Handpicked by Our Editors

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
Age 5+
4

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson

Why We Recommend It

Jackie Robinson was special on the baseball field and off. His daughter's bio of the slugger-as-dad emphasizes courage.

Read our full review
Is young adult fiction too adult for your tastes?

Welcome to the new world of teen fiction. The good news is that teens are reading in record numbers, and there are wonderful books available. The iffy news is that some of the books -- like The Vampire Diaries -- are truly graphic and full of hysterics that echo teens' dramatic lives. Teen fiction can offer ways to work out problems and anxieties.

Have a discussion about what your teens are reading. It could lead to some interesting revelations about their thinking.

Show Reviews for:

New Book Reviews for Teenagers (ages 15-17)

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Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor
Parents Need to Know...

that, like all fairy tales, these three tales have a dark side. The third and longest story is the darkest and most adult, with a land of demons who can take over human bodies and make them have (barley described) sex. The first two ... read more

Age 15+
Lips Touch Three Times
5
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Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
Parents Need to Know...

that Norton published this memoir for adults, but it is a 2009 National Book Award Finalist in the Young Adult category. Like most graphic novels that explore childhood, they are a challenge to categorize by both awards committees and ... read more

Age 16+
Stitches: A Memoir
4
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Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a very intense book about an abusive lesbian relationship. The main characters, Reeve and her twin brother, live with the daily horrors of all kinds of abuse by their mother's boyfriend. Their mother is an addict and they ... read more

Age 16+
Rage: A Love Story
2
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Fire by Kristin Cashore
Parents Need to Know...

that this book has some mature subject matter. There is some sex and some violence, including a young man who murders his father, rapes (barley described), and unplanned pregnancies. The royal family is made up of half-siblings, and Fire ... read more

Age 15+
Fire
5
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Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block
Parents Need to Know...

that this is vampire horror on the level of Anne Rice. It features very explicit sex and exploitation of teens for vampire gratification. Horrific acts of murder and destruction are spectator sports. This book should not be marketed for ... read more

Age 16+
Pretty Dead
1
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The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L. J. Smith
Parents Need to Know...

that this book, first published in 1991, has been loosely made into a TV show. It bears no resemblance to the vampire sensation Twilight (other than that a vampire poses as a new high school student and a local girl falls for him). In ... read more

Age 15+
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening
1
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LIAR by Justine Larbalestier
Parents Need to Know...

this is an intense book for mature teens. Micah, the main character, is a compulsive liar who claims to be a werewolf (though some of the adults around her think she has psychological problems). Her secret boyfriend is murdered, and later ... read more

Age 15+
LIAR
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The Other Girl: A Midvale Academy Novel by Sarah Miller
Parents Need to Know...

that this book features all kinds of racy material, from the main character planning to have sex with her boyfriend in the school's chapel to a scene where an underage girl makes out with a creepy dean as part of an elaborate scheme. ... read more

Age 15+
The Other Girl: A Midvale Academy Novel
4
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Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Parents Need to Know...

this wacky novel features a teenager's death, a punk angel, and plenty of edgy behavior by teens (condom-free sex, drinking, pot-smoking, and running away). Lots of salty language, too. read more

Age 15+
Going Bovine
3
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Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson
Parents Need to Know...

that this book is rough and gritty, with much swearing, violence, delinquent behavior and attitudes, and weak parenting. Bobby and his thug friends have little concern for consequences and are void of remorse. However, the book is really ... read more

Age 15+
Creature of the Night
4
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Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Parents Need to Know...

that this book features graphic depictions of sex. The teens in this book have sex with men and women, trade sex for money and drugs, and are forced to make pornographic movies, have threesomes, etc. One character is raped in two ... read more

Age 15+
Tricks
3
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Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner
Parents Need to Know...

this book is full of crass sexual language and attitudes that are degrading to women (albeit by characters portrayed as dim-witted at best). It mentions sex with sheep, oral sex during menstruation, and finding "a wart you know ... read more

Age 15+
Castration Celebration
2
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L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Parents Need to Know...

that this fiction book by a reality TV star from the MTV show The Hills includes pervasive, extensive drinking by underage young adults; repeated mentions of name brands with an emphasis on having the right expensive clothing; and ... read more

Age 15+
L.A. Candy
2
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Gothic Lolita by Dakota Lane
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a dark novel dealing with themes of abandonment, deaths of loved ones -- both through natural causes and tragedy -- and some sexual situations. The "Gothic Lolita" style of dress originated in Japan and is very ... read more

Age 15+
Gothic Lolita
3
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Guardian by Julius Lester
Parents Need to Know...

that this novel is for older teens only -- it has some very rough content, including lynching, rape, murder, and teen sex. The wickedness of the subject matter -- lynching and its effect on everyone involved -- is powerfully disturbing. read more

Age 16+
Guardian
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Watchmen by Alan Moore
Parents Need to Know...

that this landmark graphic novel is meant for mature readers and contains lots of violent imagery, profane language, and events of vigilante justice. That aside, Moore and Gibbons work together to create a genre-shaping graphic novel ... read more

Age 15+
Watchmen
4
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Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
Parents Need to Know...

that there is a lot of adult content here: language, sexual references, violence, and drug use (including one very detailed scene of preparation and injection of heroin). See the advisories for details. Marijuana use, drunkenness, ... read more

Age 15+
Dark Dude
4
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Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Parents Need to Know...

that, as the title suggests, this book features rampant consumerism; it describes shopping trips the way a chef might wax eloquent about a gourmet meal or an artist rhapsodize about a masterpiece. The main character, Becky, is shallow and ... read more

Age 15+
Confessions of a Shopaholic
3
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Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Parents Need to Know...

that this is not by any reasonable standard a book for children of any age. A teen is repeatedly raped by her father, then gang-raped by other teens who are then sodomized. Horrible miscarriages are graphically described. See the ... read more

Age 17+
Tender Morsels
1
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Kendra by Coe Booth
Parents Need to Know...

the book features a 14-year-old who has oral and anal sex with a boy at school but still considers herself a virgin. Although she feels used by this boy (he's dating her best friend while fooling around with her), she is too ... read more

Age 15+
Kendra
3
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The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
Parents Need to Know...

that teen characters drink heavily, have sex, and smoke marijuana throughout the book, pretty much without consequences, and this is presented as normal and often pleasurable behavior. There is also plenty of swearing and references to ... read more

Age 15+
The Spectacular Now
3
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