Best adult books for high school students 2009.(Recommended readings)

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During the past year, more than three dozen librarians working with teens in public, school, and college libraries have evaluated books published for the adult market with an eye toward identifying those that are worthy of teen reading as well. By examining more than 600 titles, we were able to select about 250 for review across the year. Of these adult books of interest and appropriate to the concerns of high school readers, the following are ones no teen collection should miss. Almost all of them are recommended for browsing as well as offering curriculum-enhancing possibilities. This year, many of the books that grabbed our attention and had us pushing titles at each other (and teens and friends!) speak to concerns about race, war, and the individual's view of a changing world. We found the following fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels are the best adult books for high school students, and believe many will work their way from one teen reader to the next.--Francisca Goldsmith, Chair

FICTION

BAKKER, Gerbrand. The Twin. Archipelago Books. tr. from Dutch by David Colmer. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-9800330-2-1.

Riet chooses to marry athletic, popular Henk over his identical twin, but he dies before the wedding. Stuck on the family farm for years and caring for his aging father, Helmet comes into his own and takes in widowed Riet's teenaged son. Set in the Netherlands, this is a beautifully crafted story of love, loss, and …