Nation by, Terry Pratchett
 
The sea has taken everything.
 
Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle Daphne—a girl from the other side of the globe—is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.
 
Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne's sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive: children without parents, mothers without babies, husbands without wives—all of them hungry and all of them frightened. As Mau and Daphne struggle to keep the small band safe and fed, they defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down. . . .
  

Iron King byJulie Kagawa

In less than twenty-four hours Meghan Chase will be sixteen. Countless stories, songs and poems have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her and the handsome prince carries her off into the sunset.

But Meghan suspects that it won’t be that way for her.

After all, Meghan has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined….

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.

Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil that no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
  

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Winner of the 2010 Printz Award

In a giant departure from her Gemma Doyle historical fiction trilogy, Bray’s latest offering is an unforgettable, nearly indefinable fantasy adventure, as immense and sprawling as Cervantes’ Don Quixote, on which it’s based. Here the hero is Cameron, a 16-year-old C-plus-average slacker who likens himself to “driftwood,” but he suddenly becomes the center of attention after he is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human variant of mad cow disease. In the hospital, he meets Dulcie, an alluring angel clad in fishnet stockings and combat boots, who presents him with a heroic quest to rescue the planet from an otherworldly, evil force. Guided by random signs and accompanied by a teen dwarf named Gonzo, Cameron sets off on a wild road trip across the U.S. to save the world, and perhaps his own life. Talking yard gnomes, quantum physics, cults of happiness, mythology, religion, time travel, the blues, Disney World, the vacuous machine behind reality TV shows, and spring break’s beer-and-bikini culture all figure prominently in the plot, and readers may not feel equally engaged in each of the novel’s lengthy episodes. But Bray’s wildly imagined novel, narrated in Cameron’s sardonic, believable voice, is wholly unique, ambitious, tender, thought-provoking, and often fall-off-the-chair funny, even as she writes with powerful lyricism about the nature of existence, love, and death. Familiarity with Don Quixote certainly isn’t necessary, but those who know the basic plot will want to start over from the beginning and pick up on each sly allusion to the classic story.

— Gillian Engberg

When you Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world forever.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for an emergency is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death, until the final note makes her think she is too late.

Winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal.

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers

"Using both harsh realism and a dose of the fantastic, Myers (Game) introduces an inner-city teen in the jaws of a crisis: 17-year-old Lil J is holed up in an abandoned building, believed to have shot an undercover cop in a drug bust, while police officers assemble in the street below. As he searches for a way out, Lil J is stopped by Kelly, an eerily calm vagrant who invites him to 'cop a squat and check yourself out on the tube.' Kelly's TV not only plays scenes from Lil J's life but projects what will happen if he sticks with his current plan: suicide. Shocked, Lil J considers Kelly's question, 'If you could take back one thing you did... what would it be?' Aided by Kelly's TV, Lil J revisits pivotal moments and wrestles with his fate. As expected, Myers uses street-style lingo to cover Lil J's sorry history of drug use, jail time, irresponsible fatherhood and his own childhood grief. A didn't-see-that-coming ending wraps up the story on a note of well-earned hope and will leave readers with plenty to think about. Ages 14 — up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace is a normal seventeen year old girl who has an odd fascination for a pack of wolves that live in the woods at the back of her house. She has had this fascination ever since she was dragged off her tire swing by the wolf pack as a young child. For years during the winter Grace watched and followed the mysterious yellow eyed wolf that rescued her. When summer comes she feels the pain of emptiness when he disappears.

Sam is an eighteen year old boy who lives a double life. He is a wolf in the winter and a boy in the summer. His werewolf pack is his family. It has been this way since he was attacked by a wolf as a young boy.

When a local boy is attacked and killed by the wolf pack the people throw a hunting party. When Grace hears about this she is worried about her wolf. Grace tells a hunter to tell the rest of the hunters to stop shooting because her friend is in the woods. 

When Grace gets home she sees her wolf on her porch but not as a wolf as a human. He has been shot and Grace is taking care of him. 

