Changes and Choices

The teen years are a time of tremendous changes, insights and choices. They can be confusing and painful. Reading about others in similar situations can be helpful. These books provide both factual information and stories. Books are a first step but if you are in a crisis situation you need to talk with someone whom you trust.

• The Amazing “True” Story of Teenage Single Mom. Arnoldi, Katherine.
  Graphic novel about a young woman not giving up.
  
  
• The Heart Knows Something Different: Teenage Voices from the Foster Care System. Desetta, Al editor.
  These experiences are a mixture of fear, pain and hope.
  
  
• Dirty Laundry. Fraustino, Lisa Rowe. Ed.
  Fresh and diverse stories about family secrets.
  
  
• Stone Water. Gilbert, Barbara Snow.
  Grant faces his ill grandfather’s request for an assisted suicide.
  
  
• Second Cousins. Hamilton, Virginia.
  Cammy learns some unexpected truths at a family reunion.
  
  
• The Watcher. Howe, James.
  Expressing our needs out loud can save us.
  
  
• Heaven. Johnson, Angela.
  Marley discovers that her mother and father aren’t her real parents.
  
  
• Parrot in the Oven. Martinez, Victor.
  Manuel must take the test of courage.
  
  
• One Bird. Mori, Kyoko.
  Though divorce is rare in Japan, Megumi’s mother leaves her father.
  
  
• Kinship. Krisher, Trudy.
  Pert believes that with her father’s return the family will enjoy better times.
  
  
• Like Sisters on the Homefront. Williams-Garcia, Rita.
  Gayle and her baby leave New York to live with a pious cousin in Georgia.
  
  

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• Dear Michael: Sexuality Education for Boys Ages 11-17. Akagi, Cynthia.
  Emotional and sexual subjects are discussed in letter format.
  
  
• Changing Bodies, Changing Lives. Bell, Ruth.
  Brims with information on relationships and sex.
  
  
• What’s Going On Down There. Gravelle, Karen.
  Answers to questions boys find hard to ask.
  
  
• It’s a Girl Thing: How to Stay Healthy, Safe and in Charge. Jukes, Mavis.
  Funny and reassuring discussion about bras, periods and more.
  
  
• The What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Boys / The What’s Happening to My Body Book for Girls. Madaras, Lynda.
  Concerns and fears of puberty.
  
  
• The House You Pass on the Way. Woodson, Jacqueline.
  Staggerlee is anxious about her sexuality and her mixed-race family.
  
  

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• The Moves Make the Man. Brooks, Bruce.
  Jerome befriends and emotionally disturbed white students.
  
  
• Baby Be Bop. Block, Francesca Lia.
  Dirk had known that he was gay since he could remember.
  
  
• Jumping the Nail. Bunting, Eve.
  Will Elisa jump off the cliff to please her boyfriend?
  
  
• Tenderness. Cormier, Robert.
  Runaway Lori doesn’t know that Eric plans to kill her.
  
  
• P.S. Longer Letter Later. Danziger, Paula.
  A strong friendship stays connected by letters.
  
  
• Respecting Our Differences. Duvall, Lynn.
  People skills are more critical than computer skills.
  
  
• The Tulip Touch. Fine, Anne.
  Natalie’s new friend has a twisted, uncontrollable side.
  
  
• Working Days: Stories About Teenagers and Work. Mazer, Anne.
  The insights gained are worth more than the paychecks
  
  
• How Rude! The Teenagers’ Guide to Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out. Packer, Alex J.
  Be close, not gross.
  
  
• Do-Over. Vail, Rachel.
  First crush, first kiss, first heartbreak.
  
  

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• When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens. Cobain, Bev.
  Steps to take to change the way that you feel.
  
  
• Real Gorgeous: The Truth About Body and Beauty. Cooke, Kaz.
  Relax. Our bodies are not our enemies.
  
  
• Ironman. Chrutcher, Chris.
  Bo is exceptionally angry
  
  
• The Teenage Guy’s Survival Guide. Daldry, Jeremy.
  Humorously tackles pimples, porn, drugs and dating.
  
  
• The C-Word. Dorfman, Elena.
  Teenagers with cancer.
  
  
• Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. Hornbacher, Marya.
  Author’s eloquent account of her near-fatal experiences.
  
