English teacher with a YA lit class

I teach at an alternative high school and am in the middle of teaching a YA lit class called "Reading on the Edge." So far we have read The Outsiders, Stoner and Spaz, and Be More Chill and we are just finishing Monster. We will finish with Speak and if time, Silent to the Bone.
This is the my second year teaching this class and the kids (most of whom would not pick up a book ever) love it. I would really like to start a RotE II and am looking for suggestions for titles. Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

I have recently read Jimi & Me which is not a complex story but written in free verse (and talks about Jimi Hendrix) which is cool, and Gathering Blue which provides a lot of topics regarding society and art...

I am planning on being a teacher as well so I've been "collecting" a few books here for future reference; most are aimed at elem. level, but I have a voracious reading teenager in the house too...

My suggestions...
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (especially if Speak goes well)
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult--not as edgy, but deals with some tough stuff that may appeal to your teens

I second all of the suggestions in #3. I'd add The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin to that list.

ETA: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer really messed with my head. It's not exactly similar in subject matter to your other picks, but I'd definitely call it "edgy."

I suggest Splintering by Eireann Corrigan, Deadline by Chris Crutcher, and Holdup by Terri Fields.

Almost Home by Jessica Blank (teen runaways in Los Angeles); Violet and Claire by Block; Go Ask Alice; Rule of the Bone if you can find it; Crosses by Shelley Storer if you can find it. What about a graphic novel?

Very cool that you are doing this...the students are lucky to have you.

Feed by M.T Anderson is also a great edgy read although it tends to be a bit jerky at some points and the cursing can get bad at points.

Wide Awake deals with some great societal and political issues, a big emphasis on gay/lebianism and the rights involved. If you're allowed to talk about those issues with your class. It's about a group of high schoolers volunteering in a campaign office that is trying to get a Jewish gay president elected.

I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier is a great one that I think of as "edgy" simply because of the ending.

I agree with foggidawn on Life as We Knew It. That bookstayed with me for quite a while.

In the urban fantasy genre, try Holly Black's Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside and Charles de Lint's The Blue Girl and Little (Grrl) Lost. In the LGBT area, check out Julie Anne Peters.

I suggest Impulse by Ellen Hopkins and Lush by Natasha Friend. They are about Drugs and alcohol.

I don't know if I would recommend the Holly Black books. There's a lot of swearing in them "F" word and such. It would depend on how enlightened your students' parents are.

They're good books, but iffy.

I think The Outsiders is an excellent choice. It shows a different time and place and the characters really come alive. I think the classics should never be overlooked or taken for granted. Yes, there are new books out there. The theme of the environment and being green is also of interest for all.

There is a wonderful list posted on Amazon.com by a teacher with a class similar to yours. She makes the following recommendations. Several my girls and I have read and passed on to friends.
Death of Anna Gonzales
Money Hungry
Tears of a Tiger
Coldest Winter Ever
Indian Killer
The Lovely Bones
Life in Prison
Lost in the City
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Slam
Monster
Scorpion
Push
You Hear Me?: Poems and Writings for teenage boys
Can't Get There from Here
Define Normal
Make Lemonade
True Believer
Buried Onions

I have to say that some of the subject matter is deep but the kids that need to be challenged need something that will really grab them. They become more easily directed once they get into the habit and realization that they can be stimulated by a book.

I have been extremely blessed to have four girls that adopted my love for reading. One of the ways that we were able to accomplish this feat was to not allow TV during the school week and monitor what and how much was watched on the weekends. By starting early, we now have four readers that gobble books up and are always recommending books to their friends.

Hope some of these suggestions work for you and your students.

I loved Life as We knew it. I thought the lessons of survival were very thought provoking. I don't think there is enough of that these days. I read it as a early review for our school library. I also loved How I Live now by Meg Rosoff. I can't wait to read her new book.

The True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexis...great YA read..boy main character who deals with his native american heritage. I also liked The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

It's Kind of a Funny Story, especially if they liked Be More Chill (I liked it better than Be More Chill, actually)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Sold by Patricia McCormick- a different kind of edgy, but still thought provoking

Anything by Joyce Carol Oates is going to be a little more edgy and her stuff rarely has a happy ending. "Sexy" is especially good and troubling, but the first chapter or two talk about hormones from the male perspective:)

Pete Hautman's "Godless" is good, as is Yolen's "Briar Rose." My kids really like the Tears of a Tiger series.

I also enjoyed Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates...along with Big Mouth Ugly Girl