Recently I ran across some books by Daniel Pinkwater, which are great YA especially for kids who feel self conscious, feel they don't fit in, etc (all of them, I think).  Mainly normal life and then way out science fiction.  I had never seen his work before but I quite enjoyed it and the sense of self it gave to a reader.  It made me want to give copies to every 10-14 year old boy I could find.  Has anyone else run across him?

  Also I recently foundmy old copy of Daddy Longlegs, YA for girls.  Charming coming of age of a girl from an orphanage.  Not a new book, several decades old.

  On the newer front I loved the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.  Just hilarious interaction between the demon Bartimaeus and the young magician (whom no one will credit with the power /skill to enslave the demon, even though he is the one who did it).

There is a Daniel Manus Pinkwater and then just Daniel Pinkwater. Which is the good YA one?? Which books?

What is YA?

Norma, Young Adult.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mediator series by Meg Cabot (same author as princess diaries)

Thanks