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Wall of Books: A Metric Ton of Short YA Books (220 pages or less!) 

9/3/2012

22 Comments

 
Today, I was perusing the shelves at a branch of my library system when I witnessed what I'd like to call a "tiny book travesty." As you can see in the reenactment to the right, tiny books get overshadowed by their hardcover oppressors, their why-am-I-paying-$15-for-a-paperback cousins, and they are even dwarfed by most mass market paperbacks. I don't think a lot of shorter books get enough play for many reasons, not least of all that they have lower visibility because they are smaller in size. However, If you're someone like me who gets depressed that you'll never have enough time to read all the books you dream of reading...
          
Picture
Bookshelf of all sorts of books
On my fake shelf, all the genres are mixed together. *gasp*
Four short books are equal to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
then you should consider dedicating a few weeks of your life to a marathon of short YA books! Exhibit A, to your left, shows in rather obvious fashion that a reader could plow through four shorter books and still have less pages than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But Flannery, you're forgetting how absolutely enthralling Harry Potter is and who cares how many pages it is, it could never be too long! Shush your mouth, you don't even know which four tiny books I used so maybe they're just as good as HP! (also, stop being so negative!) Just think how many more books you could be crossing off your Goodreads Challenge if you explored the wonderful world of short novels. (which also sometimes qualify as novellas or novelettes.)

I searched the net to see if I could find some lists of shorter books but the only useful one I could find was a list of "Short and Sweet Teen Books Under 150 Pages" from the Austin Public Library. The compiler ( Joanna Nigrelli) included a little blurb for each of the books included and I was particularly stunned by the blurb for Robert Cormier's (of The Chocolate War and I Am The Cheese fame) 135-page book, Heroes: "After joining the army at fifteen and having his face blown away by a grenade in a battle in France, Francis returns home to Frenchtown hoping to find--and kill--the former childhood hero he feels betrayed him. " Say whaaaat? Sign me up to read that, stat. I'm also excited to read two others from her list that deal with mental illness, Invisible by Pete Hautman and Inside Out by Terry Trueman.

At first I was at a loss as to how to compile such a list but that didn't last long. I received a few list items from friends on Twitter and then I hit the mother lode when I realized that Goodreads could help. If you go to your bookshelves, hit 'all', then sort by number of pages (in the shelf settings if you don't have that option), you can find ALL the short books in your shelves. With the recommendations from even more tweets and from my own shelves, I have a pretty respectable number. I included the cover, title/author, page count (for the default Goodreads version, it might vary), genre, and links to the book on Goodreads and Amazon. The cover images also link to Amazon. Because I had to be a bit picky, I didn't include some books that are more middle grade and I made an arbitrary cutoffs at 100-220 pages. (Sorry John Green, Looking for Alaska is 221!)

Sort your shelves and leave any more that you find in the comments. I'll add their information into the beautiful wall of books. For a few authors, many of their works are under 220 (Judy Blume, Elizabeth Scott, Francesca Lia Block, etc.) -- I've included only one book by each author but please do leave others in the comments so we can have them. (Note: Our comment form does not accept html)


Happy short book reading!

Keturah and Lord Death cover
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt, 216 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
If I Stay cover
If I Stay by Gayle Forman, 201 pp, contemporary, death/dying
[GR | Amazon]
Invisible Pete Hautman cover
Invisible by Pete Hautman, 160 pp, contemporary, mental illness
[GR | Amazon]
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup cover
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Rob Koertge, 128 pp., contemporary, sports
[GR | Amazon]
Perks of Being A Wallflower cover
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 213 pp, contemporary, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
Genesis cover
Genesis by Bernard Beckett, 150 pp, dystopian, philosophy
[GR | Amazon]
Daddy Long Legs cover
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, 192 pp, classic, epistolary
[GR | Amazon]
Living Dead Girl cover
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott, 170 pp, realistic horror, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Dear Zoe, cover
Dear Zoe, by Philip Beard, 208 pp, contemporary, grief
[GR | Amazon]
The Knife and the Butterfly cover
The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez, 218 pp, contemporary, latino
[GR | Amazon]
The Secret Year cover
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard, 192 pp, romance, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Game cover
The Game by Monica Hughes, 183 pp, science fiction, virtual reality
[GR | Amazon]
Alaska Sue Saliba cover
Alaska by Sue Saliba, 185 pp, romance, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond] 
Hatchet cover
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, 186 pp, adventure
[GR | Amazon]
Miles from Ordinary cover
Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams, 197 pp, contemporary
[GR|Amazon]

