Underground Reading for Teens

                                                                                                                                                                Library Notes

                                                                                                                                                                Marissa Creamer

                                                                                                                                                                July 14, 2013

Underground Reading for Teens

                Teens participating in Rowan Public Library’s summer reading program, “Beneath the Surface,”   are learning about underground cities and tunnels, exploring fossils and gems, and discovering places and things hidden beneath the surface. Taking a slightly different angle on this theme, the following reading selections introduce teens who are operating underground in some manner.  Spanning a variety of genres, all of these books feature teens who are beginning to question the status quo.

Matched” by Allyson Condie:  All of her life, Cassia has never been given a choice about anything. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When Xander appears on-screen at her matching ceremony, Cassia knows he must be her ideal mate—until another face appears for an instant before the screen fades to black.

“The Loud Silence of Francine Green” by Karen Cushman:  It’s 1949, and thirteen-year-old Francine Green lives in "the land of 'Sit down, Francine' and 'Be quiet, Francine’ ” at All Saints School for Girls in Los Angeles.   When she meets transfer student Sophie Bowman, she's inspired for the first time to think for herself about issues in the news: the atomic bomb, peace, communism, and blacklisting. 

 “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow: After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on  San Francisco, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

“Legend” by Marie Lu:  In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, two fifteen-year-olds: Day a famous criminal, and June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

 “Shadowfell” by Juliet Marillier:  Fifteen-year-old Neryn must hide her magical ability in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has outlawed magic and ordered everyone with magical powers be captured. When she sets out for Shadowfell, a training ground for a rebel group, she meets a mysterious soldier and the fairylike Good Folk, who tell her that she alone can save Alban.

“Delirium” by Lauren Oliver:  Lena looks forward to receiving the government mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life. That is, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

You can unearth these and many other great books at Rowan Public Library this summer.