 Lunch-Box
Dream
by Tony Abbott
Ages 10–14
It’s the summer of 1959 and Bobby
is on a trip to visit Civil War battlefields with his
mother, older brother, and recently widowed grandmother.
Bobby is not comfortable around “chocolate colored” people
or death, so the trip from Ohio to Florida is difficult
for him. Interwoven with Bobby’s narration is the story
of a black family in Georgia, told from a variety of
first-person viewpoints. This beautifully written books
deals with the uncomfortable subjects of racial conflict,
sibling rivalry, and marital discord. |
|
 The
Lost Island of Tamarind
by Nadia Aguiar
Ages 10–14
When a sudden storm hits the
Nelson’s research boat, the parents are swept overboard.
Maya (13) sails the boat to Tamarind, the island setting
for her father’s fantastic tales. Stranded on the island,
Maya, her brother Peter, and baby sister Penny, find
themselves surrounded by pirates and involved in one
exciting adventure after another in this high-energy
fantasy. |
|
 My
Name Is Mina
by David Almond
Ages 10–up
Mina, a home-schooled girl, loves
the night when she feels totally free. One night she
begins writing in a blank journal, and begins a journey
of self discovery. Mina’s imagination soars in the pages
of her journal, and she gradually breaks free from her
isolation to befriend a boy named Michael, the protagonist
of Skellig,
in this absorbing prequel. |
|
 Raven
Summer
by David Almond
Ages 12–up
Liam is walking home with a friend
when a mysterious raven leads them to an abandoned baby.
The boys are praised for saving the child, but Liam doesn’t
feel heroic. Instead, he is consumed with thoughts of
violence. In the end, Liam is convinced that only an
act of violence can save a friend. This thought-provoking
coming-of-age novel explores the dark and conflicting
urges of adolescence. |
|
 Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ages 10–up
As the Revolutionary War begins, 13-year-old
Isabel and her 5-year-old sister Ruth are about to be freed
from slavery by the will of their Rhode Island mistress. However,
the unscrupulous heir prevents the reading of the will and
the girls are soon the property of an abusive Loyalist couple
in New York. Isabel agrees to spy for the Patriots in exchange
for passage back to Rhode Island for herself and her sister.
This well researched exploration of the treatment of slaves
is contained in a gripping story. |
|
 Forge
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ages 10–up
This sequel to Chains is
narrated by Curzon, the young slave Isabel freed from prison
while escaping from New York City in 1777. After staying for
a few months in New Jersey, Isabel runs away to find her sister,
a quest Curzon feels is futile. Curzon joins the army, passing
as a freed slave, and suffers through the harsh winter at Valley
Forge. His fragile acceptance is threatened when his owner
arrives. Readers will be anxious to read the final book in
the trilogy to learn the fate of Curzon and Isabel. |
|
 Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ages 12–up
Lia learns that her estranged best
friend Cassie has been found dead in a hotel room, and doesn’t
tell anyone that she ignored 33 calls from Cassie two days
earlier. Lia’s narration reveals how anorexia can take over
the lives of those who suffer from it, showing the two girls
as secret sharers and competitors. This difficult and engrossing
novel also touches on self-mutilation and dysfunctional families. |
|
 The
Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation,
Volume 1: The Pox Party
by M.T. Anderson
Ages 14–up
Octavian, a black youth in Revolution-era
America, is raised in a Boston household of radical philosophers.
He is given a classical education and kept with his mother,
an African princess, in comfort. As he matures, Octavian realizes
he is an experiment to discover the intellectual capability
of Africans. When his mother dies, Octavian runs away and joins
the Patriot army. Though written in 18th century language in
the form of letters, this powerful novel raises contemporary
issues of racism, human rights, the causes of war, and the
struggle of an individual to define himself. |
|
 The
Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation,
Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves
by M.T. Anderson
Ages 14–up
Octavian heads to Virginia where
Lord Dunmore, the colony’s governor, is emancipating
slaves in exchange for military service. Octavian soon
realizes that his liberation is not a moral decision,
but a political expediency. As the Revolutionary War,
explodes around him, Octavian struggles with ideals of
liberty and his own personal growth in this fascinating
perspective on our national origins. (sequel to The
Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the
Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party) |
|
 City
of Orphans
by Avi, Greg Ruth
Ages 10–14
Maks Geless, a 13-year-old Danish
immigrant, makes 8¢ a day selling newspapers on the street
corners of 1893 Manhattan to help support his family.
Things aren’t easy for the Geless family: the shoe factory
where Mr. Geless works is closing, Maks’s sister Agnes
has tuberculosis and his sister Emma, a maid at the Waldorf
Hotel, is accused of stealing. But the Geless family
finds room in their humble home for Willa, a homeless
girl who saves Maks from a street gang. Maks and Willa
join forces to clear Emma’s name and rescue her from
the Tombs, the city’s infamous prison. The stark contrast
between the struggles of the Geless family to survive
and the easy splendor of the Waldorf make this historical
fiction come alive. |
|
 Crispin:
The Cross of Lead
by Avi
Newbery Medal 2003
Ages 10–14
Set in 14th century England, Crispin
is a 13-year-old illiterate peasant who flees his village after
being accused of a crime he did not commit on the day of his
mother’s death. He hopes that the words on his mother’s lead
cross will provide a clue to his unknown father. He falls in
with Bear, a huge traveling juggler, and their relationship is
the heart of the book. |
|
 Ship
Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi
Ages 12–up
In this futuristic adventure,
Nailer, a teenager on the Gulf Coast, works on a crew
scavenging parts from grounded oil tankers. Along with
crushing poverty, Nailer must survive dangerous hurricanes
and his violent and drug-addicted father. When a beautiful
shipping heiress, nick-named Lucky Girl, is stranded
on the beach, Nailer becomes aware of the extremes
of class disparity. Defying both his crew and his father,
Nailer helps Lucky Girl escape toward the ruins of
New Orleans, expanding his understanding of the larger
world around him and working to transcend expectations
of who he is and what he can be. |
|
 They
Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist
Group
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Ages 12–up
This accessible book presents
the origins and development of the Ku Klux Klan through
slave narratives, newspapers, congressional testimony,
and other sources, against the background of the complex
Reconstruction era of 1865–1877. Photographs, engravings,
and illustrations provide a graphic context for KKK
terrorism and the societal forces that provide a growth
medium for hate and terrorist groups. |
|
 Can
I See Your I.D.?: True Stories of False Identities
by Chris Barton, Paul Hoppe
Ages 12–up
This fascinating book tells
the true stories of 10 people who assumed false identities
for amusement, profit, or survival. The 2nd person
narration places the reader inside the mind of the
masquerader, illustrated by bold graphics illustrations.
The profiles include a teenager who impersonated a
transit worker in order to fulfill his dream of driving
a New York City subway train, a young woman who enchanted
19th century British society while pretending to be
an Asian princess, and a woman who disguised herself
as a man in order to fight in the Civil War. |
|
 Peeled
by Joan Bauer
Ages 12–up
Hildy Biddle, a feisty and funny aspiring
teen journalist in an appealing upstate New York town famous
for its apples, loves her staff position on her high school
paper. When the local paper publishes sensational ghostly happening
stories, Hildy and her friends are determined to discover and
publish the truth. |
|
 The
Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June
by Robin Benway
Ages 12–up
In the year of their parents’
divorce, three high-school sisters rediscover their
secret childhood powers: April can see the future,
May can vanish, and June can read minds. At first the
three use their powers to navigate the troubled waters
of a new school, but when April foresees a disaster,
the three work together to use their powers for a higher
purpose. Narrated in turn by each of the sisters, this
funny book celebrates the power of sisterhood. |
|
 You
by Charles Benoit
Ages 12–up
Kyle Chase (15) is one of the “hoodies,” the
hooded sweatshirt clad slackers that lurk in the corridors
in every high school. Kyle is bright, but unmotivated, and
drifts through school. When Kyle meets Zach, a witty and sarcastic
newcomer, he is fascinated, and soon absorbed into Zach’s dangerous
orbit. Eventually Kyle figures out that Zach may be out to
destroy him, but Kyle’s defeatist perspective makes it difficult
for him to break away. This quick-paced thriller is disturbingly
realistic. |
|
 Audrey,
Wait!
by Robin Benway
Ages 12–up
When Audrey breaks up with her
boyfriend, he writes a song about it that hits the top
of the charts. Audrey is famous, and mortified. This
irresistible debut novel captures teenage dialogue and
wit. |
|
 Alicia
Alonso: Prima Ballerina
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Raul
Colon
Ages 10–up
This biography in free verse
tells the story of Alicia Alonso, the famous Cuban
ballerina. From her childhood, to her climb to achieve
the rank of prima ballerina, and her fight to keep
dancing when she begins to lose her sight, Alicia’s
grace and strength are celebrated. The physical trials
of ballet dancing, and Alicia’s complex relationship
with the Cuban government give this biography depth. |
|
 The
Amaranth Enchantment
by Julie Berry
Ages 10–14
Lucinda is a 15-year-old orphan
who lives a life of miserable servitude in her evil aunt’s
jewelry store until the day she finds an unusual gemstone
belonging to Beryl, who just might be a witch. The stone
is stolen and sold to a prince and Lucinda sets out to
get it back. A clever twist on the Cinderella story,
this funny and suspenseful fantasy is also a fast-paced
adventure. |
|
 Chime
by Franny Billingsley
Ages 12–up
Briony (17) believes she is a witch.
Her step-mother blamed her for all the family’s hardships,
including her twin sister’s disabling fall from a swing years
earlier. Briony also blames herself for her step-mother’s death
and often escapes to the swamp to tell her secrets to the Old
Ones. New technology has arrived in her tiny town of Swampsea,
England, with the turn of the 20th century, and a new pumping
station is built to drain the bog. But the supernatural Old
Ones have sent a fever to punish Swampsea. Then Eldric arrives,
and Briony is torn between her attraction to Eldric and her
overwhelming guilt. |
|
|
 Red
Glove
by Holly Black
Ages 14–up
Cassel Sharpe (17) is a transformation
worker, the rarest type of curse worker who can transmute
people and objects into whatever he wishes. Growing
up in a crime family, Cassel is used to being on the
wrong side of the law, but now the mob boss wants him
to become a hit man, and US agents want him to become
an informant. Cassel’s mother has put a love curse
on the mobster’s daughter Lila, and Cassel can't trust
that she really loves him. This dark fantasy is the
second in the Curse Workers series, following White
Cat. |
 White
Cat
by Holly Black
Ages 14–up
Cassel Sharpe (14) comes from
a family of curse workers, people who have to power
to change luck, emotion, or memories with the touch
of a finger. Curseworking is illegal, so all curse
workers are mobsters or con artists, and everyone wears
gloves to avoid being taken advantage of. But Cassel
doesn’t seem to have the family power, except for the
fact that he killed his best friend three years earlier.
Cassel has tried to bury that event in the past, but
now he is having dreams of a white cat that wants to
tell him something, and he fears that he may be in
the middle of the biggest con ever. |
|
Red
Glove
by Holly Black
Ages 14–up
Cassel Sharpe (17) is a transformation
worker, the rarest type of curse worker who can transmute
people and objects into whatever he wishes. Growing
up in a crime family, Cassel is used to being on the
wrong side of the law, but now the mob boss wants him
to become a hit man, and US agents want him to become
an informant. Cassel’s mother has put a love curse
on the mobster’s daughter Lila, and Cassel can't trust
that she really loves him. This dark fantasy is the
second in the Curse Workers series, following White
Cat. |
|
 Zombies
vs. Unicorns
edited by Holly Black & Justine
Larbalestier
Ages 14–up
The writers featured in
this clever anthology defend either Zombies or
Unicorns as the superior creature. Hilarious editorial
prefaces introduce the excellent stories by Diana
Peterfreund, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot,
Carrie Ryan, Scott Westerfeld, and Alaya Dawn Johnson. |
|
 Pink
Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat
by Francesca Lia Block
Ages 14–up
In this prequel to Weetzie
Bat, we meet Louise as a 7th grader. When her father
suddenly leaves for New York City, she must cope with
her own grief as well as her mother’s depression. It
doesn’t help that she faces a clique of mean girls
at school and the sinister family in Unit 13 of her
condominium. Anonymous notes, an attractive older boy,
and two new friends who are also outcasts help Louise
transform herself into Weetzie, the artist. |
|
 The
Waters & the Wild
by Francesca Lia Block
Ages 14–up
Bee (13) is startled out of her
social isolation by a nighttime apparition of a girl
who could be her twin. She befriends two other outcasts
at school: one who thinks she is a reincarnated slave
from the 1880s, the other who believes he is the offspring
of an alien. The three come to believe that Bee is a
changeling, a hideous elf who was switched at birth for
the human Bee. This spooky short novel includes tantalizing
fragments of poems by Yeats and Shelley. |
|
 What
I Saw And How I Lied
by Judy Blundell
Ages 12–up
This noir mystery is set in 1947.
Evie (15) and her mother set off for Florida with her
stepfather Joe. Evie falls in love with Peter, an army
buddy of Joe’s. A suspicious boating accident forces
Evie to re-examine her relationships with Peter, her
mother, and her stepfather. This stylish novel has the
atmosphere of a glamorous old movie. |
|
 Strings
Attached
by Judy Blundell
Ages 13–up
Kit Corrigan (17) leaves her
home in Providence, Rhode Island, hoping to find fame
and fortune on Broadway. It’s 1950, and Billy, Kit’s
ex-boyfriend, has joined the army, but his mob-connected
father offers Kit a Manhattan apartment and a nightclub
job if she agrees to keep him informed about Billy
and his friends. Soon Kit is way over her head, caught
in a web of intrigue, love, betrayal, and murder. |
|
 LIE
by Caroline Bock
Ages 12–up
Skylar Thompson (17) feels she has
to lie to protect her boyfriend Jimmy Seeger. Jimmy was the
only person who made Skylar feel safe and protected when her
mother died, and now Jimmy needs Skylar’s help. Jimmy has been
leading a gang that goes out on Saturday nights looking for
Latinos to terrorize. Now Jimmy and his best friend Sean have
been arrested for a vicious beating of a young El Salvadoran,
who dies of his injuries. Another victim of the attack demands
justice, and Skylar can’t decide if she should keep covering
up for Jimmy or not. This powerful novel honestly deals with
the theme of a racially motivated hate crime within a community
determined to cover it up. |
|
 The
Compound
by S.A. Bodeen
Ages 12–up
Ellis, the 15-year old son of
a billionaire, has spent the last six years in the massive
underground shelter his father built to shelter the family
from the nuclear war that destroyed the world above.
With nine years to go before the air above is safe, the
food begins to run out, and Ellis is caught in an ethical
and moral dilemma as he becomes increasingly suspicious
about his father’s choices and actions. |
|
 Small
Persons With Wings
by Ellen Booraem
Ages 10–up
When Mellie was five, she told
her Kindergarten class about the fairy living in her
bedroom. Her classmates teased her unmercifully, and
the Parvi Pennati (a Small Person with Wings who hates
to be called a fairy) moved out. Now 13, Mellie and
her family move into an inn inherited from her grandfather.
Before long Mellie finds that she has not left her
problems behind. The inn is infested with Parvi, and
Mellie learns that her family must honor a thousand-year
old agreement to provide a home for the Parvi. Themes
of bullying and alcoholism are explored in this clever
and humorous fairy story. |
|
 A
Time of Miracles
by Anne-Laure Bondoux
Ages 12–up
Gloria was picking peaches
in her father’s orchard in the Republic of Georgia
when she heard a train derail. An badly injured French
woman gave Gloria her baby to care for. As Gloria and
the child flee the Republic of Georgia to escape the
fighting during the collapse of the Soviet Union, she
tells the boy, now 7 years old and known as Koumaïl,
the story of his past. The two make a perilous five-year
journey to France, retelling the boy’s story and embellishing
it to give him hope for the future. |
|
 Blade:
Playing Dead
by Tim Bowler
Ages 14–up
Blade (14) is a British boy
with a mysterious past living on the streets. He is
attacked by a gang and fleeing a group of armed men
when he stumbles across a toddler, Jen, and her teen-aged
mother, Becky. Blade becomes their unwilling protector
as he tries to elude his pursuers, unsure if they are
after him or Becky. This intense and bleak thriller
ends with a cliff-hanger. |
|
 Young
Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
by Chris Bradford
Ages 10–up
A British merchant ship is
attacked by Japanese ninja pirates who murder the entire
crew, including Jack Fletcher’s father. Young Jack
is rescued by a powerful Samurai who adopts him and
trains him to join the warrior class. Since he is a
foreigner, Jack is treated as an outcast at Samurai
school and must use all his wit and skill to survive
and succeed. First in a projected trilogy, this fast-paced
adventure set in medieval Japan is full of spellbinding
bits of history, culture, and martial arts. |
|
 Going
Bovine
by Libba Bray
Ages 14–up
Cameron Smith (16) is coasting
through high school in the shadow of his perfect sister.
While working at Buddha Burger, Cameron comes down
with mad cow disease and the prognosis isn’t good.
In the hospital he is visited by Dulcie, a neon pink
angel who just may be a hallucination. Dulcie convinces
Cameron to go on a quest to find a cure and save the
world with the help of Gonzo, a neurotic dwarf, and
Balder, a Norse god who is trapped in the form of a
garden elf. This wacky fantasy adventure will appeal
to fans of The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. |
|
 Black
Rabbit Summer
by Kevin Brooks
Ages 12–up
Five teens, formerly close friends
and now acquaintances, visit their long-abandoned hideout.
The next morning Raymond, who believes his black rabbit can
talk, and a young starlet who was taunting him the evening
before are missing. As the police hunt for the celebrity, Pete
searches for Raymond. This brooding thriller explores teenaged
alienation and the nature of relationships. |
|
 Debbie
Harry Sings in French
by Meagan Brothers
Ages 14–up
Johnny, a 17-year-old recovering
alcoholic, is sent to live with his uncle Sam. He bonds
with fellow outcast Maria, who encourages him to pursue
his love for Debbie Harry’s music, even when he decides
to perform in drag. Touching portrayal of tough issues
with an empathetic narrator who introduces shades of
gray into the usual black and white view of sexuality
and gender. |
|
 Bitter
End
by Jennifer Brown
Ages 15–up
Alex is looking forward to
visiting the Colorado Mountains that were her mother’s
destination when she died in a car accident years earlier.
As a graduation present, her best friends Bethany and
Zack have the road trip all planned. Then Alex falls
for Cole, a new senior who she feels truly loves and
understands her. But Cole is jealous of her friendship
with Zack, and prone to violent rages. Alex’s inability
to reveal Cole’s escalating put-downs, threats, and
manipulation frustrates Bethany and Zack, who know
something is wrong in this honest portrayal of abuse. |
|
 Hate
List
by Jennifer Brown
Ages 15–up
When Val and her boyfriend
Nick wrote the names of people who tormented or annoyed
them on a “Hate List,” Val had no idea
Nick would use the list. When Nick brings a shotgun
to school and begins shooting people on the list before
killing himself, Val is wounded trying to stop him.
But as the co-author of the “Hate List,” Val
is implicated in the shootings. Val’s guilt and her
complicated relationships with her family and the surviving
victims are realistically and hauntingly portrayed. |
|
 Kaleidoscope
Eyes
by Jen Bryant
Ages 9–13
In the summer of 1968, 13-year-old
Lyza and her friends search for Captain Kidd’s lost treasure
in their New Jersey neighborhood. Narrated in verse,
this novel has a strong sense of place and vividly portrays
a teenager’s conflicting emotions about the onset of
adulthood. |
|
 Ringside
1925:
Views from the Scopes Trial
by Jen Bryant
Ages 12–up
The fictionalized inhabitants of
Dayton, TN, home of the infamous “monkey trial,” speak
in a range of perspectives about the teaching of evolution. |
|
 All
The Broken Pieces
by Ann E. Burg
Ages 11–up
Two years ago Matt Pin was airlifted
from war-torn Vietnam. Now 12, and living with his loving
adoptive American family, Matt is still haunted by memories
of the family he left behind. Told in first person free
verse, Matt’s present and past are slowly revealed as
he begins to come to terms with the guilt of being the
only survivor. |
|
 Swim
the Fly
by Don Calame
Ages 14–up
Fifteen-year-old Matt and his
two swim team friends always set a summer goal. This
year’s goal is to see a girl naked, quite challenging
since none of the trio have the nerve to even ask a girl
out for a date. Matt also sets himself a personal goal—master
the grueling 100-yard butterfly to impress the team’s
star female member. Sometimes crude but always funny,
this book will appeal to teenaged male readers. |
|
 The
Secret Life of Prince Charming
by Deb Caletti
Ages 12–up
Quinn is surrounded by women
who have been disappointed by love. When her own romance
also disintegrates, Quinn wonders if there are any
good men out there. Then she discovers that her womanizing
father, Prince Charming, may have stolen more than
the hearts of the women he charmed. With her step-sisters,
Quinn sets out to right her father’s wrongs by returning
the stolen treasures. |
|
 Jump
by Elisa Carbone
Ages 12–up
P.K. (16) runs away from home to
avoid being sent off to boarding school. Critter, who has
the ability to see colors that reveal emotions, escapes
from a psychiatric hospital. Bonded by a shared love of
rock-climbing, the two hitchhike to Las Vegas to attempt
the first-ever climb up a steep rock face. Pursued by the
police, who believe that P.K.’s life is in danger, the
pair share their hopes and fears of the past and present.