Grace and Sam learned that they love each other now. Grace and Sam are fighting to keep him human. 

Submitted by Dulce

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Starred review, Kirkus, Feb. 1, 2009

"...In broken, symbolic and gut-wrenching prose, Lia narrates her hopeless story of the destructive behaviors that control her every action and thought..." "Anderson perfectly captures the isolation and motivations of the anorexic without ever suggesting that depression and eating disorders are simply things to “get over...” "... this should be a much-discussed book, which rises far above the standard problem novel."

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster. With her bright red hair, she is stunningly beautiful and well aware of the power her beauty holds over men (after all, she can enter their minds). She is also a fiercely independent warrior, a keen shot with her arrow, and can be brutally stubborn, especially when someone (like her longtime friend and current lover, Archer) tries to rein her in. Furthermore, she is haunted by memories of her father, a monstrous man whom she both feared and loved. Her monster side relishes the skills he passed on to her, but her human side fears becoming like him.
Fire lives in the Dells, a rocky central land (near the Seven Kingdoms that were the setting for Cashore’s debut novel, GRACELING) whose territory is constantly under threat from both the south and the north. The young king of the Dells, Nash, is desperately trying to hold his kingdom together. His brother, Brigan, is cold and critical --- Fire can’t read his mind and takes an instant dislike to him. When Fire is enlisted for a mission that will utilize her special skills, she must discover her own unique identity, embracing her family history while blazing her own remarkable trail.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

*Bella has been going out with her vampire boyfriend Edward for six blissfully happy months.  The only thing that worries her is his steadfast refusal to even consider making her into a vampire like him.  As the day of her eighteenth birthday rolls around she feels less than happy because she is now older than Edward, who will never age past seventeen.
To celebrate her birthday Edward takes Bella to a birthday party at his family home but when a stupid accident that leaves Bella covered in blood and nearly triggers a feeding frenzy in Jasper, Edward’s brother, the party falls somewhat flat. Edward suddenly becomes more distant towards to Bella and finally he tells her that he and his family are leaving Forks, to never return, and he no longer wants to see her. 
Edward is Bella’s whole world and his abandonment is a harsh blow.  Her whole world falls apart and as she becomes withdrawn from the world she soon loses most of her friends becoming even more isolated and lonely. 
When she does something dangerous she starts hallucinating and thinks she can hear Edward telling her not to do anything stupid and to be more careful.  This leads to a whole new range of interests for Bella including learning to ride a motorbike and cliff diving because she feels that he is still with her at those times.  Her old friend Jacob Black becomes her partner in crime, fixing up her motorbike for her and teaching her to ride it.  Although the pain of Edward’s departure never leaves Bella, Jacob soon becomes her best friend and he helps to fill some of the voids in her life. Jacob himself is no ordinary boy and soon Bella discovers that part of his Quileute heritage is to be cursed to be a werewolf.  Certain members of the tribe turn into werewolves in their teenage years in response to the presence of vampires.  Werewolves and vampires are natural enemies and the enmity runs deep on both sides. Alice returns to Forks and although she brings no news of Edward with her, her extraordinary gift of being able to see the future soon tells her that Edward is heading on a path of self destruction that only Bella can advert.  But will Bella be in time to stop the tragedy?

* http://www.lovevampires.com/smnewmoon.html

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

*A modern tale of star-crossed lovers with a fresh urban twist. At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south-siders mixing with north-siders can be explosive.  So when Brittany Ellis and Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, this human experiment leads to unexpected revelations – that Brittany’s flawless reputation is a cover for her troubled home life, that Alex’s bad-boy persona hides his desire to break free from gang ties and that when they’re together, life somehow makes more sense.  Breaking through the stereotypes and expectations that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart, Perfect Chemistry takes readers to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface. 

* http://www.simoneelkeles.net/chemistry.html

What they always tell us, By Martin Wilson

*Thoughtful and moving, What they Always Tell Us is a powerful debut novel about the bond between two brothers—and the year that changes everything.

