Families
YA FIC ADL
Adler, Emily & Alex Echevarria
Sweet 15
Fourteen-year-old Destiny Lozada sees her world turning upside down when her parents force
her to celebrate her 15th birthday with a lavish Puerto Rican-style quinceanera party. Destiny
does not want to disappoint her parents; she is proud of her Latinidad, but she is not sure that
she wants to switch her skateboard for high heels or her jeans for a fancy, uncomfortable dress.
Destiny is growing and changing, but she cannot picture herself attending a religious ceremony or
having a caballero, a court and chambelanes. Will she give up her own dreams to please her
parents? Or will she stand by her sister's side and refuse to be part of the traditional celebration?
YA FIC ALE
Alexander, Jill
The Sweetheart of Prosper County
Fifteen-year-old Austin Gray has not had an easy life. Her father died one rainy Christmas Eve
when his car skidded off a bridge into a lake. Since then Austin's mother has kept her close, not
allowing her to experience life for fear of another tragedy. Dean Ottmer has been Austin's worst
nightmare since fourth grade, tormenting her mercilessly. So when Dean harasses her at the NoJesus Christmas Parade about her flat chest ("Austin, Texas, the no-hill country"), she decides
that now is the time to change her life or spend the rest of it as the butt of his jokes. As she sets
her plan in motion, joining Future Farmers of America and making new friends, she realizes that it
is not friends or popularity that will protect her from Dean, but the confidence to stand up for
herself. Filled with quirky characters, including Charles Dickens, the rooster she decides to raise,
this is a warm, humorous story that touches on bullying and politics in a small town.
YA FIC ALO
Alonzo, Sandra
Riding Invisible
Everyone has to know the truth in case I get killed on the trail. It’ll be My Escape all written and
drawn WHILE IT HAPPENS. Could be a little raw. I’m a little raw. I’m going to lay low, still and
quiet, blend in, harmonize with the world out there. It’s not an easy thing to be, a boy on a
horse...riding invisible. So begins 15-year-old Yancy Aparicio's adventure journal. Tormented and
abused by his older brother Will, Yancy runs away from home on the night that his brother
viciously attacks his horse, Shy. With just a backpack, a flashlight, his horse, and a journal, Yancy
takes to the California desert on a journey of self-discovery. There, he will learn the hardships of
being homeless, experience his first kiss, and meet a Mexican laborer, Tavo, who has a thing or
two to teach him about life and love.
YA FIC ALP
Alpine, Rachele
Canary
Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite
private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on
the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are
perks to being an athlete. But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his
power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her
dad’s vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and
protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The
world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether
to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s
heroes.
YA FIC ALT
Altebrando, Tara Dreamland Social Club
Jane has traveled the world with her father and brother, but it's not until her fractured family-still
silently suffering from the loss of Jane's mother many years before-inherits a house and a history
in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of
friends, a mermaid's secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the
once plain Jane begins to blossom and gains the courage to explore the secrets of her mother's
past.
YA FIC ALV Alvarez, Julia
Finding Miracles
MILLY KAUFMAN IS an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont—until she meets Pablo, a
new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in
Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo’s native country. As their
relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along
the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a
brutal history.
YA FIC AND
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Impossible Knife of Memory
For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never
staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his
return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school.
Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories,
even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his
own.
YA FIC ANT Anthony, Jessica & Rodrigo Canal
Chopsticks
After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a
piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe.
Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her
disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an
artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into
madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks." But nothing is
what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in
photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined,
and what has been madness all along....
YA FIC ARC Arcos, Carrie
Out of Reach
Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells
herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come
home. Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened
when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an
anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger. With nothing more to go on than
hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way,
Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the
possibility that Micah may never come home.
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YA FIC ATK
Atkinson, Elizabeth
I, Emma Freke
I, Emma Freke, am not a freak. Or maybe I am. I just don't know. What's in a name I, Emma
Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emmathe only "normal" member of her quirky
family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who
annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade. Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her
only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year old adopted by the two old ladies
next door. Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at school, so she jumps at
the opportunity to "home school" until that too turns into another of mom's half-baked ideas. The
real crisis comes when she gets an invitation to The Freke Family Reunion, and her fellow Frekes
aren't at all what she expects. While Emma desperately tries to find her niche, she discovers that
perhaps it's better to be her own "freak" than someone else's Freke.
YA FIC AVA
Avasthi, Swati
Split
Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian
with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father's fist), $3.84, and a secret. He tries to move on,
going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can't make him forget
what he left behind--his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is
keeping his secret. At least so far. Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move
forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back.
YA FIC AYA
Ayarbe, Heidi
Compromised
Maya's life has always been chaotic. Living with a con-man dad, she's spent half her life on the
run. Whenever her father's schemes go wrong, Maya finds a scientific way to fix it. But when her
dad ends up in prison and foster care fails, Maya grasps at her last possible hope of a home: a
long-lost aunt, who may not even exist. So Maya formulates a plan, and with her wits, two unlikely
allies, and twenty dollars in her pocket, she sets off in search of this aunt, navigating the
unpredictable four hundred miles from Reno to Boise. Life on the streets, though, becomes a
struggle for survival—those scientific laws Maya has relied on her whole life just don't apply. And
with each passing day, Maya's definitions of right and wrong are turned upside down when she's
confronted with the realities and dangers of life as a runaway. She can't help but wonder if trying
to find her aunt—and some semblance of stability—is worth the harrowing journey or if she
should compromise and find a way to survive on her own.
YA FIC BAJ
Bajaj, Varsha
Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood
What thirteen-year-old Abby wants most is to meet her father. She just never imagined he would
be a huge film star--in Bollywood! Now she's traveling to Mumbai to get to know her famous
father. Abby is overwhelmed by the culture clash, the pressures of being the daughter of India's
most famous celebrity, and the burden of keeping her identity a secret. But as she learns to
navigate her new surroundings, she just might discover where she really belongs.
YA FIC BAR
Midnight
Barkley, Brad & Heather Hepler
Scrambled Eggs at
Calliope (or Cal as she calls herself) wants nothing more than to stay put; to stop traveling crosscountry with her mother, sleeping in a tent, and abandoning all belongings whenever they pull up
stakes. Meanwhile, Eliot misses the happy times he left behind when his father decided to open a
camp for kids looking to lose weight and find Jesus. When Cal and Eliot meet by chance, they
feel an immediate connection. Together they must face their isolation, the threat of yet another
move, and the deepening of Eliot’s father’s obsession. In their case, love just might be everything
it’s cracked up to be.
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YA FIC BAR
Barkley, Brad & Heather Hepler Jars of Glass
The definition of family always included both a mother and a father for teenage sisters Shana and
Chloe. They reminisce about the days when their mom would take them to the beach, telling tales
of underwater kingdoms and sea glass. But their mother was sent to a mental institution, and now
their lives feel less like a fairy tale and more like a nightmare. Chloe won't let herself believe
those stories any more since becoming the cook of the house and primary caretaker of their
adopted brother, Micah. She wishes her mother would come home and that her father would start
acting like their dad again, rather than some distant drunk. Shana, on the other hand, seeks to
escape the broken pieces of their life under black and white makeup and Goth garb. While she
also wishes everything would feel normal again, she knows something that Chloe doesn't, and it's
this secret that she uses to make sure her mother never comes home again. When things get
even worse, the two try to redefine their friendship and their family—but is it too late?
YA FIC BAR
Barson, K.A.
45 Pounds (More or Less)
Here are the numbers of Ann Galardi’s life:
She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her Aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks, and wants Ann to be her bridesmaid.
So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less) in 2 1/2 months. Welcome to
the world of infomercial diet plans, wedding dance lessons, embarrassing run-ins with the cutest
guy Ann’s ever seen—-and some surprises about her NOT-so-perfect mother.
YA FIC BAS
Baskin, Nora Raleigh
Almost Home
After years of being shuffled from town to town and back and forth between her divorced parents,
twelve-year-old Leah, now living permanently with her father and stepmother, finds it difficult to
adjust to her new situation and the circumstances that made it possible.
YA FIC BAS
Baskin, Nora Raleigh
All We Know of Love
Four years, four months, and fifteen days ago, Natalie Gordon's mother walked out mid-sentence,
before she finished what she was going to say. Now Natalie is traveling twenty-four hours on a
bus to Florida to find her mother, to find herself, to find out something about love. Along the way,
Natalie struggles to understand her relationship with Adam, a boy she pines for with nearobsession, and to her surprise, she meets people with stories like her own, stories about giving
love and getting lost in the desire to be wanted. Acclaimed middle-grade novelist Nora Raleigh
Baskin makes her young adult debut with a deeply resonant novel about secrets held and secrets
shared, about having the courage to uncover all we know — and don’t know — of love.
Tween & YA FIC BAS
Mitzvah
Baskin, Nora Raleigh
The Truth About My Bat
Caroline's mom is Jewish, her dad isn't, and Caroline has never really thought of herself as any
religion. But when her nana dies and leaves Caroline a Star of David necklace, Caroline begins to
wonder about her heritage. If she starts going to synagogue, won't that upset her dad? Should
she have a Bat Mitzvah like her best friend, Rachel? Does Caroline want to be Jewish? The more
she thinks about it, the more questions she has.
YA FIC BAU
Bauer, Joan
Rules of the Road
Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores
from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way
Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.
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YA FIC BAU
Bauer, Joan
Best Foot Forward
Jenna, spunky heroine of Bauer's award-winning Rules of the Road, makes a welcome
reappearance in this sequel. Back in Chicago after a road trip driving her tough-minded though
tender-hearted boss, Mrs. Gladstone, down to Texas to help save her shoe company from a
takeover by her sleazy son, Elden, in the previous title, 16-year-old Jenna is now happily working
at Gladstone Shoes while juggling responsibilities at school and at home. She's still wrestling with
her father's alcoholism (she called the police on him for driving drunk) and she attends Al-Alon for
support. Meanwhile, a new challenge comes into her life: Tanner, a "dangerously cute" teenager
whom she encounters when he tries to steal from the shoe store. Instead of prosecuting him, Mrs.
Gladstone hires him—and assigns Jenna to be his mentor. Interestingly, this doesn't become a
romantic relationship (Jenna meanwhile meets the perfect guy: "'He understands retail,' I said
dreamily"), but both of them learn and grow from their work experience, especially when Mrs.
Gladstone's son tries to turn the business into a discount chain and is revealed to be using
sweatshop labor in Thailand.
Tween & YA FIC BAU
Bauer, Joan
Almost Home
When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again,
Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to
discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's
mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a
rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and
good humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she
can control how she responds.
YA FIC BAU
Bauman, Beth Ann
Rosie & Skate
Sisters Rosie, 15, and Skate, 16, have little in common other than hard times. Their widowed,
alcoholic father is in jail. Rosie is quiet and reserved and has faith in her dad. In contrast, Skate is
tough and independent and refuses to visit her father. Rosie falls for Nick, who also has an
alcoholic father. Skate is in high school while her boyfriend, Perry, is at Rutgers and has found
new interests. She refuses to see it and is left heartbroken, but she has Frank, 21, to help her
pick up the pieces.
YA FIC BEA
Beam, Matt
Last December
This coming-of-age story is in the form of a diary written by fifteen-year-old Steven to his unborn
sister Sam. Plagued with the all-too-common situations of a teenager—being new to a school,
girls, trying out for a sports team, drinking, and family issues—Steven chooses to write to the one
person who cannot judge him, at least not yet.
YA FIC BEC
Bechard, Margaret
Hanging on to Max
Seventeen–year–old teen father Sam juggles the care of his eleven–month–old son, Max, and his
desire for both of their futures.
YA FIC BEN
Bennett, Sophia
The Look
Can she be a supermodel and a super-sister? She finds her answer in just one look. Two sisters,
both beautiful in different ways: Fifteen-year-old Ted has got "The Look." That's what the scout
for the modeling agency tells her, and she can't believe her luck. But just as Ted's jet-setting off
on her new career, Ava is diagnosed with cancer. Can Ted be a supermodel and a super-sister?
Or will she have to choose between family and fame? With their worlds turned upside down, the
girls have to look past appearances, look deep inside, to figure out what really matters.
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YA FIC BIC
Bick, Ilsa
Drowning Instinct
There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one
of those stories.) Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairy tale. Her father is a
controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother - until he
shipped off to Iraq. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. There are
stories where the monster gets the girl, and everyone cries for his innocent victim. (This is not
one of those stories either.) Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A
caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism. And there are stories where it's hard to be
sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after.
(These are the most interesting stories of all.)
YA FIC BIN
Binns, B.A.
Pull
After his father kills his mother, seventeen-year-old David struggles to take care of his two sisters-and himself--while dealing with his grief, guilt, and trying to fit in at a tough new school while
hiding his past.
YA FIC BIR Birdsall, Olivia Notes on a Near Life Experience
Fifteen-year-old Mia Day's life changes drastically when her parents separate. Suddenly Mom is
working more and isn't home to cook dinner. Mia's dad has taken up with a sexy Peruvian
woman. Her brother, Allen, is acting out. All is not bad in her life, however. Her brother's friend
Julian, whom Mia has had a crush on since forever, begins to notice her. She's finally old enough
to learn how to drive. Her dad takes her on father-daughter "dates." Finally, Mia's shrink enables
her to break through the logjam of repressed emotions she's had about the divorce and to begin
to grieve her loss.
YA MYS BLA Blacker, Terence
Parent Swap
Danny Bell's problems can be summed up in three simple words: Mum and Dad. His mother has
left home, and his father spends all his time slumped in front of the TV, dreaming of the good old
days when he was a nearly famous rock star. So when Danny hears about ParentSwap™, a
secret London agency that helps kids find the parents they deserve, it doesn't take him long to
contact it. Thanks to ParentSwap™, Danny's life is transformed. It's bye-bye to his misfit, loser
family and hello perfect parents. But why does Danny have a niggling feeling that there is more to
ParentSwap™ than meets the eye? Is it his imagination, or are the strange things that happen to
him being somehow organized, directed - even watched over?
YA FIC BLA
Blagden, Scott
Dear Life, You Suck
“The shrinkadinks think I have a screw loose. Ain’t playing with a full deck. Whacked-out wiring.
Missing marbles.” Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a
Catholic boys’ home in Maine—and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from
professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal
rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket can’t help but wonder if his best option is
one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and
Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesn’t totally suck.
YA FIC BLU Blume, Judy
Tiger Eyes
After Davey's father is killed in a hold-up, she and her mother and younger brother visit relatives
in New Mexico. Here Davey is befriended by a young man who helps her find the strength to
carry on and conquer her fears.
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YA FIC BOC
Bock, Caroline
Before My Eyes
Claire has spent the last few months taking care of her six-year-old sister, Izzy, as their mother
lies in a hospital bed. Claire believes she has everything under control until she meets a guy
online who appears to be a kindred spirit. Claire is initially flattered by the attention but when she
meets Max, the shy state senator’s son, her feelings become complicated. Working alongside
Max at a beachfront food stand is Barkley. Lonely and obsessive, Barkley has been hearing a
voice in his head.
YA FIC BOO
Booth, Coe
Kendra
Kendra's mom, Renee, had her when she was only 14 years old. Renee and her mom made a
deal -- Renee could get an education, and Kendra would live with her grandmother. But now
Renee's out of grad school and Kendra's in high school ... and getting into some trouble herself.
Kendra's grandmother lays down the law: It's time for Renee to take care of her daughter. Kendra
wants this badly -- even though Renee keeps disappointing her. Being a mother isn't easy, but
being a daughter can be just as hard. Now it's up to Kendra and Renee to make it work.
YA FIC BOO
Booth, Coe
Bronxwood
Tyrell's father is just out of jail, and Tyrell doesn't know how to deal with that. It's bad enough that
his brother Troy is in foster care and that his mother is no help whatsoever. Now there's another
thing up in his face, just when he's trying to settle down. Tyrell's father has plans of his own, and
doesn't seem to care whether or not Tyrell wants to go along with them. Tyrell can see the crash
that's coming -- with his dad, with the rest of his family, with the girls he's seeing -- but he's not
sure he can stop it. Or if he even wants to.
YA FIC BOW
Bowers, Laura
Equipped, Inquire Within
Beauty Shop for Rent…Fully
Abbey Garner is used to killing time by reading questions from the snarky tabloids in Granny
Po's struggling beauty shop. It's not like there are a lot of customers to help, anyway. Mostly just
the feisty Gray Widows, who are there to primp, polish, and perm...and, of course, gossip. Abbey
is there to work--to get a head start on the million dollars she intends to earn by the time she's
thirty-five. She doesn't have much time for boyfriends, parties, or hanging out with friends. But
with the arrival of a trendy young woman who rents the beauty parlor and turns it into a modernday spa, at least Abbey has a chance to make some real money. Then all of this fades into the
background when Abbey's mother, who abandoned her on Granny Po's doorstep four years ago,
suddenly shows up with a wild scheme of her own.
YA FIC BOW Bowsher, Melodie My Lost and Found Life
Ashley Mitchell thinks she has the perfect life: popularity, a hot boyfriend, and great fashion
sense. But Ashley's world falls apart when her mother is accused of embezzling a million dollars,
and no one can find her. Before she can say Dolce & Gabbana, Ashley's life goes from perfect to
pathetic. With questions growing about her mother and her money quickly disappearing, Ashley is
forced to make some drastic changes in her life. With nowhere else to go, she moves into an old
camper behind a gas station and takes a job in a quirky San Francisco coffee shop where she
wouldn't have been caught dead a month ago. But life at Mad Malcolm's Cyber Café isn't what
she expected. At the Madhouse she finds friends, confidence, and courage to start putting her life
back together. But will Ashley ever have the chance to share her new life with her mother?
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YA FIC BOY
Boyd, Maria
Will
THE CRIME It all started when Will mooned the girls' school bus. It wasn't his finest moment. And
it's the last time William Armstrong will sully the St. Andrew's community, says Principal
Waddlehead-er, Waverton.
THE PUNISHMENT That's when a teacher worried about Will's home situation comes up with an
idea. Why not let Will, a talented guitarist, give back to the school in a progressive manner? Why
not have him play in . . . THE SCHOOL MUSICAL?
THE MUSICAL Now Will is stuck in the school production of The Boy Friend. He's a
laughingstock, and he has to give up his weekends for a show set at a girls' finishing school.
THE PLAYERS There's the trombone-playing seventh grader who proclaims himself Will's best
friend and refuses to leave his side. Then there's the undeniably attractive leading lady. Although
she might be in love with her costar, the new football hero (and dazzling singer!).
Sharp-witted, funny, and poignant all at once, this is the story of a boy going through a difficult
time who, in a most unlikely way, discovers the person he truly wants to be.
FIC & YA FIC BRA
Jacob Green
Braff, Joshua
The Unthinkable Thoughts of
Pity Jacob Green: He worships his rebellious artist older brother, Asher. He lusts in his heart (and
loins) for his shiksa goddess nanny, Megan. And he stews in a volatile marinade of fear,
adoration, and resentment of his alternately loving and tyrannical father, Abram, whose constant
demands for perfection in all matters-from personal appearance to the crafting of thank-you notes
for Bar Mitzvah presents-cause his family to implode. Each episode of Jacob's mortifyingly funny
struggles to find the correct responses to Abram's commands, while following his own internal
compass, explodes with hilarity even as it brings a lump to the throat.
Tween & YA FIC BRA
Brahmachari, Sita
Mira in the Present Tense
Twelve-year-old Mira comes from a chaotic, artistic, and outspoken family in which it's not always
easy to be heard. As her beloved Nana Josie's health declines, Mira begins to discover the
secrets of those around her and also starts to keep some of her own. She is drawn to mysterious
Jide, a boy who is clearly hiding a troubled past. As Mira is experiencing grief for the first time,
she is also discovering the wondrous and often mystical world around her.
YA FIC BRE
Brenna, Beverly Waiting for No One
Taylor Jane Simon is an eighteen-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome who has a refreshingly
different view of the people she encounters and the life she wants to have. Young adult readers
will identify with Taylor’s struggle for independence and self-control, and empathize as she
outlines the ways—both positive and negative— that her Asperger’s Syndrome affects her daily
life. Connecting with a play by Samuel Beckett, Taylor explores a fear of solitary existence while
reaching out to a world at times perplexing. Most important, Taylor wants to be seen as an
individual, not as a stereotypical “person with special needs,” or a rare wild flower—images that
haunt her from the past.
YA FIC BRO Brody, Jessica 52 Reasons To Hate My Father
Lexington Larrabee has never had to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the
multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then
again, they’re not supposed to crash brand-new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores
on Sunset Boulevard either. Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon
father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next
year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved
trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food
restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college
intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.
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YA FIC BRO
Brown, Jason Robert & Dan Elish 13
13 Things to Know About 13
1. This book is about a guy named Evan.
2. Three months before his 13th birthday, he has to move from New York City
3. to Appleton, Indiana,
4. where nobody knows him.
5. He's not very happy about it.
6. His mom is kind of nuts.
7. His dad is kind of nuts too.
8. Evan's not nuts, but he keeps ending up in nutty situations.
9. One of them involves a movie called The Bloodmaster.
10. Another involves a girl named Patrice.
11. But the nuttiest situation of all is his bar mitzvah—
12. which it's possible no one will come to.
13. Unless Evan can make some new friends really fast.
YA FIC BRO Brown, Jennifer Perfect Escape
Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to
live a life of carefully coordinated routines. To Kendra, the only way she can stand out next to
Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art — until a cheating scandal
threatens her flawless reputation. Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her,
Kendra decides to drive away from it all — with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure
everything out. But even in the midst of the road trip's flat tires, gas-station food stops, and
detours to quirky roadside attractions, eventually Kendra must stop running and come to terms
with herself, her brother, and her past.
YA FIC BRY
Bryant, Jen
Pieces of Georgia
At Risk. Thirteen-year-old Georgia McCoy's name is on the list. She is not a good student, she
has only one friend, and she spends a lot of time in the nurse's office. This week, Mrs. Yocum,
the school counselor, hands Georgia a diary, promising her that if she writes down thoughts and
feelings a few times each week, Georgia will be excused from coming to Guidance for a while.
Then Mrs. Yocum asks, "Do you miss your mother? Georgia's voice comes alive as she fills the
diary with letters to her deceased mother. Although her loneliness is palpable, her perception of
the world around her is crystal clear. An inquisitive and sensitive young artist, Georgia
understands the pain and emptiness that her father feels, but still longs for the family they once
were. An anonymous gift, free membership to the Brandywine River Museum, unexpectedly
changes and expands Georgia's life. This quiet, moving tale chronicles a young girl's emotional
journey through tough times.
YA FIC BUD Budhos, Marina
Tell Us We’re Home
Jaya, Maria, and Lola are just like the other eighth-grade girls in the wealthy suburb of
Meadowbrook, New Jersey. They want to go to the spring dance, they love spending time with
their best friends after school, sharing frappÉs and complaining about the other kids. But there’s
one big difference: all three are daughters of maids and nannies. And they go to school with the
very same kids whose families their mothers work for. That difference grows even bigger—and
more painful—when Jaya’s mother is accused of theft and Jaya’s small, fragile world collapses.
When tensions about immigrants start to erupt, fracturing this perfect, serene suburb, all three
girls are tested, as outsiders—and as friends. Each of them must learn to find a place for
themselves in a town that barely notices they exist.
9
YA FIC BUR
Burgess, Melvin
The Hit
Take it. Live it. F*** it. A new drug is out. Everyone is talking about it. The Hit. Take it, and you
have one amazing week to live. It's the ultimate high. At the ultimate price. Adam is tempted. Life
is rubbish, his girlfriend's over him, his brother's gone. So what's he got to lose? Everything, as it
turns out. It's up to his girlfriend, Lizzie, to show him...
YA FIC CAL Caletti, Deb
The Secret Life of Prince Charming
Love is not all that it is cracked up to be. That is the message that Quinn Hunt is hearing all
around her. The women in her life have had their hearts broken and are not afraid to share how
they were hurt. After her once-absent father comes back into her life, Quinn realizes the
destructive path that he left behind with his love-‘em-and-leave-‘em routine. She and her younger
sister Sprout join together with a half sister they have never met in a quest to reconcile their
father's wrongdoings. Along the journey, Quinn learns recurrent themes about love—how it can
be one-sided, selfish, damaging, and dangerous—but she also discovers that there can be hope
in love, and that maybe, just maybe, true love can exist after all.
YA FIC CAL
Caletti, Deb
The Story of Us
Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to
sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two
previous fiancees, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding
attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet,
sexy son—Ash—complications arise: Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy
about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa
chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the
dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war. While
Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also
alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is
right in front of her....
YA FIC CAL
Caletti, Deb
The Six Rules of Maybe
Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are
practically strangers, and then there are the ones no one else even notices. Trying to fix their
lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her own needs to the side is part of the deal.
So when her older sister comes home unexpectedly married and pregnant, Scarlet has a new
person to worry about. But all of her good intentions are shattered when the unthinkable happens:
She falls for her sister’s husband. For the first time in a long time, Scarlet’s not fixing a problem,
she’s at the center of one. And ignoring her feelings doesn’t seem to be an option. . . .
YA FIC CAL
Caletti, Deb
Stay
Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever
experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too
late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is--and what he’s willing to do to make her
stay.Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where
she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that
easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....
YA FIC CAL
Caletti, Deb
Queen of Everything
In the San Juan Islands in Washington State, high school junior Jordan MacKenzie learns about
different kinds of love as her divorced father's troubling affair with a married woman ends in
tragedy, and she tries to fit into her hippie mother's new family while halfheartedly dating the
popular boy at school.
10
YA FIC CAL
Calloway, Cassidy
Confessions of a First Daughter
Morgan is so over being first daughter.
Morgan Abbott has no social life and no privacy, and her one major talent is screwing things up.
Unfortunately for Morgan, every mistake makes front page headlines—because her mom is the
president of the United States. To top it all off, she's been assigned a brainiac secret service
agent who's barely older than she is and won't let her out of his sight (never mind that he's kind of
cute). Torture! But when her mom has to slip away on secret business and needs a decoy to
cover for her, Morgan is the only one who can help. With a bit of makeup, a little ingenuity, and a
lot of family resemblance, Morgan soon has everyone calling her “Madam President.” Can she
pull it off? Or will she mess everything up . . . again?
