I'll Read Anything . . . Except Romance

Sometimes you want a story with action.  Sometimes you want a story with magic.  And sometimes you will read anything . . . as long as it doesn't have romance in it.  Here are some of my favorite teen books that don't have any romance in them . . . .

Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Plain Kate's odd appearance and expertise as a woodcarver cause some to think her a witch, but friendship with a talking cat and, later, with humans help her to survive and even thrive in a world of magic, charms, and fear.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos."

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.


More Teen Books Without Romance --
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinger
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
Jackaby by William Ritter
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Terrier by Tamora Pierce


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through May 28, 2021.

Health Is Not Valued 'Til Sickness Comes

This week, I am sharing teen novels featuring stories about illness.  Grab the kleenexes before reading these books . . . .

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith
High school freshman Ryan Walsh, a Chicago Cubs fan, meets Nick when they both skip school on opening day, and their blossoming relationship becomes difficult for Ryan when she discovers that Nick is seriously ill and she again feels the pain of losing her father five years earlier.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos."

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.

Pieces of Me by Amber Kizer
After a car accident leaves her brain-dead, Jessica tries to prevent her parents from donating her organs and tissues, but then follows the lives of four fellow teens who are able to survive because she did not.


More Books --
After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
The Brilliant Light of Amber Sunrise by Matthew Crow
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
First Love by James Patterson
Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt
Life In a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos
The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone
Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen
Me & Earl & the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon
Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through April 26. 2019.

2016 Summer Reading List for Teens

Every year, the Arnold Branch comes up with a summer reading list for teens.  These are a mix of classic teen books along with new teen books that highly reviewed.  Here is this year's summer reading list for teens . . . .

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The best friend of a kid with superhuman qualities endeavors to have a life of his own that is both normal and extraordinary in the face of constant world-shaking challenges, threats against his school, and an elusive pretty girl.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Given the medical diagnosis of one year to live, high school senior Ben Wolf decides to fulfill his greatest fantasies, ponders his life's purpose and legacy, and converses through dreams with a spiritual guide known as "Hey-Soos."

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak
A new girl in Amherst, Massachusetts, comes to terms with her mother's suicide and her best friend's disappearance with the help of Emily Dickinson's poetry--and her dress.

Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce
In a kingdom dominated by religious intolerance, sixteen-year-old Digger, a street thief, has always avoided attention, but when she learns that her friends are plotting against the throne she must decide whether to join them or turn them in.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Cath struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words, and worrying about her fragile father.


More Teen Books --
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith
Character, Driven by David Lubar
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
The Wolf by Steven Herrick
The Year of the Beast by Cecil Castelucci & Nate Powell

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through July 22, 2016.