Do these even exist?

Going back to the original question ...
Yes, these books do exist. I've heard of most of them, even though of course I can't be sure whether all of them are real.
And I agree! Teen books these days (what am I talking about? I'm fourteen!) are extremely shallow. What do you actually get out of a novel like Gossip Girl? Do those books actually make your heart feel like it is glowing? No, they don't - they are a cheat way for authors - do they even qualify for that title? - to get easy money. They make me sick
I like classics and Harry Potter. Great Expectations, The Lord of the Rings and childrens' fantasy, like Deltora Quest. Even Artemis Fowl, Eragon and Redwall. Maybe I'm alone in that - maybe I'm not - but I certainly don't go around with my nose buried in Jacqueline Wilson's Cookie.

-Wintergirls
-13 Reasons Why

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (same person who wrote Speak)
It is not you typical shallow teen book, it is about a girl with anorexia, and yes, it's depressing, but not at all bleak, and extremly powerful.
It is INCREDIBLY realistic, too. It is soooooooo different from other books like this, it is not drugged up/sexual/or grungy. Her thoughts are real thoughts and the writing is AMAZING, great metaphors and imagery, believably characters (even Elijah, I know someone like him.) Especially how she deals with her therapist and parents and everything. This book is just amazing, and so incredibly realistic you feel like your watching someones life instead of reading a story. If this doesn't sound like your type of book I would give it a try anyways, thats what I did.
Also try 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It's about a girl named Hannah who commits suicide and she records her 13 reasons why she killed her self on tapes, and she leaves these tapes at the 1st persons/reasons house and they have to send it to the next and so on. Soon Clay Jenken recieves his tapes. He had liked Hannah and was always nice to her, so why is he a reason why she killed herself?
Hannah is a little too vengeful at times, but the concept and book is quirky and different. Also, the lesson at the end is amazing, like I kind of feel like the ending made up for many of the books flaws. I mean it's not that amazing, the ending, but I dont know... maybe it's just me. There is a few sexual references and two scenes, but no detail, those parts are kind of sad actaully. This book is NOT boring or bleak at all though, really good read.

Oh, and by the way... I really did NOT like Uglies. I liked the message, but i thought the writting was bad and I dont know... maybe it's just because I dont like Sci-fi, but thats just my opinion.

Rodman Philbrick. Anything by him. Right now I'm finishing The Mighty for the second time. 'Tis awesome.

Hm... anything else. Well, if you like Star Wars, try Millennium Falcon or Death Star. Forogt just who wrote the first; Death Star is by Michael Ross and Steve Perry.

Edit: should probably have added Bridge to Terebithia. It's short, at 13 chapters,
but a great read.

I third the Uglies trilogy and his other book Extras which was amazing as well.

I doubt you haven't read them, but check out the hunger games and catching fire.

Hmmm... how about 'The way of shadows'? it's an awesome book, i'm reading it at the moment, it's an assassination fantasy book set (i'm guessing) a few hundred years ago. It's about a young boy named Azoth who wishes to be apprenticed with Durzo Blint, the best assassin in the city... It's very good!!! I've got a bit more to read but i really suggest you read it if your interested... it's in the Night angel trilogy. unless you have already read it.

Okay, no. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is most definitely NOT a good book. If you're sick of stuff being sexual and dirty, I wouldn't exactly reccommend that book. I mean, it's not that the book is exactly a sexual and dirty book, but I would say it is very VERY FRANK about teenage lives and what goes on. Maybe it's just me, but I felt highly uncomfortable reading that book, and couldn't enjoy it at all.

My reccommendation would be The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. Now, I'm perfectly aware that everyone who has read it probably read it in fifth or sixth grade, but I'm convinced it's an awesome book for anyone. I myself have read it six times, and that's coming from someone who rarely, if ever, reads books more than once. Granted, it is a very short book, and it's not difficult to read, being written in very simple, common language. However, it makes important points about life and society (perhaps ones that you've heard a million times, but nonetheless important).
I am a big fan of strong, relatable characters, and that is often what captures my attention in books. The characters in The Outsiders were absolutely wonderful, down to earth, relatable, and very likeable. They're the reason why I love the book as much as I do. I get so attatched to them when I read the book, I almost think they're real sometimes.

Anyways, I reccommend The Outsiders to every single person I talk to about books, and so I would encourage you (if you haven't already) to read this simple, but absolutely wonderful and LOVELY and amazing book

Speak by the same person who wrote twisted (author named somewhere above.)
I hated Twisted, it seemed so cliche and shallow, the main character was ridiculously depressed for little reason and seemed to hate his father who seemed pretty typical and fatherly, if anything a little on the easy side.
But Speak really hit all the right notes. I'll paraphrase the part where she cuts herself.
"It looked like I had arm wrestled a thorny bush."
Her writing is so blunt, so devoid of that teenage angst. I really, really recommend this book.
And Kurt Vonnegut's Slapstick was sublime.

Sarah Dessen is good, as someone else said.

I love books by Laurie Halse Anderson. Fever 1793 is the first book of hers that I read. It's historical fiction but it grabbed my attention and was the first book to make me cry.

Norma Fox Mazer has some good books. The ones I've read are from the 90's so you'll probably find them at a used bookstore.

I love Joan Bauer books. The main characters always learn something important. Rules of the Road is my favoirte, also with it's sequel. Backwater is okay but not as good as some of her other books.

I third or whatever An Abundance of Katherines.

Hello!

Hmmm well I would have to second several suggestion...

How I Live Now
Junk
The Book Thief

I loved all three!

Also you could try:

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets- Eva Rice. It's set in the 50's and I loved it. It's easy to read and get into but minus the brainless, airhead sexdrugsgrunge you described

I was a Teenage Fairy - Francesca Lia Block. Definitely quirky! Granted it does involve sex, drugs and so on, however, it wasn't in the same was as in Gossip Girl or any of those books. It has more substance to it and it's different. I really enoyed it!

Hope you find something you like!
Sofi.

If you like paranormal-ish mystery ( I just made that category up) I highly recommend The Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Stolarz.

Or if you like vampire books that are nothing like Twilight you should read the House of Night series. I loved it.

Also I think it might have already been mentioned but anything by Sarah Dessen you should read.

The Looking Glass Wars books are also very good they're by Frank Beddor. They are a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but it is darker than the fairytale.

Cage of Stars and Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard are two of my favorite books.

~peanut

If you enjoy fantasy, Graceling by Kristin Cashore would be amazing for you. It's got a little bit of everything in it. I recently read it (after my sister forced me too ) and enjoyed every bit of it.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is really good too. It's more science fiction because it's set in the future (not too much crazy technology stuff though).

I also second Scott Westerfeld's Uglie's triliogy (with the added book Extras, which isn't really part of the series but still amazing)
The Midnighters series is really good as well and is also by Scott Westerfeld.

If you're into Greek mythology, the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan is perfect. It's really funny, full of adventure and even has a little romance. It's aimed at younger teens but it would entertain anyone who decided to read it.

Good luck with finding amazing books!


~time8keeper

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. City of Bones is the first book. These are honestly the best books I've ever read. They're funny, action packed, and have just enough romance to keep the story good without making me want to throw up. The characters are just amazing. I would definetely recommend it to - well, everyone!

Young adult... um...

The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix was pretty awesome. And, I'm not certain if this is a children's book or teen's, but The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was positively fantastic. I mean, bloody genius. That's one of those books that, I think, will probably go down in history as a classic. I know for a fact that these two are children's books, but Neil Gaiman's Coraline and The Graveyard Book are also both very, very good. :3 I'd suggest looking into them.

Otherwise, I can't think of too much else. I'm afraid I haven't read young adult novels in a while. They've really gone down the gutter.

Hmm, let me think for a moment. (ponders)

Well, most of the books I can think of are for adults, but teens can read them. I'm a big science fiction/fantasy geek, so that's all I can really think of. Anything by Terry Pratchett is hilarious with a disguised commentary on society. Neil Gaiman is pretty good, as well as Douglas Adams. Or better yet, a collaboration of Gaiman and Pratchett in "Good Omens", which was the best book ever. I also (third/double second/however you would second something that's already been seconded) Maximum Ride.

Moving away from sci-fi/fantasy, an actual young adult book that really changed my life was "The Gospel According to Larry" by Janet Tashjian. Also, "Crisscross" by Lynne Rae Perkins was good. It's basically a book about life, but it's somehow very amusing and really good.

There's good books out there, they're just not going to be on the big display case at Barnes and Noble.

BECCAsezhi wrote:Any of Scott Westerfeld's books, not just the Uglies trilogy but all of them.

Here is a short list of books that I have recently read and would recommend to anyone (author's names unknown

Click Here (To See How I Survived Second Grade)
the Maximum Ride books
Faerie Wars

Then some books that I back up are An Abundance of Katherine's and Perks of a Wallflower.

If you're looking for a fantasy-like thing, try the 'Magic in Manhattan Seris'. There's: Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleepingbags, and Parties & Potions. They're written by Sarah Mlynowski. They're great because they have magic in them AND they're teen. Not really any drama or depressing, but they're so much fun to read.

Any of Scott Westerfeld's books, not just the Uglies trilogy but all of them.

Here is a short list of books that I have recently read and would recommend to anyone (author's names unknown

Click Here (To See How I Survived Second Grade)
the Maximum Ride books
Faerie Wars

Then some books that I back up are An Abundance of Katherine's and Perks of a Wallflower.

Oh...crap. I've read plenty of decent teen novels, I just have a hard time remembering them...

Oh! 'Twisted' by Laurie Hale Anderson(I believe that's her name?) was quite good. It was a bit depressing, the main character flirts with suicide quite a few times, but it has a decent plot, and managed to keep my attention. Laurie Hale Anderson has quite a few good novels for teens.

'Rule of the Bone' was alright, too. It swears quite a bit, and the main character is a drug addict, but it really is quite realistic. However, you might have a hard time finding this, as the only copy I found was an old banged up version, that had some water marks and such. I can't remember the author's name, sadly. The style of the book is quite different, too. The main character tends to use run on sentences, but after a while you get used to it, and it fits the story much more than a regular style of writing.

The only 'teen' novel that I can stomach: 'How I Live Now' by Meg Rosoff. It's quirky, beautiful, different, whimsical, elegant...yep.

Okay, wracking my ever-failing memory for YA novels that I enjoyed as a teen:

Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series is easy to breeze through — it's fun awesome sci-fi that is really easy to get into even if you're not a science fiction fan.

Megan Whalen Turner's "The Thief" (and its sequels) is pretty fabulous. It's lightly fantasy but not laid on too thick. The characters are some of my favourites and it's (as I recall) funny and interesting and occasionally twisty.

Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" is another fantastic book. It's not his best but I think it's his only book that's really YA.

Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" is pretty awesome and up for a Hugo this year. And it's available online for free.

I'll second/third/fourth "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".

(I'm omitting the classics because I assume you know all of those.)

Anyway, there are heaps of fantastic YA novels, you just have to find them in all of the unpleasant dredge. Pretty much how it works with all books ever. Good luck!

Haruno Sakura wrote:The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by I forget the author's name?

Try The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak -- it's amazing.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by I forget the author's name?

I second Teague's recommendations.

Ohio Impromptu wrote:Might I suggest The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky? Certainly the best book in the genre you're describing that I ever read.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by I forget the author's name?

Try Tim Bowler's Bloodchild. It's marvelous.

I really enjoyed John Green's novels, especially An Abundance of Katherine's and Looking for Alaska. They are funny and quirky but also have some depth to them as well. Other authors I'd suggest are E. Lockhart (specifically The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and Fly on Wall) and Sarah Dessen (anything by her is good, but my favorites are The Truth About Forever and Just Listen). Both of them are good writers and their novels actually have substance to them.

Might I suggest The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky? Certainly the best book in the genre you're describing that I ever read.