Best of
Teen

2001

Shadow Horse


Alison Hart - 2001
    But she's still determined to prove that Robicheaux killed Whirlwind, the mare she loved. Jas is sure that Shadow Horse, a scrawny brown gelding she rescues at a horse auction, is the key to the mystery—but just how is Shadow Horse connected to Whirlwind?Deftly written by a teacher and equestrian who has authored more than sixty books, this heartwarming and inspiring Edgar Award nominee will have special appeal for mystery fans as well as young horse lovers.

How Do I Love Thee


Lurlene McDaniel - 2001
    “Bobby’s Girl” features Dana, who must choose between two brothers, both of whom she loves. “Laura’s Heart,” the third story, introduces 16-year-old Laura Carson, who is hospitalized on a regular basis because of her weak heart. But when tragedy strikes a loved one, she realizes her heart is stronger than she thought and that love lives on forever.From the Hardcover edition.

Soldier X


Don L. Wulffson - 2001
    Sent to the killing fields of the Eastern Front, he is surrounded by unimaginable sights, more horrific than he ever thought possible. It's kill or be killed, and it seems clear that Erik's days are numbered. Until, covered in blood and seriously injured, he conceives of another way to survive. Filled with gritty and visceral detail, Soldier X will change the way every reader thinks about the reality of war.

Money Hungry


Sharon G. Flake - 2001
    All thirteen-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.

When Lightning Strikes


Jenny Carroll - 2001
    A part of Jess would like to be the prom queen her mother has always envisioned her being, but another part is secretly counting the days until she's saved up enough money to buy her own Harley.Then something happens that guarantees Jess will be one of the in-crowd...at least until her newfound talent ends up getting her dead.

Girlosophy: A Soul Survival Kit


Anthea Paul - 2001
    This book is a blueprint for young women seeking to find their own individual truth. It explains all a person needs to know to become a “girlosopher”: an open heart and an open mind, a direct and honest approach, the courage to fail, and an understanding of the spirit within. Yoga, meditation, and karma are all noted as essential to re-centering one’s mind and giving young women a spiritual base from which to work. This new philosophy for girls is designed to help them take charge of their destiny and achieve their full potential. Illustrated with vivid photographs of real girls from all over the world, this book provides concise, useful advice about how young women can embrace their physical health, intellectual and emotional balance, individuality, and natural beauty.

The Princess Diaries Box Set, Volumes I-III


Meg Cabot - 2001
    Princesses rejoice!

The Ishbane Conspiracy


Angela Alcorn - 2001
    Brittany is a tough girl who trusts almost no one. Ian is a successful athlete who dabbles in the occult. And Rob is a former gang-banger who struggles with guilt, pain, and a newfound faith in God. These four college students will face the ultimate battle between good and evil in a single year. As spiritual warfare rages around them, a dramatic demonic correspondence takes place. Readers can eavesdrop on the enemy, and learn to stave off their own defeat, by reading The Ishbane Conspiracy.

Memories of Summer


Ruth White - 2001
     It’s 1955 when 13-year-old Lyric moves with her father and older sister, Summer, from a small Virginia town to the big industrial city of Flint, Michigan. Summer has always been a little odd, but shortly after the move, things take a turn for the worse when she starts talking to imaginary people and having frightening episodes of paranoia. When she slips out of reality and into the depths of schizophrenia, the devoted Lyric can no longer reach her.Lyric loves her sister but is torn between taking constant care of Summer and enjoying her own youth. Soon a decision will have to be made that will affect their lives forever.

Desert Sons


Mark Kendrick - 2001
    Scott Faraday is 16, gregarious, talented, never been in a relationship, and is out to only a select few. Ryan St. Charles is 17, hot-tempered, has already has been in a long relationship, yet is barely out to himself. Behind Ryan's carefully fashioned façade is emotional scarring from a past he's never been able to reconcile. When he comes to live with his uncle in Yucca Valley, CA, he meets Scott. An unlikely pair, the boys form a tentative friendship. When Scott starts to suspect that Ryan might be gay, he plans his coming out to him. The result is that he transforms their friendship into his first real relationship. Then, Ryan's hidden past comes into view. Scott is not at all prepared for what he discovers: suicide attempts, past abuse, and loads of denial. Tightly focused on their new relationship, Desert Sons follows these two teenagers as they plunge headlong through a summer that will forever change them both.

