Realistic Fiction. Stifled and stuck in an Iowa suburb until he leaves for college in the fall, Dade is weary of his bickering parents, his lame job at Food World, and most especially of pining after Pablo, his "friend" and (even though Pablo has a girlfriend) regular hook-up. Then Dade meets handsome, enigmatic, and somewhat dangerous Alex Kincaid--and falls in love. Fans of Brian Sloan's Tale of Two Summers, Peter Cameron's Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, and other novels with true-to-life, well-drawn characters won't want to miss this one.

Historical Fiction. Sixteen-year-old Katherine ("Kat") Bab lives with her kind but secretive foster mother, Grace. Kat is restless in their peaceful valley home and dreams of leaving it for London to discover the truth of her parentage. When Grace dies, Kat does go to London and is surprisingly invited into the court of Queen Elizabeth, where two devastatingly handsome men vie for her attention. Soon, Kat's fiery red hair and her favor in the court cause rumors to fly: is she the secret daughter of the Virgin Queen? Those fascinated with the customs and fashions of Tudor England--as well as fans of romance, scandal, and palace intrigue--will be entranced by The Stolen One.

Urban Fantasy. One of fledgling vampire Gina Covello's first thoughts when she realizes that she has been "turned" is that--since she can no longer see her own reflection--she needs to make her personal stylist into a vampire in order to "stop the downward spiral from chic to eek." But while maintaining her status as a fashion plate may be Gina's biggest priority, it's far from her biggest problem. Not only is vampire vixen Mellisande after Gina's new boyfriend Bobby, she's also building an army of teenage vampires in order to dominate the world of the undead. This saucy vampire novel is a quick, fun read that's heavy on the witty banter and action and light on brooding and gore.

Nonfiction. "Our father died penniless in jail, and a movie star has resurrected him" (author and filmmaker Noah Miller, quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle). Noah and his identical twin Logan shared a fierce, conflicted love of their father, a homeless alcoholic, and vowed upon his death to tell his story in the movie they planned to make. But the brothers had no money, no experience, and virtually no Hollywood contacts. Here, they share the story of their bumpy ride to success against incredible odds--including how they convinced award-winning actor Ed Harris to sign onto a project led by complete novices and play the role of their dad. Anyone with a seemingly impossible dream can get a boost from reading Either You're In or You're In the Way.

Short Stories. A driver's license. High school graduation. Your 18th birthday. The first apartment you pay for all on your own. These are all tangible steps from childhood into the "real" adult world--but what truly marks the transition between being a kid and having your own life? And what if it's nothing like what you expected? Six popular authors ponder these questions in No Such Thing as the Real World, a thought-provoking, revelatory collection of stories that don't pull any punches.

Fiction. Fleeing NYU after her affair with a professor ends badly, Mimi Shapiro heads for her artist father's isolated cottage in Canada. But when she arrives, she discovers that the cabin isn't empty--and that Jay, the young musician living there, is her half-brother. At first, Jay believes that Mimi is responsible for a recent rash of break-ins at the cottage. However, after the two of them reach a truce and agree to share the house, the break-ins escalate in both frequency and creepiness. Mimi and Jay are sure that they're being watched. But by whom? And why? The tension builds slowly to a "truly heart-pounding" (Kirkus Reviews) climax in this literary thriller that fans of family dramas and well-wrought settings are sure to enjoy.

Nonfiction. We feel duty-bound to remind you that it's really, really smart to wear a helmet and other safety gear while skateboarding...especially if you're planning to learn the advanced maneuvers in this book. That being said, if you're looking for unusual and innovative tricks that go beyond the ones in Skateboarding: New Levels, then this is the instructional guide for you. It provides step-by-step photos of and tips for mastering nearly three dozen tricks (both old-school and modern), and it also lists camps, skate parks, magazines, Web sites, and other books that serious skaters will want to know about.

Realistic Fiction. Fifteen-year-old Johnny Hazzard from Austin, Texas is spending the summer in London with his dad, just like he has every year since his parents' divorce. But this summer is turning out to be very different from the ones before, and not just because Johnny has finally found where the skateboarders hang out. This summer, Johnny will lose his virginity, fall in love, and find out up close and personal how Europeans feel about Americans as a result of the U.S. war in Iraq. If there's such a thing as a romance novel for guys, this smart, funny, and graphically sexy book is it.

Fiction. When things aren't going so great, Sam Jones talks to his poster of superstar skateboarder Tony Hawk--and since Sam has the man's autobiography memorized, he hears Tony Hawk talking back. For a charmed six-month period, however, everything seems to be alright in Sam's life: he's doing well in school, his mom has dumped her "rubbish boyfriend," he's learned some new skating tricks, and, best of all, he's got a girlfriend, Alicia. But then, after he breaks up with her, Sam learns that Alicia is pregnant. WWTHD (What would Tony Hawk do)? If you liked the humor and introspection of author Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, you'll want to read Slam and find out.

Psychological Thriller. When the skateboarder who narrates this story (he never reveals his name) went to skate at "dangerous, sketchy" Paranoid Park for the first time, he was nervous--but psyched because he'd have something impressive to tell people. But now his whole life is a torment because he can't talk about what happened at the park. It was an accident--self-defense, really; he didn't mean to kill the security guard. And since no one saw it happen, he can just keep his horrible, guilty secret...or can he? If you like getting inside a character's head, tortured though it may be, pick up this edgy, riveting read.

Nonfiction. Author Jo Waterhouse writes about counter-culture and subculture artists and their work and contributes to the "indie/DIY craft" blog UK DIY. With Concrete to Canvas, she "showcase[s] the fantastic artwork being produced by skateboarders, whether that’s pro skaters or professional artists who also skate," and the array of styles and mediums represented in the relatively slim book is staggering. If you like what you see here, check out Waterhouse's blog by the same title or her 2nd book, Concrete 2 Canvas: More Skateboarders' Art.

Dystopian SF. Tally Youngblood lives in Uglyville, anxiously awaiting the day she turns 16 and (like all Uglies coming of age) undergoes surgery to make her a perfectly gorgeous--and perfectly bubbleheaded--Pretty. But when veteran prankster Tally sneaks out of Uglyville to pull a few final tricks before her transformation, she encounters a few rebels who know something she doesn't about the surgery...and she's coerced by government agents into infiltrating their ranks. Skaters in particular will appreciate the hoverboard action in the Uglies series (Pretties is the next volume), since hoverboarding is like a futuristic cross between surfing on air and skateboarding.