Wolfner :: Recommended Readings :: Bibliographies of Missouri Books :: Youth Missouri Books

Youth Missouri Books

(Updated August 6, 2018)

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For Junior and Senior High

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Em must travel back in time to prevent a catastrophic time machine from ever being invented, while Marina battles to prevent the murder of the boy she loves. Contains some descriptions of sex, some strong language, and some violence. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2015-2016. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser

DBC06001

After ignoring several warnings to stop dating his teacher, Garrett is sent to Lake Harmony, a boot camp that uses unorthodox and brutal methods to train students to obey their parents. Strong language. Gateway Award Nominee, 2009-2010. For Junior and Senior High. 2008.

Brothers Blue & Gray by Ellen Gray Massey

DBC01431

The Civil War has broken out in Missouri and Lettie Worthington won't take sides--though she has a brother fighting in each army and a fiancé with a guerrilla band sympathetic to the South. Upon learning that both brothers were in the Battle of Lexington, twenty miles west, she leaves the farm and paddles a skiff up the Missouri River to find them. For Junior and Senior High. 2007.

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

DBC05452

As teenagers Brooklyn and Nico work to help each other recover from the deaths of Brooklyn's boyfriend--Nico's brother Lucca--and their friend Gabe, the two begin to rediscover their passion for life, and a newly blossoming passion for one another. Gateway Award Nominee, 2012-2013. For Junior and Senior High. 2010.

Croak by Gina Damico

DBC01419

A delinquent sixteen-year-old girl is sent to live with her uncle for the summer, only to learn that he is a Grim Reaper who wants to teach her the family business. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2014-2015. For Junior and Senior High. 2012.

Dead Connection by Charlie Price

DBC05435

A loner who communes with the dead in the town cemetery hears the voice of a murdered cheerleader and tries to convince the adults that he knows what happened to her. Some violence and some strong language. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2008-2009. For Junior and Senior High. 2006.

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

DBC05739

Thirteen-year-old half-vampire Vladimir Tod struggles to navigate the ups and downs of eighth grade while keeping his untested powers and impulses under control. Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, book 1. Truman Award Nominee, 2009-2010. For Junior and Senior High. 2007.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

DBC05752

Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. Truman Award Nominee, 2013-2014. For Junior and Senior High. 2011.

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

DBC09592

Since her best friend Oliver was kidnapped ten years ago, Emmy's parents have smothered her with their relentless worry, and when Oliver suddenly reappears in his hometown, he and Emmy struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of the crime. Contains some strong language and some violence. Gateway Award nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

DBC09606

Two teenagers with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure. Some strong language. Gateway Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Flash Burnout by L. K. Madigan

DBC05441

Fifteen-year-old amateur photographer Blake gains self-awareness through his relationships with a girlfriend and a friend who he helps come to terms with her feelings about her homeless, methamphetamine-addicted mother. Gateway Book Award nominee, 2011-2012. For Junior and Senior High. 2009.

The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

DBC09715

Years after surviving the attack that ended her mother's life and caused her missing father to become the prime suspect, Olivia learns that her father also died on the fateful day, a discovery that compels her to search for the killer before she becomes the next victim. Truman Award Nominee, 2018-2019. For Junior and Senior High. 2016.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

DBC06074

A fearful sixteen-year-old princess discovers her heroic destiny after being married off to the king of a neighboring country in turmoil and pursued by enemies seething with dark magic. For Junior and Senior High. 2012.

Good Enough by Paula Yoo

DBC05438

A Korean American teenager tries to please her parents by getting into an Ivy Legue school, but a new guy in school and her love of the violin tempt her in new directions. Gateway Award Nominee, 2010-2011. For Junior and Senior High. 2008.

If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

DBC05444

Growing up in the inner-city projects, DeShawn is reluctantly forced into the gang world by circumstances beyond his control. Gateway Award Nominee, 2011-2012. For Junior and Senior High. 2009.

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

DBC05456

Raised by an unstable father who keeps constantly on the move, Sam Border has long been the voice of his silent younger brother, Riddle, but everything changes when Sam meets Emily Bell and, welcomed by her family, the brothers are faced with normalcy for the first time. Gateway Award Nominee, 2013-2014. For Junior and Senior High. 2010.

