives: young adult books

Robotics and AI Galore

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In this month’s April blog post we are highlighting robotics and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly hot topic within the digital landscape. This month the young adult fiction novels will consist of robots, cyborgs, humanoids as protagonists, and artificial intelligence as a major figure or theme in the plot. The selection of young adult novels is a great starting point for sci-fi fans interested in finding novels with all thing’s robots and AI.


Bow, Erin
The Scorpion Rules. 2015. Young Adult.
The Scorpion Rules follows Greta, a duchess and crown princess who is held hostage in the name of peace. Greta’s world follows the rules where if you want to lead you must give up one of your children as a hostage. If you are to go to war your hostage dies. Greta hopes to make it to her eighteenth birthday when she can finally be free. In the meantime, she lives in the Precepture school with all the other sons and daughters of the world’s leaders. In the Precepture school she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. However, things take a turn when a new hostage arrives named Elian who refuses to play by the rules and defies everything that has been taught to Greta. Elian is able to open Greta’s eyes to the brutality that they live under and as both Greta and Elian’s nations come closer to all-out war Greta must find a way to break the rules of the game in order to survive because if not, it will end up killing the both of them.
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Curtis, Simon
Boy Robot. 2016. Young Adult.
Isaak’s life is turned upside down in a single night when his adoptive parents are killed, a mysterious girl saves him from a group of soldiers, and he learns of his own dark origins. Isaak learns he is a robot, a government made synthetic human produced for the sole purpose of becoming a weapon and who is now being hunted and is marked for termination. Isaak, with another band of robots, finds a haven in the underground which is home to a secret network of robots and humans coexisting and working together to ensure a future with both species. However, to be protected by the underground Isaak must make it there first, which proves to be deadly when there is a lethal military force tasked with finding him at any cost. Isaak must face whether to relinquish his humanity to survive or hold on to his humanity and face death.
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Kaufman, Amie and Kristoff, Jay
Illuminae. 2015. Young Adult.
The Illuminae Files is a striking series which begins with Kady breaking up with her boyfriend Ezra, believing that would be the hardest moment of her life although it is quickly diminished when her planet is invaded by lunch time. In the year 2575 two rival mega corporations are at war over a planet and with enemy fire raining down on Kady’s planet she, along with her now ex-boyfriend, is forced to evacuate with a hostile warship on their tail. Just when things go from bad to worse a plague strikes and mutates with terrifying results on the fleet and the fleet’s AI may be their enemy. With secrets all around Kady hacks into the web of data to find out the truth and the only person that would be able to help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she would never speak to again. With the narrative including hacked documents, emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more, The Illuminae Files is sure to be an enthralling read.
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Kincaid, S.J.
The Diabolic. 2016. Young Adult.
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter named Sidonia. Nemesis and Sidonia have grown-up alongside each other, and Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia if necessary. Nemesis is also tasked with taking as many lives as possible necessary to keep Sidonia safe. When the emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the galactic court where she is to serve as a hostage. The only way to protect Sidonia is for Nemesis to become her. This leads Nemesis to travel to the galactic court disguised as Sidonia, a humanoid killing machine masquerading in a place full of corrupt politicians and deceitful senators’ children. With threats on every side Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything. As the rebellion looms closer and the empire begins to weaken Nemesis finds within herself a humanity purer than the humans she has faced and realizes her humanity may be the thing that saves her life and the empire.
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Kristoff, Jay
Life L1k3. 2018. Young Adult.
In the first book in the Lifelike series, we follow Eve who finds the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls her home. When this happens, her entire world comes crashing down. Follow Eve with her robotic sidekick and her best friend in tow as she and Ezekiel trek across deserts of irradiated glass, battle cyborg assassins, scour abandoned megacities to save the ones she loves, and to unravel the dark secrets of her past.
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Meyer, Marrisa
Cinder. 2012. Young Adult.
Cinder is a Cinderella retelling that focuses on Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg who lives in New Beijing where humans and androids coexist. Cinder is a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, she is reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. Cinder’s life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai when she finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle and forbidden romance. As a deadly plague ravages the population, Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty, and betrayal. She must uncover the secrets about her past to protect her world’s future.
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Oliver, Ben
The Loop. 2020. Young Adult.
Luka Kane is celebrating his sixteenth birthday, and he has been inside The Loop for over two years. The Loop is a futuristic death row for teens under eighteen experiencing one long repetitive purgatory. Every inmate inside The Loop is serving a death sentence with the option to push back their execution date by six months if they participate in “delays,” scientific and medical experiments for the benefit of the elite on the outside. When rumors begin to swirl of an impending war on the outside it begins to spread to all inmates and their torturous routines become disrupted. The government issued rain begins to stop, strange things begin to happen with the guards, until all the inmates are left alone inside the prison. Luka must now try to survive and break out of The Loop to save his family and figure out who is responsible for the chaos that has been unleashed upon the world.
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Rothenberg, Jess
The Kingdom. 2019. Young Adult.
The Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests can soar on virtual dragons, bioengineered species roam free, and castles loom over the park like giants. Ana is one of seven fantasists. Fantasists are beautiful princesses engineered to make the guests’ dreams come true. When Ana meets a park employee named Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including first-time love. However, this fairy tale soon becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting a trial of the ages. Through courtroom testimony and interviews, Ana’s memories of Owen emerge as a narrative of love, lies, and deceit. At the center we learn what it truly means to be human.
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Shusterman, Neal
Scythe. 2016. Young Adult.
The Arc of a Scythe series explores a world with no hunger, no disease, no war, and no misery. Humanity has become so advanced that is has conquered all things, even death. Scythes are now the only ones who can end a life and their duty is to end lives to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentices to a scythe, a role that neither of them wants to have. These two teens must master the “art” of taking a life or risk failing and losing their own.
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Skrutskie, Emily
Hullmetal Girls. 2018. Young Adult.
When Aisha Un-Haad’s brother catches the plague, Aisha would do anything to save him and that means volunteering to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the fleet, a collective of starships they call home to fund her brother’s treatment. If Aisha can survive the agonizing modifications and earn an elite place among the Scela ranks she may be able to save her brother. Meanwhile Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with little to no memories of her life before. All Key knows is she is from the privileged end of the fleet and has no recollection as to why she decided to relinquish a life of comfort and luxury to become a burly cyborg soldier. If Key can make it through her training, she may be able to recover some of her memories. In a unit of new recruits all vying for top placement, Key and Aisha’s paths collide and the two must learn to work together. A rebellion is brewing among the fleet with those yearning for independence from the fleet against a government that is struggling to maintain unity. With violence brewing at every turn, Aisha and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties and putting aside their differences to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.
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Wells, Dan
Partials. 2012. Young Adult.
After a war with the Partials, humanity is all but extinguished. Partials are engineered organic beings identical to humans who have destroyed the population. When all that is left of humanity is tens of thousands of humans, with only a fraction who are immune to a deadly virus, the survivors in North America have been able to keep each other safe and isolated on Long Island. Sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution and save what is left of her race. She discovers that the key to their survival rests in her attempts to answer questions about the origins of the war against Partials and humans that no one ever thought to ask.
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EVS

