If your child is interested in sports, H.G. Bissinger's "Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team and a Dream" is recommended. "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" by Michael Lewis also ties in sports themes. Both books have inspired film adaptations that would be fun for your teen to watch after reading the book. If history or science fascinate your teen, "Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland" by Sally Walker or "The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases" by E.J. Wagner are enticing reads. These books deal with advanced scientific and historical concepts, while at the same time being hard to put down. For the self-motivated teen, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Stephen Covey may be a winner.
Fiction encompasses an enormous quantity of quality literature. Some book list favorites include: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, "Donald Duk" by Frank Chin, "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kid. These novels include strong teen characters who struggle to find themselves and learn about life along the way.
Historical fiction adds more excellent titles, such as: "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane, "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper and "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Science fiction titles that teens enjoy include: "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton, "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes and James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series. These books deal with themes such as ethical use of science, while being full of excitement and suspense.
Fantasy is one of the most popular young adult genres, with some outstanding titles being: "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury, "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis and The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. These books represent a wide variety of reading levels and thematic material.
Most eighth- and ninth-graders will be ready to face the mature themes and situations contained in these books. If you are concerned, however, reading the same book as your child is a way to encourage conversation about difficult topics. Talking about a character in a book is far easier for teens than discussing how they feel about tough situations. A few mature titles that will spur discussion are: "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, "Looking for Alaska" by John Green and "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker.