Young Adult Literature
Information about the YA genre and CSULB's collection.
Issue Books
There are lots of children's books that address specific issues that might incite anger, sadness or other feelings. These might not be best shared in group settings, but can be very helpful in working with children experiencing these issues.
*Be sure the read books all the way through before sharing with a child.
Tips for using "issue" books:
- Use a book to provide language for children to use in expressing their own feelings.
- Use a book to allow children to see they are not alone in their experiences and feelings.
- Be available, or provide access to another adult to discuss the book.
Looking for books for younger kids?
Click links to navigate to the lists below:
Absent Parents (Incarceration, military service, etc.)
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles:
- Prison
- Prisoners
- Separation (psychology)
- Children of military personnel
Soldier Mom by Call Number: PZ7 .MEAD
This Is My America by YA: "Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row."
Adoption
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles
- adoption
- intercountry adoption
Whale Talk by Call Number: PZ7.5 .CRUT
Bullying
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles
- Bullying in schools
- Bullies
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Call Number: PZ7.5 .MEDI
Fat Angie by Call Number: PZ7.5 .CHAR
Michigan vs. the Boys by
Child Abuse
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles
Child abuse
What Jamie Saw by Call Number: PZ7 .COMA
A List of Cages by Call Number: PZ7.5 .ROE
Tadpole by Call Number: PZ7.5 .WHIT
Coming Out / Gender and Sexual Identity
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles
- Homosexuality
- Gay
- Lesbian
- Coming out (sexual orientation)
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Call Number: PZ7.5 .DANF
The House of Hades by Call Number: PZ7.5.RIOR
GLBTQ by Call Number: HQ76.25 .H84 2011
This Book Is Gay by Call Number: HQ76.26 .D39 2015
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Call Number: PZ7.5 .GREE
Dementia / Alzheimer's
Subject terms, use in OneSearch for more titles:
Unbecoming by
Three women. Three generations. Three secrets.A Stonewall Honor Book!Katie's life is falling apart: her best friend thinks she's a freak, her mother, Caroline, controls every aspect of her life, and her estranged grandmother, Mary, appears as if out of nowhere. Mary has dementia and needs lots of care, and when Katie starts putting together Mary's life story, secrets and lies are uncovered: Mary's illegitimate baby, her zest for life and freedom and men; the way she lived her life to the full yet suffered huge sacrifices along the way. As the relationship between Mary and Caroline is explored, Katie begins to understand her own mother's behavior, and from that insight, the terrors about her sexuality, her future, and her younger brother are all put into perspective.Funny, sad, honest, and wise, this powerful multigenerational novel from international bestseller Jenny Downham celebrates life like no book before.
Breathless by
When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school, it doesn't take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She's smart, she's cute, and she's a swimming prodigy who has a first-class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don't know is that Katie is swimming away from the secrets of her past, and from the schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won't let her go. As Katie's star rises, Will descends deeper into insanity. And when he does the unthinkable, it's all Katie can do to keep her head above water. Largely based on the author's own experiences,Breathlessis a stunning debut that explores illness and health, love and lust, friends and enemies, and the moneyed world of prep school with a deft, expert hand.
Call Number: PZ7.5 .WARM
Drug Abuse
Subject terms:
- Drug addicts
- Heroin abuse
- Drug abuse
Hey, Kiddo by Call Number: HQ536 .K763 2018
Gather by
A 2023 National Book Award Finalist A Michael L. Printz Honor Book "Arguably one of the finest novels of the year."--Booklist (starred review) A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family home while his mom recovers from addiction in this striking debut novel. Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to? Told in a wry, cautious first-person voice that meanders like a dog circling to be sure it's safe to lie down, Kenneth M. Cadow's resonant debut brings an emotional and ultimately hopeful story of one teen's resilience in the face of unthinkable hardships.
Call Number: PZ7.5 .CADO
Heroine by
A captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis--the deadliest drug epidemic in American history--through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope. When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she's been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friends--fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill--Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.
Call Number: PZ7.5 .McGI
Grief
Subject terms:
- Grief -- juvenile fiction
- Death
Umbrella Summer by Call Number: PZ7 .GRAF
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Call Number: PZ7.5.ANDR
The Serpent King by Call Number: PZ7.5.ZENT
Part of Me Died Too by Call Number: BF723.G75 F79 1995
Homelessness
Crenshaw by Call Number: PZ7.APPL
Roam by 
Sleeping in My Jeans by
LGBTQ+ Families
Subject terms:
- Same-sex marriage
- Children of gay parents
- Gay fathers
- Lesbian mothers
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by
A "mesmerizing, poetic exploration of family, friendship, love and loss" from the acclaimed author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. (New York Times Book Review) Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it's senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal's not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph.
Call Number: PZ7.5 .SAEN
Mental Health (Anxiety, Depression, etc.)
Subject terms:
- Worry
- Stress in adolescence
- Panic Attacks
- Mental Health
- Mental Illness
Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Call Number: PZ7.5.BLUM
Highly Illogical Behavior by Call Number: PZ7.5.WHAL
(Don't) Call Me Crazy by Call Number: RC509.8 .D66 2018
Refugees
Subject terms:
- Refugees
- Immigrants
- Emigration and Immigration
When Stars Are Scattered by
A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.
Call Number: HV640.5.S8 J36 2020
The Red Pencil by Call Number: PZ7.5 .PINK
The Night Diary by Call Number: PZ7 .HIRA
Illegal by Call Number: PZ7 .COLF
Sexual Abuse
Subjects terms:
- Rape
- Sexual abuse
Speak by Call Number: PZ7.5 .ANDE
Girl: love, sex, romance, and being you by Call Number: HQ798 .R39 2017
Suicide
Subject terms:
- Suicide -- Juvenile Fiction
- Suicide -- Fiction
All the Bright Places by Call Number: PZ7.5 .NIVE
The Astonishing Color of After by Call Number: PZ7.5 .PAN
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Call Number: PZ7.5 .CHBO
