The Red Queen

by Victoria Aveyard

Summary:
Mare's world is divided by blood. Born a red, she is forever bound to a life of wanting and servitude to the silvers, those with silver blood and supernatural powers. When a chance encounter leads to a job in the palace, she doesn't question it. But when she discovers she has supernatural powers of her own, and discovers this in front of the entire court. Now forced to pretend to be a silver by the king, she is betrothed to the prince and finds herself playing a much more dangerous game than she ever thought possible.

Review:
While this type of theme is being played out in numerous trilogies, The Red Queen is absolutely marvelous. It will find a readership in those who love the semi-dystopian romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in. It's difficult to put down and leaves readers anxiously awaiting the rest of the series.

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

by Leslye Walton

Summary:
Born with wings, Ava has been kept in her house with her wingless twin brother since she was born. Now 16, Ava just wants to experience the world and perhaps discover more about her family's past in an attempt to figure out why she is the one with wings. In a world where love makes us all fools, Ava is about to find out that while love can be a many splendid thing, it can also be the thing that kills us.

Review:
This was an extremely odd book, but also oddly compelling. The book starts with a history of Ava's family, and their extreme bad luck when it comes to love. The misfortunes of her ancestors are what leads to Ava being born with wings. Ava's innocence to all things evil is quite endearing, but her extreme strength is what is lasting. It's a nice read for those who don't mind suspending belief for a bit, and would be good for those who aren't necessarily into full fledged fantasy but don't mind a sprinkling.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Carnival at Bray

by Jessie Ann Foley

Summary:
When her mother falls in love, Maggie knows the cycle. It'll be great for a bit, but then the inevitable breakup occurs and after her mother falls apart and puts herself back together, life goes on. But this time her mother has gotten married and moved them from their hometown of Chicago to Bray, Ireland, a little town outside of Dublin. Now, away from everyone she has ever loved, especially her rocker uncle Kevin, Maggie might just learn something about love and loss herself.

Review:
Set in 1993, this book is a great illustration of both teenage life then and now. It was remarkable to me how little the book felt like it was set 20 years ago, before cell phones or the internet. The author does a great job of focusing on the characters and the interplay between them. Kurt Cobain might not be on too many teenage radars these days, but the book does a great job of illustrating just how important he was to many. Maggie's uncle's drug abuse is barely talked about, and his fairly horrid death is talked about briefly. It's suitable for slightly mature teens, and will mostly likely find it's main audience in older teens or adults.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

The Kiss of Deception

by Mary E. Pearson

Summary:
On the morning of her wedding to a stranger she's never met, Princess Lia runs away to a remote village with her maid. When two handsome strangers arrive in the same village, she views their flirtations with her has harmless, not knowing that one of them is her jilted fiance and the other an assassin sent to kill her. As an ancient rift between kingdoms comes to a head with Princess Lia at the center, it will be a miracle if she survives it. A planned trilogy, this book is hard to put down, and will leave you wishing the second was already out!

Review:
While a slightly similar story to many that are out there, Kiss of Deception is incredibly well written and engaging. Lia is fairly naive, though she learns quickly and is willing to work despite having grown up a princess. The book doesn't tell you which man is the assassin and which the jilted fiance as we watch them both fall for her, and it definitely keeps you guessing until the end.  A great read for both adventure and romance novels, it's a fantasy novel that even non fantasy novel lovers will enjoy.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

A Breath of Eyre

by Eve Marie Mont

Summary:
Emma has always loved stories. But she never expected this. When a lightening strike catapults Emma into the world of the novel she is reading, which just happens to be Jane Eyre, she finds herself in a world where she truly fits in. As the days go by she realizes that she has a choice to make, stay in heroine Jane's world, or go back to her less than perfect real world.

Review:
I had low expectations on picking up this book, but I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The plotline spans both present day and Jane's world, and Emma is a great character in both. This book-and it's 2 sequels- made me want to pick up and reread the original books that Mont bases them on. It's a great book to give to those who love to read, though I think that it might be less exciting to someone who is not a huge book lover since so much of the books are taken almost right from the originals. It's better for slightly older teens as well, as there is some drinking in them.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

The Winner's Curse

By Marie Rutkoski

Summary:
The daughter of a general in an ever expanding empire which makes those it conquers slaves, Kestral has lived a life of privilege. In an impulse decision, Kestral buys herself a slave named Arin, setting off a chain of events that she could never have anticipated. In a world where her people have always been in charge, she will suddenly become a pawn as the tides change against them. A fast paced read, The Winner's Curse will be difficult to put down.

