Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

London is devastated by the death of her brother Zach. It has been months and she is still living a daily nightmare. Her missionary father hardly speaks, her mother ignores her and blames her for his death, and she is cut off from other students at school. This novel in free verse explores how to find healing in the midst of so much grief. London begins to recover due to the support of her ex-boyfriend Taylor and two newcomers to her town who reach out to her and accept her without knowing much of her back story. The details of Zach's death unfold slowly which makes this introspective story more compelling. It's a sad but not depressing story that takes a hopeful turn at the end.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

This book will appeal to anyone who has ever had a totally one-sided crush on someone. Sadie has been in love with her best friend Garrett for two years. They watch art movies, write poetry, and spend much of their time together. Unfortunately, she's the best friend who's always there to sympathize as he talks about his problems and successes with other girlfriends. When Garrett goes off to a summer writing program and Sadie is left behind for the summer she decides it's time for a Garrett detox. No more thinking about him, dreaming about him, and hearing about his new girlfriends. With the help of Sadie's new friends at the coffee shop where she works and her old friend Kayla she puts the twelve step plan into action. This was a humorous book with good writing and it kept me interested till the end. It would be good for teens who like chick lit and realistic fiction.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine

Dit lives in Alabama in the early 1900s with his 9 siblings. He has high hopes for a new boy moving in nearby, but when the new postmaster arrives Dit is surprised to find that the family is African American, and instead of a son they have a smart, proper, opinionated daughter named Emma. As you might expect, Dit and Emma forge an unlikely friendship and Dit learns a great deal about the racism of the society he lives in. When a black barber shoots a cruel white man in self-defense, he is sentenced to death. Dit and Emma make a plan to save the innocent black man's life. Emma and Dit's friendship is authentic and, of course, troubling to those around them. Readers will get a taste of race relations in the last century, albeit with an improbable dose of optimism. It's a good story and will probably appeal to kids who might not normally be interested in historical fiction.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

This graphic novel is a must-read for middle schoolers who are into theater. Raina Telgemeier already has many fans of her first book, Smile, and this is another look at the joys and heartaches of being in middle school. Callie, a 7th grader, loves working on the stage crew for her school's drama department. She's a bit unlucky in love but a real go-getter with lots of talent. The plot centers around the school musical and the middle schoolers who make up the cast and crew. Callie is designing sets and creating a functional cannon for the stage while juggling friendships and crushes and learning to accept people as they are. Two things I really appreciated about this book were that Callie's interests and talents were what mattered in the end—not what boy she ended up with. I also appreciated the honest and accepting attitude toward the gay characters in the story. While Smile was aimed at a slightly younger audience, I would recommend Drama to 6th-8th graders.

Every Day by David Levithan

Imagine being a person with no body of your own. The main character in this story, who calls himself A, finds himself in a new body each and every day. He takes over the person't life for one day, then at midnight (usually when A is asleep) he enters a new person's body for the next 24 hours. He is always careful not to mess up the lives of the people he inhabits. He goes to school and sports practices and family dinners so that no one is the wiser. A really has no gender—some days he is male and some days female. He has been blind and a drug addict and a victim of abuse. He can wake up as a person of any race or ethnicity, but he always returns somewhere within a few hundred miles of his previous body. One day A wakes up in the body of a tough guy with a girlfriend named Rhiannon. She is special and she and A spend a magical day together skipping school and going to the beach. Of course, Rhiannon just thinks her boyfriend has suddenly become a nice guy, but the truth is she is connecting with A. From that day on, A starts breaking the rules and trying to connect with Rhiannon. But how can love survive with a person who has no physical body? It's a great premise that's well executed. The author sticks to the rules he has set up for A's life and it's fun to read about each new day in A's life. Recommended for high school readers.