JAMES: Popular, smart, and athletic, James seems to have it all. But the only thing James really wants is his college acceptance letter, so he can get far away from Alabama. In a town where secrets are hard to keep, everyone knows what Alex did at the annual back-to-school party. The only question is why.

ALEX: With his friends no longer talking to him and his brother constantly in motion, Alex is prepared to get through junior year on his own. And he would, if his ten-year-old neighbor, Henry, didn't keep showing up, looking for company. What Alex cares most about is running, and when he's encouraged to try out for cross-country, he's surprised to find more than just a supportive teammate in his brother's friend Nathen.

*  http://martinwilsonwrites.com/what_
they_always_tell_us.php

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

*Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in the poorest area of District 12, which is in turn the poorest district of Panem. District 12 is an area that was known as Appalachia when Panem was North America, and its economy is based on coal mining. Katniss’ family fares a little better than many other families that live near her, because Katniss has learned to hunt, and she makes illegal forays outside the fence almost daily to hunt, trading any excess game for other supplies that her family needs. Even so, life in District 12 is brutally hard, and hunger is never far away.

But as hard as life is for the residents of District 12, the most brutal thing of all is the Hunger Games, which pits children from each district against each other in a fight to the death. As punishment for a long-ago uprising against the Capitol, each of the districts must send two tributes - a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 - each year to participate in this gladiator-like spectacle, in which the tributes spend several weeks trying to kill each other in a huge arena built to resemble a natural environment that could be anything from burning desert to frozen wasteland. Only one tribute can survive, and the games continue until all the tributes but one is dead. The last tribute alive is declared the winner, and receives honors and wealth.

The tributes are selected by lottery, and when Katniss’ 12-year-old sister Prim is selected, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place. She has no choice, really, although she knows that it’s most likely a death sentence for her. Now, Katniss must learn to play the game in all its aspects better than anyone else. Can she survive? And, perhaps more difficult, can she kill the other children in order to save herself and win?

*http://www.wandsandworlds.com/blog1/2008/09/book-review-hunger-games.html

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Nominated a Best book for 2009                 National Book Award Finalist

*Isabel and her younger sister, Ruth, were supposed to be freed when their master, Madam Finch died. But Robert Finch, heir to the estate, decides to sell them. Isabel and Ruth are uprooted from their home in Newport, Rhode Island to New York City. It is 1776 and revolution is in the air.

There is utter chaos and confusion. Rebels and Loyalists. Slaves and free men. Civilians and militia. It is a hard time for everyone and harder for slaves. Isabel has two goals: care for Ruth and gain their freedom. She is asked to aid the Colonial Army but is unsure about where her loyalties lie.

*http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-review-chains.html

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Nominated as Best book for 2009
Newbery Honor book 2009

D Foster showed up a few months before Tupac got shot that first time and left us the summer before he died.
The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend's lives, the world opens up for them. D comes from a world vastly different from their safe Queens neighborhood, and through her, the girls see another side of life that includes loss, foster families and an amount of freedom that makes the girls envious. Although all of them are crazy about Tupac Shakur's rap music, D is the one who truly understands the place where he's coming from, and through knowing D, Tupac's lyrics become more personal for all of them.

The girls are thirteen when D's mom swoops in to reclaim D and as magically as she appeared, she now disappears from their lives. Tupac is gone, too, after another shooting; this time fatal. As the narrator looks back, she sees lives suspended in time, and realizes that even all-too-brief connections can touch deeply.

Washington Post

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Haunted by the past, Taylor Markham reluctantly leads the students of the Jellicoe School in their secret territory wars against the Townies and the Cadets.  Marchetta’s lyrical writing evokes the Australian landscape in a suspenseful tale of raw emotion, romance, humor and tragedy.

Jellicoe Road was awarded the 2009 Printz Award. “This roller coaster ride of a novel grabs you from the first sentence and doesn’t let go.  You may not be sure where the ride will take you, but every detail—from the complexities of the dual narrative to the pangs of first love—is pitch perfect,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Mary Arnold.