Best teen books of 2004
Discover the best teen books of 2004 in this curated list, featuring timeless favorites like *The Tale of Despereaux*, *The City of Ember*, and *The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time*. From thrilling juvenile fiction and gripping nonfiction to unforgettable adventures, explore award-winning titles by Kate DiCamillo and more that defined the year for young readers.
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Mardi Gras in the Moment
by Jason Bentsman
The world has waited decades for a new anti-hero in American fiction, a character who prophesizes the pettiness of American social life at the beginning of the twenty-first century. With Conrad Greyman, a social visionary arrives to illuminate the inequities and shallowness of our social lives now, as the Beats did for their generation.In a musty dorm room at an elite college in upstate New York sleeps Conrad Greyman. He sleeps all the time, in fact. Conrad is a casualty of postmodern malaise and bears hidden wounds he doesnt understand.Mardi Gras tells the fantastic story of Conrads spontaneous trip to the great Southern festival. He finds there, amid the infernal chaos of neon lights and Bourbon, a chance for unlikely redemption. Conrads journey through the mad streets of New Orleans becomes a modern hero-quest, and New Orleans an epic landscape. Conrads adventure is populated by holy fools who come to his aid, menacing frat boys, magical beads, and unadulterated American decadence. In the balance hangs the fate of an inward-looking soul trying to make his way through a fractured, carnivalistic world.
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Keesha's House
by Helen Frost
In this extraordinary debut novel for young adults, Frost stretches the boundaries of traditional poetic forms as she weaves together the stories of seven teenagers who courageously struggle to hold their lives together and overcome their difficulties. Accelerated Reader: Reading Level 4.4, 2 Points.
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Faerie Wars
by Herbie Brennan
Troubled by family problems, Henry finds his life taking a whole new dimension when he and his friend, old Mr. Fogarty, become involved with Prince Pyrgus Malvae who has been sent from the faerie world in order to escape the treacherous Faeries of th
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The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
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An American Plague
by Jim Murphy
Recreates the devastation rendered to the city of Philadelphia in 1793 by an incurable disease known as yellow fever, detailing the major social and political events as well as the time's medical beliefs and practices.
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The City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
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Bloody Jack
by Louis A. Meyer
"While disguised as a boy, Jacky Faber experiences adventure and romance on the high seas"--
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
by Mark Haddon
Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.