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Gene has learned how to survive in a hostile world. He never lets anyone see him sweat. He makes no facial expressions. He scratches his wrists when something is funny. He never eats fruits or vegetables or drinks water in public. If the people around him discover that he is a "heper" (their word for human) they will devour him instantly in a frenzy of blood and gore. Gene goes to high school and tries to avoid notice. But when he wins a lottery and is chosen for the heper hunt, he can't hide any more. He will be expected to hunt and kill the last known hepers in the world. This is the story of Gene's training and the eventual heper hunt. It's full of suspense and action, and is already very popular, especially among guys at my school. The word vampire is never used, but the bloodthirsty people who control Gene's world clearly bear a lot of similarities to vampires. At first glance this didn't sound like it would be my kind of story, but the author really drew me in and made me care about Gene and the other hepers. Fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy this even though it's in a slightly different genre. Recommended for 7th-12th graders.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Waverly is a 15-year-old girl who was born in outer space. She is currently on the space station Empyrean hurtling away from earth and toward a new future on a distant planet called “New Earth.” It will be her job to marry and have lots of babies in order to keep the human race alive. Her boyfriend, Kieran, seems made for her. He loves her and will be the future captain of their ship. But she can’t help noticing the darkly intriguing Seth who is also on board. Everything changes in an instant when the Empyrean is hijacked by its sister ship, the New Horizon. All of the adults are killed or have disappeared and the girls of the Empyrean are kidnapped and taken to the New Horizon where they will be used as breeders. On the New Horizon Waverly struggles to lead a rebellion of the kidnapped girls and back on the Empyrean, Kieran and Seth battle to take control of the remaining boys left on the spaceship. Both are caught in a life-and-death struggle in the unforgiving and dangerous realm of outer space. While I found some of the action unbelievable at times and the secondary characters poorly fleshed-out, it's a fast-paced read and an intriguing concept that would be appropriate for 7th-12th graders.

A Certain October by Angela Johnson

A Certain October is a small and unassuming book. It paints an intricate picture of Scotty and her friends and family as she navigates through a difficult month in her life. Scotty's younger brother with autism steals cookies and runs naked through the neighborhood. Her best friend Misha is preparing for the homecoming dance where she is a rebellious homecoming queen candidate. Scotty's other best friend, Falcone, has broken up with his boyfriend and trying to find a way to visit his estranged older sister. Everyone is going about their normal lives when Scotty and her brother are in a train wreck. The book is about how she deals with the resulting injuries, death, and guilt. It's not a sad book, though. It shows how ordinary people can go on living in spite of difficult circumstances Angela Johnson's writing style is spare and deceptively simple, at times poignant and often humorous. It's a beautiful and rewarding book that will most certainly win some literary awards this year. Recommended for grades 9-up.

BZRK by Michael Grant

This book at times blew my mind and went right over my head. It's about two rival factions of futuristic scientists who have developed nanobots that can be controlled by human brains and sent into other people's bodies, usually for evil purposes. Smart young kids are the best at controlling these nanobots but they frequently go insane after a few years of piloting the bugs through human flesh. (Lots of gross descriptions of this here, by the way.) A war is on and this book is all action and intrigue as they battle for world domination. I totally see the appeal to teens but honestly, it was a little hard for me to follow this crazy story. Recommended for grades 9-up.

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel

This colorful, action-packed graphic novel drew me in and I finished the book in one sitting. It features an underdog kid named Cam with a down-and-out father. Together they create a cardboard man that comes to life. Bill, as he is called, is a good character (as far as cardboard men go) and helpful to have around. The problems arise when Cam's nasty friend Marcus figures out how to create his own cardboard army of evil creatures. The cardboard creatures rage out of control and Cam and Marcus must fight them off. This alone is a great plot for middle school kids, but what made it compelling for me was the subplot of Cam's unemployed dad dealing with the grief of losing his wife and feeling like an inadequate father. The art and the story work together perfectly to tell a story that will have great appeal to kids intermediate and middle school kids. Recommended for readers from 4th grade and up.

Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town by Warren St. John

This is the young people's version of an adult book that was published several years ago. It's the true story of a soccer team for refugees in a town very close to where I live in Georgia. It is really the story of a Jordanian woman named Luma who immigrated to the United States and dedicated herself to helping refugees by coaching soccer teams for children and teenagers. The author, a New York Times reporter, followed Luma's teams for a season and wrote about their games, their life stories, and the community where they settled. Luma is a tough coach who cares deeply for her players but often has to make difficult decisions about who will play on her teams. The players come from all over the world and Clarkston, Georgia isn't the most welcoming place for them. For many of the players, the "Fugees" team becomes their family and their reason for living. I love the story of this team and I know this book will appeal to soccer fans. My criticism of this book is that I wanted deeper knowledge about Luma and the families she works with but this book tended to spend more time on soccer play-by-play than on the details of their lives. This book is a solid nonfiction choice for middle school students, but I suspect that adults and older teens will prefer the original version of Outcasts United.

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

I'm a huge fan of Unwind and of Neal Shusterman in general, and this sequel did not disappoint. In fact, it got me even more interested in this futuristic world in which scientific advancements have made human body parts a valuable commodity—valuable enough to where people willingly justify killing teenagers for their body parts.  The main characters from Unwind are all back and fighting against unwinding in various ways. Lev is a poster child for rescued tithes, while Connor and Risa are living at the airfield and protecting hundreds of runaway unwinds. Risa, paralyzed from the waist down, sacrifices herself to protect Connor, and ends up in the company of Cam, the world's first composite human—made entirely of the body parts of unwound teenagers. His creators think he will be welcomed by humanity as the perfect person but many see him as a monster. A new character named Starkey emerges as the champion of the "storks" and an enemy to Connor's society of unwinds. It's another thought-provoking and riveting read that students are already devouring. The book stands on its own, but all the pieces are in order for an amazing third book in the trilogy.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Donovan is kind of a troublemaker at his middle school. He's definitely not a kid that would get recommended to attend a special academy for gifted students. But after causing a major statue malfunction that destroys his school gymnasium, the superintendent has Donovan's name on a piece of paper on his desk. When that paper accidentally gets submitted to the academy for gifted students, Donovan realizes that it's a great place to hide from the punishment he faces for the statue incident. Donovan definitely doesn't rise to the occasion and become gifted in math and science, but he does make some friends and the gifted kids come to appreciate his laid back style and sense of humor. There's a robot and a pregnant sister that factor into the story to keep things interesting. While I don't think this is quite at the level of Schooled or No More Dead Dogs, this is another fun book about middle school life from Gordon Korman.

My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve

Imagine being separated from your parents at age 10 and being sent to live with a new family in a new country. That is what happens to Franziska on the eve of World War II. She is a German girl who is a Christian, but her Jewish ancestry makes her a target for the Nazis. Her father is arrested and her mother gets her on a kindertransport train to England, where she is taken in by a Jewish family. She spends the next seven years with a strange family in a strange country, all the while worrying about her parents and hoping that they survive the war. Frances, as she is called in England, grows and changes and feels more English than German at times. Her relationship with her foster family is at the heart of the book. It's a rich, detailed story about growing up and coming of age, and the backdrop of World War II makes it all the more interesting. Recommended for historical fiction readers grades 7-up.

