Young Adult Books Worth Checking Out

By Trevor Reimer '22

November 2019

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is about a boy called Finch and a girl named Violet Markey. Finch is a teenage boy who struggles to combat depression and everyday life with his family. Violet is also struggling with depression, but you would never have guessed. The two teens meet on top of the bell tower of the school they share. Eventually, they both make it down safely. On the ground, Violet wants nothing to do with Finch, but is that enough to keep them away from each other?

I Am J by Cris Beam is about a teenager who knows who he is but he just doesn’t know how to make others see him for who he is. J is a transgender male who will stop at nothing to transition into who he is supposed to be, even if his father is against it. After being abandoned by his best friend, J runs away from home and goes to a homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth. How long will J stay there, and will he ever go back home to tell his family and friends who he is?

Every Day by David Levithan is a young boy, self-named, A, who switches from body to body every day. Some days he is a girl with lovely blonde hair, the next day he is a bustling jock. A has rules that he follows: never get too attached. All of that changes, however, when he wakes up in the body of Justin, a teenage boy who isn’t all that great. Justin’s girlfriend, Riahnonn, however, is the exact opposite. She is a beautiful teenage girl who is nicer than anyone you have ever met. A spends the day with her and falls in love. He knows he shouldn’t but he can't help himself. Will A and Riahnonn meet again? Or will A let it go and forget about her?