Best 2012 books for teens
Year-end top books of 2012 lists are out. Here's the New York Times top young adult novels:
BITTERBLUE. By Kristin Cashore. (Dial, $19.99.) The companion to "Graceling" and "Fire," this beautiful, haunting and thrilling high fantasy about a young queen and her troubled kingdom stands on its own.
CODE NAME VERITY. By Elizabeth Wein. (Hyperion, $16.99.) This tale of a spy and a fighter pilot during World War II is at heart a story about female friendship.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. By John Green. (Dutton, $17.99.) An improbable but predictably wrenching love story about two teenage cancer patients, written in Green's signature tone, humorous yet heart-filled.
JEPP, WHO DEFIED THE STARS. By Katherine Marsh. (Hyperion, $16.99.) A dwarf at court in 16th-century Denmark is the surprising hero in this novel, which also features the real-life astronomer Tycho Brahe, an eccentric Danish nobleman.
NEVER FALL DOWN. By Patricia McCormick. (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, $17.99.) This novelized memoir tells the tragic but inspiring life story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a boy who was 9 years old when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia.
SON. By Lois Lowry. (Houghton Mifflin, $17.99.) In the conclusion to the dystopian "Giver" quartet, Lowry returns to the story of a mother searching for her lost son. "A quiet, sorrowful, deeply moving exploration of the powers of empathy and the obligations of love," our reviewer said.
What are your favorite novels for teens? What did you read and re-read as a kid?
We're talking about young adult books at 10:20.
-- Stephanie Curtis, social media host
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