YA FIC CAM
Cameron, Peter Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
James Sveck does not like the idea of starting at Brown in the fall, and he especially does not like
the idea of interacting with people his own age. While he works for his mother at her art gallery
the summer between his senior year of high school and first year of college, he looks at old
houses for sale in the Midwest in hopes of abandoning the whole college idea his parents are so
set upon. James yearns for a simple life where he can just skip over the painful social agony of
dealing with (even just talking to) people he does not want to deal with (which is almost
everyone).
YA FIC CAR Carter, Caela Me, Him, Them & It
ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who's been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her
cold, distant parents. HIM is Todd, Evelyn's secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just
using for sex - until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell
Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT. IT is a fetus. Evelyn is
pregnant - and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a
cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted
girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?
YA FIC CAS
Casanova, Mary
Frozen
Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets
Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange
circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie
Rose doesn’t know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother—and the
conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a
corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her
silence is both a prison and a sanctuary. One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded,
scandalous photographs—pictures, she realizes, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling
memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life’s great
mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel—did
she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering
in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?
YA FIC CAS
Castellucci, Cecil
Beige
Now that she’s exiled from Canada to sunny Los Angeles, Katy figures she’ll bury her nose in a
book and ignore the fact that she’s spending two weeks with her father — punk name: the Rat —
a recovered addict and drummer for the famously infamous band Suck. Even though Katy doesn’t
want to be there, even though she feels abandoned by her mom, even though the Rat’s place is a
mess and he’s not like anything she’d call a father, Katy won’t make a fuss. After all, she is a nice
girl, a girl who is quiet and polite, a girl who smiles, a girl who is, well, beige. Or is she?
11
YA FIC CAS Castle, Jennifer
The Beginning of After
Sixteen-year-old Laurel's world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a
terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman,
whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in
which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity,
overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive.
Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel's life and to whom she finds herself
attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss--a
connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.
YA FIC CHA
Chambers, Aidan
Postcards from No Man's Land
Jacob’s visit to the seductive city of Amsterdam reveals family secrets and new ideas about
sexuality and death, as he learns of a passionate love story from his family’s past and perhaps
begins to create one of his own.
YA FIC CHA
Chandler, Kristen
Girls Don’t Fly
Myra is used to keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She's got four younger brothers,
overworked parents, and a pregnant older sister, and if Myra wasn't there to take care of
everyone, they'd probably fall apart. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, Myra
feels like she's lost her footing. Suddenly she's doing things she never would've a few months
earlier: quitting her job, applying for a scholarship to study birds in the Galapogos, and falling for
a guy who's encouraging her to leap from her old life . . . and fly.
YA FIC CHA
Chappell, Crissa-Jean
Total Constant Order
Fin can't stop counting. She's always heard a voice inside her head, ordering her to listen, but
ever since she's moved to the Sunshine State and her parents split up, numbers thump like a
metronome, rhythmically keeping things in control. When a new doctor introduces terms such as
"clinical depression" and "OCD" and offers a prescription for medication, the chemical effects
make Fin feel even more messed up. Until she meets Thayer, a doodling, rule-bending skater
who buzzes to his own beat—and who might just understand Fin's hunger to belong, and her
struggle for total constant order.
Tween & YA FIC CHO Choldenko, Gennifer
Homework
Al Capone Does My
Alcatraz Island in the 1930s isn't the most normal place to grow up, but it's home for Moose
Flanagan, his autistic sister, Natalie, and all the families of the guards. When Moose's dad gets
promoted to Associate Warden, despite being an unlikely candidate, it's a big deal. But the cons
have a point system for targeting prison employees, and his dad is now in serious danger. After a
fire starts in the Flanagan's apartment, Natalie is blamed, and Moose bands with the other kids to
track down the possible arsonist. Then Moose gets a cryptic note from the notorious Al Capone
himself. Is Capone trying to protect Moose's dad too? If Moose can't figure out what Capone's
note means, it may be too late.
12
YA FIC CHO
Chow, Cara
Bitter Melon
Frances has one job in life: to get into Berkeley and become a doctor so that her mother’s
ambitions will be realized. And Frances doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that, until the
day she accidentally steps into a speech class and begins to discover a talent her mother
wouldn’t approve of. Frances turns out to be a natural at debate and public speaking. But to win
in competition, she needs to say things she really believes — and to hide what she’s doing from
her mother. And once Frances steps out beyond her narrowly prescribed life, she begins to
question many things about the way she is raised. Why can’t she go to a dance with a boy who
likes her? Why can’t Frances get a job, or have any money of her own? And most of all, why is
her mother never happy with her? Frances knows she should be obedient, and that her mother
has sacrificed everything so she can succeed. But when it’s time to take the biggest step of her
life, will Frances have the courage to defy her mother?
YA FIC CLA
Clarke, Judith
One Whole and Perfect Day
Freakish, thought Lily. That was the word for her family. Not freaks exactly, but getting there.
Sometimes Lily wishes she weren't so sensible. If she were less reliable, then perhaps she'd
have more fun. As it is, her hardworking but flaky mom and her dreamy older brother count on her
to run the house. She wishes things could be different, but how can she change her responsible
ways? Perhaps, she thinks, she should fall in love! Meanwhile, her scheming grandmother is
planning a family party and, as is typical, Lily worries. Her fears are not entirely unfounded. Her
grandfather has recently disowned her brother, and her brother has a new girlfriend who might
not fit in. Her mother will probably bring the loony Mrs. Nightingale from the adult day care center
where she works. And these are only the predictable complications. Lily is beginning to
understand how easily unimaginable things can happen, too. Back to the question of love, what is
this new feeling Lily experiences when Daniel Steadman is near? Could it be the cure?
YA FIC CLE
Cleary, Beverly
Sister of the Bride
Barbara can hardly believe her older sister is getting married. With all the excitement of wedding
plans going on, Barbara can't help dreaming of the day she will be the bride. She can't wait to fall
in love. But as the big day gets closer, wedding planning often turns into family arguments. Even
the bride and groom are bickering over details, and Barbara's fun-loving sister is turning into a
very practical, grown-up person. Weddings are fun, but all this serious stuff is scary enough to
make Barbara think she's not going to be rushing into a serious romance any time soon.
YA FIC COC
Stay
Cockrell, Amanda
What We Keep is Not Always What Will
Angie never used to think much about God—until things started getting strange. Like the statue of
St. Felix, her secret confidant, suddenly coming off his pedestal and talking to her. And Jesse
Francis, sent home from Afghanistan at age nineteen with his leg blown off. Now he's expected to
finish high school and fit right back in. Is God even paying attention to this? Against the advice of
St. Felix (who knows a thing or two about war), Angie falls for Jesse—who's a lot deeper than
most high school guys. But Jesse is battling some major demons. As his behavior starts to
become unpredictable, and even dangerous, Angie finds herself losing control of the situation.
And she's starting to wonder . . . can one person ever make things right for someone else?
YA FIC COH
Cohn, Rachel
Gingerbread
When sixteen–year–old Cyd Charisse is sent to New York to stay with her biological dad she gets
to know not only her older brother and the sister who calls her “Daddy’s little indiscretion” but also
herself.
13
YA FIC COH Cohn, Rachel
Shrimp
It is the start of her senior year, and Cyd Charisse is looking forward to two things: her future
without school and her future with her true love, Shrimp. Sure, he broke up with Cyd right before
her summertime trip to visit her dad in New York City, but that doesn't mean they are over and
through. No, now that she is back in San Francisco, the determined teen plans on their getting
back together—and when Cyd has her mind set on something, watch out! Of course, Cyd's life is
also complicated by her family, including her sister's doll napping of sweet Gingerbread, her
mother's expectations about her college future, her stepfather's disappointment about her earlier
abortion, and her beloved half-brother's unexpected breakup with his "true love" boyfriend. Fans
of Rachel Cohn's first Cyd Charisse work, Gingerbread, are sure to applaud the return of their
heroine.
YA FIC COH
Cohn, Rachel
Cupcake
This is the third novel in a trilogy about Cyd Charisse, a former bad girl, now good (sort of), in
love with Shrimp, and finally graduated from high school and living on her own (sort of) in New
York. She has just turned down Shrimp's marriage proposal and they have gone in opposite
directions to seek their destinies. The trouble is, CC (as she prefers to be called) is not sure what
that destiny entails. She knows she doesn't want to go to college and she knows she misses
Shrimp. She also manages to break her leg on her first day of freedom and is confined to her
apartment for six weeks. All this baggage, however, does not stop her from having new
adventures in New York, making new friends, incorporating herself into her new family, and trying
to find a new love. Just as her new life seems under control, Shrimp reappears, making her
question her destiny, her sense of selfhood, and what sorts of sacrifices loving another person
calls for.
YA FIC COO
Cook, Trish & Brendan Halpin A Really Awesome Mess
Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising
position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky
mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock
bottom. Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and
sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely
doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens
the boy who started it all on Facebook. Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform
school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for
authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken,
stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.
YA FIC COO
Cooney, Caroline
If the Witness Lied
Jack Fountain knows that what’s happened to his family sounds like the most horrible soap opera
anyone could ever write. But it happened—to Jack; his parents; his sisters, Smithy and Madison.
And to his baby brother, Tris. What made it worse was that the media wanted to know every
detail. Now it’s almost Tris’s third birthday, and everything’s starting again. Aunt Cheryl, who’s
living with the Fountain children now that their parents are gone, has decided that they will heal
only if they work through their pain—on camera. The very identities they’ve created for
themselves are called into question. In less than twenty-four hours their fate will change yet
again, but this time they vow to not be exploited and to discover the truth.
14
YA FIC COO
Cook, Trish & Brendan Halpin
Notes From the Blender
Declan loves death metal--particularly from Finland. And video games--violent ones. And
internet porn--any kind, really. He goes to school with Neilly Foster and spends most of his
classroom time wondering what it might be like to know her, to talk to her, maybe even to graze
against her sweater in the hallway. Neilly is an accomplished gymnast, naturally beautiful, and a
constant presence at all the best parties (to which Declan is never invited). She's the queen of
cool, the princess of poker face, and her rule is uncontested-- or it was until today, when she's
dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her former BFF Lulu, and then informed she's getting a
new brother--of the freaky fellow classmate variety. Declan's dad is marrying Neilly's mom.
Soon. Which means they'll be moving in together.
J & YA FIC COU
Couloumbis, Audrey
Love Me Tender
Elvira’s family has never been the warm, fuzzy type. Most of the time, Elvira can’t stand the sight
of her little sister, Kerrie. Elvira and her mother, Mel, fight more often than not. Mel hasn’t spoken
to her own family in years. And when Mel announces she’s pregnant again, Elvira’s daddy storms
off to Las Vegas to enter an Elvis impersonator competition. But when an urgent phone call sends
Elivra, Mel, and Kerrie on an unexpected trip to visit Mel’s family, Elvira discovers that love
doesn’t always look like it does in television commercials–it can be as simple as a bucket of
blueberries, an attic full of memories, or a song. But it’s there all right. You just have to know how
to look for it.
YA FIC CRU
Crutcher, Chris
Ironman
Bo Brewster has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember. Following angry
outbursts at his football coach and English teacher that have cost him his spot on the football
team and moved him dangerously close to expulsion from school, he turns to the only adult he
believes will listen: Larry King. In his letters to Larry, Bo describes his quest for excellence on his
own terms. No more coaches for me, he tells the talk show icon, no more dads. I'm going to be a
triathlete, an Ironman. Relegated to Mr. Nak's before-school Anger Management group (which he
initially believes to be populated with future serial killers and freeway snipers), Bo meets a hardedged, down-on-their-luck pack of survivors with stainless steel shields against the world that Bo
comes to see are not so different from his own. It is here he meets and falls in love with Shelly, a
future American Gladiator, whose passion for physical challenge more than matches his.
Ironman is a funny, sometimes heartbreaking, story about growing up in the heart of struggle. It is
about standing up, getting knocked down, and standing up again. It is about being heard - and
learning to listen.
YA FIC CUM
Cumyn, Alan
Tilt
Stan is an intense sixteen-year-old loner who desperately wants to make the junior varsity
basketball team. And it seems that he may be about to do so, until he’s blindsided by the
unexpected attentions of Janine Igwash. Suddenly Stan is no longer thinking about jump shots.
Instead he is obsessed with Janine’s spiky hair, her milky white shoulders and the mysterious
little tattoo at the base of her neck, not to mention the heat of her breath, her dark eyes, wide hips
and . . . Sometimes Stan’s imagination runs so wild he wonders whether he might be going crazy.
That would be par for the course given his home life. His mother is dating the feckless Gary, and
his little sister, designated gifted but a holy terror, is acting out. Then Stan’s father arrives on the
scene with Stan’s four-year-old half brother, and things become truly insane.
15
YA FIC DAL
Dale, Katie
Someone Else’s Life
When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified
by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself.
Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the
disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was
swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die. Devastated, Rosie decides to trace
her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in
California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply
buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the
most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.
YA FIC DAS Daswani, Kavita
Lovetorn
Can you find love when you think you already have it? Shalini is new to L.A. Not new like from
New York City new—or even Kansas new. New like from India new. And in the U.S., she has it all
wrong: the way she dresses, the way she talks, the way she wears her hair. And then there is the
ring, which makes her way different from everyone else—because Shalini has been engaged
since she was three to Vikram, back in India. Shalini’s life has been turned upside down. She
doesn’t fit in, her mom is depressed, and email is no substitute for being with Vikram. But when
she meets Toby at school, Shalini’s heart gets turned upside down, too. Just looking at Toby
makes her stomach flutter. She thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this.
In Lovetorn, Shalini discovers that your heart ultimately makes its own choices, even when it
seems as if your destiny has already been chosen.
YA FIC DAV Davis, Tanita Happy Families
Teenage twins Ysabel and Justin Nicholas are lucky. Ysabel's jewelry designs have already
caught the eyes of the art world and Justin's intelligence and drive are sure to gain him entrance
into the most prestigious of colleges. They even like their parents. But their father has a secret—
one that threatens to destroy the twins' happy family and life as they know it. Over the course of
spring break, Ysabel and Justin will be forced to come to terms with their dad's new life, but can
they overcome their fears to piece together their happy family again?
YA FIC DEE
Dee, Barbara
Just Another Day In My Insanely Real Life
Lady Catrain must defend Queen Alynna from the evil Lord Valdyk. This does not sound insanely
real, does it? In fact, it is the journal writing of feisty 12-year-old Cassie, who finds solace in
writing fantasy that parallels her personal experiences. Her single mom works long hours to
support the family; Miranda, 15, is often irresponsible and sometimes angry. Cassie takes a lot of
responsibility at home, particularly regarding six-year-old Jackson, who is in need of attention.
The bane of Cassie's life is her sarcastic English teacher. She mistakenly comes to believe that
her teacher only counts the number of pages in their journals, ignoring the contents, and begins
writing a series of very funny and definitely hostile journal entries musing on such deep topics as
rubber bands and converting fractions into percents. After her best friends drop her due to the
lessening of her family's social status, Cassie reluctantly befriends overweight outcast Bess, who
shares her love of fantasy fiction.
16
YA FIC DEK DeKeyser, Stacy Jump the Cracks
After her parents' divorce, fifteen-year-old Victoria does not have much faith in adults. On the
train to visit her father in New York, she sits near a young mother and her toddler son. Victoria is
bothered by what she witnesses. The mother is rude and rough with the boy, who appears
bruised and unwashed. When the train pulls into Penn Station, the mother disembarks, leaving
her son in the train's bathroom. Victoria watches the young woman argue, apparently about
money, with a large man. Without thinking about what she is doing, Victoria rescues the child
from his hideaway and stays on the train with him as it leaves the station. Victoria thinks that she
is helping an abandoned and abused child, but she rapidly sinks deeper into a complicated
situation. Now on the run, she is unsure what to do next but certain that she cannot let the child
return to his parents. Even when Victoria learns she is wanted on kidnapping charges, her
dedication to saving this child never wavers. Although her parents and the police entreat her to
return, Victoria does not trust that they will protect the child.
YA FIC DER
Deriso, Christine Hurley
….Then I Met My Sister
It's not exactly easy living in a shrine to your dead sister. Since birth, I've known that everyone
loved Shannon. She was perfect—beautiful, smart, talented. And me? Not so much. My parents
always expected me to live up to her greatness. But I could never measure up to her, so why
even try? This summer, I've started reading the journal Shannon kept just before she died . . .
and suddenly nothing is what I thought it was. The more secrets I learn about Shannon and our
family, the more everything changes. And as it turns out, facing the truth is no cakewalk, either.
YA FIC DES
Dessen, Sarah
The Truth About Forever
The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library and wait for her brainy
boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she
makes new friends and finally faces her grief.
YA FIC DES Dessen, Sarah Along for the Ride
Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a
summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places
to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her
nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree
teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend.
YA FIC DES Dessen, Sarah Lock & Key
“Ruby, where is your mother?” Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she’s
been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably
never return. That’s how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn’t seen in ten years, and
Cora’s husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he
founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a
new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it’s a dream come true. So why is Ruby such
a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some
secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?
17
YA FIC DES
Dessen, Sarah
Dreamland
Caitlin always had been number two. Her older sister, Cassandra, bound for Yale, was the one
with the friends and the plethora of activities that kept her sparkling in the limelight. On Caitlin's
sixteenth birthday, however, Cassandra abandons her golden path and runs off to New York.
Caitlin is left alone with the enormity of her parents' disappointment as well as with her own
inexpressible grief. Encouraged by her only friend, Rina, Caitlin tries out for the cheerleading
squad and to her dismay, makes it. She despises the shallow displays of school spirit and the
social pressure to date an unappealing football star. When dark, handsome Rogerson Briscoe
mysteriously appears at a football party, beckoning her to leave, she follows him away from the
safety of her assumed roles, into a romance both thrilling and horrifying. As Caitlin's relationship
with Rogerson becomes increasingly dangerous, she begins to fade from her own life, her
torment invisible to those who love her most.
YA FIC DES
Dessen, Sarah
That Summer
For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is
getting remarried, and her sister; the always perfect Ashley, is planning a wedding of her own.
Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's
reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to
grips with the future.
YA FIC DES
Dessen, Sarah
Keeping the Moon
Fifteen-year-old Colie is spending the summer with her eccentric Aunt Mira while her mother
travels. Formerly chubby and still insecure, Colie has built a shell around herself. But her summer
with her aunt, her aunt's tenant Norman, and her friends at the Last Chance Diner; teaches her
some important lessons about friendship and learning to love yourself.
SR Section & YA FIC DES
Dessen, Sarah
What Happened to Goodbye
Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the
move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean
has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance
to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean
discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the
guy next door, can help her find out.
Tween & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bindi Babes
Amber, Geena, and Jazz have it all. The three tremendously popular Indian-British sisters are
beautiful, brainy, and blessed with a closet full of cool designer labels, thanks to an indulgent,
workaholic dad. Privately, the girls grieve their recently deceased mother and refuse to talk about
her, instead diving into shopping and their envied reputation as the school's best and brightest.
Until, that is, an interfering aunt from India comes to take over the household. Auntie sticks her
nose into every part of the girl's lives, so they conspire to get rid of her the Indian way: by
marrying her off. But how far are the polite girls willing to go, and will Auntie beat them at every
turn?
Tween & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bollywood Babes
Those fiesty Bindi Babes are back – and someone tougher than their auntie has moved in too!
Geena, Amber and Jazz throw a Bollywood party to raise funds for their school. They plan to
deliver a real Bollywood actress for a live performance but their star turns out to more of a handful
than they ever expected!
18
J & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bhangra Babes
Amber, Jazz and Geena have finally secured auntie's engagement to the gorgeous Mr Arora.
Now the girls are now vying for the attention of the gorgeous new guy at school, Rocky, who has
his own recording studio. Amber thinks she's bound to capture his heart when she invites him to
DJ at Auntie's wedding, but when the girls go to hear Rocky sing, Amber realizes she's made a
big mistake. It's going to be a huge headache to work this one out, but if they don't, every guest at
the wedding will have a worse one! Fortunately, a great idea comes from an unexpected source,
and the girls bounce back again.
YA FIC DOG
Dogar, Sharon
Waves
When Hal's family makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave Charley, their comatose
daughter, behind in a hospital ward while they spend the summer on the west coast of England,
Hal finds it harder than ever to shake his sister's presence. What power is letting him share her
memories? And will they reveal the deep, dark truth behind her tragic "accident"? Set at a beach
where growing up goes wrong, WAVES is a coming-of-age story about first love and first loss;
about a family drowning in sorrow, and the remarkable son who is struggling against the tide to
save them.
YA FIC DOL Doller, Trish
Something Like Normal
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s
stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not
until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life
actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his
way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life
that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor,
make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.
YA FIC DOL
Doller, Trish
Where the Stars Still Shine
Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten
years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home,
never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her
dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally
arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her
life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to
be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an
improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.
YA FIC DOR
Dorfman, Joaquin
Playing it Cool
"I always know what I'm doing."
So says 18-year-old Sebastian Montero, who is famous around town as a problem solver of the
subtlest kind. Want a date with the girl of your dreams? Bastian can make it happen. Have a
friend threatening suicide? Baz can talk him off the ledge. But as popular as Sebastian is, no one
really knows him. Thanks to his intricate network of favors and debts Sebastian controls the
world, manipulates it, and hides from it. It isn't until his best friend asks him to track down his
long-missing father that Sebastian is forced to face the most challenging problem of all, the
solution to which will change his life forever.
19
YA FIC DOO
Dooley, Sarah
Body of Water
Twelve-year-old Ember’s trailer home has been burned in a fire set most likely by her best friend,
a boy whose father believes Ember’s family are witches. Yes, Ember’s mom reads Tarot cards as
a business. Ember’s friend set the fire to warn the family before his dad did something worse to
them. The friend never intended to do so much damage. Now the family is homeless, and living
in a campground. They have no money. Ember’s beloved dog is missing. School is going to start,
and Ember and her sister have no clean clothes, no notebooks. The only place Ember feels at
peace is floating in the middle of the lake at the campground. She has to make a fresh start. Can
she?
YA FIC DOW
Downham, Jenny
You Against Me
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge.
If your brother's accused of a terrible crime but says he didn't do it, you defend him. When
Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is
charged with the offense, her world begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds
collide. This is a brave and unflinching novel from the bestselling author of Before I Die. It's a
book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all, it's a book about love.
YA FIC DRE
Dreyer, Ellen
Glow Stone
Fifteen-year-old Phoebe's college-age uncle, with whom she shared a passion for rock collecting,
has died of supposed pneumonia, and her depressed mother has stopped painting. Shortly
before the unveiling of Bradford's tombstone one year later, Phoebe finds her mother's old diary,
which details Mom's suicide attempt as a teenager, and she begins to suspect that her uncle's
death was not accidental. During a caving trip with her Aunt Erica, Phoebe hears a voice calling
to her and gets lost. Frightened and hurt, she is amazed when Bradford (hallucination? ghost?)
appears and not only asks for her forgiveness, but also helps her to survive. Once she's rescued,
Phoebe has the courage to talk to her family about the depression that seems to affect many of
them and makes peace with her uncle's death.
YA FIC EHR
Ehrenhaft, Daniel
The After Life
Nineteen-year-old Will lives with his mother, an art gallery owner, in New York City. His millionaire
father abandoned Will's mother years ago, and he recently lost his favorite uncle to suicide. Will
eases his sorrow by self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Although he knows where his father
lives and that he has a stepbrother and stepsister, he has never met them. One day, fueled by
alcohol, he calls his stepsister, Liz, who invites him to a party at her family's apartment. Will finally
meets his father, who turns out to be a self-involved drug user. The morning after the party, Will
learns that his father suddenly has died. Will attends the funeral in Florida, where he learns that
his father's will has an unusual bequest. Will stands to inherit two million dollars of his father's
estate if he drives his father's beat-up Volvo from Florida to New York. The problem? Will does
not drive. His stepbrother Kyle offers to drive them all back to New York, and the journey proves
to be full of surprises for the three reluctant siblings.
20
YA FIC EHR
Ehrenhaft, Daniel
Friend is Not a Verb
You know things are bad when your dreams come with a washed-up '80s soundtrack
Henry "Hen" Birnbaum's sister, Sarah, missing for over a year, has come home unexpectedly,
with no explanation at all. But he can't leave well enough alone; Hen needs to figure out why she
disappeared, even if she won't tell him. It's not like he has anything better to do. His girlfriend just
dumped him and kicked him out of their band. He can't play the bass worth crap anyway. His
social life consists of night after night of VH1 marathons with his best friend and next-door
neighbor, the neurotic Emma Wood. Hen's sure the answers to Sarah's lost year lie with Gabriel
Stern—Sarah's friend from college who also happens to be a twenty-two-year-old fugitive from
the law and Hen's bass teacher . . . too bad he can't play bass worth crap either. A month into his
quest, Hen has had countless consultations with Emma, watched approximately fifty-three reruns
of Behind the Music, and made one new Facebook friend. Unfortunately, he's no closer to any
revelations about his sister. The thing is, he's too distracted to notice it, but while Hen's been
looking for all the answers, something mind-blowing happened: He got a life.
YA FIC ELK
Elkeles, Simone
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation
Going to Israel with her estranged father is the last thing Amy wants to do this summer. A spoiled
American teenager with an attitude that matches her killer Jimmy Choo slides, she's got a serious
grudge against her dad, a.k.a Sperm Donor, for showing up so rarely in her life. Now he's
dragging her to a war zone to meet a family she's never known, including her ill grandmother
who's the only source of comfort in this strange land. Sharing a room with her unfriendly cousin,
igniting a brawl at the local disco, and having her Ferragamo sandal stolen by a mutt . . . one
hilarious humiliation after another tests Amy's Perce spirit. Finding her place in a foreign culture
isn't easy, but as Amy learns to shed her tough-girl persona, she discovers that making friends,
falling in love, and connecting with her family and heritage isn't impossible after all.
