Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

The following is list of suggested for 9th-12th graders. This list was compiled by Children’s Outreach Librarian Samantha Tai at the Vineland Public Library. All titles are available at the Vineland Public Library. Please note that students are not required to read a title from this list. They may pick any title that is deemed grade appropriate. These books can be located in the young adult fiction section by the author’s last name unless otherwise noted. We’ve also included Lexile numbers for each title. If a Lexile number is not available for a specific title, it is listed as Lexile n/a.

Please see a librarian for the location of the following books or for other suggestions. A list of recommended authors is also included and students may choose a book from this list as well.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Lexile 550 When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing 13 cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic Novel by Derf Backderf Lexile n/a In graphic novel format, the author offers an account of growing up in the same schools as Jeffrey Dahmer, who went on to become one of the most notorious serial killers and cannibals in United States history. (YA GN My) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Pure by Julianna Baggott Lexile n/a In a post-apocalyptic world, Pressia, a 16-year-old survivor with a doll's head fused onto her left hand meets Partridge, a "Pure" dome-dweller who is searching for his mother, sure that she has survived the cataclysm. (FIC Baggott) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Lexicon by Max Barry Lexile n/a Recruited into an exclusive government school where students are taught the science of coercion to support a secretive organization, orphaned street hustler Emily Ruff becomes the school's most talented prodigy before catastrophically falling in love. (FIC Barry) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb Lexile 1000 Recounts how a team of undercover Israeli agents captured the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, in a remote area of Argentina and brought him to trial in Israel for crimes committed during the Holocaust, 16 years after the end of World War II. (YA 364.151 Bas) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Audrey, Wait by Robin Benway Lexile 760 While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, 16- year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry Lexile 640 Judith can't speak. But when her close-knit community of Roswell Station is attacked by enemies, Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Chime by Franny Billingsley Lexile 600 In the early twentieth century in Swampsea, 17-year-old Briony, who can see the spirits that haunt the marshes around their town, feels responsible for her twin sister's horrible injury until a young man enters their lives and exposes secrets that even Briony does not know about. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Billingsley) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Taken by Edward Bloor Lexile 640 In 2036, kidnapping rich children has become an industry, but when 13-year-old Charity Meyers is taken and held for ransom, she soon discovers that this particular kidnapping is not what it seems. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell Lexile 620 In 1947, with her jovial stepfather, Joe, back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome changes her life and that of her family forever. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Beauty Queens by Lexile 690 When a plane crash strands 13 teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Diviners, The by Libba Bray Lexile 730 Seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill is thrilled when she is exiled from small-town Ohio to New York City in 1926, even when a rash of occult-based murders thrusts Evie and her uncle, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, into the thick of the investigation. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Going Bovine by Libba Bray Lexile 680 Cameron Smith, a disaffected 16-year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (a.k.a. “mad cow”) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death- obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Great and Terrible Beauty, A by Libba Bray Lexile 760 After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, 16-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. Continue this trilogy with Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Bray) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks Lexile 960 An account of the decade-long conflict between humankind and hordes of the predatory undead is told from the perspective of dozens of survivors who describe in their own words the epic human battle for survival. (FIC Brooks) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Hate List by Jennifer Brown Lexile 760 Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo Lexile 810 A 15-year-old Australian girl gets her first job and first crush on her unattainable university-aged co-worker, as both search for meaning in their lives. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Abandon by Meg Cabot Lexile 770 A near-death experience, a horrible incident at school, and a move from Connecticut to Florida have turned 17-year-old Pierce's life upside-down, but when she needs him most John Hayden is always there, helping but reminding her of her visit to the Underworld. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Airhead by Meg Cabot Lexile 800 Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a "whole body transplant" and finds herself transformed into one of the world's most famous teen supermodels. If you like Airhead, read the other two books in the series, Being Nikki and Runaway. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot Lexile n/a After graduating from college, Lizzie Nichols sets off to England for the summer to visit her boyfriend Andrew, whom she hardly knows. When Lizzie realizes that Andrew isn’t the man she imagined, she sets off for France, where her best friend, Shari, is working at a chateau in wine country. On the way, she meets Luke, a French American, whose father owns the chateau and would be so easy to fall in love with if he wasn’t already taken. (FIC Cabot) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Shadowland (Book one of the Mediator series) by Meg Cabot Lexile n/a Sixteen-year-old Suze Simon can mediate between the living and the dead, and she hopes her move to California will be a fresh start, but a hot ghost named Jesse haunts her bedroom and another ghost is bent on vengeance at school. (YAP) Grade Level: 9th – 10th grade

