Sometimes when you are not feeling inspired by what is on your shelf, it is just nice to have a list. Here are some ideas from Adolescent Guides with many years of experience. These are shared with primarily young adolescents in mind (12-15 years old). It is by no means exhaustive, but gives some tried and tested favorites:

• The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien - character development and what it means to be a hero

• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury - symbolism, motif, and the value of books

• The Whale Rider, Witi Ihimaera - an indigenous voice on the shifting role of girls and women

• House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros - beautiful language

• All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - written by a Montessori child all grown up, a relationship story during WWI

• The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton - accessible to students who are not as strong readers

• Langston Hughes’ short stories - Thank you, M’am (look in American Street - a multi-cultural anthology)

• Our Town, Thornton Wilder - can be read reader’s theater style

• Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

• Summer of My German Soldier, Bette Greene

• The Giver, Lois Lowry

• Night, Elie Wiesel

• Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury

• Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

• Tribe, Junger - for more mature readers

• Life of Pi, Yann Martel

• To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

• Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

• October Sky, Homer Hickman

• Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee

• Animal farm, George Orwell

• 1984, George Orwell

• Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer - non-fiction

• The Marrow Thieves - a Young Adult dystopian novel by an indigenous author

• The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas

• The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's

• The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon

• Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson