What's a teenager to read?

In the great scheme of things, I'm not old. I'm in my mid-30s. I like to call it "Bookstore Middle-aged" because the last few years my ages has planted me pretty squarely among college students and twenty-somethings, and others older than me. It's just me...hangin' out here...in the middle...

One of my favorite books. My recommendation.

From this perspective, I remember the books I loved as a child. I remember the books I escaped with on my breaks home from college. I remember most of the books I've read in the 13 years I've been working in bookstores. But there's this gap in my reading memory...what the heck did I read while I was in high school? I have always been a voracious reader, and it surprises me that beyond what was required of me in school, I don't remember reading.

I guess it's possible I didn't read for pleasure much in those years. (Well, except maybe Sweet Valley High books... Don't judge me.) During those years I didn't live in the library district, and I certainly didn't have expendable income at that time.

One of this year's winners.

Maybe this gap in my reading memory is why I have such a hard time recommending books to readers in the14-19 age group. There are so many variables involved, not the least of which is the maturity level of the reader in question. Even for grade schoolers, I always ask myself, "What was I reading at that age?". I can't do this with teenagers, though, so I have to review the books of my adult reading life to gauge their appropriateness for this age group. Fortunately, the Alex Awards make this easier when my own reading interests diverge from that of the other reader.