Things for Teens - Book Lists

Chick Lit for Teens

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Aunt Peg is dead, but before she died, she arranged for seventeen-year-old Ginny to backpack across Europe. But this is no ordinary trip, as Ginny is directed to different parts of the continent by each of the thirteen envelopes her aunt left behind. With each new place and envelope, Ginny discovers unknown aspects about her aunt, and a little more about herself. 

30 Guys in 30 Days by Micol Ostow
Claudia’s off to college, and she wants a new boyfriend to go with her new surroundings. But she’s been with her high school boyfriend for so long that she’s forgotten how to navigate the dating scene. The solution: meet a new guy for thirty days and then pick Mr. Right from the bunch. But when the men range from previously engaged to downright bizarre, Claudia wonders if she’ll be spending her college years alone.

The A List by Zoey Dean
Seventeen-year-old blueblood Anna Percy leaves Manhattan to spend the second half of her senior year with her father in Los Angeles and quickly becomes involved in the lives of the rich and famous at Beverly Hills High School.

Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
Georgia Nicolson has problems. She’s fallen for a S. G. (sex god), her nose is a few sizes too big, her pet cat Angus has gone missing and she’s still suffering from the effects of going to a costume party dressed as a stuffed olive. In this hilarious novel of growing up in Britain, Georgia grapples with her desires to be beautiful and pining after an older boy while never losing her sense of humor. First in the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series. 

Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami
Sisters Geena, Ambajit (Amber), and Jazvinder (Jazz) appear to have it all: grades, popularity, perfect clothes—everything except their mother. When their aunt arrives from India with plans to take over the household (and their lives), the girls conspire to marry her off to handsome Mr. Arora. But when Auntie beats them at every turn, the girls have to risk their perfect images to get her out of the house—with unpredictable results. 

Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
Victoria is proudly ‘boy-proof:’ her devotion to her favorite sci-fi flick leads her to dress in a white cloak, shave her head and call herself ‘Egg’ after the lead character. When new boy Max arrives at her Hollywood school, Egg fights her attraction to him, determined to remain independent. But when another girl catches Max’s eye, Egg has to determine whether it’s better to remain eccentric and solitary or to give up her former obsessions for new experiences. 

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
After a bad breakup prompts a series of panic attacks, 15-year old Ruby Oliver creates a list of every boy she’s ever been involved with. But when the list finds its way into her classmates’ hands, Ruby sees her reputation ruined and her friendships evaporate. With the help of her psychiatrist Doctor Z, she reconstructs why her relationships failed, and sees that she’s not entirely innocent of inflicting pain on others. This honest, funny story follows Ruby as she reconstructs friendships, and realizes that she’s capable of overcoming a broken heart. 

Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
Fourteen-year-old Rachel wishes she could do a lot of things—prevent her father from remarrying, hold on to her friendship with an old friend, find a date for the upcoming dance. Her wishes seem to be answered when she discovers that her mother and younger sisters are witches. But casting spells soon reveals some unintended consequences. First in the Bras and Broomsticks Trilogy. 

The Clique by Lisi Harrison
Claire moves from Florida to New York, expecting to be welcomed (or at least tolerated) by her wealthy cousin Massie. But Massie is the leader of the most exclusive clique at wealthy Octavian Country Day School, and friendship with the distinctly unfashionable Claire is out of the question. When Massie aims to humiliate Claire into social submission, Claire seeks revenge in an all-out war. First in the Clique series. 

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
Mary Elizabeth was born to be a drama queen. When her family moves from New York to suburban New Jersey, Mary Elizabeth relishes the opportunity to be a big fish in a much smaller pond. But trouble is brewing when she runs up against Carla Santini, the reigning queen bee. A battle of wits leads to a madcap adventure in Manhattan to determine who will take the top spot on the school social ladder. 

Confessions of a Teen Nanny by Victoria Ashton
When Adrienne lands a job as a nanny to brilliant but evil Emma Warner, she knows she’s going to have her hands full. But the benefits of living in the Warner’s fabulous Fifth Avenue apartment, flights on their private jet and a bottomless expense account makes up for any problems Emma poses—especially when her glamorous older half-sister Cameron begins taking Adrienne along to parties and shopping sprees. But what Cameron doesn’t want is Adrienne’s friendship—but her boyfriend. 

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackl
High school sophomore Virginia feels a total misfit in her family of high achievers. Why can’t she be popular at school like her older brother, find a boyfriend who actually cares for her or be as thin as her mother wants her to be? Virginia struggles with her imperfections until a surprising event reveals that her family is not as perfect as it seems. Told in frank and witty journal entries, Virginia finds the courage to take charge of her life and accept herself. 

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Julie has always gone along with her best friend Ashleigh’s rapidly changing interests—even the really strange ones. When Ashleigh’s interests turn to Julie’s favorite author, Jane Austen, Julie reluctantly agrees with her plan to crash a local prep school’s dance and find a modern day Mr. Darcy. They find Parr: handsome, kind and very Darcylike—but trouble starts when both fall for him. 

