Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/22/2010
ISBN-13: 9780374399115
ISBN-10: 0374399115

Fiction. This tense novel relates 24 momentous hours in the lives of five desperately broke people who are tied together by circumstance. Brothers Milton and Bruce Borchard royally flub a bank robbery that was supposed to fix everything for them; the Borchards' neighbor, legally blind Terrence, overhears them hiding the evidence; and Terrence's girlfriend's brother--a veteran of the Iraq war--takes off after the thieves, carrying his handgun. When these characters' stories converge, the details fit together "like the mechanism of a fine watch" (Horn Book Magazine). If you like books that balance a fast-paced, thrilling plot with beautiful writing and great characters, be sure to check out Flash.

Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/01/2010
ISBN-13: 9781555917241
ISBN-10: 1555917240

Graphic Novel. Many Native American folktales feature a trickster, a mischievous character who often tries to fool others and generally causes trouble. This highly entertaining collection of trickster tales from many different nations (Diné, Yup'ik, Ojibwe, and many more) is a collaboration between Native storytellers and comics artists, and Trickster is the first book ever to present Native American folktales in graphic form. There's a great variety of tales here (many of them quite funny) and an equal variety of art styles; this is a book that no one with an interest in Native cultures, comics, folklore, or just great stories should miss.

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061920905
ISBN-10: 0061920908

Humorous Horror. Doug Lee isn't just undead, he's also decidedly uncool. Bitten while attending Comic Con in San Diego, geeky Doug now finds himself "cursed with being fat and fifteen forever." His plan to find a goth girl who'll let him drink her blood fails, and he's forced to drink from animals (cows, mostly) in order to survive. And now the host of the cable-TV show Vampire Hunters is on his trail. If you tend to pass over melodramatic teen vampire novels in favor of funny ones, such as Jessica Abel's graphic novel Life Sucks or Brian Meehl's hilarious Suck It Up, you'll want to surrender yourself to Fat Vampire.

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/29/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061134081
ISBN-10: 0061134082

Fiction. Sixteen-year-old Tennyson is outraged when he learns that his twin sister, Brontë, is going on a date with Brewster "the Bruiser" Rawlins, a big, brawny loner who was voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" back in eighth grade (and hasn't made much social progress since). But as Brontë and Tennyson soon discover, there's a very good reason why Brewster keeps to himself: when he cares about someone, he literally takes on their pain. Like Rachel Ward's gripping book Numbers, Bruiser is a mostly realistic novel with a supernatural twist, and its thought-provoking story, narrated in turn by each of the twins and Brewster, explores relationships and sacrifice.

The final volume (following Catching Fire) in Suzanne Collins' phenomenally popular Hunger Games trilogy of dystopian science-fiction novels was published late last month--and there's probably still a long line of people waiting to check it out. Whether you like the trilogy for its action and excitement, great characters, maddeningly intense love triangle (the Edward vs. Jacob debate pales by comparison), or for Katniss, the girl who sparked a revolution, one of the books listed below--or Patrick Ness' excellent Chaos Walking trilogy, which begins with The Knife of Never Letting Go--might tide you over until it's your turn to read Mockingjay.

Publisher: Walker
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780802797452
ISBN-10: 0802797458

Post-Apocalyptic SF. It's 2100, and much of the world has been flooded by melting polar ice caps. Young Mara lives on an island that is shrinking rapidly as the waters rise. Using an antique "cyberwizz" to explore what remains of the Internet, she locates the fabled Sky Cities and convinces the members of her community that they must journey there in order to survive. After their long and dangerous voyage, Mara and the rest of the islanders discover that, while the Sky Cities actually do exist, refugees from the drowning world aren't allowed to enter. Can Mara find a way in before her people perish? This terrifying and thought-provoking vision of a possible future (continued in Zenith) will entrance fans of The Hunger Games with its action-packed, heroic adventure and incisive social commentary.

