Substance Abuse: Novels for Teens

Angel Dust Blues / by Todd Strasser, 1979

Feeling increasingly alienated from his successful and affluent parents, a 17-year-old boy becomes involved in drug dealing.

The Beast / Walter Dean Myers, 2003

A visit to his Harlem neighborhood and the discovery that the girl he loves is using drugs give sixteen-year-old Anthony Witherspoon a new perspective both on his home and on his life at a Connecticut prep school.

Crosses / Shelley Stoehr, 1991

Unhappy at home, Nancy and her friend Katie adopt punk lifestyles and find relief in cutting themselves, until Nancy is forced to confront her problems.

The Game / Teresa Toten, 2001

In isolation at at a psychiatric treatment center for teens, Dani recovers from the trauma of substance abuse and physical abuse by her father.

Go Ask Alice / Author anonymous, 1971

Based on the diary of a fifteen-year-old drug user chronicling her struggle to escape the pull of the drug world.

The Hanged Man / Francesca Lia Block, 1994

Having stopped eating after the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Laurel feels herself losing control of her life in the hot, magical world of Los Angeles.

A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich / Alice Childress, 1973

The life of a thirteen-year-old Harlem black boy on his way to becoming a confirmed heroin addict is seen from his viewpoint and from that of several people around him.

Incident at Loring Groves / Sonia Levitin, 1988

While partying in an abandoned house with friends who are using drugs, Cassidy and Ken face a difficult decision when they find a classmate murdered and risk implicating themselves if they go to the police.

The Late Great Me / Sandra Scoppettone, 1976

Having thought that drinking would help her make and keep friends, a sixteen-year-old comes to realize that she is no longer in control and seeks help.

Pure Sunshine / Brian James, 2002

A raw confessional which follows Brendan and his friends through two psychedelic days of hanging out in Philadelphia.

Smack / Melvin Burgess, 1996

After running away from their troubled homes, two English teenagers move in with a group of squatters in the port city of Bristol and try to find ways to support their growing addiction to heroin.

Stoner & Spaz / Ron Koertge, 2002

A troubled youth with cerebral palsy struggles toward self-acceptance with the help of a drug-addicted young woman.

Tears of a Tiger / Sharon M. Draper, 1994

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

That Was Then, This Is Now / S. E. Hinton, 1973

Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.

The White Horse / Cynthia D. Grant, 1998

In her writing for a concerned teacher, sixteen-year-old Raina reveals her troubles with a disfunctional family, life on the streets, drug abuse, and finally an unplanned pregnancy.

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