Fresh Off the Boat by Melissa de la Cruz
Fourteen-year-old Vicenza’s family was wealthy in Manila, but since their move to San Francisco they’ve struggled to make ends meet. A scholarship student at an elite girls school, Vicenza feels like an outcast among her wealthy classmates, but continues to depict her life as a fantasy to her best friend back home in the Philippines. When her fantasy starts to become reality, she realizes it comes at a cost.

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
Homeless and orphaned, Tohru Honda is taken in by a nearby family in exchange for help around the house. She soon discovers that the crazy Sohma household conceals a secret: when hugged by the opposite sex, they turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac. Family head Akito decides to let Tohru stay—if she can keep the family’s secret. This fast-paced manga series combines fantasy and humor with a touch of romance.

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
After being expelled from a fancy boarding school, Cyd Charisse's problems with her mother escalate after Cyd falls in love with a sensitive surfer and is subsequently sent from San Francisco to New York City to spend time with her biological father. 

The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
Maya is shocked when she is kicked out of her longtime clique without any warning. The remaining girls are stuck with a choice: have to decide whether to remain friends with Maya and risk tearing the rest of the group apart or follow Candace and stay with the clique. Told from each girl’s perspective, The Girls follows the cruelties of middle-school life.

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
The world of elite jet-setting Manhattan teenagers appears perfect on the outside, but as the anonymous Gossip Girl reveals, the reality of having everything at your fingertips doesn’t prevent any of the turmoil that comes with growing up. Add to the mix designer labels, catty remarks, mostly absent parents and a culture where truth and friendship don’t always come first. The result? Someone is going to get hurt. The first in the Gossip Girl series. 

How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot
Steph Landry feels like she is the definition of a dork. Determined to begin her junior year as one of the cool kids, she finds an old guide to popularity and soon transforms herself into one of her school’s queen bees. But a new wardrobe and an advice book do little to help her figure out her changing relationship with Jason, her childhood best friend. 

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Annabel dreads going back to school for her junior year after a run in with her best friend’s boyfriend turns her into a social pariah. Problems at home and misunderstandings at school push her into a friendship with Owen, a loner DJ who has his own problems with anger. With the encouragement of Owen, Annabel’s secret is revealed bit by bit as she sorts out her emotions and confronts the truth. 

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents.

Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Leeda, Birdie and Murphy are drawn to the Darlington Peach Orchard for different reasons. Wary of each other at first, the girls forge bonds over family trouble, first loves and their hopes for the future. 

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ashley’s plans include graduating from high school (barely) and moving in with her dropout boyfriend, but they definitely do not include the senior prom. But when a crisis threatens to cancel the dance, Ashley reluctantly agrees to help her friends raise enough money for a prom. 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four girls, friends from birth, prepare to spend their first summer apart. Their only link is a second-hand pair of jeans that miraculously fit their different physiques perfectly. They pass the jeans between them, recording their misadventures on them as a sign of support. At the end of the summer, each girl finds that she’s been tested in a different way, whether in budding romances, dead-end jobs or stepfamilies. First in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. 

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Going through high school is hard enough, but to do it without your best friend has to be nearly impossible. Sixteen-year-old Jessica is super observant, but doesn’t feel that she fits in at home, where her mother is obsessed with sister Beth’s expensive wedding, or at school where the girls only care about shopping. Add in her confused feelings for the school bad boy, and Jessica is thoroughly lost. McCafferty takes a sympathetic and funny look at the roller coaster that is high school. 

Thwonk by Joan Bauer
Amateur photographer A. J. would give anything for a date with her handsome crush Peter Terris. But when a personal cupid pops into her life, she’s faced with a choice between artistic, academic or romantic success. A. J. chooses Peter, but his undying devotion is more than she bargained for. 

The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks
Best friends Sari and Jess find their friendship begins to suffer when Sari falls for one of the coolest senior boys at her high school. Jess tries to support her friend, but as Sari drifts into a secret relationship with David, Jess feels like she’s losing her one true friend. When Jess lets the secret out about David and Sari, she finds that she has a lot to learn about human nature and the hardships of growing apart.

TTYL by Lauren Myracle
BFF Zoe, Maddie and Angela promise to stay in touch, but as their sophomore year begins, they turn to instant messenger to find out what’s going on in their lives. Zoe turns to her faith while spending a lot of time with her English teacher, Angela copes with continuous boy issues, and Maddie becomes friends with the most popular girl in school. Told in IM format, each girl speaks in her own distinct voice of the struggle to make it through the school year with friendships intact.

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
In this fast-paced, free verse novel, ninth grader Sophie deals with the turmoil of being a boy-crazy teenager as she falls for a series of boys. With the help of her girlfriends, she finally settles on the perfect—and surprising—choice. 

Worst Enemies/Best Friends by Annie Bryant
New girl Charlotte isn’t so sure that she’ll fit in with the girls she’s assigned to sit with at lunch. Friendly Maeve, chic Katani and energetic Avery seem intent on getting rid of her—especially after an embarrassing lunchtime episode. With such different backgrounds, Charlotte tries to create one memorable weekend to pull them together as friends. First in the Beacon Street Girls series. 

rev. 11/2008