This volume is designed to aid teachers and librarians in giving book talks and reading guidance to children and young people between the ages of nine and sixteen. The books have been grouped under the following eight themes, which were derived from important goals of adolescent reading: (1) building a world view; (2) overcoming emotional growing pains; (3) earning a living; (4) understanding physical problems; (5) making friends; (6) developing self-reliance; (7) evaluating life; and (8) appreciating books. Ten books for various reading levels and areas of interest are fully discussed under each heading. The material on each book is divided into four sections: (1) plot analysis; (2) a discussion of thematic material; (3) suggestions for appropriate passages for book talks; and (4) a listing of other books that offer a thematic or developmental relationship to the book under discussion. (CL)