thirteenreasonswhycover


13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide.
badmonkeyscover


Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. She says she's a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil. She says she's working with the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—aka "Bad Monkeys."
bloodbrotherscover


Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin
Clay’s best friend Joey's golden future shatters one day when he overdoses at a party. Now he's clinging to life at the hospital where Clay works, and Clay may even be implicated in Joey's injuries. Clay will do whatever he can to find out what happened at the party, and to help Joey recover. But to survive this ordeal Clay must draw on a strength he never knew he had.
cityofbones


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but her.
deadline


Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Just before his senior year, Ben Wolf is diagnosed with a rare, incurable leukemia. At 18, he has the legal right to keep the news to himself until he's ready to reveal it. With only his doctor and therapist in on his secret, Ben sets out to live an entire lifetime in a year.
generationdead


Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer quite the same. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn't want them.
getting the girl


Getting the Girl by Susan Juby
Meet Sherman Mack. Short, nerdy, amateur P.I. and prepared to do anything for Dini Trioli. Nobody knows who began it or when it became a tradition, but every girl at Harewood Tech fears being D-listed, a ritual that wipes her off the social map forever. When Sherman believes Dini is in danger of being D-listed, he launches a full-scale investigation to uncover who is responsible.
gracling


Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
hungergames


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Kat is a 16-year-old girl living in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. As part of the surrender terms of a war long ago, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.
impossible


Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter. Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.
lessonsfromadeadgirl


Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Leah Greene is dead. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself.
littlebrother


Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
When seventeen year old Marcus is finally released by the Department of Homeland security after being wrongfully imprisoned, he discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
mymostexcellentyear


My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Meet T.C., who is valiantly attempting to get Alejandra to fall in love with him; Alejandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s brother Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.
ohmygods


Oh.My.Gods by Tera Lynn Childs
When Phoebe’s mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe’s plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. And her new teammates just happen to be the teen descendants of Greek Gods. They’re super smart and super beautiful with a few superpowers. Armed with only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.
ophelia


Ophelia: A Novel by Lisa Klein
In this re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen’s most trusted lady-in-waiting. She catches the attention of Prince Hamlet, and their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and ultimately, Ophelia must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life.
spud


Spud by John Van de Ruit
John “Spud” Milton takes his first hilarious steps toward manhood in this delicious, laugh-out-loud boarding school romp, full of midnight swims, raging hormones, and catastrophic holidays set against the back-drop of South Africa during the fall of Apartheid.
threelittlewords


Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes. Painful memories of being taken away from her home quickly become consumed by real-life horrors. In this inspiring, unforgettable memoir, Ashley finds the courage to succeed - and in doing so, discovers the power of her own voice.
unwind


Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them. If they can survive until their 18th birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
wake


Wake by Lisa McMann
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
wickedlovely


Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Georgia Peach Award Winner
2008-2009:

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Three teens tell their stories, in free verse, from a psychiatric hospital after failed suicide attempts. Their lives unfold in alternating chapters, revealing emotionally scarred family relationships. An absent father, a bipolar mother, and a secret abortion have caused Vanessa to slash her wrists. As a compulsive cutter, she hides a paper clip to dig into her skin. Tony's drug overdose was triggered by an addiction in which he exchanged sex for money. Abused as a child, he is confused about his sexuality. Connor is the son of rich, controlling parents, and he survives a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a doomed affair with a female teacher. Initially, the narrators are inwardly focused, having arrived at "level zero," the beginning of their treatment. As they become acquainted with one another, the story, told in spare verse and colorful imagery, becomes more plot-driven and filled with witty dialogue. Both boys value Vanessa's friendship and there is an inkling of competition for her affection, although she assumes that Tony is gay. During a wilderness camping trip with other patients and staff, which would graduate the trio to the final level of treatment, it becomes apparent that one of them is mentally backsliding at the thought of returning home and has stopped taking meds. A fast, jagged, hypnotic read.

Ellen Hopkins' Website

impulsecover
rightbehindyoucover

Georgia Peach Award Honor Book
2008-2009:

Right Behind You by Gail Giles

After setting his seven-year-old neighbor in Alaska on fire, Kip McFarland spends four years in a facility for violent juvenile offenders. When he is released at the age of 14, he, his father, and his new stepmother move to Indiana, with new names. For a while, Wade enjoys a normal life. Eventually, however, despite the warnings of his therapist, he sabotages his happiness in a drunken fit of rage. After he reveals his identity, the town turns on him and his family. Now, a coastal Texas town is their final shot at starting over. The cozy community appears to be a perfect haven, but Wade feels compelled to reveal his past to Sam, the beautiful and mysterious neighbor who is winning his heart—and has a story of her own. Will she still accept him once she finds out he is a murderer? This quick read has a compelling story line.

Georgia Peach Award Honor Book
2008-2009:

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they'll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking "pretties." Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots–or remain forever "ugly." Tally's adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke. It also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels' cover. Ethical concerns will provide a good source of discussion as honesty, justice, and free will are all oppressed in this well-conceived dystopia. Characterization, which flirts so openly with the importance of teen self-concept, is strong, and although lengthy, the novel is highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies. Fortunately, the cliff-hanger ending promises a sequel.

Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers
2009-2010 Nominees

Teens Vote Peach
booksbanner

Click here for an excerpt from Uglies

Click here to watch the YouTube trailer for the movie release in 2011.

Click here for an excerpt of Impulse

Recommendations

Georgia Peach Awards header

2008-2009 Georgia Peach Award Winners
2009-2010 Georgia Peach Award Nominees

The Georgia Peach Awards:

The purpose of the Georgia Peach Award is to highlight and promote the best current young adult literature for Georgia high school age students, to encourage young adults to read and to promote the development of cooperative school and public library services for young adults. Teens vote for their favorite books out of the year's top 20 nominees at their high schools and local public libraries

Goals

To encourage Georgia young adults in grades 9-12 to recognize and read quality literature appropriate to their needs, interests, and reading levels. 

To honor outstanding works in young adult literature.

To recognize authors in the field of young adult literature. 

To develop cooperative school and public library services to teens.

Click here to listen to a sample of the audiobook