Airships & Corsets & Clockwork… Oh My!: Steampunk in YA Fiction

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What exactly is “steampunk?” It’s a literary genre, visual aesthetic, and a vibrant community of individuals. Steampunk as it’s known today began as a response to the “cyberpunk” movement in science fiction the 1980s and 1990s. Inspired by late Victorian science fiction such as The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, steampunk imagines a world in which Victorian steam-powered technology takes the place of modern nuclear and electronic technology. Steampunk also retains a strong Victorian sensibility when it comes to fashion: corsets are mixed with clockwork gears, and airships are often the primary mode of transportation. Some fans attend conventions of fellow steampunk enthusiasts or wear steampunk-inspired clothing in their everyday lives.

Because steampunk can be defined as several different genres in the library catalog (steampunk can also be classified as science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, or alternate history), a catalog search is not always productive when looking for steampunk fiction. While any of these terms can be used in a keyword or subject search, searching for “steampunk” in NoveList, Goodreads, or book review journals/databases can also be helpful.

Steampunk & Diversity: Some Resources

In its revisionist approach to history, steampunk is capable of exploring race in interesting, varied ways. Some steampunk literature, however, ignores minorities altogether or extends the prejudice of the Victorian era towards these groups. There is a growing multicultural movement within steampunk, however, and these resources provide an introduction to diverse books and groups within steampunk culture.

Beyond Victoriana

“The Intersection of Race and Steampunk: Colonialism’s After-Effects & Other Stories, from a Steampunk of Colour’s Perspective”

Multiculturalism for Steampunk

Silver Goggles

Steampunk Magazine

Some Japanese anime and manga have a strong steampunk sensibility as well and, in some cases, feature nonwhite characters in the leading roles. The popular seriesFullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa contains elements of steampunk.

Steampunk Fiction (YA/Ages 14+)*

(*The descriptions provided are for the first volume in the series unless otherwise noted.
The location CCB is the Center for Children’s Books.)

Carriger, Gail. The Parasol Protectorate [Series]
Soulless. 2009. [Residence Halls Lincoln Avenue SciFi/Fantasy 813 C2351s]
Changeless. 2010. [Residence Halls Lincoln Avenue SciFi/Fantasy 813 C2351ch]
Blameless. 2010. [Residence Halls Lincoln Avenue SciFi/Fantasy 813 C2351bl]
Heartless. 2011.

Soulless spinster Alexia Tarabotti accidentally kills a vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. Everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Clare, Cassandra. The Infernal Devices [Series]
Clockwork Angel. 2010. [CCB S.C541cl]
Clockwork Prince. 2011.

The year is 1878. Searching for her missing brother, sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld and finds herself up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork demons, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her Shadowhunter allies can stop them. Prequel to Clare’s bestselling The Mortal Instruments series.

Colfer, Eoin. Airman. 2008. [Education S Collection S.C68air]

In the 1890s, Conor Broekart and his family live in a castle on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. When Conor tries to expose a plot to kill the king, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. Flight is his only means of escape, so he passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.

Cornish, D. M. Monster’s Blood Tattoo [Series]
Foundling. 2006. [Education S Collection S.C816f]
Lamplighter. 2008. [Education Storage S.C816l]
Factorum. 2010. [Education S Collection S.C816fa]

Having grown up in a home for foundlings and possessing a girl’s name, Rossamünd sets out to report to his new job as a lamplighter and has several adventures along the way as he meets people and monsters who are more complicated that he previously thought. The fictional world of Half-Continent bears a strong resemblance to a Dickensian London powered by alchemy and fantastical scientific inventions.

De Quidt, Jeremy. The Toymaker. 2008. [Education S Collection S.D443t]

What good is a toy that will wind down? What if you could give a toy a heart that would beat and beat and didn’t stop? From the moment that the circus boy, Mathias, takes a small roll of paper from the dying conjuror, his fate is sealed. For on it is the key to a terrifying secret, and there are those who would kill him rather than have it told. Pursued by the sinister Dr. Leiter and preyed on by the circus master and his wife, Mathias is drawn into a relentless nightmare that will lead him to the Toymaker, and to a knife as cruel as frost.

Dolamore, Jaclyn. Magic Under Glass. 2010. [CCB S.D6856m]

When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires Nimira to sing with a piano-playing automaton, she believes it is the start of a new and better life. But unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry’s involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.

Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron [Series]
Incarceron. 2010. [Education S Collection S.F531i2010]
Sapphique. 2010. [Education S Collection S.F531sa2010]

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside. Escape seems impossible until Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia, the Warden’s daughter. Claudia believes that she can escape her arranged marriage and free Finn. But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye, and escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

Harland, Richard. Worldshaker. 2010. [CCB S.H2267w]

Col Porpentine understands how society works: The elite families enjoy a comfortable life on the Upper Decks of the great juggernaut Worldshaker, and the Filthies toil Below Decks. Col’s grandfather, the Supreme Commander of Worldshaker, is grooming Col as his successor. Col believes Filthies are like animals until he meets Riff, a Filthy girl on the run who is clever and quick. If Riff is telling the truth, then everything Col has been told is a lie. And Col has the power to do something about it–even if it means risking his whole future.