Told from the perspectives of both teens, this exciting
book explores themes of independence, belonging, love,
and endurance.
|
|
 Pathfinder
by Orson Scott Card
Ages 12–up
Two stories intertwine in this complex
fantasy. Rigg (13) lives a quiet life with his father in the
backwoods, using his ability to see the trails left by animals
and people anywhere from minutes to thousands of years earlier.
When his father dies suddenly, Rigg becomes an outcast with
his friend Umbo, wrongly blamed for Umbo’s brother’s death.
The second story is that of starship captain Ram Odin, whose
interspacial jump to a new colony planet causes a paradox with
far-reaching consequences. The twin stories stretch across
centuries in this fascinating series opener. |
|
 The
Girl of Fire and Thorns
by Rae Carson
Ages 12–up
Princess Elisa (16) is a disappointment
to her parents. She is plain, overweight, and has never
done anything remarkable, though she does hold the
rare and mysterious Godstone embedded in her stomach.
Offered a safe marriage with a handsome neighboring
king, Elisa agrees, but is surprised when she arrives
to her new home and discovers that her husband wants
to keep their marriage a secret. Then Elisa is kidnapped
by an invading army and realizes she is also being
hunted by dark magicians. Instead of crumbling in the
face of danger, Elisa grows in strength and resourcefulness.
This engaging fantasy is the first in a planned trilogy. |
|
 Graceling
by Kristin Cashore
Ages 14–up
People with special talents, called
Gracelings, are identified by their unusual eyes. Katsa has
one green and one blue eye, but it is not until she is eight
that her special talent is discovered—killing. By age
18 she is henchwoman to the king. Hating her job, Katsa creates
a secret council to work against corrupt power. Teens (and
adults) struggling to put their own talents to good use will
enjoy this riveting novel. |
|
 Fire
by Kristin Cashore
Ages 14–up
Fire, an orphan with hair as red as
her name, can control the minds of everyone around her. Young
King Nash is barely holding on to his throne, while rebel lords
in the north and south build armies in hopes of taking over
the throne. This suspenseful and romantic companion volume
(prequel) to Graceling,
shares one pivotal character. |
|
 Because
I am Furniture
by Thalia Chaltas
Ages 12–up
Anke’s father is abusive to
her older brother and sister, but not to her. She is
invisible and helpless. Then Anke makes the volleyball
team at school and her confidence builds until she
begins to hope that her voice will soon be loud enough
to rescue everyone at home, including herself. This
powerful novel in poems is devastating yet offers empowerment
and hope. |
 How
We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists
and Kids Explore Global Warming
by Lynne Cherry & Gary Braasch
Ages 10–14
Hopeful tone and comprehensive resource
list. |
|
 Oh.
My. Gods.
by Tera Lynn Childs
Ages 12–up
Phoebe is shocked when her widowed
mother returns from a Greek vacation not only engaged to a
man she has just meet, but determined that Phoebe will complete
her senior year of high school at her future stepfather’s private
academy. The twist is that the school caters to the descendents
of the Greek gods and goddesses, cleverly mixing mythology
into the usual high school cliques. |
|
 Stolen
by Lucy Christopher
Ages 14–up
This intense psychological thriller
begins when Gemma (16), steps away from her British parents
for a moment at a layover in the Bangkok Airport, to get a
cup of coffee. Ty, the handsome young Australian who pays for
her coffee seems oddly familiar. After drugging the coffee,
Ty whisks Gemma away to the home he has built in the isolated
Australian outback, believing he is rescuing her from her shallow
parents and a city life in London where she could never be
happy. At first repelled by both her kidnapper and her new
environment, Gemma slowly warms to both as she realizes she
must either come to terms with her new reality or die trying
to fight it. |
|
 The
Winds of Heaven
by Judith Clarke
Ages 14–up
Clementine is charmed by her
cousin Fan from their first meeting at age 10 at Fan’s
home in the Australian countryside in 1952. But she
does not like Fan’s cruel aunt, who doesn’t treat Fan
well. As the two grow older, Clementine feels guilty
about her own luck and financial security. Clementine
goes to university while the ever more depressed Fan
suffers through an unhappy teenaged marriage and children
before she is ready for them. This heart-felt novel
captures the powerlessness of children to change their
circumstances while celebrating the power of friendship
illustrated by the bond between the cousins despite
their different situations. |
|
 Witchlanders
by Lena Coakley
Ages 12–up
When Ryder’s father dies, he struggles
to keep up the family’s remote farm in the Witchlands. Ryder
isn’t sure that the annual payment of one quarter of the crops
to the witches is worth it, especially since his people’s old
enemy the Baen has been defeated. His mother, a lapsed witch,
had mocked the power of the coven, and Ryder is pretty sure
she was right. But a terrifying new magic threatens the village
and the coven, and Ryder must confront all his beliefs, even
his hatred of the Baen. |
|
 The
Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Ages 12–up
In this future world the United States
is gone and North America has become Panem, a TV-dominated
dictatorship. Every year 24 teenagers are chosen by lottery
to fight in the Hunger Games, a reality TV show where the only
rule is that you cannot eat the dead contestants. Katniss takes
the place of her younger sister and is soon being groomed for
maximum camera appeal. As Katniss struggles to win both the
Games and audience approval, the reader is forced to confront
the question: What happens if we choose entertainment over
humanity? (1st in a trilogy) |
|
 Catching
Fire
by Suzanne Collins
Ages 12–up
Katniss Everdeen and won the
annual Hunger Games against all odds and should be
enjoying the new prosperity their win brought to their
district. But President Snow is angry about being outsmarted
and rumblings of uprisings inspired by Katniss’s defiance
of the rules are heard across the land. And the upcoming
Hunger games will be the 75th anniversary so there
are sure to be some extra-special challenges for the
next round of Hunger Game contestants. (sequel to The
Hunger Games) |
|
 A
Banquet for Hungry Ghosts:
A
Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales
by Ying Chang Compestine, Coleman Polhemus
Ages 12–up
This collection of eight gruesomely
delightful tales feature hungry ghosts—the spirits
of those who died hungry or unjustly and have returned
to seek vengeance. The chilling tales are illustrated
with lurid images of the ghosts and their victims. |
|
 Matched
by Ally Condie
Ages 14–up
In Cassia’s world, the Society makes
all the decisions: what to wear, where to work, when to die,
and who to marry. When Cassia turns 17 she is Matched with
her best friend Xander. But her neighbor Ky also shows up on
her Match disk. Cassia is told that was an error, but can’t
resist getting to know Ky better. She is amazed to find that
Ky has a unique secret—creativity. As Cassia begins to understand
that their are options other than being controlled by the Society,
things get uncomfortable. (1st in a projected trilogy) |
|
 The
Gates
by John Connolly
Ages 12–up
While doing some early trick-or-treating
with his dog Boswell in Biddlecombe, England, 11-year-old
Samuel Johnson witnesses a strange happening at 666 Crowley
Road. Experimenting with one of the spells in a old book,
Mrs. Abernathy inadvertently opens the Gates of Hell
and allows a powerful demon through. Horrified, Samuel
tries to convince various adults of the mounting danger,
but finds they don’t believe him. Billed as an “adult
book for children,” this whimsical fantasy features
a quirky and imaginative hero, an amusingly incompetent
subdemon named Nurd, and accessible explanations of quantum
mechanics, wormholes, and black holes. |
|
 Waiting
for Normal
by Leslie Connor
Ages 10–up
Sixth-grader Addie’s mother disappears
for days at a time, leaving the resilient Addie to struggle
to maintain a normal life. Addie’s optimism in the face
of child neglect makes for a powerful story. |
|
 Accomplice
by Eireann Corrigan
Ages 12–up
When their high school guidance counselor
reveals that good grades and community service aren’t enough
anymore, Finn and Chloe decide to create their own fame. They
fake Chloe’s disappearance, sending her horse home without
a rider. Planning a spectacular rescue by Finn later, they
hide Chloe in Finn’s grandmother’s basement for 11 days. It
sounds like a good plan, but the girls didn’t expect the psychological
challenges of Chloe’s loneliness and Finn’s lies, and the effect
the disappearance has on others. This haunting thriller explores
the dynamics of the relationship between the two girls as Finn
struggles to come to terms with guilt and remorse. |
|
 Carter
Finally Gets It
by Brent Crawford
Ages 13–up
Entering freshman Carter isn’t
good at talking to girls—he battles Attention Deficit
Disorder and stutters, but is determined to get a girlfriend
anyway. This often hilarious first person narrative will
engage and amuse male teenaged readers. |
|
 Walk
Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
Newbery Medal 1995
Ages 10–14
Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s mother leaves
home on a spiritual quests, but promises to return. She doesn’t,
and Sal and her father move from Kentucky to Idaho. Her new friend
Phoebe is also 13 and also has a mother who vanished. Sal convinces
her grandparents to drive to Idaho in search of her mother while
telling the story of Phoebe. Sal’s journey through the grieving
process of denial, anger, and acceptance is presented realistically
and with compassion. |
|
 The
Mighty Miss Malone
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ages 10–14
In 1936 Gary, Indiana, the
Great Depression causes Roscoe Malone to lose his job.
He leaves for Flint hoping to find another job, leaving
his wife, son Jimmy, and daughter Deza (12) behind.
When Deza’s mother also loses her job, the family becomes
homeless and sets off to Flint. In a camp on the journey,
Jimmy’s beautiful voice is recognized, and he leaves
to pursue a career as a performer. Deza and her mother
find a new home and cling to the hope that they will
find her father. (Deza makes an appearance as a minor
character in Bud,
Not Buddy.) |
|
 The
Midwife’s Apprentice
by Karen Cushman
Newbery Medal
1996
Ages 10–up
In medieval England, a young girl rises
from dire poverty by becoming the apprentice to Jane Sharp, a
cranky and bossy midwife. First known as Beetle, since she was
found living in a dung heap, the girl struggles to learn the
skills of her new profession. As she grows in knowledge and self-confidence,
the girl finally respects herself enough to choose a real name:
Alyce. |
|
 The
Year We Were Famous
by Carole Estby Dagg
Ages 12–up
Clara (17), who dreads settling
down with the boring young farmer who wants to marry
her, is convinced by her mother to take a 4,000 mile
walk to save their farm from foreclosure. Inspired
by Nellie Bly's trip around the world, Clara’s mother
accepts a $10,000 challenge from a publisher to walk
from Washington state to New York City in seven months.
Based on the real journey taken by the author’s great-aunt
and great-grandmother, this exciting book recreates
the hardships and adventures the two women faced as
they learned to rely on each other and the kindness
of strangers to find food and shelter along the trek. |
|
 Flirt
Club
by Cathleen Daly
Ages 12–up
Isabelle and Annie (AKA Cisco
and the Bean) are middle school drama geeks who are
hopeless at romance. So they start the Flirt Club,
an after school support group for friends who share
their affliction. Told through notes, journal entries,
and minutes from the Flirt Club, this funny and endearing
story is a refreshing change from the mean girl middle
school storyline. |
|
 Dingo
by Charles De Lint
Ages 12–up
Incorporating Australian folklore,
this fantasy tells the tale of Michael Schreiber who discovers
that his new girlfriend is something other than human. A mixture
of darkness and hope, humor and mystery, and the friendship
within love. |
|
 Titanic
Sinks!
by Barry Denenberg
Ages 10–up
This intriguing mix of fact
and fiction gives a “you are there” feeling
to the infamous disaster, commemorating 100th anniversary
of the sinking of the Titanic. Fictional characters
supplement the recollections of actual survivors, presented
in the pages of a fictional magazine. Period photographs
add to the dramatic effect. |
|
 Lock
and Key
by Sarah Dessen
Ages 12–up
After her mother abandons her,
Ruby Cooper is taken in by the older sister she hasn’t
seen in 10 years and her wealthy husband. Ruby now has
everything she’s dreamed of: fancy house, private school,
new wardrobe. But Ruby is a reluctant Cinderella, suspicious
of her own good fortune. |
|
 Wither
by Lauren DeStefano
Ages 14–up
War has destroyed most of the continents,
and a virus has killed all females by age 20 and males by age
25 for generations. Healthy teenaged girls are prized as breeding
stock, and Rhine is kidnapped and forced into a polygamous
marriage in a lavish Florida home where Gabriel is a servant.
Though pampered in her luxurious prison, Rhine wants to get
back to her twin brother Rowan, and infects Gabriel with her
dreams of escape. (1st in a planned trilogy) |
|
 Entwined
by Heather Dixon
Ages 12–up
Azela, the heir to the throne, and
her 11 sisters live in the half-magical world of Eathesbury.
When their mother dies after a long illness, their father the
King banishes the girls from his sight and goes off to war
without even saying good-bye. The sisters find a secret passageway
to an enchanted pavilion under the castle, where they dance
all night, breaking the rules of mourning. This magical tale
is based on “The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes" by the
Brothers Grimm. |
|
 Little
Brother
by Cory Doctorow
Ages 13–up
Set in near-future San Francisco
after a terrorist attack, 17-year-old Marcus and his
friends (guilty only of cutting school) are arrested
and interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Released, techno-geek Marcus and his crew fight against
the oppressive police state. |
|
 Annexed
by Sharon Dogar
Ages 12–up
On July 13, 1942, 15-year-old Peter
van Pels and his family entered the attic that would be their
home for two years. Written from the viewpoint of 15-year-old
Peter van Pels, this captivating historical novel presents
a boy struggling to understand himself, religion, and the members
of the Frank family who share the small living space. Peter’s
growing interest in Anne will intrigue readers of The
Diary of Anne Frank. Ending with reports from the death
camps of Auschwitz and Mauthausen, Peter struggles to maintain
his sense of identity to the very end. |
|
 Bog
Child
by Siobhan Dowd
Ages 12–up
When Fergus McCann is digging for peat
for his uncle to sell in 1981, he finds the body of a small
boy. Archaeologists suspect the body is ancient and arrive
in droves to study the find. Trying to earn entrance to medical
school 18-year-old Fergus is haunted by his find and confused
by the hunger strike his imprisoned IRA brother has joined.
This compelling book raises questions about moral choices and
highlights the impact of political conflict on innocent bystanders. |
|
 You
Against Me
by Jenny Downham
Ages 14–up
When Mikey’s 15-year-old younger
sister claims Tom, a college student, assaulted her,
Mikey decides to avenge her. But then Mikey meets Tom’s
younger sister Ellie and the attraction between them
makes it difficult for the two to choose sides in the
conflict. Details of the English legal and school system
are explained in this powerful novel that explores
universal themes of loyalty to family, class, gender,
and power. |
|
 Happyface
by Stephen Emond
Ages 12–up
Our narrator, an introverted and artistically
talented high school sophomore, decides to try out a new happy-go-lucky
persona at his new school, and quickly earns the nickname Happyface.
The plan works, and Happyface soon has a new collection of
friends who accept him at face value. But his sketchbook reveals
the truth: his parents’ failing marriage, his own broken heart,
and the real reason he had to switch schools. Happyface is
able to illustrate the feelings he can’t write about, and the
reader is gradually able to get to know the real person behind
the facade. |
|
 Mockingbird
by Kathryn Erskine
Ages 10–up
Caitlin Smith (10) has Asperger’s syndrome.
She hates recess with all the noise and confusion, and meets
with her counselor, Mrs. Brook, who helps her to understand
the reasons behind her discomfort, while offering advice about
how to make friends and deal with her grief over her older
brother Devon’s death in a recent school shooting. Devon had
always been Caitlin’s interpreter, explaining the grey areas
in the world she sees as black and white. Without him, Caitlin
struggles more than ever. When she hears the term “closure” Caitlin
turns to her dictionary for help and decides to find closure
for both herself and her grieving father. Caitlin’s first person
narration provides insight into her incredible intelligence
and conscientiousness paired with her limited social skills
and her struggles to comprehend figurative language. |
|
 Jessica’s
Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
by Beth Fantaskey
Ages 14–up
Jessica Packward, 17-year-old
mathlete, is flabbergasted when a Romanian named Lucius
Vladescu appears and informs her that they are vampire
royalty and pledged to be wed since infancy. When her
adoptive parents confirm that her real parents claimed
to be vampires, Jessica is stunned. But Lucius is attractive,
and armed with Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s
Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica
begins to transform herself into a Vampire Princess.
Funny, satirical, and suspenseful, this vampire novel
is a cut above the competition. |
|
 The
Sea of Trolls
by Nancy Farmer
Ages 9–up
Jack (11) is a scrawny medieval Saxon
boy who has never been much good at anything until the Bard
of his village makes him an apprentice. Jack is slowly learning
to call on magical powers when the Bard realizes that Viking
berserkers are about to attack the village. They raise a fog
to hide the village, but Jack and his sister Lucy (5) are kidnapped
by by Ivan One-Brow and his crew. Jack impresses Ivan with
his ability to control the weather and things aren’t nearly
as bad as they could be until Lucy is given to King Ivan the
Boneless and Frith, his evil half-troll wife. By mistake, Jack
detaches Frith’s hair and is sent on a quest with Ivan and
Thorgil to the Troll kingdom to find Mimir’s Well and the secret
to restore Frith’s hair. This skillful amalgam of history,
myth, and humor will appeal to fantasy lovers of all ages. |
|
 The
Land of Silver Apples
by Nancy Farmer
Ages 9–up
Jack (13) and his sister Lucy (7) are
safely back home with their parents, and Lucy is even more
spoiled than ever. When her behavior grows too bad to ignore,
the family takes her to a monastery for an exorcism. Jack’s
father admits that their real baby was stolen at birth, and
Lucy left in her place. Lucy is stolen by the Lady of the Lake
and Jack’s mother insists that her real daughter be found,
and Jack is off on another quest. Assisted by Pega, a slave
girl, and Thorgil, the ex-berserker, Jack journeys through
the lands of hobgoblins, kelpies, yarthkins, and elves in this
thoroughly satisfying sequel to The
Sea of Trolls. |
|
 The
Island of the Blessed
by Nancy Farmer
Ages 9–up
Jack, 14-year old apprentice
bard, is now living with Thorgil, shield maiden, and
the Bard. A draugr, the undead spirit of a wronged
mermaid, is roused by the village priest’s mystical
bell, sending Jack and his friends to the kingdom of
the fin folk seeking a way to bring the draugr peace.
(conclusion to The
Sea of Trolls and The
Land of Silver Apples) |
|
 March
On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World
by Christine King Farris, London
Ladd
Ages 9–12
Christine
King Farris, Martin Luther King, Junior’s older
sister describes the 1963 March on Washington with an
intimate down-to-earth perspective, presenting her brother
as a man rather than as an icon. |
|
 The
Big Splash
by Jack D. Ferraiolo
Ages 10–14
Seventh grader Matt Stevens walks
the mean hallways of Franklin Middle School in this clever
and funny middle school noir. Tough guy Vinny Biggio
and his gang of trigger girls and boys armed with squirt
guns rule the campus until Matt decides to figure out
who took down Nikki Fingers in this exciting mystery. |
|
 Sidekicks
by Jack D. Ferraiolo
Ages 10–14
Scott “Bright Boy” Hutchinson
is an ordinary school boy by day, and the intrepid sidekick
to the grim avenger Phantom Justice by night. Scott is content
with his life, until he and another sidekick accidentally discover
each other’s secret identities. Though the superheroes they
support are arch-enemies, the two sidekicks realize that they
have much in common. When Scott realizes that Phantom Justice
may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott is forced
to make a choice about which side to support. |
|
 Miss
Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America
by Susan Fillion
Ages 10–up
Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel
Cone were two unmarried sisters from Baltimore who
fell in love with modern art in Paris. The two sisters,
encouraged Leo Stein, supported beginning artists like
Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, bought their paintings,
and brought them back to America. Without professional
advice or counsel, trusting their eyes and instincts,
the two sisters concentrate on the avant-garde. Few
were aware of the extent of their collection until
Etta published a catalog in 1934, revealing one of
the foremost collections of Matisse’s work in the world,
bequeathed to The Baltimore Museum of Art in 1949.
This touching story is lavishly illustrated with reproductions
of the Cone Collection and the colorful Matisse-inspired
paintings by the author. |
|
 Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher
Ages 12–up
In this complex and inventive fantasy,
civilization was frozen in late-medieval development to save
the world from dangerous technology. All of the madmen and
malcontents were sealed into a huge and sentient prison named
Incarceron. Claudia, the brilliant daughter of the prison warden,
is doomed to a loveless marriage with the simpleminded heir
to the throne. But when Finn, a prisoner without a past, finds
a crystal key that lets him communicate with Claudia, each
decides to escape their own prison with unexpected consequences. |
|
 The
Morgue and Me
by John C. Ford
Ages 12–up
Christopher Newell takes a summer
job in the morgue before heading off to college and stumbles
across $15,000 in cash and a dead body that the medical
examiner has ruled a suicide despite multiple bullet
wounds in the torso. Tina, a young reporter for the local
paper, joins Christopher’s investigation and the two
uncover blackmail and corruption going back for years.
