Edgy Young Adult Books:
Examining Boundaries in Literature for Teens

Compiled by Merri V. Lindgren and Megan Schliesman
© 2007, 2005, 2003 Cooperative Children's Book Center

This bibliography was originally developed for a presentation at the Wisconsin Library Association annual conference in October, 2003. It was revised in October, 2005, and again in June, 2007, for the CCBC workshop "How Far Is Too Far: Pushing the Boundaries in Young Adult Literature." The books are arranged into categories reflecting the organization of the presentation, and alphabetical by author within each category.

In examining the issue of "edginess" in young adult literature, we aimed to emphasize the fact that there have always been books that push the boundaries, and that the boundaries themselves are subjective, defined by personal and societal expectations that vary, and that change over time.

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Click on underlined book titles to see the CCBC review of the book, and/or the cover image.

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Looking Back:
Examples of Boundary-Pushing Books from the Past

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. Pantheon/Knopf, 1974.

Donovan, John. I'll Get There: It Better Be Worth the Trip. HarperCollins, 1969.

Hinton, S. E.. The Outsiders. Viking/Penguin Putnam, 1967.

Lipsyte, Robert. The Contender. HarperCollins, 1967.

Turning Point:
The 1997 Publishing Year

Cole, Brock. The Facts Speak for Themselves. Front Street, 1997. Ages 14 and older

Cormier, Robert. Tenderness. Delacorte, 1997. Ages 15 and older

Klause, Annette Curtis. Blood and Chocolate. Delacorte, 1997. 264 pages. Ages 15 and older

Mazer, Norma Fox. When She Was Good. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic Press, 1997. Age 15 and older

Rapp, Adam. The Buffalo Tree. Front Street, 1997. Ages 15 and older

Spinelli, Jerry. Wringer. Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins, 1997. Ages 10 - 14

New Visions/New Voices:
Books Cited as Examples of "Radical Change"

Atkin, S. Beth. Voices from the Streets: Young Former Gang Members Tell Their Stories. Little, Brown, 1996.

Fine, Anne. The Tulip Touch. U.S. edition: Little, Brown, 1997.

Fleischman, Paul. Seedfolks. Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins, 1997. Ages 9 - 13

Fleischman, Paul. Whirligig. Henry Holt, 1998. Age 13 and older

Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. Scholastic, 1997. Ages 12 and older

Krisher, Trudy. Spite Fences. Delacorte, 1994.

Gaining Recognition:
Selected Michael L. Printz Award Books

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. 197 pages. Age 14 and older

Chambers, Aidan. Postcards from No Man's Land. U.S edition: Dutton, 2002. Age 16 and older

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. Simon & Schuster, 2003. 144 pages. Ages 13 - 18

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. HarperCollins, 1999. Ages 13 and older

Na, An. A Step From Heaven. Front Street, 2001. 156 pages. Age 13 and older

Rosoff, Meg. how i live now. Wendy Lamb Books / Random House, 2004. 194 pages. Ages 14-18

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. First Second, 2006. 233 pages. Age 13 and older

GLBT Literature:
Visible Lives at Last

Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1981. 234 pages. Ages 12-15

Huser, Glen. Stitches. Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 2003. 198 pages. Ages 12 - 15

LaRochelle, David. Absolutely, Positively, Not . . .. Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic Press, 2005. 224 pages. Ages 12 and older

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Ages 12 - 15

Peters, Julie Anne. Keeping You a Secret. A Megan Tingley Book/Little, Brown, 2003. Ages 14 - 16

Peters, Julie Anne. Luna. Megan Tingley Books / Little Brown, 2004. 247 pages. Ages 14-17

Selected Additional Titles from CCBC Choices

Anderson, M.T.. Feed. Candlewick Press, 2002. Ages 14 and older

Brooks, Kevin. Martyn Pig. U.S. edition: The Chicken House/Scholastic, 2002. Ages 14 and older

Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. Harcourt, 2003. Age 14 and older

Farmer, Nancy. House of the Scorpion. A Richard Jackson Book/Atheneum, 2002. Ages 11 and older

Flake, Sharon. Money Hungry. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2001. Ages 12 - 16

Flake, Sharon. Begging for Change. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2003. Ages 12 - 16

Flake, Sharon G.. Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives. Jump at the Sun / Hyperion, 2004. 168 pages. Ages 11-14

Flake, Sharon G.. Bang!. Jump at the Sun / Hyperion, 2005. 304 pages. Ages 13-16

Frost, Helen. Keesha's House. Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. Ages 12 - 16

Gantos, Jack . The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006. 185 pages. Ages 14 and older

Going, K.L.. Fat Kid Rules the World. Putnam, 2003. 187 pages. Ages 15 - 18

Hartnett, Sonya. Stripes of the Sidestep Wolf. Candlewick, 2005. 208 pages. Ages 14 and older

Hartnett, Sonya. Surrender. Candlewick Press, 2006. 248 pages. Age 13 and older

Hautman, Pete. Godless. Simon & Schuster, 2004. 198 pages. Ages 14-18

Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused. Scholastic Press, 2002. Ages 15 and older

Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea. Deborah Brodie Book / Roaring Brook Press, 2006. 131 pages. Age 13 and older

Johnson, Harriet McBryde. Accidents of Nature. Henry Holt, 2006. 229 pages. Age 14 and older

Konigsburg, E.L.. Silent to the Bone. Jean Karl/Atheneum, 2000. Ages 10 - 14

Laird, Elizabeth and Sonia Nimr . A Little Piece of Ground. U.S. edition: Haymarket, 2006. 221 pages. Ages 10-14

Lanagan, Margo. Black Juice. U.S. edition: Eos / HarperCollins, 2005. 208 pages. Ages 14 - 17

Lester, Julius. Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue. Jump at the Sun / Hyperion, 2005. 177 pages. Ages 12 and older

Myers , Walter Dean. Autobiography of My Dead Brother . Illustrated by Christopher Myers. HarperTempest / HarperCollins, 2005. 212 pages. Ages 13-17

Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till. Illustrated by Philippe Lardy. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. 40 pages. Age 14 and older

Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. Knopf, 2003. Age 11 and older

Stein, Tammar. Light Years. Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. 263 pages. Ages 15 and older

Stinson, Kathy. 101 Ways to Dance. U.S. edition: Second Story Press, 2007. 150 pages. Age 12 and older

Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neutral. HarperCollins, 2000. Ages 13 - 16

Vecchione, Patrice, editor. The Body Eclectic: An Anthology of Poems. Henry Holt, 2002. Age 15 and older

Wolff, Virginia Euwer. True Believer. Atheneum, 2001. Ages 13 - 16

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. U.S. edition: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. 552 pages. Age 15 and older

Zusak, Markus. I am the Messenger. U.S. edition: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. 368 pages. Ages 14 and older

This list may be reproduced and distributed by educational and/or nonprofit organizations so long as credit is given to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.