On the payroll as an assistant to her coroner father, seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney uses her knowledge of forensic medicine to catch the killer of a friend while putting herself in terrible danger

Memoir. Author Blake Taylor was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when he was five years old. Blake, who's now in college, details both his struggles and the things he's learned in this book--including the fact that some of his ADHD tendencies can be seen as advantages. If you have ADHD, this candid and empathetic book offers suggestions for coping with life on a daily basis--from dealing with bullies and unsympathetic teachers to making friends to getting organized. If you know someone with ADHD, Blake's book may help you understand that person's perspective, particular challenges, and gifts.

Fiction. Overweight, unpopular high school freshman Raquel Falcone gets struck by a car while walking home from a movie and dies. In this short and poignant novel, readers get snippets of Raquel's identity from the reminiscences and reactions of family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers (like Stacy, the popular girl who seems to think that the great tragedy of Raquel's life is that she was, well, Raquel and not Stacy). Well-drawn characters and a tinge of mystery will keep readers turning the pages of this thought-provoking read, hoping for an answer to one question: Who was Raquel Falcone?

Fiction. High school senior Jamie Carcaterra is fat--not pudgy, not chunky, but FAT--and she's got something to say about it. Hoping to make her classmates think beyond stereotypes and to win a college scholarship for journalism, Jamie begins writing a column called Fat Girl Manifesto in her school newspaper. Meanwhile, her (also fat) boyfriend, Burke, decides to have his stomach stapled, and Jamie chronicles his surgery and its aftermath in her column. Will their relationship survive when Burke gets thinner? If you enjoy this compelling story about a girl who's creative, large, and in charge, you might also like seeing how another girl reaches that point of self-acceptance in Rebecca O'Connell's Myrtle of Willendorf.

African-American Fiction. Kayla Dean, 14-year-old feminist, shy girl, and budding investigative reporter, is being pressured by her best friend, Rosalie, into auditioning for Royal Palm Academy's Lady Lions dance team. Rosalie's politics are toward the strident end of the feminism scale, and she's out to prove that the ultra-hot Lady Lions only choose dancers who are more generously endowed than A-cup Kayla is. But what if Kayla actually makes the team and likes being a booty-shaking Lady Lion? Can she be empowered even if she wants to wear really cute shoes? This smart, funny story about friendship and girl power is chock-full o' funktaciousness (defined in the book's "Lexicon of Kayla-isms")!

Adult Nonfiction. The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus was first published in France in 1997, the same year that legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau died. During his lifetime, Cousteau was a tireless champion for Earth's oceans and gave some TV viewers their first glimpse below the surface in a series of programs titled The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. This book contains a brief biographical introduction of Captain Cousteau but is composed primarily of his observations of life in and under water. Part celebration of the natural world, part exhortation to preserve that world and its wildlife, this book is an "electrifying, many-faceted masterwork" (Booklist), and is a must-read for eco-warriors and anyone fascinated with the watery deep.

Fiction. Michael Racine is a full-on 21st Century Digital Boy (like in the Bad Religion song) whose summer job opportunities don't seem as glamorous as the ones his ambitious and talented friends have. That is, until his grandparents' hippie friends Nora and Walt offer him an internship at their environmental magazine, The Earth's Wife. By the time Michael realizes what he's in for--a summer of tofu, no air conditioning, and composting toilets--it's too late for him to back out. Can he survive the summer without cable TV?!? This hilarious novel holds a few surprises and learning experiences not only for Michael, but for his earnest hosts as well.

Fiction. Seventeen-year-old amateur lepidopterist (one who collects or studies butterflies or moths) John Rodgers lives in a logging town in northern California. He baffles his tough-minded father, who can't understand why John would rather run track than play contact sports--and let's not even start with the butterflies. Not long after learning that his father has terminal cancer, John discovers a new species of butterfly in the redwood forest owned by the local mill. He knows that his attempts to protect the species will incur not only his dying father's wrath, but that of the entire town. If you think that all environmental debates are black-and-white cases of Us versus Them (regardless of which side you consider to be "Us"), this absorbing and emotional story might make you see things differently.

Adult Nonfiction. In this powerful book, Wangari Muta Maathai, the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, recounts her life as a political activist, feminist, and environmentalist in Kenya. Born in a rural village in 1940, she was determined to get an education, a highly unusual ambition for girls at the time. She went on to earn a PhD and to head the department of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi. Later, Maathai had numerous run-ins with the brutal Moi government after establishing the Green Belt Movement, which helps restore indigenous forests in Kenya while aiding rural women by paying them to plant trees (over 30 million so far!). Eager to learn more about a courageous and determined woman who has made an enormous difference in the world? Don't miss Unbowed.

Science Fiction. When best friends Emily and Reese arrive at Cape Cod for the summer, they're expecting to stick to their usual routine: eating cheap pizza at Antonio's and hopelessly scoping the beach for cute boys. But this year, they actually meet two super-cute (and, okay, slightly odd) boys named Steve and Dave. These potential summer boyfriends turn out to have healing powers--and a mission to find an extra-terrestrial buddy of theirs who's been nabbed by the FBI. Not your usual alien-contact yarn, this funny and suspenseful story also delivers a serious message about humans' impact on planet Earth.