This dark teen novel holds its own as a mainstream mystery. |
|
 Suicide
Notes
by Michael Thomas Ford
Ages 14–up
Jeff, the 15-year-old narrator, is
in a psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. At first convinced
he is the only sane one surrounded by crazy kids, Jeff slowly
begins to form relationships and to understand his own problems
and confusions. This darkly humorous novel presents issues
of identity in a compelling and witty manner. |
|
 If
I Stay
by Gayle Forman
Ages 14–up
Mia, a talented 17-year-old
cellist, remembers driving on a snowy Oregon road with
her family, and then nothing until she is standing
next to the wrecked car and her parents’ corpses, watching
the paramedics tend to the damaged bodies of herself
and her little brother. Told in flashbacks, this moving
novel explores Mia’s life, the power of friends and
family, and the things that make life worth living. |
|
 Secrets
of Truth and Beauty
by Megan Frazer
Ages 12–up
Dara Cohen won the title of
Little Miss Maine when she was seven. Now 17, Dara
is overweight with a control-freak mother and a missing
older sister that her parents try to erase from their
lives. Dara’s school project about society’s preoccupation
with thinness is horribly misunderstood and she ends
up in the counselor’s office. Her parents pull her
out of school to save face, and Dara decides it’s time
to reconnect with her sister, now living on a Massachusetts
goat farm. This coming of age novel has a likeable
heroine whose growing self-confidence is inspiring. |
|
 Lafayette
and the American Revolution
by Russell Freedman
Ages 10–up
In this accessible biography,
we first meet the Marquis de Lafayette as a strong-willed
19-year-old defying the King of France to run off and
join the American Revolution. Though young Lafayette
had never set foot on a battlefield before, he soon
earned the respect of the Americans because of his
bravery and drive to succeed. The text is enlivened
by quotations and anecdotes from Lafayette’s unconventional
life, while drawings and portraits help to keep the
large cast of characters straight. |
|
 The
War to End All Wars: World War I
by Russell Freedman
Ages 12–up
This powerful book begins with
the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914
and ends with the Treaty of Versailles in 1918. The
accessible narrative shows the brutality and horror
of trench warfare along with the leaders and the new
technology that made it all possible. The ramifications
of the war—the end to American isolation, the Russian
revolution, and the defeat that provided a foundation
for Fascism and Nazism—are clearly demonstrated. |
|
 The
Possibilities of Sainthood
by Donna Freitas
Ages 12–up
Antonia is a 15-year-old Catholic
schoolgirl who petitions the saints to help her deal
with the angst of adolescence. When St. Augustine lets
her down, she proposes herself as the new Saint of the
First Kiss and sends regular emails to the Pope in the
Vatican. The warm portrayal of Italian-American life
add depth to this coming-of-age novel. |
|
 After
the Moment
by Garret Freymann-Weyr
Ages 14–up
Leigh Hunter moves to Washington
DC during his senior year and falls for Maia Morland—smart,
pretty, anorexic, and germ-phobic. When Maia is threatened,
Leigh commits an act of violence trying to protect
her that endangers their love and haunts Leigh. This
story of a complicated first love examines love itself. |
|
 The
Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Ages 10–up
When a murderer kills the rest of his
family, the toddler escapes to the graveyard next door where
the ghosts take him in and raise him as their own. The boy,
called Bod (short for Nobody) grows up fairly normal despite
his ghoulish guardians and the fact that the killer is still
stalking him. This gothic fantasy is downright terrifying at
times. |
|
 Dead
End in Norvelt
by Jack Gantos
Newbery
Medal 2012
Ages 10–up
Jack Gantos’s summer 1962 vacation
plans take an unexpected turn when he is grounded “for
life” by his bickering parents. But then his mother
loans him out to a neighbor, and Jack finds himself typing
obituaries of the strange and wonderful people who founded
his small town. This funny and mysterious semi-autobiographic
mix of fact and fiction is fast-paced and immensely entertaining. |
|
 Dreams
of Significant Girls
by Cristina García
Ages 12–up
This story of three girls who
spend summers in an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland
begins in 1971. The three girls from very different
backgrounds form a bond as they spend the summer as
roommates and the school year apart. Shirin is a pampered
Iranian, Ingrid is a sexually adventurous German-Canadian
with a talent for photography, and Vivien is a Cuban-Jewish
New Yorker with a flair for the culinary arts. The
boarding school setting provides an intriguing background
for this coming of age story celebrating the power
of female friendships. |
|
 Optical
Illusion Play Pack
by Martin Gardner
Ages 10–up
Packaged with 40+ punch-out pieces,
readers are challenged to re-create optical illusions,
experiencing rather than simply observing these illusions
aptly explained by puzzle master and mathematician Gardner. |
|
 The
Red Necklace
by Sally Gardner
Ages 12–up
This suspenseful and haunting book
is set during the French Revolution. Yann Magoza, an orphan
traveling with a troupe of magicians, can read minds. While
performing at a castle, Yann meets Sidonie, the daughter of
a cruel marquis, and a scheming count murders one of the troupe
of magicians. |
|
 A
Tale Dark and Grimm
by Adam Gidwitz
Ages 10–up
In this irreverent and retelling
of eight Grimm inspired fairy tales, Hansel and Gretel
take their fate into their own capable hands, and walk
out of their own story and into the other tales. Avoiding
the modern trend of softening the original tales, these
instead revel in bloodthirsty scariness, sure to delight
readers ready for some wickedly funny terror. |
|
 Storyteller
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Ages 8–14
While staying with her aunt, Elizabeth
finds a portrait of Eliza, known as Zee, an ancestor who looks
just like her. Zee’s father died in the American Revolution,
and her mother when their cabin was ambushed. A map on the
back of the sketch helps Elizabeth puzzle out the story of
Zee’s life. As Elizabeth follows in Zee’s footsteps, the stories
of the two girls intertwine as each searches for inner strength
and a sense of belonging. |
|
 Once
by Morris Gleitzman
Ages 12–up
Everybody deserves to have something
good in their life at least once, believes Felix, a 10-year
old Polish Jew, who runs away from a Catholic orphanage to
search for his parents. After finding his home occupied by
hostile neighbors, Felix lives in hiding, in constant fear
of discovery, as he slowly becomes aware of the Nazi atrocities.
Felix’s traumatized present-tense narrative drives this powerful
novel which manages to find welcome bits of humor and heroic
kindness in the midst of horror and tragedy. |
|
 Then
by Morris Gleitzman
Ages 12–up
Felix (10) and Zelda (6) have escaped
from the train carrying Jews to the death camp, but as two
children alone in Nazi-occupied Poland they are surrounded
by danger. Felix uses his masterful storytelling skills to
create new denies for himself and Zelda, allowing them to live
safely in public for a time. Seeking to protect each other,
the two children secretly put a locket containing a picture
of Zelda’s Nazi parents among the other’s possession. They
form a family with a woman named Genia and begin to heal, but
with no certainty that their temporary safety will last. (sequel
to Once) |
|
 King
of the Screwups
by K.L. Going
Ages 12–up
Liam Geller (17) has everything,
a super-model mother, CEO father, popularity, and good
looks. But somehow he always manages to do exactly
the wrong thing and infuriate his father. When he is
kicked out of the house he is sent to stay with his
gay uncle who lives in a trailer in the middle of nowhere.
To regain his father’s approval, Liam tries to reinvent
himself as a nerd, but eventually the likeable Liam
learns to just be himself. |
|
 The
Diamond of Drury Lane
by Julia Golding
Ages 10–14
Cat has lived in the Drury Lane
Theater Royal ever since she was abandoned as a baby
and taken in by Mr. Sheridan, the owner of the theater.
After Cat sees Mr. Sheridan hiding a valuable diamond,
she and her friends decide to help safeguard the treasure.
Set in 1790s London, England, this thrilling mystery
will keep readers glued to the pages. (first in a projected
quartet) |
|
 The
Museum of Mary Child
by Cassandra Golds
Ages 11–up
Heloise is kept secluded by
her stern god mother. When the lonely girl discovers
a beautiful doll, Maria, hidden under the floorboards,
she hides the doll from her godmother who prohibits
play, beautiful things, and talk of love. When Maria
is discovered, Heloise learns the dreadful truth about
the museum adjoining her godmother’s cottage. This
mysterious and creepy novel is enthralling. |
|
 Imaginary
Enemy
by Julie Gonzalez
Ages 12–up
Jane writes to her imaginary
enemy “Bubba” and he replies, in this entrancing
and witty novel that follows Jane from elementary school
into high school. |
|
 Eon:
Dragoneye Reborn
by Alison Goodman
Ages 12–up
In a world where women are
forbidden to study Dragon magic, Eona (16) disguises
herself as a 12-year-old boy (Eon) to enter a competition
to become an apprentice Dragoneye. Against all odds,
the crippled Eon is selected and is soon fighting against
the corrupt Lord Ido in this compelling fantasy. |
|
 The
Other Side of the Island
by Allegra Goodman
Ages 12–up
Honor (10) and her parents are
brought to Island 365 by the Corporation led by Earth
Mother. Using memory-altering substances and misinformation,
the Corporation lulls its citizens into believing that
the rest of the world is uninhabitable. Honor’s parents
rebel and are captured and Honor and a friend must rescue
them. |
|
 Poisoned
Honey
A
Story of Mary Magdalene
by Beatrice Gormley
Ages 12–up
Mari (13) wants to be in control
of her own destiny, but women in 1st century Palestine
have little power, so Mari submits to an arranged marriage.
But her father and fiancé die of fever and Mari
finds herself at the mercy of others. An Egyptian wisewoman
teaches Mari the ways of the occult arts and she is gradually
consumed by evil spirits before her eventual redemption.
This biblical fiction brings the culture of early Palestine
to vivid life. |
|
 Ostrich
Boys
by Keith Gray
Ages 12–up
After their friend Ross is
killed while riding his bike, Blake, Kenny, and Sim
are furious at the fake show of support by previously
uncaring teachers and classmates. So the three boys
decide to steal his ashes and travel from London to
the village of Ross in Scotland for a proper funeral.
Along the way they get thrown off a train, chased by
police, and meet some flirtations Scottish girls. They
also confront their own relationships with Ross and
face some hard truths about his death. |
|
 Picture
the Dead
by Adele Griffin, Lisa Brown
Ages 12–up
When Jennie’s twin brother
dies in the Civil War in 1864, Jennie feels his loss
like a wound. A year later, her cousin Quinn arrives
home to Massachusetts with the news that his brother
Will, Jennie’s fiancé, is also dead. Quinn, who is
much changed by the war, begins to court Jennie, who
responds though she senses that something mysterious
surrounds Will’s death. Jennie is haunted by both her
dead brother and Will, and suffers a recurring sensation
of being choked. Newspaper clippings, scrapbook entries,
and black-and-white drawings illustrate Jennie’s first
person narration in this effective gothic ghost story
portraying a country recovering from the horrors and
loss of war. |
|
 The
Orange Houses
by Paul Griffin
Ages 14–up
Tamika (Mik) Sykes is a bright
hearing-impared 15-year old loner living in a Bronx
housing project known as The Orange Houses. Mik becomes
friends with Fatima, a teenaged illegal refugee from
Africa who sells newspapers on Mik’s block. The two
befriend Jimmi Sixes, a disturbed 18-year old homeless
veteran who is shunned by the rest of the community.
The story of the three outcasts, who connect artistically
and emotionally, is tense and powerful. |
|
 Ten
Mile River
by Paul Griffin
Ages 12–up
Ray and José, two homeless teenaged
boys, are hiding from their parole officer in New York City’s
Ten Mile River Park. Ray meets Trini, who encourages the boys
to go straight, and Ray is caught between his loyalty to his
friend and his desire to make something of himself. Griffin’s
ear for authentic dialog makes his gritty novel memorable. |
|
 Into
the Wild Nerd Yonder
by Julie Halpern
Ages 12–up
Jessie is having a bad sophomore
year in high school. Her two best friends have turned
punk and boy-crazy, and her beloved older brother is
preparing to leave for college. Jessie retreats into
sewing and audio books until Dottie, the class nerd,
introduces her to Dungeons and Dragons, which Jessie
is surprised to find she actually enjoys. Jessie’s honest,
funny, and sympathetic narration allows the reader to
see how exceptional Jessie truly is, even though she
can’t see it herself. |
|
 The
Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
Ages 12–up
For Isabel, known as Belly,
summers are the most important part of the year. Every
summer Belly’s family shares a beach house with her
mother’s best friend and her two sons. Until Belly’s
15th summer, the boys have treated Belly as a sister,
but this year everything changes. This coming-or-age
novel is the first in a planned trilogy. |
|
 Unearthly
by Cynthia Hand
Ages 12–up
Clara (16) is a Quartarius, a quarter-angel.
Her half-angel single mother helps Clara interpret the visions
that will reveal her purpose, the reason that each angel exists
on Earth. Clara’s visions lead them from California to Jackson
Hole, Wyoming, where she meets the boy in her visions at the
local high school. Clara negotiates the normal perils of high
school cliques while also learning to use her wings. (first
in a projected trilogy) |
|
 Why
We Broke Up
by Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman
Ages 15–up
Min and Ed are breaking up,
and Min is writing a long letter to Ed to accompany
a box of souvenirs of their two-month romance. Illustrations
of each item separate the chapters documenting Min’s
doomed affair, which she is sure has broken her heart.
This bittersweet novel makes excellent use of poignant
dialogue to tell the story of teenaged romance. (Daniel
Handler writes for younger readers under the pen name
Lemony Snicket.) |
|
 Fly
Trap
by Frances Hardinge
Ages 10–up
Mosca Mye, her con man friend
Eponymous Clent, and her fierce goose Saracen have
barely escaped from the revolution, which they helped
start, in the city of Mandelion. But the new town they
find themselves in isn’t much safer. Toll is a wealthy
town, but transforms into a dangerous place after dark,
known as Toll-by-Night. Mosca and her companions are
soon involved in a plot to kidnap the Mayor’s beloved
daughter while trying to escape the clutches of Goshawk,
who wants vengeance for their deeds in Mandelion. This
humorous and inventive fantasy novel is the sequel
to Fly
by Night. |
|
 The
Lost Conspiracy
by Frances Hardinge
Ages 10–up
On the enchanted island of
Gullstrick, Arilou is proclaimed to be a mystic, the
next Lady Lost of the Lace people. Her younger sister
Hathin acts as her translator and guardian. But neither
sister is exactly what she seems, and when a Lost Inspector
arrives to authenticate Arilou’s claim, the sisters
and the Lace people are in danger. This complex tale
is an entrancing story. |
|
 The
Last Exit to Normal
by Michael Harmon
Ages 14–up
When 17-year-old Ben’s father announces
he’s gay and the family splits up, Ben figures it can’t get
worse. But then his father and boyfriend move with Ben from
big-city Spokane to a rural Montana town—no place for
a boy with spiked hair, a skateboard habit, and two dads. |
|
 Clarity
by Kim Harrington
Ages 14–up
Clarity “Clare” Fern (16)
works for the family business doing psychic readings for summer
tourists in Cape Cod. Clare can retrieve memories and emotions
by touching objects, her mother can read minds, and her brother
is a medium. When a tourist is found murdered, Clare is eager
to help the police. When two more people are murdered, and
her brother becomes a suspect, Clare realizes she needs to
find the truth quickly before she becomes the next victim.
(1st in a planned series) |
|
 Butterfly
by Sonya Hartnett
Ages 14–up
Plum Coyle is just about to celebrate
her 14th birthday, unsure if she wants to be older and fit
in with her friends, or younger and still babied by her older
brothers Justin and Cydar. Plum’s friends taunt and tease her,
her perhaps untrustworthy neighbor Maureen tries to advise
her, and her family seems unable to help her conquer her insecurity.
Secrets and betrayals and the pain of being unable to help
those you love permeate this novel about an ordinary Australian
suburban family. |
|
 The
Ghost’s Child
by Sonya Hartnett
Ages 12–up
One day 75-year-old Maddy comes
home to find a peculiar young boy waiting for her.
The boy is eager for stories so she tells him of her
past, her imaginary best friend, and her lost love—a
feral man of the sea. Beautiful prose supports this
tale of magical realism. |
|
 The
Midnight Zoo
by Sonya Hartnett, Andrea Offermann
Ages 10–up
When German soldiers attack
their Romany encampment and arrest their relatives,
Andrej (12) and Tomas (9) flee to hide in the woods
with their baby sister. They discover a bombed out
town with an intact zoo filled with creatures in need
of hope. Like the children, the animals have stories
to tell and a burning desire to reclaim their lives.
This somber fable explores themes of responsibility
and freedom. |
|
 Blank
Confession
by Pete Hautman
Ages 12–up
Shayne Blank, a 16-year-old
stranger, appears at the police station to confess
to a murder. Detective Rawls, a veteran cop, listens
to Shayne’s story about Mickey Martin, the smallest
junior at Wellstone High, who discards a bag of drugs
given to him for safekeeping by his sister’s drug-dealing
boyfriend. This gripping story is told from both the
viewpoints of Mickey, narrating the back story, and
Detective Rawls, listening to the confession. Snappy
dialog, skillful pacing, and great characters make
this exciting mystery hard to put down. |
|
 North
of Beautiful
by Justina Chen Headley
Ages 12–up
Terra has a birthmark on her
face and a father who tells her she is ugly and not
artistically talented. Then she meets Jacob, an Asian-born
adoptee who introduces her to geocaching, a treasure
hunt using GPS technology. When the two travel to China
with their mothers, Terra redefines her definition
of art and beauty. |
|
 The
Shattering
by Karen Healey
Ages 12–up
Keri (17) always likes to be
prepared for the unexpected. She knows how to give
first aid and what to do in case of an earthquake.
But her brother’s unexplained suicide takes her by
surprise, especially when her friend Janna tells her
there might be a reason for Jake’s death. Keri learns
that her small town of Summerton, New Zealand, may
have a magical history that compels a teenaged boy
to kill himself. Unsure who to trust, Keri and her
friends take on the dangerous task of uncovering the
truth. |
|
 Ivy
by Julie Hearn
Ages 12–up
Two 19th century London women of the
Ragged Children’s Welfare Association rescue the orphan Ivy,
a Pre-Raphaelite beauty, who has been discarded by her family
as useless. The laudanum addicted Ivy spends most of her time
in a swoon, but the other characters scheme and frolic in this
lush absorbing novel. |
|
 Charles
and Emma:
The
Darwins’ Leap of Faith
by Deborah Heiligman
Ages 12–up
This biography focuses on the marriage
of Charles Darwin to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Supported
by historical context and quotations from their own personal
writings as well, we meet a man who believes in reason
and a woman who believes in God. This sympathetic account
helps readers to understand Darwin’s views and the influence
of Emma’s beliefs. |
|
 Wicked
Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials
by Stephanie Hemphill
Ages 12–up
It began as a girls’ game, but
ended as a witch hunt. When two village girls fall ill
and accuse neighbors as witches, Ann, Mercy, and Margaret
jump on the chance to have influence over others and
begin to accuse neighbors who have harmed them or their
families. Told in verse from each girl’s perspective,
this powerful novel explores the motivations that could
have driven the girls to make the false accusations that
resulting in the hangings of 19 people in 1692. And the
motivations are all too believable—jealousy, boredom,
longing for friendship and acceptance—inspiring uncomfortable
parallels to group dynamics of modern teens. |
|
 Bird
Lake Moon
by Kevin Henkes
Ages 10–14
Mitch (12) is brooding about
his parents’ upcoming divorce when he meets Spencer (10)
who has been shaken by a drowning at Bird Lake. Told
in alternating chapters from both viewpoints, this novel
explores secrets, loss, and acceptance of what cannot
be changed. |
|
 Brooklyn
Bridge
by Karen Hesse, Chris Sheban
Ages 10–14
It’s 1903 in Brooklyn and all 14-year-old
Joseph Michtom wants to do is go to the brand-new amusement
park at Coney Island. But his Russian immigrant parents have
just invented the stuffed teddy bear, and Joseph is too busy
working to have fun. Meanwhile the street children living under
the Brooklyn Bridge are haunted by a ghost they call the Radiant
Boy. |
|
 Out
of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
Newbery Medal 1998
Ages 11–up
Billie Jo (14) records the grim realities
of living in the Oklahoma dust bowl during the Depression. In
her free verse journal, she reveals her mother’s death and her
own burns in a fire and her father’s grief. Billie Jo’s hope
for a better future shines through all the pain and struggle
to survive. |
|
 The
Black Book of Secrets
by F.E. Higgins
Ages 10–14
Young Ludlow Fitch, fleeing a
terrible past, arrives in a peaceful village. Ludlow
becomes the assistant to the mysterious pawnbroker who
trades cash for people’s deepest, darkest secrets. It’s
Ludlow’s job to record the secrets in the leather bound Black
Book of Secrets. The vaguely Dickensian late 1800s
atmosphere is the perfect backdrop for this historical
fantasy. |
|
 The
Bone Magician
by F.E. Higgins
Ages 10–14
Young Pin Carpue is left to survive
on his own in the crime-ridden city of Urbs Umida when
his father, a suspected murderer, disappears. Pin gets
a job as a corpse watcher, standing guard in the morgue
for three days to ensure that the deceased really are
dead and not just sleeping. There he meets the Bone Magician
who claims to be able to reanimate the dead to answer
last questions from the living. This dark and funny fantasy
is a companion volume to The
Black Book of Secrets. |
|
 The
Eyeball Collector
by F.E. Higgins
Ages 10–14
Young Hector finds himself
alone, homeless, and penniless when his father dies
after being blackmailed and disgraced. Hector sets
out to find revenge against the man he thinks is responsible
for the blackmail—Gulliver Truepin, a one-eyed
con artist who steals jewels to make a different jeweled
eyeball for each day of the week. The two end up at
Withypitts Hall, home of the cruel Lady Mandible and
all plots come together on the night of an extravagant
feast. (Companion volume to The
Black Book of Secrets and The
Bone Magician) |
|
 Department
19
by Will Hill
Ages 14–up
Jamie Carpenter’s father died
a traitor when Jamie was 14. Now 16, Jamie is rescued
by Frankenstein from vampires and taken to Department
19, the top-secret government organization founded
by Dracula’s killers, dedicated to protecting mankind
from the supernatural. When Jamie’s mother is kidnapped
by vampires, Jamie sets off with Frankenstein and an
untrustworthy vampire girl to rescue her. This non-stop
adventure is part mystery, part classic horror story,
and all thriller. |
|
 The
Beginner’s Guide to Living
by Lia Hills
Ages 14–up
When his mother dies in a traffic
accident, Will (17) is numb and can’t feel anything
until he meets Taryn at the wake. Confused by love
and grief, Will begins to question the meaning of life.
