Realistic fiction for teens

Stories about teens dealing with problems.

This booklist was contributed by Appleton Public Library Reference and Information Services Staff, 3/07 

Drug and alcohol use and abuse

The Beast by Walter Dean Myers(2003)A visit to his Harlem neighborhood and the discovery that the girl he loves is using drugs give sixteen-year-old Anthony Witherspoon a new perspective both on his home and on his life at a Connecticut prep school.

Bottled up : a novel by Jaye Murray(2003)A high school boy comes to terms with his drug addiction, life with an alcoholic father, and a younger brother who looks up to him.

Crackback by John Coy(2005)Miles barely recalls when football was fun after being sidelined by a new coach, constantly criticized by his father, and pressured by his best friend to take performance-enhancing drugs.

Go ask Alice(1971)A fifteen-year-old drug user chronicles her daily struggle to escape the pull of the drug world.

Rooftop by Paul Volponi(2006)From the acclaimed author of "Black and White" comes a new novel about an urban youth working to earn his GED and kick his drug habit. Trouble comes to a head one tragic night on a rooftop when his estranged cousin, who has shown up for rehab, is shot by the police.

Runner by Carl Deuker(2005)Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk.

Stoner & Spaz by Ronald Koertge(2002)A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a drug-addicted young woman.

Tears of a tiger by Sharon M. Draper(1994)John Steptoe Award for New Talent winner.
The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

True confessions of a Hollywood starlet : a novel by Lola Douglas(2005)Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to a small midwestern town to recuperate anonymously after an overdose and rehabilitation, recording her thoughts in a diary.