Web Sites for Teens

ALAN Online  
The site for the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English. ALAN is dedicated to the study of YA literature.

Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents
Search the database of more than 6,000 recommended books in Spanish for children and adolescents published around the world as well as recommended books in English about Latinos.

Doucette Index: K-12 Literature-Based Teaching Ideas  
Provides links to web sites and other resources which provide teaching ideas and lesson plans for over 400 children’s and young adult books.

Guys Read
A literacy initiative for boys started by author Jon Scieszka to encourage reading among boys all of ages. The site includes tips on promoting reading for parents, librarians, booksellers, and educators; reading lists for boys; and a forum area for site users to add recommendations.

IPL Teenspace: Books & Writing
Links to recommended reading for teens as well as information about authors, writing, and more.

Pink Books  
This is an online bibliography that lists young adult books of interest to GLBT teens.

Literacy Matters
A great set of resources to support the effective integration of young adult literature into the curriculum.

Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists
A site of annotated booklists especially for teens. Created and maintained by a librarian who provides extensive annotations for the books, and a way for teens to make their own suggestions.

Reading Room  
The IPL Reading Room provides links to online books, magazines, and newspapers. The collection is limited to those books and magazines that are available for free on the Internet.

Teenreads.Com: The Book Bag  
Offers reviews and a place where teens can sound off about the books and issues of interest to them.

The Songs Inspired By Literature (SIBL) Project
The SIBL Project seeks to use the language of music to inspire people to learn to read and write. The site includes lesson plans and a list of over 250 rock artists, their songs, and the titles of literature that were the influence behind the songs. From the nonprofit group Artists for Literacy.

Web Sites for Book Lovers
An annotated directory of online bestseller lists, booklists, book awards sites, book discussion resources, genre fiction sites, online literary magazines, and more. Includes links to other libraries' reader's advisory pages. From the Morton Grove (Illinois) Public Library's Webrary.

YALSA's Booklists & Book Awards  
View the latest booklists for all of YALSA's selected lists, including Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Previous year's lists and awards are also available. Annotated lists are available from the For Members Only  portion of YALSA's web site.

Web Sites for Teens

The Diary Project
http://www.diaryproject.com/
The Diary Project is an archive of anonymous journal entries in 24 categories including relationships, body image, and self-esteem. The site’s goal is to encourage communication amongst teens of all cultures and backgrounds, provide peer-to-peer support, stimulate discussion, and generate feedback that can help ease some of the concerns encountered along the way.

dMarie Time Capsule
http://dmarie.com/timecap/
Create your own online time capsule.  Enter a date, pick from the top headlines and famous people born, top hits, top TV shows, hot new toys released, and top books released.  When you are finished, print out the page.  It includes extra info like who was president and the prices for bread, gas, stamps, and the minimum wage.

Guinness Book of World Records
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
Web version of the popular record book. Includes a place to submit your own records and record attempts.

The Merchants of Cool
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/
The website of the Frontline program on the relationship between marketing professionals -- the creators and sellers of popular culture -- and the teenage market, the hottest demographic in America. The program poses the question of which comes first - the attitude or the desire for the attitude?  Teens drive the economy, but are teens really driving their own interests?

Microsoft Terra Server
http://terraserver-usa.com/
Look through cameras placed all over the globe.  Now, find your place on the map!  Zoom in down to your house from a satellite’s point of view.

National Youth Advocacy Coalition
http://www.nyacyouth.org
This organization advocates for and with young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). It's "Youth Connections" page (http://www.nyacyouth.org/nyac/youth_connections.html) contains links to  programs and resources nationwide. The site has a strong focus on social justice, teen physical and mental health, and racial equity.

Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Learn about all the different types of careers and how to get involved in them with this tool from the US Bureau of Labor Services.

Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com
The site that examines not only the truth or reality behind urban legends, "but also common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items."

The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com
Archive of over 2,000 questions answered in Cecil Adam's Chicago Reader Column. Example: Why do we call it the "bathroom," even when it has no tub?

Teen Consumer Scrapbook
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer
Sponsored by the Washington State Attorney General's Office and written by teens, this consumer guide addresses topics especially of interest to teens -- modeling scams, CD clubs, piercing, sports drinks, tanning, driving laws, scholarship scams, and a host of other relevant concerns and issues.

Teenwire
http://www.teenwire.com/
Sexuality and relationship information from Planned Parenthood of America. also En Espanol.

Youth at Work: Real World, Real Rights!
http://www.youth.eeoc.gov/cases.html
Read about recent court cases involving teen workers and their rights (sexual harrasment, discrimination, etc.).  From the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Youth Noise
http://www.youthnoise.com/
Nonprofit affiliated with Save the Children Federation, provides teens with a forum to express themselves and take action. Includes message boards and more.