YA FIC ELK
Elkeles, Simone
How to Ruin My Teenage Life
In this sequel to How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, EVERYTHING in sixteen-year-old Amy Nelson
Barak's life is going wrong! Her mom got married and moved to the suburbs, and now they are
going to have a baby. Amy moves in with her dad in Chicago and signs him up for an online
dating service. His first four dates are that night . . . What else? Her dog Mutt impregnated her
grumpy neighbor's prized poodle, so Amy will actually have to get a part-time job to pay for half
the veterinary bill. And there's this totally annoying boy, Nathan Rubin, who just moved into her
apartment building. Luckily, Amy has a cute boyfriend named Avi. Only he's more like a nonboyfriend considering Avi is in the Israeli army for the next three years. What's a girl to do when
everyone is conspiring to ruin her life?
YA FIC ELK Elkeles, Simone
How to Ruin Your Boyfriend’s Reputation
Amy Nelson-Barak, 17, is back in this third installment about a Jewish-American teen learning
how to live and love in peace. She signs up for 10 days of training with the Israel Defense Force
as soon as she finds out that her long-distance boyfriend, Avi, will be on base as well. But things
turn out to be different from what she'd hoped for. She sleeps in a bunk bed underneath coils that
look ready to give way, she's being worked to the bone, and the bathrooms are hardly up to her
standards. Worst of all, Avi doesn't seem remotely thrilled that she's there. Is something going on
between him and a fellow soldier? Strong, beautiful, and able to be with Avi all the time, Liron is
everything Amy wants to be.
YA FIC ELL
Ellis, Ann Dee
Everything is Fine
Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy
has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with
the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she's flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact
that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. As readers delve into the story, they'll
eventually discover what it was that tore Mazzy's family apart, and they'll see what it takes to put
it back together.
21
Tween & YA FIC ERS
Erskine, Kathryn
Seeing Red
Life will never be the same for Red Porter. He's a kid growing up around black car grease, white
fence paint, and the backward attitudes of the folks who live in his hometown, Rocky Gap,
Virginia. Red's daddy, his idol, has just died, leaving Red and Mama with some hard decisions
and a whole lot of doubt. Should they sell the Porter family business, a gas station, repair shop,
and convenience store rolled into one, where the slogan -- "Porter's: We Fix it Right!" -- has been
shouting the family's pride for as long as anyone can remember? With Daddy gone, everything's
different. Through his friendship with Thomas, Beau, and Miss Georgia, Red starts to see there's
a lot more than car motors and rusty fenders that need fixing in his world. When Red discovers
the injustices that have been happening in Rocky Gap since before he was born, he's faced with
unsettling questions about his family's legacy.
YA FIC FEH
Fehlbaum, Beth
Hope in Patience
Fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher has spent half of her life living in fear. Her stepfather sexually
abused her for years, but her mother didn’t believe her. After Child Protective Services finally
removes Ashley from their home, she goes to live with the father she barely remembers. Her new
life in Patience, Texas, is much better. She’s in therapy to deal with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder; she’s getting used to living with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother; and she’s
made some friends at her new high school. But Ashley is so traumatized by her past that she
sometimes scratches herself until she bleeds. When her stepfather is finally put on trial for hurting
her, she learns that truth and justice don’t always go together. Will Ashley adjust to a better life?
YA FIC FIT
Fitzpatrick, Huntley
My Life Next Door
A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you
love without betraying another. “One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most
of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.” The Garretts are everything the Reeds are
not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeenyear-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase
Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family
makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she
is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time
she saved herself?
YA FIC FLA
Flake, Sharon
Begging For Change
Teenaged Raspberry Hill tries to sort out her confused feelings of disgust, shame, and love for
her homeless, drug addicted father and worries that she may have inherited his lying and stealing
ways.
YA FIC FOG
Fogelin, Adrian
Sister Spider Knows All
FOR TWELVE-YEAR-OLD ROXANNE, there are two things in life she can count on: her beloved
grandmother, Mimi, and her weekend job at the flea market where she helps Mimi buy and sell
fresh produce and other people's junk to pay the household bills. This is her home and the people
she knows and loves are here. But outside this fragile weekend world, she's lost. A so-so student
with few aspirations for higher education, she feels out of place at school. Stuck in the back of the
pack with the other "lardbutts," Rox just tries to stay out of the way of the popular creeps in her
class. And who is she anyway? Her teenage mother left when she was only three months old and
her father's identity is a mystery. And no one, least of all Mimi, will talk about what happened. But
then her cousin John Martin brings home a girlfriend from college who has very different ideas
about the way life works. And when Roxanne discovers her mother's teenage diary, she finds
some painful but important answers to the unsolved questions of her past and the possibilities for
a different future.
22
YA FIC FRA
Frazer, Megan
Secrets of Truth & Beauty
When Dara Cohen was little, she was a bright, shiny star. She was the cutest seven-year-old who
ever sang Ella Fitzgerald, and it was no wonder she was crowned Little Miss Maine. That was
then. Now Dara's seventeen and she's not so little anymore. So not little, that when her
classmates find out about her illustrious resume, their jaws drop. That's just one of her many
problems. Another is that her control-freak mom won't get off her case about anything. Yet
the one that hurts the most is the family secret: Dara has an older sister her parents tried to erase
from their lives. When a disastrously misinterpreted English project lands her in the counselor's
office—and her parents pull her out of school to save face—Dara realizes she has a decision to
make. She can keep following the rules and being misunderstood, or she can finally reach out to
the sister she's never met—a sister who lives on a collective goat farm in Massachusetts. Dara
chooses B. What follows is a summer of revelations, some heartbreaking, some joyous; of
friendship, romance, a local beauty pageant; and choices. And as autumn approaches, Dara
finds she may have to let go of everything she's taken for granted in order to figure out who she
really is, and what family really means.
Tween & YA FIC FRE
Freedman, Paula
My Basmati Bat Mitzvah
During the fall leading up to her bat mitzvah, Tara (Hindi for "star") Feinstein has a lot more than
her Torah portion on her mind. Between Hebrew school and study sessions with the rabbi, there
doesn’t seem to be enough time to hang out with her best friend Ben-o--who might also be her
boyfriend--and her other best friend, Rebecca, who’s getting a little too cozy with that snotty
Sheila Rosenberg. Not to mention working on her robotics project with the class clown Ryan
Berger, or figuring out what to do with a priceless heirloom sari that she accidentally ruined. Amid
all this drama, Tara considers how to balance her Indian and Jewish identities and what it means
to have a bat mitzvah while questioning her faith.
YA FIC FRE
Freyman-Weyr, Garret
Stay With Me
Sixteen-year-old Leila Abranel was born some twenty years after her sisters. Her elegant sisters
from her father's first marriage have lives full of work, love affairs, and travel. Leila doesn't know
either of them very well, but she loves hearing about them- details of Rebecca's ruined marriage,
Clare's first job, and the strings of unsuitable boyfriends. When Rebecca kills herself, Leila wants
to know why. She starts by spending time with Clare and finally comes to know her as a person
instead of a story.
YA FIC FRI
Friedman, Aimee
The Year My Sister Got Lucky
When Katie and Michaela Wilder are uprooted from NYC and planted in rural Fir Lake, Katie is
horrified by their new surroundings: the too-friendly neighbors, the local uniform of sandals paired
with socks, the very idea of milking a cow. But while Katie suffers through shopping withdrawal,
Michaela transforms into a small-town social firefly, flirting with the hot quarterback and soaking
up nature with her new hick-town friends. As in, people who think camping is *fun*. Does Katie
even know her sister anymore? And after Michaela hides a jaw-dropping secret from her, does
Katie even want to?
YA FIC FRI
Friend, Natasha
For Keeps
Josie’s never met her dad, and that’s fine with her. To Josie, Paul Tucci is just a guy who got her
mom pregnant and then moved away. It all happened sixteen years ago, when Josie’s mom was
still a teenager herself. But now Paul Tucci is back in town, and Josie has to deal with not one but
two men in her life—her father and her first boyfriend, who Josie fears will hurt her just like Paul
hurt her mother.
23
YA FIC FRI
Friend, Natasha
Lush
Samantha has a secret... It's hard to be a thirteen-year-old-girl. But it's even harder when your
father's a drunk. It adds an extra layer to everything - your family's reaction to things, the friends
you're willing to bring home, the way you see yourself and the world. For Samantha, it's
something that has been going on for so long that she's almost used to it. Only, you never get
used to it. Especially when it starts to get worse. Sam knows things have to stop. But she doesn't
know how to make them stop. So she picks a random girl in the library and starts sending her
notes, asking for advice. And she keeps an extra-close eye on her little brother, trying to protect
him from getting hurt. Sam doesn't want her family to fall apart. But that might be what has to
happen for things to be okay again.
YA FIC FRI
Friend, Natasha
Bounce
Shortly after her widower father announces he is remarrying, 13-year-old Evyn and her older
brother move with him from their house in Maine to the Boston brownstone of their soon-to-be
stepmother and six stepsiblings. For solace, Evyn confides in her dead mother, who died when
Evyn was a baby, even though she admits she is really just talking to herself; in these
conversations her mother advises her to let the bad stuff "bounce" off her, but it's hard. Evyn
misses her best friend-who seems to have moved on very quickly, acquiring a new best friend
and boyfriend-and she hates both her too-eager stepmother and her private girls' school, where
she becomes a target of the popular clique.
YA FIC FRI
Friesen, Gayle
Losing Forever
Ninth-grader Jessica is dealing with a "shifting universe." Several years earlier, her toddler sister
died in an accident and her parents divorced. Now, her mom is remarrying, and Jessica's
unlikable, but beautiful, stepsister-to-be has begun to share her room, four weeks before the
wedding. If that's not enough, Jessica's friendship with her best friend has taken a backseat now
that Dell has a boyfriend. In the course of the story, the teen learns to accept that everything is
evolving, and that she cannot expect anything-least of all people and relationships- to stay the
same forever.
YA FIC FRI
Friesen, Gayle
For Now
In this sequel to Losing Forever, a blended family has its share of highs and lows for fifteen-yearold Jes as she bitterly experiences household changes. Her mother just remarried and Cal, her
stepfather, is moving into the house with his daughter. Jes is displaced to the smaller bedroom
and is overshadowed by Angela's ways—an orderly room, a macrobiotic diet, exercise, and
beauty. After Jes settles in her new room, the plans begin to change with the sudden
announcement that Jes's mother is expecting a baby. With no extra bedrooms to spare, Jes will
be back in her original bedroom, sharing it with Angela when the baby arrives. Meanwhile, Jes's
friendship with Dell and Sam shifts, and the holidays bring about changes in the traditions.
YA FIC FRE
Freitas, Donna
The Survival Kit
When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside
the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing;
a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go. As
Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an
unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family’s gardener, the school hockey star, and the only
person who really understands what she’s going through. Can loss lead to love?
24
YA FIC GAN Ganeshram, Ramin
Stir It Up
Thirteen-year-old Anjali's life is rich with the smell of curry from her parents' roti shop and an
absolute passion for food. More than anything, Anjali wants to be a chef who competes on a kids'
cooking reality TV show. But Anjali must keep her wish a secret from her family, who thinks
Anjali's passions are beneath her. Thank goodness for Deema, Anjali's grandmother, whose
insight and love can push past even the oldest family beliefs. Woven with recipes that cook up
emotions and actual culinary recipes that make food, this novel is as delicious as it is satisfying.
YA FIC GAR
Between.
Garsee, Jeannine
Before, After, and Somebody In
It is the eleventh place they have lived in six years, when Martha and Momma move in with
Wayne, the new boyfriend Momma discovered in rehab. A sophomore at fourteen due to her
intelligence, Martha has only attended rural schools and, in spite of her mother's history of
chemical dependence and depression, Martha's first day at Jefferson High proves she is
completely unprepared for the hostility, violence, and gritty reality of life for a white girl in
Cleveland's impoverished inner city. Threatened constantly at school and at home, Martha has no
respite until a calamitous series of events culminates in a wealthy lawyer's family taking her in.
While she no longer has to fear physical abuse, hunger, or gang-related violence, Martha
encounters a different set of problems as she masquerades as Gina, a persona she creates to
keep the ugly truth of her past from her new-found upper class friends. Throughout her harrowing
struggles, Martha/Gina turns to music and her desire to play the cello for solace.
YA FIC GAR
Garsee, Jeannine
Say the Word
The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part,
that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every
rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take.
Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s
embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions
from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the
right thing.
YA FIC GEE
Geerling, Marjetta
Fancy White Trash
Finding love is simple with the One True Love Plan.
"If only life were as easy as your sisters." Abby's heard that one before. And it's true -Shelby and
Kait aren't exactly prim and proper. Abby is determined not to follow in their footsteps, so she has
created the One True Love Plan. The most important part of the plan is Rule #1: Find Someone
New. This means finding a guy who hasn't already dated Shelby or Kait. But when Abby starts
falling for the possible father of Kait's baby, she has to figure out if some rules are meant to be
broken.
YA FIC GEL
Gelbwasser, Margie
Pieces of Us
Two families. Four teens. A summer full of secrets. Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside
community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities . . . and escape from
their turbulent lives. But when he’s back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot
suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the
girls who give it up too easy. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and
at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the
role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget a horrible, life-changing event that no one knows about.
But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never
let Julie forget it. Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets
out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.
25
YA FIC GOI
Going, K.L.
King of the Screwups
Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everybody loves him. He excels at sports; he knows exactly what
clothes to wear; he always ends up with the most beautiful girls in school. But he's got an
uncanny ability to screw up in the very ways that tick off his father the most. When Liam finally
kicked out of the house, his father's brother takes him in. What could a teenage chick magnet
possibly have in common with his gay, glam rocker, DJ uncle who lives in a trailer in upstate New
York? A lot more than you'd think. And when Liam attempts to make himself over as a nerd in a
desperate attempt to impress his father, it's his "aunt" Pete and the guys in his band who
convince Liam there's much more to him than his father will ever see.
YA FIC GOL
Goldblatt, Stacey
Stray
When 16-year-old Natalie Kaplan meets a new person, she knows right away what kind of dog
they'd be. Natalie herself resembles an Ibizan hound—quiet, playful, loyal, smart, and above all,
obedient. Actually, Natalie has been trained so well that sometimes she thinks her mother is
secretly controlling her with a dog whistle. (Her mom is a respected veterinarian with a successful
clinic, so it's not that much of a stretch.) Just like the Ibizan, Natalie is very mindful of her master's
rules, but at the first sign of freedom, she is prone to stray. And who can blame her when the
gorgeous and mysterious Carver Reed comes to live with the Kaplan family for the summer?
Little by little, Natalie is drawn to Carver's spontaneity and free spirit, and before long, she turns
into another breed of girl, who surprisingly bites the hand that feeds her.
YA FIC GOL
Stand Up?
Goldschmidt, Judy
Will the Real Raisin Rodriguez Please
It’s winter break, and Raisin’s heading back home to Berkeley, California,where—for a twist—
she’s blogging to her new Philly friends about the visit with her dad and old friends Pia and
Claudia. Raisin can’t wait to pick up where she left off, but she’s in for a rude awakening. First
there’s her dad’s new girlfriend, Angelique, who came out of nowhere. Worse—who’s the new girl
Pia and Claudia are suddenly doing everything with? It’s like Raisin doesn’t even belong in her
old life anymore . . . but maybe she’s finally ready to see that the new one isn’t so bad?
YA FIC GOL
Smooch
Goldschmidt, Judy
Raisin Rodriguez and the Big Time
Raisin's back, funny and delightful and determined to get her first kiss. Still blogging every
thought and action for her two best friends across the country, seventh-grader Raisin feels like
the only person on earth who hasn't been kissed. Opportunities arise but she declines: She really
only wants to kiss sweet CJ, who smells like cinnamon and wraps his violin in a shopping bag.
Misconstruing a scene of CJ kissing a girl who may or not have been an underwear model, Raisin
dashes out of a room, prompting her peers to decide that she's "freaked out by. . . . [h]uman
sexuality." Some are kind about it (though they conceal who is kissing whom); others label her
Miss Priss, necessitating Operation Reputation Removal. When CJ's two dads get married, he
requests Raisin's help with his speech-could this mean he likes her back? Throughout this lifeand-death drama and some nitty-gritty puberty details, Raisin's voice is sparkly and hilarious.
YA FIC GRA
Hippie Hotel
Graham, Rosemary
My Not So Terrible Time at the
Tracy's summer vacation couldn't start off any worse. Her father has dragged herto Farnsworth
House, a.k.a. the Hippie Hotel, on Cape Cod. It's a place where divorced parents bring their
children for quality "Together Time." Tracy dreads the whole idea, until she meets the other girls
her age at the hotel. They seem friendly and fun. But they're also great at flirting, which Tracy
definitely isn't. When Tracy meets Kevin, a cute, smart guy, she panics. With pretty friends like
Kelsey and Beka around, how can Tracy possibly interest Kevin? Then again, maybe she is
someone worth knowing, and maybe Kevin thinks so too.
26
YA FIC GRA
Gramont, Nina de
Every Little Thing in the World
Sixteen-year-old Sydney Biggs is a “good kid.” Smart, pretty, self-aware. No one doubts that
she’ll go far in life. But, lately her mother worries that Sydney is wandering down the wrong path
and getting all caught up in petty teenage rebellion and shenanigans. When Sydney and her best
friend Natalia “borrow” a car to go to a party and then get escorted home by the police, their
parents pack them up and ship them off to a hard-love wilderness camp—to stop this behavior
before it gets out of hand, before things go too far. The problem is, they already have.
Sydney—the “good kid”—is pregnant. In the wilds of Canada, where the girls are to spend the
next four weeks canoeing, camping and foraging for food, time is ticking, because Sydney isn't
sure what she wants to do about her pregnancy. And she certainly isn't expecting the other heady
issues that will confront her as she forges friendships with her adventure-mates, including a guy
who makes it no secret that he is a major thug and a teen television heartthrob with a secret of
his own, not to mention her own best friend -- who is very adamant about what Sydney should do.
YA FIC GUR
Gurtler, Janet
I’m Not Her
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty
one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with
cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are
senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister
could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it
together, who will?
YA FIC GUR
Gurtler, Janet
16 Things I Thought Were True
Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no
one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she
thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's
actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad.
Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of
Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed
ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will
become the people she can't imagine living without.
YA FIC HAL
Hall, Barbara
The Noah Confessions
At the age of 16, it's standard procedure for every girl at Lynnie Russo's posh Los Angeles prep
school to get a car. So on her 16th birthday, Lynnie is startled when she opens the small gift box
from her father—it doesn't contain the shiny new set of keys she was expecting. Instead she finds
a worn-out bird charm bracelet. What can he be thinking? When she cuts school to go try surfing
so as to have a special day, instead of grounding her, her father hands her a manuscript box and
says, "Your mother wanted you to have this when it seemed you were losing perspective. I think
now's the time." Through "The Noah Confessions," Lynnie uncovers her family's secrets, loves,
and tragedies, and comes to recognize that their past may not necessarily determine her future.
YA FIC HAL Halpern, Julie Have a Nice Day
Anna Bloom has just come home from a three-week stay in a mental hospital. She feels...okay.
It's time to get back to some sort of normal life, whatever that means. She has to go back to
school, where teachers and friends are dying to know what happened to her, but are too afraid to
ask. And Anna is dying to know what's going on back at the hospital with her crush, Justin, but is
too afraid to ask. Meanwhile, Anna's parents aren't getting along, and she wonders if she's the
cause of her family's troubles.
27
YA FIC HAR Harmon, Michael
Skate
There's not much keeping fifteen-year-old Ian in Spokane, but at least it's home. He's basically
been raising Sammy on his own ever since their mom disappeared again on one of her binges.
But they get by, finding just enough to eat and plenty of time to skateboard. Then Ian's temper
blows at school--he actually takes a swing at Coach Florence, and knocks him out--and Ian
knows that he's got to grab Sammy and skate. Run. Their search for the one relative they can
think of--their only hope--leads them across the entire state of Washington on a harrowing
journey, on foot, in the cold and rain. In a surprise twist, their trek loops them right back to
Spokane. Through it all, Ian's got one thing on his mind: protect Sammy, and let no one split up
their family of two. Michael Harmon tells a nuanced and unflinching story of wilderness survival,
of the power of the bond between two brothers, and of teen rage--and redemption.
YA FIC HAR
Harmon, Michael
Last Exit to Normal
It’s true: After 17-year-old Ben’s father announces he’s gay and the family splits apart, Ben does
everything he can to tick him off: skip school, smoke pot, skateboard nonstop, get arrested. But
he never thinks he’ll end up yanked out of his city life and plunked down into a small Montana
town with his dad and Edward, The Boyfriend. As if it’s not painful enough living in a hick town
with spiked hair, a skateboard habit, and two dads, he soon realizes something’s not quite right
with Billy, the boy next door. He’s hiding a secret about his family, and Ben is determined to
uncover it and set things right.
YA FIC HAR
Harrington, Laura
Alice Bliss
When Alice Bliss learns that her father, Matt, is being deployed to Iraq, she's heartbroken. Alice
idolizes her father, loves working beside him in their garden, accompanying him on the
occasional roofing job, playing baseball. When he ships out, Alice is faced with finding a way to fill
the emptiness he has left behind. Matt will miss seeing his daughter blossom from a tomboy into
a full- blown teenager. Alice will learn to drive, join the track team, go to her first dance, and fall in
love, all while trying to be strong for her mother, Angie, and take care of her precocious little
sister, Ellie. But the smell of Matt is starting to fade from his blue shirt that Alice wears everyday,
and the phone calls are never long enough. Alice Bliss is a profoundly moving coming-of-age
novel about love and its many variations--the support of a small town looking after its own; love
between an absent father and his daughter; the complicated love between an adolescent girl and
her mother; and an exploration of new love with the boy-next- door. These characters' struggles
amidst uncertain times echo our own, lending the novel an immediacy and poignancy that is both
relevant and real. At once universal and very personal, Alice Bliss is a transforming story about
those who are left at home during wartime, and a teenage girl bravely facing the future.
YA FIC HAR
Harrington, Hannah
Saving June
Everyone's sorry. But no one can explain why. Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life
a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents
decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best
friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California. Enter Jake Tolan, a
boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession…and an unknown connection to June. When he
insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming
and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be
exactly what Harper needs. Except…Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life
upside down—again.
28
Tween & YA FIC HAR
Harrington, Karen
Sure Signs of Crazy
You've never met anyone exactly like twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson. While most of her friends
obsess over Harry Potter, she spends her time writing letters to Atticus Finch. She collects trouble
words in her diary. Her best friend is a plant. And she's never known her mother, who left when
Sarah was two. Since then, Sarah and her dad have moved from one small Texas town to
another, and not one has felt like home. Everything changes when Sarah launches an
investigation into her family's Big Secret. She makes unexpected new friends and has her first
real crush, and instead of a "typical boring Sarah Nelson summer," this one might just turn out to
be extraordinary.
YA FIC HAR
Harrison, Emma
The Best Girl
You Are Cordially Invited . . . to your brother's wedding where he will marry rich, famous Marni
Shay, at the River Lodge, the most elite resort in Colorado, the state you chose to go to college in
so you could escape your family, except they'll all be there. Enjoy ten fun-filled days of avoiding
your mother, who still thinks you're not girly enough; planning your brother's bachelor party,
because you are his best man, er, girl; and, oh yeah, trying not to drool all over Hot Connor, who
happens to be in your English seminar and work at the River Lodge. Put your best foot forward,
and Don't miss the most joyous celebration of the year! Yeah, right.
YA FIC HAR Harvey, Sarah Three Little Words
Sixteen-year-old Sid barely remembers his birth mother and has no idea who his father was.
Raised on an idyllic island by loving foster parents, Sid would be content to stay there forever,
drawing, riding his bike, hanging out with his friend Chloe and helping out with Fariza, a newly
arrived foster child. But when a stranger named Phil arrives on the island with disturbing news
about his birth family—including a troubled younger brother—Sid leaves all that is familiar to help
find the sibling he didn't know existed. What he discovers is a family fractured by mental illness,
but also united by strong bonds of love and compassion. As Sid searches for his brother, gets to
know his grandmother, and worries about meeting his biological mother, he realizes that there will
never be a simple answer to the question, Am I my brother's keeper?
YA FIC HAW
Haworth-Attard, Barbara
Theories of Relativity
Dylan has theories about everything. Taking refuge in a library, he finds a book about Einstein,
who like Dylan had theories. Dylan is a throwaway. His unstable mother kicked him out with
nowhere to go. Life on the streets was all that was left. So he panhandles. He tries to avoid
Vulture and his minions who prey on the weak and helpless. He tries to get by. He makes friends
with runaway Jenna, sexually abused by her father; Twitch, who will do anything for a fix and a
warm place to sleep; and Amber, pregnant and turning tricks to survive. He looks for his
grandparents, runs into his long-lost father, tries to salvage Christmas for his two brothers, and
ends up back on the street. Ainsley at the drop-in center and Glen try to help the kids. Dylan
struggles, but he seems to have more determination than most. He just might make it.
29
YA FIC HAY
Hayes, Sadie
The Social Code
Eighteen-year-old twins Adam and Amelia Dory learned the hard way to rely only on each other,
growing up in a small town where they understood the meaning of coming from nothing. But
everything changes when both are offered scholarships to Stanford University – and catapulted
into the dazzling world of Silicon Valley, where anyone with a good enough idea can skyrocket to
fame and fortune in the blink of an eye… Amelia is almost as pretty as she is smart – almost. A
shy girl and genius, she is happiest alone in the computer lab, but her brother has other plans for
her talents: A new company that will be the next Silicon Valley hit, and will thrust Amelia into the
spotlight whether she likes it or not. Where Amelia’s the brains, Adam’s the ambition – he sees
the privileged lifestyle of the Silicon Valley kids and wants a piece of what they have. He
especially wants a piece of Lisa Bristol, the stunning daughter of one of the Valley’s biggest
tycoons. As Adam and Amelia begin to hatch their new company, they find themselves going
from nothing to the verge of everything seemingly overnight. But no amount of prestige can
prepare them for the envy, backstabbing and cool calculation of their new powerful peers.
YA FIC HAZ
Hazen, Lynn
Shifty
Fifteen-year-old Shifty knows all about moving around and next to nothing about where he came
from. When he's assigned to a new foster home and family, he tries hard to keep cool and stay
out of trouble. But it seems like the more he tries to do the right thing, the more trouble he finds.
