Life Issues

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Teen Health & Wellness
(You'll need a library card to access this database.) A comprehensive database where Teens can research health-related issues important to their well-being. Both a research/report tool and a self-help resource, it includes
AVERT
AVERT is an international HIV and AIDS charity based in the UK, with the aim of AVERTing HIV and AIDS worldwide.
The Center for Young Women's Health - Children's Hospital Boston
A guide to healthy relationships.
Cool Nurse
Cool Nurse was created to help today's Teen and young adult achieve and maintain a high level of health, fitness and well-being. Includes information about having healthy relationships as well as many other health-related topics.
Teen Relationships
A website about relationships for Teens by Teens that includes information about what it means to be in a healthy relationship and suggestions for what to do if you're not.
TeenHelp.org
An anonymous support and advice site where anyone can come for help with a problem or question.
Teenwire.com
An award-winning sexual health website for Teens.

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Fiction

Vizzini, Ned. Be more chill.
Fiction Vizzini Teen 2004
Badly in need of self-confidence and a change of image, high school nerd Jeremy Heere swallows a pill-sized super computer that is supposed to help him get whatever he wants.
Langan, Paul. Blood is thicker.
Fiction Langan Pbk Teen 2004
Hakeem Randall can't take it anymore. First he learns that his father is sick and that his parents can no longer afford their home. Then he finds out he has to leave his friends at Bluford High and move in with his uncle in faraway Detroit--where he has to share a bedroom with his moody, secretive cousin Savon. Once childhood friends, he and Savon have since grown apart--and they're headed for a confrontation that promises to change their lives forever.
Clarke, Kathryn. The breakable vow.
Fiction Clarke 2004
After eighTeen-year-old Annie becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she marries her boyfriend, but slowly realizes that he is abusive and that she must decide what she can and will do about the relationship and to keep her daughter and herself safe. Includes information on the characteristics of abusive relationships and how to end them.
Scott, Kieran. Brunettes strike back.
Fiction Scott Teen 2006
Still the only non-blonde on her Florida cheerleading squad, sixTeen-year-old Annisa makes some decisions about how far she will go to fit in with her team while also staying true to herself.
Hopkins, Ellen. Burned.
Fiction Hopkins Teen 2006
SevenTeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the summer, where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose everything when she returns home.
Peters, Julie Anne. Define normal: a novel.
Fiction Peters Teen 2000
When she agrees to meet with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle school, Antonia never dreams that this girl with the black lipstick and pierced eyebrow will end up helping her deal with the serious problems she faces at home and become a good friend.
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland.
Fiction Dessen Teen 2000
After her older sister runs away, sixTeen-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, girls, & dangerous pie.
Fiction Sonnenblick Child 2005
When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirTeen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family.
Mackler, Carolyn. The earth, my butt, and other big, round things.
Fiction Mackler Teen 2003
Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, fifTeen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.
Hannah, Kristin. Firefly Lane.
Fiction Hannah 2008
