like julie of the wolves and
jane eyre that are easy reads and
that are quick one night reads and have
a great message?

To Kill A Mockingbird
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

Camilla by Madeleine L'Engle

That is probably my favorite young adult book ever, I still have it and love rereading it. And I like earlier books of Lucy Maud Montgomery's series, Anne of Green Gable and Emily of New Moon. They do seem pretty formulaic and hackneyed now, but I really loved them when I was in my pre/early teens, b/c they were oddball writerly girls who went their own way. And "Franny and Zooey" really got me when I was 16/17, even though it was probably totally over my head.

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You deceive yourself. Suffering is amusing and may even do work in a situation where two people are connected with each other. Where there is no mutual connection it is undignified, grotesque and ugly. It is seen to be something totally pointless and unnecessary, like all the rest of the suffering human beings do every day. There is now no relationship between us and I find your contortions merely embarrassing.

13 - 18?

They need to get started on Oscar Wilde (without a doubt; he's so fantastic) and Dostoyevsky.

Jane Eyre is great, though, I must commend you for that recommendation.

Also, if they can read some of the Free Thinkers like Salman Rushdie, that will help them develop and retain their identity throughout adulthood.

And, this might sound weird, but Candace Bushnell is fabulously genius. Yes, she is the author of Sex and the City - but you know what? She is the Jane Austen of our day. She's the only one who writes of the taboo class system in America (which is acceptable (or was) in Britain, but which no one will discuss in America).

This is, of course, assuming that you are speaking of American adolescents.

Flour Babies by Anne Fine

That's for kids loads younger than thirteen, though, I think...but still, it's my favourite children's book ever. I am 21 and supposed to read nowt but baffling philosophy books but I still pick up Flour Babies every now and again. I just find it so funny and lovely and touching

Twilight and New Moon by Stephanie Meyers are going like mad.

I'm sixteen but I don't read a lot of stereotypical "teen" books.

Anything by Francesca Lia Block

The Catcher In The Rye
If they can handle being a bit depressed, I'd recommend The Grass Is Singing, by Doris Lessing.
At the upper end of the spectrum, I think The Handmaid's Tale would go down well.
Tomorow, When The War Began is always popular, though a bit hacky I think.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

How could I forget Gregory Maguire (Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, etc.)?

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You deceive yourself. Suffering is amusing and may even do work in a situation where two people are connected with each other. Where there is no mutual connection it is undignified, grotesque and ugly. It is seen to be something totally pointless and unnecessary, like all the rest of the suffering human beings do every day. There is now no relationship between us and I find your contortions merely embarrassing.

Junk by Melvin Burgess. Apparently his new novel Sara's Face is really good, about the cult of celebrity I believe. Its shortlisted for the carniege award.

For girls, I totally recommend Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison. Also, all the books that follow in that series. They are hilarious.

i remember reading that book a few years back! i think i was too old for them though.

the gossip girls series is nice but i guess you really should stop reading it and move on to something more serious once you hit 15/16.

The Wave, by Todd Strasser, is a good book for 13-14 year olds. It's a whorey old cliche now, but I think the tale of students'-pretend-emulation-of-evil-power-structures-gone-wrong is quite powerful.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

i LOVE these books! i read the first one when i was about 14 i think...im 21 now and i read the most recent one a couple of weeks ago and it still made me piss myself laughing.

Sophie's World and The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, i enjoy them and i'm 20, excellent introduction into philosophy too.

Apart from classics like Catcher in the rye. John Marsden books are good. Tomorrow, when the war began was a great young adult book.

Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates

Trout Fishing In America
&
In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan

Flaming Iguanas: an illustrated all-girl road novel thing by Erika Lopez

Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

Portrait of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce

Howl by Allen Ginsberg

Big Sur by Jack Kerouac

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

Sula by Toni Morrison

Tracks by Louise Erdrich

Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger

Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski

Crazy Cock by Henry Miller

Henry & June by Anaïs Nin

Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud

The Happy Birthday of Death by Gregory Corso

The Collected Writings of Audre Lorde

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

I just was at the used bookstore and saw The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel... It's a play. I loved this so much all through my school years, I don't remember when I first read it, if it was in grade school, middle school, or what. I had a moment where I thought I shouldn't keep children's/young adult books anymore and got rid of it, but I think I'm going to buy it again. It's pretty much a school library classic. I like Paul Zindel's other books, but this one just really resonated with me. And it's definitely a quick read.

__________________
You deceive yourself. Suffering is amusing and may even do work in a situation where two people are connected with each other. Where there is no mutual connection it is undignified, grotesque and ugly. It is seen to be something totally pointless and unnecessary, like all the rest of the suffering human beings do every day. There is now no relationship between us and I find your contortions merely embarrassing.

I read this at 16 and loved it. Where I am it's usually a first year University text, but I think it really works for more "advanced reader" type teenagers (and also me).

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

Rumblefish - S.E. Hinton
Say Goodnight Gracie - Julie Reece Deaver
Tenderness - Robert Cormier
Orfe - Cynthia Voight
When She Hollers - Cynthia Voight
Bonjour Tristesse - Francoise Sagan
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

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The city lights are cold and violent.