As Shifty navigates a series of messy summer adventures, he struggles to find a balance
between the street-wise spirit that has helped him survive and his longing for a place to call
home.
YA FIC HEA
Headley, Justina Chen
Few White Lies)
Nothing But the Truth (and a
Headley makes an impressive debut with this witty, intimate novel about a self-described
"bizarrely tall Freakinstein cobbled together from Asian and white DNA," trying to find her niche.
Patty Ho, the 14-year-old narrator feels conspicuously out of place whether she is socializing with
her white classmates or among her mother's Taiwanese friends. Headley immediately conveys
her heroine's sense of humor when she opens with a "Belly-Button Grandmother" who tells
Patty's future by probing her belly. When the woman predicts that Patty will marry a white man,
Patty's distraught, divorced mother-who would like nothing more than for her daughter to meet a
nice Taiwanese boy-sends Patty to math camp at Stanford University. Despite some misgivings,
Patty there finds adventure, romance and a level of freedom and acceptance that she has never
experienced before. Guided by her outspoken Asian roommate, a compassionate counselor and
an open-minded aunt who lives near the campus, Patty begins to view herself in a new light-not
as an oddball, but rather as someone who has inherited the best of two different worlds.
YA FIC HER
Herbach, Geoff
Stupid Fast
My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally
dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing!
Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the
jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will
it get me girls¬-especially Aleah? So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah's house in the
night. But deep down I know I can't run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally
have to stop.
30
YA FIC HER Herbach, Geoff Nothing Special
Hey Aleah,
I miss you. Because there's some serious donkey crap going on right now. I'm supposed to be at
football camp, but noooo ... Andrew had to go missing! So because of my stupid little brother, I'll
probably lose my chance at a scholarship and end up being nothing special.
I'm pretty sure Andrew ran away to Florida, and now Gus and I have to drive cross-country to get
him. Did you know Gus used to think Miss Piggy was hot? Anyway, Andrew once told me I
needed to get my head out of my butt. So that's what I'm trying to do. How about a kiss for luck?
Felton
YA FIC HER
Herbach, Geoff
I’m With Stupid
Felton Reinstein has never been good with stress. Which is why he's seriously freaking out.
Revealing his college choice on national TV? It's a heart attack waiting to happen. Deciding on a
major for the next four years of his life? Ridiculous. He barely even knows who he is outside of
football. And so...he embarks on The Epic Quest to Be Meaningful.
Which leads to:
1. Mentoring a freshman called Pig Boy
2. The state of Wisconsin hating him.
3. His track coach suspending him.
4. The funniest viral video the world has ever seen.
5. A whole new appreciation for his family, his friends, and what's really important in life.
YA FIC HIG
High, Linda Oatman
Planet Pregnancy
When she sees that fateful pink line, 16-year old Sahara knows that life as she knew it, life as a
West Texas Dixie Queen, is over. She hides her growing belly and vomit-breath, but navigating a
strange new world, an alien preggo planet, leaves her terrified and frazzled. As Sahara wavers
between whether to keep the baby or not, she sinks into depression, hiding in bed and oversized
clothes. This first-person, free-verse narrative captures the fear and desperation of unplanned
teen pregnancy.
YA FIC HIT Hite, Sid I’m Exploding Now
Sixteen-year-old Max Wooten is bored. It is summer vacation in New York City and he is off his
game--no job, no joking around, no girlfriend. His best friend just got out of the mental hospital
and his best female friend went to Pennsylvania with her mother. Nothing is going his way. When
the family cat dies, he takes him upstate to bury him and stays with his Aunt Jenny who suggests
he get a notebook and write in it when he feels like he is about to explode. In this coming-of-age
novel, Max starts to see that the world does not revolve around himself and that there are
consequences for his actions.
YA FIC HOF Hoffman, Alice Incantation
Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of
Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a
family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah.
When Estrella discovers her family's true identity - and her family's secrets are made public - she
confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in
flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.
31
YA FIC HOP
Hopkins, Ellen
Perfect
Everyone has something, someone, some where else that they’d rather be. For four high-school
seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling
toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of
love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to
get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he
can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect
performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.
Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What
would you give up to be perfect?
YA FIC HOP Hopkins, Ellen
Tilt
Three teens, three stories—all interconnected through their parents’ family relationships. As the
adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt….
Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But
what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year—and
decides to keep the baby?
Shane turns sixteen that same summer and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who
happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister’s impending death.
Can he accept Alex’s love, knowing that his life, too, will be shortened?
Harley is fourteen—a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy.
She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and
who she wants to be.
Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.
YA FIC HOR
Hornby, Nick
Slam
Just when everything is coming together for Sam, his girlfriend Alicia drops a bombshell. Make
that ex-girlfriend- because by the time she tells him she's pregnant, they've already called it quits.
Sam does not want to be a teenage dad. His mom had him at sixteen and has made it very clear
how having a baby so young interrupted her life. There's only one person Sam can turn to-his
hero, skating legend Tony Hawk. Sam believes the answers to life's hurdles can be found in
Hawk's autobiography. But even Tony Hawk isn't offering answers this time-or is he? Inexplicably,
Sam finds himself whizzed into the future, for a quick glimpse of what will be . . . or what could be.
YA FIC HOW
Howe, James
The Watcher
As she sits watching a seemingly perfect family and a handsome lifeguard on the beach, a lonely,
troubled girl projects herself into the fantasy lives she has created for them.
YA FIC HOW
Howells, Amanda
The Summer of Skinny Dipping
—"I was being strong. Even though I felt weak." Grounded, logical Mia is trying to cope with a
summer that hasn't been what she expected. Her vacation in New York's tony Hamptons with her
extended family was supposed to be about spending time with her firecracker cousin Corinne and
her sympathetic aunt as relief from her mother's criticism and her parents' fights about money and
status. But quickly the bubble bursts: her aunt is tense and preoccupied while jaded Corinne is
more interested in drinking and her cool friends. Adrift, Mia can't help wanting to be part of
Corinne's circle, even though she doesn't like these girls. Struggling to remain true to herself, she
strikes up a friendship with Simon, the boy next door. Through late-night walks on the beach, the
teens become more than friends. A skinny dip after a storm brutally ends Mia's summer—but not
the growth she's achieved.
32
YA FIC HRD
Hrdlitschka, Shelley
Sister Wife
This story of life in a polygamous cult is told from the points of view of three teenage girls. At the
age of 15, girls are assigned to be wives of older men. Each man is expected to have at least
three wives who consider themselves sisters. The wives are expected to have as many children
as possible. Taviana was invited by a kindly member to enter the community from a life on the
street. She was content until she was kicked out because the law was looking for her, and the
Prophet feared adverse publicity. Celeste, who becomes 15, is influenced by Taviana and has a
crush on a neighboring boy from the cult. Nanette, Celeste's younger sister, is looking forward to
being assigned a husband, but one she already likes. The conflicts between absolute obedience
to the Prophet versus thinking for oneself, accepting medical science or allowing women to die in
childbirth, and arranged versus love marriages drive the story.
YA FIC HUG
Hughes, Gregory
Unhooking the Moon
Meet the Rat: A dancing, football-playing gangster-baiting ten-year-old. When she foresaw her
father’s death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York. Meet her older
brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle
in America and discover a new life for them both. On their adventures across the flatlands of
Winnipeg and through the exciting streets of New York, Bob and the Rat make friends with a
hilarious con man and a famous rap star, and escape numerous dangers. But is their Uncle a rich
business man, or is the word on the street, that he something more sinister, true? And will they
ever find him?
YA MYS ING
Ingold, Jeanette
Paper Daughter
In the month after 16-year-old Maggie Chen’s father, a respected journalist, was killed in a hitand-run accident, a basement flood destroys his notebooks. As she searches through the sodden
paperwork, Maggie discovers puzzling inconsistencies. Had her father lied about his family
history? Maggie, an aspiring journalist herself, is just beginning an internship at a Seattle paper,
and in one of her first assignments, she uncovers a story that links directly to both the
circumstances of her father’s death and to the truth about his origins.
YA FIC JAB
Jabaley, Jennifer
Lipstick Apology
When Emily Carson's parents die in a plane crash, she's left with nothing but her mother's last
words scrawled in lipstick on a tray table: "Emily, please forgive me." Now it's fall and Emily
moves to New York City— where she attracts the attention of two very different boys: the cute,
popular Owen, and her quirky chemistry partner, Anthony. With the help of some surprising new
friends, Emily must choose between the boy who helps her forget and the one who encourages
her to remember, and ultimately heal.
Tween & YA FIC JAC
Jacobson, Jennifer Richard Small as an Elephant
Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun,
other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it’s over. But Jack never
thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia
National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would
report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches
on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey
south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a
larger herd after all.
33
YA FIC JAR
Jarrar, Randa
A Map of Home
In this fresh, funny, and fearless debut novel, Randa Jarrar chronicles the coming-of-age of
Nidali, one of the most unique and irrepressible narrators in contemporary fiction. Born in 1970s
Boston to an Egyptian-Greek mother and a Palestinian father, the rebellious Nidali—whose name
is a feminization of the word “struggle”—soon moves to a very different life in Kuwait. There the
family leads a mildly eccentric middle-class existence until the Iraqi invasion drives them first to
Egypt and then to Texas. This critically acclaimed debut novel is set to capture the hearts of
everyone who has ever wondered what their own map of home might look like.
YA FIC JOH
Johnson, Angela
The First Part Last
Bobby is a typical urban New York City teenager - impulsive, eager, and restless. For his
sixteenth birthday he cuts school with his two best buddies, grabs a couple of slices at his favorite
pizza joint, catches a flick at a nearby multiplex, and gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that
changes his life forever: He's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties
and fun times with friends are replaced by visits to Nia's pediatrician and countless social workers
who all say that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for
adoption. Then tragedy strikes Nia, and Bobby finds himself in the role of single, teenage father.
Because his child - their child - is all that remains of his lost love.
YA FIC JOH
Johnson, Angela
Heaven
Marley has lived in Heaven since she was two years old, when her mother found a postcard
postmarked HEAVEN, OH on a park bench and decided that was where she wanted to raise her
family. And for twelve years, Marley's hometown has lived up to its name. She lives in a house
by the river, has loving parents, a funny younger brother, good friends, and receives frequent
letters from her mysterious Uncle Jack. Then one day a letter arrives form Alabama, and Marley's
life is turned upside down. Marley doesn't even know who she is anymore -- but where can she
go for answers, when she's been deceived by the very people she should be able to trust the
most?
YA FIC JOH Johnson, Angela A Certain October
Scotty compares herself to tofu: no flavor unless you add something. And it’s true that Scotty’s
friends, Misha and Falcone, and her brother, Keone, make life delicious. But when a terrible
accident occurs, Scotty feels responsible for the loss of someone she hardly knew, and the world
goes wrong. She cannot tell what is a dream and what is real. Her friends are having a hard time
getting through to her and her family is preoccupied with their own trauma. But the prospect of a
boy, a dance, and the possibility that everything can fall back into place soon help Scotty realize
that she is capable of adding her own flavor to life.
YA FIC JOH
Johnson, Maureen
Girl at Sea
Sometimes you have to get lost.
The Girl: Clio, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-store crush, not stuck
on a boat in the Mediterranean. At least she'll get a killer tan.
The Mission: Survive her father's annoying antics. Oh, also find some underwater treasure that
could be the missing link to a long-lost civilization.
The Crew: Dad's absentminded best friend Martin, his scary girlfriend Julia, her voluptuous
daughter Elsa . . . and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant research
assistant. What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway? As Clio
sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her
most surprising discovery is that there's something deeper and more mysterious than the sea—
her own heart.
34
YA FIC JON
Jones, Jenny B.
So Not Happening
Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her
backyard, and Daddy's MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars,
decided to trade her mother in for a newer model. When Bella's mom falls in love with a man she
met on the Internet--a factory worker with two bratty sons--Bella has to pack up and move in with
her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less! Forced to trade her uber-trendy NYC
lifestyle for down-home charm, Bella feels like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of
Wranglers. At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the
hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying--but kinda hot-editor of the school newspaper. But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of
Truman, and it's not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter's instincts, she is determined to
find the story behind all the secrets.
YA FIC JON
Jones, Patrick
Nailed
The nail that sticks out farthest gets hammered the hardest. Flint Southwestern High School is
run by a cult: the jockarchy. And Bret Hendricks could never fit into their conformity cult. Bret
doesn't mind standing out from the crowd when he's on stage acting or singing in his band. And
he feels at home in his funky girlfriend's arms because sticking out together doesn't seem as
hard. But loyalties aren't what Bret thinks they are, as his safe havens seem to disappear one by
one, and he learns that sometimes you just have to risk getting hammered in order to build a
great future.
YA FIC JON
Jones, Traci
Standing Against the Wind
Patrice Williams was happy living in Georgia with her grandmother, who called her "cocoa
grandbaby." Then her mother lured her to Chicago and ended up in jail. Now Patrice lives with
her Auntie Mae, and her new nickname is "Puffy" - thanks to her giant poof of hair. But Patrice's
hair isn't the only reason she sticks out: she cares about her grades and strives for the best.
That's why Monty Freeman, another eighth grader who lives in the building, asks Patrice to tutor
his little brother. Even though Monty's friends make Patrice uneasy, Monty himself is friendly,
confident, and surprisingly smart. When he becomes her guardian angel, Patrice begins to think
something stronger than friendship might be growing between them. Still, nothing will stop her
from applying for a scholarship at prestigious Dogwood Academy - her ticket out of the project
and a school populated by gangs and drug runners.
YA FIC JOS Joseph, Lynn
Flowers in the Sky
Fifteen-year-old Nina Perez is faced with a future she never expected. She must leave her
Garden of Eden, her lush home in the Dominican Republic, when she's sent by her mother to
seek out a better life with her brother in New York. As Nina searches for some glimpse of
familiarity amid the jarring world of Washington Heights, she must uncover her own strength. She
learns to uncover roots within foreign soil and finds a way to grow, just like the orchids that
blossom on her fire escape. And when she is confronted by ugly secrets about her brother's
business, she comes to understand the realities of life in this new place. But then she meets himthat green-eyed boy- who she can't erase from her thoughts, the one who just might help her
learn to see beauty in spite of tragedy.
YA FIC KEN
Kent, Rose
Kimchi and Calimari
Kimchi and calamari. It sounds like a quirky food fusion of Korean and Italian cuisine, and it's
exactly how Joseph Calderaro feels about himself. Why wouldn't an adopted Korean drummer—
comic book junkie feel like a combo platter given: (1) his face in the mirror (2) his proud Italian
family. And now Joseph has to write an essay about his ancestors for social studies. All he
knows is that his birth family shipped his diapered butt on a plane to the USA. End of story. But
what he writes leads to a catastrophe messier than a table of shattered dishes—and selfdiscovery that Joseph never could have imagined.
35
YA FIC KEP
Kephart, Beth
You Are My Only
Emmy Rane is married at nineteen, a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no
longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful
steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock.
Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently
and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the "No Good."
One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this
loving family that gives Sophie the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her
world forever. . . .
Tween & YA FIC KHA
Khan, Rukhsana
Wanting Mor
As Jameela waits for her mother, Mor, to wake up, she sweeps the dirt floor and washes dishes
with ash from the fireplace. Finally she makes a cup of tea with buffalo milk the way Mor likes it,
and pushes open the door to her room. Mor is lying too still, and Jameela realizes that she is
dead. In the ensuing grief and disruption of their lives, Jameela's father decides that they will
move to Kabul. There the devout girl must not only deal with her father's loose behavior, but also
with a mean and hateful stepmother who wants her gone. Jameela carries Mor's love and advice
in her heart as she faces the hardships of being abandoned and forced to live in an orphanage.
Through her eyes readers see an Afghan society conflicted in its expectations for women.
Jameela clings to her Muslim faith and rituals while around her women practice various degrees
of Westernization.
YA FIC KIN
King, A.S.
Everybody Sees the Ants
Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the
Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who
keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader
McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far. But Lucky has a secret--one that
helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the
war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a
real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just
might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its
way inside?
YA FIC KIN
King, A.S. Ask the Passengers
Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her
father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours
lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the
passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most
personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret
relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to
turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they
don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection
will affect these strangers' lives—and her own—for the better.
YA FIC KIN
King, A.S. Reality Boy
Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality
television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled
youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues
have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special
education room at school. Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn
to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for
him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.
36
YA FIC KNO
Knowles, Jo
Jumping Off Swings
Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when
she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a
troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "onetime thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while
their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter
what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result.
YA FIC KNO Knowles, Jo
See You at Harry’s
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things
to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family
restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad
and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s
Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern,
but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it
wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra,
"All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern
can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than
ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well.
Or at least all will never be the same.
Tween & YA FIC KOE
Koertge, Ron
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup
When MVP Kevin Boland gets the news that he has mono and won't be seeing a baseball field
for a while, he suddenly finds himself scrawling a poem down the middle of a page in his journal.
To get some help, he cops a poetry book from his dad's den - and before Kevin knows it, he's
writing in verse about stuff like, Will his jock friends give up on him? What's the deal with
girlfriends? Surprisingly enough, after his health improves, he keeps on writing, about the smarttalking Latina girl who thinks poets are cool, and even about his mother, whose death is a stilltender loss.
YA FIC KOE Koertge, Ron
Where the Kissing Never Stops
A high school junior who is having trouble with his father's death, his mother's new job as a
stripper, and his own libido meets a new girl who, despite their ups and downs, makes life seem
pretty wonderful after all.
YA FIC KOE
Koertge, Ron
Strays
Could life as a foster kid lead to unexpected benefits? A teenager's link to animals gives way to
human connection in a smart, incisive new novel. Sixteen-year-old Ted O'Connor's parents just
died in a fiery car crash, and now he's stuck with a set of semi-psycho foster parents, two foster
brothers - Astin, the cocky gearhead, and C.W., the sometimes gangsta - and an inner-city high
school full of delinquents. He's having pretty much the worst year of his miserable life. Or so he
thinks. Is it possible that becoming an orphan is not the worst thing that could have happened to
him?
YA FIC KOK Kokie, E.M. Personal Effects
Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life
— failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s lectures about following in his
brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands
on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for
answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may
not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his
father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life.
37
YA FIC KOR Korman, Gordon
Born to Rock
Leo Caraway - president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student - had
his entire future perfectly planned out. That was, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy,
aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock
has ever seen. As in Leo's biological father. At first, Leo is horrified to find out his real father is
punk rock's most notorious bad boy. Not only is he not a punk rock fan, but he believes the X
factor (the Maggot blood in his veins) is a dangerous time bomb just waiting to explode. And sure
enough it does - when Leo stubbornly defends the unlikeliest of people, thereby getting himself
falsely accused of cheating on a test. Because of the blemish on his record, the once-star pupil
finds his scholarship to Harvard taken away. So he accepts a job as a roadie with Purge's
summer revival tour, all the while secretly hoping to convince King Maggot to pay his tuition. But
life on the road is even crazier than Leo bargained for, and before the summer is over, he will
finally discover the surprising truth about his dad, his friends, and most important, himself.
YA FIC KOW
Kowalski, William
Something Noble
Linda is a young, hardworking single mom struggling to get by from paycheck to paycheck. When
she learns that her son Dre needs a kidney transplant, her family's already precarious financial
situation takes a turn for the worst. Then she discovers that the only one who can help Dre is his
half-brother LeVon, a drug-dealing gangbanger who thinks only of himself. Somehow Linda must
get through to LeVon in order to save her son. Though she is deathly afraid of LeVon and the
world he lives in, Linda knows she must conquer her fear and meet him on his own turf if she is to
have any hope of success. Linda is finally able to teach LeVon the value of doing something
noble with his life. And to her surprise, she learns she has room in her heart for one more kid, a
boy from the streets who never had a chance.
Tween & YA FIC KRI
Krishnaswami, Uma
Naming Maya
In this sensitively wrought novel, Maya, the daughter of divorced Indian parents, leaves her home
in New Jersey to accompany her mother to Chennai, where they must sell Maya's late
grandfather's house. After their arrival in India, Maya's mother stays busy making arrangements
with a realtor, and Maya mulls over the upheavals in her life. She misses her best friend and she
longs for her father, who has moved to Texas. On the other hand, she enjoys the company of her
sympathetic cousin Sumati and "Mami," the old family cook and housekeeper. However, when
Mami's memory starts to fail and she begins acting strangely, Maya feels another sharp pang of
loss. Out shopping one day, Maya witnesses how "pandemonium erupts" when the hem of a
woman's sari gets caught in an escalator. The image of the panicked woman becomes a
metaphor for Maya, who also feels pulled in different directions. Maya is torn between two
cultures, two parents who have drifted apart and even two names (her mother's side of the family
chose the name Maya, but her father's relatives always called her Preeta).
YA FIC KWA
Kwasney, Michelle
Blue Plate Special
Big Macs and pop tunes mask the emptiness as Madeline watches her mom drink away their
welfare checks. Until the day Tad, a quirky McDonald's counter boy, asks Madeline out for a date,
and she gets her first taste of normal. But with a life that’s anything but, how long can normal
really last? Hanging with Jeremy, avoiding Mam, sticking Do Not Disturb Post-its on her heart,
Desiree's mission is simple: party hard, graduate (well, maybe), get out of town. But after Desiree
accepts half a meatball grinder, a cold drink, and a ride from her mother's boyfriend one rainy
afternoon, nothing is ever simple again. Too many AP classes. Workaholic mom. Dad in prison.
Still, Ariel's sultry new boyfriend, Shane, manages to make even the worst days delicious. But
when an unexpected phone call forces a trip to visit a sick grandmother she's never met,
revealing her family's dark past, Ariel struggles to find the courage to make the right choice for
her own future.
As three girls from three different decades lives converge, they discover they are connected ways
they could never imagine. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful
past, and faith that there is a happier future.
38
LP & YA FIC KWO
Kwok, Jean Girl in Translation
A resolute yet naïve Chinese girl confronts poverty and culture shock with equal zeal when she
and her mother immigrate to Brooklyn in Kwok's affecting coming-of-age debut. Ah-Kim Chang,
or Kimberly as she is known in the U.S., had been a promising student in Hong Kong when her
father died. Now she and her mother are indebted to Kimberly's Aunt Paula, who funded their trip
from Hong Kong, so they dutifully work for her in a Chinatown clothing factory where they earn
barely enough to keep them alive. Despite this, and living in a condemned apartment that is
without heat and full of roaches, Kimberly excels at school, perfects her English, and is eventually
admitted to an elite, private high school. An obvious outsider, without money for new clothes or
undergarments, she deals with added social pressures, only to be comforted by an understanding
best friend, Annette, who lends her makeup and hands out American advice. A love interest at
the factory leads to a surprising plot line, but it is the portrayal of Kimberly's relationship with her
mother that makes this more than just another immigrant story.
YA FIC LAM
Lamba, Marie
What I Meant….
After 15 years of being a good daughter and loyal friend, wouldn't you expect the people closest
to you to believe you? To at least try to understand what you mean? Since my evil aunt moved in,
everything has gone wrong.
My little sister thinks I'm a thief.
My best friend thinks I'm a jerk.
My parents think I'm bulimic.
And the boy I love thinks I'm not into him at all.
Somehow I have to set the record straight before I totally lose my mind.
Marie Lamba's debut novel tells the story of how 15-year-old Sangeet Jumnal's sleepy suburban
life suddenly gets super complicated.
YA FIC LAW
Lawrence, Iain
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
A teenage mother tries to reconcile with her lighthouse–keeping parents, despite feeling that it
was their remote and lonely lifestyle that led to her brother’s death.
YA FIC LEA
Leavitt, Lindsey
Going Vintage
When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the
best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her
grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when
boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s
present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just
happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too
far.
39
YA FIC LEC Lecesne, James
Absolute Brightness
Fifteen-year-old Phoebe lives with her beautiful older sister and her divorced mother, who owns a
beauty salon next door to their small house. Her father has run off with another woman. Her sister
has withdrawn into a shell, and her mother is in an advanced state of denial. Suddenly Phoebe
discovers that she has a shirttail cousin and he's coming to live with them because of her uncle's
irresponsibility. His name is Leonard Pelkey, he's 14, and he's, well, "swishy," or as he calls it,
"being himself." Phoebe is not especially kind to Leonard, but before long he has enchanted all
the old lady patrons of her mother's beauty shop with his sense of style and his insistence that
everyone needs a makeover. Phoebe, who considers herself worldly wise, often grows impatient
with Leonard's vulnerabilities and his refusal to be anyone but his own unique person no matter
how much grief he gets from the other kids at school. Then one day, Leonard disappears, and
everything changes.
YA FIC LEV
Levithan, David
Love is the Higher Law
The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001.
Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college
sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay.
Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around
him. Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As
each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that
leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around
them and the people close by.
YA FIC LEV
Levitin, Sonia
Strange Relations
A summer in paradise. That's all Marne wants. That's all she can think of when she asks her
parents permission to spend the summer in Hawaii with Aunt Carole and her family. But Marne
quickly realizes her visit isn't going to be just about learning to surf and morning runs along the
beach, despite the cute surfer boy she keeps bumping into. For one thing, Aunt Carole isn't even
Aunt Carole anymore—she's Aunt Chaya, married to a Chasidic rabbi and deeply rooted in her
religious community. Nothing could be more foreign to Marne, and fitting into this new culture—
and house full of kids—is a challenge. But as she settles into her newfound family's daily routine,
she begins to think about spirituality, identity, and finding a place in the world in a way she never
has before.
YA FIC LIE
Lieberman, Leanne
Gravity
How do you deal with being gay when you’re an Orthodox Jew? How do you find your strength of
self when everything around you says you are wrong and evil?
YA FIC LIP
Lipsyte, Robert
Yellow Flag
In any race, there are drivers and, at the front of the pack, there are racers. In the final laps, it's
the racer who moves his car through the sweet spot, picks off the competition, and drives through
a hole to win. In Kyle's family, his older brother, Kris, has always been the racer, born and bred to
it, like his father and grandfather and great-grandfather before him. And that's just fine with Kyle;
he's got other things to do. Now Kris is out of commission, injured, and Kyle has no choice but to
drive. Does he want to drive just long enough to keep Kris's seat warm, or does he want to race—
and win?
