Themed Booklists

YA and Middle Grade books have often been a place where the adolescent, female experience is explored and celebrated. Join us in spotlighting a few of the many powerful female authors and characters that inspire us all. 

Families are like branches on a tree, we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. - Unknown

For those who dream of being airborne, rather than earthbound — fiction and nonfiction about inventors, adventurers, and technological innovations that allow mankind to travel by air and explore space.

Do you know a teen who’d rather crank the tunes than crack a book? Try tempting them with one of the music-themed titles below.

Most kids go through a “spy” stage, and some never grow out of it! Whether it’s the gadgets, the secret identities, or the gathering of clues — spies are cool!

As technology permeates all aspects of our lives, it’s not surprising that high-tech gadgets, plot devices, even formats, increasingly appear in teen lit, and not just in the science fiction genre.

Even as the Internet absorbs more of teens’ attention, TV remains a constant presence.

Did your students love The Hunger Games trilogy and the Divergent and Matched series? If so, then these novels might pique their interest as well.

Do you love Fantasy thrillers set in a world of wealth and privilege? Maybe if we throw in a few romances and royal court politics?

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry and photography vividly depict Civil War battles, the Underground Railroad, and Lincoln’s tumultuous presidential term.

These fiction and nonfiction titles will ignite young people’s interest in the history and function of our presidential mansion, as well as the lives of some of those who have lived or worked there.

These books feature teens examining their own beliefs and values in the face of religious, cultural, racial and gender discrimination. Titles complement history units on World War II and the Holocaust. 

These stories of separation, deprivation, defiance, and bravery help students to understand the horror and magnitude of the Holocaust. These books are an excellent complement to history units on World War II. 

Read about the underground resistance movement and brave individuals who helped shelter Jews, from the perspectives of both the rescuers and the survivors. These books are an excellent complement to history units on World War II. 

Books in this list — both fiction and nonfiction — present personal stories of soldiers who fought on both sides of World War II. These books are an excellent complement to World War II history units. 

Titles in this list feature a range of homefront perspectives on World War II.

From Rwanda, to Cambodia, to Sarajevo, to Armenia, to North Korea, the books on this list explore historical and contemporary genocide. This list is excerpted from Dr.

Memoir, biography, historical fiction, photo essays, as well as poems and art work, tell the stories of concentration camp victims and survivors. These books make an excellent complement to history units on World War II. 

Biographies are on lots of school booklists, but they can also be popular leisure reading choices for teens. They often feature real-life characters who have overcome adversity — a theme teens are drawn to again and again.

Believe it or not, the Fantasy genre was a hit with teens even before Harry Potter. Here’s a selection of the many subgenres, including urban fantasy and fairy tale retellings.

Heroes, villains, underdogs, pranksters, romance, betrayal, and intrigue — is it Mount Olympus or junior high school?

Some teens just aren’t interested in reading novels, but do enjoy learning new facts, skills and even trivia from nonfiction titles, including biographies, histories, titles about sports or science, even how-to books.

Since 1996, April has been National Poetry Month. Here are some books that will serve as great poetry starting points.

Looking to use some classic texts in your classroom? In our list, we’ve matched canonical texts with popular YA Lit read-alikes.

Picture books can help middle school and high school readers build background knowledge and visual literacy. The endless range of subject matter presented in picture books, in the hands of skilled storytellers and artists provides many opportuniti

Audiobooks can help re-create the pleasure of being read to as a child.

A new form of novel has become popular — the novel told in verse or free-form poetry. Appealing to tweens and young teens, the plots are rich and varied. Here are some of our favorites.

These short stories have plenty of intrigue to keep students engaged and teachers can use them to teach literary devices including plot, characterization, foreshadowing, and irony.