Inseparable best friends Kate and Tully, two young women who, despite their very different lives, have vowed to be there for each other forever, have been true to their promise for thirty years, until events and choices in their lives tear them apart.
Ferris, Aimee. Girl overboard.
Fiction Ferris Teen 2007
Marina joins a group of international Teens for a semester at sea in the Caribbean, learning about marine life and resolving some issues about her relationships and her future.
Beaudoin, Sean. Going nowhere faster.
Fiction Beaudoin Teen 2008
Although his past accomplishments have convinced everyone else he is headed for college and greatness, sevenTeen-year-old Stan just wants to work at Happy Video, live in his parents' basement, and write a movie script--until something unexpected happens to change his mind.
Noel, Katharine. Halfway house.
Fiction Noel 2006
Angie Voorster is a diligent student and all-star swimmer, but her entire world changes when it becomes apparent that she has been stricken with a mental illness, in a story of how families live through crisis.
Dessen, Sarah. Just listen: a novel.
Fiction Dessen Teen 2006
Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she has not been truthful with them, sixTeen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.
Sher, Abby. Kissing snowflakes.
Fiction Sher Teen 2007
FifTeen year old Samantha spends winter break with her brother, father, and impossibly perfect new step mom at a Vermont ski lodge. She deals with resentment of her new family situation, social awkwardness, her first real kiss, and decisions about drinking and sex.
Dessen, Sarah. Lock and key: a novel.
Fiction Dessen Teen 2008
When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with Cora, the sister she has not seen for ten years, and learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she too has something to offer others.
Brian, Kate. Megan Meade's guide to the McGowan boys.
Fiction Brian Teen 2005
While her military parents are stationed in South Korea, high school junior Megan learns a great deal about boys and herself when she moves to Massachusetts to live with family friends who have seven sons.
Margles, Samantha. The perfect moment.
Fiction Margles Teen 2007
Having missed her chance before Jake went to Canada for the summer, Addie decides to take advantage of his being back for a family wedding to tell him how she feels about him. Now, all she has to do is get to Chinatown, crash the wedding, and tell Jake how she feels. How hard could it be?
McDaniel, Lurlene. Prey.
Fiction McDaniel Teen 2008
Told from their separate points of view, fifTeen-year-old Ryan has a secret affair with his thirty-three-year-old history teacher at an Atlanta high school, and his best friend Honey becomes determined to uncover the reason he is increasingly distant.
Wasserman, Robin. Sloth.
Fiction Wasserman Teen 2006
When one of the seven Teens die, the other six from Haven High have a hard time handling the loss and, despite their desire to find out who and what is behind the vicious act, turn to drinking and other self-destructive behavior in order to avoid finding out the painful facts.
Goldblatt, Stacey. Stray: a novel.
Fiction Goldblatt Teen 2007
Natalie's mother, a veterinarian with a dogs-only practice, has the sixTeen-year-old on such a short leash that, when the Teenaged son of her old school friend comes to stay with them for the summer, Natalie is tempted to break her mother's rules and follow her own instincts for a change.
Hollyer, Belinda [Editors]. You're the best: 14 stories about friendship.
808.83 Y887 2006 Teen
From true best friends to rivals, a thought-provoking collection of fourTeen original stories features contributions from writers around the world--all of whom share their candid views on the complexities of friendship.