The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher

DBC09600

Ana is an honor student obsessed with being successful at everything academic, Clayton is her thirteen-year-old genius brother, the youngest student in their high school and Zak is a gamer who is forced to join the quiz team by his teacher--but when Clayton sneaks off to a science fiction convention in Seattle while they are all there for a quiz bowl tournament, Ana is forced to rely on the unreliable Zak to find him. Some strong language. Gateway Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers

DBC09599

Avery is the black sheep of the wealthy VanDemere clan--the ostracized illegitimate daughter. So she's less than excited when her grandmother ropes her into a competition to determine the VanDemere most worthy of inheriting the family fortune, until a chance to gain information about her long-lost mother motivates Avery to try to win the game. Gateway Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Inhuman by Kat Falls

DBC01442

Beyond the Titan wall lies the Feral Zone, and the only people who break quarantine and venture there are the "fetches," who are paid exorbitant sums to bring back items that were left behind when the wall went up--but Delaney McEvoy's father is there and she is being forced to find him and bring him back. Contains some violence. Truman Award Nominee, 2015-2016. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Insignia by S. J. Kincaid

DBC01412

Tom, a fourteen-year-old genius at virtual reality games, is recruited by the United States military to begin training at the Pentagonal Spire as a Combatant in World War III, controlling the mechanized drones that do the actual fighting off-planet. Contains some violence. Truman Award Nominee, 2014-2015. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

DBC06081

High school student Charlie West awakens bloody and bruised in a concrete bunker only to discover that he has lost a year of his life and remembers nothing about escaping from prison after being convicted of murdering his former best friend, or why he is being pursued by both the law and a group of terrorists trying to bring down the government of the United States. Truman Award Nominee, 2011-2012. For Junior and Senior High. 2009.

Losers Take All by David Klass

DBC09617

At a sports-crazy NJ high school where all kids must play on a team, a group of rebels start a soccer team designed to undermine the jock-culture of the school. Gateway Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2016.

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

DBC06466

Brilliant fifteen-year-old Josie has a knack for languages, but her sister's engagement has Josie grappling with the nature of true love, her feelings for her best friend Stu, and how anyone can be truly herself, or truly in love, in a social language that is not her own. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2016-2017. For Junior and Senior High. 2014.

Made for You by Melissa Marr

DBC06488

Southern small town darling Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital with the frightening ability to see through the eyes of the victims of a serial killer, and realizes that she, too, is a target of the depraved stalker. Some descriptions of sex. Some strong language. Violence. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2016-2017. For Junior and Senior High. 2014.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

DBC01445

While in Paris, France on a class trip, Colette Iselin enlists the help of her charming French tour guide to help uncover a possible connection between Marie Antoinette, a series of gruesome murders, and perhaps her own family history, and he also gives her insights into herself. Some violence. Truman Award Nominee, 2015-2016. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

DBC06497

Kyra, a highly skilled seventeen-year-old thief, joins a guild of assassins with questionable motives. Tristam, a young knight, fights against the vicious Demon Riders that are ravaging the city. Some violence. Truman Award Nominee, 2016-2017. For Junior and Senior High. 2014.

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

DBC01441

Sixteen-year-old Mila discovers she is not who--or what--she thought she was, which causes her to run from both the CIA and a rogue intelligence group. Some violence and strong language. Truman Award Nominee, 2015-2016. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Muchacho by Louanne Johnson

DBC05445

Living in a neighborhood of drug dealers and gangs in New Mexico, high school junior Eddie Corazon, a juvenile delinquent-in-training, falls in love with a girl who inspires him to rethink his life and his choices. Some violence and some strong language. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2011-2012. For Junior and Senior High. 2009.

The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap

DBC05440

In eighteenth-century Vienna, Austria, fifteen-year-old Theresa seeks a way to help her mother and brother financially while investigating the murder of her father, a renowned violinist in Haydn's orchestra at the court of Prince Esterhazy, after his body is found near a gypsy camp. Gateway Award Nominee, 2010-2011. For Junior and Senior High. 2009.

Nemesis by Anna Banks

DBC09727

A futuristic fantasy in which the fate of the world's energy source is in the hands of a prince and princess who are rivals. Gateway Award Nominee, 2018-2019. For Junior and Senior High. 2016.

