Fiction. Ama, Jo, and Polly are beginning their last summer before high school; they'll be attending the same school that Bridget, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby (from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) did. Like that famous foursome, the three younger girls have been close for a long time--ever since third grade, when they planted the willow saplings they'd been given for a school project all in a row. But unlike The Sisterhood, Jo, Polly, and Ama have started to grow apart...just when they're going to need each other the most. 3 Willows is a must-read for fans of the original series, but anyone who enjoys realistic fiction with a great cast of characters should check this book out.

Fantasy. In the fascinating, Asian-inspired world created in this book, supernatural "energy dragons" named for animals in the Chinese zodiac control all of Earth's energies. Young men compete for the honor of being apprenticed to one of the Dragoneyes, powerful men who communicate and bargain with the dragons on behalf of the people. Sixteen-year-old Eon has been training hard, but, due to an old injury and the fact that "he" is really a girl in disguise, is the least likely to be chosen. This spellbinding story of adventure, honor, and political intrigue features a strong heroine and a wonderfully complex plot that will keep readers guessing to the very end.

Fiction. Fifteen-year-old preacher's kid Vincent Harris has always known that he is gay, and he has faithfully--almost obsessively--prayed for years for God to make him straight. But when Vincent meets handsome Robert Ingle on the first Sunday at his father's new church, he's smitten. Soon the two of them are falling head-over-heels in love, and Vincent longs for a way to reconcile his faith with his feelings. This sweet romance deals honestly and respectfully with issues of faith and identity and, like Alex Sanchez's The God Box, offers solace to anyone who's tried to give up one for the other.

Historical Fiction. Babylonne is accustomed to the violent world of 13th-century Languedoc, France--she's survived six bloody Crusade sieges and, as a child born out of wedlock, was abused by the stalwart Cathar relatives who raised her. But now her grandmother and aunt want to punish her by marrying her off to a senile old man, and Babylonne has had enough. Disguising herself as a boy, she runs away...only to be followed by a Catholic priest who, despite his claim to have known her father, Pagan Kidrouk, terrifies her. Fans of Australian author Catherine Jinks' Pagan Chronicles will get a special kick out of the ways in which Babylonne resembles her strong-willed father, but anyone who likes both medieval history and adventure will relish this vivid tale.

Fiction. Cameron Grady had led a relatively normal life until starting ninth grade. But after a coach mistakes Cameron, who's short for his age and wears his hair long, for a girl, the Red Coats--a group of varsity football players known for torturing freshmen--pick him as their latest target. As the Red Coats' harassment intensifies, so does Cameron's anger...until going for long runs and setting things on fire can no longer keep it under control. This brutally realistic story of a traumatized young man's total breakdown is both disturbing and thought-provoking.

Biography. Maybe you don't know who Andy Warhol is, but there's a good chance that you'd recognize his work--it transformed humble, everyday items such as Campbell's Soup cans, Coke bottles, and dollar bills into fine art. Maybe you've also heard (or even experienced) the bit about everyone getting her "15 minutes of fame"? That's from Mr. Warhol, too. Intrigued? Read this excellent biography and learn all about the man himself, a painter, filmmaker, celebrity, and oddball extraordinaire.

Adult Nonfiction. Everyone ends up getting some kind of label forced on them during their school years, for good or ill. Jonathan Mooney's particular labels--"dyslexic" and "learning disabled"--won him a spot on the "short bus" that kids in the special education program rode to school. Years later, after graduating with honors from Brown University, Jonathan decided to board a short bus again...only this time he drove it on a personal journey across America to wrestle with the question, "What is normal?" This thoughtful, illuminating, and funny book tells the story of his trip and of the fellow short-bus riders he met, talked with (or, in a couple of cases, got cussed by), and learned from along the way.

Adult Nonfiction. Instead of an inner voice telling him what to do, Matt Polly has always had an "inner to-do list" titled "Things That are Wrong with Matt." He's also been obsessed with kung fu, and by extension Chinese culture, ever since seeing reruns of David Carradine's TV series Kung Fu as a nine-year-old (in case mere mention of the name "David Carradine" doesn't automatically make you think "kicks butt," you should know that Carradine also starred in both Kill Bill movies). In this funny and enlightening book, Matt tells about leaving Princeton to study at the Shaolin Temple in China, ancient home of world-renowned fighting monks, in the hope of knocking "cowardly" off his inner list.

Adult Nonfiction. C. Vivian Stringer, head women's basketball coach at Rutgers University (whose 2007 championship team was infamously insulted by radio shock-jock Don Imus), has led three different teams to the NCAA Final Four and is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. A coal miner's daughter who believed her parents when they told her she could achieve anything, Stringer has faced many personal challenges--her daughter's illness, her beloved husband's death, her bout with cancer--while always setting the highest standards of character and accomplishment for her players. Her personal and inspirational story will speak not only to basketball fans but to anyone who enjoys true stories of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds.