Politics and Volunteering
Politics-Non-fiction
America Dreaming: How Youth Changed America in the Sixties by Laban Carrick Hill.
Describes how young Americans of the 1960s found creative ways to express their beliefs and views on political and social fronts that impacted and changed the course of American history.
Women's Suffrage edited by Brenda Stalcup
Essays explore the roots of the women's suffrage movement.
Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics by Catherine Thimmesh
Provides quotations and profiles of notable political women, showing how far women have come in politics.
Presidential Races: The Battle for Power in the United States by Arlene Morris Lipsman
Describes how election campaigns for the office of president of the United States have changed from the time of George Washington to the Bush vs. Kerry campaign of 2004.
The Home Front: Americans Protest the War by Stuart A. Kallen
Explains why the United States entered Vietnam and how Americans reacted to and began protesting the United State's involvement in Vietnam from 1962 to the end of the war in 1973.
Our Country’s Presidents: All You Need to Know About the Presidents, From George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum
Follows the nation’s chief executives through wars, depressions, civil rights movements, and the race to space, giving a sense of each man, his life, and his time.
The Presidency by Kevin J. McNamara
Discusses the history, duties, powers, and traditions of the office of the president and how presidents from Washington to Clinton have handled crises during their terms in office.
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame, and What the Neighbors Thought by Kathleen Krull
Focuses on thelivesofpresidents as parents, husbands, pet-owners, and neighbors.
The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence by Marc Aronson
Centers on events in the mid-eighteenth century that enabled Americans to give up their loyalty to England and form their own nation.
The Founders: The 39 Stories Behind the U.S. Constitution by Dennis Fradin
Looks at how the delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, to create, debate, and eventually sign the United States Constitution.
A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhullby Kathleen Krull
The first woman to run for president, have a seat on the Stock Exchange, and to own a newspaper was Victoria Woodhull; this is her story.
Politics-Fiction
Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
When 16 year old Hope and her Aunt move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security after a terrorist attack on San Francisco, Marcus is released into what is now a police state and uses his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
The Courtesan's Daughter: A Novel by Priscilla Galloway
From humble beginnings, Phano rises to become one of ancient Athens' most powerful citizens through her marriage to Theo, but they both have powerful enemies who don't share their political views.
In addition to dealing with the typical problems of a 12 year old, Vanessa must also deal with loneliness and very real fears as her mother, Florida's Governor, runs for President of the United States.
The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
With his friend as campaign manager and his former babysitter as running mate, 12 year old Judson Moon sets out to become President of the United States.
Wide Awake by David Levithan
When a gay Jewish man is elected president of the United States, 16 year old Duncan examines his feelings for his boyfriend, his political and religious beliefs, and tries to determine his rightful place in the world.
Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong.
In 1982, 12 year old Vonlai, his parents, and sister Dalah, escape from Laos to a Thai refugee camp where they spend four long years struggling to survive in hopes of one day reaching America.
First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover by Mitali Perkins.
During her father's presidential campaign, 16 year old Sameera Righton, who was adopted from Pakistan at the age of 3, struggles with campaign staffers who want to give her a more "all-American" image.
Secrets of the Cirque Medrano: A Novelby Elaine Scott.
In the Paris village of Montmartre in 1904, 14 year old Brigitte works long hours in her aunt's cafe, where she serves such regular customers as the young artist Pablo Picasso, encounters Russian revolutionaries, and longs to attend the exciting circus nearby.
Volunteering Non-Fiction
Community Service for Teens: Opportunities to Volunteer by Bernard Ryan
Explores the various volunteer opportunities available for children and young adults.
Young Revolutionaries Who Rock: An Insider’s Guide to Saving the World One Revolution at a Time by Dallas Jessup
Describes the process by which teens can create a grass-roots non-profit organization.
Volunteering Fiction
Excel Saga vol.3 by Rikdo Koshi
Excel and Hyatt go undercover by volunteering for the mayoral campaign.
Black Tuesday by Susan Colebank
An over-achieving Phoenix high school student's life changes dramatically when she is responsible for a car crash that kills a child, and she goes from honors classes to doing community service and rebelling against her controlling mother.
The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart
15 year old Georgia learns a great deal about herself and her troubled best friend Riley when they become part of a group of suburban Pennsylvania teenagers that go to a squatters village in the border town of Juarez, Mexico, to undertake a community construction project.
The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
14 Year old Mike is sent to rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project and he learns valuable lessons while working with his eccentric aunt, a homeless man, and a punk rock girl as part of a town-wide effort to adopt a Romanian orphan.
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
17 year old Harper Evans hopes to escape the effects of her father's divorce on her family and friendships by volunteering her summer to build a house in a small Tennessee town devastated by a tornado.
The Outside of a Horse by Ginny Rorby
When her father returns from the Iraq War as an amputee with post-traumatic stress disorder, Hannah escapes by volunteering to work with rescued horses.
Notes From the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, 16 year old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
Although 17 year old Amber Appleton is homeless, she is a relentless optimist who visits the elderly at a nursing home, teaches English to Korean Catholic women, and befriends a Vietnam veteran and his dog, but eventually she experiences one burden more than she can bear and slips into a deep depression.
Compiled by Liz Whiteman-Williams, August 2011
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