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Underworld by Meg Cabot Lexile 850 John Hayden, a death deity, takes 17-year-old Pierce Oliviera back to the Underworld against her will to keep her safe from the Furies, but her family is still at risk and she, herself, may never escape his captivity. This is the sequel to Abandon. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Swim the Fly by Don Calame Lexile 620 Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's goal? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time--quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. Also by Don Calame: Beat the Band Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Heist Society by Ally Carter Lexile 800 A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save 15-year-old Kat Bishop's father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore Lexile 790 In the sequel to Graceling, Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, realizes her responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with lies as she tries to help her people to heal from the 35 year spell cast by her father. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Fire by Kristin Cashore Lexile 870 In a kingdom called the Dells, Fire is the last human-shaped , with unimaginable beauty and the ability to control the minds of those around her, but even with these gifts she cannot escape the strife that overcomes her world. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Cashore) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Graceling by Kristin Cashore Lexile 730 In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Cashore) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Testing, The by Joelle Charbonneau Lexile 830 Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan Lexile 860 Told in the alternating voices of two 16-year-olds, Dash and Lily carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what—or who—they will find. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan Lexile 1020 High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart. Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

Hunger Games, The by Suzanne Collins Lexile 810 In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the 12 districts against one another, 16-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Collins) Also by Suzanne Collins: Catching Fire and Mockingjay (Both also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Collins) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Crossed by Ally Condie Lexile 630 Seventeen-year-old Cassia sacrifices everything and heads to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, where she is confronted with shocking revelations about Society and the promise of rebellion. This is the sequel to Matched. Continue the series by reading Reached. Grade Level: 9th grade and up Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Matched by Ally Condie Lexile 680 All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well? Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Reached by Ally Condie Lexile 670 In search of a better life, Cassia joins a widespread rebellion against Society, where she is tasked with finding a cure to the threat of survival and must choose between Xander and Ky. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer Lexile 600 Calla and Ren have been raised knowing it is their destiny to mate with one another and rule over their shape-shifting wolf pack, but when a human boy arrives and vies for Calla's heart, she is faced with a decision that could change her whole world. Fans of Twilight will enjoy this series. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

After the Snow by S. D. Crockett Lexile 700 Fifteen-year-old Willo Blake, born after the 2059 snows that ushered in a new ice age, encounters outlaws, halfmen, and an abandoned girl as he journeys in search of his family, who mysteriously disappeared from the freezing mountain that was their home. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Stotan! by Chris Crutcher Lexile 1020 A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Miseducation of Cameron Post, The by Emily Danforth Lexile 1120 In the early 1990s, when gay teenager Cameron Post rebels against her conservative Montana ranch town and her family decides she needs to change her ways, she is sent to a gay conversion therapy center. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Along for The Ride by Sarah Dessen Lexile 750 When Auden impulsively goes to stay with her father, stepmother, and new baby sister the summer before she starts college, all the trauma of her parents' divorce is revived, even as she is making new friends and having new experiences, such as learning to ride a bike and dating. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen Lexile 840 When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for 10 years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen Lexile 760 Following her parents' bitter divorce as she and her father move from town to town, 17-year-old Mclean reinvents herself at each school she attends until she is no longer sure she knows who she is or where she belongs. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Entwined by Heather Dixon Lexile 740 Confined to their dreary castle while mourning their mother's death, Princess Azalea and her eleven sisters join The Keeper, who is trapped in a magic passageway, in a nightly dance that soon becomes nightmarish. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Dixon) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Before I Die by Jenny Downham Lexile 580 A terminally ill teenaged girl makes and carries out a list of things to do before she dies. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Downham) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

