1. Bullies are people, too. And Tod Munn is quite the bully
Bullies are people, too. And Tod Munn is quite the bully. He beats kids up. He takes their lunch money. He even breaks their glasses. Then he and his gang did something really bad. How bad? It's juvenile detention time. Except one guidance counselor gives Tod a final chance... to scrawl his story in a notebook after school every day or go to the lockup. What did Tod do wrong? Will Tod do worse? And what's all this doing to Tod's gang? Find out in Scrawl.
Scrawl by Mark Shulman
Truman Nominee

2. Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
Susan Calloway, bullied and overweight, faces daily humiliation at the hands of her classmates, and she’s had enough. With her anger about to reach the boiling point, Susan lands in an alternative education class, a sort of group therapy for the nearly expelled. School is bad enough, but facing off with five peers, including her cruelest tormentor, is worse. Now Susan is being forced to do something she’s always avoided, talk about herself and listen to what other people have to say about her. She has two choices: find her voice, or be prepared to take the insults in silence. It won’t be easy, but alt ed may be just the last resort Susan needs.
Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
Gateway Nominee

3. Fourteen-year- old rivals Boot Quinn and Mick Sullivan, in one fight too many, are sent to the new principal who devises the punishment of having to play games together at his office, where they learn which battles are worth fighting.
Games by Carol Gorman
Truman Nominee

4. The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Gecko, Arjay, and Terence, all in trouble with the law, must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.
The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Gateway Nominee

5. We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
After a judge sentences Miguel to spend a year in a group home and write in a journal, he makes plans to escape the youth detention center and go to Mexico, where he can put his past behind him.
We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
Gateway Nominee
Mature Content

6. Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
After running away from her fifth foster home, Holly, a twelve-year- old orphan, travels across the country, keeping a journal of her experiences and her struggle to survive.
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
Truman Nominee