Weetzie Bat cover
Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat #1) by Fracesca Lia Block, 128 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Violence 101 cover
Violence 101 by Denis Wright, 180 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick cover
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Perry and Gobi #1) by Joe Schreiber, 192 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist cover
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, 183 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
My Not-So-Still Life cover
My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher, 192 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]
The Outsiders cover
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 180 pp, classics
[GR | Amazon]
The Lucky Kind  cover
The Lucky Kind by Alyssa Sheinmel, 208 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
The Universe Against Her cover
The Universe Against Her by James H. Schmitz, 192 pp, science fiction
[GR | Amazon]
The Midnight Zoo cover
The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett, 192 pp, historical
[GR | Amazon]
Boy Meets Boy cover
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, 185 pp, contemporary, lgbt
[GR | Amazon]
Speak cover
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, 208 pp, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Judy Blume cover
Forever by Judy Blume, 178 pp, classics
[GR | Amazon]
Wake cover
Wake (Dream Catcher #1), Lisa McMann, 210 pp, paranormal fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Green Angel cover
Green Angel (Green Angel #1) by Alice Hoffman, 128 pp, speculative fiction
[GR | Amazon]
Dead Girls Don't Write Letters cover
Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles, 128 pp, mystery, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]
Inside Out Terry Trueman cover
Inside Out by Terry Trueman, 117 pp, contemporary
[GR|Amazon]
Heroes Robert Cormier cover
Heroes by Robert Cormier, 144 pp, historical
[GR|Amazon]
A Day No Pigs Would Die cover
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck, 160 pp, classics
[GR|Amazon]
Odin's Eye cover
Odin's Eye by Marguerite Murray, 170 pp, classics, mystery
[GR|Amazon]
Bound Donna Napoli cover
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli, 192 pp, historical, fairy tale
[GR | Amazon]
Fifteen Beverly Cleary cover
Fifteen (First Love #1) by Beverly Cleary, 208 pp, classics, contemporary
[GR | Amazon]  
All I Ever Wanted cover
All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield, 202 pp, contemporary
 [GR | Amazon]  
How I Live Now cover
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, 194 pp, speculative fiction
 [GR | Amazon]  
Never Eighteen cover
Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic, 200 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]  
Guitar Highway Rose cover
Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry, 208 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon]  
The Line Teri Hall cover
The Line by Teri Hall, 219 pp, dystopia
[GR | Amazon]
Pearl cover
Pearl by Jo Knowles, 216 pp,  realistic, issues
[GR | Amazon] 
Something Like Normal cover
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, 214 pp, contemporary, PTSD
[GR | Amazon]  
Song of Sorcery cover
Song of Sorcery by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, 216 pp, fantasy, adventure 
[GR | Amazon]  
Cracked Up To Be cover
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers, 214 pp, realistic, issues 
[GR | Amazon]  
This Gorgeous Game cover
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas, 208 pp, contemporary, thriller
 [GR | Amazon] 
Brooklyn Burning cover
Brooklyn, Burning  by Steve Brezenoff, 210 pp, contemporary, lgbt [GR | Amazon] 
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else cover
Very Far Away From Anything Else 
by Ursula K. LeGuin, 133 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Amazon] 
The Freak Observer cover
The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston, 202 pp, realistic, death
  [GR | Amazon] 
Stargirl cover
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, 186 pp, contemporary, individualism
[GR | Amazon]
Stop Pretending Sonya Sones cover
Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones, 160 pp., verse, mental illness
[GR | Amazon]
Inexcusable Chris Lynch cover
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, 165 pp, contemporary, sex and abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Red Spikes cover
Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan, 167 pp, short stories, fantasy
[GR | Amazon]
Fly on the Wall cover
Fly On the Wall by E. Lockhart, 182 pp, contemporary, high school
[GR | Amazon]
Story of a Girl cover
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, 192 pp, contemporary, family
[GR | Amazon]
Pink Lili Wilkinson cover
Pink by Lili Wilkinson, 201 pp, contemporary, sexuality
[GR | Amazon]
Revolver Marcus Sedgwick cover
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick, 204 pp, historical, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead cover
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters, 200 pp, realistic, death
[GR | Amazon]
Barbary cover
Barbary by Vonda McIntyre, 192 pp, science fiction
[GR | Amazon]
The Contender cover
The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, 190 pp, realistic, sports
[GR | Amazon]
We don't usually use the "Read More" button on our blog posts here but I'm about to add over 100 more book covers to this post (*over the next few days*) so click to open up the full list in all its glory...
The Mayflower Project Applegate cover
Remants: The Mayflower Project by Katherine Applegate,178 pp,  science fiction
[GR | Amazon]
Birdland Tracy Mack cover
Birdland by Tracy Mack , 208 pp, realistic, poetry
[GR | Amazon] 
The Changeling Sea cover
The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip, 144 pp, fantasy, mermaids 
[GR | Amazon] 
The First Part Last cover
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, 144 pp, realistic, teen pregnancy 
[GR | Amazon] 
First Comes Love cover
First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky, 198 pp, contemporary, romance
[GR | Amazon]
First Day on Earth cover
First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci, 150 pp,  science fiction, mystery 
[GR | Amazon] 
The Underdog cover
The Underdog by Markus Zusak, 144 pp, contemporary
[GR | Fishpond] 
Puberty Blues cover
Puberty Blues by Kathy Lette  and Gabrielle Carey, 112 pp, contemporary 
[GR | Amazon] 
A Separate Peace cover
A Separate Peace by John Knowles,  204 pp, classics, friendship
[GR | Amazon] 
The Espressologist cover
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer, 184 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Amazon] 
The Children and the Wolves cover
The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp, 160 pp, realistic, kidnapping [GR | Amazon] 
I Kill Giants cover
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly, illus. by J.M. Ken Nimura, 184 pp, graphic novel, fantasy
[GR | Amazon] 
One Good Punch cover
One Good Punch by Rich Wallace, 128 pp, realistic, sports, issues
 [GR | Amazon] 
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom cover
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow, 208 pp, science fiction, cyberpunk
 [GR | Amazon] 
Jenny Pox cover
Jenny Pox by JL Bryan, 214 pp, paranormal, horror  [GR | Amazon] 
Cut Patricia McCormick cover
Cut by Patricia McCormick , 151 pp, contemporary, issues
[GR | Amazon]
High Dive cover
High Dive by Tammar Stein, 208 pp, realistic, travel
[GR | Amazon] 
Such A Pretty Girl cover
Such A Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss, 212 pp, realistic, abuse
[GR | Amazon]
Skank Teresa McWhirter cover
Skank by Teresa McWhirter, 144 pp, contemporary, 
 [GR | Amazon] 
Til Death Do Us Part cover
Till Death Do Us Part by Lurlene McDaniel, 214 pp, contemporary, romance
 [GR | Amazon]
The Good Braider cover
The Good Braider by Terry Farish, 213 pp, realistic, war
[GR | Amazon]
The Blue Mirror cover
The Blue Mirror by Kathy Koja, 128 pp, paranormal, vampires
[GR | Amazon] 
The Prince of Mist cover
The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 218 pp, fantasy, mystery 
[GR | Amazon] 
Go Ask Alice cover
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous, 213 pp, classic, psychology 
[GR | Amazon] 
Where I Want to Be cover
Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin, 176 pp, contemporary, death
[GR | Amazon] 
Westmark cover
Westmark by Lloyd Alexander, 192 pp, fantasy
[GR | Amazon] 
Skellig cover
Skellig by David Almond, 208 pp, fantasy, angels
[GR | Amazon] 
Counterfeit Son cover
Counterfeit Son by Elaine Alphin, 192 pp, realistic, abuse
[GR | Amazon] 
Zombie Queen of Newbury High cover
Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby, 200 pp, paranormal, zombies
[GR | Amazon] 
The Ruby in the Smoke cover
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman, 211 pp, mystery, historical
[GR | Amazon] 
the folk keeper cover
The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley, 176 pp, fantasy, folklore
[GR | Amazon]
two moons in august cover
Two Moons in August by Martha Brooks, 158 pp , contemporary, coming of age
[GR | Amazon] 
i can hear the mourning dove cover
I Can Hear the Mourning Dove by James W. Bennett, 208 pp, realistic, death
 [GR | Amazon] 
jersey angel cover
Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman, 208 pp, contemporary, romance 
[GR | Amazon] 
squashed cover
Squashed by Joan Bauer, 208 pp, realistic, humor
[GR | Amazon] 
Ask Me No Questions cover
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos, 176 pp,  realistic, immigration
[GR | Amazon]
Ten Miles Past Normal cover
Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell, 211 pp, contemporary, LGBT 
[GR | Amazon]
Aftershock cover
Aftershock by Kelly Easton, 176 pp, contemporary, death
[GR | Amazon]
Ship of Souls cover
Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliot, 132 pp, fantasy, paranormal  [GR | Amazon]
In A Heartbeat cover
In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth, 217 pp, romance, death
 [GR | Amazon]
Black Painted Fingernails cover
Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick,  216 pp, contemporary, road trip
[GR | Amazon]
Girl, Stolen cover
Girl, Stolen by April Henry, 213 pp,  realistic, mystery
[GR | Amazon]
bad taste in boys cover
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris,  201 pp, horror, zombies
[GR | Amazon]
Page by Paige cover
Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge, 192 pp, realistic, graphic novel
  [GR | Amazon]
Red Libby Gleeson cover
Red by Libby Gleeson, 173 pp,  contemporary, suspense
[GR | Fishpond]
the firefly letters cover
The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle, 160 pp, historical, verse
[GR | Amazon] 
amelia o'donohue is so not a virgin cover
Amelia O'Donohue is So Not A Virgin by Helen Fitzgerald, 217 pp,  contemporary, boarding school
[GR | Amazon]
whirligig cover
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, 144 pp, realistic, death
[GR | Amazon] 
hidden helen frost cover
Hidden by Helen Frost, 160 pp, realistic, verse
[GR | Amazon] 
my side of the mountain cover
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, 192 pp,  adventure, survival
[GR | Amazon]
The Whale Rider cover
The Whale Rider by  Witi Ihimaera, 168 pp, fantasy, mythology
[GR | Amazon]
Would You cover
Would You by Marthe Jocelyn, 165 pp, realistic, death
[GR | Amazon] 
Cheated cover
Cheated by Patrick Jones, 208 pp, realistic, crime
[GR | Amazon] 
Dangerous Neighbors cover
Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart, 192 pp, historical, twins
[GR | Amazon] 
Hunger cover
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler, 177 pp, fantasy, paranormal
[GR | Amazon] 
Heavy Metal and You cover
Heavy Metal and You by Christopher Krovatin, 192 pp,  music, romance
[GR | Amazon] 
Lost for Words cover
Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers, 210 pp, contemporary, death
[GR | Amazon] 
Things I Know About Love cover
Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann, 160 pp, romance, death
[GR | Amazon] 
In Trouble cover
In Trouble by Ellen Levine, 210 pp, realistic, historical
[GR | Amazon] 
Tea with the Black Dragon cover
Tea with the Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy, 128 pp, fantasy, mystery
[GR | Amazon] 
Thanks to our Twitter friends and followers, Goodreads friends and to Tatiana and Catie for the recommendations and help putting this post together. Let us know if you have more to add!
Readventurer F Signature
22 Comments
Maja
9/3/2012 06:41:19 am

