• WINNER | 2004
    New York State Charlotte Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Iowa Teen Book Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Pennsylvania Keystone State Reading Association Book Award
  • WINNER | 2002
    Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
  • WINNER | 2002
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • WINNER | 2001
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2001
    Maine Student Book Master List
  • WINNER | 2001
    Texas Lone Star Reading List
  • NOMINEE | 2003
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • FINALIST | 2003
    Massachusetts Children's Book Award
  • FINALIST | 2003
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2002
    Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
  • NOMINEE | 2001
    Book Sense Book of the Year

Discussion Guide for

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Awards

  • WINNER | 2004
    New York State Charlotte Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Iowa Teen Book Award
  • WINNER | 2003
    Pennsylvania Keystone State Reading Association Book Award
  • WINNER | 2002
    Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
  • WINNER | 2002
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • WINNER | 2001
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 2001
    Maine Student Book Master List
  • WINNER | 2001
    Texas Lone Star Reading List
  • NOMINEE | 2003
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • FINALIST | 2003
    Massachusetts Children's Book Award
  • FINALIST | 2003
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2002
    Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
  • NOMINEE | 2001
    Book Sense Book of the Year

Guides

Discussion Guide for

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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With the fall semester in full swing, colleges and universities around the country have announced their Common Reading books for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. We’ve compiled a list of over 286 programs and their title selections from publicly available sources, which you can download here: First-Year Reading 2025-26. We will continue to update this

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Register for the 2026 Penguin Random House First-Year Experience® Conference Author Events!

Penguin Random House Author Events at the 45th Annual First-Year Experience® Conference February 15-18, 2026 Seattle, Washington Hyatt Regency Seattle Click Here to RSVP A complimentary meal and a limited number of books will be available to attendees. Each event will also be followed by an author signing. Interested in hosting one of these authors at

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