Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/05/2011
ISBN-13: 9780316133326
ISBN-10: 0316133329

Realistic Fiction. Straight-laced Ivy-League contender Evan is looking forward to the annual Christmas visit of his best friend, Lucy, who moved away after her parents divorced. Usually, the two of them pick up right where they left off, but this year, Evan is shocked when Lucy shows up with goth hair, a nose ring, and a surly attitude. Unfolding gradually and from both characters' perspectives, this will-they, won't-they story of friendship and romance is filled with believable tension, emotion, and angst and is a good pick for fans of either Mariko Tamaki's Skim or Natalie Standiford's How to Say Goodbye in Robot.

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/03/2012
ISBN-13: 9780312641894
ISBN-10: 0312641893

Science Fiction. Fans of reinvented fairy tales -- especially if they also happen to love dystopian fiction -- will be thrilled by this new take on the very old story of Cinderella, which is set in a far-future, plague-ridden New Beijing, China. Linh Cinder, who is a cyborg, lives with her stepmother and stepsisters and supports them by working as a mechanic. When handsome Prince Kai seeks out Cinder's help repairing an android, she is smitten with him...and drawn into dangerous palace intrigue. Cinder (the 1st in a series) departs dramatically from the original storyline while working in some clever nods to it; it's sure to keep fans of complex plots and vivid world-building riveted.

Publisher: Razorbill
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/10/2012
ISBN-13: 9781595143983
ISBN-10: 159514398X

Science Fiction. Ever since Amy, one of the 2,763 people on board the spaceship Godspeed, was awakened from cryogenically suspended animation three months ago, the on-board atmosphere has progressed from eerily sedate to discordant -- and dangerous. In this tense, slow-starting but ultimately thrilling sequel to Across the Universe, more of the Godspeed's dark secrets are revealed, and the ending is sure to make you desperate for the final volume. For more science fiction blended with action, intrigue, and romance, check out Dom Testa's Galahad series or Ally Condie's Matched.

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/24/2012
ISBN-13: 9780399257643
ISBN-10: 0399257640

Fiction. In the beginning, there was Bob: a testosterone-drenched teenage boy whose mom won Earth in a card game and gave the planet to him to run. Unfortunately, Bob is unpredictable and self-centered, and after creating human beings in his own image, he falls in love with some of the prettier specimens...and neglects everything else. This wickedly funny, thought-provoking novel -- alternately incisive and goofy -- will please fans of philosophical books that don't take themselves too seriously, such as Pete Hautman's Godless.

Publisher: Poppy
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/02/2012
ISBN-13: 9780316122382
ISBN-10: 0316122386

Romance. Seventeen-year-old Hadley's father is getting remarried, and while Hadley is (much) less than thrilled about it, she's traveling to England to be a part of his wedding. After missing her flight to London by just four minutes, Hadley gets rebooked on another flight...where she meets Oliver. We don't want to ruin it by giving away too many details, but this über-romantic love story is a sure bet for fans of the memorable characters, family drama, and intense emotion in novels by the likes of Sarah Dessen, Elizabeth Scott, or Justina Chen Headley.

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/12/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312650087
ISBN-10: 0312650086

Dystopian SF. In the aftermath of war and plague, most of New York City's survivors have moved underground, establishing enclaves where they eke out an existence and hide from zombie-like Freaks. After 15-year-old Deuce, an enclave-dweller, earns the rank of Huntress, she is paired with a mysterious outsider named Fade...and the two of them discover a secret that could destroy their precarious society. While there are hints of a possible romance between Deuce and Fade, this violent, gritty, and suspenseful read will appeal most to those who like the world-building and pulse-pounding action of the Hunger Games books.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Egmont USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/06/2011
ISBN-13: 9781606841754
ISBN-10: 1606841750

Horror/SF. Seventeen-year-old Alex is on a solo camping trip in the woods (and playing hooky from her seemingly pointless chemo treatments) when a series of electromagnetic pulses renders all technology useless, kills most of Earth's population, and turns many of those left alive into ravenous, bloodthirsty cannibals. But Alex isn't entirely alone; she teams up with an eight-year-old girl and a young soldier on leave who, like her, weren't transformed by the pulses, and the three of them fight together for survival. Terrifying and exhilarating, this rather gruesome read is one that fans of the darker bits of The Hunger Games (or similar blends of world-building and action, such as James Dashner's The Maze Runner) will devour.

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/05/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061802089
ISBN-10: 0061802085

Dystopian SF. Hunger Games fans who are fascinated by the culture of Capitol residents will be drawn in by this thought-provoking novel, in which schools of the future are taken over by corporations and housed in shopping malls. With no interest in being "branded" like the popular kids, whose every move is observed and tallied by advertisers as market research, nonconformist teen Katey "Kid" Dade looks for -- and finds -- others like her who want to buck the system. But can she really trust them? Suspenseful and full of great characters, The Unidentified will keep you turning the pages right up to its end.

Publisher: Egmont USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/23/2010
ISBN-13: 9781606840702
ISBN-10: 1606840703

Science Fiction. In 2097 (30 years after a virus decimated the Earth's male population), men remain a small and controlled minority, and the world is ruled by women. War, poverty, and crime have been all but eradicated, but the virus still plagues small bands of men living outside of the strictly regimented society. When 14-year-old Kellen Dent learns that a reclusive community of men -- one of whom is his father -- is susceptible to an outbreak, he runs away from home to warn them...and discovers a shocking secret that changes everything. Fast-paced and packed with action, Epitaph Road is a genuine page-turner with an intriguing premise.

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/03/2011
ISBN-13: 9780062024022
ISBN-10: 0062024027

Dystopian SF. In this book's far-future, post-apocalyptic Chicago, everyone belongs to one of five factions, each named for the virtue that its members devote their lives to cultivating: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). At 16, all citizens choose their permanent factions, and Beatrice Prior has just shocked her family by rejecting Abnegation to become Dauntless. But in order to join the ranks of the bold and brave, she'll first have to survive their brutal initiation...and keep a secret that could cost her life. Combining thrills, action, and violence with heady romance, Divergent is a great pick for fans of the Hunger Games trilogy.