You Against Me by Jenny Downham Lexile 630 When 18-year-old Mikey's younger sister claims to have been raped and he seeks to avenge the crime, he meets Ellie, the sister of the accused, and befriends her, complicating the situation considerably for all of them. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Angelfall by Susan Ee Lexile n/a While trying to escape their apartment after the angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world, Penryn meets Raffe, an angel whose wings have been cut off by the angels who kidnapped Penryn's sister, Paige. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn Lexile 510 Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, 16-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father. (YAP & also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Flinn) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

If I Stay by Gayle Forman Lexile 830 While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, 17-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weighs whether to live with her grief or join her family in death. (YA FIC, YAP and also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Forman) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith Lexile 1070 A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennett is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. (FIC Grahame-Smith) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Abundance of Katherines, An by Lexile 890 Having been dumped for the 19th time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Fault in Our Stars, The by John Green Lexile 850 Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at a cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Green) Grade Level: 9th grade and up Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Looking for Alaska by John Green Lexile 930 Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Paper Towns by John Green Lexile 850 One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears. Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes Lexile 670 While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan Lexile 1050 Follow the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever who gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures, from shutting down an entire beach to guarding a 17-year-old neighbor after a stabbing attack. (636.752 Gro and AUD CD 636.752 Gro) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman Lexile 1020 An account of Charles Darwin's life and evolutionary theory, this biography examines how his personal life affected his work and vice versa because of his wife's strong religious beliefs. (YA B Darwin and also available on audio AUD CD YA B Darwin) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Night She Disappeared, The by April Henry Lexile 680 Told from various viewpoints, Gabie and Drew set out to prove that their missing co-worker Kayla is not dead, and to find her before she is, while the police search for her body and the man who abducted her. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks Lexile 390 After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling with her mother and three older brothers, Maggie enrolls in public high school, where interacting with her peers is complicated by the melancholy ghost that has followed her throughout her entire life. (YA GN Friends) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Name of the Star, The by Maureen Johnson Lexile 710 Rory, of Bénouville, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation. The sequel is The Madness Underneath. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

In the Name of God by Paula Jolin Lexile 780 Seventeen year-old Nadia is an excellent student, daughter and sister, and above all wants to be the best Muslim she can be. But she's conflicted about her Westernized peers, the economic, social and political struggles of her country, and the war raging in Iraq. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Girl in the Mirror, The by Meg Kearney Lexile n/a In a series of poems and journal entries, 17-year-old Lizzie grieves over the death of her adoptive father, as her plans for college and search for her birth mother are put on hold. (YAP K) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger Lexile 1030 Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own: T.C., who is trying to get Alejandra to fall in love with him; Alejandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s best friend Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis Lexile 770 When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises. Grade Level: 9th grade and up Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Scowler by Daniel Kraus Lexile 850 In the midst of a 1981 meteor shower in Iowa, a homicidal maniac escapes from prison and returns to the farm where his 19-year-old son, Ry, must summon three childhood toys, including one called Scowler, to protect himself, his 11-year-old sister, Sarah, and their mother. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Kraus) Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

No Choirboy: Murder, Violence and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin Lexile 690 Explores life behind bars for teenage prisoners who have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution on death row, discussing the effects of their past actions on themselves and others, and their personal views on the death penalty itself. (YA 364.66 Kuk) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

