"In the suburbs I learned to drive
And you told me we'd never survive…"
~ from Arcade Fire's The Suburbs |
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| Never Always Sometimes by Adi AlsaidFiction. Back when they started high school, best friends Julia and Dave made the Never List. In it, they outlined all of the clichéd teen activities (such as life-changing road trips, skinny dipping, hair dye experiments, and running for prom king) that they'd never, ever do. Now, nearing the end of senior year, they decide to break their own rules and see how many "nevers" they can accomplish. The results are hilarious, poignant, and surprising -- especially when Julia and Dave tackle number ten on the list: never date your best friend. With "all the fun of a classic teen movie" (Booklist), Never Always Sometimes will satisfy fans of Stephanie Perkins and John Green. |
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| The Fixer by Jennifer BarnesThriller. High school drama leads to secrets, intrigue, and murder in this suspenseful new thriller. Sixteen-year-old Tess has just moved from Montana to join her older sister, Ivy, in Washington, DC. In the District, Ivy is famous for her abilities as a political "fixer," and after enrolling at the elite Hardwicke School, Tess discovers that she, too, has a knack for solving sticky problems. Then Tess discovers a shocking connection between a classmate and a high-profile government scandal, and the sisters' worlds collide. If you can't get enough of the tangled relationships and high-stakes power plays in TV's Scandal or Ally Carter's Embassy Row series, don't miss The Fixer. |
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| Bright Lights, Dark Nights by Stephen EmondFiction. Walter has always been the kind of guy who doesn't attract much attention. When he meets Naomi, who shares his awkwardness as well his sense of humor and love of music, he's surprised to find that she likes him just as much as he likes her. However, after Walter's cop father is accused of racial profiling, Walter (who's white) and Naomi (who's black) are thrown into the media spotlight. Can their fledgling relationship stand up to the opinions and prejudices of their community? Expressive illustrations skillfully flesh out the urban setting of this thought-provoking story. For another complex teen couple navigating the intersection of race and romance, try Anna Banks' Joyride. |
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| Adrift by Paul GriffinAdventure. If they hadn't gone to the party, Matt and his friend John might never have ended up stranded in the Atlantic. But when tourists Driana, Stef, and João invited the guys to a luxe party in the Hamptons, how could they say no? And how could they guess that Stef's reckless windsurfing would lead to a disastrous rescue attempt, leaving all five teens drifting on the open sea? Now, far from help, they desperately try to survive injuries, sharks, scorching heat, and rapidly mounting psychological pressure. Similar to Matt de la Peña's The Living, Adrift offers diverse characters and riveting tension. |
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| Six Impossible Things by Fiona WoodFiction. Ever since his dad announced that he was bankrupt, gay, and leaving, Dan and his mom have been having a tough time. Struggling with finances, they move into a smelly old Victorian house, and private school student Dan has to transfer to public school, where most of his classmates see him as a "complete nerd/loser." Thank goodness for Estelle, his dazzling new next-door neighbor and fellow misfit. "Effervescent and sweet" (Kirkus Reviews), this quirky tale from Australian author Fiona Wood will please romance readers as well as those looking for authentic, guy-centric coming of age stories. |
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| The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick BurdRealistic Fiction. Stifled and stuck in an Iowa suburb until he leaves for college in the fall, Dade is weary of his bickering parents, his pathetic 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. |
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| How to Steal a Car by Pete HautmanFiction. With nothing to do but loiter at the mall or work on her summer assignments (reading Moby-Dick and writing a "how-to" essay), 15-year-old Kelleigh escapes the oppressive boredom of her suburban life by stealing a car. Once she gets away with it a few times -- after all, she tells herself, it's not like boosting cars is any worse than her mom's drinking or her dad's cheating -- it's hard to resist more, and riskier, thefts. Though Kelleigh's voice is biting and bleak, readers who like angsty, character-driven stories will want to follow her all the way through her remorseless summer of crime. |
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| Girl Defective by Simmone HowellFiction. Obscure music is the soundtrack to Skylark Martin's life, which is hardly surprising, since she lives above her family's vintage record store. Besides her nostalgia-loving father and eccentric younger brother, Sky doesn't have much of a social life until she starts hanging out with the store's latest employees: Nancy, a wild older girl with connections to their Melbourne suburb's shady underground scene, and Luke, the brooding, attractive brother of a local girl whose tragic death might not have been an accident. If you prefer realistic stories packed with sharp observations and multi-layered characters, this mysterious, music-infused story is for you. |
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| The Suburban Strange by Nathan KoteckiFantasy. Though she's just a sophomore when she starts at Suburban High, timid 15-year-old Celia is quickly befriended by the Rosary, a sophisticated senior clique notorious for their morbid style. Even weirder than Celia's unexpected new friends are the near-fatal accidents plaguing Suburban's female students -- they only happen just before each girl turns 16. After learning an eye-opening secret from her chemistry partner, Celia is drawn into a dangerous paranormal mystery -- one she'll have to unravel before her own 16th birthday. Find out in this dark, eerie fantasy and its sequel, Pull Down the Night. |
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| Dare You To by Katie McGarryRomance. "Fairy-tales happen, just not to me. Time to tell the prince he rescued the wrong girl." Tough, tattooed skater girl Beth is sure that perfect baseball star Ryan won't stay interested in her once he understands how messed up she is. After all, she wouldn't even have moved to Ryan's upscale suburb if she hadn't gotten into trouble for protecting her drug-addicted mom. But as their secret relationship gets more serious -- and more steamy -- Beth starts to realize that she and Ryan might be more alike than she suspected. If you like gritty, emotionally intense reads, you'll fall for this gripping love story. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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