Publisher: Dial Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/14/2012
ISBN-13: 9780803736993
ISBN-10: 0803736991

Realistic Fiction. To Samantha Reed's rigid and controlling mom, the next-door neighbors are just "the messy family who lowers real estate values." To Samantha, however, the Garretts are fascinating, and she has secretly observed their chaotic goings-on from the roof outside her bedroom window for years. Then one evening, one of the Garrett boys, Jase, climbs up on Sam's patch of roof to talk to her, setting what Kirkus Reviews calls "an almost perfect summer romance" in motion. While its vividly rendered first-love story is sure to have romance fans sighing contentedly, My Life Next Door will also please readers who like ethical conundrums, complex, well-drawn characters, and serious family drama.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/28/2012
ISBN-13: 9780689865053
ISBN-10: 0689865058

Realistic Fiction. Sixteen-year-old Scotty compares her life to tofu: it has no flavor unless you add something. And it's true that Scotty's friends, Misha and Falcone, and her autistic younger brother, Keone, make life delicious. But after a tragic accident that leaves Keone in a coma and a classmate dead, Scotty struggles with immense guilt, and her whole world seems to fall apart. Heart-rending yet hopeful as well as fully, messily real, this novel will please fans of other authors who write emotionally intense, character-driven stories, such as Coe Booth, John Green, or Jacqueline Woodson.

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/28/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307931887
ISBN-10: 0307931889

Fiction. Known to him/herself only as "A," the narrator of this philosophically electrifying novel wakes up every morning in the body of a different person. This constant, inexplicable change -- A is usually around the same age but has experienced different genders, ethnicities, personality types, etc. -- has made A unusually circumspect, mature, and careful not to alter anything that would impact the lives of those whose bodies s/he's inhabited. It makes for a lonely existence...until A falls in love with a girl named Rhiannon and breaks those rules, just to see her again. If you've ever pondered what love is or what makes us who we are, don't miss this mind-bending yet utterly accessible read.

First Chapter  

Publisher: First Second
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/03/2012
ISBN-13: 9781596431003
ISBN-10: 1596431008

Graphic Novel. In 1870 Dakota Territory, orphaned teen "Bloody" Chester Kates (nicknamed for his tendency to get beaten up) is in for some surprises when he agrees to burn down the town of Whale in order to make way for the Union Pacific railroad. He wasn't informed about the plague that's already decimated the town's population -- and he never expected any of the surviving residents to refuse to leave, especially if the rumors of a supernatural menace there are true. If you like creepy, violent Western comics like Cullen Bunn's Sixth Gun series, don't miss this blend of horror, mystery, and dark humor.

Publisher: Walker & Company
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9780802723765
ISBN-10: 0802723764

Fairy-Tale Fantasy. In this "exhilarating, romantic, and frequently funny" (Publishers Weekly) reimagining of the tale of the Ugly Duckling, a girl cast out of her village because she was born with a deformed foot is rescued by cows -- twice. First saved by beneficent bovines as a baby and later as a young woman, Emmeline is taken in by a dairy farmer's son after her village is washed away in a flood. Soon she discovers her magical ability to churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy that's been gone from Anglund for so long that many consider it mere legend -- but those who know better are willing to kill for control over Emmeline's power.

Set in an alternate Manhattan where humans unwittingly live side-by-side with monsters, demons, fairies, and other supernatural beings, Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series is fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful urban fantasy heavily spiced with relationship drama. It captivates fans of steamy paranormal romance; lush, florid writing that's charged with emotion; and stories rife with angst, snarky humor, plot twists, shocking secrets, and gut-wrenching betrayals. Already read all five volumes and still want more? Check out one of the books below for something similar.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/04/2010
ISBN-13: 9781416963967
ISBN-10: 1416963960

Urban Fantasy. Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of criminals and "curse workers," people who practice magic illegally and can alter others' luck or memories -- or even kill them -- with a single touch. Cassel, who doesn't seem to have inherited his family's talents, tries very hard to convince his private-school classmates that he's just a regular guy. But he's haunted by a dirty secret from his past, a white cat that keeps appearing in his nightmares, and the odd way that his brothers have been acting around him lately. Right from the start, when Cassel awakens from a nightmare to find himself on the roof of his dormitory, this 1st volume in the Curse Workers series is a fast-paced, intense, and mysterious read.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416963790
ISBN-10: 1416963790

Urban Fantasy. Ever since their father was murdered, brothers Nick and Alan Ryves have been on the run from evil, power-crazed magicians who conjure demons to do their bidding. According to Alan, the magicians are after the protective charm that the boys' mother stole. But brooding, cold-hearted Nick is starting to suspect that his older brother, the only person he's ever trusted, is lying to him about...well, everything. Full of action, surprises, and vividly rendered characters, The Demon's Lexicon will bewitch Mortal Instruments fans.

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9781423119999
ISBN-10: 1423119991

Urban Fantasy/Horror. As the daughter of the man who leads the last remnants of the Knights Templar, 15-year-old Billi SanGreal has been raised to fight -- and kill -- all manner of Unholy beasts. She'd really rather just be a normal teenager, but London needs saving...especially after Billi unwittingly falls for a guy who has the power to unleash an apocalypse. While this often-gruesome novel is closer to true horror fiction than the Mortal Instruments series, both are fast-paced and feature tantalizing romance, high-octane battles, and a lot of intense emotion. And with intriguing religious history and lore woven in, Devil's Kiss stands out from the pack -- for more, check out its sequel, Dark Goddess.

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312614782
ISBN-10: 0312614780

Urban Fantasy. When 17-year-old Riley Blackthorne, an apprentice demon-trapper in 2018 Atlanta, Georgia, attempts a routine Grade-One demon extraction in a university library, things go awry despite her careful attention to procedure. Soon after, a much more dangerous demon kills Riley's father (a renowned demon-trapper himself), and it becomes clear that something very big -- and very bad -- is afoot, and Riley is in grave danger. Like the Mortal Instruments series, this novel will thrill readers with its knockout world-building, sizzling romantic tension, and full-throttle action.

First Chapter  

Publisher: HarperTeen
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/31/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061985843
ISBN-10: 0061985848

Paranormal Romance. Evie, the only known human with the ability to see through supernatural "glamours," works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA) tracking down and subduing hags, werewolves, vampires, and other dangerous creatures. (Really, she finds the work dull and would rather be shopping, watching TV, or at the very least at home painting her weapons pink.) But when a mysterious shape-shifter invades the IPCA and brings news of a string of paranormal murders, things start to heat up -- in more ways than one. While it's got plenty of action and some interesting world-building, too, this sassy, fast-paced read will most appeal to fans of the humor and romance in the Mortal Instruments series.