Flann, The Academy by Zach Rawlins thing must be wrong. I only have the Kindle version so I have no idea how many pages it has, but it is one LONG book. Like, 500 pages long.
Gone Gone Gone shouldn't be very long, but I'm too lazy to get up and check.
Ohhh, and also, The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan is a tiny thing.
I'll add more later. I must think about it for a while.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
9/3/2012 06:55:07 am

I replaced it. I wonder what was up with the page counts on GR/Amazon? I'll double check them all on WorldCat...later. I have lovely manual labor plans for the holiday today and a Patrick Rothfuss event tonight! Thanks for the info, though. Check your shelves and come back to update.

Reply
Kelly link
9/3/2012 07:13:46 am

I'll have many more, but the first one in my mind is Tammar Stein's HIGH DIVE, one of my favorite underappreciated reads.

Reply
Kelly link
9/3/2012 08:01:02 am

Per Goodreads sort, here's some more (and I'll add more when I clean my bookshelves this week). I hope none of these are repeats from above:

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G Neri
A Certain October by Angela Johnson
Cut by Patricia McCormick
A Step From Heaven by An Na
Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann
Hidden by Helen Frost
Would You by Marthe Jocelyn
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
Aftershock by Kelly Easton
Unlocked by Ryan G Van Cleave
Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacquelyn Woodson
Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
Lark by Tracey Porter
Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
Julian Game by Adele Griffin
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner
In Trouble by Ellen Levine
Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

Reply
Kelly link
9/3/2012 08:08:00 am

2 classics: The Pigman & Celine (the hardcover is 216 pages -- the paperback is 224, so even splitting the difference it's 220).

Reply
Wendy Doyle
9/3/2012 09:31:55 am

A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness
Lost for Words, Alice Kuipers
Heavy Metal and You, Christopher Krovatin
Cheated, Patrick Jones
Grace, Elizabeth Scott
Nothing Like You, Lauren Strasnik
Summer I learned to Fly, Dana Reinhardt
Whirligig, Paul Fleischman

Also, I have about 25 graphic novels that fall into that range, but I don't think you read graphic novels.

I actually have a '200 pages or less diversion' shelf because after I read something beefy like Game of Thrones, it's nice to turn to something 'lite' ... this list is perfect. Thanks!!

Reply
VeganYANerds link
9/3/2012 10:52:19 am

I am so glad you're doing this list, Flann!

Yesterday when I went through my Goodreads shelves, I had about 4 pages of books with unknown page numbers, so I am going through those now:

So Much to Tell You by John Marsden (150pp)

It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #2) by Louise Rennison (208pp)

My Life and Other Catastrophes (Girlfriend Fiction 1) by Rowena Mohr (180pp)

Red by Libby Gleeson (173pp)

Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers (210pp)

This Is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell (214pp)

Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett (215pp)

Amelia O'Donohue Is So Not a Virgin by Helen Fitzgerald (217pp)

Purity by Jackson Pearce (218pp)

Reply
Lindsey
9/3/2012 02:02:55 pm

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer (192 pp)
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (186 pp)
All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison (192 pp)
Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws by Janette Rallison (192 pp)
Fame, Glory, and Other Things on my To Do List by Janette Rallison (192 pp)
The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Ruby Oliver, #2) by E. Lockhart (208 pp)
Squashed by Joan Bauer (208pp)
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (212 pp)
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman (212 pp)
Sketchy Behavior by Erynn Mangum (220 pp)

Reply
Sasha link
9/3/2012 02:13:21 pm

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson
Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
Fix Me by Rune Michaels
Two or Three Things I Forgot To Tell You by Joyce Carol Oates
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Tighter by Adele Griffin
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

xoxo

Reply
Rebecca link
9/3/2012 02:31:59 pm

This is such an awesome idea, thanks for this! I'm teetering on and off my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I'm just about to catch up when I fall behind, so this list is great when I wan't to catch up, especially when the book is one I have on my shelf or is something I want to read.

I browsed by shelves and only found a few, hopefully there not repeats:

Jersey Angel Bauman, Beth Ann

Black Painted Fingernails, Steven Herrick

The Gorgon in the Gully, Melina Marchetta *MG/Children

Love Is the Higher Law, David Levithan

Reply
Angie link
9/3/2012 03:17:31 pm

This is such a great post! I'm definitely keeping it bookmarked. :D

Here's some that I've read that aren't on your list (I hope):

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (182pp)
Ushers, Inc by Rusty Fischer (106pp)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (113pp)
Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer (188pp)

Some from my to-read:

