When Humans Are Scarier Than Monsters

We are frequently asked for recommendations of horror books for teens -- books with monsters.  However, I often find books with human monsters much  more terrifying.  Here are some recommendations for teens of books with terrifying human monsters . . . .

(Warning - These Books May be Disturbing to Read)

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
The story follows a girl called "Alice" who has been kidnapped by a pedophile named Ray. This book takes place five years after "Alice's" abduction.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
Minutes after the principal of Opportunity High School in Alabama finishes her speech welcoming the student body to a new semester, they discover that the auditorium doors will not open and someone starts shooting as four teens, each with a personal reason to fear the shooter, tell the tale from separate perspectives.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.


More Books --
After the Woods by Kim Savage
Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G. Thompson
Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Bitter End by  Jennifer Brown
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
Desert Angel by Charlie Price
The Devil You Know by Trish Doller
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalstier
The Pain Eater by Beth Goobie
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
The Special Ones by Em Bailey
Tenderness: A Novel by Robert Cormier

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 1, 2017.

Could You Survive These Schools?

There are a lot of stories for teens set in school.  However, do you think you could survive at one of these high schools?

Vampire High by Douglas Rees
When his family moves from California to New Sodom, Massachusetts and Cody enters Vlad Dracul Magnet School, many things seem strange, from the dark-haired, pale-skinned, supernaturally strong students to Charon, the wolf who guides him around campus on the first day.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

Jumped by Rita Garcia-Williams
The lives of Leticia, Dominique, and Trina are irrevocably intertwined through the course of one day in an urban high school after Leticia overhears Dominique's plans to beat up Trina and must decide whether or not to get involved.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Witch Sophie Mercer, having been sent to a reform school by her father after a prom night spell went horribly wrong, learns her roommate, who is the only vampire on campus, is the suspect in a series of attacks on students and sets out to find the real culprit.

Trapped by Michael Northrop
Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.

More School Stories --
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman
Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Rikers High by Paul Volponi
The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems by Mel Glenn

School Tales

Teen books often involve the school setting.  Here are some of the best school stories for teens . . .

Rikers High by Paul Volponi
Arrested on a minor offense, a New York City teenager attends high school in the jail facility on Rikers Island, as he waits for his case to go to court.

Nothing by Janne Teller
When thirteen-year-old Pierre Anthon leaves school to sit in a plum tree and train for becoming part of nothing, his seventh grade classmates set out on a desperate quest for the meaning of life.

Story Time by Edward Bloor
George and Kate are promised the best education but instead face obsessed administrators, endless tests, and evil spirits when they are transferred to Whittaker Magnet School.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.

Trapped by Michael Northrop
Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.