The Fairy Ring: Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure

This nonfiction book may need some selling to get it in the hands of readers. The background story is this—during World War I a couple of English girls took photos of themselves with paper fairies in them. The photos were later discovered and thought to be real photos of fairies. Elsie and Frances gained a lot of fame and scrutiny for the photos but didn't let on that they were a hoax for many decades. This is the story of how and why they took the photographs, and why educated people in the early 1900s (included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) believed in photographs of fairies. It's a relatively short, easy read about a strange piece of history. A fun and fascinating work of nonfiction for intermediate and middle school readers.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The most peculiar thing about this book are the strange historical photographs of children—one levitating, one covered in bees, another holding up a huge boulder with one hand. They are all part of the stories that Jacob's grandfather has always told him about the orphanage in Wales where he lived during World War II. After grandfather dies under strange circumstances, Jacob is compelled to go to the mysterious island in Wales that might hold some answers about his grandfather's bizarre stories. What he finds is an abandoned orphanage, more old photographs, and evidence that these peculiar children may still be alive. What he finds out about people who are "peculiar" and the forces that haunt them is alarming and it all fits into place with grandfather's unbelievable stories. Grave danger is lurking and Jacob must choose a new path in life. It's weird and creepy and definitely interesting. Unfortunately, it's a set-up for a sequel that is as yet unpublished. I think this book looks like a book for younger readers, but really would be most appropriate for 7th-10th grade readers of horror, suspense, and mystery books.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Lexington Larrabee is a spoiled rich girl who is on the brink of inheriting twenty-five million dollars from her business-tycoon father. Unfortunately, she makes headlines when she crashes her $500,000 car into a convenience store and her father takes away the trust fund. Instead he gives her a list of 52 jobs she must do for one week each. The jobs include cleaning houses, working at a fast food restaurant, digging graves, working at a funeral home, and the list goes on. She will only inherit her money if she completes the jobs. Her father, totally uninvolved with her life, sends his stuffy young intern to keep track of her progress. Along the way Lex starts to take charge of her life and to unravel the family secrets that have made her life not-so-perfect. It's a predictable book in many ways, but very fun to read. It's definitely on the fluffy side, but well-written with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. It's also pretty clean and totally appropriate for grades 7-up.

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

This book takes place in a huge shopping mall where an act of bioterrorism has taken place. Hundreds of people are quarantined in the shopping center and given no information about why they are there, what is happening to the victims, or how long they will be held captive. There are four characters narrating this book—all teenagers who were there at the mall for various reasons. At first the quarantine seems like a lark, but after days and days of roaming the mall, bathrooms are filthy, food is getting scarce, and communication with the outside world is cut off. How would everyday people react in such a situation? While this book has a great premise, it failed to live up to my initial expectations. I didn't relate closely to any of the teen characters and I didn't believe some of their reactions to this frightening situation. It wasn't a bad book at all—it just didn't grab me like I was hoping it would.

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral

This unusual book is not a graphic novel, but it is a story told through photographs and documents. The main characters are a teenage girl who is a piano prodigy and a neighbor boy who seems to offer her an alternative to her rigorous, highly disciplined life. As the book progresses, Glory plays the piano in major concerts but also becomes unable to play anything but Chopsticks. Is she really going crazy or is it crazy to keep up her life as a piano player? Is she running away with Frank or has he deserted her? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what happened in this book. It's intriguing and full of clues, but maybe I'm not visually literate enough to figure it out. I would love to hear from others who think they get it!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

There are lots of books trying to be the next Hunger Games, and this is one of the best contenders that I've read in the last few years. It's set in a future-world-gone-bad and a teenager has a life-changing choice to make about her future. Society is divided into five factions—abnegation (selflessness), candor (honesty), dauntless (bravery), amity (peaceful), and erudite (intelligence)—and sixteen-year-olds must choose which virtue they will dedicate their life to. Tris makes a surprising choice and in the following weeks of training must dig deep to survive in a hostile environment. She learns some secrets about the factions and she suddenly finds it difficult to live in her black and white world when she knows that all is not as it seems. There's lots of action here and also characters to care about. I have had quite a few students (and teachers) excited to talk about this book.

The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark

Jay Baker, the freshman narrator of this book, is so full of jokes and pop culture references that sometimes I could hardly keep up with him. He's secretly in love with his cheerleader best friend, dealing with his parents' separation, and fighting off a bullying homophobic former friend who constantly torments him at school. Although Jay Baker would have you believe he's kind of a wimp, he seems to have no problems with girls falling for him—in fact, he starts up a relationship with tennis-playing Caroline who can match him joke for joke, and then finds he has two girls vying for his attention. It's a very enjoyable, funny book about the trials and tribulations of an unusually smart, funny guy with a lot going on in his life. His interactions with his mom, dad, sister, and history teacher all seemed very true to life—and I appreciated that the adults were meaningful characters in the book. I read through this quickly and liked it a lot—it's Jay Clark's first book and I'm sure he will be a talent to watch. Recommended for high school guys and girls.