Kittredge, Caitlin. Iron Codes [Series]
The Iron Thorn. 2011. [Education S Collection S.K6581i]

In an alternate 1950s, the Proctors rule the city of Lovecraft and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order–including Heretical beliefs such as magic and witchcraft–to dust. Every member of fifteen-year-old Aoife Grayson’s family, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their sixteenth birthday. Now a ward of the state and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, Aoife must leave Lovecraft in order to solve the mysteries of the city and, perhaps, change her fate.

Oppel, Kenneth. Matt Cruse [Series]
Airborn. 2004. [CCB S.Op5a]
Skybreaker. 2006. [CCB S.Op52s]
Starclimber. 2009. [Education Storage S.OP5D1993]

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt’s always wanted; convinced he’s lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist’s granddaughter that he realizes that the man’s ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials [Series]
The Golden Compass. 1996. [Education Storage S.P967N1996]
The Subtle Knife. 1997. [Education S Collection S.P967th]
The Amber Spyglass. 2000. [Education S Collection S.p967a]

Lyra Belacqua’s carefree life at Oxford’s Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, who appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. Left in the care of the enigmatic Mrs. Coulter, Lyra sets out for the top of the world to free her friend, Roger, from the Gobblers with the help of a rare, truth-telling golden compass.

Reeve, Philip. Fever Crumb [Series]
Fever Crumb. 2009. [CCB:S.R259f]
Web of Air. 2011.

The foundling Fever Crumb is the only female apprentice in the Order of Engineers, an organization that exists in an alternate future London where women are not considered capable of rational thought. When she leaves to assist archaeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project, Fever discovers that she may be a Scrivener–a member of an inhuman race marked for execution–and that her missing memories are the key to a secret at the heart of London.

Reeve, Philip. Hungry City Chronicles [Series]
Mortal Engines. 2003. [CCB S.R259mo]
Predator’s Gold. 2004. [CCB S.R259pr]
Infernal Devices. 2005. [CCB S.R259i]
A Darkling Plain. 2007. [CCB S.R259d]

In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice named Tom saves his master, the historian Thaddeus Valentine, from an assassination attempt, only to be pushed–literally–out of London by the very man he admires. Stranded in the perilous Out-Country with the assassin, Tom must determine the truth about his world and save it from destruction.

Reeve, Philip. Larklight [Series]
Larklight. 2006. [Education S Collection S.R259la]
Starcross. 2007. [CCB S.R259s]
Mothstorm. 2008. [Education Storage S.R259m]

In an alternate Victorian London, Art Mumsby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in a huge and rambling house called Larklight that just happens to be traveling through outer space. When a visitor called Mr. Webster arrives for a visit, it is far from an innocent social call. Before long Art and Myrtle are off on an adventure to the furthest reaches of space, where they will do battle with evil forces in order to save each other–and the universe.

Richards, Justin. The Death Collector. 2006. [CCB S.R391d]

What starts as an ordinary pick-pocketing incident in Victorian London unites three teens against a madman. Eddie is the pickpocket; George is an assistant at the British Museum; Elizabeth has a nose for trouble–and all of them are being hunted by Augustus Lorimore. Lorimore is a sinister factory owner, a villain bent on reanimating the dead, both humans and dinosaurs–and one of each is already terrorizing the streets of London. It’s up to Eddie, George, and Elizabeth to stop Lorimore’s monsters . . . or die trying.

Slade, Arthur. The Hunchback Assignments [Series]
The Hunchback Assignments. 2009. [Education S Collection S.Sl12h]
The Dark Deeps. 2010.
Empire of Ruins. 2011.

The mysterious Mr. Socrates rescues Modo, a hunchbacked child with an amazing ability to transform his appearance, from a traveling freak show. Mr. Socrates raises him in isolation as an agent for the Permanent Association, a spy agency behind Brittania’s efforts to rule the empire, then abandons the teenager on the streets of Victorian London. Modo encounters Association agent Octavia Milkweed, as well as the sinister machinations of Clockwork Guild, a mad scientist bent on turning the city’s orphans into zombies, and a plot against the British government that only he and Octavia can prevent.

Westerfeld, Scott. Leviathan [Series]
Leviathan. 2009. [CCB S.W523l]
Behemoth. 2010. [CCB S.W5233b]
Goliath. 2011.

At the cusp of WWI, the Austro-Hungarians and Germans are poised to pit their steam-driven Clankers, iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition, against the British Darwinists’ fabricated animals. Aleksandar Ferdinand, dethroned prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, makes an alliance with British airman Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service whose secret is in constant danger of being discovered. Aboard the Leviathan–a whale airship–the two unlikely allies begin a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Wrede, Patricia C. Frontier Magic [Series]
Thirteenth Child. 2009. [CCB S.W925th]
Across the Great Barrier. 2011.

Eighteen-year-old Eff, who lives in an alternate version of the American West, must finally get over believing she is bad luck and accept that her special training in Aphrikan magic, and being the twin of the seventh son of a seventh son, give her extraordinary power to combat the magical creatures that threaten settlements on the frontier.

Yep, Laurence. City Trilogy [Series]
City of Fire. 2009. [Education S Collection S.Y43ci]
City of Ice. 2011.

In an alternate version of 1941, twelve-year-old Scirye’s older sister dies trying to prevent the theft of one of her people’s great treasures. Scirye sets out to avenge her and recover the precious item, and with the help of a street urchin, a dragon, and a tanuki, she pursues the thieves to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island being created by magic. Even with Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, on their side, they may not be able to stop Mr. Roland from gaining the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yu, which will give him the power to alter the very fabric of the universe.

