Best Teen Books of 2012

 

It's that time of year when everybody's making their "Best Of" lists. After reading through several different sources (and reading books myself), I've come up with my own list. You can download it, or read through it below.

Fiction

Ask the Passengers
by A.S. King
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Unable to confide or connect with friends or family, Astrid  talks to passengers on airplanes overhead, not knowing that she is impacting their lives. 

Beneath a Meth Moon
by Jacqueline Woodson
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After the shocking loss of her family in Hurricane Katrina, Laurel discovers crystal meth and soon her addiction spirals out of control. 

Boy 21
by Matthew Quick
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Finley, the only white player on his high school’s basketball team, is asked to mentor a troubled African American transfer from an elite private school. 

Dead to You
by Lisa McMann
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Kidnapped at age seven, a teen is finally reunited with his family, but has no memory of his abduction or his former life. 

The Difference Between You and Me
by Madeline George
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Two girls form a relationship, but have different opinions about whether to let others know. 

Every Day
by David Levithan
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Every day A wakes up in a different person’s body… but is in love with the same girl. 

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
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Two teens meet in a cancer support group and form a close relationship. Together, they learn how to embrace life and redefine death. 

The List
by Siobhan Vivian
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Every year at Mount Washington High, somebody posts a list naming the prettiest and ugliest girls in the school; this book follows eight girls impacted by the List. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth
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When Cameron’s parents die in a car crash, she is saddened, but relieved that they will never discover her secret life. 

My Life Next Door
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
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Samantha, the daughter of a wealthy Republican senator, falls for the boy next door, whose family is very different from her own. 

Small Damages
by Beth Kephart
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Kenzie, a pregnant teenager, is sent to Spain to give up her baby for adoption, where she finds comfort in the  ranching family that takes her in. 

Sons of the 613
by Michael Rubens
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On the eve of his Bar Mitzvah, Isaac’s older brother tries to make a man out of him with a series of challenges, including riding a motorcycle and jumping off a cliff.

Speechless
by Hannah Harrington
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After Chelsea’s penchant for gossip lands a student in the hospital, she takes a vow of silence. 

Horror

Girl of Nightmares
by Kendare Blake
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In this sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas is determined to save Anna, a ghost, from the grips of Hell. 

Supernatural

The Diviners
by Libba Bray
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When a rash of occult-based murders plagues New York City, Evie finds herself right in the middle of the investigation… and her secret gift might solve the crimes. 

Historical Fiction

Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
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After a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, “Verity,” a secret agent, is arrested and held by the Gestapo.

Dodger
by Terry Pratchett
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An alternate version of Victorian history in which Dodger, a street urchin, interacts with a variety of characters, from Charles Dickens to Sweeney Todd. 

Never Fall Down
by Patricia McCormick
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Based on a true story about one boy’s will to survive the Killing Fields of Cambodia under the regime of Khmer Rouge.

Promise the Night
by Michaela MacColl
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Follows the early life of female pilot Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from England to North America. By local author Michaela MacColl.

Fantasy

Bitterblue
by Kristin Cashore
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Bitterblue, queen of Monsea, must try to repair her kingdom in the aftermath of a spell cast by her psychopathic father. Companion to Graceling and Fire. 

Dust Girl
by Sarah Zettel
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After Callie’s mother goes missing in a dust storm, she accepts help from a mysterious man who soon reveals her fate. 

Froi of the Exiles
by Melina Machetta
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Sworn to protect the royal family, Froi finds his loyalties confused when sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn. 

Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers
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Set in the 15th century, a girl escapes an arranged marriage by joining a convent, where she learns the God of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts. 

The Raven Boys
by Maggie Steifvater
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Despite being raised in a family of psychics, Blue Sargent can’t see the soon-to-be dead… until she meets Gansey, a student from an elite prep school. 

Seraphina
by Rachel Hartman
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Set in a world where dragons can morph into human shape, dragons and humans live in truce– until a dragon is accused of murder in the royal court. 

Sci Fi

The Drowned Cities
by Paolo Bacigalupi
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Young refugees escape war-torn cities to find safety in the jungle, but risk safety when they encounter a bioengineered half man along the way. Sequel to Shipbreaker.

Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
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In the sequel to Divergent, factions are at war in Chicago and a teen must learn to embrace her dangerous status in order to save herself. 

Reached
by Ally Condie
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In the finale to the Matched trilogy, Cassia joins the rebellion against the Society and must choose between Xander and Ky.

Son
by Lois Lowry
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In the conclusion to the Giver series, Claire, a vessel for birth in her utopian community, forms an attachment to her son and will stop at nothing to find him. 

Under the Never Sky
by Veronica Rossi
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Two teens from different societies must rely on each other to survive. But can they overcome their prejudices about each other?

Mystery

The Book of Blood and Shadow
by Robin Wasserman
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Set in Prague, a student finds her best friend murdered, and is soon caught up in a world of secret societies who are all searching for a single holy manuscript. 

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