Below is a list of four great books for teenagers which could make great holiday presents this year.
Hannah Ward is a nineteen-year-old dancer in the Manhattan Ballet Company. Her life is devoted to ballet as she balances rehearsals, performances and backstage relationships. No ballet company is complete without some backstage drama. Then Hannah meets a musician named Jacob and she starts to question her devotion to dance. What would it be like to live a normal life?
Pair with: Tickets to a dance performance in your area. Depending on your area this could be a bit of a splurge item or not. I’ve personally spent up to $90 for tickets and a little a $10 for a spectacular modern dancer performance. If your local area doesn’t have many dance performances look for DVDs about dancing, such as Center Stage.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Thirteen-year-old Conor awakes at seven minutes to midnight to find a monster outside his window. That would be unusual to many people but Conor is only confused because it’s not the monster he’s been expecting. It’s not the monster from his nightmares, which have been occurring ever since his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. This monster is more wild, more feral. What does it want from Conor? A Monster Calls is a special book, not just because of its content but because of its origins. The idea originated with Siobhan Dowd, who thought of it following her breast cancer diagnosis. After her death Patrick Ness completed the book.
Pair with: A monster t-shirt from Threadless.com. I rather like their Perfect Timing t-shirt.
The First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
Mal lives on the fringes of his high school social scene. He is not the happiest of boys, he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere. But he loves the idea of the world and the idea that there may be more life out there. Then he meets Hooper, who claims to not be from Earth… and who may be going home very soon. But it’s more than about aliens and whether or not there may be life on other planets. It’s a book that will especially speak to teens who have an absent parent.
Pair with: For fun — a map of the universe. For kids who will identify with the absent parent parts of the book? A coupon book full of things the two of you will do together over the next year to be cashed on their schedule.
When sixteen-year-old Cat’s best friend becomes the victim of what appears to be a vicious hate crime Cat is determined to find the people who did it and bring them to justice. That’s not easy in a tight-knit small town where people stick together. Inspired by the true story of Matthew Shepard, Shine was one of the most talked about books in 2011. First it was labelled as a “dark” book in the Wall Street Journal and then it was accidentally named as a National Book Award finalist when it wasn’t. It’s been a rough year for this very worthy book.
Pair with: I can think of nothing better to pair this shirt with than a YA Saves t-shirt.
These four books were made as a recommendation of a list of ten books recommended for teens in a post over on BlogHer by sassnymonkey. For the original piece and to see the rest of the collection of books she recommends, click here.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