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Nonfiction

Mannarino, Melanie. The boyfriend clinic: the final word on flirting, dating, guys, and love.
646.7708352 M3161b 2000
Offers advice to teenage girls with questions about how to get a boyfriend and what to do once you've got one.
Canfield, Jack, et al. [Editors]. Chicken soup for the Teenage soul IV: stories of life, love, and learning.
158.12808 C4329 2004 Teen
Inspirational stories on life, love, and learning for teens, including contributions by teens.
Canfield, Jack, et al. [Editors]. Chicken soup for the Teen soul: real stories by real Teens.
158.12808 C4329 2007 Teen
Teenagers write honestly and poignantly about the issues they face and how they overcame them with strength and insight. Delving into the corners of their souls, these poems and personal experiences reveal special moments--a first kiss, the loss of a friend, a chance meeting, or that connection with a special teacher, grandparent, or even a pet.
Canfield, Jack, et al. [Editors]. Chicken soup for the Teenage soul's the real deal: challenges: stories about disses, losses, messes, stresses & more.
158.12808 C4329 2006 Teen
Teenagers share stories about some of the challenges they have faced in life and how they survived them. Includes facts, tips, advice, and quizzes.
Canfield, Jack, et al. [Editors]. Chicken soup for the Teenage soul's the real deal: friends: best, worst, old, new, lost, false, true, and more.
158.25 C4329 2005 Teen
An edition to the teen Chicken Soup series focuses on the ups and downs of teen friendships: making them, keeping them, fighting them, losing them, helping them, and competing with them.
Desetta, Al. [Editors]. The courage to be yourself: true stories by Teens about cliques, conflicts, and overcoming peer pressure.
305.235 C833 2005 Teen
Essays by teenagers describe their personal experiences with and thoughts on discrimination, harassment, stereotypes, and self-esteem.
Lookadoo, Justin. Dateable: are you? are they?
306.70835 L8726d 2003 Teen
Explores teen dating from a Christian perspective, including how to determine whether a relationship is worth pursuing, and how to redirect one's passion toward life goals and trust the Creator to bring one's true love.
Kelly, Tara E. Dating and relating: a guy's guide to girls.
646.77 K298d 2000
Discusses boys' relationships to girls as they begin adolescence, including puberty, friendships, dating, and sex.
Busby, Cylin. Getting dumped and getting over it!.
646.77 B9602g 2001
Explores what it can feel like when a boy ends a relationship and how to deal with those feelings, including suggestions from girls who have survived break-ups.
Hands on!: 33 more things every girl should know: skills for living your life from 33 extraordinary women.
646.700835 H1926 2001
Shares stories by thirty-three women offering inspiration in careers and relationships as well as practical advice about such things as car maintenance, investing, why taking care of your body now is important for good health later, reasons to get a mentor, and more.
Packer, Alex J. The how rude! handbook of friendship & dating manners for Teens: surviving the social scene.
395.123 P127h 2004
Mixes humor and frank responses to answer teens' questions about the basics of polite behavior with friends and more-than-friends, both male and female.
Carnegie, Donna Dale. How to win friends and influence people for Teen girls.
158.20835 C2152h 2005 Teen
A guide for teenage girls counsels readers on how to navigate the pitfalls of adolescence with advice on such areas as peer pressure, gossip, and popularity.
Doe, Jon. Jon & Jayne's guide to making friends & "getting" the guy (or girl).
306.73083 D67j 2008 Teen
Provides advice for teenagers on such topics as appearance, self-esteem, relationships, cliques, and family.
Espeland, Pamela. Life lists for Teens: tips, steps, hints, and how-tos for growing up, getting along, learning, and having fun.
646.700835 Es64L 2003
Hundreds of lists provide guidance in areas of young adult life as diverse as selecting a book or a hair color to selecting a mentor.
Zielin, Lara. Make things happen: the key to networking for Teens.
646.700835 Z63m 2003
Explains the nature of social networks and the advantages that come from networking, and provides advice on successful networking techniques and ways to overcome the fear of approaching people.
Blatt, Jessica. The Teen girl's gotta-have-it guide to boys: from getting them to getting over them!.
306.73083 B6134t 2007 Teen
A guide to dating for teenage girls covers such topics as knowing if a guy is right for them, flirting, dealing with friends, kissing, and breaking up.
Blatt, Jessica. The Teen girl's gotta-have-it guide to embarrassing moments: how to survive life's cringe-worthy situations! .
646.70835 B6134t 2007 Teen
A guide for how teenage girls can avoid embarrassing situations, and how to deal with them when they happen anyway.
Blatt, Jessica. The Teen girl's gotta-have-it guide to social survival: how to have fun and feel confident in any situation.
646.70083 B6134t 2007 Teen
Presents a guide for teenage girls on handling tricky social situations, including fights with friends, starting conversations, public speaking, teasing, and liking the same guy as a friend.
Hernández, Roger E. Teens & relationships.
158.20835 H4308t 2005 Teen
Uses data from the Gallup Youth Survey and other sources to examine issues related to teens and their relationships with parents and peers. Teenagers have many different kinds of relationships: with their parents and grandparents, with their brothers or sisters, with their friends, and even with romantic partners. In contrast to media portrayals of teen life, the Gallup Youth Survey indicates that the lives of most young people are not filled with angst and rebellion. This book examines American youth culture and its role in the relationships of young people, and explores how most teens view their interactions with others.

Updated December 2008

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