Sorry to crash your board, but I recommend teen books for a living and wanted to recommend:

• MAKE LEMONADE and TRUE BELIEVER by Virginia Euwer Wolff
• JAZMIN'S NOTEBOOK by Nikki Grimes
• anything by Walter Dean Myers: MONSTER, THE DREAM BEARER, or FALLEN ANGELS
• HUSH by Jacqueline Woodson
• books by Beverly Naidoo

All the suggestions you have already are excellent. I love Sharon Flake especially.

My fave is SCORPIONS. :)

*writing all of these titles down*

I read Walter Dean Myers in a Children's Lit course about two summers ago and we had to read Fallen Angels. It was wonderful and I'd love to read more of his work.

Since I'm not in class this summer I have got to find these. I still like to read some teen-centered books. Also I've been over in the "grown folk" book thread too.

I would recommend "Don't Give it Away" by Iyanla Vanzant. It's a good book for young girls to read. I think that young boys would benefit from it too.

Sharon Draper's Newest Book
 

I just finished reading it on my lunch break. This is a very very very good read.

Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/06...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg



The Battle of Jericho
by Sharon M. Draper (Author)

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-When an elite club, The Warriors of Distinction, invites Jericho and his cousin Josh to pledge, the teens look forward to wearing the black silk jacket, going to great parties, and receiving the admiring glances of the other students at their Ohio high school. Even the girl Jericho has a crush on begins to show an interest in him. The initiation process begins rather tamely with the new pledges helping with the Christmas toy drive, but as it progresses, Jericho becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what they are asked to do and the way they treat Dana, the first-ever female pledge. Adopting the group's "All of us or none of us" creed, the 15 inductees decide to continue. In an intense climax, pledging goes tragically wrong and the repercussions are felt throughout the community. Draper has captured the essence of teens caught up in peer pressure who must ultimately live with the results of their actions. Her characters are deeply human and the strong plot mirrors the difficult choices that young people must make as they try to reconcile their need for acceptance with their inner values. Mostly, though, this title is a compelling read that drives home important lessons about making choices.
Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. The Warriors of Distinction has been the school's most exclusive club for 50 years, so when 16-year-old Jericho is asked to pledge, he's excited--and intimidated. He is also disappointed after he realizes that he'll have to give up a music competition because he can't miss a night of the initiation week. When the ceremony turns cruel--with the one girl pledge being singled out for abuse--Jericho begins to have second thoughts. Then the affair turns deadly. There are several problems... read more

ttt

any more recommendations?

I have one on my coffee table that I bought 2 months ago, Jason and Kyra by Dana Davidson. One day I will get to read it.

Don't bother. The time I spent reading Jason and Kyra is two hours of my life I'll never have back. It was overwritten, with really awkward dialogue and paragraph after paragraph describing the characters' clothes and physical appearance. The characters were stereotypes and the love scenes laughable. I reviewed it for Teenreads.com, and you can read my review here, but I know it also got negative reviews from at least two library professional journals...Booklist and SLJ, I think maybe.

A much, much better read is Who Am I Without Him by the always-brilliant Sharon Flake. I wasn't wild about the final story in the book, but the rest was wonderful. Sharon Flake can do no wrong.

BOOOOO!!! :( That sucks. I bought it. Maybe I will give it to my cousin.

Cool, I did not know that Sharon had another book out.

I have a coworker with a 10 year old son who she wants to read more. I copied and pasted all of the recommended titles here but am drawing blanks on other titles I have recommended in the past. Can you suggest some more? Thanks. :)

UnspokenOne :) I knew I had mentioned Mildred Taylor somewhere before.

Thanks CT4 :D ! There are a lot of books in this thread that I have not heard of and wish that I had had when I was teen. I'll have to purchase some for my cousins.

A New Initiative
 

I know many of you are parents, teachers, librarians, or just an avid fan of children's literature, this is an initiative that I am proud to be a part of and share with you. Check it out and share with others. :)



According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, of the approximately 5000 trade children’s books published in 2006:

• 153 books had significant African or African American content
• 87 books were by black book creators, either authors and/or illustrators

If you divide 87 into 5000, you get just over 1 percent. 1.74 percent. That number is sad and it’s mind blowing.

That number says to me that we are missing from the bookshelves in the bookstores and the libraries. It says that our stories aren’t being told. Correction, they are being told just not published in the same magnitude as the majority.

Right now, please name for me five African American children’s authors. This includes picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction and non-fiction. In case you are still grasping for names, let me help you out. There’s Walter Dean Myers, Sharon Draper, Sharon Flake, Rita Williams Garcia, Jacqueline Woodson, and Christopher Paul Curtis just to name six.

But there’s more than just those six. And there are more to come. So many more.

And that’s where The Brown Bookshelf comes in.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2149/...e68144.jpg?v=0

The Brown Bookshelf is designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers. On February 1, 2008, the group will launch the 28 Days Later Campaign which is a month-long showcase of the best in picture books, middle grade and young adult novels written by African American authors. Each day during Black History Month, a different book and author will be featured at The Brown Bookshelf. The 28 Days Later Campaign will culminate with a day of giveaways and announcements of future programs on February 29th. The Brown Bookshelf is partnering with the African American Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (AACBWI) and the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to ensure the 28 Days Later Campaign reaches the intended audience of educators and librarians.


The 28 Days Later authors will be selected through a multi-tier selection process. Prior to opening submissions, the review and research team will choose several veteran authors and two self-published authors. Public submissions will be accepted from November 1- December 1st at the Brown Bookshelf blog, email and 28 Days Later web page. Authors may self-submit themselves for consideration. Author names will also be solicited from publishers, librarians, teachers and other children’s literature industry professionals.

To submit a name:
- Send an email to email@thebrownbookshelf.com indicating the author and a list of their works
- Post submissions to The Brown Bookshelf blog in the comment section of blog posts soliciting names
- Submit names at http://thebrownbookshelf.com/28-days-later/

Beyond the 28 Days Later Campaign, The Brown Bookshelf will continue to keep you informed about the African American children’s literature community with book reviews, announcements about book fairs, events and conferences, as well as industry tidbits.

THAT IS GREAT!!!! Where was this when I was a pre teen? May I share this info with others?

:) That's why we're doing it. Share and share alike. By all means, share with your children's teachers and your local libraries as well. Share with your fraternity and sorority listserves, alumni lists, your family, etc. Oprah. Tyra. All of them. :D

We sent a press release to Black bookstores that we found an e-mail address but if you know of Black bookstores in your area, pass it along to them.

I was going to put this in here, but it looks like I'm a couple years too late!! This is one of my favorite authors and I've read both series (Payton and Laurel, though Laurel is white, so I wouldn't recommend it in this thread). I just saw that she has a new series out following Payton's little brother, Perry (so the boys can get some inspiration, too!).

Has anyone read the newer American Girls-Addy books? I've only read the first 5 that were out when I was little.

Buying Books
 

CT4 has already hipped me to great resources for readers, Shelfari and Mosaic Books. During college, I found Book Closeouts. It's an online retailer that sells books at SUPER low-prices. Right now, I have a cart with 13 hardcover and paperback books, and my total is only $64!

I want to find more online retailers that offer good prices and decent shipping time. GCers, where do you buy books online? If you know any good Ebay book sellers, please provide their information!!