Short Stories

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While short stories may have a reputation for being the stuff of English classes and elite literary journals, they can also be fun. Readers who are pressed for time or find longer books challenging may enjoy these bite-sized versions of their favorite literary fare. It’s also a great way to try out new authors and genres without the pressure of committing to a full-length novel that might not be a good fit. To find short stories in the catalog do an advanced search for juvenile fiction AND short stories. To narrow by genre add an additional subject term (fantasy, sports, mystery, horror, science fiction, etc). You can also browse in call number 808.83: some short story collections are shelved here. The authors of individual stories in anthologies are often not listed in the library catalog, so do not rely on author searches to find short stories in anthologies. Listed below are some short story vocabulary and a bibliography, separated by short stories for younger readers (under age 13) and short stories for teens (ages 13-19).

Definitions:
– Anthology: A book of short stories by multiple authors; can be edited by one of the contributors or another person.
– Collection: A book of short stories by one author.
– Interconnected Short Stories: A book of short stories that can be read individually but form a coherent narrative when read together.

Short Stories for Younger Readers (under age 13)

Dahl, Roald.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: and Six More. 1977.
Meet the boy who can talk to animals, the man who can see with his eyes closed, and find out about the treasure buried deep underground on Thistley Green. This is a collection of short stories that contain sudden turns of wit and wisdom, unforgettable characters, and amazing situations.
[Education Oak St. Facility S.D137wo]

Erdrich, Liselotte
Bears Make Rock Soup: and Other Stories. 2002.
A collection of stories inspired by paintings that depict the special relationships between the Plains Indians and such animals as bear, deer, moose, crows, and loons.
[Education Storage SE. Er29b]

Hearne, Betsy.
The Canine Connection: Stories about Dogs and People. 2003.
Varied in tone and setting, Hearne’s 12 memorable stories about man’s best friend will make readers smile, cry, and keep turning the pages to see what happens in each new mini world of real and imagined encounters. Ages 10-14.
[Education S-Collection S.H3511c]

LaMarche, Jim.
Lost and Found: Three Dog Stories. 2009.
In three heartwarming stories, LaMarche lovingly depicts tales of being lost, being found, finding home, and, most important, the dogs who help us find our way. One lost dog is rescued, another pup leads a frightened child home, and a fractured family finds a fresh start through the love of a dog.
[Education S Collection Q. SE. L161l]

Lay Ups and Long Shots: An Anthology of Short Stories. 2008.
A collection of nine short stories about middle-schoolers and sports. They range from a game of H-O-R-S-E to running, ping pong, dirt biking, surfing, place kicking, soccer, and basketball.
[Education S Collection S. L4512]

Lobel, Arnold.
The Frogs and Toads All Sang. 2009.
From Caldecott Medalist Arnold Lobel comes a new collection of rhyming stories about frogs and toads. Discovered by his daughter, The Frogs and Toads All Sang has the same warmth, compassion, and humor that is found in his best-loved work. Brimming with sweet silliness, this new book reminds us why Lobel’s characters continue to be so popular years after debut.
[Education S Collection SE. L783fr]

Oldfield, Jenny (compiler).
The Kingfisher Book of Horse & Pony Stories. 2005.
In ancient Greece and medieval Japan, on an American ranch, and at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, you’ll meet brave and beautiful horses in danger, loyal and loving ponies to cherish, and magical animals to dream about! Each tale has been carefully selected by best-selling author and horse enthusiast Jenny Oldfield and includes illustrations that will get any horse lover’s heartbeat racing.
[Education S Collection S.808.83 K59]

Sachar, Louis.
Wayside School is Falling Down. 1989.
More humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, where students learn to tango, face the cafeteria’s dreaded Mushroom Surprise, face supernatural elements, and study a hobo during Show and Tell. This is the sequel to “Sideways Stories from Wayside School.”
[Education S Collection S.SA141W]

Schwartz, Alvin (compiler).
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 1981.
Filled with folktales of eerie horror and dark revenge, this collection contains stories about skeletons that roam the Earth with torn and tangled flesh; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and, a haunted house where a bloody head falls down the chimney each night.
[Education Storage S.398.25 Sch95s]

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro.
Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories. 2007.
Laura Vaccaro Seeger guides children on the first steps to reading with three sweet, funny stories about a stuffed bear and a frisky dachshund who happen to be best friends. Simple, engaging texts and bright, colorful pictures make this a perfect book for emergent readers to read by themselves or to share with friends.
[Education S Collection SE. Se326d]

Short Stories for Teens (ages 13-19)

Black, Holly and Cecil Castellucci (compilers).
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd. 2009.
With illustrations from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O’Malley,Geektastic is a collection of short stories from such YA authors as M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, and Garth Nix, which covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction and theater geeks.
[Education S Collection S.808.839 G27]

Black, Holly and Justine Larbalestier (compilers).
Zombies vs. Unicorns. 2010.
It’s a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?
[Uni High Fiction Z757]

Cart, Michael (compiler).
How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity. 2009.
Presents twelve stories by contemporary, award-winning young adult authors, some presented in graphic or letter format, which explore themes of gender identity, love, and sexuality.
[Education S Collection S. H8301]

Cowboy Stories. 2007.
From stampeding cattle to steadfast sheriffs, there is something irresistible about a good cowboy story. In this roundup you’l find adventure, courage, and suspense by such masters as Louis L’Amour, O. Henry, Elmore Leonard, Annie Proulx, and Dorothy M. Johnson. Coupled with award-winning artist Barry Moser’s stunning engravings, these magnificent stories are sure to delight the whole family.
[Education S Collection S.808.83 C838]

Crutcher, Chris.
Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories. 1991.
These six powerful short stories chronicle the lives of athletes, and yet they are not sport stories. They are tales of love and death, bigotry and heroism, of real people doing their best even when that best isn’t very good. Crutcher’s straightforward style and total honesty have earned him an admiring audience and made readers of many nonreaders.
[Education S Collection S.C889A]

