Issue Date: November 19, 2006

Gift Ideas

Give a teen a book

Tips for making the best picks

A new generation of teen-friendly books is attracting readers 12 and older, so why not consider giving a good book this holiday season? Among the newer teen-aimed book lines worth perusing: Push (Scholastic), Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), Speak and Razorbill (Penguin Group), and Graphia (Houghton Mifflin). How to pick the perfect one? Just think like a teen:

Search online. Teens find good books through word of mouth online, says Diane Roback, children's book editor for "Publishers Weekly." And author blogs and websites (like those by Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot) attract younger readers. "There's so much more interactivity between the authors and the fans," she says.

Ask the experts. Consult librarians, bookstore owners and teachers. Anita Silvey, who wrote "500 Great Books for Teens" (Houghton Mifflin, $26), says teens want good characters, a good story and books that will take them someplace else. Silvey reviewed 6,000 titles before winnowing them down to 500, ranging from classics like "The Catcher in the Rye" to science-fiction and horror, which are among the most popular with teens today, she says.

Reconsider taboo books. Although many books popular among teens have sex, drugs and suicide themes, Silvey says they offer some lessons worth learning: "Sometimes, parents worry, 'Is this the right book?' Often, [teens are] trying out possibilities in a book that they won't have to go out and actually do."

Or, let teens decide. What about a gift certificate to their favorite bookstore? "A fabulous suggestion," Roback says. "Kids like to pick out a book for themselves."

-- Elizabeth Kaye McCall