Weetzie Bat  by Francesca Lia Block

This book is a little out there and hard to follow at times, but overall it is entertaining and worth it.

Go Ask Alice  by Anonymous

A classic story, said to be true, of one teen girl's drug experimentation gone horribly wrong.

Maus  by Art Spiegelman

A comic book style depiction of the Holocaust. There are several books in this series, but all are powerful and unique reads.

Bliss  by Lauren Myracle

A powerful, sharp story of a girl growing up in 1969. This is one of the best young adult horror books out there.

Impossible  by Nancy Werlin

A story of a cursed pregnant teen. Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough has a cursed family-- all the females become pregnant as teens and then go insane after giving birth. The only way to beat the curse is to perform the three impossible tasks listed in the ballad Scarborough Fair.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  by Douglas Adams

Two friends begin an unusual journey through space just seconds before the Earth is destroyed to make way for a Galatic freeway.

The House on Mango Street  by Sandra Cisneros

Told in a series of vignettes,  this is the story of a teen girl who doesn't want to be a part of her rough neighborhood or meet the expectations of others.

I Am the Cheese  by Robert Cormier

A psychological thriller about a 14 year old boy who realizes his whole life has been fiction and he has a new identity.

The Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd

Set in 1964 South Carolina, Lily Owens is haunted by blurred memories of the day her mother died. After her "stand in mother", Rosaleen, insults three of the biggest racists in their town, the two escape to Tiburon, South Carolina, a town that holds many secrets about her mother's death.

Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld

A futuristic first book of a trilogy exploring how far one would go for beauty.

The Princess Diaries  by Meg Cabot

A popular story of a nerdy girl who discovers that she is really a princess.

The Truth About Forever  by Sarah Dessen

An award winning off-beat tale of love and healing family issues.

Jacob Have I Loved  by Katherine Paterson

Louise tries to break free of her town and living in the shadow of her perfect twin sister.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly  by Cynthia Voigt

A popular cheerleader learns to accept her life after losing a leg in a car accident.

Summer of My German Soldier  by Bette Greene

A classic tale of a young Jewish girl making friends with a German prisoner of war in her hometown in Arkansas.

Catcher in the Rye  by J.D. Salinger

One of the most popular coming-of-age books, Catcher in the Rye is a story of a boy struggling to piece together memories while on a four day odyssey. A must read.

The Outsiders  by S.E. Hinton

A story of young boys confused and caught up in gang violence.

On the Road  by Jack Kerouac

The story of a beatnik odyssey. A group of friends in the 1950s avoid mainstream society and go on their own cross-country adventures involving drugs and jazz. 

Big Fish  by Daniel Wallace

Faced with the prospect of his father's death, one young man goes on an epic journey to find out who his father really is. This novel has elements of fantasy as it is told in a series of tall-tales.

An Abundance of Katherines  by John Green

A young prodigy tries to prove that relationships are mathematically predictable while on a road trip with his best friend after being dumped by 19 girls named Katherine.

Fight Club  by Chuck Palahniuk

A psychological thriller that messes with identity and reality.

1984  by George Orwell

A prediction of what the world would be like in 1984 that isn't really so far off the mark.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay  by Michael Chabon

Two cousins get into a lot of trouble while setting out to make a comic book in 1939 New York.

A Confederacy of Dunces  by John Kennedy Toole

A unique, amazingly comic masterpiece. Expect unbelievable plot twists!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower  by Stephen Chbosky

An awkward teen boy can't decide if the grass is really greener on the other side. An accurate depiction of those who go unnoticed in high school.

Angela's Ashes  by Frank McCourt

A book on its way to becoming a classic, this is the story of Frank McCourt's troubled childhood.

A Child Called "It"  by Dave Pelzer

An emotional memoir of one of the worst cases of child abuse on record.

Into Thin Air  by Jon Krakauer

An epic account of a man trapped on Mount Everest during a deadly storm.

Reading Lolita in Tehran  by Azar Nafisi

A teacher in Iran gathers a few of her best female students to read forbidden Western classics  telling of inspiring tales of strong women.

Running With Scissors  by Augusten Burroughs

A funny account of a normal boy being raised by an unorthodox psychiatrist who resembles Santa Claus.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  by Ken Kesey

A staple of Western literature, this is the story of a psychiatric ward in the 1960s.

The Giver  by Lois Lowry

A tale of a different society in which there are no wars and everyone is assigned their role in life at the age of 12. Jonas, however, is chosen to be the special boy that will be trained to be the Giver (the one who holds all painful memories to prevent the pain of the society as a whole).

The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A story of the Roaring Twenties and the filthy rich and decadent stars of the Jazz Age.

The Fountainhead  by Ayn Rand

An intense story first published in the 1940s about an architect struggling to fight conventionalism while falling in love with a stunning women who tries to defeat him.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  by Betty Smith

A coming of age novel about a poor but confident family growing up in Brooklyn at the beginning of the 20th century.