Fiction. During the summer after her freshman year, Frankie Landau-Banks metamorphosed into a curvy boy-magnet without really trying. But a much more substantial and intriguing transformation follows in this diabolically funny, frankly feminist story of how she evolved from an unassuming debate-team member to a near-criminal mastermind during her sophomore year. When Frankie learns that her new boyfriend (thank you, summer) belongs to the all-male secret society The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, she takes her first step toward becoming an adult who will "go on to head the CIA, direct action movies, design rocket ships or possibly (if she goes astray) preside over a unit of organized criminals."

Suspense. The five Herbert sisters--Beauty, Mim, Stevie, Fancy, and Autumn--are far too busy with their own dreams and problems to notice the man who has been watching them. He looks as though he could be "any respectable, ordinary man," but he isn't. As the close-knit sisters go about their daily lives, he is sorting them out, deciding which one he will take. Tension builds slowly as you get to know the Herbert family and will keep you riveted all the way through the ending of this terrifying and moving story.

Fiction. In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls--an anonymous narrator, her friend Neeka, and foster child D--bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music. Unlike Neeka and the narrator, D has seen serious hard times in foster homes and has lived the truth in Tupac's songs. For two years, D's foster mother lets her "roam," and the three girls grow to be as close as sisters...but after D's real mama takes her away for good, the friends left behind realize that they never really knew that much about her. Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson brings her characters' Queens neighborhood to life in this touching story of friendship.

Fiction. As the chunky, lisping girl who wore secondhand clothes, Jennifer (a.k.a. "Fattifer") was a third-grade outcast. Her life back then would have been miserable without Cameron, her one true friend--who disappeared years ago without warning (the kids at school said he'd died). Since then, Jennifer has reinvented herself as Jenna, a slim, popular high school senior. But inside, she still feels like Fattifer, still misses Cameron, and still remembers what happened that awful day at his house before he vanished. When Cameron suddenly shows up in her homeroom one morning, Jenna's meticulously controlled identity begins to fall apart. Readers who enjoy fully human characters and steadily building suspense will be enthralled by this beautiful, bittersweet novel.

Fiction. Tragically un-hip Katy is not pleased to be spending the summer in L.A. with her punk-rock-drummer father, but with her mom headed to Peru for an archeological dig, she has no choice. Nice, neat, and polite Katy despises everything about her dad (a.k.a. "The Rat")--his nasty apartment, his friends, even his band's music. She's not even offended when Lake, the daughter of one of The Rat's bandmates, starts calling her "Beige" (i.e., boring)...but by the end of the summer, Katy's time in L.A.'s grungy music scene has helped her figure out who she really is. Each chapter of this funny, character-centered novel opens with a song title from an actual punk group; voilà, instant playlist!

Fiction. Feeling alienated from everyone around her, Los Angeles high school senior and cinephile Victoria Jurgen hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies

Fiction. Trying to avoid an ex-girlfriend at the club where his punk band is on a break, bassist Nick asks nearby Norah to be his girlfriend "for the next five minutes." Norah goes along with the ploy and returns Nick's kiss, and over the next 24 hours the two share an impetuous night of music shows, making out, witty banter, New York clubs, and figuring out whether they can risk love again (they've each been burned). Chapters are alternately narrated by songwriter Nick and "potty mouth" Norah, and both the characters and the NYC music scene are vividly portrayed in this edgy romance. Get your MP3 player ready for a variety of punk, heavy metal, and even some worthy oldies.

Fiction. People think Annabel has everything going for her, but her popular friends have dumped her, she is secretly unhappy as a part-time model, and her family is focused on her anorexic sister. Totally isolated, she becomes friends with outcast Owen, who turns her (and readers!) on to his favorite music and shows her how to be honest with herself. Will a violent assault on another model in her old crowd push Annabel, who's been keeping a secret since last year's end-of-school party, to be honest with everyone else? This is for teens whose lives seem to be perfect, and for those who think others' lives are.

Fiction. Denis Cooverman is the biggest nerd in his high school. But, being valedictorian, he has the opportunity during his graduation speech to say whatever he wants to the senior class. Sweating buckets, he ditches his prepared speech and professes his love for head cheerleader Beth Cooper--who, astonishingly, agrees to come to his graduation party. A hilarious and at points humiliating night of revelry--and fleeing from Beth's angry boyfriend--ensues for Denis. Music references and song titles, including the dorky ones Denis' mom had him add to his commencement mix, are sprinkled throughout this quirky novel by a former writer for The Simpsons and Beavis and Butt-head.

Fiction. Devoted metalhead Sam Markus' life has a hard-core soundtrack, and it's woven into this novel's story. Sam and his friends spend most of their time smoking, drinking, and going to see their favorite heavy metal bands in concert...that is, until Sam falls in love with prim, proper, and preppy Melissa. At first, Melissa seems to "get" Sam and even seems to admire his passion for metal, but before long she wants him to give up his friends, go straight edge, and (shudder) live without his music. Metal fans--or anyone who feels the need to crank up the volume--can duplicate the metal mix that Sam makes for Melissa (all the songs are listed).

Fiction. Smart, cynical Tom Henderson is a typical high school loser whose pastimes include coming up with band names (never mind the fact that he's not in a band) and trying to attract "semihot girls." Tom is baffled (and annoyed) by his teachers' cultish allegiance to The Catcher in the Rye, a book that changed their lives when they were teenagers. But Tom's own life is about to be changed by a copy of the same book--the copy that his recently deceased father filled with cryptic notes that might explain his mysterious death. Author Frank Portman, lead man of punk band The Mr. T Experience, packs a lot of references to 1970s rock bands in this funny, sardonic book. He even lists them all in a "King Dork Discography" linked from his website...but reading the book to find them is more fun.

Fiction. Told in a series of hilarious e-mails, a delightful novel follows sixteen-year-old Emily, who moves from Seattle to England with her family right before her junior year, as she deals with a new culture, new friends, gorgeous British boys, and a ghost who lurks in her underwear drawer. Original.