A. Black Rabbit Summer, Kevin Brooks
Thoughtful Pete, tough Pauly, twins Eric and Nicole, strange Raymond: As kids they were tight; now
they've grown up--and apart. They agree to get together one last time, but past hurts and personal
histories soon surface, and the party's over. The group splinters off into the night. Days later, a girl goes
missing. Who is the prime suspect in her disappearance? It’s one of the old gang. Pete doesn't know
what to believe. Could one of his childhood friends really be a cold-blooded killer?
Theme: People can change a lot over time.
B. Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare, Darren Shan
Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy who loves to ride bikes and hang out with his three best
friends. Then one day Darren and his friends stumble across an invitation to visit the Cirque Du Freak, a
strange and mysterious freak show. The boys can only buy two tickets, so they draw straws to see who
will go. Almost as if by destiny, Darren wins one of the tickets, and what follows is his horrifying
descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires.
Theme: An ordinary life can change completely in just a moment.
C. Ghostgirl, Tonya Hurley
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really "is" invisible. Even
worse: she's dead. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her
more creative about achieving her goal.
Theme: For teens, social concerns can be more important than anything.
D. The London Eye Mystery, Siobhan Dowd
Kat and her autistic brother Ted watch their cousin Salim board the London Eye ride. But after half an
hour it lands and everyone troops off — except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could
he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and Kat become sleuthing partners, since the police are having
no luck. Despite Kat’s doubts about her brother’s ability, Ted proves essential in unraveling the mystery
to find their cousin.
Theme: Differences in abilities don’t have to limit people.
E: The Ruins, Scott Smith
Two American couples, newly graduated from college, are enjoying the final week of a Cancun vacation
when they are persuaded by a new friend to accompany him into the jungle to find his brother who has
gone off with an archaeological team in search of ruins, and they do not realize until it is too late that
they are trapped by an unspeakable horror.
Theme: Newcomers in strange environments can face great risks.
F. Unwind, Neal Shusterman
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system
that would "unwind" them.
Theme: Friends can be the key to survival
G. What Happened to Cass McBride, Gail Giles
In this gripping, psychological page-turner, Cass McBride has only a walkie-talkie to save her when she
is buried alive.
Theme: Survival can depend on your critical thinking skills.
H. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
The four visitors at Hill House-- some there for knowledge, others for adventure-- are unaware that the
old mansion will soon choose one of them to make its own.
Theme: Things are not always as they appear.
I. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
A young woman is plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an
inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that
may have kept his awful work alive through the ages.
Theme: You can never bury your past.