A World Away by Nancy Grossman

I know that there is a whole world of Amish romances out there but I have never read one. I thought when I picked this YA book up it might be something like that for a teen audience. I still have no idea how this compares to the adult Amish romances, but I found this to be an enjoyable coming of age story with an interesting cultural twist. Eliza is a 16-year-old Amish girl who longs to get out of her sheltered community and experience life among the "English" (that's us). When the opportunity to be a nanny for a Chicago family arises she jumps at the chance to give up her plain dress. She buys her first pair of jeans at Walmart and heads off to the land of cell phones, texting, television, video games, movies, computers, and much more. She meets a romantic interest very quickly who loves to show her new things and introduces her to his friends. Of course, she struggles at first to make sense of the world of "English" teenagers, but she enjoys many things about her new life. She makes a startling discovery also—her mother's sister whom she has never even heard of lives nearby. Aunt Beth was shunned many years ago for marrying an outsider. This is the life that Eliza would be choosing if she decides to leave the Amish community. In many ways the book was predictable—of course she would meet a boyfriend and be forced to decide between going back to her Amish community or joining the larger world. But I wasn't sure until the end what choice Eliza would make or how she could ever be happy in either world. All in all this was an engaging story that made me want to keep reading and opened my eyes to a culture about which I know very little. Definitely recommended for high school readers—and let's face it, it's girls who will enjoy it the most.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

I will confess that I really didn't want to read this book and that it took me a long time to get into it. But after finishing it I have to admit it was extremely well-written and original, with a compelling (if slowly-paced) plot. The heart of this story is the island of Thisby, a rugged place where life is hard and children grow up and leave as soon as they can. What makes Thisby unique are the bloodthirsty water horses that rise up out of the water each year and are tamed and ridden by the men of the island. The fierce water horses (or  capaill uisce—pronounced cappel ishka—as they are called) eat human flesh and drown their riders. The islanders race the horses each November in a dangerous and deadly race that brings the island brief fame and an economic burst. That's the background, and the island and the horses are central to the story. But the book is really about two teenagers who enter the races as strangers but slowly come together in spite of their rivalry. The book alternates between the viewpoints of Sean Kenndrick (an orphaned young man who has won the Scorpio Races four times and loves his water horse Corr more than life itself) and Kate "Puck" Connelly (also orphaned and racing to earn money to save her family's home and to keep her oldest brother from leaving for the mainland). Steifvater makes Thisby, with it's foggy, cold beach and crusty inhabitants seem like a real place. She also brings Puck and Sean to life slowly and deliberately until by the last chapters you know your heart will break because there is no way they both can achieve what they wish for. This is definitely a notable book—the starred reviews show that. For a reader with the persistence and patience to stay with it and live in Thisby for a while it will be a rewarding read.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

This boy-meets-girl story was made to be turned into a movie. It takes place during 24 hours in the life of Hadley, who is reluctantly flying to London for her father's second wedding. She misses her flight and while waiting for the next one meets a young man named Oliver. They strike up a friendship during the long overnight flight then go their separate ways. Hadley to the wedding and Oliver to an unknown destination. Hadley is nursing a lot of resentment and sadness toward her father and Oliver is secretive about his reason for traveling. When Hadley pieces together some of Oliver's backstory she takes off through London to find him and continue their new and promising relationship. It's definitely a feel-good story, but with enough depth of character and complexity of relationships to save it from being too fluffy. It's an enjoyable read for romantic-minded readers in grades 8-up.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