Review:
The Winner's Curse is a fun and fast read. I had a hard time putting it down. Kestral is a great character, at first a little insipid, but grows dynamically as she faces challenges she didn't expect. The love story between her and Arin is believable and a great aspect to the book, and the ending sets up nicely for a sequel. A great book to give to fans of Landry Park, Pawn, or The Selection.

Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 8th Grade

Eleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell

Summary:
Park never thought that being nice enough to share his seat on the bus with some random girl would change his life. Eleanor never thought that deciding to take the bus would become the best decision she's ever made. But as the school year progresses, Eleanor and Park slowly fall in love. And while they know that first loves don't usually last, they are going to give everything to try to make it.

Review:
This was a fantastic love story. Set in 1986, it's the story of 2 teens who fall in love over a shared love of music and comics. Their star crossed tale is absolutely fantastic While younger teens might be slightly confused over the talk of batteries, cassettes, and only having a home phone line to talk on, I thought that setting it in the 80s made the book even better. Neither character is perfect, but their flaws are what makes them relatable and wonderful. I loved that Eleanor was not your typical skinny girl heroine, and that Park wasn't the tall and handsome tough guy. It's not all love for these two, the book hits some heavy themes about drinking and abuse which results in an ending  I won't spoil. I couldn't put the book down, and I bet you won't be able to either.

Genre: Love Story
Age Level: 9th Grade

These Broken Stars

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Summary:
Tarver and Lilac couldn't be more different. He's a war hero who is on board the Icarus as a publicity, she is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. But when the massive spaceship crashes on a uninhabited planet, and chance leaves them the only two people to survive, they must work together to try and seek help. The planet holds many secrets, and as Lilac and Tarver search to find a way off it they will discover they aren't the same people that landed there.

Review:
I was completely drawn in by These Broken Stars. Told in alternating perspectives, it's a love story that is both predictable but not. It's a science fiction book that will appeal to non-science fiction lovers, and has some surprising twists at the end that will leave you hoping for a sequel.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Ketchup Clouds

by Annabel Pitcher

Summary:
Have you ever done something truly horrible? Something that no one knows the truth of but you? Something like murder? Zoe has no one she can tell about what really happened on May 1st, so she decides to write to a man on death row, because as murderers they share a common bond. As she tells him the story of the events leading up to May 1st we learn that not everything is as simple as what it seems. And that sometimes love can be deadly.

Review:
Written as an epistolary novel, Ketchup Clouds is a captivating book that is hard to put down til the end. Zoe is a eloquent and smart girl whose letters are both entertaining yet told without bias. She starts off each letter in the present before returning to the story of the events leading up to May 1st, which can be a little confusing at first. The story is one about unintended consequences and heartbreak, and will definitely stay with the reader. Best for slightly older teens due to the prevalence of drinking throughout, but a good read for anyone who enjoys a tragic romance.

Genre: Epistolary Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

by Rae Carson

Summary:
Elisa is not your typical princess. Overweight, not graceful, and quick to say what's on her mind, she never thought she'd amount to much. Except she's the bearer of the Godstone, a divine gift which is only bestowed on one person every 100 years. And Godstone bearers each have their own task to complete, though none know what it will be til it happens. Elisa begins the tale as a princess, but what she becomes (though marriage, kidnappings, rebellion and more) is more than she can imagine.

Review:
I started off not really sure about the book as the religious aspects can be a bit much. However, Elisa is one of the most refreshing characters I've encountered in awhile. She's not perfect, and is quite all right with it. The changes she goes through in the book, both physical and mental, are believable and impressive. The story takes several twists you don't see coming, and turns into much more of an adventure story than  you might think at first. The book will definitely leave you excited to grab the rest of the trilogy.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Parallel

by Lauren Miller

Summary:
Have you ever wondered if one decision can change our entire lives. If one small change could send you on a completely different path? For Abby, it's one small earthquake that sets her on two courses. In one she becomes a movie star, in another she meets a boy who she falls in love with. In both lives every decision sets off a chain of events that changes everything, but which life is actually real?

Review:
I'm not a huge fan of parallel universes, typically I find books based around them to be fluffy and too silly. Parallel, however, was not. The book's characters were all very relate-able, and even the course of events that ends up with Abby becoming a movie star was believable. The books main premise was that one small event can change your course completely. It's ending demonstrating that if somethings meant to be it will happen regardless of what decisions you make was a nice touch. A great read for girls looking for a love story with something more substantial built in.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 10th Grade

The Loop

by Sandy Lawson

Summary:
Ben and Maggie are destined to meet, fall in love, and die together. There's no way of avoiding it, because they've tried to countless times. Stuck in a loop which ends in their deaths, they constantly relive their last days. But they've decided this is the last time, they will break the cycle. Even if it means they have to give each other up, they'll do it for their survival. But the loop is more powerful than they are, making it seem like the impossible.