In Darkness by Nick Lake Lexile 800 In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, 15-year-old Shorty, a poor gang member from the slums of Site Soleil, is trapped in the rubble of a ruined hospital, and as he grows weaker he has visions and memories of his life of violence, his lost twin sister, and of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who liberated Haiti from French rule in the 1804. Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan Lexile 950 A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down. Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Liar by Justine Larbalestier Lexile 470 Compulsive liar Micah promises to tell the truth after revealing that her boyfriend has been murdered. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Things I Know About Love by Kate LeVann Lexile 940 Seventeen-year-old Livia Stowe travels from England to Princeton, New Jersey, to visit her brother who is studying there and to celebrate her recovery from a year-long struggle with leukemia. While she is there, she writes a blog about her experiences, which include falling in love. (YAP L) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The by E. Lockhart Lexile 890 Sophomore Frankie starts dating senior Matthew Livingston, but when he refuses to talk about the all-male secret society that he and his friends belong to, Frankie infiltrates the society in order to enliven their mediocre pranks. Grade Level: 9th – 10th grade

Silence of Our Friends, The by Mark Long Lexile n/a This graphic novel follows the experiences of a white family from a racist suburb and a black family from Houston's most disadvantaged community who cross color lines to defend five black college students charged with the murder of a policeman. (YA GN Silence) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Legend by Marie Lu Lexile 710 In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, 15-year- olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga Lexile 750 Seventeen-year-old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his notorious "Dear Old Dad," but believes he has a conscience that will help fight his own urges and right some of his father's wrongs, so he secretly helps the police apprehend the town's newest murderer, "The Impressionist." Grade Level: 9th grade and up

DJ Rising by Love Maia Lexile 870 Sixteen-year-old Marley Diego-Dylan's career as "DJ Ice" is skyrocketing, but his mother's heroin addiction keeps dragging him back to earth. (YAP M) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Finnikin of the Rock by Lexile 820 Now on the cusp of manhood, Finnikin, who was a child when the royal family of Lumatere was brutally murdered and their throne was taken over by a usurper, reluctantly joins forces with an enigmatic young novice and fellow exile, who claims that her dark dreams will lead them to a surviving royal child and a way to regain the throne of Lumatere. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Marchetta) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta Lexile 770 Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family but is soon sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, where he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess. This is the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta Lexile 820 Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of 11, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta Lexile 770 Sixteen-year-old Francesca could use her outspoken mother's help with the problems of being one of a handful of girls at a parochial school that has just turned co- ed, but her mother has suddenly become severely depressed. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

One Moment by Kristina McBride Lexile 740 Rising high school senior Maggie remembers little about the accidental death of her boyfriend, Joey, but as she slowly begins to recall that day at the gorge with their long-time friends, she realizes he was keeping some terrible secrets. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Bumped by Megan McCafferty Lexile n/a In 2036 New Jersey, when girls are expected to become fanatically religious wives and mothers or high-priced Surrogettes for couples made infertile by a widespread virus, 16-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony find in one another the courage to believe they have choices. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick Lexile 710 Cambodian child soldier Arn Chorn-Pond defied the odds and used all of his courage and wits to survive the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Ten by Gretchen McNeil Lexile 640 Ten teens head to a house party at a remote island mansion off the Washington coast, only for them to picked off by a killer one by one. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Sea of Tranquility, The by Katja Millay Lexile n/a Teenage former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov and Josh Bennett, a lonely boy at her school, enter into an intense relationship, with neither unaware of the dark secrets the other's past holds. (FIC Millay) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz Lexile n/a Struggling with the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and sniper shootings throughout the Washington, D.C. area, Craig and Lio consider a romantic relationship that is complicated by Craig's ex-boyfriend, Lio's broken family, and the death of Lio's brother. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock Lexile 990 After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, 16-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Bliss by Lauren Myracle Lexile 640 Having grown up in a California commune, Bliss sees her aloof grandmother's Atlanta world as a foreign country, but she is determined to be nice as a freshman at an elite high school, which makes her the perfect target for Sandy, a girl obsessed with the occult. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Peace, Love & Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle Lexile 630 Fifteen-year-old Carly's summer volunteer experience feels more real to her than her life of privilege in Atlanta ever did, but her younger sister starts high school pretending to be what she is not, and both find their relationships suffering. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Shine by Lauren Myracle Lexile 680 When her best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, 16-year-old Cat sets out to discover the culprits in her small North Carolina town. Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Knife of Never Letting Go, The by Patrick Ness Lexile 860 Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World. Read the other two books in this exciting trilogy: The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men. Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