It’s hard to feel sorry for Anna—she is spending her senior year of high school at a boarding school right in the middle of Paris where she quickly meets a new group of friends and begins to explore her new city and learns to enjoy the newfound freedom of living on her own. But Anna isn’t happy. Her father forced this new life on her and took her away from her hometown of Atlanta, her best friend Bridgette, and her almost-boyfriend, Toph. At first Anna spends time e-mailing Bridgette and planning her reunion with Toph (the last time she saw him they kissed but she’s not sure where they stand now). But when she meets handsome, charming Étienne St. Clair she can’t stop herself from falling for him. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend. And even if he didn’t, her new friend Meredith clearly has a long-standing crush on him. But St. Clair seems to like Anna—at least he likes taking her around Paris, going to movies, and sitting by her at every meal. What’s a girl to do in the most romantic city on earth? How can she hide her feelings for him? And how can she be “best friends” with someone she loves so much? This is a predictable yet fun romance with a fine romantic setting and believable characters. Recommended for high school romantics and world travelers.  (FYI—except for some well, French kissing, and teenage drinking this book is pretty innocent. It would be fine for 8th graders on up.)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This unique story of spies, war, and friendship grabbed me and tricked me and kept me on the edge of my seat. Most of the book is the written confession of a British teenager who is captured by Nazis in France during World War II. The Germans torture her but give her six weeks to write out all she knows and she seems to be giving them all her secrets in order to stay alive. Her story tells of a remarkable friendship with another young woman who became a pilot during the war. Together the two girls ended up flying into France, but their mission went terribly wrong. This book has twists and turns and many secrets—so many that I don't want to tell any more about the plot for fear of giving them away. Suffice it to say, at one point in the book I had to go back and re-read previous chapters just to see what was truth and what was lies. Readers with an interest in aviation, spies, or World War II will love this. Other readers just might develop some new interests as they get pulled into the world of Verity and Kittyhawk. I would recommend this book to high school students and adults.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Ridley Pearson

This prequel to Peter Pan is a delightful story that would interest a wide range of readers. Barry and Pearson have taken a familiar book and made an inventive backstory that both explains some nagging questions (Why doesn't Peter get older? How can he fly? How did Captain Hook lose his hand? Where did the mermaids come from? And more), but also has a compelling storyline that stands alone. The action takes place aboard three ships--two that are headed to Rundoon and carrying mysterious trunks, and one pirate ship that will stop at nothing to steal the treasure. Peter and his orphan friends are on the rickety ship called Never Land, which also carries a plucky girl named Molly Astor, who turns out to be a Starcatcher. This book is packed with just what you would expect—action, magic, and humor. I have heard that the audiobook of these stories (it's the start of a series) are narrated by Jim Dale and are outstanding. I also have seen Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway and it is fabulous. The writers and directors took a good book and made it better—it's even more clever, funny, and compelling than the book.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

