Borrowing from some Longstockings

The Longstockings blog typically has question of the days that I find enjoyable to read. That is nothing new. But today, they had a question that I really wanted to have some fun with...

Question of the Day: I am an English teacher desperate to get up to speed on my YA lit. You are always suggesting different books, and with what little time I have, I do my best to keep up. My question is what "MUST READ" books would you include in a primer dedicated to YA or on a syllabus for a YA course? Thanks Longstockings!

I agree with their choice of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Looking for Alaska by John Green also made their list.
I agree that What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones belongs there.
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison even belongs there--the first one--for its originality.

But here are the choices I would add:

The list would be incomplete without attention to SARAH DESSEN. No one writes *better* YA romance than Dessen. It's a fact. Teens adore Dessen. And anyone training to work with this age group (teachers, librarians) needs to be familiar with this author. I would say any Dessen title would do. But my personal favorite is The Truth About Forever.

I would say one of the these three by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Peeps, So Yesterday). Westerfeld is very popular. And his work is wonderful.

I would also say that Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a must.

And I would also recommend Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It really is just an unforgettable book. So different from the typical read.

I would also say that the list needs Bauer. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. Although many of her books are list-worthy.

For historical fiction, I personally don't think it gets better than Carolyn Meyer. Although Ann Rinaldi is pretty amazing.

I would say a course needs to have a bit of everything: historical, fantasy, realistic, science fiction, romance, etc.