The Prayer of Jabez for Teens


Bruce H. Wilkinson - 2001
    2 CD set; over 2 hours of inspiration and prayer

The Stones of Mourning Creek


Diane Les Becquets - 2001
    But Ruthie demonstrates the humanity and love that helps Francie uncover the truth behind her mother’s death and deal with her father’s neglect and alcoholism.

Whale Talk


Chris Crutcher - 2001
    The bad news is that they don't have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant), the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to find their places in a school that has no place for them. T.J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T.J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High will also be an effective tool. He's right. He's also wrong. Still, it's always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets soon becomes the space where they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to grow. Together they'll fight for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment's inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us.

The Legend of the Wandering King


Laura Gallego García - 2001
    a poet who may be mad ... and a carpet containing all of human history combine in this brilliant new fantasy by one of Spain's brightest young writers.Walid was a model prince: handsome, intelligent, skilled in the arts of warfare and poetry. But the kingdom boasted one greater poet than he, and out of jealousy Walid cursed the man to create an impossible work of art: a carpet showing the history of the entire human race. The poet died weaving it. Men went mad seeing it. And when it is stolen, Walid discovers his life's quest: to recover the carpet and earn forgiveness for his mistakes. Inspired by the story of a real king of pre-Muslim Arabia, LEGEND is a magical fantasy, a meditation on destiny, and an utterly thrilling adventure.

Flipped


Wendelin Van Draanen - 2001
    The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That's pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn't as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray


Chris Wooding - 2001
    Together, he and Cathaline--his friend and mentor--track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed.Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet--attracting evil and drawing horrors from every dark corner. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover its cause--and defend humanity at all costs.

Sharon Creech Box Set: Absolutely Normal Chaos, Walk Two Moons, Chasing Redbird


Sharon Creech - 2001
    Selected novels by Newbery Award winner Sharon Creech -- "Walk Two Moons, Absolutely Normal Chaos," and "Chasing Redbird" -- now in a boxed set.

Bronx Masquerade


Nikki Grimes - 2001
    Soon they're having weekly poetry sessions and, one by one, the eighteen students are opening up and taking on the risky challenge of self-revelation. There's Lupe Alvarin, desperate to have a baby so she will feel loved. Raynard Patterson, hiding a secret behind his silence. Porscha Johnson, needing an outlet for her anger after her mother OD's. Through the poetry they share and narratives in which they reveal their most intimate thoughts about themselves and one another, their words and lives show what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade.

Sloppy Firsts


Megan McCafferty - 2001
    Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? I don’t see how things could get any worse.”When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment--from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

Scribbler of Dreams


Mary E. Pearson - 2001
    About dating the enemy that is. They were true to their hearts.Kaitlin Malone know what it's like to date the enemy. She was raised to hate the Crutchfields, and absolutely does - until she meets Bram Crutchfield. It turns out he's a great guy - one she could talk to, share things with...even love. But when Kaitlin gives her heart to Bram, her world spins out of control. Soon the Crutchfields are her friends and she's a traitor to her own family.To make things worse ,Bram was raised to hate the Malones,especially Kaitlin's father - who murdered Bram's dad. Bram doesn't know Kaitlin is a Malone. If he did he would hate her, too.What's a star-crossed lover to do?

Girl Talk with God


Susie Shellenberger - 2001
    And when they do pray, they don't know how to discern God's voice. In "Girl Talk With God," author Susie Shellenberger shows teens how to pray and challenges them to deepen specific areas in their lives through a series of conversations between God and a teenage girl. As editor of "Brio" magazine, a Focus on the Family publication for teenage girls with a circulation of over 200,000, Shellenberger has proven a keen ability to reach this often-misunderstood age group with her signature blend of casual, non-threatening teaching.

