Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's... (more)

The Catcher in the Rye

by J. D. Salinger

Ever since it was first published in 1951, this novel has been the coming-of-age story against which all others are judged. Read and cherished by generations, the story of Holden Caulfield is truly one of America's literary treasures.

The Virgin Suicides

by Jeffrey Eugenides

In the tradition of Bright Lights, Big City and The Secret History comes a compelling, highly-acclaimed debut novel of youth and innocence. On the elm-lined streets of a middle-class American city, the lives of a group of teenaged boys are forever changed by their obsession with five mysteriously doomed sisters.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Book 1

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites

by Heather Brewer

Vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school. Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood... (more)

Twisted

by Laurie Halse Anderson

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s... (more)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

by Muriel Barbery

The enthralling international bestseller. We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores... (more)

Blankets

by Craig Thompson

At 592 pages, Blankets may well be the single largest graphic novel ever published without being serialized first. Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the... (more)

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

by Sonya Sones

My name is Ruby. This book is about me. It tells the deeply hideous story of what happens when my mother dies and I'm dragged three thousand miles away from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray, to live in L.A. with my father, who I've never even met because he's such a scumbag that he divorced my mom before I was born. The only way I've ever even seen him is in the movies, since he's this megafamous actor who's been... (more)

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah... (more)

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Book 2

Ninth Grade Slays

by Heather Brewer

Freshman year stinks for Vlad Tod. Bullies still harass him. The photographer from the school newspaper is tailing him. And failing his studies could be deadly. A trip to Siberia gives Â“study abroadÂ” a whole new meaning as Vlad connects with other vampires and advances his mind-control abilities, but will he return home with the skills to recognize a vampire slayer when he sees one? In this thrilling sequel to ... (more)

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

"Dazzling," ( People ) "Exuberant," ( Vogue ) "marvelously entertaining," ( The Dallas Morning News ) Marisha Pessl’s mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this "cracking good read"4 is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some... (more)

What My Mother Doesn't Know

by Sonya Sones

My name is Sophie. This book is about me. It tells the heart-stoppingly riveting story of my first love. And also of my second. And, okay, my third love too. It's not that I'm boy crazy. It's just that even though I'm almost fifteen it's like my mind and my body and my heart just don't seem to be able to agree on anything.

Forever (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Paperback))

Forever (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Paperback))

by Judy Blume

"No preaching (Blume never does) but the message is clear; no hedging (Blume never does) but a candid account by Kathy gives intimate details of a first sexual relationship. The characters and dialogue are equally natural and vigorous, the language uncensored, the depiction of family relationships outstanding".--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults.

Youth in Revolt

by C. D. Payne

The adventures of angst-ridden teen protagonist Nick Twisp--who starts out an honor student and ends up a fugitive--are chronicled inthis uproariously funn y epic. Here are the journals of this most precocious diarist, whose ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, deal with his divorced parents, and lose his virginity result in his transformationfrom unassuming 14-year-old to modern youth in open... (more)

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

by David Levithan, Rachel Cohn

NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce even though he is boring. The result: a rift of universal proportions and... (more)

Evernight: Book 1

Evernight

by Claudia Gray

Bianca wants to escape. At the eerily Gothic Evernight Academy, the other students are sleek, smart, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. When she meets handsome, brooding Lucas, he warns her to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him. But the connection between them can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . .... (more)

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

by Paula Danziger

Marcy Lewis is bored by school, she knows she’s never going to be thin, and her family life’s a nightmare. Then Marcy meets Ms. Finney, an English teacher who will try anything in the classroom. Finally, Marcy’s life in and out of school begins to have a purpose. But when Ms. Finney is suspended, Marcy knows she’s got to take a stand, no matter the price she must pay.

The Torn Skirt

by Rebecca Godfrey

I was born with a fever, but it seemed to subside for sixteen years. . . . And then as I turned sixteen and stopped smiling, the fever returned though my skin stayed pale and sure, showing no sign of the heat inside me. At Mt. Douglas (a.k.a. Mt. Drug) High, all the girls have feathered hair, and the sweet scent of Love's Baby Soft can't hide the musk of raw teenage anger, apathy, and desire. Sara Shaw is a girl... (more)

Smack

by Melvin Burgess

Sometimes maybe you need an experience. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. The experience opens a door that was there all the time but you never saw it. Or maybe it blasts you into outer space.

100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed (Black Cat Series)

100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed (Black Cat Series)

by Lawrence Venuti, Melissa P.

An instant blockbuster in Italy where it has sold over 700,000 copies, and now an international literary phenomenon, 100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed is the fictionalized memoir of Melissa P., a Sicilian teenager whose quest for love rapidly devolves into a shocking journey of sexual discovery. Melissa begins her diary a virgin, but a stormy affair at the age of fourteen leads her to regard sex as a means of... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: teen angst

by Stephen Chbosky

by J. D. Salinger

by Jeffrey Eugenides

by Heather Brewer

by Laurie Halse Anderson

by Muriel Barbery

by Craig Thompson

by Sonya Sones

by Jay Asher

by Heather Brewer

by Marisha Pessl

by Sonya Sones

by Judy Blume

by C. D. Payne

by David Levithan, Rachel Cohn

by Claudia Gray

by Paula Danziger

by Rebecca Godfrey

by Melvin Burgess

by Lawrence Venuti, Melissa P.