Review:
A good quick read, In the Loop is a fast paced story about trying to outwit fate. The book doesn't dwell much on the intricacies of a time loop, making it easier to understand than going into any sort of depth about the concept. Maggie and Ben must use everything they have to break the loop, though the whole falling in love at first sight aspect is a little contrived. Overall a good read for anyone who likes a thriller, I'd peg it for a slightly older teen just because the repeated death scenes are a little much for a younger one.

Genre: Adventure
Age Level: 9th Grade

Just Ella

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Summary:
Just Ella is not your average fairy tale story. Picked by Prince Charming out of hundreds of other girls to be his wife, Ella is now living in the palace learning to become a princess. But as the wedding approaches, Ella is finding herself struggling to adapt to palace life. Charming only likes her because she's beautiful. Her instructors want her to remain inside doing nothing but needlepoint. She thought becoming a princess would mean freedom, but instead she's just found herself in another cage. Will she ever be able to lead her own life?

Review:
Haddix's novel is a great book about what happens beyond the fairy tale. In this book Charming is completely spoiled and self absorbed. Ella is treated like a china doll. The fairy godmother thing is revealed to be a hoax, it was just a random set of circumstances that got her to the ball.  A good read for young girls who like romance, but who might need a little reminder that there is life after the fairy tale ending.

Genre: Fairy Tale
Age Level: 5th Grade

The Program

by Suzanne Young

Summary:
Teen suicide has become a national epidemic. There's been no way to stop it, until the Program started. It was a way to help teens forget why they wanted to commit suicide, to give them a clean slate to start from. But in reality it stripped them of everything that made them them. It took crucial memories and left holes in their lives. Sloane's brother committed suicide. She's lost friends. She's been pegged as at risk by the Program, and it's only a matter of time before they come.

Review:
While the book's premise is about teen suicide, the book doesn't really address it in any real way. Suicide is viewed as a disease (like the flu, etc), which makes the book slightly less dark than it might be otherwise, though it is by no means a light read.  It is a bit of a departure from your typical adults making decisions that will negatively affect youth novel, it does hold to that premise fairly firmly. There is your rebel group working to subvert the system that adults are perpetuating in the belief that it will save the kids, your teen heroine who is able to beat the Program even though it's never happened before. It's well written and sets up well for a sequel. A good one to recommend to those who like Dystopian or novels with a heroine who stands up to the system.

Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

Summary:
When the aether storms destroyed most of the Earth, humankind was divided into two peoples. One who lived in man-made pods, shielded from the elements but never able to leave. The other survived in the wild, existing with little that was left untouched.  Aria, a Dweller who's lived in the pods, and Perry, who's senses have been refined from a life outside, could not be more different. But when a chance encounter suddenly changes both of their lives, leaving them each stranded from the lives they knew, they are left to pick up the pieces together.

Review:
It took me a few chapters to really get into Under the Never Sky. Rossi paints a world both very different and very similar to our own. There is not a lot of explanation in the book for the new names she calls things (like aether which are like electrical storms), which at first made it difficult to really get into. However Aria and Perry are both complex and engaging characters. The romance that develops between them takes second place for most of the novel, though by the end becomes the important theme they both struggle with. It's a good book for those who like dystopians or survivalistic books.

Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 9th Grade

Series Information: Under the Never Sky (Book 1), Through the Ever Night (Book 2), Book 3 as yet untitled (to be released spring 2014)

Every Day

by David Leviathan

Summary:
Imagine every morning you woke up as someone else. You had no idea where you were, you could be a boy or girl, in any city in the world. A's never known anything else. Every day A wakes up as someone different. A's learned to cope, causing as little disruption to the lives of everyone A has been for a day.  But one day A wakes up as Justin, and meets Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon. In Rhiannon A has found the only person A has ever had a connection to. And when the day is over, and A wakes up in a new body the next day, A suddenly realizes that nothing will be the same unless A can get back to her.

Review:
One of the most interesting parts of this book was the lack of gender identity for A. A is both both and girl, changing from day to day at the drop of a hat. A's love for Rhiannon is both simple and poignant. A had come to terms with life alone, but meeting the one person that they might be able to love sets in motion a path that A could not have imagined. It's a well written book, a love story but one with a poignant end.

