Akbar, Said Hyder. Come Back to Afghanistan.

The author describes his experience as an American teenager when he traveled to Afghanistan to see his father, who was the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai and then became the governor of Kunar.

Listen to interview with Said Akbar on This American Life.

Almond, Steve. Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

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(Used by permission from the Green Mt. Book Award Committee, Green Mt. Book Award Handbook, 2007-2008)

Almond follows his delicious obsession across America, chewing on such weighty matters as product placement, mega-corporations, and the dilemma posed by chocolate-covered coconut as he dips into the stories behind a handful of regional specialties, including Vermont's own Lake Champlain Chocolates. A hip and sometimes flip voice enrobes a sometimes dark and rocky road story.

Dessen, Sarah. The Truth About Forever.

The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work as the library and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and finally faces her grief.

Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind.

Gaiman, Neil. Anansi Boys.

A semi-realistic fantasy that blends African myth and contemporary Afro-American/Afro-British culture in a story about an accountant who loses the father who caused him terminal embarrassment, gains a brother he never knew he had, and finds true love.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska.

Sixteen-year-old Miles′ first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks.

Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn.

Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.