40
Tween & YA FIC LOP
Lopez, Diana
Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel
It's summer before eighth grade, and Erica "Chia" Montenegro is feeling so many things that she
needs a mood ring to keep track of her emotions. She's happy when she hangs out with her best
friends, the Robins. She's jealous that her genius little sister skipped two grades. And she's
passionate about the crushes on her Boyfriend Wish list. And when Erica's mom is diagnosed
with breast cancer, she feels worried and doesn't know what she can do to help. When her family
visits a cuarto de milagros, a miracle room in a famous church, Erica decides to make
a promesa to God in exchange for her mom's health. As her mom gets sicker, Erica quickly
learns that juggling family, friends, school, and fulfilling a promesa is stressful, but with a little bit
of hope and a lot of love, she just might be able to figure it out.
YA FIC LOV
Love, D. Anne
Picture Perfect
So far, life for fourteen-year-old Phoebe Trask has been picture perfect. Her parents are
successful; her older sister, Shyla, is on track to becoming the youngest lawyer in Texas; and her
sixteen-year-old brother, Zane, the all-American best brother ever, is a star on the high school
swim team. Then Phoebe's mother, Beth, becomes the traveling spokeswoman for Bee Beautiful
Cosmetics, a job that keeps her away from home indefinitely, and Phoebe's father, a respected
judge, finds himself embroiled in a trial that has the whole town choosing sides. What's more, the
new next-door neighbor is a gorgeous widow who seems to want to take Beth's place in the
family. All of a sudden Phoebe's once-solid family is on very shaky ground. In the year that
follows, Phoebe is pushed to her limit as she struggles to cope with the changes in her life that
just keep coming, ready or not -- and as she learns what it really means to love...and to forgive.
YA FIC LOW
Lowell, Pamela
Returnable Girl
Thirteen-year-old Veronica Hartman has lost count of the number of foster homes in which she
has lived since her mother abandoned her at age six. Now placed with therapist Allison, who
wants to adopt her, Ronnie secretly believes that her mother will overcome her drug and alcohol
addiction and send for her. She expects that she and her younger brothers, still living with her
mother in Alaska, will be a family again. Ronnie befriends Cat, an unattractive, troubled girl
ostracized by other teens at their middle school. Soon beautiful, popular, and selfish Paige shows
interest in Ronnie, but entrance into Paige's clique means that Ronnie must abandon Cat. As
Ronnie advances socially, Cat, in an attempt to steal Paige's boyfriend, declines into promiscuity.
Meanwhile as Allison proceeds with the adoption, Ronnie's mother sends a letter saying that she
is about to be released from a halfway house and wants Ronnie back. Ronnie, riding several
emotional roller coasters at once, tries hard to find her place.
SR Section & YA FIC LUB
Lubar, David Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your lunch money. Girlsyou've known forever are
suddenly beautiful and unattainable.The guys you grew up with are drifting away.And you can
never get enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scott's mother to announce she's
pregnant? Scott decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival
manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling. Scott's chronicle of his first year of
bullies, romance, honors classes, and brotherhood is both laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly
wise.
41
Tween & YA FIC LUP
Lupica, Mike
Heat
Michael Arroyo has a dream of pitching in the Little League World Series, and a pitching arm that
throws serious heat. But that firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his dayto-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family's escape from Cuba, Michael has no
one to watch out for him except his older brother Carlos, who is only 17, and if Social Services
hears of the boys situation, they will be separated in the foster care system-or even worse, sent
back to Cuba. So the boys their best to carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks to
many questions. Until, that is, someone questions how a 12-year-old boy could possibly throw
with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws and Michael has no way to prove his age, no birth
certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause. Suddenly Michael's secret world is blown wide
open-and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources.
YA FIC LY Ly, Many Roots and Wings
Grace’s grandmother has died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian
community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. But Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few
mysteries, like who her father was, why her mother and grandmother moved from St. Petersburg
to Pennsylvania, where they’re the only Cambodians Grace has ever seen, and what Cambodian
culture is really about. Embraced by her mother’s old friends, Grace feels both at home and lost,
fascinated by the traditions she’s never known, but strangely judged by some members of the
community. Can she make sense of, and honor, the life of the grandmother she barely knew?
And will revelations about the past bring Grace closer to her mother, or push them even further
apart?
YA FIC LYN
Lynch, Chris
Freewill
A teenager trying to recover from the tragic death of his father and stepmother believes himself to
be responsible for the rash of teen suicides occurring in his town.
YA FIC LYN
Lynch, Chris
Pieces
When Eric’s brother Duane dies, his world breaks in two. Duane was his best friend—possibly his
only friend. And Eric isn’t sure how to live in a world without Duane in it. Desperate to find a piece
of his brother to hold on to, Eric decides to meet some of the people who received Duane’s
organs. He expects to meet perfect strangers. Instead he encounters people who become more
than friends and almost like family—people who begin to help Eric put the pieces of his life back
together for good.
Tween & YA FIC LYN
Lynch, Chris
Big Game of Everything
You have to love your family. You do, even if you don't, right? You don't have to agree with them
or appreciate them or go to concerts with them or even understand them, but you have to love
them. It's a rule, and it's the kind of rule you don't break unless you're some kind of animal.
I do love my brother, but I don't know that I would if I were not required to. We're not the same. It
can happen in a family. Even though you get all the same genetic stuff, and you get raised in the
same setup, you can wind up seeing and feeling things a whole different way from the guy just
one bed over. It's kind of crazy, when you think about it, but it's nature's way. The payback, I
guess, is that while you have to love your family, your family has to love you too, no matter what.
"Ya? Who says?"
42
YA FIC LYN
Lynch, Chris
Angry Young Man
Robert seems to be perfect. He looks out for his socially awkward brother, Xan, while taking
classes at the local community college and working part-time to help their mother pay the bills.
Xan, however, has a hard time doing anything right, especially interacting with other people. Then
he meets Harry, who invites him to a class on social responsibility. Impressionable Xan,
desperate for approval, follows Harry as he takes his social activism too far. When Robert finds a
government manual for improvised explosive devices hidden in Xan's bed, Robert tries to
convince him that there are some groups you do not want to fit in with. But when a collection
agent starts harassing their mother, Robert snaps, and ultimately it is Xan who must help Robert
do the right thing. Lynch tells an exquisite tale of acceptance, belonging, and familial love.
YA FIC MAC
Mackler, Carolyn
Vegan Virgin Valentine
Overachieving high school senior Mara Valentine's drive stems from the belief that she is her
parents' "Only Hope"; her 35-year-old sister has achieved nothing but having a daughter, V, who
is only a year younger than Mara and appears to be a "nicotine-addicted nympho." Sport for Mara
is competing with her ex-boyfriend for class valedictorian; she has been accepted early decision
to Yale. Mara is a sharp, interesting narrator, but she has alienated most of her friends with her
rigid, single-minded attitudes. Her life is thrown into chaos when V comes to live with the family,
and provides multiple shades of gray in Mara's black-and-white world. She makes out with Mara's
ex on the first day of school and constantly makes cutting, but frighteningly accurate, comments
about the limitations of her aunt's life plans. In the midst of this chaos, while working part-time at
a local cafe, Mara falls in love with her 22-year-old boss who hasn't gone to college and is forced
to reassess the goals that V has already called into question.
YA FIC MAC
Round Things
Mackler, Carolyn
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big
Feeling like she does not fit in with the other members of her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and
good-looking, fifteen-year-old Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical
relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.
YA FIC MAL
Malladi, Amulya
The Mango Season
"Every young Indian leaving the homeland for the United States is given the following orders by
their parents. Don't eat any cow (It's still sacred!); don't go out too much; save (and save, and
save) your money; and, most important, do not marry a foreigner. Priya Rao left India when she
was twenty to study in the U.S., and she's never been back. Now, seven years later, she's out of
excuses. She has to return and give her family the news. She's engaged to Nick Collins, a kind,
loving American man. It's going to break their hearts.
YA FIC MAN
Manning, Sara
Let’s Get Lost
Isabel is a high school student in trouble. She has survived years of bullying by bullying back.
She is caustic in her remarks and brutal in her verbal attacks. Classmates had hoped for some
softening now that she has recently experienced the death of her mother; they were wrong. She
is proud of her reputation as a "mean girl," or at least that is the impression she gives. Isabel
convinces herself that nothing has changed, that her attitude is necessary and that she is in
control. When she meets Smith, an older college student, she is drawn into a relationship built on
lies and in a sexual relationship she cannot help but talk about. She manipulates friends to cover
for her but they decide to fight back, getting her into trouble with school officials and her father.
Standing up to her is no easy task and when her father uses tough love to try to reestablish his
authority, she balks and runs away. It is only after Isabel's lies have collapsed around her that
she is able to face the truth, both the truth about herself and the truth about her mother's death.
43
YA FIC MAR
Martinez, Jessica
Virtuosity
Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to
fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen
getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's
whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy
isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she
just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her—and riles her up—like he does. Still, she can't
trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to
perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not
feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's
expected. Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....
YA FIC MAR
Martinez, Jessica Space Between Us
Amelia is used to being upstaged by her charismatic younger sister, Charly. She doesn’t mind,
mostly, that it always falls to her to cover for Charly’s crazy, impulsive antics. But one night,
Charly’s thoughtlessness goes way too far, and she lands both sisters in serious trouble.
Amelia’s not sure she can forgive Charly this time, and not sure she wants to . . . but forgiveness
is beside the point. Because Charly is also hiding a terrible secret, and the truth just might tear
them apart forever.
J & YA FIC MAS Mass, Wendy
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Jeremy Fink has been obsessed with the meaning of life ever since a box from his father arrived
at his house five years after his father was killed in a car accident. Jeremy is determined to find
the missing keys that will open the box that supposedly contains the meaning of life. Jeremy and
his best friend Lizzy make it their summer quest to get inside the mysterious box. But after getting
into some trouble, they get stuck doing community service together, helping an antique shop
owner deliver things to different parts of the city. It turns out that these deliveries aren't always
ordered, the recipients react unexpectedly, some with anger, some with tears. As Jeremy and
Lizzy's summer adventures continue, they begin to discover the meaning of life and themselves
along with it.
YA FIC MAS
Master, Irfan
A Beautiful Lie
"Everybody lies. We all do it. Many years ago I told one lie that has taken on a life of its own." In
India in 1947 the country is coming apart--and so is thirteen-year-old Bilal's life. He is determined
to protect his dying father from the news of Partition, news that he knows will break his father's
heart. With spirit and determination, and with the help of his good friends, Bilal builds an
elaborate deception, even printing false pages of the local newspaper to hide the signs of national
unrest. All Bilal wants is for his father to die in peace. But that means Bilal has a very complicated
relationship with the truth. This extraordinarily rich debut novel brings to life a key moment in
history and touches on the importance of tolerance, love and family.
YA FIC MAT Matson, Morgan
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start
anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy
embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always
known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old
friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country
with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At
the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back
together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner
napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.
44
YA FIC MAT
Matson, Morgan
Second Chance Summer
Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and
overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating
news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old
lake house in the Pocono Mountains. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than
they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the
people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is
still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than
ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a
second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.
YA FIC MAY
Mayo, B.K.
Tamara’s Child
Tamara Ames is sixteen years old, pregnant, and on her own when she arrives in the small
lumber town of Fir Valley, Oregon, determined to make a new life for herself and her child. And
when she falls victim to a diabolical scheme to steal her newborn baby from her, she is not about
to give up her child without a fight, even if she has to take on the wealthiest and most powerful
family in the country. But is Tamara fighting against her child's own best interests? Only she can
decide. And it's a decision that she — and her child — will have to live with for the rest of their
lives.
YA FIC MAZ
Who I Am
Mazer, Henry & Peter Lerangis
Somebody Please Tell Me
Ben, a high school senior, is a talented singer and actor with the lead in the school musical.
Everyone expects him to pursue an education or a career in the entertainment field, but Ben
shocks his friends and family by deciding to enlist in the army upon graduation. Ben's longtime
girlfriend, Ariela, cannot help feeling left behind but accepts his proposal and promises to wait for
him. Eventually, Ben's friends and family come to accept and support his decision to enlist. Soon
after boot camp, Ben is deployed to Iraq, where his convoy is caught in an explosion. Ben is sent
home in a coma with a brain injury. When he finally wakes up, he can barely remember anyone or
anything from his life prior to enlisting, and he must relearn how to perform even the simplest of
tasks. Ben's loved ones must accept this new reality and stand by him in his battle to regain his
strength and identity.
YA FIC MAZ
Mazer, Norma Fox
When She Was Good
The death of her abusive, manipulative older sister prompts seventeen-year-old Em to remember
their unpleasant life together, with their parents and then later on their own.
YA FIC MAZ
Mazer, Norma Fox
When We First Met
A teen-age girl has the misfortune to fall in love with the son of a woman who killed her sister in a
car accident.
YA FIC MCC McCahan, Erin
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else
Here Comes the Bride — If She Can Pass Chemistry. Eighteen-year-old Bronwen Oliver has a
secret: She's really Phoebe, the lost daughter of the loving Lilywhite family. That's the only way to
explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small
personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to
get away from her "family" for good. Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny,
everything she wants — and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head
over heels in love, and when he proposes marriage, she joyfully accepts. But is Jared truly what
she needs? And if he's not, she has to ask: What would Phoebe Lilywhite do?
45
YA FIC MCC McCarthy, Maureen Rose By Any Other Name
Don'tcha just hate the way you get caught up in stuff without really wanting to? Then it goes a bit
further, and suddenly you're one of those jerks you hate because . . . you can't be trusted.
Rose wants nothing more than to get away. Last year she'd had it all: pre-law in the fall, a
budding romance, and her best friend, Zoe. Now Zoe will never forgive her, her family is
crumbling, and the secret that's been boiling up inside her is bubbling a little too close to the
surface. All Rose needs to escape are an old van, her surfboard, the road, the ocean, and . . .
mom? When Rose's mother jumps in the passenger seat right as Rose is about to set off, her trip
takes an unexpected turn, filled with nagging memories of last year, and the looming scandal that
refuses to be ignored. A twisting plot that keeps you guessing, told from the viewpoint of a
realistically flawed yet snarky main character, makes this a book that just can't be put down.
YA FIC MCC
McCormick, Patricia
My Brother’s Keeper
Ever since his dad walked out, Toby has felt that there are few things in life that he can count on,
and they all seem to be related to baseball. There is Mr. D, the proprietor of the baseball card
shop where Toby likes to hang out. There is the good feeling he gets from playing baseball well.
And there is the enjoyment he gets out of looking at his baseball card collection, especially the
mint-condition 1962 Willie Stargell rookie card. The newest addition to his collection, it is also the
greatest. When he feels like things are slipping out of control, Toby knows he can look at the card
and feel better. Lately, he has been having that "things-are-out-of-control" feeling a lot. His mom
has started dating again. His younger brother, Eli, has started requiring lots of reassurance.
Worst of all, his older brother, Jake, has started smoking pot and popping pills. Toby does not
know what to do, but he does not want to add to his mother's worry. Instead, he decides to cover
up for Jake and hope for the best.
YA FIC MCD
McDonald, Janet
Brother Hood
Nate Whitely has been given the opportunity to attend the prestigious Fletcher prep school on
scholarship because of his intelligence and self-motivation. One of the few African-Americans at
the school, Nate makes a comfortable place for himself at the school and with classmates of all
ethnic backgrounds. But he has not forgotten where he came from, and when he returns to visit
his Harlem home, he reverts back into "Harlem-acceptable" language and clothing. Nate's ability
to move back and forth between worlds is something he tends to take for granted until he meets
Willa, the daughter of wealthy African-American parents; Willa expects Nate to stick to his prep
school behaviors and when she meets his friend Hustle, jumps to her own conclusions about
"who" Nate really is. The tension is compounded when Nate finds out that his older brother Eli
has gotten involved in a number of illegal activities. How Nate responds to both family and friends
within these situations is the real strength and interest of this book.
YA FIC MCD
McDonald, Janet
Chill Wind
Afraid that she will have no where to go when her welfare checks are stopped, nineteen-year-old
high school dropout Aisha tries to figure out how she can support herself and her two young
children in New York City.
YA FIC MCG
McGarry, Katie
Dare You To
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and
seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day
her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own
happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a
school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but
does…. Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock—with secrets he can't
tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do
crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. But
what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly,
the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams—and his life—for the girl he loves, and the girl
who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….
46
YA FIC MCG
McGhee, Alison
All Rivers Flow to the Sea
Sisters Ivy and Rose have shared secrets, attended high school together, and always been there
for one another. Ivy, 18, has always been the free spirit, while Rose, 17, has always been the
grounded one. When they are involved in an accident from which Ivy never recovers, Rose has to
learn how to piece life back together without her.
YA FIC MCN
McNeal, Laura & Tom
Crooked
Two ninth graders, Clara and Amos, suddenly find their lives turned upside down by their families,
by each other, and by the two meanest brothers in town.
YA FIC MEM
Meminger, Neesha
Shine Coconut Moon
Seventeen-year-old Samar — a.k.a. Sam — has never known much about her Indian heritage.
Her mom has deliberately kept Sam away from her old-fashioned family. It's never bothered Sam,
who is busy with school, friends, and a really cute but demanding boyfriend. But things change
after 9/11. A guy in a turban shows up at Sam's house, and he turns out to be her uncle. He
wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage. Sam isn't sure what to do,
until a girl at school calls her a coconut — brown on the outside, white on the inside. That decides
it: Why shouldn't Sam get to know her family? What is her mom so afraid of? Then some boys
attack her uncle, shouting, "Go back home, Osama!" and Sam realizes she could be in danger —
and also discovers how dangerous ignorance can be. Sam will need all her smarts and savvy to
try to bridge two worlds and make them both her own.
YA FIC MIC
Michaelis, Antonia
Storyteller
Anna and Abel couldn’t be more different. They are both seventeen and in their last year of
school, but while Anna lives in a nice old town house and comes from a well-to-do family, Abel,
the school drug dealer, lives in a big, prison-like tower block at the edge of town. Anna is afraid of
him until she realizes that he is caring for his six-year-old sister on his own. Fascinated, Anna
follows the two and listens as Abel tells little Micha the story of a tiny queen assailed by dark
forces. It’s a beautiful fairy tale that Anna comes to see has a basis in reality. Abel is in real
danger of losing Micha to their abusive father and to his own inability to make ends meet. Anna
gradually falls in love with Abel, but when his “enemies” begin to turn up dead, she fears she has
fallen for a murderer. Has she?
YA FIC MON
Monninger, Joseph
Wish
Bee’s brother, Tommy, knows everything there is to know about sharks. He also knows that his
life will be cut short by cystic fibrosis. And so does Bee. That’s why she wants to make his wishfoundation-sponsored trip to swim with a great white shark an unforgettable memory. But wishes
don’t always come true. At least, not as expected. Only when Bee takes Tommy to meet a
famous shark attack survivor and hard-core surfer does Tommy have the chance to live one day
to the fullest. And in the sun-kissed ocean off a California beach, Bee discovers that she has a
few secret wishes of her own. . . .
YA FIC MOR
Mori, Kyoko
Shizuko’s Daughter
After her mother’s suicide when she is twelve-years-old, Yuki spends years living with her distant
father and his resentful new wife, cut off from her mother’s family, and relying on her own inner
strength to cope with the tragedy.
47
YA FIC MOS
Moskowitz, Hannah
Gone, Gone, Gone
It's a year after 9/11. Sniper shootings throughout the D.C. area have everyone on edge and
trying to make sense of these random acts of violence. Meanwhile, Craig and Lio are just trying to
make sense of their lives. Craig’s crushing on quiet, distant Lio, and preoccupied with what it
meant when Lio kissed him...and if he’ll do it again...and if kissing Lio will help him finally get over
his ex-boyfriend, Cody. Lio feels most alive when he's with Craig. He forgets about his broken
family, his dead brother, and the messed up world. But being with Craig means being
vulnerable...and Lio will have to decide whether love is worth the risk.
YA FIC MUR
Murdock Catherine Gilbert
Dairy Queen
She has grown up on a dairy farm, but fifteen-year-old D.J. is no ordinary milkmaid. She has
played pick-up games and caught balls for her college-football-hero brothers all her life, and now
with an injury sidelining her father, she is doing almost all the farm work. The dairy is the family's
top priority, but it is taking a toll on D.J. She has little social life, less study time (she is flunking
English), and no expectations of a brighter future. She is uncomplaining and unaware of her
frustrations until Brian, the talented but out-of-condition quarterback for her high school's
archrival, compares her to a cow. "You do all the work . . . It's like you're a cow . . . one day . . .
they're going to . . . take you away to die and you're not even going to mind." Furious with
unflinching honesty, D.J. takes the point and in contentious-but increasingly respectful-dialogue,
both teens embark on a journey of self discovery during which D.J. becomes Brian's football
trainer and realizes that she wants to play herself.
YA FIC MUR
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert
The Off Season
Life is looking up for D.J. Schwenk. She's in eleventh grade, finally. After a rocky summer, she's
reconnecting in a big way with her best friend, Amber. She's got kind of a thing going with Brian
Nelson, who's cute and popular and smart but seems to like her anyway. And then there's the fact
she's starting for the Red Bend High School football team—the first girl linebacker in northern
Wisconsin, probably. Which just shows you can't predict the future. As autumn progresses, D.J.
struggles to understand Amber, Schwenk Farm, her relationship with Brian, and most of all her
family. As a whole herd of trouble comes her way, she discovers she's a lot stronger than she—or
anyone—ever thought.
YA FIC MUR
Murdock, Catherine
Front and Center
After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J.
In photographs of course I’m always in the background . . .
But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town
hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who’s keen for romance and karaoke. Not to
mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you
very much. But who keeps showing up anyway . . .
Readers first fell in love with straight-talking D. J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen; they followed her ups
and downs both on and off the court in The Off Season. Now D. J.steps out from behind the freethrow line in this final installment of the Dairy Queen trilogy.
YA FIC MUR
Murdoch, Emily
If You Find Me
In If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch, a broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is
the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare
existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey
for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with
greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother has disappeared for good, and two
strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and
perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys. Now, Carey must face the truth of why her
mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go . . . a dark past
that hides many secrets, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year.
Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her
new life come crashing down.
48
YA FIC MYE
Myers, Jason
The Mission
Kaden, 15, gets a letter from his older brother and best friend, mailed after he was killed in Iraq.
Kenny urges Kaden to "go see what…is out there," so Kaden leaves his parents and girlfriend
behind in rural Iowa and spends a wild and life-changing week in San Francisco with his cousin
James, a successful author. Kaden is fascinated by the hedonistic lives of James and his friends,
but disgusted by the selfishness and shallowness of their relationships. He's especially disturbed
by James's unrepentant infidelity to his girlfriend, for whom he develops feelings. As Kaden
immerses himself in their bohemian lifestyle and learns some shocking secrets about his own
family, he comes to respect the unconventional life James and his friends have made for
themselves.
YA FIC MYE
Myers, Walter Dean
Somewhere in the Darkness
Jimmy is shocked when an unexpected visitor turns out to be his father who has just left prison
and now wants Jimmy to drive with him to Chicago.
YA FIC MYR
Myracle, Lauren
Peace, Love and Baby Ducks
Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always
relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna
turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And
there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an
unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives
into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to
help each other stay afloat.
YA FIC NA
Na, An The Fold
Joyce never used to care that much about how she looked, but that was before she met JFKJohn Ford Kang, the most gorgeous guy in school. And it doesn't help that she's constantly being
compared to her beautiful older sister, Helen. Then her rich plastic-surgery-addict aunt offers
Joyce a gift to "fix" a part of herself she'd never realized needed fixing-her eyes. Joyce has heard
of the fold surgery-a common procedure meant to make Asian women's eyes seem "prettier" and
more "American"-but she's not sure she wants to go through with it. Her friend Gina can't believe
she isn't thrilled. After all, the plastic surgeon has shown Joyce that her new eyes will make her
look just like Helen-but is that necessarily a good thing?
YA FIC NAM Namioka, Lensey
Mismatch
Fifteen-year-old Sue Hua meets and is attracted to Andy, a violinist who happens to be Asian
American. There is just one problem, Andy's last name is Suzuki and it presents a problem for
Sue's family. Sue's grandma survived the Japanese invasion of China and has terrible tales to
tell. She still believes that the Japanese are monsters capable only of cruelty. Andy thinks his
family is much more open-minded--until he asks his parents how they feel and gets an earful of
insulting stereotypes. As Andy and Sue continue to date in secret, an upcoming trip to Tokyo
causes concern about meeting their families. How much loyalty do they owe their parents when
what happened was fifty years ago in China? How far would you go to please your family?
YA FIC NAY
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Including Alice
At long last, Alice's father is marrying her former teacher, Sylvia. Alice is wildly excited, but now
that the wedding is about to take place, she's beginning to feel left out, and there are all kinds of
adjustments to be made when Sylvia moves in. She also takes a look at other relationships—she
and Patrick are no longer going out, but will she ever get over her anger at Penny, who she feels
stole Patrick from her? A new girl named Amy is trying to join their group, but she tends to blurt
out tactless things. Lester has moved out, and Alice is getting braces.
49
YA FIC NAY
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds Alice On Her Way
Alice is learning to drive in Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. She has so much to
look forward to: a trip to New York City, turning 16 and making out on the bus ride back from the
Big Apple with her boyfriend. But there's the downside, too, like her dad signing her up for a
sexuality class at church. The laughs and heartaches continue with this 17th installment in the
ever-popular Alice series.
YA FIC NAY
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Dangerously Alice
Alice has always tried to be a decent person. She gets good grades, comes home on time, and
has never really given her dad and her step-mom any reason to worry. But now that junior year of
high school has started, Alice is a little sick of people assuming she's a goody-goody, so she
decides to start shaking things up. First there are the dates with Tony, a cute senior who's a lot
more experienced than Alice. Then the fights with her step-mom about the new cat, the car, and
everything else start. But when Alice sneaks off to a party that her parents don't know about and
a near-tragedy follows, she starts to realize every choice has a consequence, and danger rarely
leads to good ones.