Donoghue, Emma.
Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. 1999.
Cinderella forsakes the handsome prince and runs off with the fairy godmother; Beauty discovers the Beast behind the mask is not so very different from the face she sees in the mirror. Donoghue spins new tales out of old in a magical web of thirteen interconnected stories about power and transformation and choosing one’s own path in the world.
[Uni High Fiction D719k1999; Main Stacks 823 D719k1999]

Flake, Sharon.
You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys. 2010.
I sit in your class. I play by the rules. I’m young. I’m fly. I’m black. In 9 stories and 13 poems, Sharon Flake gives readers insight into the minds of a diverse group of adolescent African American males. There’s Tow-Kaye, getting married at age 17 to the love of his life, who’s pregnant. He knows it’s the right thing to do, but he’s scared to death.
[Education S Collection S. F599y]

Gallo, Donald (compiler).
Owing It: Stories about Teens with Disabilities. 2008.
From an acclaimed anthologist, a stellar collection of stories about teens with disabilities–and the tenacity, spirit, and humor that drive them. Chris Crutcher takes us on a wild ride through the mind of a teen with ADD. In Gail Giles’s tale, Brad can’t help barking at his classmates but finds understanding when he gives a comical (and informative) presentation to his entire school.
[Center for Children’s Books S.808.83 Ow4]

McKinley, Robin and Peter Dickinson.
Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits. 2009.
Master storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson, the team behind Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits, collaborate again to create five captivating tales incorporating the element of fire. With time periods ranging from prehistoric to present day, and settings as varied as a graveyard, a medieval marketplace and a dragon academy, these stories are sure to intrigue and delight the authors’ longtime fans and newcomers alike.
[Education S Collection S. M2152f]

Tan, Shaun.
Tales from Outer Suburbia. 2009.
An exchange student who’s really an alien, a secret room that becomes the perfect place for a quick escape, a typical tale of grandfatherly exaggeration that is actually even more bizarre than he says… These are the odd details of everyday life that grow and take on an incredible life of their own in tales and illustrations that Shaun Tan’s many fans will love.
[Uni High Graphic Novels GN T153t]

Taylor, Laini.
Lips Touch: Three Times. 2009.
From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight come three stories of supernatural love–tales about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch. Voted one of the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults in 2010 by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
[Uni High Fiction T2158l]

Transgender Literature for Young Adults

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It’s not easy to locate young adult books with transgender characters or topics using the library catalog, so we have put together a bibliography of these resources. Included are guides to YA transgender literature as well as fiction and nonfiction about transgender characters and people.

Other sources for transgender literature include:

– American Library Association Rainbow Project
The Rainbow Project puts together a yearly bibliography of GLBTQ books for children and young adults. Members of the Rainbow Project come from the American Library Association GLBT and Social Responsibilities Round Tables.

– Lambda Literary Awards
Launched in 1989 by the Lambda Literary Foundation, the Lambda Literary Awards is the nation’s most celebrated and comprehensive collection of awards for GLBT writing, including fiction, poetry, mystery, nonfiction, and works for adults as well as for children and young adults.

– Robert Bittner’s article in The ALAN Review:
Bittner, Robert. “The Trouble with Normal: Trans Youth and the Desire for Normalcy as Reflected in Young Adult Literature.” The ALAN Review 37.2 (2010): 31-35.

– The Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
This is a yearly award for GLBT books. This award is sponsored by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table.

Guide to Young Adult Transgender Literature

Webber, Carlisle K.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teen Literature: a Guide to Reading Interests. 2010.
Webber has assembled a guide for public and school librarians to current literature of specific interest to young people of sexual minorities. She suggests titles to help create, expand, or update a collection. Full bibliographic citations and annotations are provided for the categories coming of age, contemporary realistic fiction, issues, genre fiction, alternative formats such as poetry and graphic novels, and GLBTQ nonfiction.
[Main Stacks 028.1625 W385g]

Fiction

Anders, Charlie.
Choir Boy. 2005.
Twelve-year-old choirboy Berry wants nothing more than to remain a choirboy. Desperate to keep his voice from changing, he tries unsuccessfully to castrate himself, and then convinces a clinic to treat him as a transsexual. Berry begins a series of hormone pills, which keep his voice from deepening but also cause him to grow breasts. When his parents and friends discover the truth about him, Berry faces a world of unexpected gender issues that push him into a universe far more complex than anything he has experienced.
[Education Storage S. An226c]

Brothers, Meagan.
Debbie Harry Sings in French. 2008.
When Johnny discovers Debbie Harry, the lead singer of Blondie, he not only likes her music but realizes that he kind of, sort of, wants to BE her. He’d like to be cool and tough and beautiful like her. He’d like to dress like her. He’s not gay, at least he doesn’t think so. So what does it mean? And what should he tell his amazing new girlfriend? This novel introduces shades of gray into the black-and white ideas of sexuality and gender.
[Center for Children’s Books S. B795d]

Cart, Michael (ed).
How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity. 2009.
Presents twelve stories by contemporary, award-winning young adult authors, some presented in graphic or letter format, which explore themes of gender, identity, love, and sexuality. Three stories include transgender characters.
[Education S Collection S. H8301]

Cart, Michael (ed).
Love and Sex: Ten Stories of Truth. 2001.
Ten original stories by adult and teen authors look at love and sexuality. “The Welcome” by Emma Donoghue is about a young lesbian with a crush on a woman who she learns is transgender.
[Uni High 813.08 L9411]

Ewert, Marcus.
10,000 Dresses. 2008.
Bailey longs to wear the beautiful dresses of her dreams but is ridiculed by her unsympathetic family who rejects her true perception of herself and insists that Bailey is a boy.
[Education S Collection SE. Ew38t]

Katcher, Brian.
Almost Perfect. 2009.
Logan befriends new girl Sage, and quickly develops a crush on her. Sage discloses her big secret to Logan: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.
[Center for Children’s Books S. K1559a]