Monster Calls, A by Patrick Ness Lexile 730 Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill. This monster is an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman Lexile n/a Relates, from various points of view, events from the night of October 6, 1998, when 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was lured out of a Wyoming bar, savagely beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Time Traveler’s Wife, The by Audrey Niffenegger Lexile 780 This is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. (FIC Niffenegger) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Fated by Alyson Noël Lexile 1060 When she begins having strange experiences, Daire discovers her identity as a Soul Seeker who is capable of traveling between the worlds of the living and the dead and meets a gorgeous dream boy whose evil brother wants to steal her powers. This is the first title in the Soul Seekers series. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Lexile 860 After she dies in a car crash, teenage Samantha relives the day of her death over and over again until, on the seventh day, she finally discovers a way to save herself. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Oliver) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Delirium by Lauren Oliver Lexile 920 Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until 95 days before her 18th birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Oliver) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Forgotten by Cat Patrick Lexile 720 Sixteen-year-old London Lane forgets everything each night and must use notes to struggle through the day, even to recall her wonderful boyfriend, but she "remembers" future events and as her "flashforwards" become more disturbing she realizes she must learn more about the past, lest it destroy her future. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Patrick) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña Lexile 680 Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Lexile 580 When Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly goes, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend, in spite of the fact that they both want something more. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Perkins) Reading Level: 9th grade and up

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters Lexile 460 High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her out. (Also available YAP) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Boy21 by Matthew Quick Lexile 830 Finley, an unnaturally quiet boy who is the only white player on his high school's varsity basketball team, lives in a dismal Pennsylvania town that is ruled by the Irish mob, and when his coach asks him to mentor a troubled African American student who has transferred there from an elite private school in California, he finds that they have a lot in common in spite of their apparent differences. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, A by Dana Reinhardt Lexile 910 Sixteen-year-old atheist Simone Turner-Bloom's life changes in unexpected ways when her parents convince her to make contact with her biological mother, an agnostic from a Jewish family who is losing her battle with cancer. (YAP and also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Reinhardt) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Harmless by Dana Reinhardt Lexile 820 When Anna, Emma, and Mariah concoct a story about why they are late getting home one Friday night, their lie has unimaginable consequences for the girls, their families, and the community. (YAP and also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Reinhardt) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Across the Universe by Beth Revis Lexile 720 Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed, is nearly killed when her cryo chamber is unplugged fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing. Amy doesn't know who she can trust on this ship ruled by a tyrant. All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Pregnancy Project, The by Gaby Rodriguez Lexile 970 This is the true story of how one teenager decided to study a stereotype instead of become one. As her senior project, Gaby Rodriguez decides to fake a pregnancy and study the reactions of her family members, classmates and teachers. (YA 306.874 ROD) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Lexile 580 Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Rowell) Grade Level 9th grade and up

