THE NATURE OF JADE
by Deb Caletti
Simon & Schuster;ISBN: 9781416910053;$16.99;2007

Jade, an anxious 17-year-old, finds solace in caring for the elephants at the Seattle Zoo even as her parent's marriage comes undone and her attraction to Sebastian, a single father, grows.

Suggested for ages 14 - 18
Subjects: Coming of age

SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU
by Peter Cameron
Frances Foster;ISBN: 9780374309893;$16;2007

Set in upscale Manhattan after September 11, 2001, this first-person account finds eighteen-year-old James curious about another man while his strained relationships with his parents create a counterpoint filled with longing and despair.

Suggested for ages 15 - 19
Subjects: Coming of age

BANG!
by Sharon G. Flake
Jump at the Sun;ISBN: 0786818441;$16.99;2005

The family of 13-year-old Mann struggles to cope with the grief and guilt caused by the random shooting death of Mann’s younger brother Jason two years before.

Suggested for ages 13 - 18
Subjects: African Americans | Coming of age | Death | Inner City | Survival

THE RUINS OF GORLAN: RANGER'S APPRENTICE [AUDIOBOOK]
by John Flanagan
narrated by John Keating
Recorded Books;ISBN: 9781419393990;$77.75;2006

This launch of a four-part fantasy series follows young Will, who after abandoning his dream of Battleschool and knighthood, discovers that the dangerous work of a Ranger is every bit as exciting. Keating’s resonant voice and formal style capture the thrilling pace of the action as well as the heroism of a young boy growing into manhood.

Suggested for ages 14 and up
Subjects: Brothers | Coming of age

KAMPUNG BOY
written and illustrated by  Lat
First Second;ISBN: 9781596431218;$16.95;2006

In this graphic novel based on the cartoonist’s own life, a Malaysian boy recalls his free-spirited childhood in a remote village where he attended Arabic school, cared for his younger siblings, and ran wild with his friends.

Suggested for ages 9 - 13
Subjects: Coming of age

JUMPING THE SCRATCH [AUDIOBOOK]
by Sarah Weeks
narrated by Stephen Spinella
Harper Audio;ISBN: 9780061116537;$24.95;2006

After Jamie loses both his father and his cat, he and his mother move in with ailing Aunt Sapphy. Spinella evenly depicts Jamie's deadened emotional state as he deals with yet another serious blow creating a believable and touching portrait of a young survivor.

Suggested for ages 10 - 14
Subjects: Coming of age

EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS
by Deborah Wiles
Gulliver;ISBN: 0152051139;$16;2005

Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death, since her family owns a small-town Mississippi funeral home. But when tragedy touches her life, this feisty heroine must come to terms with loss as an intricate part of everyone’s life.

Suggested for ages 10 - 14
Subjects: Coming of age | Death | Family life | Grief | Humor