Wadleigh Memorial Library

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
YA F Ale
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Age 13-16.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted.
YA F And
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his everangry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts. Age 13 & older.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak.
YA F And
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school. Age 14 & older.   

Flake, Sharon G. The Skin I'm In.
YA F Fla
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like. Ages 12-16.     

Hautman, Pete. Invisible.
YA F Hau
Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends—one a loner obsessed by his model trains, the other a popular student involved in football and theater—who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever. Ages 12-15.   

Peters, Julie Anne. By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead.
YA F Pet
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her out.

Pixley, Marcella. Freak.
YA F Pix
Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school, and she eventually explodes in response to their bullying, revealing an inner strength she did not know she had. Ages 11-14.

From the Perspective of the Observer

Peters, Julie Anne. Luna.
YA F Pet
Fifteen-year-old Regan’s life, which has always revolved around keeping her older brother Liam’s transsexuality a secret, changes when Liam decides to start the process of “transitioning” by first telling his family and friends that he is a girl who was born in a boy’s body. Ages 14-17.

Phillips, Suzanne. Burn.
YA F Phi
Bullied constantly during his freshman year in high school, Cameron's anger and isolation grows, leading to deadly consequences.

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl.
YA F Spi
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever. Ages 12-16.    

From Multiple Perspectives

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War.
YA F Cor
Stunned by his mother’s recent death and appalled by the way his father sleepwalks through life, Jerry Renault, a New England high school student, ponders the poster in his locker. Do I dare disturb the universe? Part of his universe is Archie Costello, leader of a secret school society, the Virgils, and master of intimidation. Archie himself is intimidated by a cool, ambitious teacher into having the Virgils spearhead the annual fund-raising event, a chocolate sale. When Jerry refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates, he becomes a hero, but his defiance is a threat to Archie, the Virgils, and the school. In the inevitable showdown, Archie's skill at intimidation turns Jerry from hero to outcast, to victim, leaving him alone.

Koss, Amy Goldman. The Girls.
J F Kos
Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, causing hurt and self-doubt among the girls. 

Myers, Walter Dean. Shooter.
YA F Mye
Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic school shooting.

Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are.
YA F Sum
Regina, a high school senior in the popular - and feared - crowd, suddenly falls out of favor and becomes the object of the same sort of vicious bullying that she used to inflict on others, until she finds solace with one of her former victims.

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese.
YA 741.5 Yan
Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese
Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. Presented in comic book
format. Age 13 & older.    

 Being Different

Johnson, Harriet McBryde. Accidents of Nature.
YA F Joh
Having always prided herself on blending in with “normal” people despite her cerebral palsy, seventeen-year-old Jean begins to question her role in the world while attending a summer camp for children with disabilities. Age 14 & older.

  Cyberbullying

Jinks, Catherine. Evil Genius.
YA F Jin
Child prodigy Cadel Piggot, an antisocial computer hacker, discovers his true identity when he enrolls as a first-year student at an advanced crime academy.

Ruby, Laura. Bad Apple.
YA F Wil
Tola Riley, a high school junior, struggles to tell the truth when she and her art teacher are accused of having an affair.