His quest for answers leads him to read philosophy,
experiment with drugs, and explore sexuality with Taryn.
Insightful and thought-provoking, this coming-of-age
novel celebrates life, companionship, and love. |
|
 The
Last Best Days of Summer
by Valerie Hobbs
Ages 10–14
Lucy (12) is highly influenced
by her friend Megan, who gives her tips about how to
be popular in junior high, including not being friendly
with Eddie, a boy with Down syndrome. Lucy eagerly
heads off to her annual trip to her grandmother’s lake
cabin, anxious to escape her over-protective parents
and enjoy doing all her favorite summer things with
Grams. But Grams isn’t acting like herself (early Alzheimer’s)
and Eddie shows up expecting Lucy to be the friend
she’s always been. This thoughtful coming-of-age story
is simply and effectively told. |
|
 Green
Witch
by Alice Hoffman
Ages 12–up
A year after losing her family
in the destruction of the city, Green (16) finds that
tending her garden and collecting the stories of other
survivors helps the healing process. But she can’t
stop thinking of her beloved Diamond, a mute boy who
stole her heart, and her former schoolmate Heather.
Green consults a series of women believed to be witches
whose advice leads her to the island of prisoners where
she finds old acquaintances and strangers who share
her grief and suffering. Together they to try to change
the future. This poetic and haunting novel is the sequel
to Green
Angel. |
|
 Brains
For Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!
by K.A. Holt, Gahan Wilson
Ages 9–14
Loeb, a zombie, has a problem—the
object of his affection is a lifer (human) girl named
Siobhan. Narrated entirely in haiku, this clever novel
highlights the self-doubt and uncertainity all pre-teens
suffer through whether they are human or zombie. Delightfully
gruesome illustrations are the perfect match for the
funny and unconventional haiku, sure to appeal to teachers
of poetry and reluctant readers alike. |
|
 The
Water Seeker
by Kimberly Willis Holt
Ages 10–14
Jake Kincaid is a skilled dowser,
a finder of water, but leaves that calling behind to
become a trapper in 1833. He returns a year later to
find that his wife has died, leaving him a baby named
Amos. Jake leaves Amos to be raised by his relatives
in Nebraska, returning each summer to visit. In 1841,
Jake brings his new Shoshone wife with him and they
take Amos with them to Missouri. When Amos is 13, the
family joins a wagon train headed west on the Oregon
Trail. The hardships of the journey are beautifully
portrayed in this historical coming-of-age novel. |
|
 How
I Saved My Father’s Life
(and
Ruined Everything Else)
by Ann Hood
Ages 11–up
Madeline (11) believes she saved
her father from an avalanche, and is hoping for another
miracle to undo her parents’ divorce and father’s remarriage.
Perceptive view of divorce from a child’s perspective. |
|
 Claudette
Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose
Ages 10–up
In March 1955, nine months
before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat to
a white passenger, 15-year old Claudette Colvin was
dragged from a bus and arrested for the same reason.
This book introduces readers to the courageous teenager
who was overshadowed by Rosa Parks as the center of
the bus boycott. Young readers are encouraged to empathize
with young Claudette, at first dismissed as too “emotional” to
withstand public scrutiny, but later a key witness
in the federal lawsuit that would end discrimination
on public transportation. (2010 Newbery Honor Book) |
|
 Identical
by Ellen Hopkins
Ages 14–up
Kaeleigh and Reanne are identical 16-year-old
twins. From the outside their family seems perfect, but since
an accident their mother is emotionally unreachable and the
girls are self destructive in different ways. Narrated in free
verse, this disturbing novel is both beautiful and shocking. |
|
 Addie
on the Inside
by James Howe
Ages 10–14
Seventh grader Addie is outspoken,
and often a target of ridicule from her classmates.
Though confident on the outside, Addie is riddled with
self-doubt on the inside, especially about her relationship
with her boyfriend DuShawn and her former friend Becca.
Addie’s plan to organize a school Day of Silence doesn’t
turn out the way she planned, but her self-imposed
silence has unexpected benefits. Told in rhythmic narrative
verse, this empathetic novel is a companion to The
Misfits and Totally
Joe. |
|
 The
Snowball Effect
by Holly Nicole Hoxter
Ages 12–up
Lainey (18) has a lot to deal
with—her mother commits suicide, leaving Lainey
in charge of her challenging 5-year-old adopted brother
Collin. Then her estranged older step-sister Vallery
arrives to take charge. Lainey’s long-time boyfriend
tries to help out, but she takes her anger out on him
and breaks up. Lainey’s efforts to deal with her grief
as she and Vallery try to work together to raise Collin
are honestly and effectively portrayed. |
|
 Try
Not to Breathe
by Jennifer Hubbard
Ages 14–up
Ryan (16) hasn’t had a
good year. He’s endured a new school, mono, romantic
rejection, and a suicide attempt that sent him
to a psychiatric facility. The awful year is finally
over, but Ryan is finding that there wasn’t a happy
ending. He is back in school, has the same parents,
and nothing has gotten easier while he was gone.
His only friends are those he met in the hospital;
the kids at school think he is creepy. Then he
befriends Nicki, who demands that he explain in
words what he has gone through, which finally brings
about change.
|
|
 Paper
Covers Rock
by Jenny Hubbard
Ages 14–up
Alex (16) is devastated when
he fails to save his boarding school friend Thomas
from drowning in the river. When questioned, Alex and
Glen, another friend from Birch School, don’t tell
the whole truth. Plagued by guilt, Alex tries to explain
what really happened to Thomas in his secret journal,
but the more he writes, the more complicated the story
grows. Alex’s English teacher, Miss Dovecott, suspects
that Alex is hiding something, and encourages his poetic
talent. Stimulated by her encouragement, Alex realizes
that he needs to make a choice between his own voice,
and the code of Birch School embodied in Glen. |
|
 To
the Mountaintop: My Journey Through the Civil Rights Movement
by Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Ages 12–up
This accessible historical
memoir tells the story of the author’s harassment and
threats when she entered the University of Georgia
in 1959. Other chapters tell of other struggles for
equal rights: lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Riders,
voter registration drives. The personal look at political
struggle is both educational and inspiring. |
|
 ghostgirl
by Tonya Hurley
Ages 12–up
Charlotte Usher is determined to join
the ranks of the popular when she enters Hawthorn High, but
she chokes to death on a gummi bear the first day of school
and is sent to Deadiquette School instead. This witty satire
of a teen who refuses to stay dead will appeal to teens and
adults alike. |
|
 Through
No Fault of My Own: A Girl’s Diary of Life on Summit Avenue
in the Jazz Age
by Coco Irvine
Ages 12–up
Clotilde “Coco” Irvine,
the daughter of a wealthy lumber baron, lived in a
mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her diary from 1927,
the year she turned 13, presents a precocious and daring
girl who gets into frequent trouble at school and at
home. Recently discovered in the archives of the Minnesota
Historical Society, Coco’s diary is reprinted virtually
unchanged. Many entries begin, “I’m in deep trouble
through no fault of my own…” Coco’s descriptions
of her adventures, problems, and romances will captivate
modern readers as she explains her side of the messes
she created. |
|
 Voss:
How
I Came to America and Am Hero, Mostly
by David Ives
Ages 12–up
In a series of hilarious letters,
Vospop Vsklzwczdztwczky (Voss for short) tells how
he smuggles himself to America from Slobovia in a crate
of cheese puffs with his gloomy father Bogdown and
his nutty uncle Shpoont. Voss chases the American dream
while a Slobovian black marketeer chases him in this
funny book that manages to deliver pointed social commentary
without damaging Voss’s idealistic optimism. |
|
 Genius
Squad
by Catherine Jinks
Ages 12–up
Cadel Piggot and his disabled
friend Sonja Pirovic join the Genius Squad, hoping that
the superhuman Brainiacs and their technology will be
powerful enough to protect them from Prosper English.
[sequel to Evil
Genius] |
|
 The
Reformed Vampire Support Group
by Catherine Jinks
Ages 12–up
The members of this group know
they must admit their addiction and conquer it before
they are staked, so they attend the hated meetings
every Tuesday night. When one of the vampires is destroyed
by a silver bullet, the group of misfits bands together
to find the killer. Plot twists and character development
combine to make this murder mystery a winner. |
|
 Rise
of the Wolf
by Curtis Jobling
Ages 10–up
Drew lives in a world ruled
by Werelords, men and women who can shift at will into
the form of creatures like bears and serpents. When
Drew’s mother is attacked by a monster, Drew’s true
nature as a werewolf is unleashed. As the last of the
royal werewolves, Drew is hunted by the current ruler
of the Seven Realms, Leopold the werelion. With the
help of a wereboar and werefox, Drew tries to escape
death and accidentally sparks a revolution against
the corrupt leaders. This exciting and action-filled
book is the first in the Wereworld series. |
|
 Would
You
by Marthe Jocelyn
Ages 14–up
In the summer before their junior year
in high school, Natalie and her friends play the “Would
you…” game. Everything changes when her older sister
is struck by a car and rendered comatose. Her mother grows
numb, her father becomes angry, and Natalie struggles to cope
with a situation that grows more difficult every day. Jocelyn’s
humanity in handling tragedy lets the reader experience both
grief and eventual peace. |
|
 Howl’s
Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
Ages 12–up
As the oldest of three, Sophie
knows that she is doomed to try and fail so that her
youngest sister will win fame and fortune. Then the Witch
of the Waste comes into the family hat shop and turns
Sophie into an old lady and she is forced to go and seek
her fortune as housekeeper for the Wizard Howl in his
flying castle. A wonderful blend of humor and magic will
enthrall lovers of fantasy. |
|
 House
of Many Ways
by Diana Wynne Jones
Ages 12–up
When bookish, self-centered Charmain
leaves home to care for her great-uncle’s magical house,
she surprises herself by discovering her own hidden talents.
The flamboyant Wizard Howl (from Howl’s
Moving Castle) appears mid-way through the book,
yet Charmain manages to hold her own. |
|
 Outside
Beauty
by Cynthia Kadohata
Ages 12–up
When 12-year old Shelby’s beautiful
mother is critically injured in a car crash, Shelby and
her three sisters are parceled out to their four different
fathers. As Shelby plans to reunite the sisters, she
begins to appreciate her father’s kindness and begins
to understand the difference between beauty and perfection. |
|
 Kira-Kira
by Cynthia Kadohata
Newbery Medal 2005
Ages 11–14
In the 1950s, when Katie is five, her
family moves from Iowa to Georgia, where there are few Japanese-Americans.
Katie’s older sister Lynn takes care of her while their parents
work long hours in the chicken-processing plant. Their roles
reverse when Lynn develops lymphoma. Through the illness and
Lynn’s death, Katie struggles to remember her sister as kira-kira,
glittering and shining. Narrated by Katie, this beautifully written
book tells a poignant story of love and loss. |
|
 A
Million Shades of Gray
by Cynthia Kadohata
Ages 10–up
After American troops leave his
village in South Vietnam, Y’Tin, who dreams of opening
an elephant training school, and his village are left
to fend for themselves. When North Vietnamese troops
destroy the village, Y’Tin escapes into the jungle with
Lady, his pet elephant. As the days go by, he becomes
angrier and less trusting, fearing that he will never
feel safe again. Truth has as many shades of gray as
an elephant in this emotional survival story. |
|
 The
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly
Ages 10–up
Eleven-year old Calpurnia (Callie)
Tate is a middle child with six brothers in isolated
1899 Fentress, Texas. To her family’s distress, Callie
isn’t interested in normal girl occupations and would
rather learn about the natural world with her grandfather.
As Callie grows through the year of this book, she
gradually defines for herself what it means to be a
girl. (2010 Newbery Honor Book) |
|
 Dangerous
Neighbors
by Beth Kephart
Ages 12–up
Katherine is still consumed
by grief over the death of her identical twin sister
Anna in a skating accident months ago. Feeling responsible
for her sister’s death, Katherine has decided to take
her own life, but is continually drawn to the wonders
of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Among
the crowds of strangers, Katherine loses herself in
memories of the past and her sister’s secret romance
with a “dangerous neighbor” that precipitated
the sequence of events leading to Anna’s death. Set
against a detailed background of America’s first World’s
Fair, this engrossing novel presents themes of love
and loss, guilt and betrayal, despair and hope. |
|
 House
of Dance
by Beth Kephart
Ages 12–up
Abandoned by her father at a young
age, detached from her mother who is involved in an affair
with her married boss, 15-year old Rosie is sent to spend the
summer before her junior year with her terminally ill grandfather.
Helping him sort through his belongings, Rosie realizes that
memories are the only meaningful possessions and decides to
recreate the time her grandfather loved most—when his
wife danced to the music that filled the house. |
|
 Nothing
but Ghosts
by Beth Kephart
Ages 12–up
Katie (16) and her father are
grieving the recent death of her mother. Her father,
an artist who restores paintings, tries to lose himself
in his work while pondering what color would be used
to paint regret. Katie takes a summer job gardening
for Miss Martine, the town recluse, and stumbles over
clues about the mystery of Miss Martine’s abrupt withdrawal
from the world. With her fellow teen worker Danny,
and the help of the town librarian, Katie researches
town history to solve the mystery and distract herself
from her own grief. |
|
 City
of Spies
by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan,
Pascal Dizin
Ages 12–up
Evelyn’s mother is gone and her
father is too busy to take car of her, so she is sent
to live with her aunt in New York City. It’s 1942 and
Evelyn spends most of her time reading superhero comics
and dreaming of catching a Nazi spy. Tony, the son of
the building superintendent, catches Evelyn’s spy fever
and the two stumble over a real-life Nazi plot. This
graphic novel features art reminiscent of Hergé’s Tintin
and explores themes of friendship, social class, and
abandonment while never losing touch with the scary adventure. |
|
 Please
Ignore Vera Dietz
by A.S. King
Ages 13–up
Vera has spent her whole life
in love with her best friend and neighbor Charlie Kahn
until he betrayed her and ruined everything. But now
Charlie is dead, suspected of being involved in a crime,
and only Vera knows the truth. Vera has decided to
live at home with her father, a recovering alcoholic,
while delivering pizzas to earn money for community
college. The relationship between Vera and her father,
and her struggle to deal with her memories of Charlie,
form the heart of this darkly comic novel. |
|
 The
Clockwork Three
by Matthew J. Kirby
Ages 8–14
Giuseppe, an orphaned street
musician, dreams of freedom from his oppressive master
and returning home to Italy. Hannah, who works as a
maid to help support her family, longs for a cure for
her dying father. Frederick, apprenticed to a clockmaker,
wants to discover the identity of his mother. Each
of the three children begin their searches independently,
but discover they have more power when they team up
to work together. This urban steampunk fantasy is a
captivating and exciting adventure story. |
|
 The
Green Glass Sea
by Ellen Klages
Ages 10–14
It’s 1943 and 10-year-old budding inventor
Dewey Kerrigan sets off to join her father who is doing secret
war work in New Mexico. As the adults work on “the gadget,” the
kids at Los Alamos are often left to their own devices. When
Dewey’s father is killed in an accident, she moves in with
another family. The growing friendship between Dewey and Suze,
both misfits in different ways, forms the bulk of the book.
The unique atmosphere of the secretive scientific
community is clearly presented in this excellent historical
novel, but the true nature of “the gadget” may
not be understood by kids who don’t know it already. |
|
 White
Sands, Red Menace
by Ellen Klages
Ages 10–14
It’s 1946, and Suze and Dewey are living
near Los Alamos with Suze’s parents who helped build the atom
bomb with Dewey’s late father. Suze’s father is working on
rockets to maintain the US edge over the Soviets while her
mother organizes scientists against the war. This excellent
historical fiction helps middle graders grapple with moral
dilemmas while creating strong characters with realistic emotional
issues. (sequel to The
Green Glass Sea) |
|
 Stuck
on Earth
by David Klass
Ages 11–14
Ketchvarr III, an alien snail,
is sent to Earth to inhabit the body of an average
teenager and decide if the human race should be annihilated.
Ketchvarr chooses Tom Filber, an average 14-year old,
and at first believes that humans should be wiped out
before they destroy themselves and the environment.
But Ketchvarr begins to sympathize with Tom, who is
ostracized by his peers, and wonders if humans might
be worth saving after all. This wry and funny look
at teen life and human flaws is surprisingly thoughtful
and affecting. |
|
 Jumping
Off Swings
by Jo Knowles
Ages 14–up
Ellie craves a boyfriend, but
instead she gets pregnant by Josh, who avoids her after
their one time together. Afraid to tell her parents,
she confides in her best friend Corinne, and the compassionate
mother of her childhood friend Caleb. Josh confides
in Caleb, who begins spending time with Corinne because
of their shared concern for Ellie. This sensitive and
absorbing novel shows how a crisis can change a person’s
life as well as the lives of others around her. |
|
 Headlong
by Kathe Koja
Ages 14–up
Lily is a privileged boarder at the
exclusive Vaughan School. She knows all the rules and everyone
knows all about her. Then in sophomore year Hazel arrives,
a scholarship student with an unconventional family. This intelligent
novel explores class, identity, and friendship. |
|
 The
Last Invisible Boy
by Evan Kuhlman
Ages 10–14
In his notebook, Finn Garrett
(12) explains that after his father died unexpectedly
a few months ago, an eraser fell from the sky and has
gradually been erasing him day by day. This painful yet
funny novel explores coping with loss in a way middle
schoolers can empathize with. |
| |
|
 Hold
Still
by Nina Lacour
Ages 14–up
Caitlin begins her high school
junior year stunned by the suicide of her best friend
Ingrid, a talented photographer and artist. Unable to
make new friends or work on her own art, Caitlin is emotionally
paralyzed until she discovers Ingrid’s journal, which
is addressed to Caitlin. As Ingrid reveals her chronic
depression and the thoughts of her final days, Caitlin
begins to feel again, and to reach out to others. |
|
 In
Darkness
by Nick Lake
Ages 14–up
Shorty (15) is trapped in the
rubble left by a collapsed hospital during the 2010
earthquake in Haiti. As he waits, hoping to be rescued,
Shorty relives his life’s journey running drugs until
ending up in the hospital with a bullet wound. As he
waits in darkness, Shorty is joined by Toussaint L’Ouverture,
a slave and revolutionary leader 200 years earlier.
The parallels between the two stories highlight the
violence and brutality of Haiti’s history. This disturbing
and challenging book faces hard truths head-on. |
|
 Liar
by Justine Larbalestier
Ages 14–up
Micah admits she is a compulsive liar.
She has pretended she is a boy, a hermaphrodite, that her father
is an arms dealer. But now, when she is accused of killing
her boyfriend, Micah insists she is telling the truth. But
is she? This compelling first person narrative will have readers
guessing all through the book, and even after the final page. |
|
 invisible
i
by Stella Lennon
Ages 12–up
Callie, our narrator, Nia,
and Hal are three unlikely allies who join forces to
find 15-year-old Amanda who has vanished. Before disappearing,
Amanda told each person a different story about her
past and gave each a different animal totem. This intriguing
mystery is the first in “The Amanda Project” series,
written by different authors under the pen name Stella
Lennon. |
|
 Ever
by Gail Carson Levine
Ages 10–up
In this mythological tale, Kezi is
the only daughter of a wealthy and devout family in an ancient
vaguely Middle Eastern city. When her mother falls deathly
ill, her father promises to sacrifice the first person who
congratulates him if the god Admat will let her live. Another
god tries to help Kezi, who is the first to congratulate her
father. |
|
 The
Best Bad Luck I Ever Had
by Kristin Levine
Ages 10–up
It’s 1917 in a small town in
Alabama and 12-year-old Dit has been looking forward
to the arrival of the new postmaster who is said to
have a son his age. But when the new family arrives,
the son turns out to be a girl called Emma. And everyone
is surprised that the new family is “colored.” But
Dit is impressed with Emma’s intelligence and determination
and he begins to reconsider his views about race and
justice. |
|
 The
Year of Goodbyes: A True Story of Friendship, Family and
Farewells
by Debbie Levy
Ages 10–up
This book tells the true story
of a year in the life of Jutta, a 12-year-old girl
in 1938 Nazi Germany, and the author’s mother. Photos
and translations of comments from friends written in
Jutta’s diary introduce each chapter, giving a vivid
picture of an ordinary teenager in an extraordinary
time and place. This very personal and powerful book
in verse documents a year of change, confusion, cruelty,
and farewells. |
|
 Snow
Falling in Spring: Coming of Age
in China During the Cultural Revolution
by Moying Li
Ages 12–up
In this memoir, Moying, a 12-year
old student in Beijing, finds her house ransacked and her
father taken to a labor camp. With faith in knowledge and
education, Moying survives the climate of fear that accompanies
the rise of the Red Guard. |
|
 Pretty
Monsters: Stories
by Kelly Link
Ages 12–up
In this short story collection
nothing is what it seems, and everything deserves a second
look. The stories are funny, quirky, full of unexpected
insights and skewed perspectives on the world. |
|
 Steampunk!:
An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
by Kelly Link, Gavin J. Grant
Ages 14–up
This anthology contains original
steampunk stories from 14 different writers and artists:
M. T. Anderson, Holly Black, Libba Bray, Shawn Cheng,
Cassandra Clare, Cory Doctorow, Dylan Horrocks, Kathleen
Jennings, Elizabeth Knox, Kelly Link, Garth Nix, Christopher
Rowe, Delia Sherman, Ysabeau S. Wilce. |
|
 Huntress
by Malinda Lo
Ages 15–up
Nature is out of balance, the sun been
seen for years, and crops are failing. Two 17-year-old girls — Tasin,
a sage who has visions, and Kaede, a brave warrior — are
chosen to make a long and dangerous journey to the Fairy Queen
to save their people. Along the way the two girls face many
dangers and tests of their ability, coming to rely on each
other as they begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs
only one Huntress to save it, which threatens to tear them
apart. |
|
 The
Giver
by Lois Lowry
Newbery Medal 1994
Ages 12–up
Jonas lives in an ideal world with no
pain, poverty, unemployment, or unhappiness. The Elders arrange
marriages, assign careers, control sexual and aggressive impulses
with drugs, and manage the “release” of the old and
the weak. At age 12, Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories
and is trained by an old man known as the Giver to finally understand
that their utopian world is maintained by the loss of free will
and humanity. This thought-provoking is both powerful and disturbing. |
|
 Number
the Stars
by Lois Lowry
Newbery Medal 1990
Ages 10–up
It’s 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark, and
the Jews are about to be rounded up and sent to the death camps.