Dr. Franklin's Island


Ann Halam - 2001
    After a terrifying mid-air disaster and subsequent crash, these three are the sole survivors, stranded together on a deserted tropical island. Or so they think. Semi, Miranda, and Arnie stumble into the hands of Dr. Franklin, a mad scientist who’s been waiting for them, eager to use them as specimens for his experiments in genetic engineering.From the Hardcover edition.

A Lloyd Alexander Collection


Lloyd Alexander - 2001
    Rich in multicultural lore and zesty wit, this collection offers Alexander at his best.

My Canary Yellow Star


Eva Wiseman - 2001
    It was also a time of incredible bravery. My Canary Yellow Star is the remarkable story of one of the last century’s greatest heroes, Raoul Wallenberg, who was responsible for saving as many as 100,000 lives. Young Marta’s life in Budapest has been shattered by the war. First, her school closes. Jews are prohibited from attending classes. Then her father, along with other able-bodied men, is arrested and sent to work digging ditches on the eastern front. The family’s apartment is confiscated, and Marta, her brother, and her mother must share cramped space with her aunt and cousin. Food, warm clothing, and any kind of personal freedom have all but vanished.Jewish life becomes more and more confined as the old people, women, and children are forced into the ghetto. From there, the next step is the waiting cattle cars and the concentration camps. But Marta’s family is lucky. They are numbered among those who could be saved by the efforts of Raoul Wallenberg.Among the few points of hope was this extraordinary Swedish diplomat. Raoul Wallenberg issued papers to thousands of Jews, declaring them to be Swedish citizens. Wallenberg was questioned by the Russians after the war and disappeared, possibly to die in Siberia. An international movement has been in place for decades to press Russia for news of his fate. Although details of his death remain a mystery, he has come to represent courage and justice in the face of great evil.

The Dream Where the Losers Go


Beth Goobie - 2001
    After five long months in treatment for self-destructive behavior, Skey continues to dream of dark tunnels with mysterious designs carved into their stone walls, a place where she is safe and alone. Then she encounters another dreamer, a boy her own age, dreaming the same dream, wandering the same tunnels. A boy with secrets much like her own.While trying desperately to remember what happened that sent her away and who the boy is that she met in the dream tunnels, Skey's life plummets farther out of control. When she realizes her friends do not have her best interests at heart and they may be the reason she is lost, Skey must face her fears and the truth of the dream tunnels, and find her way back to solid reality.

Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas


Alan D. Wolfelt - 2001
    Acknowledging that death is a painful, ongoing part of life, they explain how people need to slow down, turn inward, embrace their feelings of loss, and seek and accept support when a loved one dies. Each book, geared for mourning adults, teens, or children, provides ideas and action-oriented tips that teach the basic principles of grief and healing. These ideas and activities are aimed at reducing the confusion, anxiety, and huge personal void so that the living can begin their lives again. Included in the books for teens and kids are age-appropriate activities that teach younger people that their thoughts are not only normal but necessary.

Prove It! Church


Amy Welborn - 2001
    The book doesn't talk down to teens, but it does give clear answers in a way anyone can understand. It's especially good for teens who don't know what to say to their fundamentalist friends.

Tides


V.M. Caldwell - 2001
    Elizabeth has been looking forward to the trip all winter, but almost immediately things begin to go wrong. Adam, the eldest cousin, is withdrawn and moody. His world shattered by the deaths of his two best friends, he refuses to participate in family events -- or stay at Grandma's house.Elizabeth watches how everyone reacts to Adam's behavior. Even Grandma, whose sense of right and wrong guides them all, is shaken. As the newest member of her adoptive family, Elizabeth becomes the intermediary between Adam and the rest of the clan. One thing is certain: it will take more than the summer to sort things out.As in The Ocean Within, readers will become immersed in how even the strongest families deal with change.

