The Queen of Everything – Deb Caletti

In the San Juan Islands in Washington State, high school junior Jordan MacKenzie learns about different kinds of love as her divorced father's troubling affair with a married woman ends in tragedy, and she tries to fit into her hippie mother's new family while halfheartedly dating the popular boy at school.

Alice, I Think – Susan Juby

Fifteen-year-old Alice keeps a diary as she struggles to cope with the embarrassments and trials of family, dating, school, work, small town life, and a serious case of "outcastitis."

Shattering Glass – Gail Giles

When Rob, the charismatic leader of the senior class, decides to turn the class nerd into Prince Charming, his cruel challenge leads to violence and death. Vigorous and controversial, Shattering Glass heralds the arrival of a new voice in Young Adult fiction.

Flipped – Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen is at her best here with a knockout cast of quirky characters and a hilarious series of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But underlying the humour are two teens in transition. They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with.

Breathing Underwater – Alexandra Flinn

Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect -- on the outside, at least. What no one knows -- not even his best friend -- is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more from his father than green eyes and money.

Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson

A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect of Melinda's freshman year in high school.

1999 National Book Award Finalist
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Booklist Editors' Choice