Annemarie Johannesen’s best friend Ellen Rosen is Jewish. The
Johannesen family helps Ellen’s parents go into hiding and take
Ellen into their own home, pretending she is part of their family.
Narrated by 10-year-old Annemarie, this book vividly portrays
the Nazi threat and the courage it takes to help friends while
possibly endangering your own family. This moving and suspenseful
book is based on true events. |
|
 Legend
by Marie Lu
Ages 13–up
Its 2130 and the former United States
is now the Republic, a nation permanently at war with its neighbors.
June (15) is from the elite class and on track for a brilliant
military career. When her brother Metias is murdered, June
is added to the team tracking his accused killer Day, a 15-year-old
criminal from the plague-ridden slums of Los Angeles. Accustomed
to using her intellect to make decisions, June’s grief makes
her distracted and vulnerable. This stunning dystopian novel
is the first in a projected series. |
|
 Angry
Young Man
by Chris Lynch
Ages 12–up
Xan (17) is so enraged by unsportsmanlike
behavior by the opposing soccer team that he fouls
a player so hard that he is given a two-week suspension.
Narrated by Xan’s older half-brother Robert, who isn’t
crazy about Xan’s loner tendencies, this book reveals
the stresses of life in a single-parent household with
money troubles. Robert realizes that he has been so
caught up in his own problems, that he didn’t understand
how much his brother needs emotional support. This
honest book doesn’t shy away from the brutal truth
of an angry youth who longs desperately to belong,
yet manages to portray some hope. |
|
 Hothouse
by Chris Lynch
Ages 12–up
The fathers of both Russell and his
childhood friend DJ are firefighters who die in a fire. The
two high school boys had drifted apart, but the tragedy, and
the fact that the town treats the grieving sons as heroes,
brings them back together. An investigation into the fire changes
the town’s feeling, and Russell struggles to understand who
his father really was. First person narration reveals Russell’s
internal struggles to come to terms with his grief and begin
the healing process. |
|
 The
Way We Work
by David Macaulay
Ages 10–up
This comprehensive and entertaining
illustrated guide to the workings of the human body is
the result of years of research. Seven sections move
from the structure of a cell through the systems of the
body. The full color drawings present information in
a friendly way, but the language is often highly technical.
Motivated teens will love this book. |
|
 The
Future of Us
by Carolyn Mackler, Jay Asher
Ages 12–up
It’s 1996 and Emma and her
neighbor Josh have been friends forever. But now that
they are high school juniors things have gotten a bit
awkward between them. Then Emma gets a new computer
and Josh brings over an AOL CD so Emma can get online.
They are automatically logged into their Facebook pages,
even though Facebook hasn’t been invented yet, and
realize they are looking at their lives 15 years in
the future. They discover that their actions in the
present changes their future lives, forcing them to
grapple with the consequences of their current decisions.
This fascinating look at possibilities is told in alternating
chapters from the point of view of both Emma and Josh. |
|
 Finnikin
of the Rock
by Melina Marchetta
Ages 14–up
Years ago, the royal family
of Lumatere was brutally murdered, and an imposter
seized the throne. a curse locks the inhabitants of
Lumatere inside the walls, while those outside live
as exile. Finnikin, who was only a child at the time
of the murders, has spent the last decade gathering
stories from the exiles. Evanjalin, a strange young
woman, claims to know the location of the missing heir
who can lift the curse and bring the exiles home. This
dark and believable fantasy is full of complex characters,
adventure, romance, and intrigue. |
|
 The
Piper’s Son
by Melina Marchetta
Ages 14–up
After Thomas Mackee’s young
uncle was killed by a suicide bomber, his family fell
apart. His grieving father becomes an alcoholic, and
mother leaves town with his younger sister. Tom, who
is living with his single and pregnant Aunt Georgie,
drops out of university. Tom doesn’t feel capable of
helping his family heal, but knows that if he doesn’t
no one else will either. This intense novel is a sequel
to Saving
Francesca, taking up the story five years later. |
|
 Ink
Exchange
by Melissa Marr
Ages 12–up
This suspenseful fantasy takes
place in a fully realized world that conveys the details
and the politics of faery life. Seventeen-year-old Leslie
is attracted to an eerie tattoo of eyes and wings that
binds her to Irial, the dark king of the faery world.
(Leslie made a cameo appearance in Wicked
Lovely.) |
|
 Flesh
and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy
by Albert Marrin
Ages 10–up
On March 25, 1911, the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames.
The factory was crowded with workers, mainly young
Italian and Jewish women. The doors were locked to
prevent the workers from leaving before the end of
the work day, and 146 people died in the fire. One
hundred years later, this powerful book examines the
poor working conditions the immigrant factory workers
endured, the greed that motivated the bosses and owners,
and the courage of the workers who banded together
to change working conditions for everyone in America. |
|
 The
Night Tourist
by Katherine Marsh
Ages 10–up
Jack Perdu is a 9th grade classics
prodigy. One evening Jack goes to New York City, a place
he has not visited since his mother died there eight
years ago. In Grand Central Station he meets Euri, a
mysterious girl who offers to show him the train station’s
secret places. Eight flights below, Jack realizes he
is in New York’s ghostly underworld and hopes to meet
his mother. The ghosts are suspicious of Jack, who becomes
increasingly uncertain if he himself is dead or alive.
This intricate adventure is a magical combination of
modern characters, New York history, and classical mythology. |
|
 The
Twilight Prisoner
by Katherine Marsh
Ages 10–up
Jack Perdu takes his friend
Carla to visit the New York City underworld, but once
inside they realize that their escape route has been
blocked. A beguiling mix of mystery, humor, historical
ghosts, and Greek myths, this book continues the story
begun in The
Night Tourist. |
|
 I
Know It’s Over
by C.K. Kelly Martin
Ages 14–up
Still coping with his parents’
divorce, 16-year-old Nick is stunned when his ex-girlfriend
Sasha tells him she is pregnant. Nick struggles to
do the right thing by Sasha. His pain and uncertainty
are portrayed with frankness in this emotionally complex
coming-of-age story. |
|
 Amy & Roger’s
Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson
Ages 12–up
The summer after her junior year
Amy is still grieving the loss of her father in a car
accident. Her mother has decided to move the family from
California to Connecticut, and has given Amy the task
of driving the family car to their new home. But Amy
won’t drive since the accident. Luckily Roger, the 19
year old son of a family friend, is on his way to visit
relatives in Philadelphia and volunteers to chauffeur
Amy and the car across the country. Along the way, Roger
helps Amy confront her grief and guilt about her father’s
death, and she helps him recover from a painful breakup. |
|
 Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
Ages 12–up
In Mountainside, a community surrounded
by zombies, everyone 15 or older must find work or receive
only half rations. Since Benny Imura can’t find any other job,
he reluctantly apprentices himself to his older brother Tom
as a zombie killer. During their journey into the hostile wilderness,
Benny realizes that many of the things he believed before,
including the true nature of zombies, simply aren’t true. This
intense coming-of-age novel is touching and thought-provoking. |
|
 The
Death-Defying Pepper Roux
by Geraldine McCaughrean
Ages 10–up
Pepper Roux’s death by age 14
was foretold in a dream, and his aunt Mireille has prayed
over him everyday. When Pepper wakes up on the morning
of his 14th birthday, he is amazed to find himself still
alive, and runs off to sea hoping to escape death a bit
longer. Pepper then flees across the French countryside
from one disastrous job to another until the totally
satisfying climax. |
|
 Purple
Heart
by Patricia McCormick
Ages 12–up
Matt Duffy, an 18-year old private
with memory problems following a traumatic brain injury
in Iraq, receives the Purple Heart. Haunted by the image
of a young Iraqi boy being killed, Matt slowly remembers
the contradictory events that led to the honor. This
gripping book raises moral issues without judgment, encouraging
readers to think deeply about loyalty, war, and the nature
of heroism. |
|
 Planesrunner
by Ian McDonald
Ages 12–up
Everett Singh (14) is still dealing
with the effects of his parents’ divorce when his father, a
quantum physicist, is kidnapped. Everett is emailed a computer
program called the Infundibulum that allows him to map out
alternate worlds. He realizes that the governments of the Ten
Known Worlds want the computer program for themselves, and
sets out to rescue his father. He ends up in an alternative
“electropunk” England where Sen, the pilot of
the dirigible Everness, tries to steal his computer
before the two eventually become allies. This action-packed
humorous adventure is the first in the Everness series. |
|
 Forever
Rose
by Hilary McKay
Ages 9–14
This fifth and final book in
the delightfully daffy Casson family series is narrated
by the youngest child, Rose, now 11. Rose is coping with
her separated parents, talented siblings and their friends,
and wondering if she is brilliant herself, or simply
daft. (Previous books in the series: Saffy’s
Angel, Indigo’s
Star, Permanent
Rose, Caddy
Ever After) |
|
 The
Devil’s Paintbox
by Victoria McKernan
Ages 12–up
It’s 1865 and Aiden (16) and
his younger sister Maddie are nearly starving on their
late parent’s farm in Kansas. The guide of a wagon train
heading west offers free passage to Aiden and Maddie
in return for their labor at a logging camp at journey’s
end. While traveling across the country, Aiden works
through his despair and begins to hope again. The strong
characters and honest look at our sometimes brutal history
will keep teen readers glued to the pages. |
|
 Chalice
by Robin McKinley
Ages 12–up
Mirasol, a humble beekeeper, has been
chosen to take the role of Chalice, communicator with the sentient
land. While trying to heal the trouble caused by the former
Master, Mirasol is drawn to the new master in this lavish magical
fantasy. |
|
 The
Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
Newbery Medal 1985
Ages 12–up
Aerin is the only child of the king of
Damar, but since she is the daughter of a witchwoman the Damarians
do not trust her. Outcast by her own people, Aerin slowly begins
to trust in her own developing strengths. With the guidance of
the wizard Luthe and the help of the blue sword she battles Maur,
the Black Dragon to win her birthright. |
|
 Pegasus
by Robin McKinley
Ages 12–up
In the 1000 years since the alliance
between humans and the pegasi, the two races have lived in
harmony, joining together to fight against their common enemies.
But communication is limited until 12-year old Princess Sylvi
and her pegasus Ebon form a telepathic bond. First in a two-part
series, this novel concentrates on the relationship between
Sylvi and Ebon as she comes to understand pegasi culture. |
|
 Suck
It Up
by Brian Meehl
Ages 12–up
Morning McCobb, recent graduate
of Vampire International, is charged with telling the
world about vampires. Morning is not the usual vampire—he’s
a vegan, subsisting on a soy-based product called Blood
Lite. This very funny book with an appealing misfit protagonist
is a welcome change from the usual brooding vampire romance. |
|
 You
Don’t Know About Me
by Brian Meehl
Ages 12–up
Billy, nearly 16, has spend
his whole life traveling from place to place with his
mother working as “ninja warriors for the Lord.” Billy
is a willing crusader, but he longs to give up home
schooling and settle down for awhile, living a normal
life and attending a regular high school. The arrival
of a message from the father he thought was dead prompts
Billy to break free and head out on a wild road trip,
joining forces with Ruah, a closeted gay professional
baseball player. The friendship between the unlikely
pair causes Billy to question everything he’s ever
known as the two try to figure out who they really
are. |
|
 The
Apothecary
by Maile Meloy, Ian Schoenherr
Ages 10–up
Jamie (14) is the daughter of
two television writers targeted by the House Committee
on Un-American Activities in 1952. Unable to get work,
the family moves to London, where Jamie meets Benjamin
Burrows, a classmate whose father is the neighborhood
apothecary. Benjamin dreams of being a spy and has no
trouble defying authority. When Benjamin’s father is
kidnapped, the two teens work together to uncover the
secrets of the apothecary’s sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia,
in order to find him and thwart the Russian spies with
nuclear weapons. |
|
 What
the World Eats
by Peter Menzel, Faith D’Aluisio
All Ages
Twenty-five families in 21 countries
around the world are photographed surrounded by a week’s worth
of food. The multi-generational portraits provide an avenue
for exploring each family’s hopes and struggles while gently
raising issues about global food supplies. Family recipes,
maps, and county information reveal provocative statistics.
(adapted from Hungry
Planet) |
|
 Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
Ages 12–up
Cinder lives in New Beijing with Adri,
her demanding step-mother, and two step-sisters Peony and Pearl.
Half human and half robot, Cinder was rescued from a hovercraft
accident by the inventor Galen, Adri’s husband. As a cyborg,
Cinder is a second-class citizen, but is a gifted mechanic
and is immune to the plague that threatens humans. This clever
dystopian fairy tale is the first in a planned series—the
Lunar Chronicles. |
|
 The
Eternal Ones
by Kirsten Miller
Ages 12–up
Haven Moore (17) has been watched
over her whole life by her religious grandmother and
the priest in the small town of Snope City, Tennessee.
Haven has successfully suppressed memories of a former
life with a man named Ethan until she sees a picture
of Iain Morrow, a New York playboy in the paper. More
memories emerge, and Haven becomes convinced that she
and Iain have a relationship going back for centuries.
After running away to New York, Haven discovers the
Ouroboros Society, that claims to be able to help people
discover their former lives. Suspecting that both Iain
and the Society are keeping secrets from her, Haven
begins an investigation that eventually threatens her
life. |
|
 Fracture
by Megan Miranda
Ages 12–up
Delany Maxwell (17) falls into a frozen
Maine lake. After 11 minutes under the ice, she is rescued
by her best friend Decker. After six days in a coma, Delany
wakes up. But her brush with death has changed her, and she
is drawn again and again to people on the verge of death. Delany’s
friendship with Decker is threatened by feelings of guilt over
her near drowning, and by Troy, an older boy who is also drawn
toward the dying. |
|
 All
We Know of Heaven
by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Ages 12–up
Based on a true story, this gripping
novel tells the story of two girls involved in a car crash.
One dies and is buried, the other lies in a coma. When the
girl emerges from the coma, inconsistencies alert the hospital
staff that the girls have been misidentified. |
|
 Ten
Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have)
by Sarah Mlynowski
Ages 14–up
April (16) is thrilled when her
father agrees to let her stay with her friend Vi while
he moves their things from Connecticut to Ohio. April
neglected to mention that Vi’s mother will be away, so
the two girls are staying alone in the house. April is
sure that she and Vi are totally responsible, but the
ten escapades she describes (#3 Skipping School, #4 Buying
a Hot Tub, #7 Harboring a Fugitive) highlight the perils
of freedom from adult supervision. |
|
 Under
a Red Sky
Memoir
of a Childhood in Communist Romania
by Haya Leah Molnar
Ages 12–up
Eva Zimmerman grew up as an adored
only child in an apartment shared by her parents, grandparents,
and aunts and uncles in Bucharest, Romania. Sheltered by
her protective family from the harsh realities of scarce
food and housing under communist rule with the secret police
watching every move, religion and politics were never discussed
at home. In 1958, Eva is shocked to discover that she is
Jewish, and that her whole family has applied to emigrate
to Israel. Black and white family photographs illustrate
this poignant memoir of a girl struggling to understand
her own identity. |
|
 The
Ghosts of Ashbury High
by Jaclyn Moriarty
Ages 12–up
Amelia and Riley are new students
at the exclusive Australian Ashbury High and everyone
is talking about them though they rarely attend classes.
Caught up in their own world, they smile politely when
spoken to, but usually don’t answer back. Told mainly
through the students’ gothic fiction essays for their
final year exam, reality is filtered through different
perspectives and elements of gothic tales. This clever
novel touches on themes of friendship, perception, secrets,
and the scary feeling of facing the future that happens
in the last year of high school. (follow-up to The
Year of Secret Assignments) |
|
 Ruined
by Paula Morris
Ages 12–up
Rebecca Brown (15) is sent from New
York City to live with her aunt in New Orleans while her father
travels overseas for a year. Rebecca feels out of place at
the snooty prep school. In fact, to the rich girls she is nearly
invisible. Rebecca befriends Lisette, a ghost who has haunted
the cemetery since her mysterious death 155 years earlier.
This atmospheric ghost story captures the rich history of New
Orleans, and doesn't shy away from issues of race, ethnicity,
class, and culture. |
|
 Taken
by Storm
by Angela Morrison
Ages 12–up
Leesie is a devout Mormon who
lives by the teachings of her church (no kissing, no
dating noncommunist) until she meets Michael, an troubled
outsider and scuba diver. Michael can’t forget the
hurricane that killed his parents, but he gradually
learns to accept Leesie’s help. Told in alternating
viewpoints through Michael’s dive log, Leesie’s poetry,
and online chats, this romantic novel sensitively handles
the difficult topics of religion and premarital sex. |
|
 Trash
by Andy Mulligan
Ages 12–up
Raphael is a 14-year-old trash-picker
in an unnamed 3rd world Latin American country. One day he
finds a leather bag containing a wallet, a map, and a key.
Raphael and his two friends are soon involved in exposing political
corruption and abuse of the poor as they puzzle out a secret
code and follow clues to a hidden cache of money. Realistic
details of the lives of desperate children living in the dump
provide a sobering background to this gripping adventure tale. |
|
 Carmen
by Walter Dean Myers
Ages 12–up
The plot of Bizet’s opera is moved
from 19th century Spain to current day Spanish Harlem where
Carmen seduces a cop and then deserts him for rap star and
film producer Escamillo. Instead of helping a gang of smugglers,
Carmen and her friends help with a credit card fraud. Written
in script format in two acts, the dramatic plot and snappy
dialog would make a lively classroom read-aloud. |
|
 Dope
Sick
by Walter Dean Myers
Ages 14–up
Lil J (17) is wounded and hiding
in an abandoned building. The police believe he shot
an undercover cop in a drug bust and surround the building.
Kelly, a vagrant with a strange TV, shows Lil J scenes
from his own life and asks, “If you could take
back one thing you did… what would it be?” This
gripping novel mixes magical realism with the violence
of street life as it examines second changes and the
power of hope. |
|
 Sunrise
Over Fallujah
by Walter Dean Myers
Ages 12–up
Robin Perry, nephew to Myer’s
Vietnam soldier from Fallen
Angel, writes to his uncle from Iraq in this powerful
novel that may help American teens grapple intelligently
and thoughtfully with the war in Iraq. |
|
 The
Wager
by Donna Jo Napoli
Ages 12–up
Set in 1169, this novel tells
the story of Don Giovanni, a wealthy 19-year-old orphan
who suddenly loses his riches and his castle in a tidal
wave and is reduced to begging for food to survive.
The devil appears to offer a wager—if Don Giovanni
agrees not to bathe or change his clothes for three
years, three months, and three days, he will receive
a purse that magically refills. Giovanni’s descent
into foul decay and eventual redemption is colorfully
portrayed in this retelling of a traditional Italian
fairy tale. |
|
 Our
White House: Looking In, Looking Out
by National Children’s Book and
Literary Alliance
Ages 10–up
An all-star roster of 108 children’s
authors and illustrators plus scholars and former White
House employees and residents combine to make up this multifaceted
view of the White House from the inside as well as the
outside, a personal and ongoing history from 1792 to the
present. |
|
 Recovery
Road
by Blake Nelson
Ages 13–up
Maddy (16) is sent to the Spring
Meadows rehab center to learn to cope with her drinking
problem and her rage. At the weekly movie night in
town, she meets Stewart, who is at another rehab center.
After her release, Maddy struggles to deal with her
loneliness, and pressure from her old drinking buddies
to become a party girl again. Maddy hopes that Stewart’s
release will be her salvation, but learns that she
is the only one who can take control of her own life.
This gripping novel shows the often fatal consequences
of addiction, and the hard-to-resist temptation of
relapse. |
|
 The
Sky Is Everywhere
by Jandy Nelson
Ages 14–up
Lennie (17), a shy bookworm
and band geek, has always been content to live in her
older sister Bailey’s shadow. When Bailey dies suddenly
and unexpectedly of an arrhythmia, Lennie is not prepared
to deal with the limelight she is thrust into. Consumed
by grief and unsettled by her attraction to Bailey’s
fiancé, Lennie struggles to deal with her new reality
in this honest portrayal of a teen dealing with tragedy. |
|
 Heart
and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
by Kadir Nelson
Ages 9–up
From pre-Revolutionary slavery
to the election of President Obama, this powerful book
documents the story of a people whose struggles and
achievements helped to define America. The grandmotherly
narrator tells the story of injustice, courage, hope,
and inspiration from her ancestors arrival on a slave
ship to her recent vote for an African American president.