Genre: Love Story
Age Level: 9th Grade

Lucid

By Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass

Summary:
Maggie is an up and coming actress in New York City. She takes care of her little sister while her mom is at work, but for the most part she focuses on her craft. Sloane is your typical high school student living in a small town. She's got a family that loves her, but as the one year anniversary of her friend's death approaches, is finding it hard to cope with his loss.  What ties these two together isn't simple. You see, every night Maggie goes to sleep, and in her dreams, lives Sloane's life. And every night, when Sloane goes to sleep she lives Maggie's. Neither can remember when it started, but as their waking lives start to intersect they'll have to figure out who is living the real life, and who is just the dream. The only question is, can they do it before they both go insane?

Review:
Lucid kept me guessing until the very end. Both Maggie and Sloane are girls coping with issues they refuse to deal with. The problems are different for both of them, but at the heart of it deals with loss and moving on. Sloane suffered a terrible loss and didn't share the true extent of it with anyone, Maggie lost her father and still struggles to understand what happened. I had no idea who was actually the real person, and who was the dream,  until the very end. It's a great story about loss and the struggles we all have with dealing with it. Good for slightly older teens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

The Selection

by Kiera Cass

Summary:

All across Illea, girls between 16 and 20 have entered their names for a chance to become the next princess. Prince Maxon is looking for a wife, and one girl from each province wil be chosen for a chance to win his heart (and the crown). For once the rigid caste system that defines the country won’t matter. For America, born a 5, it’s a chance to better her family’s fate, even if the chances are small that she’ll be chosen to even compete. When her name is chosen, she finds herself in the palace, competing with 34 other girls to win the heart of a prince. A prince is is a lot more than she ever thought he could be. It’s a game of deceit and love, but will anyone really be a winner?

Review:

I really enjoyed The Selection. America is a really likeable character, and the story is kind of a Cinderella story set in a dystopian future. America stands up to Maxon, the only person to do so, and in return gains a friend and confidante. She's still recovering from breaking up with the man she loved back in her province, and the bonds forged between her and Maxon are fragile but important. The love triangle (between her, her former love, and Maxon) is well drawn. The misinformation spread by the palace to the people is an interesting twist, and the way America discovers her country's real history is a great twist. I read it in less than a day, since I couldn't put it down! Great read for teens that like like dystopians.

Genre: Dystopian

Age Level: 9th Grade

Series information: The Elite (Book 2)

Lucid

by Adrienne Stoltz

Summary:
Every night, Maggie dreams of Sloane's day. And every night, after living her day, Sloane dreams of Maggie's.  One lives in New York, struggling to become an actress, the other lives in a small town with her tight-knit family and dreams of the day she goes to college. Each wakes up as the girl she is, after spending their nights as the other. But as time goes by the lines between where one girl ends and the other begins is blurred. Only one of them is going to be able to keep going, but which life is the one that will fade away?

Review:
Cunningly constructed, Lucid alternates between the viewpoints of Maggie and Sloane. Both girls are well developed characters, which lives that are both fulfilling and lacking. What one has the other does not, for Sloane there is a loving family, but not the independence Maggie has.  Both girls have experienced the loss of  someone close to them, and both realize that their connection is not quite normal. The book gives an interesting perspective to mental illness, as well as to the barriers we put up to deal with our own issues. The book keeps you guessing til the end about which girl's life is the real one.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Janie Face to Face

by Caroline B Cooney

Summary:

We’ve all probably wondered at one point in our life what it would be like if we weren’t related to the people that raised us. Maybe we are actually prince’s or princesses, maybe the child of rich billionaires who are just waiting to rescue us from a life of monotony  For Janie, finding out who her real parents were became a nightmare. A kidnapped child who 13 years later spotted her own face on a missing children’s ad on a milk carton. A girl who had to come to terms with what her life has done to two families through no fault of her own. In this conclusion to the face on the milk carton, we find out more about the kidnapper herself, and it’s only a matter of time until they meet again. But this time the chances of a happy ending are slim.

Review:

Janie Face to Face is a great conclusion to the Face on the Milk Carton series.  While a bit skeptical, since the last one was written a long time ago, Cooney does a great job of finishing up a series.  The book is written for a younger audience, and her attempts to update the book by mentioning modern technology are a bit silly (almost trying too hard), the book overall has the same feel as the rest of the series. It does wrap up the series nicely, with Janie and Reeve finally getting together, but feels a bit too happy ending contrived. It's a good read for fans of the series or younger teens. But for an older teen with no vested interest in the book it won't hold their attention. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 6th Grade