Forest of Hands and Teeth, The by Carrie Ryan Lexile 900 Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where the Unconsecrated dwell, an aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead. If you enjoy this zombie tale, be sure to read the other two books in the trilogy, The Dead- Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Ryan) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Cardturner, The by Louis Sachar Lexile 720 When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks 17-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Sachar) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Lexile 380 Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Lexile 390 As a Chicano boy living in the unglamorous town of Hollywood, New Mexico, and a member of the graduating class of 1969, Sammy Santos faces the challenges of "gringo" racism, unpopular dress codes, the Vietnam War, barrio violence, and poverty. Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott Lexile 870 After being abducted when she was ten and abused for five years by her kidnapper, Ray, Alice's only hope of freedom is in death, but her only way to achieve such an escape is to help Ray find the next girl for his collection. Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott Lexile n/a After coming out of alcohol rehabilitation, 16-year-old Amy sorts out conflicting emotions about her best friend Julia's death in a car accident for which she feels responsible. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Unwritten Rule, The by Elizabeth Scott Lexile 830 Petite and young-looking, 17-year-old Sarah has been best friends with the glamorous and seductive Brianna forever, but when she starts liking Brianna's boyfriend, their friendship becomes precarious. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Midwinterblood by Lexile 770 An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood? (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Sedgwick) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Lexile 490 In 1941, 15-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like them by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Reading Level: 9th grade and up

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys Lexile 590 Josie, the 17-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen Lexile n/a The unlikely friendship between basketball team captain Charlie and robotics club president Nate is challenged when Nate declares war on the cheerleaders over funding that will either pay for new uniforms or a robotics competition. Grade Level: 9th – 10th grade

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey Lexile 590 In small-town Australia, teens Jasper and Charlie form an unlikely friendship when one asks the other to help him cover up a murder until they can prove who is responsible. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Silvey) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron Lexile 670 Sammy wants to be a musician, as was his grandfather, but while the band he is in is self-destructing, Sammy is too distracted by his grandfather's decline and confused feelings about his best friend to fix it, and his mother stays too busy to help. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

House of Stairs by William Sleator Lexile 810 Five 16-year-old orphans are involuntarily placed in a house of endless stairs where they must learn to deal with each others’ different personalities, lack of privacy and their utter helplessness. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small Lexile n/a This is the true story of children’s book illustrator David Small, told in graphic novel format. At the age of 14, he wakes up voiceless after a supposedly simple operation. He overhears his parents talking and learns he had cancer and had to have his vocal cords removed. Small becomes a very angry young man at odds with his parents, especially his mother. At age 16, he makes the risky decision of running away and pursuing his dream of becoming an artist. (B Small) Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Lexile 740 In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity. Continue the series with Linger and Forever. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Boy on Cinnamon Street, The by Phoebe Stone Lexile 720 Since a tragedy she cannot remember, 13-year-old Louise has changed her name, given up gymnastics, moved in with her grandparents, and locked her feelings inside, but through her friends Reni and Hen and notes from a secret admirer, she begins to find herself again. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Irises by Francisco X. Stork Lexile 660 Kate, 18, and Mary, 16, must make some adult decisions about the course their lives should take when their loving but old-fashioned father dies suddenly, leaving them with their mother, who has been in a persistant vegetative state since an accident four years earlier. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Stork) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Last Summer of the Death Warriors, The by Francisco X. Stork Lexile 640 Seventeen-year-old Pancho is bent on avenging the senseless death of his sister, but after he meets D.Q., who is dying of cancer, and Marisol, one of D.Q.'s caregivers, both boys find their lives changed by their interactions. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Stork) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork Lexile 700 Marcelo Sandoval, a 17-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm. Grade Level: 10th – 11th grade

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers Lexile 610 Barricaded in Cortege High with five other teens while zombies try to get in, Sloane Price observes her fellow captives as they become more unpredictable and violent as time passes, although they each have much more reason to live than she has. (YAP S) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

The President Has Been Shot!: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James Swanson Lexile 1080 In his young-adult book on the Kennedy assassination, James Swanson transports readers back to one of the most shocking, sad, and terrifying events in American history. (YA 973.922 Swa) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin Lexile n/a Presenting themselves to the world as an effortlessly excellent family, successful criminal lawyer Karen, her Parliament candidate husband, and her intelligent athlete son, Max, find their world crumbling in the wake of a friend's betrayal and the secret about Max's intersexual identity. (FIC Tarttelin) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor Lexile 850 Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters—the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known. The sequel to this book is Days of Blood & Starlight. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Drama by Raina Telgemeier Lexile 400 Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going. (YA GN Drama) Grade Level: 9th – 10th grade