  
• Kissing Doorknobs. Hesser, Terry Spencer.
  Tara is trapped by her obsessive compulsive disorder.
  
  
• A Time for Dancing. Hurwin, Davids Wills.
  When Julie gets cancer, her best friend ignores her.
  
  
• Humming Whispers. Johnson, Angela.
  Will Sophy also begin to “hear voices” like her sister?
  
  
• Seen and Heard: Teenagers Talk About Their Lives. Kalergis, Mary Motley.
  Uncensored and penetrating look into private worlds.
  
  
• Teens with AIDS Speak Out. Kittredge, Mary.
  They didn’t think they could get AIDS – but they did.
  
  
• When She Was Good. Mazer, Norma.
  Em has been terrorized her entire life by a mentally ill sister.
  
  
• The Power to Prevent Suicide. Nelson, Richard.
  Specific guidance for teens helping teens.
  
  
• Fat Chance. Newman, Leslea.
  Diary entries reveal Judi’s obsession with her weight.
  
  
• Dancing on the Edge. Nolan, Han.
  Miracle feels like she doesn’t exist.
  
  
• Peeling the Onion. Orr, Wendy.
  Anna must rebuild her sense of self after a broken neck shatters her dreams.
  
  
• A Door Near Here. Quarles, Heather.
  Katherine tries to keep her siblings fed and clean after their mother loses her job and stays in her room drinking.
  
  
• Leaving Home: Stories. Rochman, Hazel, selected by.
  A home can take many forms, but leaving it is never easy.
  
  
• Smart Sex. Vitkus, Jessica.
  You need the facts before you make choices.
  
  

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• The Facts Speak for Themselves. Cole, Brock.
  Linda dispassionately tells her version of a murder and suicide.
  
  
• In Love and in Danger. Levy Barrie.
  A guide to breaking free of abusive relationships.
  
  
• Twelve Shots. Mazer, Harry.
  Stories exploring the impact that guns have on the actions and thoughts of teens.
  
  
• Babylon Boyz. Mowry, Jess.
  Three Oakland friends find a suitcase full of cocaine.
  
  
• Monster. Myers, Walter Dean.
  Steve writes about the his life while on trial for murder.
  
  
• Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz. Ruiz, Mona.
  Autobiography of a gang member turned policewoman.
  
  
• Making up Megaboy. Walter, Virginia.
  Everyone has an opinion about the 13-year-old who is arrested for murder.
  
  

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• Daria Diaries. Bernstein, Anne.
  Daria shares her unique perspective of high school life.
  
  
• The Survival Guide for Teenagers with LD. Cummings, Rhoda.
  Tips on succeeding in school and in your social life.
  
  
• The Gifted Kids Survival Guide II. Delisle, James.
  Skills useful for any student.
  
  
• Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. Gantos, Jack.
  Joe’s ADD medication only lasts half a day.
  
  
• School is Hell. Groening, Matt.
  These cartoons are right on track.
  
  
• Surviving High School. Riera, Michael.
  It might not be the best four years of your life
  
  
• School Power. Schumm, Jeanne Shay.
  Homework and tests can be mastered.
  
  
• Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad. Thomas, Rob.
  Students do community service in order to graduate.
  
  

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• Smack. Burgess, Melvin.
  Tar and Gemma descend into a powerful addiction.
  
  
• 3 NB’s of Julian Drew. Deem, James M.
  His father and stepmother keep him locked in the garage.
  
  
• No Easy Answers. Gallo, Donald R.
  These short stories pose complicated questions.
  
  
• The White Horse. Grant, Cynthia.
  Raina is homeless and pregnant.
  
  
• Slake’s Limbo. Holman, Felice.
  Slake’s home is the subway tunnel
  
  
• Teen Dads: Rights, Responsibilities and Joys. Lindsay, Jeanne Warren.
  What does being a father really mean
  
  
• Swallowing Stones. McDonald, Joyce.
  Michael fires a bullet into the air killing a man one mile away.
  
  
• Baby Help. Reynolds, Marilyn.
  Melissa realized that she must get out of an abusive relationship for her child’s sake.
  
  
• Buried Onions. Soto, Gary.
  Eddie tries to break away from his old “cholos.”
  
  

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