by M. T. Anderson
Burger Wuss
Published 1999 by Candlewick Press (MA)
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by Adam Bagdasarian
First French Kiss: And Other Traumas
Published 2002 by Farrar Straus Giroux
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Zeroing in on the moments of comic confusion and tender transformation that make up one boy's wild ride through childhood and adolescence, this collection of stories follows Will, a boy with an overactive imagination who grapples with "what kind of man will I become?"

by Joan Bauer
Rules of the Road
Published 1998 by Putnam Publishing Group
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Hired by Madeline Gladstone, the president of a shoe company, to help her prevent a corporate takeover, 16-year-old Jenna Boller embarks on an eye-opening adventure that teaches both of them the rules of the road--and the rules of life.

by Meg Cabot
The Princess Diaries
Published 2000 by HarperCollins Publishers
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She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom...

News Flash: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport!)

Downer: Dad can't have any more kids. (So no heir to the throne.)

Shock of the Century: Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material.

Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded grandmé re, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne.

Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal-blue in the face about her princessly duty--no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what's a girl to do when her name is "Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo"?

2001 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers (ALA), Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL) and 2001 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

by Catherine Clark
Truth or Dairy
Published 2000 by HarperTempest
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by Thom Eberhardt
Rat Boys: A Dating Experiment
Published 2001 by Hyperion Books for Children
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Summer and Marci have been best friends forever -- bonding over shared humiliations, orthodontist torture sessions, and especially their dislike for obnoxious Jennifer Martin. So when Jennifer smugly asks the girls if they will baby-sit her neighbor's Lhasa apso the night of the upcoming Spring Fling dance, Marci snaps. She informs Jennifer that they already have dates. Unfortunately for them, this is not exactly true.

The only way to recover from the ultimate humiliation of getting caught in this lie is to produce actual dates for the dance. Luckily for them, the girls' part-time boss, crazy Doris Trowbridge, finds a magic ring. With it, she turns two pet rats into the cutest guys they have ever seen. But now everyone, including Jennifer, is interested in them. And rats have a lot more in common with high school boys than anyone would think. . . .

by Paul Fleischman
A Fate Totally Worse Than Death, a
Published 1995 by Candlewick Press (MA)
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by Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Published 1998 by Farrar Straus Giroux
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"They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it -- I'm wired."

Joey Pigza's got heart, he's got a mom who loves him, and he's got "dud meds," which is what he calls the Ritalin pills that are supposed to even out his wild mood swings. Sometimes Joey makes bad choices. He learns the hard way that he shouldn't stick his finger in the pencil sharpener, or swallow his house key, or run with scissors. Joey ends up bouncing around a lot - and eventually he bounces himself all the way downown, into the district special-ed program, which could be the end of the line. As Joey knows, if he keeps making bad choices, he could just fall between the cracks for good. But he is determined not to let that happen.

In this antic yet poignant new novel, Jack Gantos has perfect pitch in capturing the humor, the off-the-wall intensity, and the serious challenges that life presents to a kid dealing with hyper-activity and related disorders.

by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Just Ella
Published 1999 by Simon & Schuster
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Fifteen-year-old Ella finds Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette. So she plots to escape in a retelling of Cinderella's story.

by Cathy Hopkins
Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras
Published 2003 by Simon Pulse
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In the tradition of "Bridget Jones's Diary" comes this hilarious look at adolescence told by three British teenage girls. Everything around 14-year-old Lucy Loverling is changing, and she wonders when her own life will improve. The day Lucy sees the most wonderful boy, things do begin to change.

by Susan Juby
Miss Smithers
Published 2004 by HarperTempest
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by Ron Koertge
Confess-O-Rama
Published 1998 by Laurel-Leaf Books
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by Gordon Korman
The Son of the Mob
Published 2002 by Hyperion Books
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Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy--except that his father is the head of a powerful crime organization. When Vince meets a girl, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all--because her father is an FBI agent.

by E. Lockhart
The Boyfriend List: (15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver)
Published 2005 by Delacorte Press
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Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it's unusual, but give her a break--she's had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she: "

lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),

lost her best friend (Kim),

lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),

did something suspicious with a boy (#10),

did something advanced with a boy (#15),

had an argument with a boy (#14),

drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),

got caught by her mom (ag!),

had a panic attack (scary),

lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie),

failed a math test (she'll make it up),

hurt Meghan's feelings (even though they aren't really friends),

became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)

and had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the boys'!?!).

But don't worry--Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

by Chris Lynch
Slot Machine
Published 1996 by HarperTrophy
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"If you don't have a slot, what are we going to do with you?"

It's called Twenty-One Nights with the Knights. But for Elvin Bishop -- fourteen, overweight, and a self-proclaimed non-athlete -- this summer sports "retreat" is more like the twenty-one trials of hell.

As everyone around him, including his best friends, slips smoothly into athletic "slots", Elvin is pounded on the football field, slammed on the baseball diamond, and tortured on the wrestling mat -- always coming out a complete failure. But appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes real strength comes from breaking the rules rather than playing the game. And sometimes finding acceptance is less about fitting in than about making your own way -- with grit and humor.

by Tyne O'Connell
Pulling Princes
Published 2004 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Calypso returns from Los Angeles to her English boarding school for the summer term. When Calypso and Prince Freddy end up in the tabloids, everything seems set to go down the drain. A fast-paced, laugh-out-loud-funny look at fitting in while still standing out.

by Louise Rennison
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Published 2000 by HarperCollins Publishers
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There are six things very wrong with my life:

(1)(2)

It is on my nose.

(3)(4)

In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.

(5)(6)

by Dyan Sheldon
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Published 1999 by Candlewick Press (MA)
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Mary Elizabeth Cep (or Lola, as she prefers to be called) longs to be in the spotlight. But when she moves to New Jersey with her family and becomes a student at Dellwood "Deadwood" High, Lola discovers that the role of resident drama queen is already filled -- by the Born-to-Win, Born-to-Run-Everything Carla Santini. Carla has always gotten everything she wants -- that is, until Lola comes along and snags the lead in the school Can Lola survive Carla's attempts at retaliation? Will Lola play and her best friend, Ella, find a way to crash their favorite band's concert and farewell party in New York City -- to which Carla has already gained entrance? And once the curtain goes up on the school play, which drama queen will take center stage?

by Todd Strasser
How I Spent My Last Night on Earth
Published 1998 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
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by Rob Thomas
Rats Saw God
Published 1996 by Simon Pulse
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Steve York, 18, must write a 100-page paper to make up the credit for a failed English class. He chooses to document his sophomore and junior years, revealing how the gifted National Merit Scholar son of an over-achieving father has become an alienated drug user. As Steve produces an increasingly personal--and hysterically funny--tale of first love and betrayal, he re-examines his notions of truth, friendship, family relationships and love. Young Adult.