Unchained by L.B. Tillit Lexile 400 TJ returns to live with his mother, who has stopped using drugs, after spending two years in a loving home. Although he does not use drugs, TJ finds that he can escape neither the seedy environment of his hometown nor past debts still owed. (YAP T) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Running Dream, The by Wendelin Van Draanen Lexile 650 When a school bus accident leaves 16-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Van Draanen) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Cracked by K. M. Walton Lexile 610 When Bull Mastrick and Victor Konig wind up in the same psychiatric ward at age 16, each recalls and relates in group therapy the bullying relationship they have had since kindergarten, but also facts about themselves and their families that reveal they have much in common. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Num8ers by Rachel Ward Lexile 650 Fifteen-year-old Jem knows when she looks at someone the exact date they will die, so she avoids relationships and tries to keep out of the way, but when she meets a boy named Spider and they plan a day out together, they become more involved than either of them had planned. The sequel is The Chaos. Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Lexile 1020 In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must do to survive while keeping secret all that she can. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Wein) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein Lexile 950 When young American pilot Rose Justice is captured by Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp, she finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery, and friendship of her fellow prisoners. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Wein) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Uglies by Scott Westerfield Lexile 770 Just before their 16th birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan Lexile 800 When 13-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it. Grade Level: 9th – 10th grade

Mockingbirds, The by Daisy Whitney Lexile 720 When Alex, a junior at an elite preparatory school, realizes that she may have been the victim of date rape, she confides in her roommates and sister who convince her to seek help from a secret society, the Mockingbirds. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jaccqueline Woodson Lexile 730 After losing her mother and grandmother during Hurricane Katrina, Laurel moves to another town and becomes a methamphetamine addict. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

5th Wave, The by Rick Yancey Lexile 690 Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Monstrumologist, The by Richard Yancey Lexile 990 In 1888, 12-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi. For more adventures with Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop, make sure to check out The Curse of the Wendigo, The Isle of Blood and The Final Descent. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas Lexile n/a The disturbing fate of a runaway older sister is gradually revealed in a tale told from the perspectives of the Hurst family, including a teen girl whose drug use has landed her in a mental ward, an autistic youth, an alcoholic father, and an insidiously manipulative mother. (FIC Zailckas) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr Lexile 710 Told from their own viewpoints, 17-year-old Jill, in grief over the loss of her father, and Mandy, nearly 19, are thrown together when Jill's mother agrees to adopt Mandy's unborn child but nothing turns out as they had anticipated. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr Lexile 780 As the tragedy of a missing girl enfolds in her small town, 15-year-old Samara, who feels emotionally abandoned by her parents, begins to question her faith. Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr Lexile 760 In the three years since her father caught her in the back seat of a car with an older boy, 16-year-old Deanna's life at home and school has been a nightmare, but while dreaming of escaping with her brother and his family, she discovers the power of forgiveness. (YAP and also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zarr) Grade Level: 9th grade and up

Book Thief, The by Markus Zusak Lexile 730 Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel, a young German girl, whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zusak) Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak Lexile 640 After capturing a bank robber, 19-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness. (Also available on audio AUD CD YA FIC Zusak) Grade Level: 11th – 12th grade

Vineland Public Library Suggested Books for High School Students

Suggested Authors:

Ann Brashares Carol Plum-Ucci Darren Shan David Levithan Gail Giles James Patterson Janet Evanovich Jodi Picoult Julius Lester Laurie Halse Anderson L.J. Smith Maureen Johnson Melissa de la Cruz Orson Scott Card P.C. Cast Richelle Mead S.E. Hinton Sharon Draper Terry Pratchett