A common theme of children's literature is a group of kids taking on the world with no help from parents or other adults. While the kids in this book have wings, special powers, and have had their DNA altered, they sort of reminded me of futuristic Boxcar Children. They are a family of six, headed by a 14-year-old girl named Max. When Angel, the youngest of their "flock," is kidnapped, they all return to The School to rescue her. From there they escape to New York City and along the way they face great danger and Max begins hearing a voice in her head telling her she was created to save the world. The appeal of this book is threefold—the action and adventure, the fascinating genetic experimenting going on, and the relationships between the kids in the flock. Several book reviews have pointed out that the kids in this book talk like adults and are not believable, and while somewhat true, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to suspend your disbelief and enjoy a good story. Thank you to Siena in the Unbound Book Club for finally convincing me to read this book.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Imagine you are a teenage girl with problems of your own (including the heartbreak that your father passed away last year) and your grieving mother decides to adopt a baby. Then imagine that the pregnant teenager carrying this baby moves in with your family while waiting for the baby to be born. This is what happens to Jill and she's not very nice to anyone—her mom, her boyfriend, Dylan, or Mandy, the unwanted pregnant teenager. The book alternates between Mandy and Jill's perspectives and readers see that both have good reasons for why they are the way they are. The question is, will they be able to overcome their own problems and make their new life together work? This is actually a kind of quiet book that delves into the minds of these two girls. Sara Zarr is a good writer and this is definitely worth reading.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Call me crabby but I am having trouble getting excited about any of the newish paranormal/dystopian teen romances. Everyone is jumping on that bandwagon and in my opinion, only a few people are getting it right. I found this book to be rather ridiculous, full of plot holes, mostly depressing, and not very romantic at all. I listened to it as an audiobook and didn't like the narrator either.  Now, I'm sure some people will really like it—it's not like it's the worst thing I've ever read—I'm just saying I had trouble finishing it. Here's the premise: the earth is teeming with the unconsecrated, zombies that are dead but feed on living people and infect them with the plague so they in turn become unconsecrated. Mary lives in a village ruled by religious sisters and surrounded by a fence that keeps the unconsecrated out. Mary dreams of seeing the ocean someday but for all she knows there may be no other humans left in the world. When the village is overrun by the unconsecrated, Mary and a few others escape to a convenient fenced-in path that leads to places unknown. Mary loves Travis but is betrothed to his brother Harry, but neither is really as enticing as the thought of getting to the ocean. The good news is that it's not a steamy romance so it would be appropriate for 7th grade on up.

Room by Emma Donoghue

This is not strictly a YA book but I know lots of high school students have read it. It took me a few starts to get into it but it was definitely worth reading. It's a story of unimaginable horror about a college student who is abducted and held prisoner by a sex offender for 7 years in a 12x12 reinforced shed. The thing that makes this book readable is that it is narrated by her 5-year-old son who has never known anything but the room that they live in. The young woman (we never learn her name) shields her son Jack from her captor, Old Nick, and from the knowledge that he is a prisoner. Jack doesn't even know there is an outside world until his mother hatches an escape plan and sends him out into the world to freedom. I thought the book was most interesting after they escaped—imagine a child learning everything about the world after spending his entire life in one room with one person. It's a tough subject but there's definitely a lot to talk about and think about here.

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

Jordan Sonnenblick first impressed me with Notes from the Midnight Driver, which I enjoyed for it's humor, it's emotion, and the way Sonnenblick's characters love music. Like Notes from the Midnight Driver, this book is for teens (unlike some of his other middle grade titles) and features a character with an interest in the arts—this time photography. Actually, Peter is a baseball pitcher who has big plans to play high school baseball with his best friend AJ. However, a major arm injury leaves Peter with no chance of ever pitching again. So he enters high school not quite knowing who he is without baseball as his identity. Fortunately, his grandfather, a professional photographer, has been subtley teaching him the art of photography and turns his equipment over to Peter when he need it most. Unfortunately, Peter sees signs of dementia in his grandfather and doesn't know how to best get help for him. In another fortunate turn of events, Peter meets Angelika in photography class and she becomes more than just his photography partner. This book has no huge surprises or big twists and turns—it's just a year in the life of a kid trying to be himself and do the right thing for his family, friends, and girlfriend. It's alternately funny and sad and a great choice for 8th or 9th graders.

Legend by Marie Lu

The back cover says this is "a romantic thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world" and that's exactly what it is. It's a fast-paced story of June, a wealthy military prodigy and an excellent strategist, and Day, a defiant young criminal fighting against the evil Republic. As you might guess, the two characters are fighting against each other but end up attracted to each other. It's a good story with lots of action and intrigue and yes, romance. It kept me interested but it did not have the "wow" factor that I thought it might have. I think if it had come out before The Hunger Games (and so many other post-apocalyptic romances) it would have a lot more of an impact on me. I hate to compare every post-apocalyptic book to The Hunger Games--it's kind of like comparing every fantasy to Harry Potter. But the truth is, teens will make these comparisons and they are hungry for books that will blow their minds and rock their worlds. Legend was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to readers of futuristic fiction, but I can't say it is as complex, mind-bending, or as well-written as Suzanne Collins' books.

