Recommendations based on Marcelo in the Real Worldby Francisco X. Stork

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. American Born Chinese

    by Gene Luen Yang
    Three seemingly unrelated stories converge to explore themes of identity, assimilation, and acceptance in the American-born Chinese experience.

    All Jin Wang wants is to fit in. When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he's the only Chinese American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, ... (Goodreads)

  2. Make Lemonade

    by Virginia Euwer Wolff
    A teenage mother takes a job cleaning for a writer and learns to make the best of her situation.

    An award-winning novel about growing up and making choices, Virginia Euwer Wolff's groundbreaking novel, written in free verse, tells the story of fourteen-year-old LaVaughn, who is determined to go ... (Goodreads)

  3. Graceling

    by Kristin Cashore
    Adventure story of a young girl who discovers her extraordinary abilities and the risks she must take to protect her kingdom.

    This book tells the story of Katsa, a young woman with a "Grace", or power, which enhances her survival skills and makes her a highly efficient killer. It takes place in a world where Gracelings, or ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Code Name Verity

    by Elizabeth Wein
    Two female spies' harrowing mission during WWII and the secrets they discover.

    In 1943 Nazi-occupied France, a British Lysander spy plane crashes in the fictional town of Ormaie. On board are two best friends, a pilot (Maddie, code name: Kittyhawk) and a spy (Julie, code name: ... (Wikipedia)

  5. I Am the Messenger

    by Markus Zusak
    An unassuming young man is unexpectedly thrust into a journey of redemption and courage.

    During a visit to the bank, the protagonist Ed Kennedy, a nineteen-year-old Australian taxi driver, accidentally foils a robbery. After speaking to the police, he is interviewed by local media and ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Chosen One

    by Carol Lynch Williams
    A young girl is forced into a polygamous marriage and must escape to save herself and her family.

    Kyra Carlson is a thirteen-year-old girl who has grown up in an isolated community. She has always ignored the fact that her father has three wives, and that she has twenty siblings, and two more on ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Unwind

    by Neal Shusterman
    A dystopian future world where teenagers are subjected to a “harvesting” process that splits them apart.

    Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives. The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age ... (Goodreads)

  8. Out of the Dust

    by Karen Hesse
    A poetic story of a young girl's endurance through a time of great hardship.

    When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it ... (Goodreads)

  9. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

    by Mildred D. Taylor
    A family's story of struggle and survival during the Great Depression in the segregated American South.

    Nine-year-old Cassie Logan is walking to school with her siblings Stacey (twelve years old), Christopher-John (seven years old), and Little Man,(six years old), in rural Mississippi . Cassie talks ... (Wikipedia)

  10. On the Jellicoe Road

    by Melina Marchetta
    A young girl's search for her identity and her place in the world.

    I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I ... (Goodreads)

  11. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    by Susanna Clarke
    A whimsical tale of two magicians mastering the mysteries of English magic.

    The novel opens in 1806 in northern England with The Learned Society of York Magicians, whose members are "theoretical magicians" who believe that magic died out several hundred years earlier. The ... (Wikipedia)

  12. When You Reach Me

    by Rebecca Stead
    A young girl in 1970s New York City receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. She must unravel the mystery before it's too late.

    Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her ... (Goodreads)

  13. Al Capone Does My Shirts

    by Gennifer Choldenko
    A boy moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935, where his father works as a prison guard, and navigates life with a sister on the autism spectrum.

    Moose Flanagan and his family composed of father Cam, mother Helen, and sister Natalie move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island in 1935. The move was caused by Cam's new job as an electrician and ... (Wikipedia)

  14. The Spectacular Now

    by Tim Tharp
    A high school senior lives in the moment, but his life changes when he falls for a girl who wants more.

    This National Book Award Finalist is now a major motion picture – one of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance 2013, starring Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want ... (Goodreads)

  15. Monster

    by Walter Dean Myers
    A young man's journey through the criminal justice system, and his struggle to find redemption.

    The novel begins with 16-year-old Steve Harmon writing in his diary awaiting for his trial for murder . Musing on his short time in prison so far, he decides to record this upcoming experience in the ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Shepherds Abiding

    by Jan Karon
    A heartwarming Christmas story about the residents of Mitford, as Father Tim tries to restore a Nativity scene.