YA FIC NAY
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Alice in the Know
It's the summer before junior year, and Alice is looking forward to three months of excitement,
passion, and drama. But what does she find? A summer working in a local department store,
trying to stop shoplifters, and more "real life" problems than she could have ever imagined: A
good friend becomes seriously ill, Lester has more romance problems than even Alice knows
what to do with, and the gang from Mark Stedmeister's pool is starting to grow up a bit faster than
Alice is comfortable with.... Fortunately for Alice her family and friends are with her through it all,
and by the end of the summer, Alice finds she knows a whole lot more than she had in June.
YA FIC NIE Nielsen, Susin
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Thirteen-year-old Henry Larsen and his father have just moved to Vancouver. They are trying to
start new lives after Henry’s older brother--mercilessly bullied for years--took a gun to school.
Henry’s mother is not quite ready to join them. When Henry’s hippie counselor suggests Henry
keep a journal, he intends to write as little as possible but soon finds himself pouring out his
feelings. He writes about his family, and the incident that tore them apart. He describes his weight
problems, his new school, and his family’s love affair with the Global Wrestling Foundation.
Finally, he writes about the new friends who manage, despite his best efforts, to help him start
healing.
SR Section & YA FIC NOE
Noel, Alyson
Saving Zoe
In Alyson Noël's newest teen novel, one sister's secrets save the other's life--in more ways than
one. Meet fifteen-year-old Echo, a typical teen trying to survive high school without being totally
traumatized by boy trouble, friend drama, and school issues. As if she didn't have enough on her
plate, Echo is also still dealing with the murder of her sister Zoë. Although it's been over a year,
Echo is still reeling from tragedy that changed everything. Beautiful and full of life, Zoë was the
glue that held her family together, and although the two sisters were as different as night and day,
they still had a bond that Echo can't let go of. When Zoë's old boyfriend Marc shows up one day
with Zoë's diary, Echo doesn't think there's anything in there she doesn't already know. But as
she gives in to curiosity and starts reading, she learns that her sister led a secret life that no one
could have guessed--not even Echo.
Tween & YA FIC NYE
Nye, Naomi Shihab
Habibi
When fourteen-year-old Liyanne Abboud, her younger brother, and her parents move from St.
Louis to a new home between Jerusalem and the Palestinian village where her father was born,
they face many changes and must deal with the tensions between Jews and Palestinians.
50
YA FIC OAK
Oaks, J Adams
Why I Fight
"Rescued" by his uncle from the homeless shelter and his at-best-useless parents, Wyatt hits the
road with Uncle Spade, a womanizing, hard-drinking, sleazy traveling salesman. For six years
now he has been living in a car or sometimes with one of Spade's many women friends. He is
crisscrossing the country with no time for friends or school. Maybe Spade has kept Wyatt around
for so long as a favor for his dad. Maybe he has kept Wyatt around because he needed him.
Maybe—and this is for sure—he has kept Wyatt around because as a bare-knuckle fighter
Wyatt's earned him money. It has been a long, ugly ride but now Wyatt is on his own—on his own
for the first time. "And I walked until I got tired, then I decided to catch this bus and ran into you.
Think I'll sleep now. I'm tired of telling, of thinking so hard. And when I wake up, I'll try to figure all
this out. And you know what? I'm okay with that."
YA FIC OCK
Ockler, Sarah
Fixing Delilah
Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart. She used to be a good student,
but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And
her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it
seems, is a Hannaford tradition. Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and
moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her
family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?
YA FIC OKE
O’Keefe, Susan Heyboer
Death by Eggplant
Bertie Hooks's mother is obsessed with her past lives and wants her son to be a dream analyst.
His father is possessed by percentages and wants him to be an insurance actuary. Bertie just
wants to cook. He dreams about attending the Culinary Institute of America and becoming a
famous chef. First, however, he must pass the eighth grade and it's not looking good. His teacher
has given him an extra-credit assignment: caring for a flour-sack baby for 10 days. His mother
dubs it Cleopatra in honor of her past Egyptian identity. Worse, his mortal enemy, Nick Dekker, is
determined to undermine the project. Bertie's infatuation with Indra, his rival's sometimes
girlfriend, also complicates matters.
YA FIC OLI
Olin, Sean
Brother/Sister
Will and Asheley have a troubled past. Their father left them when they were little, and their
mother has just been carted off to an alcohol treatment center. Now, they have the house to
themselves, and an endless California summer stretching out before them. Through alternating
perspectives, they tell the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control - right up to
the impossibly shocking conclusion you'll have to read for yourself to believe.
YA FIC OMO Omololu, C.J.
Dirty Little Secrets
Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for
years—that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and
shame. Tackling an increasingly discussed topic that is both fascinating and disturbing, C. J.
Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy's desperate attempt to save her family.
Readers join Lucy on a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one
teen's life will have them completely hooked.
YA FIC OPP
Oppel, Kenneth
Half Brother
For thirteen years, Ben Tomlin was an only child. But all that changes when his mother brings
home Zan — an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben’s father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has
uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine
whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills. Ben’s parents tell him to treat Zan
like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he’s not the only one his father’s going to
scrutinize. It isn’t long before Ben is Zan’s favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just
an experiment. His father disagrees. Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what
he is told to believe and what he knows to be true — between obeying his father or protecting his
brother from an unimaginable fate.
51
YA FIC OST
Ostow, Micol
Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa
Emily is a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York, end of story. Her mother has family in Puerto
Rico, but Emily has never had any contact with them--not until she's forced to go to the
Caribbean for her grandmother's funeral. Pampered Emily wants nothing to do with her Puerto
Rican heritage-- until a very special person shows her that that uncovering her roots is like
discovering a secret part of her own heart.
YA FIC OUG
Oughton, Jerrie
Perfect Family
When Welcome, a fifteen-year-old girl living in a small town in North Carolina during the 1950s,
finds out that she is pregnant, she faces some important decisions.
Tween & YA FIC PAR Paratore, Coleen Murtagh
Daughter
The Wedding Planner’s
Twelve-year-old Willa Havisham is a classics reader, a cherry-cordial eater, and quite possibly
the world's worst wisher. But when she and her glamorous single mother, Stella, move to
Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa's wishes begin to come true: She makes her first-ever best friend,
Tina. She bonds with her hip, candy-making Nana. And best of all, steely Stella is falling for
Willa's English teacher, Sam — he's perfect dad material! But before Willa can marry off her
mother, or dance with her adorable crush, Joseph, a pit gets stuck in the wishing well....Can Willa
undo the damage before Stella misses her chance to say "I do"?
Tween & YA FIC PAT
Paterson, Katherine
The Same Stuff as Stars
When Angel's self-absorbed mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor greatgrandmother, the eleven-year-old girl worries not only about her mother and brother, her
imprisoned father, and the frail old woman, but also about a mysterious man who begins sharing
with her the wonder of the stars.
YA FIC PAT
Patterson, Valerie
Operation Oleander
Ninth-grader Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to
raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul. She named her charity for the oleander that grows
both in her Florida hometown and in Afghanistan, where her father is deployed. But on one of her
father's trips to deliver supplies to the orphans, a car bomb explodes nearby and her father is
gravely injured. Worse, her best friend’s mother and some of the children are killed, and people
are blaming Operation Oleander for turning the orphanage into a military target for the Taliban. Is
this all Jess’s fault?
YA FIC PAU Paul, Dominque Possibility of Fireflies
Ellie Roma's father left them a year ago. Her verbally and physically abusive, alcoholic mother
stays out every night, many times locking Ellie out of the house. Her rebellious older sister, Gwen,
yells back at her mother and takes her beatings stoically. She hangs out with friends, smoking
and drinking. Ellie is the "good" child, trying to preserve a nonexistent family. The mother
convinces her children that their father hates them as much as she does. Ellie's outlet is
fantasizing about her friend Celia's perfect family or unattainable love, such as with Elvis Presley
or her teacher. When a cute older guy-aged twenty to Ellie's fourteen-moves in across the street,
she imagines that they are in love. Ellie's need for attention occasionally outwardly manifests
itself. In one instance, she shoplifts cosmetics. But mostly, she is the submissive child, until the
denouement when Gwen runs away and Ellie realizes that she must leave too. But where will she
go?
52
YA FIC PAU
Paulsen, Gary
The Glass Café
Twelve-year-old Tony and his mother, Al, get along great. Al works nights as an exotic dancer at
the Kitty Kat Club, and together they are a family. When Tony discovers the beauty and power of
art, his drawings of dancers at the Kitty Kat Club spark attention from social services. Are they
pornographic drawings or artistic sketches? Is Al a responsible mother making money for her
family, a skilled storyteller, or a woman simply taking off her clothes? It’s the case of the stripper
vs. the state, and Al isn’t giving up Tony without a fight.
Tween & YA FIC PEA Pearsall, Shelley All Shook Up
WHEN 13-YEAR-OLD JOSH finds out he has to stay with his dad in Chicago for a few months,
he’s not too thrilled. But when he arrives at the airport, he’s simply devastated. His father—who
used to be a scatterbrained, but pretty normal, shoe salesman—has become a sideburn-wearing,
hip-twisting, utterly embarrassing Elvis impersonator. Josh is determined to keep his dad’s
identity a secret, but on his very first day at his new school, a note appears on his locker. It’s
signed Elvisly Yours, and instead of a name, a sneering purple smiley face. The secret is out, and
when his dad is invited to perform at a special 50s concert at his school, Josh is forced to take
drastic action. From award-winning author Shelley Pearsall comes a hilarious novel about a
father and son discovering something about being who you are—and who you’re not.
YA FIC PEN
Pena, Matt de la
Mexican White Boy
DANNY’S TALL AND skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his
pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the
boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it. But at his private
school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’s brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing
up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he
even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his
mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness
that sent his father back to Mexico. And that’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s
family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the demons he refuses to see right in front
of his face.
YA FIC PER
Perez, Ashley Hope
What Can't Wait
Marisa's parents, immigrants from Mexico, don't understand her commitment to academic
success, instead seeing only the ways she is letting down the family by not working tirelessly at
her job or helping care for her five-year-old niece. But this is Marisa's senior year, and she is
determined to excel so that she can apply to colleges and explore becoming an engineer,
something her parents would vehemently oppose. Supporting her academic aspirations are her
calculus teacher, her new boyfriend, Alan, and her best friend, Brenda, but Marisa is torn
between her family's expectations and the life she hopes to lead.
YA FIC PER
Makeover
Perkins, Mitali
First Daughter: Extreme American
The race for the presidency is on, and Sameera’s dad is a contender. Sameera’s looking forward
to some cool campaign perks: hobnobbing with celebrities, meeting smart and hunky young
voters, and getting a total makeover. The makeover succeeds in making her look more polished,
but some of the campaign staffers aren’t content to stop there. They think the candidate’s darkskinned, adopted daughter could hurt his chances if she doesn’t “try to be more American.” As
the pressure builds, Sameera is forced to choose: Will she hide behind a fake persona or speak
up for her true self?
53
YA FIC PER Perkins, Mitali White House Rules (First Daughter v. 2)
In First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover, Sameera showed the United States it was ready
for a Pakistani-born First Daughter. With her brains and bravado,White House. Fabulous! Right?
Actually, it's no fairy tale. The Secret Service and the paparazzi follow Sameera everywhere. She
misses her friends-and even her school-back home. So Sameera decides to escape. Will she be
able to pull it off, or will her plan backfire on the entire First Family? This smart and funny novel
continues the adventures of a Pakistani-American teen in the spotlight.
YA FIC PER
Sen
Perkins, Mitali
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita
When her grandparents come for a visit from India to California, thirteen-year-old Sunita finds
herself resenting her Indian heritage and embarrassed by the differences she feels between
herself and her friends.
YA FIC PER Perkins, Mitali Monsoon Summer
Jasmine “Jazz” Gardner heads off to India during the monsoon season. The family trip is her
mother’s doing: Mrs. Gardner wants to volunteer at the orphanage that cared for her when she
was young. But going to India isn’t Jazz’s idea of a great summer vacation. She wants no part of
her mother’s do-gooder endeavors. What’s more, Jazz is heartsick. She’s leaving the business
she and her best friend, Steve Morales, started—as well as Steve himself. Jazz is crazy in love
with the guy. If only he knew! Only when Jazz reluctantly befriends Danita, a girl who cooks for
her family, and who faces a tough dilemma, does Jazz begin to see how she can make a
difference—to her own family, to Danita, to the children at the orphanage, even to Steve. As India
claims Jazz, the monsoon works its madness and its magic.
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
Luna
“Yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." Regan has always been there for her
transgender brother, Liam, sacrificing her needs for his, but when he announces that he is ready
to "transition" into Luna permanently, Regan is not sure she can handle the consequences. She
has been his confidant all her life, letting Luna dress in her room, buying underwear for her when
Liam couldn't, and giving support. However, when the attractive new guy in chemistry class
shows an interest in Regan, she wishes her sibling would just go away and give her a chance to
live her own life. Liam realizes that in order for his sister to be free, he, too, must free himself to
become the woman who lives inside him.
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
Between Mom & Jo
Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the
greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest Moms ever, but everything
changes when his birth mom and her wife, Jo, start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in
the middle, and instead of having two Moms to turn to for advice, he has no one. Nick's
emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's
love can survive even the most difficult times.
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
She Loves You, She Loves You Not
Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family and her best
friends and, most important, she had Sarah. Sarah, her girlfriend, with whom she dreamed with
about the day they could move far away and live out and proud and accepted for themselves,
instead of having to hide their relationship. Alyssa never thought she would have to make that
move by herself, but disowned by her father and cut off from everyone she loves, she is forced to
move hundreds of miles away to live with Carly, the biological mother she barely knows, in a town
where everyone immediately dismisses her as "Carly's girl." As Alyssa struggles to forget her past
and come to terms with her future, will she be able to build a new life for herself and believe in
love again? Or will she be forced to relive the mistakes that have cost her everything and
everyone she cared about?
54
YA FIC PET
Peters, Kimberly Joy
Maybe Never, Maybe Now
Eleventh-grader Caitlyn is still recovering from an abusive relationship when she reluctantly
embarks on a semester in French-speaking Quebec. Life there takes some getting used to, as
she goes from sixteen years as an only child to being plunged into a large and chaotic host
family. Also, her close friend Connor has joined the trip, and while Caitlyn feels their mutual
attraction growing, she is unsure that she is ready to trust another boy—or herself. Then, just as
Caitlyn relaxes into the love of her host family and her new boyfriend, she gets a letter from the
father who abandoned her as a child. He wants contact. Caitlyn has begun re-learning to trust her
own decisions, but has she healed enough to decide about this?
YA FIC PET
Peterson, Lois
Beyond Repair
As much as life has irrevocably changed since the death of his father, much has stayed the same
for Cam. He's always had a great deal of responsibility around the house, but the burden is
heavier now in combination with the load of grief he's been carrying. After the man who was
driving the truck that killed his father turns up at the end of the driveway, Cam feels pressure to
keep his family safe as well. He starts to see the man everywhere: at his work, in stores, at his
sister's school. Cam needs to know what the man wants from his family, and he starts following
his father's killer in search of answers.
YA MYS PFE
Pfeffer, Susan Beth
Twice Taken
It seems incredible that a call-in TV show featuring pictures of missing children could change her
life so drastically, but when a 16-year-old recognizes her father in the photo on the screen, she
discovers that the family whos been searching for their daughter is looking for her. But who is
she? Brooke or Amy? Shes been living with her father & now learns hes taken her illegally.
Whom do you love when everyone says they love you? How can anyone know which parent
loves you most?
YA FIC PIT
Pitcher, Annabel
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
My sister Rose lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. A collarbone, two ribs, a bit of
skull, and a little toe. To ten-year-old Jamie, his family has fallen apart because of the loss of
someone he barely remembers: his sister Rose, who died five years ago in a terrorist bombing.
To his father, life is impossible to make sense of when he lives in a world that could so cruelly
take away a ten-year-old girl. To Rose's surviving fifteen year old twin, Jas, everyday she lives in
Rose's ever present shadow, forever feeling the loss like a limb, but unable to be seen for herself
alone. Told with warmth and humor, this powerful novel is a sophisticated take on one family's
struggle to make sense of the loss that's torn them apart... and their discovery of what it means to
stay together.
YA FIC PRE
Pressler, Mirjam
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
This young adult novel poses complex questions about right and wrong, living with guilt, and
coming to terms with family members who have not been ethical in their dealings with others.
Johanna, named for her grandmother, and her family live in modern Germany where the dealings
of the post-war government of the 50s and the Nazi regime surface in unexpected ways. A school
assignment puts Johanna on a quest and throughout the novel she seeks to find the truth about
her grandfather and his dealings with the Jewish people who owned the department store he
bought from them after Kristallnacht. Traveling to Israel, Johanna sees a different side of the
questions she wants answered: Can we love those who are guilty of taking advantage of a
situation? How can we justify them to ourselves? Can we still love them? And perhaps more
importantly, why did both her grandparents commit suicide?
55
YA FIC PRO Proimos, James 12 Things To Do Before You Crash and
Burn
James “Hercules” Martino has until the end of the summer (a.k.a. two weeks) to accomplish the
twelve tasks given to him by his Uncle Anthony. The tasks will take him to the far reaches of
Baltimore, lead him to a Beautiful and Unattainable Woman, and change the way he sees his
past, present, and future.
YA FIC QAM
Qamar, Amjed
Beneath My Mother’s Feet
Nazia doesn't mind when her friends tease and call her a good beti, a dutiful daughter. Growing
up in a working-class family in Karachi, Pakistan, Nazia knows that obedience is the least she
can give to her mother, who has spent years saving and preparing for her dowry. But every
daughter must grow up, and for fourteen-year-old Nazia that day arrives suddenly when her
father gets into an accident at work, and her family finds themselves without money for rent or
food. Being the beti that she is, Nazia drops out of school to help her mother clean houses, all
the while wondering when she managed to lose control of her life that had been full of friends and
school. Working as a maid is a shameful obligation that could be detrimental to her future -- after
all, no one wants a housekeeper for a daughter-in-law. As Nazia finds herself growing up much
too quickly, the lessons of hardship that seem unbearable turn out to be a lot more liberating than
she ever imagined.
YA FIC QUI
Quirk, Katie
A Girl Called Problem
Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means "problem" in Swahili, certainly has a lot of problems
in her life — her father is dead, her depressed mother is rumored to be a witch, and everyone in
her rural Tanzanian village expects her to marry rather than pursue her dream of becoming a
healer. So when the village's elders make a controversial decision to move their people to a
nearby village, Shida welcomes the change. Surely the opportunity to go to school and learn from
a nurse can only mean good things. However, after a series of puzzling misfortunes plague the
new village, Shida must prove to her people that moving was the right decision, and that they can
have a better life in their new home.
YA FIC RAN Ranulfo
Joker
It spits, snarls, screams, curses, and laughs at the world. It mocks leaders and followers.
Restores our faith in love and security or drives us mad. Australian author Ranulfo has cracked
open the story of Hamlet. This is what he's glued back together.
YA FIC RAY
Ray, Rebecca
Pure
Pure is about fourteen - the age when you know everything, except when you don't know
anything. It's about first love and the end of innocence, and realizing your family perhaps isn't as
happy or your parents as together as you thought. It's about the cool friend for whom everything
seems effortless, and the impossibly embarrassing friend you're nice to when your cool friends
can't see. It's about that twenty-seven-year-old man who flirts with you when he sells your dad
your overpriced birthday stereo - except he actually calls. And it's about what happens after.
YA FIC RAZ
Razzell, Mary
Snow Apples
While the rest of the world celebrates the end of World War II, sixteen-year-old Sheila Brary finds
life in a remote British Columbia outport suffocating and isolating. A household full of brothers, a
philandering father, and, most of all, Sheila’s demanding, embittered mother all stand in the way
of a bright, beautiful teenager who dreams of continuing her schooling and becoming a nurse.
56
YA FIC REE
Reed, Amy
Over You
Max would follow Sadie anywhere, so when Sadie decides to ditch her problems and escape to
Nebraska for the summer, it’s only natural for Max to go along. She is Sadie’s confidante, her
protector, and her best friend. This summer will be all about them. This summer will be perfect.
But that’s before they meet Dylan. Dylan is dangerous and intoxicating, and he awakens
something in Max that she never knew existed. No matter how much she wants to, she can’t back
away. But Sadie has her own intensity, and has never allowed Max to become close with anyone
else. And Max doesn’t know who she is without Sadie. There are some problems you just can’t
escape.
YA FIC REI
Reinhardt, Dana
The Things a Brother Knows
Finally, Levi Katznelson’s older brother, Boaz, has returned. Boaz was a high school star who
had it all and gave it up to serve in a war Levi can’t understand. Things have been on hold since
Boaz left. With the help of his two best friends Levi has fumbled his way through high school,
weary of his role as little brother to the hero. But when Boaz walks through the front door after
his tour of duty is over, Levi knows there’s something wrong. Boaz is home, safe. But Levi knows
that his brother is not the same. Maybe things will never return to normal. Then Boaz leaves
again, and this time Levi follows him, determined to understand who his brother was, who he has
become, and how to bring him home again.
YA FIC REI
Reinhardt, Dana
A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life
Simone's starting her junior year in high school. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, her dad's a
political cartoonist, so she's grown up standing outside the organic food coop asking people to
sign petitions for worthy causes. She's got a terrific younger brother and amazing friends. And
she's got a secret crush on a really smart and funny guy--who spends all of his time with another
girl.Then her birth mother contacts her. Simone's always known she was adopted, but she never
wanted to know anything about it. She's happy with her family just as it is, thank you. She learns
who her birth mother was--a 16-year-old girl named Rivka. Who is Rivka? Why has she contacted
Simone? Why now? The answers lead Simone to deeper feelings of anguish and love than she
has ever known, and to question everything she once took for granted about faith, life, the
afterlife, and what it means to be a daughter.
YA FIC RES
Resau, Laura
Red Glass
ONE NIGHT SOPHIE and her parents are called to a hospital where Pedro, 6-year-old Mexican
boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans
and a coyote, or guide, Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only
survivor. Pedro comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee of the
war in Bosnia. Sophie loves Pedro—her Principito, or Little Prince. But after a year, Pedro's
surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie, Dika, Dika's new boyfriend, and his son
must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heartwrenching decision.
YA FIC RES Restrepo, Bettina
Illegal
A promise.
Quinceañera.
A promise that we would be together on my fifteenth birthday . . .
Instead, Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their
beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while
living in poverty—waiting for her father's return and a better day. When the letters and money
stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening
experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Now, Nora must find the
strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her
precious quinceañera.
57
YA FIC ROB
Robert, Na’ima
Boy vs Girl
Farhana swallowed and reached for the hijab. But then she saw with absolute clarity the weird
looks from the other girls at school, and the smirks from the guys. Did she dare? And then there
was Malik... What should she do about him? Faraz was thinking about Skrooz and the lads. Soon
he would finally have the respect of the other kids at school. But at what price? He heard
Skrooz's voice, sharp as a switchblade: "This thing is powerful, blud. But you have to earn it, see?
Just a few more errands for me..." They're twins, born 6 minutes apart. Both are in turmooil and
both have life-changing choices to make, against the peaceful backdrop of Ramadan. Do
Farhana and Faraz have enough courage to do the right thing? And can they help each other - or
will one of them draw the other towards catastrophe?
YA FIC ROW
Rowell, Rainbow
Fangirl
For Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren,
ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them
through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing
Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister
has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re
going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own,
completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, alwaysaround boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world,
a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about
her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Can she make it without Wren
holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does
she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
YA FIC RUB Rubens, Michael Sons of the 613
Isaac's parents have abandoned him for a trip to Italy in the final days before his bar mitzvah. And
even worse, his hotheaded older brother, Josh, has been left in charge. An undefeated wrestler,
MMA fighter, and bar brawler, Josh claims to be a "Son of the 613"—a man obedient to the six
hundred and thirteen commandments in the Tanakh—and he has the tattoo to prove it. When
Josh declares that there is more to becoming a man than memorization, the mad "quest" begins
for Isaac. From jumping off cliffs and riding motorcycles, to standing-up to school bullies and
surviving the potentially fatal Final Challenge, Josh puts Isaac through a punishing gauntlet that
only an older brother could dream up. But when Isaac begins to fall for Josh's girlfriend, Leslie,
the challenges escalate from bad to worse in this uproarious coming-of-age comedy.
YA FIC RUM Rumley, Crickett Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other
Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell
Expelled from thirteen boarding schools in the past five years, seventeen-year-old Jane Fontaine
Ventouras is returning to her Southern roots, and the small town of Bienville, Alabama, where
ladies always wear pearls, nothing says hospitality like sweet tea and pimento cheese
sandwiches, and competing in the annual Magnolia Maid Pageant is every girl’s dream.
But Jane is what you might call an anti-belle—more fishnets and tattoos than sugar and spice.
The last thing on her mind is joining the Magnolia Maid brigade and parading around town in a
dress so big she can’t even fi t through doors. So when she finds herself up to her ears in ruffl es
and etiquette lessons, she’s got one mission: Escape. What’s a hipster to do? Will Jane survive
Bienville boot camp intact or will they—gasp!—make a Southern belle out of her yet?
YA FIC RUN Runyon, Brent Maybe
Runyon's sensitively wrought novel explores a high-school student coming to terms with his older
brother's death. Through Brian's first-person narrative, the author demonstrates how Brian's life
has been rocked by the tragedy, beginning with his move to a new house and school, where no
one knows that his family has suffered a loss.