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Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780152063962
ISBN-10: 015206396X

Fantasy. With one blue eye and one green eye, young Lady Katsa is easy for citizens of the Seven Kingdoms to recognize as a Graceling--a person born with an extraordinary magical gift. Katsa's gift is supreme fighting ability, and her uncle, tyrannical King Randa, has enlisted her to torture (and sometimes kill) those who cross him. But she despises doing her uncle's dirty work and has formed a council that works for justice in secret. Then she meets Po, a prince with a Grace equal to her own, who may convince Katsa that she can--and must--openly defy the King. This stirring tale of adventure and romance is a great choice for those who love the independent heroine, political intrigue, romantic tension, and compelling writing of The Hunger Games.

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Publisher: Simon Pulse
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/08/2005
ISBN-13: 9780689865381
ISBN-10: 0689865384

Dystopian SF. Tally Youngblood lives in Uglyville, anxiously awaiting the day she turns 16 and, like all Uglies coming of age, undergoes surgery to make her a perfectly gorgeous--and perfectly bubbleheaded--Pretty. But when veteran prankster Tally sneaks out to pull a few final tricks before her transformation, she encounters a group of rebels who know a dark secret about the surgery...and she's coerced by government agents into infiltrating their ranks. Readers who loved the amazing world-building in The Hunger Games will appreciate the vividly imagined future society and ugly secrets of Uglies; fans of The Hunger Games' high-octane action will be well pleased, too. You might want to check out volume two, Pretties, at the same time as Uglies--this series grabs you and won't let go.

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Ellen Hopkins' novels in verse are wildly popular with teens who like reading gritty realistic fiction about dysfunctional families, sexual abuse, life on the streets, drug addiction, and other serious issues. Her frank, straightforward writing style pulls readers into the fast-paced, emotionally intense, and often disturbing worlds inhabited by her believable characters. Hopkins' latest, Fallout (a companion novel to her previous books Crank and Glass), publishes on September 14th; if you're looking for more fiction that doesn't shy away from harsh situations, give some of the books listed below a try.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/04/2008
ISBN-13: 9780689878596
ISBN-10: 0689878591

Fiction. Chunky goth girl Miles and her slim, popular cousin Laura have grown up together on a posh Georgetown estate, as close as sisters. Then Laura--the perfect one--kills herself. Miles is devastated and, after her mom deserts her and takes off for London, plunges into a destructive tailspin of prescription drug abuse and depression. This sometimes brutally intense novel is darker than most of author Rachel Cohn's books; it has authentic and distinctly drawn characters you'll care about and is a must-read if you like stories of loss, family relationships, and survival.

Publisher: HarperTempest
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9780060517502
ISBN-10: 0060517506

Fiction. Last year, Michael Daye was a high school athlete with a promising future. Now, he's a 17-year-old carny, hawking chances to win the Whack-a-Mole game and hiding his true identity. But the carnival that he joined has come back to Miami, his hometown--just as Michael's mom is preparing to stand trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather. This heart-rending novel is suspenseful, emotionally intense, and has well-developed, believable characters, all of which should please Ellen Hopkins fans (as well as fans of author Alex Flinn's earlier book Breathing Underwater).

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/12/2009
ISBN-13: 9780763630317
ISBN-10: 0763630314

Fiction. Jamie (aka Punkzilla), nearly 15, is traveling on a Greyhound bus from Oregon to Tennessee to see his older brother, Peter, who is dying of cancer. Jamie is AWOL from military school and has been living on the streets in Portland, where he became a petty thief in order to survive. Made up of the letters that Jamie is writing to Peter while he's en route, this novel doesn't shy away from harsh realities like drug use, violence, and meaningless sex, but as Jamie says to his brother (and perhaps as a warning to readers who like sunny books), "you said how you wanted the truth about stuff even if it's ugly and trust me it's going to get a little ugly."

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Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/01/1996
ISBN-13: 9780679446262
ISBN-10: 0679446265

Fiction. Whether or not you've seen the harrowing yet ultimately hopeful movie Precious, which won two Academy Awards and seven Black Reel awards, you'll want to read Push, the novel it is based on. Clareece Precious Jones is 16 years old and is pregnant with her father's child--for the second time. Abused by both of her parents, unable to read, and failing in school, Precious retreats into fantasies in order to cope. When she's referred to a special program led by a determined young teacher, Precious' world gets a little wider, and for the first time she has a reason to hope.

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