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

DBC01426

Told from various viewpoints, Gabie and Drew set out to prove that their missing co-worker Kayla is not dead, and to find her before she is, while the police search for her body and the man who abducted her. Some violence. Gateway Book Award nominee, 2014-2015. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

NIL by Lynne Matson

DBC06490

Transported through a "gate" to the mysterious island of Nil, seventeen-year-old Charley has 365 days to escape--or she will die. Contains some strong language. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2016-2017. For Junior and Senior High. 2014.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

DBC05764

When a dark prophecy begins to come true, sixteen-year-old Evie of the International Paranormal Containment Agency must not only try to stop it, she must also uncover its connection to herself and the alluring shapeshifter, Lend. Truman Award Nominee, 2012-2013. For Junior and Senior High. 2010.

Pivot Point by Kasie West

DBC06442

A girl with the power to search alternate futures lives out six weeks of two different lives in alternating chapters. Both futures hold the potential for love and loss, and ultimately she is forced to choose which fate she is willing to live through. Truman Award nominee, 2015-2016. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson

DBC09613

In 1888 New York City, sixteen-year-old governess Verity Newton agrees to become a spy, whatever the risk, after learning that the man for whom she has feelings sympathizes with rebels developing non-magical sources of power, via steam engines, in hopes of gaining freedom from British rule. Truman Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2016.

Revived by Cat Patrick

DBC01397

Having been brought back from the dead repeatedly by a top-secret government super drug called Revive, and forced to move so the public does not learn the truth, fifteen-year-old Daisy meets people worth living for and begins to question the heavy-handed government controls she has dealt with for eleven years. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2014-2015. For Junior and Senior High. 2013.

Right Behind You by Gale Giles

DBC05437

After spending over four years in a mental institution for murdering a friend in Alaska, fourteen-year-old Kip begins a completely new life in Indiana with his father and stepmother under a different name, but has trouble fitting in and finds there are still problems to deal with from his childhood. Gateway Award Nominee, 2009-2010. For Junior and Senior High. 2008.

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

DBC09594

When Ruth is kidnapped, she's determined not to become this serial-killer's next trophy. After she's able to escape, her captor begins stalking her through the wilderness. Some strong language and some violence. Gateway Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Split by Swati Avasthi

DBC05696

A teenaged boy thrown out of his house by his abusive father goes to live with his older brother, who ran away from home years earlier under similar circumstances. Some violence and some strong language. Gateway Book Award Nominee, 2013-2014. For Junior and Senior High. 2010.

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

DBC05439

Eighteen-year-old Danielle grew up learning how to steal from her mother, and the two have spent their lives traveling around and targeting wealthy homes. But in the beach town of Heaven, when Dani realizes her new friend's home is actually her next target and her potential boyfriend is a police officer, she must try to hide her true identity. Gateway Award Nominee, 2010-2011. For Junior and Senior High. 2008.

The Leveller by Julia Durango

DBC09612

Nixy Bauer, a sixteen-year-old self-made video-game bounty hunter, gets in over her head when she attempts to rescue a game developer's son from a virtual trap. Truman Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Variant by Robison Wells

DBC05768

After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fischer applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems. Truman Award Nominee, 2013-2014. For Junior and Senior High. 2011.

A Voice from the Border by Pamela Smith Hill

DBC09658

Living in the border state of Missouri during the Civil War, fifteen-year-old Reeves tries to understand her father's decision regarding their slaves. Some violence. For Junior and Senior High. 2000.

What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott

DBC09619

A hiking trip in the woods in upstate New York is out of the comfort zone for sixteen-year-old city girl Callie Velasquez, but she wants to bond with her new friends Lissa and Penelope, not to mention her new boyfriend, Jeremy--however, nothing could have prepared her for the true human darkness that waits for her in the wood. Some violence. Truman Award Nominee, 2017-2018. For Junior and Senior High. 2015.

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

DBC05741

When thirteen-year-old San Lee moves to a new town and school for the umpteenth time, he is looking for a way to stand out when his knowledge of Zen Buddhism, gained in his previous school, provides the answer--and the need to quickly become a convincing Zen master. Truman Award Nominee, 2009-2010. For Junior and Senior High. 2007.