Trouble by Non Pratt

Hannah is a risk-taking girl who has relationships with numerous boys and finds herself pregnant. She knows the father of her baby but she's not telling anyone who it is (including you, the reader). Aaron is the new kid in school who has a deep dark secret of his own that he is running from. For some reason, Aaron is drawn to Hannah and wants to help her, so he offers to pretend to be the father of her child. It's a relationship that works for a time, but the two teenagers can't keep their lies hidden for long. The heart of this book is their friendship that endures even while both of their darkest secrets get exposed to the world. Hannah is a complex character who makes some really poor decisions. I had trouble liking her but I did enjoy learning more about her and seeing her face up to her problems. This is definitely a high school book for mature readers.

Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner

Francesca (also known as Frankie) is 15 years old and has a lot to deal with. She blames herself for the drowning death of your younger brother, Simon, four years ago. Her mother has become emotionally withdrawn, she suspects her father may be having an affair, and she has a crush on her best friend's boyfriend. A strange thing happens at the beginning of the summer—she meets a 4-year-old boy (also named Frankie) who reminds her so much of Simon that she starts to wonder if he could be the reincarnation of her brother. She gets a job as Frankie's babysitter and finds more and more eerie similarities between the two little boys. At the same time, she slowly lets go of her fear of the water, returning to the beach and the swimming pool for the first time in four years. There is friendship, romance and betrayal in this story, as well. Readers who like realistic fiction that's not too edgy or disturbing will enjoy getting to know Frankie and Frankie.

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

A ghost narrates this tale about three friends living in northern Wisconson. Maggie has just moved to a small town on Lake Michigan and she soon makes friends with beautiful, enigmatic Pauline and quiet, loyal Liam. Unfortunately, just as Maggie is moving in, bodies of teenage girls start appearing. No one knows why or how they are being killed, but girls are no longer safe in this small community. When Pauline's family takes her away, a romance blossoms between Maggie and Liam, but how can it last when Pauline returns? Rather than being a murder mystery, this book is really a slow-moving story of friendship, romance, and that ghost I mentioned at the beginning. I have to admit, I did not think the ending was fitting or believable. In fact, I was not satisfied at all, especially with how the author dealt with the murders. But I would love to hear other opinions so read it and let me know your thoughts. (And also, why would any parents leave their teenage daughter alone for the weekend with a murderer on the loose?)

The Body in the Woods by April Henry

This is a murder mystery involving a dead girl in the woods and the three teenagers who find her body. Alexis, Ruby, and Nick have recently joined the Portland County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team, and while searching for a lost man they come across the victim. As in  most of these stories, the police tell them to leave the case to the experts, but the teenagers find themselves involved in tracking down the killer, who may be one of the hikers they encountered that day in the woods. Each of the characters has a story—Alexis is dealing with a mentally ill mother, Ruby is fixated on crime and her parents don't want her to be involved, and Nick's father died in Iraq and he wants to prove himself to be a hero. It's a somewhat predictable story, but if you like murder mysteries, it will keep you reading.

Vitro by Jessica Khoury

Sophie Crue is just trying to see her mother again when she flies to Guam and hires a pilot to take her to Skin Island. Her mother is a scientist working on the high-security island and Sophie finds out that her mother's project is to create test-tube humans with chips implanted in their heads. Sophie is plunged into a dangerous world where her own mother may be the evil force that needs to be stopped. Fortunately, Sophie's pilot is her childhood friend, Jim, and he is her partner in trying to save the Vitros from their fate. There's a lot of action in this book and many characters should be dead several times over. I found it to be implausible, but addicting the more I read. Lately I have read multiple books about scientists engineering people to do their bidding—including Phoenix Island and Undivided.

The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

This is one of the best YA books I have read this year. I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed it all the way through. It is the much-longer-than-250-word college essay of a boy named Harry, who in his own words is "ugly and shy and my face, head, and neck are covered with hideous scars." Harry's disfigurement (due to a childhood lightning strike) causes him a lot of social difficulties, but once he starts high school he makes a friend and they start a band. This is the story of the Scar Boys and how they navigate the difficult journey toward adulthood. It's also the story of how four teenagers try to stay friends even as they start to go separate ways. The unequal nature of Harry and John's friendship was the part that really seemed real to me and made this rise above the level of a book about guys in a band. I loved the writing and the characters and even the descriptions of a band on a road trip. Recommended for high school readers (lots of "adult" language).

