Read for a Lifetime is a statewide reading program that targets high school students. This initiative promotes the enjoyment of reading by encouraging students to read both classic and contemporary literature and rewards them for their efforts. By participating in the program, students develop a love of books and reading that will last a lifetime. Illinois high schools, including Jacobs and Dundee Crown, promote and encourage their students to read from the annual booklist of 25 titles, which represents a mixture of classic and contemporary literature.
See more info at the official Read for a Lifetime website located here
See below for the 2025/2026 academic year’s booklist:
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil
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Falsely accused of murdering her stepsister, seventeen-year-old Dee fights to survive paid assassins on Alcatraz 2.0, the most popular prison on social media.
83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary by Don Brown
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A story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against all odds focuses on the people of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol who stayed to defend their home against Russian forces, which came with a devastating price.
Aisle Nine by Ian X. Cho
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Even though the world is filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons pop out of them on the reg, Jasper spends his days and nights working as a check-out clerk at the Here For You discount mart. Sure, there’s even a hell portal in aisle nine, which means he could be maimed, dismembered, or even eaten whole during every shift, but at least at the mart he can be near his crush, Kyle Kuan. That she doesn’t seem to even notice that he exists seems about right to Jasper, because Jasper can’t remember anything that happened to him before his accident five months ago, either.
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
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A deadly and unprecedented virus is spreading. But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone. More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening. But not everyone. People in power–who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything–know this new state of being is bad for business. Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos. Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous. The race to find a vaccine begins. Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plan ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world. It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever
After Life by Gayle Forman
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One spring afternoon after school, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her, she screams. Because Amber died seven years ago, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now. This mysterious return doesn’t impact only Amber. Her sister, Melissa, now seven years older, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s now-estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple further and further out: Amber’s friends, boyfriend, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? Why was she given this second chance?
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
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Liz Buxbaum’s crush Michael never really saw her before he moved away. Now he is back in town, and Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar, and maybe snag him as a prom date. Attractive next-door neighbor Wes Bennett might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but he has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. But Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda
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When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they’re suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don’t use their correct pronouns, and hordes of “well-meaning” but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as they navigate rocky personal relationships and share their story online. But this experience also deepens their relationship to their ancestors, providing added support from another realm. Walela’s diagnosis becomes a catalyst for their self-realization. As they fill out forms in the insurance office in downtown Los Angeles or travel to therapy in wealthier neighborhoods, they begin to understand that cancer is where all forms of their oppression intersect: Disabled. Fat. Black. Queer. Nonbinary
Brownstone by Samuel Teer & Mar Julia
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In the summer of 1995, almost-fifteen-year-old Almudena is sent to live with her estranged Spanish-speaking father, and together they renovate a brownstone and build a relationship while Almudena navigates the Latin American side of her heritage for the first time.
Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguire & Rafael Rosado
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Ignacio ‘Iggy‘ Garcia is an Ohio-born Colombian American teen living his best life. After bumping into Marisol (and her coffee) at school, Iggy’s world is spun around. But Marisol has too much going on to be bothered with the likes of Iggy. She has school, work, family, and the uphill battle of getting her legal papers. As Iggy stresses over how to get Marisol to like him, his grandfather comes to the rescue. The thing is, not only is his abuelito dead, but he also gives terrible love advice. The worst. And so, with his ghost abuelito’s meddling, Iggy’s life begins to unravel as he sets off on a journey of self-discovery
Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
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Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway… but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop. Riley can’t waste her time working… so she convinces Nathan–a nerdy teen employee–to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous… Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
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Set in the 1930s to today, four generations of Filipino American boys grapple with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships
Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth: Book 1 by Kristen Ciccarelli
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On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is. Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe. He’s a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution, and, too late, Rune realizes she might be falling for him. Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow facade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
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An orphan. An outcast. A prince. And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees. Growing up in the Kegari slums, Aiz has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite. Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, Sirsha is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she’s willing to give up. Quil is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need. Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives–and their hearts. Literally
James by Percival Everett
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This reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is told from Jim’s perspective, highlighting his intelligence, agency, and compassion. Fearing separation from his family, Jim runs away, while Huck fakes his own death to escape his father, leading them on a perilous journey down the Mississippi River. While key events from the original story remain, this version offers a fresh perspective on Jim’s character and struggles.
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
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When local girl Loren includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor Loren’s missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends on the Blackfeet reservation. Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered. Because the four members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation. And all of them–Mara, Loren, Brody, and Eli–have a complicated history with Samantha. Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
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Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya–the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites. The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that–ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime–making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity. Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be keenly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can to stay alive and out of trouble… easier said than done. When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers–the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is… completely Ordinary
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery–and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian-while taking us to places it never dreamed of going
Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta
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Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant – by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about because he’s Black and her parents are racist. Things are hella complicated. Weighed down by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
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Given the opportunity to enter Snowglobe, the last place on Earth that’s warm, where its residents, in exchange for fame, fortune and safety, broadcast their lives 24/7 to the less fortunate outside, Chobahm discovers reality is a lie–and the truth is out of reach
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller
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The incredible story of an all-deaf high school football team’s triumphant climb from underdog to undefeated, their inspirational brotherhood, a fascinating portrait of deafness in America, and the indefatigable head coach who spearheaded the team
The Collectors: Stories by an All-Star Cast of Contributers; Edited by JA.S. King
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An anthology of ten stories by young adult authors about surprising and unusual collections.
The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasglow
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Everyone in Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house, her dad needs her to not make waves, her ex needs her to not be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother–she just needed her to be Bella. Now her grandmother is dead. There’s one thing that eases the pressure, though. Alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella’s life and makes it all so much easier. What’s the big deal? Everyone drinks. And Bella knows she can stop whenever she wants–she just needs to get through Thanksgiving. But that night changes everything. A Thanksgiving party and too many drinks land her, unconscious, on her front steps, where her mother finds her in the early hours of the morning. When she wakes up in the hospital with a fractured cheekbone and no memory of the night before, it’s clear that it’s time to deal with reality. And for Bella, reality means going to rehab
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
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When her mother, who disappeared 16 years before, reappears while a true crime documentary about her case is being filmed, 18-year-old Bel, not buying her mom’s unbelievable story about what happened to her, must uncover the real reason Rachel Price is back from the dead.
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
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Twenty–four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria. Dressed in sweats, a t-shirt, hair in a ponytail. Aria. Way more than fine. Twenty–four weeks ago: Neon’s dad insists on talking to him about tenderness and intimacy. Neon and Aria are definitely in love, and while they haven’t taken that next big step yet, they’ve starting talking about that. Twenty–four days ago: Neon’s mom finds her – gulp – bra in his room. Hey! No judging! Those hook thingies are complicated! So he’d figured he’d better practice, what with the big day only a month away. Twenty–four minutes ago: Neon leaves his shift at work at his dad’s bingo hall, making sure to bring some chicken tenders for Aria. They’re not candlelight and they definitely aren’t caviar, but they are her favorite. And right this second? Neon is locked in Aria’s bathroom, completely freaking out because twenty–four seconds from now he and Aria are about to- about to- Well, they won’t do anything if he can’t get out of his own head (all the advice, insecurities, and what ifs) and out of this bathroom!
When the World Tips Over by Amber McBride
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The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head. Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame… or self-destruction. Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.