Recommendations based on Story of a Girlby Sara Zarr

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. How to Save a Life

    by Sara Zarr
    Two girls from different worlds come together after a tragedy and learn to navigate grief, forgiveness, and the complexities of family.

    Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And ... (Goodreads)

  2. Sweethearts

    by Sara Zarr
    Childhood sweethearts reconnect after years apart, but must confront the secrets and pain that drove them apart.

    After losing her soul mate, Cameron, when they were nine, Jennifer, now seventeen, transformed herself from the unpopular fat girl into the beautiful and popular Jenna, but Cameron's unexpected ... (Goodreads)

  3. Dreamland

    by Sarah Dessen
    A teenage girl's journey of self-discovery, navigating the complexities of relationships and growing up.

    The book is split into three parts. Caitlin O'Koren has just realized that on her 16th birthday, her 18 year-old sister, Cass, has run away. Everybody completely forgets about Caitlin's birthday. Her ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Some Girls Are

    by Courtney Summers
    A high school queen bee becomes the target of bullying after being ousted from her popular clique.

    Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students ... (Goodreads)

  5. Stargirl

    by Jerry Spinelli
    An uplifting story of a unique girl who challenges her classmates to be their true selves.

    The book begins with a brief introduction to the main character, Leo, at an early age, which is followed by his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona when he is 12. Before the move, his ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Feed

    by M.T. Anderson
    In a future where everyone is connected to the internet through their brains, a group of teenagers rebel against the system.

    The novel portrays a near-future in which the feednet , a huge computer network (apparently an advanced form of the Internet), is directly connected to the brains of about 73% of American citizens by ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Such a Pretty Girl

    by Laura Wiess
    A young girl must confront her mother's abuser as he is released from prison.

    They promised Meredith nine years of safety, but only gave her three. Her father was supposed to be locked up until Meredith turned eighteen. She thought she had time to grow up, get out, and start a ... (Goodreads)

  8. This Lullaby

    by Sarah Dessen
    A teenage girl's journey of self-discovery, learning to let go of the past and embrace love.

    Remy is an eighteen-year-old who is about to leave for college. Her father, a musician, wrote his one and only hit song the day she was born. The song, called "This Lullaby," became extremely ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver

    by E. Lockhart
    A teenage girl's journey to find her true self and balance her mental health.

    Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she: , lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list), , lost her best friend ... (Goodreads)

  10. Twisted

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A young girl's struggle for justice against a high school culture of silence and victim-blaming.

    High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on ... (Goodreads)

  11. Hold Still

    by Nina LaCour
    A young girl navigates the grief of losing her best friend through photography and self-discovery.

    An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction. dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t. ... (Goodreads)

  12. I Am the Messenger

    by Markus Zusak
    An unassuming young man is unexpectedly thrust into a journey of redemption and courage.

    During a visit to the bank, the protagonist Ed Kennedy, a nineteen-year-old Australian taxi driver, accidentally foils a robbery. After speaking to the police, he is interviewed by local media and ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Liar & Spy

    by Rebecca Stead
    A young boy's journey of self-discovery, navigating the complexities of bullies and friendships.

    The day that Georges (with a silent s, named for Georges Seurat ) moves from a house to an apartment with his family, he sees a boy walking two dogs, disappearing into a locked door under the lobby ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Boy Meets Boy

    by David Levithan
    A teenage love story between two boys in a utopian world where being gay is the norm.

    Openly gay high school sophomore Paul lives in a LGBT-friendly small town in New Jersey. He is best friends with Joni, whom he has known since early childhood and to whom he came out in second grade, ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Someone Like You

    by Sarah Dessen
    A story of friendship, love, and loss. Two best friends navigate through life's challenges and unexpected events.

    The book is split into three parts. Halley and Scarlett Thomas live in directly opposite houses and both had jobs at Milton's Market. At the beginning of the summer, Scarlett starts dating Michael ... (Wikipedia)

  16. When You Reach Me

    by Rebecca Stead
    A young girl in 1970s New York City receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. She must unravel the mystery before it's too late.

    Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her ... (Goodreads)

  17. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

    by E. Lockhart
    A teenage girl's mission to challenge the status quo, finding her own power within a boys' club.

    Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14: Debate Club. Her father's "bunny rabbit." A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school. Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15: A knockout figure. A ... (Goodreads)

  19. Unsheltered

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    Two families, living in different centuries, struggle to survive in a crumbling house and a changing world. A poignant exploration of family, community, and the human condition.

    21st century: 19th century (some modelled on real persons): Writing in the New York Times , Meg Wolitzer , says this book "lures us into" this story about a house and the two different families that ... (Wikipedia)

  20. American Born Chinese

    by Gene Luen Yang
    Three seemingly unrelated stories converge to explore themes of identity, assimilation, and acceptance in the American-born Chinese experience.

    All Jin Wang wants is to fit in. When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he's the only Chinese American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

    by Sherman Alexie
    A collection of interconnected short stories about life on the Spokane Indian Reservation, exploring themes of identity, loss, and survival.

    In this darkly comic short story collection, Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, brilliantly weaves memory, fantasy, and stark realism to paint a complex, grimly ironic portrait of life ... (Goodreads)

  22. Girl in Hyacinth Blue

    by Susan Vreeland
    A painting's journey across time, connecting with its owners and revealing its secrets.

    A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to view a painting he has kept secret for decades in Susan Vreeland's powerful historical novel, Girl in Hyacinth Blue . The ... (Goodreads)

  23. Bel Canto

    by Ann Patchett
    A story of redemption and transformation amidst a hostage crisis.

    Set in an unspecified South American country, , the story begins at a birthday party thrown at the country's vice presidential home in honor of Katsumi Hosokawa, the visiting chairman of a large ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Fever 1793

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A young girl's fight for survival in the midst of a deadly fever epidemic in Philadelphia.

    An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia in this novel from Laurie Halse Anderson where "the plot rages like the epidemic itself" ( The New York Times Book Review ). ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

    by David Wroblewski
    An epic tale of family and loyalty set in a rural Wisconsin landscape.

    Forte's Children Edgar comes from a line of dog breeders. After buying a farm, his grandfather, John Sawtelle, rents out the farmland and starts dog breeding . He and his wife have two sons, Edgar's ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

    by Robin McKinley
    An unconventional retelling of a classic fairytale, exploring themes of love and transformation.

    Roderick Huston, a wealthy merchant and widower, has three daughters; Grace, Hope, and Honour. When Honour was a child she asked what her name meant and afterwards said she'd rather be named Beauty, ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    by Kate DiCamillo
    Edward, a china rabbit, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning the power of love.

    Edward Tulane is a china rabbit given to a ten-year-old girl named Abilene , by her grandmother in the 1930s. He enjoys a pleasant but vain life with his young mistress, who treats him with the ... (Wikipedia)

  28. A Great and Terrible Beauty

    by Libba Bray
    A Victorian-era boarding school girl discovers a hidden world of magic and danger. She must navigate the treacherous waters of power and desire.

    Gemma Doyle, the series' protagonist, is forced to leave India after the death of her mother to attend a private boarding school in London. On her sixteenth birthday, Gemma and her mother stroll ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Deadly Little Secret

    by Laurie Faria Stolarz
    High school student Camelia starts receiving threatening notes and becomes entangled in a dangerous game of obsession and secrets.

    Some secrets shouldn't be kept... Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty ... (Goodreads)

  30. Something, Maybe

    by Elizabeth Scott
    Hannah discovers her father is a famous politician and tries to find her place in his world while navigating first love and family secrets.

    Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and ... (Goodreads)