Life Isn’t Easy: Realistic Fiction (and a Biography) for Teens

**Some books contain mature situations and language**

PLEASE BE ADVISED - These award-winning and notable books deal frankly with serious social topics and issues, and are suitable for mature teen readers. They may be challenging for younger teens.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
“It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache…” A traumatic event at the end of summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year, leaving her with no friends and little hope. She chooses to become mute to cope with her mounting depression.

Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard
"I have a theory that every fourth person will give me money..." Kicked out by his mom, Dylan is homeless with nothing but his backpack, his friends on the street and his theories about the way the world works and why people do what they do.

Stained by Jennifer Richard Jacobsen
“I’m the first to arrive again. I lock my bike out back and plunk down on the chipped cement steps that lead to the kitchen…” Joss looks for answers when her lifelong neighbor and friend, Gabe, turns up missing and she learns that, while her boyfriend has been telling everything to a priest, Gabe has been keeping terrible secrets .

Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
“Tackled from the rear, Grady buckled, pitching forward to the ground – his arms grabbed and jerked up…” After being brutally attacked, Grady goes to a new high school where he meets an outgoing new friend and several other students who try to help him deal with the horrible secret that is robbing him of his life.

Nailed by Patrick Jones
“'Bret, what the hell is wrong with you?' I stand mute for a moment as my dad shakes his head. 'What do you mean?' I reply, playing Mr. Innocent without much conviction…" Bret is a true individual – which makes him stand out like a nail in his hometown where conformity reigns. But oftentimes, the nail that sticks out the furthest often get hammered down the hardest.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
“The way it looks is not the way it is. Gigi Boudakian is screaming at me so fearsomely, I think I could just about cry…" Keir is a good guy. When his childhood friend--and love of his life--accuses him of rape, he is certain that he's innocent, and that she is mistaken. But sometimes people aren’t all that they seem to be.

Rx by Tracy Lynn
“Cheese!” A strobe of red followed by a flash of bright white, hopefully bouncing off my teeth and sparkling in my eyes. I tried not to giggle…" Thyme is at the top of her class – but she thinks she needs a little extra help. She begins taking Ritalin, and soon finds herself at the center of a prescription drug trading ring at her school.

Cut by Patricia McCormick
"you say it's up to me to do the talking. you lean forward, place a box of tissues in front of me, and your black leather chair groans like a living thing…"  While confined to a mental hospital in the company of other girls with eating disorders and drug problems, Callie slowly comes to understand some of the reasons behind her self-mutilation.

Jailbait by Leslea Newman
“ Greenwood. What a stupid name. First of all, wood is brown, not green, and second of all, who makes up these dumb names anyway?..." In 1971, unpopular and lonely Andi--teased at school for her large breasts and ignored at home --builds a fantasy romantic life around her clandestine relationship with a man in his thirties.

Under the Wolf, Under the Dog by Adam Rapp
“How to start. Okay. Here it goes. Mrs. Leene said I should begin by describing myself…" Steve is at Burnstone Grove. It's a place for kids who are addicts or for kids who have tried to commit suicide, but he doesn't really fit in either group. He has to figure out who he is by examining who he was.

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon – YA Biography Runyon
"I'm awake, listening to the radio and Mom is yelling at me to get out of bed. I don’t want to get out of bed…"  Brent Runyon was fourteen when he set himself on fire. In this true story, he describes that suicide attempt and his recovery over the following year as he plans to re-enter society.

Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
“I met the Walker three weeks before my mother's wedding, but I'd seen him lots of times before that. Everybody saw him. You couldn't help it…" Sandpiper is a girl with a reputation, so no one defends her when an old boyfriend begins to harass her, because they believe she deserves it. When a mysterious boy who walks constantly, intervenes, their lives become entwined in ways that change them both.