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

Wahoo Cray is missing a thumb. An alligator bit it off in the wildlife sanctuary that is his back yard. And his dad is recovering from a concussion caused by a dead iguana falling on his head. And a reality TV show has asked Wahoo's dad to be the animal wrangler for an episode being filmed in the Florida Everglades. Yes, it's another Carl Hiaasen book that's just perfect for middle schools kids who like adventure and humor. Derek Badger, the totally fake "action hero" from Expedition Survival! wants to wrestle alligators and eat live bats and it's up to Wahoo and his dad to keep disaster from happening as they film the show. But the real danger comes when Wahoo's friend's abusive father shows up in the Everglades with a gun. This will obviously appeal to the same kids who love Hoot, Flush and Scat—which is a good thing. Recommended especially for middle school boys.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Get out your kleenex. Any time you read a book about two teenagers with terminal cancer you know it's going to be emotionally rough, and probably full of cliches about facing cancer bravely and living in the moment. But in the hands of John Green, it's refreshingly funny and touching and illuminating and frequently surprising. Hazel, who has thyroid cancer and needs assistance to breathe, meets Augustus, who had a leg amputated due to bone cancer, at a cancer support group. They share a sarcastic sense of humor an intellect beyond their years. They bond over a favorite book and contact the author to ask him some questions that lead them on a journey to Amsterdam. But the plot really isn't the point here. It's the characters and how they make something special in the midst of the rotten luck they share. Like many excellent young adult books, it's definitely for older teens and will be embraced by adults as well. I was serious when I said get your kleenex, though. Read this book somewhere where you can wallow in delight and in sorrow.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

This book won the Newbery Medal last year and I finally read it one year later. It's a historical fiction book about a girl named Abilene who is sent to Manifest, Kansas by her father who spent some of his childhood there. While her father is off working a railroad job, Abilene moves in with Shady, a local character who is a minister and appears to be a moonshiner. When she finds a box of mementos and letters she and two new friends set off on a quest to find a spy known as the "rattler." Along the way they discover stories about two long-gone local boys, one of whom went off to fight in World War I while the other stayed back in Manifest. They also discover how the town full of immigrants once stood up to the owner of a local mine and demanded better conditions for the local workers. Abilene's journey is one of self-discovery and along the way she helps the town of Manifest remember its past and look to the future. The story is a little bit complicated so I would recommend it to good readers who like historical fiction and appreciate a more complex plot.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Look at the cover of this book and notice the figure in Anya's hair. That's the ghost that follows her out of a deep well and becomes her friend and an ally in her awkward efforts to get the attention of her crush at school. Anya, a Russian immigrant to the U.S. who has worked hard to lose her accent and fit into American high school life, doesn't have a lot of friends and Emily (the ghost) is an appealing friend...at first. This graphic novel paints a realistic picture of Anya and her day-to-day troubles as well as the spooky story of how Emily turns out to be a not-so-friendly ghost. This one will be liked by fans of graphic novels as well as by younger teens who just want to read a good story about a girl they can relate to.

Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

The year is 1958, and although Little Rock High School was integrated the previous year, racial relations have not improved in this southern city. In fact, all the public high schools in the city, both white and black, have closed this year to try to stop any further integration. Marlee is a 12-year-old girl who almost never speaks outside of her own family. Her older sister sits at home because her school is closed, but Marlee still attends her all-white junior high. She is thrilled to meet a new student named Liz who becomes her friend and helps her so speak up more and more at school. But one day Liz is gone and rumor has it that she left school because it was discovered that she is really black but passing as white in order to go to a good school. Rather than give up on the friendship, Marlee finds ways to keep in touch with Liz, but Marlee doesn't understand the danger she is putting Liz in by continuing their friendship. This historical fiction book is both a good story and a good lesson in American civil rights history. Middle school readers, especially girls who like historical fiction, will enjoy it.