Election day is fast approaching. Are you eligible to vote? Voting is one of the most important American rights, and if you’re eighteen or older, you’ve gotta get out there on Tuesday November 4th! Teen voices count! Even if you’re not old enough, you can talk to friends and family who are, tell them what you think about the candidates, and ask them to tell you what they think, too!
To get you in a voting mood, here are some great teen novels BookKids has to offer on politics, patriotism, and the right to vote!
Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
I want to start off with one of my favorite books of 2008. In Barry Lyga’s latest book Kevin is revered as a hero in his school after saving a girl from a murderer. As a reward, he is given a car from the local dealership, which comes with “support the troops” ribbon magnets on the bumper. But when Kevin gets home, his dad, an Iraq War veteran, tells him to take them off. Suddenly everyone at school is against him. Meanwhile the truth about why he really saved his classmate is eating at Kevin – he was stalking her, and just so happened to be watching her when she was attacked. Kevin has to face his demons while battling uphill in a debate at school – what makes a patriot? – while his friends are trying to pull off the biggest pranks of their career. This is a very important, exciting book. Every school library needs a copy and every teen needs to give it a look.
Wide Awake by David Levithan
This book takes place in the future, where a gay, Jewish man has been elected president. Jimmy and Duncan, a couple, couldn’t be happier. But one governor has declared that the results in his state are invalid, and Jimmy and Duncan are outraged. Through their support of their candidate, they learn more about their country, their relationship and each other.
All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
In this novel from Princess Diaries Author, Meg Cabot, Samantha Maddison has just saved the president from an assassination attempt. In addition to dealing with her numerous other issues – like her popular sister, whose boyfriend she’s in love with – she’s now been appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, which isn’t her idea of fun. Just to make matter’s worse, she thinks the president’s son might be in love with her.
Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer 
Hope’s mother abandoned her as a baby and has been raised by her aunt, moving around the country from restaurant to restaurant. In a small town in Wisconsin, Hope, now a teenage waitress, finds herself in the middle of a mayoral election. Hope may discover that moving to this town will change her life forever in ways she couldn’t have imagined. This Newberry Honor book is one you won’t want to put down.
Madeline
Meghan
peterwesley