Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780316053617
ISBN-10: 0316053619

Realistic Fiction. Seventeen-year-old J was born with a female body but has never felt like a girl. He already dresses like a guy, but he wants to transition fully into life as a transgender young man...which requires both hormones and his parents' permission, something it doesn't seem at all likely that J will get. This emotionally intense novel, which Booklist calls "easily the best book to date" about being a transgender teen, is one that fans of author Julie Anne Peters will definitely not want to miss.

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780316077422
ISBN-10: 0316077429

Hardboiled Fiction. All-out war between rival gangs at Salt River High seems imminent after Wesley Payne's dead body is found hanging from a goalpost, and Wesley's sister, Macy, hires teen private eye Dalton Rev to figure out what's happened and manage the chaos on campus. Hilarious, clever, and rife with twists and turns, this "dark, cynical romp" (Kirkus Reviews) of a mystery won't be every reader's cup of tea, but those who relish noir-ish pulp fiction, convoluted plots, and sarcastic wit are going to love it.

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780062004901
ISBN-10: 0062004905

Fiction. Celebrated author Walter Dean Myers joined forces with one of his fans, high school student Ross Workman, to write this story of a soccer-playing New Jersey kid who gets in serious trouble. Thirteen-year-old Kevin Johnson is under arrest for crashing his friend Christy's dad's car. Accused of not just auto theft but also kidnapping (Christy was with him when he wrecked), Kevin has to decide whether he can trust police officer Sergeant Brown, who is investigating his case and genuinely seems to want to help. Besides offering a captivating mystery and some exciting soccer action, Kick also holds appeal for fans of realistic fiction with memorable, well-developed characters.

Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780061726828
ISBN-10: 0061726826

Science Fiction. High school senior Lena Haloway is counting the 95 days until her appointment to undergo the operation that every citizen has, at age 18, to prevent them from contracting amor deliria nervosa--love, which is seen as a deadly disease. At first, Lena is eager for the surgery, believing it will make her life happy and safe. But then she meets handsome and enigmatic Alex, and she's not so sure anymore... Suspenseful, romantic, and with a vividly evoked setting (a near-future Portland, Maine), this edgy 1st book in a new trilogy from the author of Before I Fall will leave you breathless to know what happens next.

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/11/2011
ISBN-13: 9780375966675
ISBN-10: 0375966676

Realistic Fiction. Jessica is a runner--it's her identity and the only thing she wants to do--but after a tragic car accident leaves her a partial amputee, she thinks that her life might as well be over. As Jessica tries to cope with physical therapy, adjust to using a prosthetic leg, and catch up on all the work she's missed in school, she has a revelation and decides that she will run again. This ultimately upbeat and inspiring story will keep readers who like tales of triumph over adversity (such as Bethany Hamilton's faith-focused memoir Soul Surfer) captivated.

First Chapter  

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061227691
ISBN-10: 0061227692

Thriller. When budget woes at his high school cause the baseball program to be cut, 16-year-old Wyatt moves in with his aunt in Silver City so he can play ball (and, as a major bonus, get away from his stepfather). But after Wyatt figures out that he's now living very near the penitentiary where his biological father is in prison--and he meets sexy, impulsive Greer--baseball seems much less important. Before long, Greer has Wyatt convinced that his father is innocent...and willing to risk anything to prove it. Fast-paced, populated with genuinely believable characters, and packed with enough twists and turns to make your head spin, Bullet Point is a riveting read.

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/24/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061947049
ISBN-10: 0061947040

Fiction. Readers are put directly in the mindset of jaded, cynical high-school sophomore Kyle Chase right from the start of this gritty and gripping story: "You're surprised at all the blood. He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping open, his face almost as white as his shirt. He's surprised, too." From there, the narrative cuts back to the beginning of Kyle's downward spiral--just before the arrival of wealthy, vaguely sinister transfer student Zack--and it doesn't let go until you turn the very last page of this "brutal, fast, and satisfying" (Booklist) novel.

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/12/2010
ISBN-13: 9780316004039
ISBN-10: 0316004030

Dark Fantasy. After inexplicably surviving the car crash that killed his foster father, 15-year-old Jacob Fielding discovers that, with three whispered words, he's been bequeathed the power of invulnerability. When he realizes that he can share this power with others, Jacob makes his best friend Milo and gorgeous new girl Ophelia indestructible, too. But as Ophelia, in her fervor to save the world, unintentionally wreaks havoc with her borrowed powers, the dark side of Jacob's "gift" is slowly revealed. Nail-biting suspense combines with an ethical conundrum and a healthy dose of action in this creepily thought-provoking read.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/23/2010
ISBN-13: 9780811871754
ISBN-10: 0811871754

Thriller. Evie is a high-school loner with a paper route, a crush on a local college drop-out, and a habit of stretching the truth. While delivering papers one Sunday, Evie stumbles upon the crime scene where her classmate Elizabeth McCabe's body has been discovered. After exaggerating her childhood friendship with the murdered girl, Evie finds herself drawn into investigating the crime with Elizabeth's actual best friend--a reckless, unpredictable wild-child who drags Evie deeper and deeper into dangerous territory. Unnerving and briskly paced, this suspenseful novel with a quirky heroine will please fans of author Peter Abrahams' mysteries.