Peters, Julie Ann.
grl2grl: short fictions. 2008.
In this short story collection, Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity. Stories include a transgender teen longing for a sense of self.
[Uni High Fiction P442g]

Peters, Julie Ann.
Luna. 2004.
Fifteen-year-old Regan’s life, which has always revolved around keeping her older brother Liam’s transsexuality a secret, changes when Liam decides to start the process of “transitioning” by first telling his family and friends that he is a girl who was born in a boy’s body.
[Education Storage S. P442lu]

Wittlinger, Ellen.
Parrotfish. 2007.
Grady, a transgender high school student, yearns for acceptance by his classmates and family as he struggles to adjust to his new identity as a male.
[Uni High Fiction W786p2007]

Nonfiction

Beam, Cris.
Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers. 2007.
When Cris Beam first moved to Los Angeles, she started volunteering at a school for transgender kids. In Transparent she introduces four of them and shows us their world, a dizzying mix of familiar teenage cliques and crushes with far less familiar challenges like how to morph your body on a few dollars a day. This is an adult book that could work with older teens interested in this subject.
[Main Stacks, Residence Halls Allen Hall Multicultural 306.76 B37t]

Franco, Betsy.
Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. 2008.
From an acclaimed anthologist comes this unforgettable collection of poems by teenagers–straight, gay, bi, and transgender–capturing the vertigo-inducing realm of romantic love.
[Center for Children’s Books S.811 F193]

Garden, Nancy.
Hear Us Out!: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress and Hope, 1950 to the Present. 2007.
In this unique history, Nancy Garden uses both fact and fiction to explore just what it has meant to be young and gay in America during the last fifty years. For each decade from the 1950s on, she discusses in an essay the social and political events that shaped the lives of GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) people during that era. Garden’s book occasionally looks at laws and social norms affecting people who are transgender.
[Center for Children’s Books S.306.76 G167h]

Howey, Noelle and Ellen Samuels (ed).
Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents. 2000.
Ranging from humorous to poignant, the essays touch on some of the most important and complicated issues facing kids growing up with GLBT parents: dealing with a parent’s sexuality while developing an identity of one’s own; overcoming homophobia at school and at family or social gatherings; and defining the modern family. Out of the Ordinary also includes a resource guide of organizations that offer support for the hundreds of thousands of gay, lesbian, and transgender parents and their children. This book won the 2001 Lambda Literary Award for the Children/Young Adults category.
[Main Stacks, Undergrad 306.874 Ou82]

Huegel, Kelly.
GLBTQ: the Survival Guide for Queer & Questioning Teens. 2003.
Author Kelly Huegel understands what GLBT teens want and need to know. As a teen, she struggled to realize and accept her own identity. Her frank, sensitive book is written for teens who are beginning to question their sexual or gender identity, those who are interested in GLBT issues and rights, and those who need guidance, reassurance, or reminders that they aren’t alone. Kelly offers practical advice, knowing encouragement, accessible resources, and real-life testimonials from teens that have been there. Topics include coming out, facing prejudice and pressure, getting support, navigating relationships, staying safe, making healthy choices, surviving and thriving in high school, and more.
[Main Stacks, Uni High 306.766 H871g]

Levithan, David and Billy Merrell (ed).
The Full Spectrum: a New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities. 2006.
YA authors David Levithan and Billy Merrell have collected original poems, essays, and stories by young adults in their teens and early 20s. The Full Spectrum includes a variety of writers – gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, transitioning, and questioning – on a variety of subjects: coming out, family, friendship, religion/faith, first kisses, break-ups, and many others.
[Education S Collection S.306.76 F957]

Sonnie, Amy.
Revolutionary Voices: a Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology. 2000.
Celebrating the future of GLBT, Sonnie presents a collection of experiences, ideas, dreams, and fantasies expressed through prose, poetry, artwork, letters, diaries, and performance pieces. Transgender, transsexual, and transphobia are terms defined and used throughout.
[Uni High, Main Stacks 306.7660835 R328]

Not Just for the Little Ones: Teen Reads in the S-Collection

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While thoughts of the S-Collection may conjure up images of picture books and beginning readers, there are also a large number of young adult materials on the shelves. Books are usually classified as young adult or teen based on their theme and the age of their main characters and target audience. It is also not uncommon to find a considerable amount of cross-over between young adult literature and material that is marketed towards adults. The S-Collection has many titles from popular and award winning young adult authors including Walter Dean Myers, Laurie Anderson, Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, and Sarah Dessen.

Finding YA Books in the S-Collection

A subject search in the online catalog using the terms “young adult literature” and “young adult fiction” will provide some titles, but these results are only a handful of the many young adult materials in the UIUC library system, which are often indexed under the same subject headings as adult fiction and literature.

If you do not have a particular author or title in mind, Novelist or the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database will allow you to search for topics and narrow the results by recommended reading age. Titles can then be entered into the online catalog to see if they are part of the UIUC collection. Please note that these resources are available to UIUC affiliates only, but your local library may have access as well. UIUC affiliates will need to authenticate through the proxy server if trying to obtain access from off campus.

In addition to the S-Collection, young adult materials can be found in the collections at the Undergraduate Library, the Residence Hall libraries, the Center for Children’s Books, and the University Laboratory High School Library. The UIUC online catalog will provide information about the location of specific titles.

Teen Read Week 2007 (October 14-20)

Every year during the third week in October, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) sponsors Teen Read Week to encourage teens to read for pleasure. The theme for this year’s celebration is “LOL @ Your Library,” featuring recommended lists of humorous books. [LOL = Laugh Out Loud]

More information can be found at the Teen Read Week website. Some highlights include:
What Makes Authors LOL and Books To Make You LOL @ Your Library.

More recommended reads and award winners from YALSA can be found at the Website.
S-Collection Books to Make You LOL

Here are just a few of the titles from Teen Read Week suggested reading list that can be found in the S-Collection:

Yee, Lisa.
Millicent Min, Girl Genius. 2003.
In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min records her struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother’s departure, and make friends over the course of a tumultuous summer.
[S.Y352m]

Bagdasarian, Adam.
First French Kiss and Other Traumas. 2002.
The author recounts humorous, sad, traumatic, romantic, and confusing episodes from his childhood.
[S.B1463fi]

Cabot, Meg.
All-American Girl. 2003.
A sophomore girl stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son.
[S.C1125a]

Howe, Norma.
Adventures of Blue Avenger. 2000.
On his sixteenth birthday, David Schumacher changes his name to Blue Avenger. . . And things start to happen. To find out more about life and death, romance, gun control, lemon meringue pie, and world peace, you’ll have to read this book. The decision is yours. Or is it?
[S.H8382a]

Rennison, Louise.
Angus, Thongs, & Full-Frontal Snogging. 2000.
Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie.
[S.R2952a 2000]

Goldschmidt, Judy.
The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez. 2006.
In a weblog she sends to her best friends back in Berkeley, seventh-grader Raisin Rodriguez chronicles her successes and her more frequent humiliating failures as she attempts to make friends at her new Philadelphia school.
[S.G572s]

Limb, Sue.
Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. 2005.
Fifteen-year-old Jess, living with her mum, separated from her father in Cornwall, and with a best friend who seems to do everything perfectly, finds her own assets through humor.
[S.L629g]

Shusterman, Neil.
The Schwa Was Here. 2006.
A Brooklyn eighth-grader, Anthony, nicknamed Antsy, befriends the Schwa, an “invisible-ish” boy who is tired of blending into his surroundings and going unnoticed by nearly everyone. Antsy is fascinated by “The Schwa Effect” – the fact that no one ever sees Calvin Schwa. Even when acting weird and dressed like a total freak, The Schwa is only barely noticed. The two boys form a partnership and get away with all kinds of mischief, from conducting experiments at school to confounding opponents on the basketball court.
[S.Sh93sc]

Vizzini, Ned.
Be More Chill. 2005.
Badly in need of self-confidence and a change of image, high school nerd Jeremy Heere swallows a pill-sized super computer that is supposed to help him get whatever he wants.
[S.V839b]

Lesbian and Gay Voices in Literature for Children and Young Adults—A Search Guide

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This guide suggests four ways to find children’s and young adult literature with lesbian and gay themes.

a) Search the UIUC library online catalog
(http://www.library.uiuc.edu/catalog/)

Choose the “Advanced Search” option. In the search screen, type in the following words on the left column and make choices from the drop-down menus on the right:

Gay lesbian homosexuality — any of these words — Subject Words

AND

Juvenile — all of these words — Subject Words

Other related subject words that you can use are:
– Bisexuals/Bisexuality
– Coming out (Sexual orientation)
– Homophobia
– Sexual Orientation
– Transsexuals /Transsexualism

If you are looking for nonfiction, type “Juvenile literature” in the second row of boxes.
For fiction, use “juvenile fiction.” If you decide to type in “fiction” only, you can limit the location of your search result to “Education and Social Science” to filter out literature for adult readers.

b) Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database
NOTE: Proxy server authentication required for off-campus access by UIUC affiliates.

This database contains book catalog of children’s and YA literature, as well as book reviews in fulltext from 35 sources.
1. Type any of the subject words listed above in the search box, and, under”Search specific fields,” choose “Subject Hdgs.”
2. Before pressing the Search button, you can also limit your search by genre, age level, grade level, publication date, etc.
3. After finding an interesting title in this database, you need to check the UIUC library online catalog to see if we have an actual copy of the book.

c) Bibliographies / book lists

Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature for Children and Young Adults. Day, F. A. 2000.
Contains more than 275 titles of books that feature major and minor lesbian and gay characters and which are appropriate for young readers. Also includes biographical information for selected authors.
[Education Juvenile Reference: S.016.8108 D331l]

Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Homosexuality in Books for Young People.
Melbourne, Vic., Australia: ALIA. 1st ed. 1992 & 2nd ed. 1996.
Lists more than 125 titles published in Australia, Great Britain, and the U.S.
[1st ed. available in I-Share libraries; 2nd ed. available through Worldcat]

Annual Lambda Literary Awards
Launched in 1989 by the Lambda Literary Foundation, the Lambda Literary Awards is the nation’s most celebrated and comprehensive collection of awards for LGBT writing, including fiction, poetry, mystery, nonfiction, and works for adults as well as for children and young adults. All winning titles are listed first by year then by category.

Homosexuality in Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction: An Annotated Bibliography Webunder, D. & Woodard, S.
ALAN Review. Vol. 23, No. 2, p40-43. Win 1996.
Contains a bibliography of 14 adolescent novels and journal articles (published between 1976 and 1994) relating to homosexuality and homophobia, with evaluative annotations outlining themes and plots and offering suggestions for instruction
[Main Stacks: 028.162505 AL]

Gay and Lesbian Teenagers: A Reading Ladder for Students, Media Specialists and Parents. Williams, R. F.
ALAN Review. Vol. 20, No. 3, p12-17. Spr 1993.
Discusses issues related to the use of gay and lesbian literature in secondary English classes. Provides a 60-item annotated bibliography of texts that might be used in such classes, including both fiction and nonfiction titles.
[Main Stacks: 028.162505 AL]

Young Adult Novels with Gay/Lesbian Characters and Themes 1969-92: A Historical Reading of Content, Gender, and Narrative Distance. Jenkins, C. A.
Journal of Youth Services in Libraries. Vol. 7, No. 1, p43-55. Fall 1993.
A chronological examination of the portrayals of gay/lesbian characters and their contexts in 60 young adult novels published from 1969 to 1992 focuses on information about gay/lesbian people. A chronological bibliography is appended.
[Education Storage S. 027.62505 JO; LIS Library: 027.62505 JO]

d) Book reviews

GLBT Life

GLBT Life contains citations and fulltext from GLBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as dozens of monographs. It does not focus on juvenile literature, but some of the journals indexed in it review children’s and YA books occasionally, including picture books.
If you do not know a specific book title, and want to find out what reviews of children’s literature the database contains, this is the strategy you can use:
1. In the “Advanced Search” page, type in “book review” and “children’s literature” in separate search boxes on the left column;
2. Leave the drop-down menus on the right column as “Default Fields;”
3. Press “Search.”

Weaving the Digital World into Young Adult Fiction: Internet Dating, Gaming, and Blogging

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Ten years from now, little excitement may be generated by a story told in a digital communication style if it has no other merit – just as now we are used to books written in the form of diary entries or letters. Today, IM (Instant Messaging) and Blogs have followed Email and crept into YA fiction, drawing people’s attention because of the fresh format. Titles below, listed chronologically, are written in a variety of digital communication formats, or at least have such communications as part of the narrative. Included are a few titles that incorporate the digital game world. When available, books held at the UIUC Library are listed with location and call number.

Many of the titles have been gathered from listserv discussions on “YA lit and digital communication” at child_lit listserv (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mjoseph/childlit/about.html) Jan. 2006.

At the end of this post is a list of LC Subject Headings that are assigned to fiction either written in or related to digital communications.
Romiette and Julio / Sharon M. Draper. 236 p.
Atheneum Books, 1999.
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.
[Education Storage] S.D791r

Ultimate Game: A Novel / Christian Lehmann; translated from the French by William Rodarmor. 178 p.
D.R. Godine, 2000.
When three high-school-age video game fanatics play a grossly underpriced, new virtual reality game, each is transported to the battlefields of different times.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honor Book
[Education Storage] S.L5281n:E

Hot Mail / Tessa Duder & William Taylor. 179 p.
Penguin Books, 2000.
A novel in emails.

Snail Mail No More / Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin. 307 p.
Scholastic, 2000.
Sequel to P.S. Longer Letter Later. Thirteen-year-old Tara and Elizabeth use email to “talk” about everything that is occurring in their lives and to try to maintain their closeness as they face big changes.
[CCB] S.D238s

The Gospel According to Larry / Janet Tashjian. 227 p.
Henry Holt, 2001.
Seventeen-year-old Josh, a loner-philosopher who wants to make a difference in the world, tries to maintain his secret identity as the author of a web site that is receiving national attention. Do not miss its sequel Vote for Larry (S. T181v) if you like this one.
[CCB; Education S Collection] S.T181g

Heir Apparent / Vivian Vande Velde. 315 p.
Harcourt, 2002.
While playing a total immersion virtual reality game of kings and intrigue, fourteen-year-old Giannine learns that demonstrators have damaged the equipment to which she is connected, and she must win the game quickly or be damaged herself.
[CCB; Education S Collection] S.V28h

Once upon a Marigold / Jean Ferris. 266 p.
Harcourt, 2002.
This is not about the digital world. In this fairy tale, the hero and the princess communicate by carrier pigeon, a technological advance known as “p-mail.”
[CCB; Education S Collection] S.F417o

Ttyl / Lauren Myracle. 209 p.
Amulet Books, 2004.
Chronicles, in “instant message” format, the day-to-day experiences, feelings, and plans of three friends, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela, as they begin tenth grade.
[CCB] S. M996t

Donorboy: A Novel / Brendan Halpin. 209 p.
Villard, c2004.
Told entirely through e-mail, instant messaging, journal entries, and other random communications.
2005 Alex Awards Winner.
[Main Stacks] 813 H1642d

The Year of Secret Assignments / Jaclyn Moriarty. 340 p.
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2004.
Set in Australia, this novel told entirely in letters, diary entries, e-mails, bulletin-board announcements, etc. about three female students from Ashbury High writing to three male students from rival Brookfield High as part of a pen pal program.
[CCB; Education S Collection] S. M824y

Heart on My Sleeve / Ellen Wittlinger. 219 p.
Simon & Schuster, 2004.
From the end of high school to the beginning of college, Chloe and Julian deal with major changes in their families and friendships and explore their feelings for each other through emails, letters, and a visit.
[CCB] S. W786he

Rob & sara.com / P.J. Petersen and Ivy Ruckman. 210 p.
Delacorte, 2004.
Rob, who lives at a school for troubled teenagers, and Sara, the sixteen-year-old daughter of an army colonel, meet in a poetry chat-room and develop a close relationship via email.
[CCB] S. P4422ro

The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez / by Judy Goldschmidt. 202 p.
Razorbill, 2005.
In a weblog she sends to her best friends back in Berkeley, seventh-grader Raisin Rodriguez chronicles her successes and her more frequent humiliating failures as she attempts to make friends at her new Philadelphia school. Its sequel Raisin Rodriguez & the Big-Time Smooch (S. G572r) is also told in blog form.
[CCB] S. G572s

Confessions of a Boyfriend Stealer (a Blog) / Robynn Clairday. 228 p.
Delacorte, 2005.
Florida high school junior and aspiring documentary film-maker Genesis Bell’s blog tells the true story of the unbelievable events that caused the breakup of her friendship with her two best friends.
[Education S Collection] S. C525c

Click Here: (to Find out How I Survived Seventh Grade) / Denise Vega. 211 p.
Little, Brown, 2005.
Seventh-grader Erin Swift writes about her friends and classmates in her private blog, but when it accidentally gets posted on the school Intranet site, she learns some important lessons about friendship.
[CCB] S. V521c

Bad Kitty / Michele Jaffe. 268 p.
HarperCollins, 2006.
While vacationing with her family in Las Vegas, seventeen-year-old Jasmine stumbles upon a murder mystery that she attempts to solve with the help of her friends, with whom she communicates via IM from time to time.

Subject Headings:
Computer games–Juvenile fiction.
Computers–Fiction.
Cyberspace–Fiction.
Electronic mail messages–Fiction.
Electronic mail systems–Fiction.
Email — Fiction.
Instant messaging–Fiction.
Internet–Fiction.
Virtual reality–Fiction.
Web sites–Fiction.
Weblogs–Fiction.

(Written, compiled and submitted by Minjie Chen, doctoral student in Library & Information Science)