Under Angel Wings: The True Story of a Young Girl and Her Guardian Angel


Maria Antonia - 2001
    The book is filled with real-life anecdotes which are edifying, moving and often humorous. Cecy (See-see) Cony (1900-1937) tells story after story of how her Guardian Angel-whom she calls her "New Friend"-kept her from lying, stealing, revenge, immodesty, and from watching certain movies. She also describes how he protected her in moral dangers which she did not even understand, and how he aided her when she got into trouble because she was a "simpleton," as she puts it. Most beautiful of all, she relates how her Guardian Angel taught her to make sacrifices for Jesus and guided her in practicing acts of charity. Cecy describes many incidents of temptation from her youth. In each one, we see the beautiful way in which her Guardian Angel led his little charge to perfect contrition for her faults and turned all these difficult situations to good. Under Angel Winds reveals God\'s great love and care for His children on earth. It reminds us that He has also given each of us our own "New Friend" who has a similar, even if less visible, love and care for us."My sisters read a lot. This book, they say, is undoubtedly the best....I think this book is awesome....I think you and your children would benefit from this book A LOT. I recommend it highly, highly."---Mother Angelica

Snoopy the Music Lover


Charles M. Schulz - 2001
    Join the gang on these musical escapes, and soon you’ll be whistling along with Woodstock.

Brothers in Valor


Michael O. Tunnell - 2001
    Three German teenagers who are friends from church join forces to create a youth resistance movement during World War II, putting their lives at risk.

Breathing Underwater


Alex Flinn - 2001
    What no one knows--not even his best friend--is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more from his father than green eyes and money.

Cinderella Tales From Around The World (LEAP'S Global Understanding Book Series)


Ila Lane Gross - 2001
    This unique and interactive book series' primary purpose is to help young learners expand in literacy through diverse cultures.

Alone Across the Arctic: A Woman's Journey Across the Top of the World by Dog Team


Pam Flowers - 2001
    "Along Across the Arctic" chronicles this astounding expedition.

Operation Foxtrot Five


D.J. Stutley - 2001
    Detective Sergeant Scott Backer is called in to find them. He manages to catch Doug (17) the eldest boy, but when the teenager refuses to co-operate, the detective is reluctant to reveal the real reason he has tracked the family down...

Gifted Touch


Melinda Metz - 2001
    Words that feel like thoughts--thoughts that are inside of me...but not mine.I used to think I was crazy. Used to.I'm starting to wonder if there's a reason for all the voices that tangle together in my mind. And if I'm right, then it's not my sanity I'm worried about--it's my life.

Rock of Ages: A Tribute to the Black Church


Tonya Bolden - 2001
    From times when slaves worshipped secretly in fields at night to the grand city churches of today, the church has been there to help its community, inspire its congregants, and to teach what is possible when people join together. Illustrations.

Violet Eyes


Nicole Luiken - 2001
    Angel Eastland knows she's different. It's not just her violet eyes that set her apart. She's smarter than her classmates and more athletically gifted. Her only real competition is Michael Vallant, who also has violet eyes -- eyes that tell her they're connected, in a way she can't figure out. Michael understands Angel. He knows her dreams, her nightmares, and her most secret fears. Together they begin to realize that nothing around them is what it seems. Someone is watching them, night and day. They have just one desperate chance to escape, one chance to find their true destiny, but their enemies are powerful -- and will do anything to stop them.

Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls


Betsy Franco - 2001
    They have so much to celebrate, so much to rage against. They’re ready to speak up and begin the conversation — with you and with the world. More than thirty uncensored poems are accompanied by Nina Nickles’s masterful photographs, which sensitively capture the moods and essence of adolescence. Here, painted in the words of teenage girls, is a portrait of their dreams and desires - a record of hope, disillusionment, anger, joy, sadness, and most of all, strength.

A Matter of Profit


Hilari Bell - 2001
    Ahvren is fed up with war, but as a Vivitare soldier he must fight or risk dishonoring his family. His sister, Sabri, who dreams of freedom, is being forced to marry the emperor's loathsome son. The only chance either of them have to escape is if Ahvren can solve the mystery of the T'Chin in time. Why did forty planets of alien races surrender to the Vivitare without a fight? What is their strange preoccupation with matters of "profit"? And, most importantly, is there any truth to the rumors that the Vivitare emperor himself may soon be the target of an assassin?