Dramatic oil paintings present the determination and
strength of both well known historical figures and
everyday people. The intimate and personal narration
make this inspiring book accessible to young readers. |
|
 Sweethearts
of Rhythm
The Story of the Greatest
All-Girl Swing Band in the World
by Marilyn Nelson, Jerry Pinkney
Ages 10–up
Nelson’s poems and Pinkney’s
luminous paintings perfectly complement each other in
this tribute to an integrated female swing band that
toured the USA from the late 1930s to mid 1940s. Titled
after swing tunes, the 20 poems underscore the role of
music in bring joy and hope to an era haunted by war
and racism. |
|
 Days
of Little Texas
by R.A. Nelson
Ages 12–up
At the age of 10, Ronald Earl
earned the nickname “Little Texas” when
he performed a spontaneous healing at his great aunt’s
evangelical revival ministry. By the time he is 16,
the ghost of a girl who died when he failed to heal
her and his own sexual awakening cause him to question
his integrity as a spiritual healer. His great-aunt
takes him to a former slave plantation to deliver what
is hoped to be his greatest sermon which will free
the ghosts of the slaves, leading Ronald to a personal
crisis. This fascinating and original book will engender
passionate discussions. |
|
 The
Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
Ages 14–up
The youngest in Prentisstown,
Todd Hewitt (12) lives in a world without women, a world
where the thoughts of men and animals are audible as
Noise, an oppressive chaos of words and images. When
Todd and his dog Manchee notice a silence in the Noise,
Todd know he must keep this secret from the others and
flees, chased by Aaron, a zealot preacher, and his supporters.
Viola, the source of the silence, joins Todd and Manchee
in a desperate flight from the men of Prentisstown. (Book
One in the Chaos Walking series) |
|
 The
Ask and the Answer
by Patrick Ness
Ages 14–up
Todd and Viola have fled to
Haven, only to discover that Mayor Prentiss has arrived
first and is now intent on controlling the entire planet.
Todd is sent to prison, and Viola to the House of Healing
to recover from her wounds. Viola is recruited by the
Answer, a group aimed at overthrowing the government,
while Todd is forced to join the mayor’s new regime.
This powerful science fiction novel is Book Two in
the Chaos Walking series, following The
Knife of Never Letting Go. |
|
 A
Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness, Jim Kay
Ages 12–up
Connor O’Malley (13) is having
nightmares. His mother has cancer, his father has moved
away with his new wife, and the grandmother he lives
with cares more about he antique wall clock than her
grandson. The bullies at school torment Connor, making
fun of his mother’s baldness, a result of her cancer
treatment. So Connor wakes up most nights screaming
because of nightmares. Then one night he awakens to
find a real monster outside his window, ancient and
wild, who seems to want something from Connor. This
moving story of loss and grief was completed by Patrick
Ness from a set of notes by Siobhan Dowd, who died
of cancer before she could complete a first draft. |
|
 Monsters
of Men
by Patrick Ness
Ages 14–up
A world-ending war between
the armies of the Mayor, Mistress Coyle, and the Spackle
is about to erupt. Todd and Viola, now in a position
of power with the colonists, along with Return, a former
slave of the Spackle, must each confront their own
fear and anger in order to make a decision that won’t
lead to world wide destruction. This powerful third
in the Chaos Walking science fiction trilogy follows The
Knife of Never Letting Go and The
Ask and the Answer. |
|
 Dear
George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom
by Susin Nielsen
Ages 11–14
Violet (12) is devastated when
her TV-producer father leaves their run-down home in
Vancouver and moves to Los Angeles to marry an actress
and live in a fancy house with a pool. Violet is angry,
her younger sister Rosie reverts to bed-wetting, and
her mother begins to date one loser after another.
When her mother begins to date Dudley Wiener, Violet
and her friend Phoebe decide to take matters into their
own hands. Since Violet’s mother can’t find a decent
man herself, they decide to set her up with George
Clooney. Violet’s attempts to sabotage her mother’s
relationship with Dudley are hilarious, while her struggles
to accept her father’s new life are realistically poignant. |
|
 Evermore
by Alyson Noël
Ages 12–up
Ever (17) survived the car crash that
killed the rest of her family, and can now hear the thoughts
of everyone around her. She retreats into a shell, keeping
her hoodie up and her iPod loud to isolate herself. Damen,
the cute new boy who can produce tulips from thin air, coaxes
her back into human contact and to the discovery of her own
immortality. |
|
 Blue
Moon
by Alyson Noël
Ages 12–up
Still learning to control her
powers as an immortal, 17-year-old Ever is crushed
when her boyfriend, and fellow Immortal, Damen breaks
up with her, and can't seem to remember their time
together. When Damon begins growing weaker, Ever is
determined to save him and is confronted by a hard
decision: should she change the past or not? (sequel
to Evermore) |
|
 Gentlemen
by Michael Northrop
Ages 15–up
This dark novel for tells the story
of four high school sophomores who are outsiders, ignored by
everyone at school except their remedial English teacher who
calls them “gentlemen.” Then one disappears and
the other three suspect that their teacher is involved. Gritty
and building to a violent climax, this fast-paced novel takes
an unflinching look at what holds friends together and what
tears them apart. |
|
 Encyclopedia
of the End:
Mysterious
Death in Fact, Fancy, Folklore, and More
by Deborah Noyes
Ages 12–up
This engrossing A–Z of death
and dying touches upon the spiritual, historical, and biological
aspects of death throughout history. Paintings, photographs,
and engravings add fascinating details and visual appeal. |
|
 The
Sharp Time
by Mary O’Connell
Ages 14–up
When her mother dies, Sandinista
Jones (18) retreats from her friends into grief. When
she is targeted by an abusive teacher, she feels helpless
in her isolation, and simply stops going to school.
On impulse she takes a job at Pale Circus, a vintage
clothing store, that sooths her with color and texture.
But every day her violent urges to take revenge on
her teacher grow stronger and harder to ignore. Finally
she reaches out to her new community for support. This
story of grief and loneliness is told with compassion
and humor. |
|
 Before
I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
Ages 14–up
Samantha has it all. She is
beautiful and popular and has three best friends and
an enviable boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should
be another wonderful day in her wonderful life, but
instead it is her last. Samantha gets a second chance
at re-living her last day, seven chances in all. Each
day she faces the consequences of even her smallest
actions and tries to get things right, and maybe even
redeem herself. |
|
 This
Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
by Kenneth Oppel
Ages 12–up
Twin brothers Victor and Konrad Frankenstein
are nearly inseparable. Their father forbids them to enter
The Dark Library, but when Konrad falls deathly ill Victor
can’t resist. He discovers the formula for the Elixir of
Life and sets off with his friend Henry and adopted sister
Elizabeth in search of the ingredients, which prove nearly
impossible to obtain. This compelling gothic mix of science,
history, and horror is the first in a planned series. |
|
 Brett
McCarthy:
Work In Progress
by Maria Padian
Ages 12–up
Brett McCarthy lives for soccer,
vocabulary words, and her larger-than-life grandmother,
Nonna. Funny coming of age novel about a smart-mouthed
14-year old. |
|
 A
Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
Newbery Medal 2002
Ages 10–14
In a potter’s village in 12th century
Korea, the orphan Tree Ear is raised by a lame straw weaver.
One day Tree Ear breaks a piece of Min’s pottery and pays his
debt by working for the potter and dreaming of making beautiful
pots himself. Tree Ear is sent by Min to the king’s court, carrying
an example of Min’s new celadon ware. After robbers shatter the
pot, Tree Ear continues the dangerous journey, now carrying only
one precious single shard. |
|
 Blue
Like Friday
by Siobhán Parkinson
Ages 11–14
Olivia tells the story of her
friend Hal, who sees the world in colors and tastes and
is determined to get rid of his sort-of-stepfather. This
portrayal of family and friend relationships is funny
and sad at the same time. |
|
 Long
Story Short
by Siobhán Parkinson
Ages 12–up
Jonathan (14) has learned to
cope with his mother’s drinking, but when she hits
his little sister Julie hard enough to break her cheekbone,
he decides it’s time to run away before the social
workers take Julie away. Their escape isn’t too successful,
and they are soon picked up by the police. Jonathan’s
narration is both funny and heart-breaking, revealing
his world with a mother who fails to care for her children,
leaving them with a choice of options ranging from
bad to worse. |
|
 Jacob
Have I Loved
by Katherine Paterson
Newbery Medal 1981
Ages 12–up
Growing up on Chesapeake Bay island in
the early 1940s, Louise knows that like Esau from the Bible she
is hated while her twin sister Caroline, like Jacob, is the one
everyone loves. While the family pampers the beautiful and gifted
Caroline, lonely and miserable Louise learns the way of the watermen
from old Captain Wallace. Eventually Louise learns that she has
her own strengths. |
|
 Woods
Runner
by Gary Paulsen
Ages 12–up
Sam (13) is a skilled hunter,
a “woods runner” with an instinctive knowledge
of the western Pennsylvania forest. When word of the
fighting between the British and the American colonists
reaches the family, they worry that their safe world
is endangered. One day Sam returns from hunting to find
the houses in their settlement burned to the ground and
the scalped bodies of neighbors. Sam sets off on a harrowing
quest to find and rescue his parents, taken prisoner
by British soldiers aided by Iroquois. Interspersed historical
sections help place Sam’s struggle in context. |
|
 The
Adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson
Ages 14–up
Awakening from a coma, 17-year old
Jenna Fox with almost no memories of her past and is unsure
the memories she has are really hers. A thrilling look at bio-medical
ethics and the nature of humanity. |
|
 The
Fox Inheritance
by Mary E. Pearson
Ages 12–up
This sequel to The
Adoration of Jenna Fox takes place 260 years later.
Locke and Kara, whose bodies were destroyed in an accident,
have been existing as disembodied minds in a computer
netherworld since Jenna disappeared. New medical advances
have made restoration of their minds into look-alike
bodies, but the two wonder if they are really human.
Locke and Kara discover that Jenna has been alive for
centuries, and are desperate to find her. But the world
is totally changed. A civil was has divided the United
States, and Mars has been colonized for over 150 years.
This challenging blend of science fiction and mystery,
told from Locke’s perspective, is best appreciated
read in sequence. |
|
 A
Year Down Yonder
by Richard Peck
Newbery Medal 2001
Ages 10–up
It’s 1937 and Mary Alice (15) is banished
from Chicago to spend a year with Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois
while her parents struggle to make ends meet and her brother
Joey heads west with the Civilian Conservation Corps. Mary Alice
knows it won’t be easy being the new city kid in a country school,
especially with an outrageous relative like Grandma. This hilarious
and touching book is the sequel to A
Long Way to Chicago. |
|
 As
Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Ages 12–up
Ry (16) discovers that his
summer camp has been cancelled. When he steps off the
train to call his grandfather, the train leaves without
him. Unfortunately Ry’s grandfather has suffered a
concussion and is missing, and Ry can’t reach his parents,
whose cell phone has been stolen by a monkey as they
sailing around the Caribbean, so Ry is on his own.
He meets Del, a helpful stranger who offers to drive
Ry home to Wisconsin, and then to rescue Ry’s parents.
Told from all three viewpoints, including a comic strip
version from the dogs staying with Ry’s grandfather,
this humorous misadventure is delightful. |
|
 Criss
Cross
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Newbery Medal 2006
Ages 12–up
Two 14-year old narrators tell their
story in prose, poems, and question-and-answer sessions. Debbie
wishes something would happen so that she can become a different
person; Hector feels unfinished. Young teens will relate to the
feelings of self-consciousness and uncertainty as the characters
strive for self-awareness. Perkin’s amusing drawings add to the
charm. (sequel to All
Alone in the Universe) |
|
 Bamboo
People
by Mitali Perkins
Ages 11–14
Chiko (15) is pressed into
military service by the Burmese government. A scholar
rather than a soldier by nature, Chiko finds himself
involved in the ongoing war against the Karenni people,
one of the many ethnic minorities in modern Myanmar
(formerly Burma). Chiko is wounded and found by Tu
Reh, an angry Karenni teen. Told from both perspectives,
this novel shows both teens struggling with the prejudices
of culture and class. Themes of family, friendship,
and the circumstances of war are explored in this accessible
story. |
|
 Blood
Wounds
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Ages 14–up
Willa (16) knows she is lucky
that her blended family (mother, stepfather, two stepsisters)
gets along so well. But then her biological father
Dwayne, who Willa hasn’t seen for over 10 years, appears
in the news. Dwayne is suspected of murdering his new
wife and daughters, and the police fear that Willa
and her mother are next. Willa’s family goes into hiding,
but even when it is safe to return home, Willa isn’t
ready. Compelled by guilt and shame to mourn the dead
step-sisters she never met, Willa travels to her hometown
in Texas where she confronts uncomfortable memories
and her own future. |
|
 This
World We Live In
The
Last Survivors, Book 3
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Ages 12–up
A year after the moon was thrown
off course by a meteor, natural disasters and climate
change are making life on Earth a challenge. Miranda
(17) and her mother are barely surviving on food rations
in rural Pennsylvania when her father arrives with
his new family and three other refugees, including
Alex Morales from New York City. Miranda and Alex are
drawn to each other as they spend hours together scavenging
for food and supplies. This moving novel continues
the story of the struggle to keep hope alive in the
face of grim reality. (sequel to In
Life as We Knew It and In
The Dead and the Gone) |
|
 Burn
by Suzanne Phillips
Ages 12–up
This thought-provoking book tells the
story of Cameron Grady, a badly bullied freshman who escapes
by playing with fire. When fatal results occur, the reader
is challenged to examine some hard questions about who is a
victim and who is a criminal, and how far a victim is allowed
to go in the struggle to stand up for himself. |
|
 I
Shall Wear Midnight
by Terry Pratchett
Ages 12–up
Now nearly 16, Tiffany Aching
has spent years studying with senior witches and can
competently take on the minor tasks required of a good
witch. However to become a great witch, Tiffany must
battle with the Cunning Man the ghost of a dead witch
finder, while also keeping the peace between the humans
and the wee Nac Mac Feegles. This hilarious adventure
completes the Diskworld Tiffany Aching series: The
Wee Free Men, A
Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith. |
|
 Nation
by Terry Pratchett
Ages 12–up
Mau is the only one left when a giant
wave destroys his island village. Daphne is the only survivor
of a ship sunk in the storm. Together they re-establish Mau’s
nation with the other survivors who gradually wash up on shore.
The clever balance between serious issues and wildly funny
events make this tale of discovery special. |
|
 Heart
of a Samurai
by Margi Preus
Ages 10–14
In 1841, Japan is closed to
outsiders, and Japanese leaving the country are not
permitted to return. Manjiro Nakahama (14) is out fishing
with four others when a storm destroys their small
boat and strands them on a small island. Rescued five
months later by an American whaling ship. Manjiro’s
companions are frightened of the “barbarians,” but
he is curious to learn more about the world. Adopted
by the captain, Manjiro learns English and the whaling
trade, and eventually becomes the first Japanese to
come to America. Despite prejudice, hardships, and
homesickness, Manjiro never loses his curiosity. After
living in New England, Manjiro travels to California
to pan for gold, and eventually makes his way back
to Japan, where he is imprisoned as an outsider. Period
illustrations by Manjiro himself, as well as new art
by Jillian Tamaki, enliven this fictionalized true
story. |
|
 12
Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn
by James Proimos
Ages 14–up
James “Hercules” Martino (16)
is spending the summer in Baltimore with his Uncle
Anthony after the death of his father, a popular self-help
author and talk show host. To keep Hercules from becoming
bored, Uncle Anthony assigns him a list twelve tasks
to complete in the remaining two weeks of summer vacation.
Hercules shares his misadventures in a hilarious first
person narration. |
|
 Efrain’s
Secret
by Sofia Quintero
Ages 12–up
High school senior Efrain Rodriguez
dreams of escaping his South Bronx neighborhood for
an Ivy League college, but although he is smart, he
is “too brown and too poor.” So Efrain
begins selling drugs to earn the money for college,
sure that doing the wrong thing for the right reason
is somehow OK. Efrain’s efforts to justify his choice
and deal with the consequences enliven this gritty
tale of an urban teen trying to make a better future. |
|
 Sovay
by Celia Rees
Ages 12–up
Raised in the English countryside during
the French Revolution, 17-year-old Sovay sets out to find her
father and brother who have been condemned for supporting the
Revolution. Playing the roles of highway robber, spy, and socialite,
Sovay travels from London to Paris in this romantic and suspenseful
story of political intrigue and class struggle. |
|
 Fever
Crumb
by Philip Reeve
Ages 12–up
Fever Crumb is a 14-year old
orphan in the far future who has been adopted and raised
by Dr. Crumb, a member of the Order of Engineers, in
the huge head of an unfinished statue. Fever is the
only girl ever accepted as an apprentice by the logic
obsessed Order of Engineers. Sent into Hungry City
for the first time in her life to assist Auric Godshawk,
an eccentric archeologist, Fever is shunned by the
city dwellers who believe she is part Scriven, the
non-humans, who ruled the city but were hunted down
and killed in a victorious uprising by the people.
This beautifully written and creative fantasy is a
prequel to the Hungry City Chronicles: Mortal
Engines, Predator’s
Gold, Infernal
Devices, A
Darkling Plain. |
|
 Here
Lies Arthur
by Philip Reeve
Ages 12–up
Gwynna escapes down the river when
her village is burned by the warlord Arthur and is rescued
by Myrddin who offers to protect her in exchange for her service.
Myrddin disguises Gwynna as various people in order to transform
the warlord into the hero King Arthur. Reeve’s cynical take
on Arthurian legends will enchant teens. |
|
 How
to Build a House
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages 12–up
Harper Evans is shaken by her
father’s second divorce and her separation from her beloved
stepmother and best friend stepsister. Participating
in a summer program to build a house for a needy family
helps Harper see how both houses and relationships can
be resurrected through hard work, hope, and teamwork. |
|
 The
Summer I Learned to Fly
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages 12–up
Drew (13) is a bit of a loner.
She has a pet rat, a treasured book of lists from her
dead father, and an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese
from working at her mother’s gourmet cheese shop. Drew
meets a strange boy named Emmett in the alley behind
the shop while searching for her escaped pet. Emmett
surprises Drew with his knowledge of rats and the two
become friends. Emmett confides his dream of finding
a legendary spring with healing powers, and Drew betrays
her mother’s trust by running away with Emmett in search
of the magic waters. Set in California in the 1980s,
this quiet novel touches on themes of friendship, love,
and sacrifice. |
|
 The
Things a Brother Knows
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages 14–up
Levi Katznelson’s older brother
Boaz joined the marines and spent three long years
overseas. Levi didn’t understand how Boaz could give
up his life as the high school football star, and has
waited impatiently for Boaz to return home to Boston.
But as soon as Boaz walks through the door, Levi knows
that his brother has changed, and he fears that life
will never return to normal. When Boaz leaves to hike
the Appalachian Trail, Levi follows, determined to
save his brother and bring him back home. Together
they walk to Washington, DC, visiting ex-Marines and
families of soldiers along the way, as Levi slowly
comes to understand the trauma of his brother’s wartime
experiences. |
|
 The
Unsinkable Walker Bean
by Aaron Renier
Ages 9–14
Mild-mannered Walker Bean is
happiest in his grandfather’s colonial era workshop,
helping with the inventions. But when his grandfather
is cursed by two lobster-women, Walker knows it is
up to him to return a magical skull to the mysterious
Mango Islands. Walker stows away on a ship and teams
up with a dog named Perrogi, a boy named Shiv, and
a tough girl called Genoa. The four encounter pirates
and magical machines as they search for clues and escape
perilous situations in this engaging graphic adventure
novel. |
|
 Ninth
Ward
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ages 10–up
Lanesha (12) has had the power
to communicate with ghosts, including her mother who
died giving birth to her, as long as she can remember.
Mama Ya-Ya, a midwife and healer who cares for Lanesha,
has the power to predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya
foresees a huge storm (Hurricane Katrina) threatening
their beloved Ninth Ward of New Orleans, she warns
the community, which bands together. Afloat in a small
rowboat, Lanesha escapes the rising water and saves
others along the way. This powerful story, alive with
magical realism, is full of tragedy and hope. |
|
 Eighth-Grade
Superzero
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Ages 10–14
Reggie McKnight earned the nickname “Pukey” thanks
to a disaster on the first day of middle school. So he
decides to hide out for the rest of the year with his
two best friends: Ruthie, a fellow Jamaican and political
activist, and Joe C. White, an aspiring rapper working
on a project at a homeless shelter with his church’s
youth group. Reggie becomes increasingly interested in
the homeless shelter project and his community, leading
to his eventual participation in his school’s presidential
race. There aren’t easy answers or solutions in this
book that deals honestly with issues of racial bias and
social justice. |
|
 Alis
by Naomi Rich
Ages 12–up
Alis (14) lives in Freeborn, a strict
religious community. When her mother tells her she has been
chosen to marry the 40-year-old minister she decides to join
her runaway brother in the nearby city. Things don’t go well
and she is accused of committing a murder. Returning to Freeborn
Alis is put on trial for the crime she did not commit. Her
struggle to make her own choices is sympathetically portrayed
in this compelling novel. |
|
 The
39 Clues: A Maze of Bones
by Rick Riordan
Ages 9–14
In this first of 10 books, orphans
Amy and Dan Cahill take on the challenge of winning a
fortune by collecting all 39 clues. They also hope to
find their parents along the way. Unfortunately they
are competing against the rest of the Cahill clan, many
of whom are less than honorable. Riordan created the
story arc for the series; authors will write also for
the series. This fast-paced book has plenty of suspense,
danger, and puzzles. Readers between the age of 6–14
can also create online accounts to play the online
game and compete for $100,000 in prizes. |
|
 All
the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem:
An
Inappropriate Book for Young Ladies
by Laurie Rosenwald
Ages 12–up
Graphic designer and professional
nonconformist Laurie Rosenwald tackles political correctness
and shares hilarious advice on all sorts of subjects. Her
amazing collages add to the fun in this appealing book. |
|
 There
Is No Dog
by Meg Rosoff
Ages 12–up
Bob’s mother won Earth in a
poker game, and gave the plant to her teen-aged son
to play with. Bob is inspired during Creation, but
then loses interest and Earth is plagued with natural
disasters, injustice, and chaos. When Bob falls in
love with a human named Lucy, his relatives scheme
to keep them apart, causing even more problems for
poor planet Earth. |
|
 Divergent
by Veronica Roth
Ages 14–up
Beatrice “Tris” Prior lives
in dystopian Chicago where the citizens are divided into five
factions depending on their beliefs, talents, and loyalties.
At age 16, Tris is required to choose between her boring family
and the adventurous life she dreams of living. She abandons
the Abnegation faction to become one of the wild and fearless
Dauntless, all the while hiding her true nature as a Divergent,
one who has the talents of many factions. The highly competitive
initiation rites Tris must undergo include sadistic tests of
strength and courage. This spellbinding book is not for the
faint hearted. |
|
 Surface
Tension:
A
Novel in Four Summers
by Brent Runyon
Ages 14–up
Luke and his parents spend two
weeks every summer at a lakeside cottage. Beginning at
age 13, each of the four chapters presents a different
year of Luke’s summers, tracing his emotional and physical
changes and his changing perception of his surroundings
and his neighbors. Luke’s changes bring him both turmoil
and wonder in this coming-of-age novel. |
|
 The
Cabinet of Wonders:
The
Kronos Chronicles: Book I
by Marie Rutkoski
Ages 10–up
In 16th century Bohemia Prince
Rodolfo commissions Kronos, a gifted metalworker, to
build a magical clock. When the clock is finished, the
evil prince steals the metalworker’s eyes and wears them
himself. When the blinded Kronos returns home, his 12-yearoild
daughter Petra sneaks off to Prague to recover her father’s
eyes with her pet tin spider Astrophil. An astonishing
mix of history and enchantment will entrance readers. |
|
 The
Celestial Globe
The
Kronos Chronicles: Book II
by Marie Rutkoski
Ages 10–up
When Prince Rudolfo’s monsters
attack her, 13-year-old Petra escapes from 16th century
Bohemia to London through a “Loophole” permitting
instant time-space travel. Meanwhile, Petra’s magician
friend Tomik is captured by pirates seeking the second
of two magical globes which offer Loophole control when
combined. Supported by British spy John Dee, Petra builds
her own strengths before rejoining the fight against the
evil Prince Rudolfo. This fascinating mix of history and
fantasy is the sequel to The
Cabinet of Wonders. |
|
 Vibes
by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Ages 12–up
Kristi is pretty sure she can read
minds, and absolutely sure that her peers think she is gross
and disgusting. She is still mad at her father, who left the
family two years ago, and hostile to her mother. Then events
conspire to make her wonder if she can read people at all.
This witty, funny, and poignant novel is sure to appeal to
teens. |
|
 The
Forest of Hands and Teeth
by Carrie Ryan
Ages 14–up
Mary’s village is trapped by
the Unconsecrated, flesh-eating zombies that lurk near
the village fence. Inside, the Sisterhood, a convent-like
order of religious women, control village life. When
the Unconsecrated make it through the fence, Mary and
several others escape to the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
This riveting tale of survival highlights the capacity
of humanity to persevere. |
|
 The
Dreamer
by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Peter Sís
Ages 9–14
This fictionalized story of
Pablo Neruda’s early life in the small town of Temuco,
Chile presents a shy child curious about the wonders
of nature. Young Neftalí Reyes (Neruda’s real
name) admires his uncle who owns the local newspaper,
but the boy’s father has no patience for Neftalí’s
daydreaming and love of reading and writing. The poetic
text captures the spirit of an artist who savors the
sound of words and the importance of dreaming in the
development of a poet. |
|
 The
Cardturner
by Louis Sachar
Ages 12–up
Seventeen-year-old Alton isn’t
thrilled with his new summer job of turning cards for
his recently blind bridge-playing great-uncle, but
Alton’s opportunistic mother thinks it’s a great chance
for her son to bond with their only wealthy relative.
Anton is surprised to find that he actually enjoys
the game of bridge and finds himself growing unexpectedly
fond of his eccentric uncle. Full of appealing characters
and dry humor, this book presents a reflective teenager
whose life is enriched by unanticipated connections. |
|
 Holes
by Louis Sachar
Newbery Medal 1999
Ages 10–up
Stanley Yelnats has been sent to Camp
Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility in the desert. Each
day the boys are required to did a hole five feet deep and five
feet in diameter, and then fill it in again. Stanley suspects
that this is not a character-building exercise—the warden
is searching for something. This strange book will keep kids
glued to the pages, eager to find out what will happen next. |
|
 He
Forgot to Say Goodbye
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Ages 12–up
Two alternating teenage narrators from
El Paso, Texas share the same pain: their fathers walked out
on them years ago. Ramiro Lopez is the responsible son of a
hard-working mother with a drug-addicted younger brother, Jake
Upthegrove is disgusted with his mother and stepfather’s materialistic
values. The growing friendship between the two boys helps them
deal with their sense of betrayal and the traumatic events
they endure in this powerful and honest book. |
|
 Last
Night I Sang to the Monster
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Ages 14–up
Zach (18) is bright, articulate,
and in a rehab center for drugs and alcohol. But Zach
doesn’t remember how he got there, he only knows it
was something really bad. Written as a homework assignment
for his therapist, this beautifully written first-person
narrative offers insight into addiction, dysfunction,
and mental illness. |
|
 A
Map of the Known World
by Lisa Ann Sandell
Ages 12–up
When 14-year-old Cara’s older brother
dies in a car accident, her parents cannot rouse themselves
from their numbing grief. Cara escapes into her passion
for maps and mapmaking. Her art teacher, a new friend,
and her brother’s best friend all help to slowly revive
Cara’s emotional life and self-confidence. |
|
 Au
Revoir, Crazy European Chick
by Joe Schreiber
Ages 12–up
Senior Perry Stormaire is not
happy when his mother makes him escort Gobija Zaksauskas,
their geeky Lithuanian exchange student, to the high
school prom. But the night isn’t nearly as boring as
Perry had expected since Gobi turns out to be a secret
assassin on a mission that takes the pair on a whirlwind
ride through Manhattan complete with explosions, shootings,
stabbings, and high speed car chases. This adrenalin
fueled caper novel mixes romance, comedy, and tragedy
into a unique coming of age story. |
|
 To
Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story
by Casey Scieszka, Steven Weinberg
Ages 14–up
This entertaining travelogue
follows the author and illustrator on their two-year
goddess around the world. After graduating from college,
the couple taught English in Beijing, traveled through
Shanghai, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and studied the
role of Islam in the educational system of Mali. The
present tense narration and cartoon sketches add sparkle
to the exploration of each country’s language, food,
traditions, and politics, while highlighting the friendships
made throughout the trip. |
|
 Revolver
by Marcus Sedgwick
Ages 12–up
It’s 1910 in the Scandinavian town
of Giron, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Fourteen-year-old
Sig has just seen his father die after a fall through the ice
when a stranger appears, demanding the gold he says Sig’s father
stole from him 10 years earlier during the Alaskan Gold Rush.
Sig’s only protection is is father’s Colt revolver hidden in
the storeroom of the isolated cabin. The truth is slowly revealed
as Sig struggles to decide if he will use the gun. |
|
 White
Crow
by Marcus Sedgwick
Ages 12–up
Rebecca reluctantly leaves
her life in Greenwich to move to the lonely little
town of Winterfold. There she meets Ferelith, a strange
girl who left school at the age of 14 to live in a
commune and doesn't seem completely human. Ferelith
introduces Rebecca to the legends and dark secrets
of Winterfold, including the journal entries of a local
priest in 1789 who also finds himself in thrall to
a mysterious stranger. This chilling novel, told from
all three points of view, addresses themes of death
and the mystery of afterlife. |
|
 Between
Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys
Ages 12–up
Lina is a normal 15-year old
girl who loves to draw and paint and dream about boys
until the night in 1941 when Soviet soldiers invade
her town. Separated from her father on a crowded train,
Lina is sent to a work camp with her mother and younger
brother. The three make a long and arduous journey
north to the Siberian work camp north of the Arctic
Circle, where they are forced to dig for beets as they
struggle to survive. Using her art to maintain her
sense of hope, Lina illustrates messages she hopes
will reach her father in prison. Based on historical
fact, this gripping novel illustrates the persecution
suffered by the millions of Stalin’s victims. |
|
 The
Berlin Boxing Club
by Robert Sharenow
Ages 12–up
Karl Stern (14) has never thought
of himself as Jewish since his family isn’t religious.
But in 1930s Berlin he is tormented and beaten by his
classmates so his father’s friend Max Schmeling, a
boxing champ, agrees to train Karl as a boxer so he
can defend himself and his younger sister. As the Nazi
regime gains power, it becomes clear that Karl and
his family aren’t safe in German. A talented artist,
Karl draws cartoons and comics as he dreams of finding
freedom in America, falls in love with a Catholic neighbor,
and meets a cross-dressing homosexual. This powerful
historical novel examines racism and prejudice through
the lens of both fictional children and real historical
figures. |
|
 My
So-Called Family
by Courtney Sheinmel
Ages 9–12
When Leah Hoffman-Ross’s family
moves to New York shortly before the start of the 8th
grade year, she decides to try and pass as normal, instead
of the child of Donor 730 from a Maryland sperm back.
Her mother thinks her new stepfather and little brother
should be all the family she needs, but Leah finds the
database of the sperm registry and discovers she has
a half-sister her own age. This thought-provoking book
encourages readers to think about what really makes a
family. |
|
 Gateway
by Sharon Shinn
Ages 12–up
Daiyu was adopted from China by a white
couple in St. Louis. Now a teenager, she often feels out of
place. At a street fair, an old Asian jewelry seller tells
her that her name means “black jade” and sells
her a ring bearing that stone. Transported through a gateway
into an alternate reality where America was colonized by the
Chinese in the 19th century, Daiyu is recruited as a spy and
falls for Kalen, who is in on the plot. Unfortunately, if Daiyu
is successful, she must leave this reality and Kalen to return
to her own time. |
|
 I’ll
Pass For Your Comrade:
Women
Soldiers in the Civil War
by Anita Silvey
Ages 10–14
This non-fiction book tells the
fascinating story of the women who risked their lives and
reputations to fight in the Civil War. Vintage photographs,
etchings, and memoirs illuminate the adventures and struggles
of the women who cut their hair and disguised themselves
as men to join the fight. Highly accessible language helps
to put these unconventional women in historic context. |
|
 Stitches
by David Small
Ages 12–up
In this memoir, David Small tells the
story of his boyhood in the 1950s. Believing that science can
fix everything, his radiologist father subjected David to numerous
x-rays for various childhood ailments, resulting in cancer
that was untreated for years. At age 14, unaware that he had
throat cancer and was expected to die, David awoke from an
operation left him nearly mute. Beautifully told from a child’s
perspective, this pen and ink graphic novel is both dark and
delightful. |
|
 The
Georges and the Jewels
by Jane Smiley
Ages 10–up
Abby Lovitt (12) lives on a
horse farm with her evangelical parents in California
in the mid-1960s. Abbey’s father warns her not to get
too attached to any of the horses, and names all the
mares Jewel and all the geldings George. Abby is being
bullied by the “Big Four” girls at school
and her older brother Danny has left home. Abby spends
most of her time with the horses, especially with “Onery
George,” a gelding who will not look her in the
eye and bucks her off his back every chance he gets. |
|
 Ghost
Medicine
by Andrew Smith
Ages 12–up
The summer after his mother dies,
Troy (16) and two friends work wrangling horses and coming
of age. After each brush with danger (rattlesnakes, mountain
lions) they pay homage to a mysterious force they call “ghost
medicine” with tattoos and rituals. |
|
 Stick
by Andrew Smith
Ages 14–up
Stark McCellan is known as Stick since
he is so tall and thin. Now 14, Stick hasn’t had an easy life.
Born with only one ear, Stick has been bullied at school. His
older brother Boston tries to protect him, but neither boy
can protect the other from their abusive parents. When Stick
realizes that Boston is gay, he tries to prevent a violent
confrontation with their angry father, and Boston leaves home.
Stick steals the family car and sets off in search of his brother,
knowing he will never feel whole again without him. |
|
 The
Way He Lived
by Emily Wing Smith
Ages 14–up
The six teen-aged narrators of this
novel don’t have much in common except a connection with Joel
Espen, who died of dehydration after giving away his water
bottle during a badly planned Boy Scout outing. As the six
teens from Haven, Utah, try to make sense of Joel’s death and
his effect on their lives, their views of themselves and their
community are transformed. |
|
 Shade
by Jeri Smith-Ready
Ages 14–up
Aura (16) was the first child born
after the Shift, when ghosts became visible to the new generation,
but not the old. How and why the Shift occurred is still a
mystery, and those born before and after are still struggling
through the change in perceptions. When Aura’s boyfriend Logan
dies of an accidental overdose, his ghost can still talk to
her, but can’t touch her or fully be part of her world like
Zachary, a Scottish transfer student more than willing to comfort
her. As Aura tries to come to terms with her grief, her relationships
with the dead and the living grow ever more complicated. |
|
 Confessions
of the Sullivan Sisters
by Natalie Standiford
Ages 13–up
Norrie, Sassy, and Jane Sullivan’s
incredibly rich grandmother, known as Almighty, has
written the entire family out of her will because one
of the eight members of the clan has offended her.
Almighty is willing to forgive, but only if the offender
confesses to the offense. If not, Almighty’ s millions
will go to the Puppy Poncho charity, which provides
doggy rain gear for those poor dogs whose owners are
too poor to but dog raincoats. So the three Sullivan
sisters each write a letter to Almighty, confessing
everything from love to murder in this wickedly funny
novel. |
|
 When
You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
Newbery
Medal 2010
Ages 9–14
Miranda (12) is the latchkey
kid of a single mother law school dropout in late 1970s
Manhattan. After reading A
Wrinkle in Time, Miranda is obsessed with time
travel, and receives mysterious notes which accurately
predict the future. Over the course of her 6th grade
year, Miranda describes the three important themes
in her life: her mother’s upcoming appearance on The
$20,000 Pyramid, the sudden end of her lifelong
friendship with her neighbor Sal, and the appearance
of a deranged homeless man. This thought-provoking
and realistic science fiction is enthralling. |
|
 Lament:
The Faerie Queen’s Deception
by Maggie Stiefvater
Ages 12–up
Sixteen-year-old gifted harpist
Deirdre Monaghan is painfully shy and a bit bored with
her dull suburban life. When a mysterious boy enters her
life, Deirdre discovers that she is a cloverhand, one who
can see faeries. Soon she is in the midst of a magical
faerie war that brings a bit more excitement than she wished
for. Fantasy fans will love this dark tale. |
|
 The
Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater
Ages 13–up
The Scorpio Races are held
on the island of Thisby each November, racing against
the terrifying faerie water horses that eat meat and
drown people. Sean Kendrick races every year, winning
on the stallion Corr. Puck Connolly races her ordinary
horse against the killers, desperate to earn enough
money to keep her home, and to ear the respect of her
older brother who threatens to desert the family. This
compelling novel explores themes of courage, loyalty,
dread, loss, and the necessity of making hard choices. |
|
 Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater
Ages 13–up
For years Grace has been fascinated
by the yellow-eyed wolf that saved her from its pack when she
was a child. Then she meets Sam, the yellow-eyed boy who was
bitten by a wolf when he was a child. In winter Sam lives as
a wolf, in summer he is human. As he grows older, Sam realizes
that one day he may lose the ability to become human. When
Grace and Sam fall in love one summer, Sam knows this is his
last chance to stay human. |
|
 Heartsinger
by Karlijn Stoffels
Ages 12–up
Two musicians are born at the same
hour on the same day. Mee, a singer of funeral dirges, can
see inside a person’s soul and his song can ease the pain of
loss. The music Mitou plays on her accordion brings happiness.
Together the two musicians are asked to travel to a faraway
land to free the Princess Esperanza from a spell that forces
her to spend her life gazing into a mirror. |
|
 Irises
by Francisco X. Stork
Ages 14–up
Kate (18) dreams of going to medical
school at Stanford University, and her sister Mary (16) is
a talented painter. When their strict minister father dies,
the two sisters are forced to make some painful decisions.
Their mother has been in a persistent vegetative state after
an accident two years earlier, and the insurance company denies
their father’s policy. Then the church threatens to evict them
from their home. Free of their father’s loving but restrictive
control, the two sisters begin to grow in unexpected ways as
they struggle with supporting themselves and the decision of
maintaining their mother’s life support. |
|
 The
Last Summer of the Death Warriors
by Francisco Stork
Ages 14–up
Pancho Sanchez (17) is sent
to a Catholic orphanage after his father and sister
die within a few months. Pancho is determined to avenge
the death of his sister by killing the man he believes
is responsible. D.Q., a fellow orphan, asks Pancho
to come with him to Albuquerque as support during his
brain cancer treatment. Pancho agrees since that's
where the man he is stalking lives. But D.Q.’s
“Death Warrior Manifesto,” a document
he has composed to help him live out his last days
with purpose, gradually influences Pancho to consider
choosing life over murder. This powerful novel deals
with themes of responsibility, racial and family
tension, and the purpose of life. |
|
 Marcelo
In The Real World
by Francisco Stork
Ages 14–up
Marcelo Sandoval hears music
no one else can hear and attends a special school specializing
in autism and Asperger’s. The summer before his senior
year, he arranges a job caring for ponies, but his father
wants him to work in the mail room in his law firm in
order to experience the real world. and then attend a
regular school in the fall. Readers enter Marcelo’s private
world as he navigates the unfamiliar world outside his
school in this powerful novel celebrating the difference
in all of us. |
|
 Borderline
by Allan Stratton
Ages 12–up
Mohammed “Sami” Sabiri’s
life falls apart when his father is accused of collaborating
with Muslim terrorists to poison the water supply of New York
City and Toronto. In the wave of discrimination that follows,
Sami’s mother is fired from her job and Sami is bullied at
school. Sami goes undercover in an attempt to prove his father’s
innocence in this gripping thriller that grapples with the
terrifying reality of racial and religious discrimination. |
|
 Heroes
of the Valley
by Jonathan Stroud
Ages 10–up
Halli Sveinsson isn’t handsome
or tall or blonde like his siblings. He’s short and
dark and loves playing practical jokes. When one of
his jokes back-fires, Halli is forced to set out on
a quest where he encounters robbers and monsters and
a girl who may have as quick a mind as his own. This
coming-of-age-novel is a surprising look at what bravery
really is. |
|
 The
Ring of Solomon
by Jonathan Stroud
Ages 10–up
This prequel to the trilogy
featuring Bartimaeus, an egotistical wise-cracking
djinn, takes place in 950 BCE Jerusalem. Thanks to
his magical ring, King Solomon has great power, and
threatens the kingdom of Sheba when the queen rejects
his marriage proposal. Asmira, the captain of the queen’s
guards, is sent to Israel to assassinate King Solomon
and steal his ring. Asmira connects with Bartimaeus,
then held captive by one of King Solomon’s wicked court
magicians, and great magic erupts. (Bartimaeus trilogy: The
Amulet of Samarkand, The
Golem’s Eye, and Ptolemy’s
Gate) |
|
 The
Brothers Story
by Katherine Sturtevant
Ages 14–up
Twins Kit and Christy grow up
in poverty in an Essex village. Christy is “simple” and
dependant upon his brother. The hardships of the Great
Frost of 1683–84 are too much for the teenaged Kit to
bear, and he abandons his brother and flees to London,
where he finds work as an apprentice to a struggling
artist. Kit struggles with issues of familial responsibility,
religion, class, and gender roles in this frank coming-of-age
novel. |
|
 Imaginary
Girls
by Nova Ren Suma
Ages 14–up
Chloe (14) idolizes her older
sister Ruby, a popular girl who is given the freedom
to run wild. At a night party, Ruby challenges Chloe
to swim across the reservoir, where she discovers the
body of a London, a girl from school. Chloe and her
father are forced to leave town, but Ruby is willing
to do anything to get her sister home again. Two years
later Ruby brings Chloe back and Chloe isn’t sure if
everything is the same or different. Ruby is still
running wild, but London is alive and well. Chloe realizes
that Ruby seems to be able to bend reality to suit
herself in this spooky novel of magical realism. |
|
 Some
Girls Are
by Courtney Summers
Ages 12–up
High school senior Regina Afton
used to be a member of the elite Fearsome Fivesome, but
she is frozen out when rumors circulate that she slept
with her best friend’s boyfriend. No one believes the
truth—Regina was nearly raped. As the bullying
from her ex-friends escalates, Regina begins a tentative
friendship with a loner she once bullied herself. Regina’s
inability to fight back against her former friends is
very believable and very frightening. |
|
 Somebody
Everybody Listens To
by Suzanne Supplee
Ages 12–up
Encouraged by her best friend
and biggest fan, recent high school graduate Retta Lee
Jones sets off to Nashville to make her name in country
music. Living in the car she borrowed from her grandmother,
Retta tries to make her hard-earned waitressing money
last as long as possible as she searches for a way to
break into the completive music scene. Biographical notes
about other music stars who overcame great odds to become
successful introduce each chapter, giving Retta (and
readers) hope that dreams can come true. |
|
 Chasing
Lincoln’s Killer
by James L. Swanson
Ages 12–up
This exciting book tells of
the assassination of Lincoln and the 12-day search
for his killer through the streets of Washington DC,
across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests
of Virginia. Period photographs and documents add drama
to this fast-paced thriller, a young adult version
of the best selling Manhunt. |
|
 Tales
From Outer Suburbia
by Shaun Tan
Ages 12–up
The fifteen very short stories
in this book are whimsical, strange, and bizarre. The
illustrations are also beautiful and yet disturbing.
