| Title | Description | Author | Category |
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| Beauty : A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast | The story of Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorites and recently I picked up the book Beauty at our school's book fair. It is a retelling of the story by Robin McKinley, written about 20 years ago. It is considered a "young adult book," though I am not entirely sure what defines that genre. In any case, it is a lovely read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. | Robin McKinley | Young Adult |
| Blue Castle, The | Barbara, Line: Valancy Stirling is an old maid in small-town, early 1900s Ontario. Dominated by her unsympathetic family, Valancy feels that life has passed her by; then she starts having chest pains...TBC is about a life-changing decision Valancy makes. Despite the description, this novel is a real "upper", and definitely not for young adults only! | Lucy Maud Montgomery | Young Adult |
| Blue Sword, The | Laurel: Orphan Harry Crewe is kidnapped by the king of a desert tribe, who trains her to fight like a man. She slowly realizes her powers as well as her heritage, and helps defend her land against invaders. A wonderful story with a strong female protagonist. | Robin McKinley | Young Adult |
| Book Thief, The | KelleyB: Death is the narrator and he tells the story of a young girl living in Germany during WWII from his unique perspective. There are no surprises (Death tells the reader who is going to die well before it ever happens) and yet I still managed to be surprised, touched, and moved to tears by the events that take place. | Markus Zusak | Young Adult |
| Dark Is Rising series | DeborahY, Laurel: Cooper's series of 5 books intertwines the adventures of several modern-day youth with Arthurian legend. "The Grey King" won the Newbury medal, but all of the stories are wonderful. The Amazon link is for the complete set. | Susan Cooper | Young Adult(Series) |
| Ear, the Eye and the Arm, The | Laurel: Set in Zimbabwe in 2194, this book features a boy and his sister and brother who decide to leave their fortified home on an adventure. The Ear, the Eye and the Arm are the detectives hired to track them down. Gripping, imaginative, and thought-provoking. | Nancy Farmer | Young Adult |
| Ella Enchanted | A re-telling of Cinderella as it should be -- a lot less chauvinist and much funnier and more interesting. It's supposed to be 9-12 but could be enjoyable for pretty much anyone. | Gail Carson Levine | Young Adult |
| Giver, The | Laurel: Though it was only published in 1994, "The Giver" has already become a standard in many school curricula. Set in a supposedly-utopian futuristic society, this thought-provoking novel is young adults' "Brave New World". Great for adults, too. | Lois Lowry | Young Adult |
| Hero and the Crown, The | The prequel to "The Blue Sword". If you don't read these yourself, give them to your daughter to read -- or better yet, read them together. | Robin McKinley | Young Adult |
| His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass, etc.) | LizM: An excellent trilogy, although some critics have questioned if they are really suitable for children, having some violence and some murky religious overtones. | Philip Pullman | Young Adult(Series) |
| Outlaws of Sherwood, The | This is basically a retelling of Robin Hood, setting it in the correct period but with more of a modern sensibility. For instance, the women in RH's gang play a larger part, the outlaws are hungry, cold, scared, Robin is sometimes a reluctant leader, etc. There are many more shades of gray than in the original. | Robin McKinley | Young Adult |
| Percy Jackson and the Olympians series | Jennifer Sue, Laurel: This series is about a modern-day teenaged boy who discovers that his father is…a Greek god. It puts a modern spin on the old legends and Olympians, with lots of adventure and humor. The Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Rick Riordan | Young Adult(Series) |
| Ring of Endless Light, A | Laurel, Jennifer Sue: Yes, L'Engle has written scads of great books, but this one about first love(s), friendship, death, and dolphins is fantastic. A magical story. | Madeleine L'Engle | Young Adult |
| Rose Daughter | I was fascinated by these books because of the approach she took in re-telling the familiar story, giving it new depth and fleshing out the characters, and second, because she did it twice, first as a younger writer and now as a more mature writer, having published several more works in the meantime. If you do read Rose Daughter, I recommend you reading the author's comments at the end of the book | Robin McKinley | Young Adult |
| Watership Down | Robbin: Prophecy sends a band of unlikely adventurers on a dangerous journey in search of a new home. Detailed history and culture bring their world to life with warm humor and heartfelt reality which make it easy to forget these brave heroes are of the lucky four-footed variety. By Frith, you will feel as blessed as their bottoms after reading this incredible story that has never failed to draw me in. | Richard Adams | Young Adult |