    The eighth novel in the beloved Mitford series, by the bestselling author of, At Home in Mitford, and, Somebody Safe with Somebody Good, Millions of Americans have found Mitford to be a favorite ... (Goodreads)

  17. Skim

    by Mariko Tamaki
    A teenage girl discovers her identity and sexuality through the struggles of self-discovery and acceptance.

    Skim is a "not slim" sixteen-year-old Japanese-Canadian who is a student at an all-girls Catholic school. She is known as a Goth , and practices Wicca . When popular girl Katie Matthews gets dumped ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Every Soul a Star

    by Wendy Mass
    Three kids from different backgrounds converge at a campground to witness a total solar eclipse, discovering themselves and each other in the process.

    Almost 13-year-old Ally lives at a campsite called The Moon Shadow where she is homeschooled by her parents along with her 10-year-old brother Kenny. Although they don't have phone reception and have ... (Wikipedia)

  19. A Common Life: The Wedding Story

    by Jan Karon
    The wedding of Father Tim and Cynthia, filled with love, laughter, and unexpected surprises.

    The sixth novel in the beloved Mitford series, by the bestselling author of, At Home in Mitford, and, Somebody Safe with Somebody Good, Laughter and wedding bells ring as Jan Karon takes her millions ... (Goodreads)

  20. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

    by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    Two teenage boys explore friendship, identity, and family, with unexpected results.

    The book is divided into six sections. In each part we see the two main characters, Aristotle and Dante, discovering more about themselves, more Aristotle than Dante. 15-year-old Aristotle "Ari" ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Serpent King

    by Jeff Zentner
    Three misfit teenagers explore their identities, faith and the power of friendship.

    This is an Alternate Cover edition for ASIN B00ZNE17D2 Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous ... (Goodreads)

  22. Fade

    by Lisa McMann
    A teenage boy discovers he has the ability to enter people's dreams and alter them, but his power comes with dangerous consequences.

    SOME NIGHTMARES NEVER END. For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are ... (Goodreads)

  23. The One and Only Ivan

    by Katherine Applegate
    A gorilla named Ivan, who lives in a mall, finds hope and freedom through his art and the help of his friends.

    The story is placed at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall by the Video Arcade. Ivan, the gorilla, has lived in captivity at the Big Top Mall for 9,855 days by his own tally. , He lives in his domain, and is ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Wintergirls

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A teenage girl struggles with anorexia and the lingering trauma of her best friend's death.

    Lia Overbrook, an 18-year-old girl, just found out that her ex-best friend Cassie has died. Cassie had called Lia 33 times the night of her death. However, Lia never answered the phone. Cassie was ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Flush

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A humorous tale of a dog named Flush, who helps his owner, a girl named Noah, seek revenge on a polluting casino boat owner.

    The narrator of the story is a teenage boy named Noah Underwood. Noah's father, Paine, a passionate environmentalist, has been arrested for sinking the Coral Queen , a casino boat operated by "Dusty" ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Finnikin of the Rock

    by Melina Marchetta
    After a curse forces him to flee his homeland, Finnikin embarks on a journey to find a lost kingdom and reunite its people.

    Finnikin, Sir Topher and Evanjalin start travelling to Sorel, Finnikin reluctantly. Sir Topher tells Evanjalin the story of the Five Days of Unspeakable. Later, they travel to a town in Sarnak. ... (Wikipedia)

  27. In This Mountain

    by Jan Karon
    A small-town pastor and his family's journey of faith, hope, and love.

    The seventh novel of Karon's beloved series is now available in paperback. Father Tim and Cynthia are back home in Mitford, where they find change in the air: a haircut price war that takes no ... (Goodreads)

  28. Seedfolks

    by Paul Fleischman
    A diverse group of people transform a vacant lot into a community garden, learning about themselves and each other along the way.

    ALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children's Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts A Vietnamese girl ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. Hope Was Here

    by Joan Bauer
    A teenage girl's journey to find a better life, and a better version of herself.

    When Hope and her aunt move to small-town Wisconsin to take over the local diner, Hope's not sure what to expect. But what they find is that the owner, G.T., isn't quite ready to give up yet - in ... (Goodreads)

  30. Lips Touch: Three Times

    by Laini Taylor
    Three tales of forbidden love spanning different times and places.

    Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls: Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only ... (Barnes & Noble)