I'm a big fan of young adult fiction (since I'm teaching middle school library). A lot of my books are also great for high school kids and I think even people in their 20s and 30s can relate to them (looking back and all that).

Sarah Dessen is amazing. I love her novels for teen girls. "Just Listen", "The Truth about Forever", "Someone like You" to name a few. If I could afford to buy all her books for my own collection, I would.

Stephenie Meyer, of course! TWILIGHT!!!! Can I just say that I'm impressed that there's no sex in books 1-3. I haven't read book 4 yet (so don't tell me!), but there are so many books I'd love to put on my shelves for 8th graders, and you'll be almost at the end of the book and there's sex, or you're just reading the first page and there's something obscene, but the rest of the book is fine. Sigh... it's really frustrating.

Sharon Flake, if you want to have great "urban" stories for young men and women of color, or not of color. "The Skin I'm In", "Bang", "Begging for Change", "What will I do without him" (short stories)

Sharon Draper also does great inner city/urban stories. I love "The Battle of Jericho".

Meg Cabot's "Queen of Babble" series, and the "Heather Wells" series, "How to be Popular", and if you are into the "Princess Diary" series (I'm not), she has million of them.

Margaret Haddix's series "Among the ...." (insert Hidden, Imposters, Enemy, Brave...)

Jacqueline Woodson's books about Maizon, also "The House you pass on the way" and "Lena" among others.

I still love Andrew Clement's books. "Frindle"(I actually think this is still one of my faves from grades 3-5), "A School story", "A Week in the woods".

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I mean, who cannot love and adore the "Shiloh" trilogy?! It's a sad dog story, but sooooo good!!! Her series for young adult girls starring Alice are pretty good too.

There really are so many, and I know I picked out a ton of women authors, and books for girls, but they are what I've been reading voraciously for the past 4+ years.