New York Reads: Young Adult Fiction

From Lois Lowry's The Giver to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, young adult fiction has been gripping the hearts of readers of all ages for decades... and each one carries us all over this and endless other worlds. In addition to the now infamous Forks of the Twilight Saga and the diverse AE districts of the Hunger Games series, there are also some fantastic YA reads set right here in New York City.

The Geography of You and Me
In Jennifer E. Smith's contemporary novel of love and distance, two teenagers meet while stranded in an elevator during a power outage. Once rescued, they embark on a wonderful adventure through a New York cast in darkness. But when the power's restored, reality returns and they must return to their regular lives. This is a truly lovely story about love withstanding the tests of time.

It's Kind of a Funny Story
This powerful book by Ned Vizzini (which was recently adapted to the big screen) tells the story of Craig, a driven but depressed fifteen-year-old whose recurring thoughts of suicide lead him to an enlightening stay at a psychiatric hospital. Vizzini himself spent some time in just such a facility, so the novel is not only artfully written but rife with moments of raw truth.

Photo courtesy of ratherbereadingblog.com