For the less erudite...

What about SE Hinton? The Outsiders, Rumble Fish? They are adolescent identifiable and reading level which could work well in your situation. Having some good movies available on them as well could be something of an aid after the book is read...or just a nice end to it.
I was going to say Steinbeck, "Of Mice and Men" perhaps but, I think thats falling into your should read catagory so, Ill think on it some more.

Good start! Thank you!

I think "Treasure Island" is magical. I wish I had read it as a teen.
It isn't very difficult and yet very exciting.

The "Harry Potter" series may be a good place to start, or is that too Juvenile for your teens?

Forgive me, but little would be too juvenile for some of them. Every year several confess (and I believe them) they have never read an entire book in their lives. They got by by listening well in classes.

Perhpas I am naive, but I am hoping that once the find that ONE book they can't put down, it may lead to others.

This link takes you to recomended Young Adult Novels.
These are books for students with English as second languge,
not to difficult, but interesting- my kids like them.

http://rezensionen.e-lisa.at/search.php3?modul=YAN&search=1

ul - thank you for the list. The titles look good, but I had a problem reading the summaries of the books (LOL).

How about mysteries or police procedurals (crime solving)? Not that I have any titles at hand, but wanting to find out "who done it" is a primitive start on why to read to the end of a book....

Of course some of them are gory, but, given what teens see at the movies, they already are rather exposed. Some mysteries and procedurals aren't all that gory or violent though. I'll try to think of a few of those.

Let me run it by the Mrs. in awhile, she's pretty connected on this type of topic.

I gotta agree with osso on the wanting to get to the end of a book, having a reason...detective might just be the way.

Hillerman is a good author and his books are detective within Native American areas, usually some maps and interesting tidbits of information.

Hi, Quinn, I meant to acknowledge your comment on some other thread and forgot....yeah, Hillerman could be good. SciFi is possible too, I assume, although my own interest in SciFi is way under zero. Hmm, I did read Vonnegut, Sirens of Titan, for example, but maybe that wouldn't grab teens (hmm, what age, 15?) now.

I once fell hook line and sinker for that english veterinarian's story...All Things Great and Small, and similarly for Watership Down. Sorry to say, those might be, or appear to be, too nice for some. Well, I also read David Copperfield in one sitting, but as easy a read as it is, it would probably put new readers off.

Hard to come up with titles..we are all so different. At fourteen I was reading history of medicine books...

But - I already had read books.

The trouble is, the world of books, once you delve into them, is so much more complex, and even more visually interesting, in your mind, than movies...but it is hard to convey that news to a beginner. I know, I am trying to get my niece to read.

Ah yes, the Sci Fi element with teens would also be of interest...perhaps some Rice?

I know what you mean osso....I had already devoured classics so my mother started handing me her books...which she couldnt read fast enough to keep up with me, so I read more wherever I could find them.

As for the classic more steadfast types of books though, I think that Mark Twain and Steinbeck are a nice way to introduce them.

I think SE Hinton is a good pick.

Chris Crutcher has done a few good ones and since a lot of his works involve sports, they should appeal to young people.

"Stotan" and "Running Loose" are both excellent.

Crutcher is another good pick, yes.

I think I suggested before, Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea series. I was enrapt as a young'n.

excuse me <raising hand>

what's a book?

I didn't get to reading until the neighbor lady, who recognized my problem, started giving me a subscription to Classic Comics, which was a comic book presentation of the classic novels. In junior high and high school I read Treasure Island five times. My folks took the Readers Digest, and I started reading the novel condensations. These you can probably find by the box full at garage sales.

I liked stories and popular histories on the subject of war. WWII and the Civil war are good topics. All young people are interested in sex and romance. Even in junior high school, these were being passed around in my day There is a lot more to choose from today, but I suppose they are tabu in the school environment.

What about Johnny Tremain?

What a great topic Bermie!
There is NOTHING like the
first book that grabs your heart
and soul and when it is over -
you want to cry and scream and
rant and rave and wonder WHY
the story can't keep going on
and on and on. The characters
have become a part of your
inner family.....your little
psyche. Oh, if only the kids of
today learn to love reading like
I did, that would be......
absolutely STUPENDOUS!
I started reading seriously in the
3rd grade when I was erroneously
put to bed for an entire school year
for what my old hometown MD
THOUGHT was mono, but what WAS
in reality juvenile onset rheumatoid
arthritis - untreated. Pearl Buck
books were among my first. I was
always a little unusual as a kid.
My tastes were just not your
average little kid books. I
tried those idiot little girl books,
like Nancy Drew. Yick! If introduced
to any kind of book that seems
remotely interesting to them in
the LIBRARY, where parents ought
take their children regularaly
(I say this only because I did -
and while all my daughters DO
read, that doesn't mean that they
read anything of which I approve)
but what difference does it make,
they ARE READING!!! I saw the first
Harry Potter movie a little while back,
and I may actually read the books -
it has so many kids fascinated and
I do wish to stay "plugged in" to
what moves our future generations.