Paranormal tales are hot in YA literature right now.  The bookshelves are filled with zombies, vampires, faeries, werewolves, ghosts, and other creatures you’re not likely to meet on the streets of your own hometown.

I read and enjoyed paranormal stories while I was growing up, and I still enjoy them.  But my favorite books were those about kids dealing not with supervillains, flying, or shape-shifting, but with the troubles my friends and I were more likely to face in our own lives.  I wanted characters who, like me, had no special powers or magic to rely on.

Fortunately, the tradition of contemporary realism in YA has continued with writers such as John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Laurie Halse Anderson (although her latest, Wintergirls, does contain a ghostly presence).  It’s no wonder.  There’s no shortage of material for writers in the world of contemporary realism: family troubles, friend troubles, bullying, unrequited crushes, mean teachers, illnesses, death, drugs and drinking, sex, pregnancy, peer pressure, talents and ambitions, first loves, breakups.  There’s humor as well as tragedy, mystery as well as raw honesty.

The crop of new 2009 YA books is rich with titles from the school of contemporary realism.  A few samples of books that are out now, or will be out this fall:

This Is What I Want to Tell You, Heather Duffy Stone: Sixteen-year-old twins Nadio and Noelle deal with changing friendships, family secrets, and first loves.

Waiting to Score, J.E. MacLeod: A high-school hockey star encounters problems both on and off the rink.

Twenty Boy Summer, Sarah Ockler: A story of friendship, grieving, and romance set in one unforgettable summer.

Breathing, Cheryl Renee Herbsman: A summer romance turns intense, and Savannah must balance her longing for her boyfriend with her own sense of self.

Willow, Julia Hoban: A girl uses cutting to cope with family tragedy, until she finds a new chance at hope.

Flash Burnout, L.K. Madigan: Sophomore and amateur photographer Blake has a girlfriend as well as a friend who’s a girl; his increasingly divided loyalties lead to trouble.

Hate List, Jennifer Brown: The story of the aftermath of a school shooting, told from the point of view of the shooter’s girlfriend.

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1. Connect with Jennifer R. Hubbard: Choices for Reluctant Readers
2. Connect with Jennifer R. Hubbard: The Absent Parent in YA
3. Connect with Jennifer R. Hubbard: Veterans Day Read
4. Connect with Jennifer R. Hubbard: A Weighty Issue
5. Connect with Jennifer R. Hubbard: Summer Reading Surprises