Phoenix Island by John Dixon

When a high school boy tells me he read a great book, I always want to read it for myself. The kid who told me about this one has never steered me wrong, so I grabbed it right away. He was right. This book was violent and horrifying and perfect for readers who like action and adventure, with a touch of science fiction thrown in. It's about a Carl Freeman, a 16-year-old who is sentenced to a military-style boot camp for teenagers who have broken the law. Carl's problem is his temper. When he sees a bully in action he fights back, and even though he is usually protecting someone helpless, he causes a lot of damage. Carl is also an orphan, so when he is sent to Phoenix Island, he has no family to wonder where he went. What he finds on Phoenix Island is a cruel, physically violent book camp where kids are bullied, tortured, and maybe even killed. Carl, a champion boxer, eventually fights back but he is up against a powerful system that goes far beyond Phoenix Island. Be warned—this book has numerous graphically violent fight scenes so it's recommended for 9th grade-up.

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is well-known to tween girls as a fantastic graphic novel aimed at them. It's the story of the author's horrible accident that damaged her teeth while in sixth grade. Sisters is the companion book to Smile, and it's also autobiographical. Raina longed for a little sister until she actually got one. When Amara is born nothing is quite like she thought it would be. In this story, the family is heading from California to Colorado on a big road trip and Raina and Amara aren't getting along. The girls worry about their parents relationship, deal with a not-so-fun family reunion, and find a big surprise in their mom's VW van. Anyone with siblings will recognize how true-to-life this story is. It's a quick, easy read that will be loved by fans of Raina Telgemeier's other books.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

This charming graphic novel will be loved by a wide range of readers. Although the characters are all rabbits, it's the true story of the author's girlhood and she dealt with sudden hearing loss at age four. Cece has all the insecurities and endearing hopefulness of any little girl, but her life is made much more complicated by the big hearing aid box that she must wear around her neck while at school. She spend one year in a special kindergarten class where she learns to read lips, but after that she is in public schools. Although her box sets her apart, she sometimes sees it as giving her super hearing and she fantasizes that she is a fearless superhero called "El Deafo." She longs for a true friend, and finds several friends as the book goes on. One tries to manipulate her, one makes a big deal out of her hearing loss (always talking slowly and loudly), and one shies away from her out of guilt. There are small moments that made me really empathize with kids with hearing issues, especially the time when, at a slumber party, Cece is shut out of the conversation because the girls turn out the lights. My 9-year-old son loved this book, and I suspect kids from 2nd through 8th grades will enjoy it on many levels. Anyone who grew up in the 1970s will also recognize their childhood in Cece's story. I recently met Cece Bell for the first time at the Decatur Book Festival. We went to the College of William & Mary together, although we never knew each other there. She is the author/illustrator of a series of Sock Monkey monkey picture books which I love, and her husband is Tom Angleberger, author of the Origami Yoda books.

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Imagine all the things you would learn if you could hear the thoughts of everyone around you. Would you want to know what your friends think of you or what your parents are really up to? That's what happens to a group of New York City high school students after their homeroom gets flu shots. Due to a tainted batch of vaccine, everyone in the class who got the shot develops ESP, and they must decide what to do. Should they call the CDC and get medical intervention, or should they see what it's like to hear everyone's thoughts around them? This book is unique in that it is narrated by the whole group, because "when you're a group that can hear each other's thoughts, the line between I and We gets kind of blurry." Some enjoy the ESP and take advantage of doing better on tests and finding out who is interested in whom. Others hear things they don't want to hear and it changes their lives completely. At times it was a little tough to keep track of so many characters, but overall this was a fun book and recommended for 8th-up.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Lia is a princess who is not happy about her upcoming arranged marriage that will cement relations between two contentious kingdoms. She runs away on her wedding day, and along with her ladies maid, hides herself in a small town where she works as a serving girl at a tavern. When two young men show up at the tavern she has no idea that one is the jilted prince and the other is an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, as none of the three know who the others are, and both men become attracted to the down-to-earth princess in disguise. Lia never had "the gift" that first daughters are said to possess, but when one man kidnaps her and the other gives chase, her gift begins to surface. This is an intriguing start to a new series (The Remnant Chronicles) and the best part of the story is how the author deceives the readers. Fans of fantasy series (and love triangles) will enjoy this book. Recommended for 8th grade-up.

Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

Malley is a teenage girl who is headed to boarding school because of her wild ways. In typical fashion, she avoids boarding school by running off with a guy she meets on the Internet. Her cousin Richard, also her best friend, is getting phone calls from her and he knows she is in trouble. The problem is, he has no idea how to find her. Fortunately, Richard meets Skink, a quirky old man who used to be the governor of Florida but now is burying himself in turtle nesting grounds and surprising would-be egg thieves. One-eyed Skink decides that he can find Malley, and he brings Richard along for the ride. Of course, since it's Carl Hiaasen and it's set in Florida, there are alligators involved. This book is being billed as Hiaasen's first book for young adults. I would say it's a great read for 7th grade on up. There is a lot of humor and action, and the readers who grew up on Hiassen's books for younger readers (Flush, Hoot, Scat and Chomp) will love Skink No Surrender.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

Sage is one of four orphan boys plucked from orphanages by a nobleman named Conner. Their kingdom of Carthya is in chaos since the death of the royal family, and Conner plans to present one of the ophans as the long-lost Prince Jaron, the rightful heir to the throne. Sage looks like Jaron, but his defiant attitude and rough ways make it hard to believe anyone could turn him into an acceptable prince. This is the story of those boys and the web of lies surrounding them. You will definitely root for Sage to be selected, even though he doesn't seem to want to be chosen. This was adventurous and fun, and will definitely appeal to fantasy fans. Recommended especially for 4th-7th graders who like fantasy and action books.

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

Adults will remember the movie Schindler's List, but I'm guessing kids probably haven't heard of Oskar Schindler. Fortunately, this book brings Schindler to a new generation with the true story of the youngest Jew on Schindler's list. Leon Leyson was a young boy when Germany invaded Poland. His family was forced to live in a ghetto, then in a work camp. Leon's father had a job in a factory run by Oskar Schindler, and no one knew it at the time, but it was a factory that would save 1,100 people's lives. Schindler was a member of the Nazi Party and a German, but for some reason he made it his life's work to hire Jews in his factory and to keep them from being killed by the Nazis. There were many times in Leon's life when he escaped death by a sheer stroke of luck. He was starving and mistreated and worked almost to death. But when Schindler added him to his list of factory workers (along with Leon's father, mother, brother and sister), it was his only hope to survive World War II. As you can imagine, it's a great story of courage as well as heartbreak. This book is well-written and accessible and highly recommended for readers as young as fourth or fifth grade.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Travis Coates has come back from the dead. He passed away five years ago and opted to have his head frozen. Scientists miraculously figured out how to bring frozen heads back to life in the intervening years, and now Travis is alive again but he feels like he just died yesterday. The problem is that five years have passed for everyone else—five difficult years in which his closest friends grieved and adjusted to life without him. His best friend is in college, his girlfriend is engaged to someone else, his parents are keeping a secret from him, and Travis is stuck back at age 16 in his old high school. This book is bittersweet and funny and really quite moving at times. You will sometimes cringe at his behavior, but you will also sympathize with Travis as he deals with adjusting to being a scientific wonder. Recommended for high school readers who want something a little different.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

On a modern-day school trip to Paris, Colette sees the ghost of Marie Antoinette. It takes her a while to realize that the long-dead queen is beheading modern day people, and that thanks to her family name, Colette may be next. Much of the plot revolves around Colette's horrible "mean girl" friends and  a couple of intriguing French boys. This escapist story was a fun read—I admit that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Recommended for readers who are fans of the Clique series or even fans of French history. Fun for 7th grade-up.

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Yes, this is a popular TV show, but it originated as this book, which is the true story of one woman's year in a women's prison. Piper Kerman was a Smith College graduate who spent her first year after college traveling around the world with drug mules. Piper didn't mastermind anything or actually transport drugs, but she did knowingly transport drug money. She soon left that life and settled into a more normal existence, but ten years later her former "friends" turned her in and her past caught up with her. She was sentenced to 13 months in a women's detention center, and at age 35 she served her time. The book provides a really fascinating look at a place that most of us will never see, and it also gives a sympathetic view of the women who are incarcerated. Many lack an education and access to good attorneys, and the prison system does nothing to educate, rehabilitate, or otherwise help them be productive citizens. This is definitely worth reading. Recommended for high school on up.

