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.