My school is starting a Before School Book Club and we are hoping to buy books for our kids to keep. We need five titles. We're starting with Cold Kiss and then we'll read Shine. But I need three more titles.

Kristin Cashore's Graceling? Also, the more recent Tamora Pierce novels? The Hunger Games? What are your constraints, Kat?

Those are great recs! Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I really like Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It's a post disaster book and not exactly cheery, but it does a great job of showing a teenage girl's reactions, ranging from resentment to heroism.

I originally read that as "from resentment to heroin."

Susan Beth Pfeffer

I remember reading one of her books in high school, can't remember the title. But the girl got into some sort of trouble and was made to apologize and said "I'm sorry for the trouble that this caused," and then she pointed out to her parents that she'd only apologized for the trouble, not for what she did. Her parents were upset at her hair-splitting, but she refused to feel bad for something she did out of moral outrage.

Oh, and there was a crush on a teacher that she managed to keep to herself that never involved her confessing all to the teacher and having the Sincere Conversation about, and I was quite grateful that the girl got to maintain some dignity through it all. These things always seem to require some public humiliation as a means to Growing and Learning An Important Lesson.

'suela, there aren't really constraints. We're just trying to start a book club and keeping a book is the draw. One of the things I'd like to do is to get books in their hands that they HAVEN'T read yet -- the kids who will most likely show up have read Hunger Games. I'd like a nice mix, but paranormal is super popular at my school. Dystopian is fun. I'd love to read Blood Red Road with them, but the dialect is too hard.

I should also work to try to draw boys too.

Is the new Jay Asher/Carolyn Meckler book any good?

The Book Thief would be an amazing book for any book club. Oh, and The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett! Because everyone should read that book. Everyone! I also loved Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder. Not so much the rest of the series though.

It's being taught in 10th grade (and again at the local community college) at my school so I don't want to step on toes. I totally agree. I'm reading Zusak's new books Under Dogs to see if that is also workable.

I may also give every kid a copy of an Ayn Rand book (We the Living, I think) because I got them for free. But that seems more cruel.

Oh, yes, the Book Thief was really good. And so was The Messenger, although not as good.

How about John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began? It's not SF but it is a very exciting story about young people caught up in a war when Australia is invaded by an unknown enemy.