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick (218pp)
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (177pp)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursual K. Le Guin (183pp)
Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski (194pp)
Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber (208pp)
Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne (212pp)
Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu (212pp)
Purity by Jackson Pearce (218pp)

Reply
Pocketful of Books link
9/3/2012 11:59:09 pm

Ooo so much work went into this post! Thank you! I want to read so many of these- I Kill Giants has been on my list forevvvveerrr and I really need to get round to it x

Reply
Randi M. link
9/10/2012 04:03:34 am

After the Death of Anna Gonzales by Terri Fields
It's a Little Haywire by Elle Strauss
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
I Hate You, Kelly Donahue by Mark Svartz
Farmed Out by Christy Goerzen
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry *
The Wave by Todd Strasser
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Letters from the Inside by John Marsden
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph *
Reaching for the Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez *
Witness by Karen Hesse
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Riding out the Storm by Sis Deans
Holding on to Zoe by George Ella Lyon
Push by Sapphire
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Elliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Castles: a Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors by Benjamin X. Wretlind
The Woman in the Wall by Patrice Kindl
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Last Stop this Town by David H. Steinberg
Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman
The Possession of Cassie Quinn by Kathryn Knutson
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm *
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney
The Man Who Was Poe by Avi
Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
If I ever Return Again by Corinne Demas
The Fall by Garth Nix
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
The Dig by Audrey Hart
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You by Joyce Carol Oates
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Catch & Release by Blythe Woolston
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Purity by Jackson Pearce
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestly
Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens

I starred the few of these that I've actually read. And I tried not to mention books that seemed very middle grade. Great post! Bookmarked this for future reference. :)

Reply
Lucy @ The Reading Date link
9/13/2012 01:25:54 pm

I love this list, Flannery! I confess to sorting my TBR on GR by page count occasionally when I'm deciding on a book to read. And I'm definitely bookmarking this page.

A few more I found on my shelves:
Before You Go by James Preller
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

This week was a short book kind of week for me and the only book I've been able to read is Perks of Being a Wallflower :) Cracked up to Be or Story of a Girl may be next!

Reply
Bonnie R. link
9/19/2012 05:23:50 am

Glanced through and didn't see this one...
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Reply
Bonnie R. link
10/24/2012 10:57:24 am

Oooh ooh! I got another one. lol As if you didn't have enough already.
Missing Sisters by Gregory Maguire

Reply
Cory
3/18/2013 01:56:26 pm

Hmm... I'm a bit late to the party. Good idea for a post. Though I want to say—page count is rather irrelevant to how "long" a book is. Looking for Alaska and The Perks of Being A Wallflower differ by 8k, yet one is only 10 pages longer. Story of a Girl is only 20 pages shorter than The Perks of Being a Wallflower, yet it's 20k shorter.

Word count is much more accurate and helpful than page count. Some publishers might use bigger/smaller print to make a book look fuller (take Sarah Dessen, who might have short page count for some books, but a few of them reach up to 100k). And page count might vary by edition. From my memory, quite a few of these books are actually quite long.

If you're looking for authors with "real" short books, Lauren Strasnick is one (40k for her debut, about 25k for her sophomore novel) and Jo Knowles is another. RenLearn is the site I use for word counts, btw.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/18/2013 03:21:36 pm

I totally get where you're coming from and I agree for the most part, but the average reader who is looking online for short books will have no idea what word counts mean or how many thousands of words equal a certain number of pages. Even I have no clue beyond the basic idea that somewhere around 50,000 is a "normal" adult novel (I think) and that's it. I also think that there is a mental element to the idea of short books--just looking at it and knowing that there is less physical substance to the book makes me feel like I can digest it quicker, even if there are more words on the page.

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Ass link
10/3/2015 12:37:53 pm

Ass

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Amy link
1/8/2016 02:36:49 pm

I love this idea! This is a great post and fantastic list. :-) I really should read some shorter books; I feel like I don't usually.

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Ran
5/21/2016 07:52:47 pm

This is something I have been looking for years! Glad I can find it today. What you have done here is amazing and I can't tell how much I appreciate it.!

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Kori
3/29/2017 09:02:39 am

My daughter is not a big fan of reading but she will go for stories based on actual events. Can anyone recommend a short book based on a true story?
Thanks

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