Looking outside the box of the subjects mentioned, I have some suggestions:

Spare Parts by Joshua Davis.  Nonfiction.  A group of undocumented high school students and their teacher/coach create a submersible robot to enter into a competition against teams from some of the top tech colleges in the country.  (Read the book, don't watch the movie!!)  This was one of my choices for my faculty/staff book club last year.

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull.  Nonfiction.  Explore the management/leadership techniques that have made Pixar a leader in creative artistry and storytelling.  I passed this on to a business teacher, who has been recommending it to everyone, students and teachers like.

Breakthrough by Jack Andraka.  Nonfiction.  While still a teenager, Jack Andraka used his knowledge of chemistry to develop an accurate, fast, inexpensive test for pancreatic cancer.  His personal story is just as inspiring in a world far too full of bullies and haters.  This book has also been making the rounds of both teachers and students in my school.  Jack was a keynote speaker at AASL (?--may have been YALSA) a few years back.

Every Day by David Levithan.  Fiction.  This was another book my faculty/staff book club read and LOVED--as did my student book club.  Every day, "A" wakes up in a different body.  Sometimes A is male, sometimes female.  Sometimes gay, sometimes straight.  Sometimes cis, sometimes not.  Then A falls in love with Rhiannon, who is ALWAYS a straight girl.  Explore identity and the question of what we love about a person when we fall in love in this beautifully written YA novel.  Amazing discussions arose, no matter who read this book, teen or adult.  (Movie is okay, but read the book!)

Cathy Andronik

Retired Teacher Librarian, Brien McMahon High School, Norwalk

Young Adult Literature Consultant