If... Questions for Teens


Evelyn McFarlane - 2001
    What do teens want to know about and ask about? It may be friends, TV, school, romance, music, peer pressure, cliques, proms, parties, gossip, parents, food, hair, videos, shopping, sports, card, the future -- just to name a few. And there is nothing more fun for teens than asking friends and schoolmate questions about all these things. With the same imaginative zeal that has made the "If "series so wildly popular, Evelyn MacFarlane and James Saywell engage teems with question such as: If you could pick any three friends to go to college with, whom would you take? If you could start a new fashion trend a school, what style would you propose? If you could have any one super power, what would you choose? If you were stranded on an island and could have one CD, movie, and book -- what would they be? If you could have starred in any music video in history, which would you pick?

Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit


Laurie Lawlor - 2001
    Recounting her mischievious nature, her little known romance, and her trials with her teacher and the public, this biography sheds new light on this extraordinary woman.

Zazoo


Richard Mosher - 2001
    She has lived with her adoptive Grand-Pierre in France in an old stone mill between the river and the canal since she was two, sharing poetry, adventures, and the predictable rhythms of the seasons. Then one misty October morning, a young man on a bicycle rides into Zazoo’s small village and asks a question from which many stories begin to unfold. A love story within a love story.

All the Way Home


Patricia Reilly Giff - 2001
    Brick listens to their games on the radio in Windy Hill, in upstate New York, where his family has an apple orchard; Mariel, once a polio patient in the hospital in Windy Hill, lives in Brooklyn near the Dodgers’ home, Ebbets Field. She was adopted by Loretta, a nurse at the hospital, and has never known what happened to her own mother. Someday, somehow, she plans to return to Windy Hill and find out. When a fire destroys their orchard, Brick’s parents must leave the farm to find work. They send him to live in Brooklyn with their friend Loretta, even though Brick knows that their elderly neighbors need his help to pick what’s left of the apples. The only good thing about Brooklyn is seeing the Dodgers play–that, and his friendship with Mariel. Maybe, together, they’ll find a way to return to Windy Hill, save the harvest, and learn the truth about Mariel’s past.From the Hardcover edition.

Life Strategies for Teens Workbook


Jay McGraw - 2001
    Jay speaks to teens as equals, and gives them the straight story he knows and has been through himself. Now with the Life Strategies for Teens Workbook, Jay McGraw has created a fun-filled companion book to help teens work their way through the Life Strategies, and, in turn, through those tumultuous years between playing like a kid and acting as an adult. In the Workbook, Jay introduces a variety of entertaining quizzes, activities, and questions to help teens better answer the question of who they are. From figuring out the roles they play to determining the things they want to change about their lives, this is the perfect guide to showing teens the power of the Life Strategies, as well as the power of their own lives.

On Wings of a Dragon


Cora Taylor - 2001
    Protected by her dragon companion, a young woman is sent on a dangerous mission to restore the kingdom to its rightful heir.

High Times: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Roswell High


Keith Topping - 2001
    In this handy, but fun, episode-by-episode guide to the first two seasons of Roswell High, Keith Topping explores their world, encompassing interview extracts, cast and crew profiles and highlights of the show.

Meltdown: A Race Against Nuclear Disaster at Three Mile Island: A Reporter's Story


Wilborn Hampton - 2001
    at the nuclear power plant on an island in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Suddenly, an alarm shrieked. Something was wrong inside the plant. Within minutes, human error and technical failure triggered the worst nuclear power accident in the United States, and, within hours, the eyes of the world would be on Three Mile Island. Thirty-four years after the bombing of Hiroshima, the crisis at Three Mile Island re-awoke the world to the dangers of nuclear power, and now, in MELTDOWN, Wilborn Hampton tells the hour-by-hour story of covering the accident as a U.P.I. reporter. His riveting eyewitness account will compel readers to consider one of the most serious questions facing humankind: where can we find affordable, sustainable energy, and at what risk?