Book Review Form

Friday, February 1, 2013

Best Adult Books for Young Adults

If you're a great reader, you probably enjoy novels written for adults.  Here are the best adult books for young adults of 2012, chosen by Booklist:

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker:  A coming-of-age story and a tale of a frightening possible future, this gem of a novel features 12-year-old Julia, who is living in a world that is coming to an end as the earth's rotation gradually slows.  New Adult Fiction Walker

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson:  This frenzied novel features a young hacker-for-hire who becomes an enemy of the state after his computer program catches the eye of the iron-clad security prescence known as the Hand.  New Adult Fiction Wilson

The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau:  No, not the Jonas Brothers.  With its spare writing and subtle story, Dau's debut vividly demonstrates the cost of war through 15-year-old Jonas, who moves from a conflict-ridden Middle Eastern country to Pittsburgh.  Adult Fiction Dau

Edge of Dark Water by Joe R. Lansdale:  Set in the 1930s, this dark, fast-paced, coming-of-age mysery follows teens Sue Ellen, Jinx, and Terry, who are transporting their friend and once-aspiring star Mary Lynn's ashes from East Texas to Hollywood.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman:  Hassman's inventive and utterly believable debut takes place in a 1980's Reno trailer park, where narrator Rory Dawn lives with her alcoholic and mentally ill mother and suffers abuse at the hands of incompetent babysitters.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson:  A mesmerizing tale of how an exposed family secret changes the lives of three generations of women in the Slocumb family, including 30-year-old Liza, a former drug addict, and Liza's gangly and awkward 15-year-old daughter, Mosey.  Adult Fiction Jackson

Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist:  This title begins when an abusive former recording artist and his meek wife discover a musically talented baby in the woods.  As the novel progresses, the oddball protagonists offer up a chilling, disturbing portrait of adolescence.  New Adult Fiction Ajvide

Pure by Julianna Baggott:  Thanks to something called the Detonations, civilization has been destroyed and survivors are horribly burned, scarred, and fused to whatever they happened to be near when the Detonations occurred.  A postapocalyptic novel for Hunger Games fans.  New Teen Fiction Baggott

So Far Away by Meg Mitchell:  Miserable 13-year-old cyberbullied Natalie Gallagher and lonely archivist Kathleen Lynch make a life-changing connection at the Massachussetts State Archives when Natalie bring in an old journal for a school project in this compassionate novel of human connection.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka:  This novel is a beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope as 14-year-old June Elbus reels from the death of beloved Uncle Finn, a famous painter who has succumbed to AIDS, in 1987.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

That's Not a Feeling by Dan Josefson:  At the Roaring Orchards Schools for Troubled Teens in upstate New York, the cult leader-like headmaster insists on structure and limits, but interpreting his rules isn't easy for students like Benjamin and Tidbit, whose friendship, confusion, and longing anchor this noteworthy debut.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man by Nick Dybek:  This compelling variation on Treasure Island feature a boy named Cal, a sensitive and courageous guide to the cruel mysteries of adult life, who finds himself thrust in a complex and moral dilemma.  Adult Fiction Dybek

Click here to place interlibrary loans.  Have your library card and pin number on hand.

No comments:

Post a Comment