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

This is an intriguing book about a young woman who has been abducted and later returned to her home. Instead of being welcomed back, she is treated with suspicion and loathing—partly because she returns with half of her tongue cut out. The story is set in an unnamed time and place, but it feels like pre-colonial days in New England. The village Judith comes from has a Puritan air about it, and is under attack from "homelanders" sailing from in from some unknown place. Judith's mother is especially ashamed of her daughter and doesn't allow Judith to express herself of explain her own disappearance or the related murder of another girl from the village. Judith pines for Lucas, the boy next door, who is now a young man ready to marry another village girl. The story is narrated by Judith as if she is speaking directly to Lucas, explaining her actions and revealing her secrets little by little. The writing is poetic and there are subtle revelations on almost every page, so pay attention. Spoilers ahead—stop reading here if you care. I did enjoy the book, but I had a few things about it that bothered me. I found the undefined setting to be distracting —I kept looking for actual historical details that weren't there. I thought the homelanders would come back or be revealed to have greater meaning. And while the cover is beautiful, Judith is specifically said to be plain looking, so I think the gorgeous, modern-looking model on the front doesn't really reflect the character of Judith.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl is the second book by Rainbow Rowell to come out in 2013. I am a huge fan of Eleanor & Park, so I was excited to finally read Fangirl as well. This is the story of Cathe and her first year at college. She is an introverted girl, and an identical twin. Her mother abandoned the family years ago and she has a lovely father who is a bit unstable. It's hard enough to leave him behind, but she's also facing life on her own for the first time because her twin sister, Wren, chose not to room with her at college. Cathe's passion is writing fan fiction about Simon Snow—it's what she has always done and she can't imagine life without that emotional and creative outlet. This book takes readers through Cathe's entire freshman year. She struggles with Wren, she worries about her dad, she finds a surprising friend in her surly roommate, and she meets Levi, a really nice guy who slowly wins her over. Rainbow Rowell knows how to slowly bring characters to life and she knows how they talk. You leave her books knowing exactly what these people are like and feeling like you have a new set of friends. This is a really satisfying book for readers who like to live deeply in someone else's life. Recommended for high school readers.    

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson

I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about John Snow and his discovery that cholera was a water-borne disease, and now I know a lot. The story is set in London in 1854, and the main character is an orphan boy named Eel who is struggling to survive and support his little brother. Eel learns that people in his neighborhood are dying from the deadly disease that they call the "blue death." The theory of the day is that the disease is caused by "miasma," which meant it was carried in the foul-smelling air of London. Eel runs to alert Dr. John Snow, hoping that he could help save a man who was dying of the disease. John Snow doesn't help the sick man, but he does tell Eel that he thinks the disease, called cholera, is spread through contaminated water from the nearby Broad Street Pump. Dr. Snow hires Eel to help him prove his theory by interviewing neighbors and mapping the spread of the disease. It was obvious that the author incorporated a lot of historical facts into the story, but it never overwhelmed the story for me. I enjoyed the story and what I learned from it. This would be a perfect tie-in for a middle school science class. Recommended for 4th-6th grade readers.

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Tane and Rebecca, two teenagers from New Zealand, decode a cryptic computer message send through outer space, and discover winning lottery numbers. They also discover that the message came from themselves in the future, and that winning the lottery is just the beginning of what they need to do to save the world from complete devastation. They start on a quest to follow their own instructions that leads them to buy a mini-submarine, invade an island research lab, and try to save humanity from a bizarre cloud of destruction. I can't begin to explain the science behind all this—to me it was wildly implausible. But my middle school students love this book, and I will admit that it had me wanting to read to the end. Recommended for middle school kids who like science fiction, dystopia, and action.

Me, Him, Them and It by Caela Carter

Evelyn has some serious problems. In her efforts to annoy her distant and difficult parents, she starts to party and be a "bad girl." When she gets involved with a guy she doesn't care about and becomes pregnant she doesn't know where to turn. All she knows is that she can't possibly terminate her pregnancy. But who can she trust? Where can she go? The father of the baby has checked out. Her best friend is angry at her. Her parents idea of supporting her is to send her to live with an aunt in Chicago. Evelyn is mixed up and self-centered and smart, and her journey through adult decisions is both frustrating and fascinating. I kept wanting to read just to find out what (and when) she would finally decide to do. This is definitely a book for high school and up, and is recommended for readers of realistic fiction who like stories about emotional growth.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

Did you know that the U.S. Secret Service started out as a group of men who were working to stop counterfeiters from producing fake money? Back in the 1800s is was relatively easy to create counterfeit money, but it was difficult to actually make really good counterfeit bills. A man named Benjamin Boyd was very good at making fake money, and he made a lot of money at it. But he ended up in prison, and that's when a group of Chicago men came up with a plan to get Boyd out of prison. Strangely enough, that plan included stealing the dead body of President Abraham Lincoln and holding it for ransom. This book tells the story of the grave robbing plot as well as the story of the Secret Service agent whose job it was to stop the robbery. The book is a quick read that includes photographs of the people and places involved. I learned a lot from this book, and enjoyed adding to my knowledge of United States history. There are many characters, both good guys and bad guys in this story, and the hardest thing about this book was keeping track of who was who. Recommended for 6th grade and up.