58
Tween & YA FIC RUP Rupp, Rebecca After Eli
When Daniel’s brother Eli is killed at war, Daniel considers the history of unusual fatalities to
determine what makes a death — or a life — matter. Some people die heroically, others
accidentally. When Daniel Anderson’s older brother dies, he wonders which category Eli’s death
falls into. In an attempt to understand, Danny creates a Book of the Dead — an old binder that he
fills with details about dead people, how they died, and, most important, for what purpose. Time
passes, and eventually Daniel is prompted to look up from his notebook of death and questions to
make new friends and be swept into their imaginings
YA FIC RYA
Ryan, Amy Kathleen
Zen & Xander Undone
Before Zen and Xander's mom Marie died, she Made Important Arrangements. The girls receive
loving, chatty, spookily appropriate advice-filled letters from her on important dates, and she prepurchased a perfect prom dress for normally dance-eschewing Zen. Sadly and realistically, no
amount of careful planning could prevent Zen, Xander and their dad, James, from losing
themselves in grief, so one year after Marie's funeral, James still wallows in the basement, Zen's
barely controlled anger finds a dangerous outlet in her black-belt skills and Xander loses herself
in drink, drugs and sex. Burning curiosity (tinged with dread) about their mother's long-ago
relationship with a graduate-school professor drags the girls out of their funk and pushes them to
see Marie as a fully three-dimensional person: loving, brilliant, flawed and forgiven. As their view
of Marie develops, so does their understanding of themselves without her, rendering what could
be cliched and dull instead touching, urgent and involving.
YA FIC RYA
Ryan, Darlene
Rules for Life
Izzy's mother died two years ago. Since then, she and her father have become best friends.
When he tells her that he is going to marry his girlfriend, the 16-year-old's world is shaken. He
says he wants to be a "real" family again, but Izzy feels that they already are. In fact, as far as
she is concerned, she still has a mother: "Okay, we can't exactly go shopping, but I don't like
shopping anyway." Through conversations with the people Izzy works with in a retirement home
and her boyfriend, and a crisis with her troubled brother that brings her closer to her new
stepmother, the teen comes to terms with her changing world. She has filled a little red notebook
with her mother's various rules to live by: "-I liked knowing my mother's rules, even the weird ones
that I didn't get." She has sustained a certain balance in her life relying on them, and they have
kept her mother at hand. She comes to realize, however, that the old rules cannot always apply
YA FIC RYA
Ryan, Darlene Saving Grace
Fifteen-year-old Evie is running away with her baby, Brianna, who was renamed Grace by the
family who adopted her. But Evie did not want her baby taken away, and now she has her
daughter back and she's running to Montreal where she'll become a fashion designer and raise
Brianna. Of course, there are complications along the way, and in the end Evie must decide
between her desire to keep her child at all costs, or let her be adopted by a family that can give
her a better life.
YA FIC RYA
Ryan, Patrick
Gemini Bites
One of the strangest (and funniest) love triangles ever to hit YA fiction, when a pair of twins (one
boy, one girl) both fall for the boy who moves in with them . . . who may or may not be a vampire.
Judy and Kyle Renneker are sixteen-year-old fraternal twins in a rambling family of nine. They
have a prickly history with each other and are, at least from Judy's perspective, constantly in
fierce competition. Kyle has recently come out of the closet to his family and feels he might never
know what it's like to date a guy. Judy, who has a history of pretending to be something she isn't
in order to get what she wants, is pretending to be born-again in order to land a boyfriend who
heads his own bible study.
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YA FIC SAC
Sachar, Louis
The Cardturner
The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has
dumped him, he has no money and no job, and his parents insist that he drive his great-uncle
Lester, who is old, blind, very sick, and very rich, to his bridge club four times a week and be his
cardturner. But Alton's parents aren't the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp's
good graces. There is Trapp's longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy
Castaneda family. Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and
especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda, as he struggles to figure out what it all means,
and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life.
YA FIC SAE Saenz, Benjamin Alire
He Forgot to Say Goodbye
Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove don't appear to have much in common. Ram lives in the
Mexican-American working-class barrio of El Paso called "Dizzy Land." His brother is sinking into
a world of drugs, wreaking havoc in their household. Jake is a rich West Side white boy who has
developed a problem managing his anger. An only child, he is a misfit in his mother's shallow and
materialistic world. But Ram and Jake do have one thing in common: They are lost boys who
have never met their fathers. This sad fact has left both of them undeniably scarred and
obsessed with the men who abandoned them. As Jake and Ram overcome their suspicions of
each other, they begin to move away from their loner existences and realize that they are capable
of reaching out beyond their wounds and the neighborhoods that they grew up in. Their friendship
becomes a healing in a world of hurt.
YA FIC SAE Saenz, Benjamin Alire
Last Night I Sang to the Monster
At 18, Zach finds himself in a therapeutic residential program as both an alcoholic and a posttraumatic-stress patient. In evocative and compelling language, Sáenz allows an at-first barely
articulate, almost amnesiac Zach to show his progress toward remembering and integrating his
past into a present with which he can cope. He is guided along the way by a sympathetic and
wise therapist, a middle-aged roommate whose own recovery is on an arc ahead of the youth's,
and several credible and interesting minor characters. The techniques and realities of such a
facility are realistic and fully drawn: addicts who gather for cigarettes, nightmares, group
sessions, breathing therapy. Sáenz weaves together Zach's past, present, and changing
disposition toward his future with stylistic grace and emotional insight. This is a powerful and
edifying look into both a tortured psyche and the methods by which it can be healed.
YA FIC SAE Saenz, Benjamin Alire
Secrets of the Universe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way
of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in
common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special
friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that
Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they
want to be.
YA FIC SCH Schindler, Holly
A Blue So Dark
Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art
teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever
since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic
talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a
creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to
swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together
may offer an escape from her fears.
60
YA FIC SCH
Schrefer, Eliot
Endangered
The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.
When one girl has to follow her mother to her sancuary for bonobos, she's not thrilled to be there.
It's her mother's passion, and she'd rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks
out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle.
Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.
YA FIC SCH
Schumacher, Julie
The Book of One Hundred Truths
It's hard for Thea to write four truths a day in the notebook her mother gave her for the summer.
Especially when her grandparents' house on the Jersey Shore is even more packed with family
than usual, and her cousin Jocelyn wont leave her alone. Jocelyn just might be the world's
neatest and nosiest seven-year-old, and she wants to know what's in Thea's notebook. But Thea
won't tell anyone about the secret she has promised to keep--or how she lost her best friend
(Truth #12), whose name was Gwen. Now Thea has to babysit in the afternoons, and all Jocelyn
wants to do is spy on people. Neither of them expect to see Aunt Ellen and Aunt Celia at the
boardwalk in the middle of the day, or for their aunts to lie and insist they were at work. Could it
be Thea's not the only one in the family keeping secrets this summer?
YA FIC SCH Schumacher, Julie
Unsinkable Girls
The Unbearable Book Club for
I'm Adrienne Haus, survivor of a mother-daughter book club. Most of us didn't want to join. My
mother signed me up because I was stuck at home all summer, with my knee in a brace.
CeeCee's parents forced her to join after cancelling her Paris trip because she bashed up their
car. The members of "The Unbearable Book Club," CeeCee, Jill, Wallis, and I, were all going into
eleventh grade A.P. English. But we weren't friends. We were literary prisoners, sweating,
reading classics, and hanging out at the pool. If you want to find out how membership in a book
club can end up with a person being dead, you can probably look us up under mother-daughter
literary catastrophe. Or open this book and read my essay, which I'll turn in when I go back to
school.
YA FIC SCO
Scott, Elizabeth
Stealing Heaven
My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things for as long as I can remember.
Dani has been trained as a thief by the best there is—her mother. They never stay in one place
long enough for Dani to have real connections, real friends—a real life.
But in the town of Heaven, everything changes. Suddenly, Dani must question where her loyalties
lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.
YA FIC SCO
Scott, Elizabeth
Heartbeat
Does life go on when your heart is broken? Since her mother's sudden death, Emma has existed
in a fog of grief, unable to let go, unable to move forward—because her mother is, in a way, still
there. She's being kept alive on machines for the sake of the baby growing inside her. Estranged
from her stepfather and letting go of things that no longer seem important—grades, crushes,
college plans—Emma has only her best friend to remind her to breathe. Until she meets a boy
with a bad reputation who sparks something in her—Caleb Harrison, whose anger and loss might
just match Emma's own. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has
grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love?
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YA FIC SCO
Scott, Elizabeth
Between Here and Forever
Abby knows she's nothing like her older sister Tess. Popular, beautiful, and outgoing, Tess was
loved by everyone and the star of her family. And poor Abby was always left behind, nursing her
bruised ego...and one important summer, her heart. Abby has erected a wall around her that
she's determined no one will ever break down again. Then the accident happens, and everything
changes in an instant. Now Tess lies in a coma in the hospital, and Abby is desperate for her
sister to wake up. Lost and confused, Abby misses her sister...but more than that, Abby has no
idea who she's supposed to be without Tess overshadowing her. Day after day her sister sleeps
while Abby sits at her bedside. It's at the hospital that Abby meets Eli, the most gorgeous boy
she's ever seen...with the most troubling secret. Despite his intense good looks he's shockingly
shy, and when Abby finds out why she realizes she's found a kindred spirit. Maybe, just maybe,
Abby can let her guard down and trust this guy. And he just might be the one to help her see
herself for who she really is. But in the midst of this budding new relationship, Abby learns a
shocking truth about Tess. Turns out this carefree girl had a secret life, one that was too painful
and too personal to share. In order for Abby to understand the truth that was always in front of her
eyes, all while allowing herself to love and be loved, she must put her trust in the one person
she's always pushed aside: herself.
YA FIC SCO
Scott, Kieran He’s So Not Worth It
Ally Ryan, come on down to the Jersey Shore and forget your troubles! Have you recently been
humiliated in front of your friends and family at your former best friends birthday party? Was your
almost boyfriend partly responsible for that humiliation by withholding some vital information
about where your estranged father is? Did you come home to find said estranged father sitting on
your stoop? If so, then it sounds like you could use a vacation! The Jersey Shore is the place to
be. Your mother may be living with her boyfriend of only a few months, but at least the stunt
Shannen pulled has put some of your friends back in your court. Even so, you're still angry and
what better way to get over Jake than to blow off some steam with local guy, Cooper. People will
hardly recognize your new attitude, but the old one wasn't getting you anywhere, so who cares!
Jake Graydon, an exciting opportunity is waiting for you in the service industry! Are your grades
so low your parents have grounded you for the summer? Did you the girl you really like
unceremoniously leave you behind? Would you rather eat dirt than see your friends again? Then
a job at the local coffee shop is just the ticket! Suprisingly, Ally's father is the new manager so
you get to be reminded of her nearly every day. Maybe it's time to start flirting with your best
friend's ex or even taking school a bit more seriously. Especially when you finally see Ally and
she's hanging around with some loser and it's couldn't be more clear that she is over you. Have
a great summer!
YA FIC SCO Scott, Mindi Live Through This
If Coley Sterling’s best friend would stop hating her, if her dance-team captains would lighten up,
if her friends would stop asking her about Reece, the geeky sax player she’s crushing on—then
her life would be perfect. Right? After all, Coley’s stepdad is a successful attorney who gives
Coley and her siblings everything, and her mother will stop at nothing to keep them all happy and
safe—including having escaped ten years ago from the abuse of Coley’s real father.
But Coley is keeping a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almostperfect life is her own carefully crafted façade. Now, Coley and Reece are getting closer, and a
decade’s worth of Coley’s lies are on the verge of unraveling—along with the life she thought she
knew.
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Tween & YA FIC SEN
Senzai, N.H.
Shooting Kabul
In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadi’s parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave
Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives
at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam
through the crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go of his hand and becomes lost in the
crowd, just as Fadi is snatched up into the truck. With Taliban soldiers closing in, the truck
speeds away, leaving Mariam behind. Adjusting to life in the United States isn’t easy for Fadi’s
family and as the events of September 11th unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn
Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is
announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo
really bring Mariam home?
Tween & YA FIC SEN
Senzai, N.H.
Saving Kabul Corner
A rough and tumble tomboy, twelve-year-old Ariana couldn’t be more different from her cousin
Laila, who just arrived from Afghanistan with her family. Laila is a proper, ladylike Afghan girl, one
who can cook, sew, sing, and who is well versed in Pukhtun culture and manners. Arianna hates
her. Laila not only invades Ariana’s bedroom in their cramped Fremont townhouse, but she also
becomes close with Mariam Nurzai, Ariana’s best friend. Then a rival Afghan grocery store opens
near Ariana’s family store, reigniting a decades-old feud tracing back to Afghanistan. The
cousins, Mariam, and their newfound frenemy, Waleed Ghilzai, must ban together to help the
families find a lasting peace before it destroys both businesses and everything their parents have
worked for.
YA FIC SEW
Sewell, Earl
Keysha’s Drama
Sixteen-year-old Keysha Kendall is a judge's signature away from foster care when she's sent to
live with the father she never knew. Suddenly she has her own room in his big fancy house, a
high-powered stepmother and a popular half brother who can introduce her to all the right people
at her new school. But Keysha can't forget where she came from. And she won't let anyone else,
either. Why should her father and his perfect family have it so easy when she and her mother had
it so hard? And so Keysha hooks up with a rough crowd and does whatever she wants…until
what she wants changes real fast….
YA FIC SHA Shanahan, Lisa
Completely Lost It
The Sweet Terrible Glorious Year I Truly,
IN MY FAMILY, when anyone rides the wave of their emotions, we say they're chucking a birkett.
When the emotion drives out all common sense, we say they're chucking a big one. The telltale
signs are: flaming cheeks, shortness of breath, bulging eyes, and a prolonged illogical outburst.
Gemma Stone is convinced that it's always unseemly to chuck a birkett and that it's actually
insane to chuck one in front of a complete stranger. But that was before she fell for a boy who
barely knows she exists, before she auditioned for the school play, before she met the family of
freaks her sister Debbie is marrying into, before the unpredictable Raven De Head took an
interest in her, and before she realized that at the right time and for the right reason, a birkett
could be a beautiful thing.
YA FIC SHA
Sharif, Medeia
Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.
No pizza. No boyfriend. (No life.)Okay, so during Ramadan, we're not allowed to eat from sunrise
to sunset. For one whole month. My family does this every year, even though I've been to a
mosque exactly twice in my life. And it's true, I could stand to lose a few pounds. (Sadly, my
mom's hotness skipped a generation.) But is starvation really an acceptable method? I think
not.Even worse, my oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially
since Peter, a cute and crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa
likes him, too. To top it off, there's a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short
skirts, commanding every boy's attention-including Peter's. How can I get him to notice me? And
will I ever figure out how to be Muslim and American?
63
YA FIC SHE
Sheinmel, Alyssa
The Lucky Kind
High school junior Nick Brandt is intent on getting a girlfriend, and Eden Reiss is the one that he
wants. He has exactly four semesters to get the girl, but when the phone rings on an otherwise
ordinary Tuesday night, life for Nick and his parents will never be the same. What had been a
seemingly idyllic home life has become something else entirely. But with this shake-up comes a
newfound confidence for Nick; he's become a bolder version of himself, no longer afraid to
question his parents, and no longer afraid to talk to Eden.
YA FIC SHE
Sheinmel, Courtney
Positively
Emerson Price cannot remember a time when life was ordinary. She was four years old when she
and her mom were diagnosed as HIV-positive -- infected with the virus that causes AIDS -- and
eight when her parents divorced. Now she is thirteen and her mother is dead. Emmy moves in
with her father and stepmother, but she feels completely alone. Even though everyone has
always accepted her, no one -- not her father, or stepmother, or even her best friend -understands what it's like to have to take medicine every single day and to be so afraid of getting
sick. Now Emmy misses her mom more than she ever thought she would. When Emmy's dad and
stepmother send her to Camp Positive, a camp for HIV-positive girls, Emmy is certain she is
going to hate it. But soon she realizes that she is not so alone after all -- and that sometimes
letting other people in can make all the difference in the world.
YA FIC SHE
Sher, Abby
Kissing Snowflakes
Samantha thinks that Winter break is supposed to be all about romance, but she is stuck
spending hers in a Vermont Inn with her dad, brother, and impossibly perfect new stepmom. Sam
is determined to stay indoors and sulk—until she meets Drew. A blond, beautiful skier, Drew
shows Sam how to conquer the slopes and how to kiss, but is Drew really the boy who can melt
Sam's heart, or is there someone else at the lodge she should be kissing?
YA FIC SHE
Sheth, Kashmira
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet
Meet Jeeta Parekh, whose mother is old fashioned, always concerned with the family image. As
the third and youngest daughter, free-spirited and sharp-tongued Jeeta chafes at the traditional
Indian woman's life, including arranged marriages like her sisters'. The swirl of activities
surrounding her sisters' weddings leaves her wondering where the romance of the movies might
be. Dark skinned, like the elusive koyal bird, Jeeta has been told all her life that finding a suitor
will be difficult because she is not pretty. But as she spends time with her new friend Sarina and
her well-educated liberal parents, Jeeta begins to see a different future for herself. She strives to
find common ground between her tradition-bound family and her own dreams of college and a
future that just might include Neel, Sarina's handsome cousin.
YA FIC SHO Shoup, Barbara Everything You Want
With high school mercifully drawing to a close, Emma's only question is, What next? And can it
please be completely unlike what happened before? Then one lucky little lotto ticket seems to
give the answer-or does it? Everything You Want is a story about what happens to an average
family when money is suddenly no object. Although Emma is bright and creative and has a
supportive family, she isn't exactly excited about life after high school. She's got her share of
unresolved issues, including a disastrous ending to her crush of a lifetime, which left her with a
broken heart and a bloody nose (how do you move on when the only boy you've ever wanted to
date punches you in the face?). Then Emma's family wins fifty million dollars in the lottery, but
instead of making everything better, it just makes everything more complicated.
64
YA FIC SHU
Shusterman, Neal
Bruiser
Tennyson: Don't get me started on the Bruiser. He was voted "Most Likely to Get the Death
Penalty" by the entire school. He's the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears
disturbing rumors about. So why is my sister, Bronte, dating him? One of these days she's going
to take in the wrong stray dog, and it's not going to end well.
Bronte: My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way—no right to threaten him. There's
a reason why Brewster can't have friends—why he can't care about too many people. Because
when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can't be explained. I
know, because they're happening to me.
YA FIC SHU
Shusterman, Neal
Ship Out of Luck
In honor of Old Man Crawley’s eightieth birthday, the Bonano family has been invited to celebrate
with a weeklong cruise to the Caribbean aboard the world’s largest, grandest ship. But whether
on land or at sea, Antsy can’t manage to stay out of trouble: He quickly finds himself the
accomplice of stowaway and thief Tilde, whose self-made mission it is to smuggle onto the ship
and across the U.S. border illegal immigrants from her native Mexico. When Antsy steps in to
take the fall for Tilde, he becomes the focus of a major international incident and the poster child
for questionable decisions.
YA FIC SLO Sloan, Holly Goldberg
I’ll Be There
Sam Border wishes he could escape. Raised by an unstable father, he's spent his life moving
from place to place. But he could never abandon his little brother, Riddle.
Riddle Border doesn't talk much. Instead, he draws pictures of the insides of things and waits for
the day when the outsides of things will make sense. He worships his older brother. But how can
they leave when there's nowhere to go? Then everything changes. Because Sam meets Emily.
Emily Bell believes in destiny. She sings for her church choir, though she doesn't have a
particularly good voice. Nothing, she feels, is mere coincidence. And she's singing at the moment
she first sees Sam.
Everyone whose path you cross in life has the power to change you--sometimes in small ways,
and sometimes in ways greater than you could have ever known.
YA FIC SMI
Smith, Andrew
Stick
Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for
being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to
defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents. When Stick
realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home.
Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter
good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the
tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.
YA FIC SMI Smith, Jennifer The Statistical Probability of Love at First
Sight
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck
at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon
to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's
cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections,
second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make
you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.
65
YA FIC SMI
Smith, Sherri
Hot Sour Salty Sweet
Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a “marvelously biracial, multicultural family”
but what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on
eighth-grade graduation day, that’s a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to
celebrate, and Ana’s best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabata–the cutest boy in
school–for a home-cooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their
favorite dishes for dinner, and Grandma White and Nai Nai can’t agree on anything. Ana is tired
of feeling caught between her grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed
to be on.
YA FIC SON
The Mother Dies
Sones, Sonya
One of Those Hideous Books Where
It is true that the mother dies, but this hilarious and painfully real novel in verse and letters is
anything but hideous. Ruby Milliken knows everything that she needs to know about her father,
Whip Logan, whom she has not seen since she was a baby. He is a world-class actor, and more
important, a world-class jerk who left her and her mother and never wrote once. When her mother
dies, however, Ruby is sent from her home in Massachusetts to Los Angeles to live with him. She
resolves not to like him, a decision that is steadily worn down by a mutual love of classic cars and
some first-rate mediation by Max, Whip's personal assistant. As the school year progresses,
Ruby finds a home in Los Angeles and makes some important discoveries about Whip's absence
from her life. Whip Logan might be in the movies, but Sones's sparse, carefully chosen prose is
the star here, conveying Ruby's conflicts of home, friendship, and family in a sympathetic,
thoroughly believable manner.
YA FIC SON
Sones, Sonya
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Fourteen-year-old Sophie reveals the joy and surprise of falling in love and the endless struggles
with parents in free verse poetry.
YA FIC STA Standiford, Natalie
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother
gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of
her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.
Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of
her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the
family in her will. Or at least consider it. And so the confessions begin....
SR Section & YA FIC STA
Daughter of the Wind
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
Shabanu:
When eleven-year-old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day
Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family,
she must either accept the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her
father's wishes.
YA FIC STA
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
Haveli
Having relented to the ways of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom
she was pledged against her will, Shabanu is now the victim of his family's blood feud and the
malice of his other wives.
66
YA FIC STA
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
The House of Djinn
It has been ten years since Shabanu staged her death to secure the safety of her daughter,
Mumtaz, from her husband's murderous brother. Mumtaz has been raised by her father's family
with the education and security her mother desired for her, but with little understanding and love.
Only her American cousin Jameel, her closest confidant and friend, and the beloved family
patriarch, Baba, understand the pain of her loneliness. When Baba unexpectedly dies, Jameel's
succession as the Amirzai tribal leader and the arrangement of his marriage to Mumtaz are
revealed, causing both to question whether fulfilling their duty to the family is worth giving up their
dreams for the future.
YA FIC STE
Stevenson, Robin
A Thousand Shades of Blue
In an attempt to bring them all closer together, Rachel's parents uproot her and her younger
brother to sail the family boat down the East Coast and through the Caribbean. Rachel, 16, is
totally against the idea; she doesn't want to leave her older sister, who suffers from a brain injury
and lives in a group home. They will be gone for an entire year, which chaps Rachel's hide big
time, and then she discovers along the way that her mother is having an affair with a smarmy,
married yachtsman. Taking comfort in her friendship with older, freer Becca, Rachel begins to
strike out on her own, sneaking out at night to have a few drinks; hear music; and spend time with
a smooth, 25-year-old drifter.
YA FIC STE
Stevenson, Robin
Record Breaker
It's 1963, and Jack's family is still reeling from the SIDS death of his baby sister. Adrift in his own
life, Jack is convinced that setting a world record will bring his father back to his senses and his
mother back to life. But world events, including President Kennedy's assassination, threaten to
overshadow any record Jack tries to beat—from sausage eating to face slapping. Nothing works,
and Jack is about to give up when a new friend suggests a different approach that involves
listening to, not breaking, records.
YA FIC STR
Strasser, Todd
Thief of Dreams
Thirteen-year-old Martin's parents are always too busy making money to pay much attention to
him, so he enjoys the attention he gets from his Uncle Lawrence, until he discovers that his uncle
has a secret life.
YA FIC STR
Strong, Jeremy
Stuff: the Life of a Cool, Demented Dude
Simon, a British thirteen-year-old, has problems-typical teenager problems. His parents
separated, and his mother has moved to Scotland to live with her new boyfriend. Simon also has
issues with his devoted girlfriend Delfine and her overprotective brother. Furthermore Simon's
father has a new girlfriend who has just moved in, and she has brought her lovely daughter,
Natasha. Natasha adds to Simon's hectic life as she seems to take pleasure in making him even
more miserable. Nicknamed Stuff because he is full of random information, Simon does have
some bright spots in his life-his good pal Pete and the successful comic strip that he
anonymously writes for the school magazine. Simon's life improves when beautiful new student
Sky arrives. He struggles to manage his new family life, his school life, a school bully, and his
comic strip, all while trying to figure out how to win over Sky, the girl of his dreams.
67
YA FIC SUM
Suma, Nova Ren
Imaginary Girls
A sexy, surreal and touching exploration of the outer limits of sisterly love's power.
In upstate New York, Ruby and Chloe have reared themselves after being abandoned by their
useless drunk of a mother, and they nearly own their idyllic town. Ruby is a casually sultry beauty
whose magnetic appeal allows her to get her way in matters of fashion, finance and affection.
Ferociously protective of Chloe, who feels she's "a pencil drawing of a photocopy of a Polaroid" of
her sister, Ruby Makes Things Happen. When a fellow teen dies during a summer party at the
town's reservoir, where an entire neighboring town lies, silent and drowned, Chloe exiles herself
to Pennsylvania to live with her father. But two years later, Ruby calls her home to discover that
London, the girl who died at the party, is alive, and nobody remembers she was dead. Ruby is full
of even more odd stories and rules, and Chloe is torn between a dreadful curiosity—how are
Ruby, London and the reservoir connected?—and relief at being back in her sister's fierce, loving
orbit.
YA FIC SUZ
Suzuma, Tabitha
Forbidden
Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than
siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their
three younger siblings. As de facto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow
up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—
has also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they
have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They
know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what
feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one
thing is certain: A love this devastating has no happy ending.
YA FIC TAN
Tanaka, Shelley
Nobody Knows
It’s autumn in Tokyo, and twelve-year-old Akira and his younger siblings, Kyoko, Shige and little
Yuki, have just moved into a new apartment with their mother. Akira hopes it’s a new start for all
of them, even though the little ones are not allowed to leave the apartment or make any noise,
since the landlord doesn’t permit young children in the building. But their mother soon begins to
spend more and more time away from the apartment, and then one morning Akira finds an
envelope of money and a note. She has gone away with her new boyfriend for a while.
