Adult Books for Teens – The Alex Awards

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year’s publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002.
The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust. Edwards pioneered young adult library services and worked for many years at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore. Her work is described in her book Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts, and over the years she has served as an inspiration to many librarians who serve young adults. The Alex Awards are named after Edwards, who was called “Alex” by her friends.
Caring is Creepy (M)
by David Zimmerman
While trying to survive a long boring summer in rural Georgia, Lynn befriends a lonely soldier online. When they meet face to face, tables are turned as Lynn tries to exert power in her out-of-control life. Dangerous, amusing, role-bending, and definitely creepy!

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (M)
by Maria Semple
Through a series of emails, letters, and FBI files, Bee follows the trail of her missing mother to the ends of the earth in this quirky, laugh-out-loud tale.
The Round House (M)
by Louise Erdrich
An attack on 13-year-old Joe’s mother near their North Dakota Ojibwe reservation home leads him and his friends on a quest to solve the crime. This coming-of-age story highlights friendship, family, tradition, and the uneasy relationship between the tribal and white communities.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (M) by Robin Sloan
Clay Johnson loses his web-designer job and begins working the night shift in a bookstore with only a few customers. This marvelous mashup blends mystery, adventure, and romance into a literary and technological tale.

One Shot at Forever (M)
by Chris Ballard
This remarkable story follows the Macon Ironmen, a team of misfits with a hippie coach, through a recordsetting baseball season.
My Friend Dahmer (M) by Derf Backderf

Written by a former classmate of Jeffery Dahmer, this graphic novel illustrates the teenage years of a future serial killer.
Girlchild (M)
by Tupelo Hassman

With only a worn copy of the Girl Scout Handbook for reference, resourceful and tenacious Rory Hendrix must navigate the depressing landscape of a 1970s trailer park where she suffers abuse at the hands of a neighbor and neglect from her mother.
Pure (M)
by Juliana Baggott
In a world destroyed by nuclear detonations, only a privileged few have remained pure. Two teens from different sides of the Dome unite to search for answers to troubling questions about their origins.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home (M)
by Carol Rifka Brunt
June thought she knew everything about her beloved uncle, Finn. After his death from a mysterious new illness called AIDS, his grieving boyfriend delivers Finn’s favorite teapot to June’s door, and she realizes nothing is what she thought it was: not her family, not her uncle, not even herself.
Juvenile in Justice
by Richard Ross
Richard Ross’ riveting photographs give voices to incarcerated youth in juvenile detention centers across America.