The combination makes the reader wonder what will happen
next in each situation. |
|
 Emma-Jean
Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
by Lauren Tarshis
Ages 10–14
Seventh-grader Emma-Jean is extremely
bright but doesn’t connect socially with her classmates.
In fact, she observes their interactions with a scientific
detachment. Then Colleen asks Emma-Jean’s help in dealing
with the class bully, and Emma-Jean applies the principles
of logic to the situation. Narrated in alternating chapters
by two very different girls, this humorous book
makes a great read-aloud. |
|
 Emma-Jean
Lazarus Fell in Love
by Lauren Tarshis
Ages 10–14
The intensely analytical Emma-Jean
is beginning to appreciate emotions that logic can’t
explain. Emma-Jean has made friends some friends in
her 7th grade class, and is even considering asking
a boy to the Spring Fling. This funny and heart-warming
sequel to Emma-Jean
Lasarus Fell Out of a Tree is sure to please. |
|
 Daughter
of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor
Ages 15–up
Karou (17) is an art student
in Prague, except for the times she is called away
to do errands for the loving inhuman creatures who
raised her. Karou has no idea why she lives with chimera,
who inexplicably require human teeth, and fears that
she is somehow not quite whole. When black hand prints
begin appearing on doorways, Karou is drawn into a
deadly rivalry between devils and angels, and finally
begins to learn about herself. |
|
 Lips
Touch
by Laini Taylor
Ages 12–up
These three different stories
all hinge on the consequences of a kiss. Contemporary
Kizzy longs to be a normal, popular teenager and forgets
the rules she learned as a child and is seduced by
a goblin in disguise. Anamique lives in British colonial
India, silenced by a spell cast upon her at birth.
Just before Esmé’s 14th birthday, one eye changes from
brown to blue, and she discovers that she is hosting
a non-human being. |
|
 Nothing
by Janne Teller
Ages 12–up
One afternoon seventh grader Pierre
Anthon comes to the conclusion that there is no meaning in
life, climbs a plum tree, and refuses to come down. His classmates
are first confused and then enraged, and begin to pile up objects
that demonstrate meaning in life. At first innocent, the objects
become more violent as the children challenge each other to
sacrifice increasingly “meaningful” things. This
provocative parable about human instability will challenge
the reader. |
|
 The
Spectacular Now
by Tim Tharp
Ages 14–up
Sutter Keely is a popular and egocentric
high school senior who lives totally in the now, with no though
of past or future. Then he meets the socially awkward Aimee
who would like to plan a future with him. The stream of consciousness
narration from Sutter’s point of view never wavers, and is
both charming and infuriating. |
|
 Highway
Robbery
by Kate Thompson, Robert Dress
Ages 10–up
A young beggar recalls the night
a stranger rode into town, promising the boy a gold coin
if he watched his horse. The boy’s loyalty is tested
by people passing by who offer riches in exchange for
the noble steed. Finally the king’s men arrive and declare
that the horse is Black Bess who belongs to the infamous
highwayman Dick Turpin. The boy now has a moral dilemma
since keeping his word and staying with the horse may
lead to Turpin’s arrest. |
|
 The
Last of the High Kings
by Kate Thompson
Ages 12–up
In this sequel to The
New Policeman, J.J. Liddy is now married with four
children, including 11-year old Jenny whose mysterious
destiny is interwoven with the mythic fairy kingdom of
their native Ireland. |
|
 Immortal
Beloved
by Cate Tiernan
Ages 12–up
Nastasya, an immortal, was
born in 1551, and has lived the life of a heedless
party girl through the centuries. Witnessing her best
friend’s casual cruelty toward a human finally shocks
Nastasya into taking control of her life, and she joins
a group of immortals seeking to regain their humanity
at a retreat in Massachusetts. It’s not an easy journey
as Nastasya confronts the ghosts of her long past while
getting to know her new companions. First in a planned
trilogy, Nastasya’s distinctive voice and perspective
on the horrors and joys of history promise an interesting
journey. |
|
 A
Conspiracy of Kings
by Megan Whalen Turner
Ages 10–up
Sophos, the reluctant heir
to the Sounis throne who is more interested in poetry
than power, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. This
absorbing political adventure is the fourth in the
Queen’s Thief series: The
Thief, The
Queen of Attolia, The
King of Attolia. The books should be read in order
for full appreciation of the complex plots. |
|
 Moribito:
Guardian of the Spirit
by Nahoko Uehashi
Ages 10–up
Balsa was a wandering warrior
for hire until the day she rescued a boy, Chagum, from
the river. She is then hired by the boy’s mother to protect
him since Chagum is host to a mythical creature that
threatens the rulers. An engaging combination of martial
arts, magic, heroic quest, and a totally unique heroine,
this quick-paced book will appeal to both boys and girls. |
|
 Moribito
II: Guardian of the Darkness
by Nahoko Uehashi
Ages 10–up
Balsa, a spear-wielding warrior,
returns to her homeland of Kanbal in this sequel to Moribito:
Guardian of the Spirit. Balsa rescues a pair of
siblings from the Guardian of the Darkness and fights
a plot to attack the underground kingdom of the Mountain
King. Powerful and loyal, Balsa is a compelling character
set against a rich background of an imaginary culture. |
|
 Lucky
by Rachel Vail
Ages 12–up
Fourteen-year-old Phoebe and her two
older sisters have been raised by their mother to view themselves
as Valkyries unable to be intimidated. Phoebe is more of a
people-pleaser and is busy planning the 8th grade graduation
party when her mother is fired for possible shady dealings.
For the first time money is a family issue and Phoebe must
consider what effect it has on her friendships and popularity.
(first in a trilogy about the sisters) |
|
 The
Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
by Catherynne M. Valente, Ana
Juan
Ages 10–14
September (12) lived a normal
life in Omaha, Nebraska until her father went to war
and her mother went to work, leaving her on her own
much of the time. One day a man who calls himself Green
Wind appears and tells September that her help is needed
in Fairyland, to retrieve a witch’s spoon from the
terrible Marquess. Originally published in serialized
form online, this was the first e-book to win the Andre
Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. |
|
 Me,
the Missing, and the Dead
by Jenny Valentine
Ages 14–up
Fifteen-year-old Lucas finds
an abandoned urn of ashes in a London cab depot and discovers
the truth about the disappearance of his father five
years earlier. This British novel raises questions about
death, euthanasia, and broken families while retaining
a healthy sense of humor. |
|
 The
Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell
the Tales
by Chris Van Allsburg
Ages 10–14
This companion volume to The
Mysteries of Harris Burdick contains short stories
by fourteen authors to accompany the eerie original
charcoal-pencil illustrations. Each story includes
the cryptic sentences used to caption each illustration.
Featured authors: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate
DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King,
Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean
Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka,
Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg himself. |
|
 Climbing
the Stairs
by Padma Venkatraman
Ages 12–up
Set in World War II India, 15-year-old
Vidya’s father joins the freedom fighters who follow
Gandhi’s nonviolent protest of British rule. During a
rally he is severely beaten and left too brain-damaged
to support his family, who must move in with relatives
and work as servants. This novel movingly presents a
unique time and place and shows how love and hope can
blossom in even the most dismal of circumstances. |
|
 Dicey’s
Song
by Cynthia Voigt
Newbery Medal
1983
Ages 12–up
Dicey (13) and her three siblings are
living on a farm with her grandmother. Their father deserted
the family, and their mother is in a mental institution. Used
to being the main support for her siblings, Dicey must get used
to the fact that they don’t need her in the same way. All of
the children must adjust to a new school and a new life with
Gram, who is fiercely independent. (sequel to Homecoming) |
|
 Dr.
Frankenstein’s Human Body Book
by Richard Walker
Ages 10–up
Dr. Frankenstein invites readers
to join him as he creates a human being. From atoms and
the skeleton to tissues and muscles, this anatomy book
is as fascinating as science fiction. Gothic fonts and
illustrations blend with state of the art images from
gamma scans and other advanced technology. |
|
 Numbers
by Rachel Ward
Ages 14–up
Jem (15) has a unique and terrifying
ability, when she looks someone in the eye, she sees the date
of their death. Jem avoids eye contact and relationships. Then
she meets Spider, another outsider in her special-education
class, and decides to take a change on friendship. The two
take a trip to the London Eye ferris wheel and Jem is horrified
to find that all the tourists in line are flashing the same
date, today’s date. Terrorists have planted a bomb, and when
Jem and Spider escape moments before the blast, they become
suspects. This stark novel is a gripping story of the lives
of teens living on the edge. |
|
 Angel
Burn
by L.A. Weatherly
Ages 14–up
Willow (16) is a gifted mechanic
and psychic. Her classmate Beth is thrilled about joining
the cult like Church of Angels, but Willow sees that
the “angel” feeds on humans, damaging their
bodies and minds. Alex (17) has been an angel assassin
for years, but the orders to kill Willow are unexpected.
She’s not a normal target, and Alex is suspicious about
the reasons she has been marked for death. So Alex
rescues Willow and runs away with her, determined to
foil the angels’ plans to take over humanity. This
romantic thriller is the first in a planned trilogy. |
|
 Variant
by Robison Wells
Ages 13–up
Benson Fisher (17) is tired of foster
homes and applies for a scholarship for Maxfield Academy in
New Mexico. But instead of the new start he hoped for, Benson
finds himself trapped with 70 other teens in a frightening
environment ruled by the mysterious Iceman who gives out points
and punishments. There are no teachers, the students are divided
into competing factions in order to survive, and Benson knows
his only hope is to escape as quickly as possible, since breaking
the rules can mean death. The cliff hanger ending will leave
readers eager for more. |
|
 Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
Ages 12–up
In this alternate version of life in
1914, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians are armed with Clankers,
steam driven iron machines, while the British Darwinists have
fabricated animals. Prince Aleksandar of Austria-Hungary is
hidden away by his trusted advisors after his parents are killed
by the Germans. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp successfully passes
as a young man in order to join the British Air Service. Her
bravery during a catastrophic flight aboard an enhance jellyfish
earns her a berth on the living airship Leviathan. The two
meet in the Swiss Alps and soon realize they must either cooperate
or be destroyed by the Germans. (1st in a planned quartet) |
|
 Behemoth
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
Ages 12–up
In this captivating steampunk sequel
to Leviathan,
Deryn (posing as a boy in order to serve as midshipman on the
living British airship Leviathan) and Alex (heir to the Austria-Hungarian
empire posing as a commoner) hope to bring the war to a peaceful
conclusion. It's 1914 when disaster strikes, and the two find
themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. This exciting
alternative-history adventure novel will leave readers anxious
for the next volume in the trilogy. |
|
 Where
Things Come Back
by John Corey Whaley
Ages 14–up
Cullen Witter (17) is bored
to death living in the small town of Lily, Arkansas
until the summer before his senior year. Then the Lazarus
woodpecker, long thought to be extinct, allegedly reappears,
and his younger brother Gabriel goes missing. Meanwhile,
Benton Sage, a young missionary in Africa loses his
faith and leaves Ethiopia for the University of Atlanta.
Told in alternating chapters, the two stories narrated
from two completely different viewpoints gradually
converge into the surprising and disturbing finale
of this darkly humorous thriller. |
|
 The
President’s Daughter
by Ellen Emerson White
Ages 12–up
Meg, the 15-year-old daughter
of a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, likes her
life just the way it is, but her mother has other plans.
Meg wishes that her perfect and ambitious mother were
more attentive to her family than her race to become
President. When her mother is elected, Meg is kept
busy learning White House protocol and keeping her
younger brothers in line. (Originally published in
the 1980s, this 1st book in the series has been updated
to the 21st century.) |
|
 White
House Autumn
by Ellen Emerson White
Ages 12–up
Now a junior at an elite DC private
school, Meg is adjusting to life in the White House until a
would-be assassin seriously wounds her mother. Shocked out
of her complacency, Meg realizes that being in the public spotlight
threatens not only her family’s privacy, but their safety as
well. (Originally published in the 1980s, this 2nd book in
the series has been updated to the 21st century.) |
|
 Long
Live the Queen
by Ellen Emerson White
Ages 12–up
Meg is having a perfectly normal day
in her senior year when a group of terrorists outwit her Secret
Service guards and kidnap her. Beaten and left to die in an
abandoned mine shaft, Meg endures hunger, pain, and terror.
Unfortunately her ordeal does not end with her eventual rescue.
Issues of post traumatic stress for the entire family are explored
as Meg works through her emotional, psychological, and physical
recovery. (Originally published in the 1980s, this 3rd book
in the series has been updated to the 21st century.) |
|
 Long
May She Reign
by Ellen Emerson White
Ages 12–up
As she enters her first year of college,
Meg is still recovering from the trauma of her kidnapping.
Still undergoing grueling physical therapy, Meg also has the
challenge of leaving the safety of the White House for the
uncertainly of the world at large. And looming large in the
background is her inability to forgive her mother, the President,
for sticking by her vow never to negotiate with terrorists,
even when her own daughter’s life was at stake. (4th in the
series) |
|
 Paranormalcy
by Kiersten White
Ages 12–up
Evie (16) works for the International
Paranormal Containment Agency, an organization in charge of
keeping paranormal beings under control. Evie is the only human
not susceptible to “glamour” and can quickly subdue
the paranormal. But Evie is bored with her life and longs to
be a normal teenager with a school locker and a driver’s license.
Lend, a captured shape-shifter her own age, shares his secrets,
and Evie finds herself strangely attracted to him. This absorbing
romantic novel has plenty of humor and action along with a
little terror. |
|
 A
Visit to William Blake’s Inn:
Poems
for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
by Nancy Willard
Newbery Medal 1982
Ages 10–up
In this fanciful book of poems, William
Blake runs an inn populated with guests and staff from his famous
poems. Imaginative illustrations by Martin Provensen complement
the catchy poems. |
|
 The
Chosen One
by Carol Lynch Williams
Ages 12–up
Kyra (13), her father, three
mothers, and 20 siblings live in an isolated community
run by a prophet who controls every aspect of the lives
of the members of the polygamous cult. A secret patron
of the mobile library, Kyra knows there is another world
outside her community. When the prophet decrees that
she shall become the seventh wife of her elderly uncle,
Kyra hopes that her father will be able to change the
prophet’s mind. Instead, her family is punished for disobedience
and Kyra has to decide if she is brave enough to run
away from the only community she has ever known. Kyra’s
internal struggles make this a powerful and gripping
novel. |
|
 Glimpse
by Carol Lynch Williams
Ages 12–up
Hope (12) is horrified when her sister
Lizzie (14) tries to shoot herself. Lizzie becomes an elective
mute and is institutionalized and Hope desperately tries to
understand what has happened. Ever since their father died,
Hope and Lizzie relied on each other. Their mother is a reluctant
parent at best, turning tricks to support the family and her
dependence on alcohol. Narrated in blank verse from Hope’s
perspective, flashbacks fill in the girls’ past. The appalling
truth is finally revealed when Hope reads Lizzie’s diary in
this lyrical yet heartbreaking novel. |
|
 Now
Is the Time for Running
by Michael Williams
Ages 12–up
Deo (14) and his friends are
playing soccer in the dusty field outside their Zimbabwe
village, cheered on by Deo’s older brother Innocent,
who was born brain damaged. The village is destroyed
by soldiers, and the two brothers flee for their lives,
traveling with no shoes and little money. They confront
a hungry lion in a game preserve, and encounter repeated
prejudice as unwanted refugees. The loving relationship
between the brothers is often the only thing they can
depend on as they struggle to survive. |
|
 The
Space between Trees
by Katie Williams
Ages 14–up
Evie (16) is an outsider with
a vivid imagination she uses to make her lonely life
in a small midwestern town livable. When Zabet McCabe,
a childhood friend, is murdered, Evie finds herself
involved in a story even she couldn’t imagine. Zabet’s
reckless and emotionally unstable best friend Hadley
becomes obsessed with finding Zabet’s murderer, and
drags Evie into her investigation. Evie’s honesty and
unwise decisions make for some difficult reading, but
this dark coming-of-age story beautifully portrays
the anguish of those who don’t fit in with their peer
group. |
|
 Jumped
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Ages 12–up
Three girls from an urban high school
narrate this fast-paced novel. Benched by the basketball coach
for low grades, Dominique is infuriated by pretty and artistic
Trina. Leticia overhears Dominique plotting to get Trina after
school but is uncertain if she should get involved. This intimate
look from three perspectives highlights the importance of choices,
even those that seem insignificant at the time. |
|
 Down
the Mysterly River
by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham
Ages 10–up
Max (12), a Boy Scout and a
master of orienteering, finds himself in a strange
forest with no idea how he got there. He meets a group
of talking animals who are equally confused about their
environment. soon Max and his new friends are on the
run from a group of hunters called the Blue Cutters,
who use their blades to sever creatures from their
past. This action-packed adventure celebrating friendship
is original and enthralling. |
|
 Make
Lemonade
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Ages 12–up
This novel in blank verse tells the
story of LaVaughn, a bright and compassionate inner-city 14-year-old,
who takes a babysitting job for Jolly, an abused 17-year-old
single mother. LaVaughn is saving her money for college and
tries to convince Jolly to go back to school in order to learn
the skills to make a better life for herself and her children.
This very original and poignant novel is full of hope and the
belief that love and education can change your life for the
better. |
|
 True
Believer
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Ages 14–up
Now 15, LaVaughn and her friends struggle
with their desire to save their bodies for the right husband
when he finally comes along. Her friends choose a controlling
religious group, but LaVaughn tries to find her own way through
studying for college. Her decision to improve herself while
leaving her friends behind causes tension and trouble in this
gripping blank verse narration. (sequel to Make
Lemonade) |
|
 This
Full House
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Ages 14–up
LaVaughn thinks things are
finally going her way. She has escaped the projects
and won a spot in a select program for underprivileged
girls planning on a career in medicine. But in her
senior year her friend gets pregnant and she discovers
another friend was abandoned in infancy. Trying to
come to terms with these issues threatens LaVaughn’s
hard-fought dream of college in this final episode
of Wolff’s blank verse trilogy. (Make
Lemonade, True
Believer) |
|
 Blink & Caution
by Tim Wynne-Jones
Ages 14–up
Blink has been living on the streets
ever since he ran away from his abusive step-father. While
trying to steal leftover food from room service in a hotel,
he witnesses a fake kidnapping of an oil executive. Caution
is on the run from her abusive drug-dealing boyfriend, and
trying to deal with her guilt over the accidental shooting
of her brother. The two teens try their hands at blackmail,
and are quickly caught up in racial and environmental issues
that they can’t fix in this compelling noir crime novel. |
|
 The
Curse of the Wendigo
by Rick Yancey
Ages 14–up
Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a monstrumologist,
and Will Henry, his apprentice, travel from the Canadian
wilderness to New York City in search of an alleged
wendigo, the North American equivalent to a vampire,
who has left a string of brutally murdered and faceless
bodies in his wake. Dr. Warthrop doesn’t believe in
vampires or wendigos, but the murders continue and
he and Will seem incapable of solving the mystery.
This sequel to The
Monstrumologist is just as gruesome and emotionally
gripping. |
|
 The
Babysitter Murders
by Janet Ruth Young
Ages 14–up
Dani Solomon (17) has strange
thoughts. She daydreams about mocking her mother, betraying
her best friend, and even harming Alex, the little
boy she baby sits and adores. Tormented by fears that
she may really harm Alex, she confesses her persistent
thoughts, unleashing a storm of negative media attention
that makes her the target of an extremist vigilante
group. With the help of a therapist, Dani begins to
heal, but the media frenzy has a life of its own. This
powerful book is an all too realistic look at the power
of the media and our culture’s reaction to mental illness. |
|
 Blood
Red Road
by Moira Young
Ages 14–up
Saba (18) has lived her whole
life in Silverlake, a wasteland with constant sandstorms.
Saba and her family scavenge a bleak living from the
nearby landfill. Then four cloaked horsemen arrive
in a sandstorm, killing her father and kidnapping her
twin brother Luke. With only her raven Nero and younger
sister Emmi, Saba sets off on an epic journey to rescue
Luke, eventually joining up with the handsome Jack
and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free
Hawks. This fast paced action romance is the first
in the Dustlands series. |
|
 How
to Save a Life
by Sara Zarr
Ages 12–up
When Jill’s father dies unexpectedly,
she and her mother drift apart, each isolated in her
own grief. When her mother decides to adopt a baby,
Jill (17) thinks the idea is crazy, but Mandy, the
pregnant teen giving up her baby, is thrilled to escape
her abusive family and come live with Jill and her
mother. Narrated from the perspectives of both girls,
this compassionate book examines the meaning of family. |
|
 Dear
Julia
by Amy Bronwen Zemser
Ages 12–up
Two very different high school misfits
become friends in this funny and touching book. Shy Elaine
Hamilton prepares gourmet French meals for her family and writes
secret letters to Julia Child, while Lucida Sans (who renamed
herself after the typeface) seeks attention in any form. |
| |
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