Akira bravely shoulders the responsibility for the family. He shops and cooks and pays the bills,
while Kyoko does the laundry. The children spend their time watching TV, drawing and playing
games, wishing they could go to school and have friends like everyone else. Then one morning
their mother breezes in with gifts for everyone, but she is soon gone again. Months pass, until
one spring day Akira decides they have been prisoners in the apartment long enough. For a brief
time the children bask in their freedom. They shop, explore, plant a little balcony garden, have the
playground to themselves. Even when the bank account is empty and the utilities are turned off
and the children become increasingly ill-kempt, it seems that they have been hiding for nothing. In
the bustling big city, nobody notices them. It’s as if nobody knows. But by August the city is
sweltering, and the children are too malnourished and exhausted even to go out. Akira is afraid to
contact child welfare, remembering the last time the authorities intervened, and the family was
split up. Eventually even he can’t hold it together any more, and then one day tragedy strikes…
68
YA FIC TAR
Tarttelin, Abigail
Golden Boy
Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect
friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother.
Karen, Max’s mother, is determined to maintain the façade of effortless excellence she has
constructed through the years, but now that the boys are getting older, she worries that the
façade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband Steve has chosen this
moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their
lives. The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is
intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his
trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why
won’t his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from
each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and
what his future holds, especially now that he’s starting to fall head over heels for someone for the
first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever
want him—desire him—once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look
inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really?
YA FIC TAT
Tate, Nikki
Fallout
Tara's sister died a year ago, on the day that Tara didn't answer her phone when Hannah called.
And Hannah stepped in front of a bus. Now Tara lives with the guilt of wondering if things would
be different if she had been there when Hannah needed her most. Competing in slam poetry
competitions is the only way Tara can keep her sister's memory alive and deal with all the
unanswered questions. But at some point, Tara is going to have to let Hannah rest in peace, and
she will need to find a way to move on.
YA FIC TAY
Taylor, Brooke
Undone
When Kori Kitlzer, the “dark angel” of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike
than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine,
Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken, and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena
doesn’t know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from
Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend’s life left undone.
Tween & YA FIC TAY
Taylor, Mildred
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Nine-year-old Cassie Logan, growing up protected by her loving family, has never had reason to
suspect that any white person could consider her inferior or wish her harm. But during the course
of one devastating year when her community begins to be ripped apart by angry night riders
threatening African-Americans, she and her three brothers come to understand why the land they
own means so much to their Papa. "Look out there, Cassie girl. All that belongs to you. You ain't
never had to live on nobody's place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you'll
never have to. That's important. You may not understand that now but one day you will. Then
you'll see."
YA FIC TRE
Tregay, Sarah
Love and Leftovers
Marcie has been dragged away from home for the summer--from Idaho to a family summerhouse
in New Hampshire. She's left behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the
Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.
By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "summer vacation" has become
permanent. She has to start at a new school, and there she leaves behind her Leftover status
when a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love,
especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like,
really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?
69
YA FIC UND
Underdahl, S.T.
No Man’s Land
If life were a movie, my role would be Emo Kid/Family Loser. My brother Brian would star as
Master of the Universe. You might think it would be easy to resent him, but my brother is
impossible to hate. Just like everyone else, I’m thrilled to have Brian back home from Afghanistan
in one piece. But he’s different now. Everyone refuses to see my brother’s dark secret. What will
it take for them to wake up and face the ugly truth?
YA FIC VAI
Vail, Rachel
Lucky
It's all good . . . and lucky Phoebe Avery plans to celebrate by throwing an end-of-the-year bash
with her four closest friends. Everything will be perfect—from the guest list to the fashion
photographer to the engraved invitations. The only thing left to do is find the perfect dress . . .
until Phoebe goes from having it all to hiding all she's lost. Phoebe's older sisters warn her to
keep the family's crisis totally secret. Unfortunately, her alpha-girl best friend looks increasingly
suspicious, and Phoebe's crush starts sending seriously mixed signals. Phoebe tries hard to keep
smiling, but when her mother is humiliated in Neiman Marcus while buying Phoebe that perfect
dress and her father decides to cancel her party, she panics. How far will she go to keep up her
image as a lucky girl?
YA FIC VAI
Vail, Rachel
Gorgeous
She's looking good...but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters,
Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up
and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's
one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone. Though her deal with the
devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy
as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison
can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't
making things any easier. Plus when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model,
all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay
gorgeous forever?
YA FIC VAI
Vail, Rachel
Brilliant
Everything is going to be fine . . . .
Quinn Avery can handle change. It's just paint, right? Bright, blinding white paint covering her
once dazzling red bedroom walls. Quinn knows she shouldn't be angry at her mom—she's doing
what she must to sell the house—but still, Quinn is beyond mad, and she doesn't know what to
do about it. Until now, Quinn was doing a pretty good job at pretending to be her old self—calm
and brilliant Avery daughter, responsible big sister to Allison and Phoebe, piano virtuoso, girl who
makes everyone proud—but without the sanctuary of her room, a new, wild Quinn is emerging.
Lying, sneaking out, partying, Quinn is practically asking to get caught. When Quinn adds kissing
the wrong boys—including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher—to her list of crimes,
has she gone too far to save herself?
YA FIC VAL
Valentine, Jenny
Broken Soup
Someone shoves a photo negative into Rowan's hands. She is distracted but, frankly, she has
larger problems to worry about. Her brother is dead. Her father has left. Her mother won't get out
of bed. She has to take care of her younger sister. And keep it all together . . . But Rowan is
curious about the mysterious boy and the negative. Who is he? Why did he give it to her? The
mystery only deepens when the photo is developed and the inconceivable appears. Everything is
about to change for Rowan. . . . Finally, something positive is in her life.
70
YA FIC VIV
Vivian, Siobhan
A Little Friendly Advice
Ruby's turning sixteen . . . but the day doesn't turn out to be as sweet as it's supposed to be. Her
long-lost father shows up, and Ruby doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Instead, she
wants to hang out with her friends--loyal Beth, dangerous Katherine, and gossipy Maria. They
have plenty of advice for her--about boys, about her dad, about how she should look and what
she should be feeling. But really, Ruby doesn't know what to think or feel. Especially when a new
boy comes into the picture . . . and Ruby discovers some of her friends aren't as truthful as they
say.
YA FIC VIO
Violi, Jen
Putting Makeup on Dead People
In the spring of her senior year, Donna Parisi finds new life in an unexpected place: a coffin.
Since her father’s death four years ago, Donna has gone through the motions of living: her
friendships are empty, she’s clueless about what to do after high school graduation, and her grief
keeps her isolated, cut off even from the one parent she has left. That is until she’s standing in
front of the dead body of a classmate at Brighton Brothers’ Funeral Home. At that moment,
Donna realizes what might just give her life purpose is comforting others in death. That maybe
who she really wants to be is a mortician.
This discovery sets in motion a life Donna never imagined was possible. She befriends a
charismatic new student, Liz, notices a boy, Charlie, and realizes that maybe he's been noticing
her, too, and finds herself trying things she hadn’t dreamed of trying before. By taking risks,
Donna comes into her own, diving into her mortuary studies with a passion and skill she didn’t
know she had in her. And she finally understands that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting
someone you love.
Tween & YA FIC VOI
Voigt, Cynthia
Homecoming
"IT'S STILL TRUE." That's the first thing James Tillerman says to his sister Dicey every morning.
It's still true that their mother has abandoned the four Tillerman children somewhere in the middle
of Connecticut. It's still true they have to find their way, somehow, to Great-Aunt Cilla's house in
Bridgeport, which may be their only hope of staying together as a family. But when they get to
Bridgeport, they learn that Great-Aunt Cilla has died, and the home they find with her daughter,
Eunice, isn't the permanent haven they've been searching for. So their journey continues to its
unexpected conclusion - and some surprising discoveries about their history, and their future.
J, Tween, & YA FIC VOI
Voigt, Cynthia
Dicey’s Song
The four Tillerman children finally have a home at their grandmother's rundown farm on the
Maryland shore. It's what Dicey has dreamed of for her three younger siblings, but after watching
over the others for so long, it's hard to let go. Who is Dicey if she's no longer the caretaker for her
family? Dicey finds herself new friends, in a growing relationship with her grandmother, and the
satisfaction of refinishing the old boat she found in the barn. Then, as Dicey experiences the trials
and pleasures of making a new life, the past comes back with devastating force, and Dicey learns
just how necessary - and painful - letting go can be.
YA FIC VOI
Voigt, Cynthia
Seventeen Against the Dealer
Dicey Tillerman has big dreams. She's started a boatbuilding business, and she's determined to
prove she can succeed on her own. That's why at first she resists the offer of help from Cisco, the
mysterious stranger who turns up one day at her shop. But running a business doesn't leave
much time for the people Dicey treasures - her grandmother, her younger siblings, and her
boyfriend, Jeff. And then the trust Dicey puts in Cisco turns out to be misplaced. Suddenly it
seems as if Dicey could lose everything - has she discovered too late what really matters to her?
71
YA FIC VOI
Voigt, Cynthia
Sons From Afar
James and Sammy Tillerman are as different as two brothers can be. But when Jimmy seeks out
their missing father, Sammy joins in. As they ask questions and move closer to their quest, it is
Sammy who grows more interested - until the questions lead the brothers to a seedy waterfront
bar where violence erupts....
YA FIC VOO
Voorhes, Coert
The Brothers Torres
Frankie Towers has always looked up to his older brother, Steve, and with good reason. Steve is
a popular senior who always gets what he wants: girls, a soccer scholarship, and--lately--street
cred. Frankie, on the other hand, spends his time shooting off fireworks with his best friend Zach,
working at his parents' restaurant, and obsessing about his longtime crush, Rebecca Sanchez.
Frankie has reservations about Steve's crusade to win the respect of the local cholos. He doesn't
think about them, though, until he gets into a fist fight John Dalton - the richest, preppiest kid in
his New Mexican high school, and longtime nemesis of Steve. After the fight, Steve takes Frankie
under his wing - and Frankie's social currency begins to rise. The cholos who used to ignore him
start to recognize him; he even lands a date to Homecoming with Rebecca. The situation with
Dalton continues to simmer, and after another incident Steve is bent on retaliating. Frankie starts
to think that his brother is taking this respect thing too far. He may have to choose between
respecting his brother and respecting himself.
YA FIC VRE
Vrettos, Adrienne Maria
Skin
Fourteen-year-old Donnie cannot revive his sister, nor can the EMTs who arrive to rush her
emaciated body to the hospital. She was his rock; the one who protected him from the ugliness of
their parents' foundering marriage. But a year ago she stopped eating, becoming clever at
deceiving her family once they realized what she was doing and attending but ignoring
counseling. It is Donnie's story and not Karen's, and his cry from page to page is for someone to
please, please notice him, because "This is happening to me, too, you know!" His friends have
decided to freeze him out, putting him at the bottom of the social food chain. His father forgets to
show up to do this or that with him, or appears unannounced, expecting that his family will fall at
his feet. His mother, with shades of obsessive-compulsive disorder, is-without the physical
battering-a classic battered wife. There is no one there for Donnie but Donnie himself, trying
desperately to connect with someone-anyone-who will see that he is there.
YA FIC WAL
Waldorf, Heather
Tripping
Rainey has a congenital amputation and wears a prosthesis on her left leg. Happily, the selfsufficient 17-year-old has no problem with that; what she's most concerned about is her sketchy
future. She wants to be an artist, but her father thinks she should settle for a more realistic career.
Hoping eight weeks in the woods will help her resolve this dilemma, Rainey signs up for a
study/camping trip, but things quickly grow complicated when she breaks up with troubled Carlos,
meets hunky Alain, and learns that her birth mother, whom she's never seen, wants to meet her.
YA FIC WAR
Warner, Sally
This Isn’t About the Money
Twelve-year-old Janey tries to adjust in the aftermath of an automobile accident that kills her
parents, severely injures her face, and forces her and her younger sister to move from Arizona to
California to live with their grandfather and great-aunt.
Tween & YA FIC WAR
Warner, Sally
A Long Time Ago Today
Would you want to read a letter written to you by your mother six years ago? Even if your mother
had died when you were only six years old? If she had left you "Snob Hill," a two-hundred-yearold farm in the Adirondacks which you both hate and love? And even if everyone only speaks of
how perfect she was, never how she really was? Twelve-year-old Dilly Howell isn't so sure she
wants to read that letter. What if it only makes her resent her mother more? But with the help of
her father, her friends, and the memories uncovered during a summer at Snob Hill, Dilly discovers
that her mother was someone that she still loves very much.
72
YA FIC WEB Webb, Sarah
Bridesmaid Blitz (Ask Amy Green)
It seems that nobody has time for thirteen-year-old Amy these days! Her boyfriend, Seth, is
preoccupied with his mom’s health. Amy’s dad barely knows she exists after her half-sister is
born prematurely (thanks so much, Amy, for getting your stepmother to the hospital on time!).
And Mom is having meltdowns about her impending wedding. So a whirlwind trip to Paris with
Amy’s cool teenage aunt, Clover, couldn’t come at a better time, especially since the school’s
French class (and Amy’s beau) happen to be there as well. Now why wouldn’t her boyfriend enjoy
having Amy track him down by GPS and surprise him in the City of Light? Hold on to your beret,
les filles are on their way!
YA FIC WEB
Webb, Sarah Summer Secrets (Ask Amy Green)
Could this summer be any worse? Thirteen-year-old Amy’s dreamy boyfriend, Seth, is off to
Rome, while she gets to spend two weeks on a tiny Irish island with a nagging mom and a
neurotic aunt locked in a feud, not to mention a crazy stepdad and a surly cousin. Good thing
Clover, teen advice columnist supreme, is there to keep Amy from going completely nuts! It
doesn’t help Amy’s changeable mood that Seth keeps mentioning some girl in his e-mails, or that
Amy feels an electric attraction to the mysterious young gardener next door. So when The Goss
magazine unexpectedly sends Clover to glitzy Miami to write a revealing piece on a hot young
actor (with Amy as her sidekick, of course) it couldn’t come at a better time. U.S. of A-mazinghere they come!
Tween & YA FIC WEE
Weeks, Sarah
So B. It
Heidi has had a most unusual childhood. She lives with her mother, who is severely mentally
handicapped, in Reno, Nevada. Next door in the apartment house is a loving woman, Bernadette,
who takes care of them but suffers from agoraphobia and cannot leave the apartment. Many
years ago, Bernadette found the infant Heidi and her bewildered young mother on her doorstep,
neither one able to explain who they are. For years, the three of them have managed, using
Bernadette's coping skills and Heidi's growing independence and capability. (All the practical
details of how this odd trio copes with everyday life are explained throughout the story, and it's
quite fascinating.) Heidi finds an old camera with film in it hidden away in a drawer, and she gets
the photographs developed: they reveal a Christmas party, with the name of a place, and Heidi's
young mother in one of the pictures—all clues to the identities of Heidi and her mother, who calls
herself So B. It. Heidi becomes obsessed with these clues and Bernadette does what she can by
telephone to get to the truth. But the people at the other end of the phone don't cooperate. Heidi
decides that the only way she can find out the truth is to travel by herself by bus across the
country to Hilltop Home, in the town of Liberty, New York. Bernadette can't really stop her, so she
supports her and monitors Heidi's progress through telephone calls. Once Heidi gets to Liberty
and meets the man who was Santa in one of the lost photos, nothing is easy, because this man
doesn't want to help her in any way. Fortunately, through the kindness of the receptionist at the
home and the local policeman, Heidi is cared for, and finally the truth about her parents and
grandparents is revealed.
YA FIC WEI
Weinheimer, Beckie
Converting Kate
Kate was raised in the Holy Divine Church—it influenced everythingfrom her homeschooling to
her handmade clothes. But ever since her unbelieving father’s death last year, she has suspected
that there’s more to life than memorizing scripture. Taking advantage of their move to a new
town, Kate—to her devout mother’s horror—quits Holy Divine. She joins the cross-country team,
wears shorts to public school, and even tries a traditional Christian church. As she struggles to
come to terms with her father’s death and her mother’s unquestioning beliefs, Kate discovers
there’s a big difference between religion and faith—and that the two don’t always go hand in
hand.
73
YA FIC WER
Werlin, Nancy
Rules of Survival
It all starts when Matthew observes a heroic scene in a convenience store: A man named
Murdoch puts himself between an abusive father and his son. Matt is determined to get to know
this man. And when, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt's mother, it seems as if life may
become peaceful for the first time. Matt and his sisters have never before known a moment of
peace in a household ruled by their unpredictable, vicious mother. And so, after Murdoch
inevitably breaks up with her and the short period of family calm is over, Matt sees that he needs
to take action. He refuses to let his family remain at risk. Can he call upon his hero, Murdoch?
And if not, what might his desperation lead him to do?
YA FIC WHA
Whaley, John Corey Where Things Come Back
In the remarkable, bizarre, and heart-wrenching summer before Cullen Witter’s senior year of
high school, he is forced to examine everything he thinks he understands about his small and
painfully dull Arkansas town. His cousin overdoses; his town becomes absurdly obsessed with
the alleged reappearance of an extinct woodpecker; and most troubling of all, his sensitive, gifted
fifteen-year-old brother, Gabriel, suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Meanwhile, the crisis of
faith spawned by a young missionary’s disillusion in Africa prompts a frantic search for meaning
that has far-reaching consequences. As distant as the two stories initially seem, they are woven
together through masterful plotting and merge in a surprising and harrowing climax.
YA FIC WIL
Williams, Carol Lynch
The Chosen One
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning
her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them
much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden
books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man
chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who
already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own
fears of losing her family.
YA FIC WIL
Williams, Carol Lynch
Miles From Ordinary
Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the
library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her
mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and
they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day
full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control....
YA FIC WIL Williams, Carol Lynch
Waiting
Growing up, London and Zach were as close as could be. And then Zach dies, and the family is
gutted. London’s father is distant. Her mother won’t speak. The days are filled with what-ifs and
whispers: Was it London’s fault? Alone and adrift, London finds herself torn between her
brother’s best friend and the handsome new boy in town as she struggles to find herself—and
ultimately redemption—in this authentic and affecting novel from award-winning novelist Carol
Lynch Williams.
74
Tween & YA FIC WIL
Williams-Garcia, Rita
One Crazy Summer
It is 1968, and three black sisters from Brooklyn have been put on a California-bound plane by
their father to spend a month with their mother, a poet who ran off years before and is living in
Oakland. It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member
Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in
berets shouting "Black Power" on the news. Delphine, 11, remembers her mother, but after years
of separation she's more apt to believe what her grandmother has said about her, that Cecile is a
selfish, crazy woman who sleeps on the street. At least Cecile lives in a real house, but she
reacts to her daughters' arrival without warmth or even curiosity. Instead, she sends the girls to
eat breakfast at a center run by the Black Panther Party and tells them to stay out as long as they
can so that she can work on her poetry. Over the course of the next four weeks, Delphine and her
younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, spend a lot of time learning about revolution and staying out of
their mother's way.
Tween & YA FIC WIL
Wilson, Jacqueline
Candyfloss
Floss loves spending weekends with her dad in his greasy spoon café. But when her mother and
stepfather announce they are moving to Australia, Floss finds herself in an impossible situation. If
she decides to stay with Dad, inept but loving and lots of fun, she won’t get to see her mom for six
whole months. But if she goes with her mom, can her dad get along without her? Even worse,
how will her choice affect her precious friendship with her popular but not-so-loyal best friend,
Rhiannon?
YA FIC WOL
Wolfson, Jill
Home & Other Big Fat Lies
Sixth grader Whitney is heading out to her twelfth foster home-this time in the middle of nowhere.
Born with a heart condition and ADHD, she knows that she is a handful and that this one will end
up to be just one more place where other people belong. She just wishes that stupid feeling
would not slip in at the worst possible moment-the one that makes her hope that this family will be
the one "down on their knees, praying night and day about having a superfunny, hyper,
loudmouthed, messy, small-for-her-age foster kid." Needing to squash that idea down before it
gets out of hand, Whitney makes sure that she gets noticed on her own terms before anyone gets
any ideas about who she is or what she needs. What she does not count on is a school where
half the students are fosters in a broken-down town torn between the logging industry and the
environmentalists. Finding a hidden nature girl under her city background, Whitney makes a
stand for her beliefs and rallies the support of some surprising allies along the way.
YA FIC WOO
Woodson, Jacqueline
Beneath a Meth Moon
Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she's still reeling from the
loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home.
Laurel's new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and TBoom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and
memories from her past. When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under
its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated
from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again.
With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she's able to begin to rewrite her
story and start to move on from her addiction.
YA FIC WOO
Woodson, Jacqueline
The House You Pass On the Way
Thirteen-year-old Staggerlee used to be called Evangeline, but she took on a fiercer name. She's
always been different—set apart by the tragic deaths of her grandparents in an anti-civil rights
bombing, by her parents' interracial marriage, and by her family's retreat from the world. This
summer she has a new reason to feel set apart—her confused longing for her friend Hazel. When
cousin Trout comes to stay, she gives Staggerlee a first glimpse of her possible future selves and
the world beyond childhood.
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YA FIC WOO
Woolston, Blythe
The Freak Observer
For eight years, Loa Lindgren’s world ran like one of those mechanical models of the solar
system, with her baby sister, Asta, as the sun. Asta suffered from a genetic disorder that left her a
permanent infant, and caring for her was Loa’s life. Everything spun neatly and regularly as the
whole family orbited around Asta. But now Asta’s dead, and 16-year-old Loa’s clockwork galaxy
has collapsed. As Loa spins off on her own, her mind ambushes her with vivid nightmares and
sadistic flashbacks — a textbook case of PTSD. But there are no textbook fixes for Loa’s shortcircuiting brain. She must find her own way to pry her world from the clutches of death.
YA FIC WRI
Wright, Bill
When the Black Girl Sings
Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private prep school. She's also the adopted child of
two loving, but white, parents who are on the road to divorce. Struggling to comfort her mother
and angry with her dad, Lahni feels more and more alone. But when Lahni and her mother attend
a local church one Sunday, Lahni hears the amazing gospel choir, and her life takes an
unexpected turn. It so happens that one of Lahni's teachers, Mr. Faringhelli, has nominated her
for a talent competition, and she is expected to perform a song in front of the whole school. Lahni
decides to join the church choir to help her become a better singer. But what starts out as a way
to practice singing becomes a place of belonging and a means for Lahni to discover her own
identity.
YA FIC YEE
Yee, Lisa
Absolutely Maybe
Meet Maybelline Mary Katherine Mary Ann Chestnut, named for two Miss Americas and her
mother Chessy's favorite brand of mascara. Chessy teaches the students in her charm school her
Seven Select Rules for Young Ladies, but she won't tell Maybe who her real father is -- or protect
her from her latest scuzzball boyfriend. So Maybe hitches a ride to California with her friends
Hollywood and Thammasat Tantipinichwong Schneider (aka Ted) -- and what she finds there is
funny, sad, true, and inspiring.
YA FIC YOO
Yoo, Paula
Good Enough
How to make your Korean parents happy:
1. Get a perfect score on the SATs.
2. Get into HarvardYalePrinceton.
3. Don't talk to boys.*
Patti's parents expect nothing less than the best from their Korean-American daughter.
Everything she does affects her chances of getting into an Ivy League school. So winning
assistant concertmaster in her All-State violin competition and earning less than 2300 on her
SATs is simply not good enough.
But Patti's discovering that there's more to life than the Ivy League. To start with, there's Cute
Trumpet Guy. He's funny, he's talented, and he looks exactly like the lead singer of Patti's favorite
band. Then, of course, there's her love of the violin. Not to mention cool rock concerts. And
anyway, what if Patti doesn't want to go to HarvardYalePrinceton after all?
YA FIC ZAR Zarr, Sara
Story of a Girl
When Deanna's father catches her having sex in a car when she is 13, her life is drastically
changed. Two years later, he still can't look her in the eye, and though Tommy is the only boy
she's been with, she is branded the school slut. Her entire family watches her as though she is
likely to sleep with anyone she sees, and Tommy still smirks at and torments her when she sees
him. Her two best friends have recently begun dating, and Deanna feels like an intruder. She tries
to maintain a close relationship with her older brother, but Darren and his girlfriend are struggling
as teenage parents. Deanna learns to protect herself by becoming outwardly tough, but feels her
isolation acutely. Her only outlet is her journal in which she writes the story of an anonymous girl
who has the same experiences and feelings that she does. Through this, readers see the
potential that Deanna cannot identify in herself. This is a heartbreaking look at how a teenager
can be defined by one mistake, and how it shapes her sense of self-worth. This is realistic fiction
at its best.
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YA FIC ZAR
Zarr, Sara
How to Save a Life
Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died,
she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support
her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a
lost family member with a new one. Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up
unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy
becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder
to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too? As their worlds change
around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or
as difficult--as it seems.
YA FIC ZAR
Zarr, Sara
Once Was Lost
Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's
kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But
lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father
seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is
kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of
faith holding her together begins to unravel.
YA FIC ZAR Zarr, Sara The Lucy Variations
Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her
name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain. That
was all before she turned fourteen. Now, at sixteen, it's over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to
walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the
Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and
interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano -- on her own terms. But when you're used to
performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for
yourself?
YA FIC ZEI Zeises, Lara
Anyone but You
Critter and Jesse have been close to Seattle since her dad moved in with their mother. Closer still
since he took off six years ago and Layla decided to raise Sea as one of her own. It’s a decision
none of them regrets, especially not Critter. He’s more than a brother–he’s Seattle’s best friend.
Now it’s vacation, and Seattle and Critter are stoop sitters, at least until summer school starts in
July. It beats working like Jesse, or worse, studying like Layla wants them to. It’s too hot for
Seattle to be on her skateboard–too hot, even, for Critter to be scamming on girls. But Sea comes
up with a plan for them to bluff their way into the ritzy swimming pool the next town over. Big
mistake. Soon Critter’s got his heart set on a Penn Acres princess, while Seattle’s trying hard not
to fall for a skater boy on the rebound. For the first time in a long while, they can talk to anyone
but each other. Then Seattle’s dad shows up unexpectedly, and the way of life Critter and Seattle
have always known begins to change even more. . . .
YA FIC ZEI Zeises, Lara
The Sweet Life of Stella Madison
When Stella Madison's food-loving parents help her land a summer job at the local newspaper,
there’s only one catch: she’s expected to write about food. Luckily, Stella has Jeremy, the hot
new intern at her mom’s restaurant, who’s more than happy to help. But where does that leave
Stella’s boyfriend, Max, who recently dropped the L-word? And could her separated parents be
cooking up romances of their own?
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