An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
“Isobel is a prodigy
portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk,
immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper
without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and
Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal
patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake….Now both of their
lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the
fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk
have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first
time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.” –Amazon
Holding Up The Universe by
Jennifer Niven
“No one takes the time
to look past Libby Strout's weight to get to know who she really is. Following
her mom's death she picks up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing
with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now she's ready for high school,
for new friends, for love-- for everything life has to offer. Jack Masselin's
got swagger, he's mastered the impossible art of fitting in, and he has a newly
acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. So he tries to never get too close
to anyone. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game that which
lands them in group counseling and community service, they make a connection.
Will it be enough to change their worlds?” –WorldCat
One of the Boys by
Daniel Magariel
“The three of them—a
twelve-year-old boy, his older brother, their father—have won the war: the
father’s term for his bitter divorce and custody battle. They leave their
Kansas home and drive through the night to Albuquerque, eager to begin again,
united by the thrilling possibility of carving out a new life together. The
boys go to school, join basketball teams, make friends. Meanwhile their father
works from home, smoking cheap cigars to hide another smell. But soon the
little missteps—the dead-eyed absentmindedness, the late night noises, the
comings and goings of increasingly odd characters—become worrisome, and the
boys find themselves watching their father change, grow erratic, then
dangerous.” –Amazon
Optimists Die First by
Susin Nielsen
“Petula's funny, and a
crafting genius, but no social star at high school, and it doesn't help that
she's isolated herself after her adored toddler sister died. Petula feels
responsible for this death, though her parents say it was a tragic accident. No
one's fault. Now, Petula sees danger everywhere: every activity and every bite
of food could kill you. Then a new boy, Jacob, joins Petula's group in the
school's lame art therapy program; he has a prosthetic arm and darkness behind
his sunny surface. Petula and Jacob become friends, then, something more. But a
secret behind why he's in the group could derail them.” –Amazon
Ramona Blue by Julie
Murphy
“Ramona was only five
years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it’s
been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with
unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s
fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something
bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling
multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces
her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant,
responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.” –Amazon
Salt to the Sea by Ruta
Sepetys
“World War II is drawing
to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek
toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and
Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the
Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their
strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to
safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not
country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and
children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.” –Amazon
Shooter by Caroline
Pignat
“A lockdown catches five
grade 12 students by surprise and throws them together in the only unlocked
room on that empty third floor wing: the boys' washroom. They sit in silence,
judging each other by what they see, by the stories they've heard over the
years. Stuck here with them--could anything be worse? There's Alice: an
introverted writer, trapped in the role of big sister to her older autistic
brother, Noah. Isabelle: the popular, high-achieving, student council
president, whose greatest performance is her everyday life. Hogan: an
ex-football player with a troubled past and a hopeless future. Xander: that
socially awkward guy hiding behind the camera, whose candid pictures of school
life, especially those of Isabelle, have brought him more trouble than answers….
Told in five unique voices
through prose, poetry, text messages, journals, and homework assignments, each
student reveals pieces of their true story as they wait for the drill to end.”
–Amazon
The Agony of Bun O'Keefe
by Heather T. Smith
“It's Newfoundland,
1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O'Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe,
unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has had little
contact with the outside world….Bun and her mother rarely talk, so when Bun's
mother tells Bun to leave one day, she does. Hitchhiking out of town, Bun ends
up on the streets of St. John's, Newfoundland. Fortunately, the first person
she meets is Busker Boy, a street musician who senses her naivety and takes her
in. Together they live in a house with an eclectic cast of characters: Chef, a
hotel dishwasher with culinary dreams; Cher, a drag queen with a tragic past;
Big Eyes, a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and
The Landlord, a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost. Through her
experiences with her new roommates, and their sometimes tragic revelations, Bun
learns that the world extends beyond the walls of her mother's house and
discovers the joy of being part of a new family -- a family of friends who
care.” –Amazon
The Names They Gave Us by
Emery Lord
“Lucy Hansson was ready
for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on
the lake and spending quality time with her parents. But when her mom's cancer
reappears, Lucy falters-in her faith and in her ability to cope. When her
boyfriend ‘pauses’ their relationship and her summer job switches to a
different camp-one for troubled kids-Lucy isn't sure how much more she can
handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among
her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow
counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her
problems and discover what grace really means?” –Amazon
The Pearl Thief by
Elizabeth Wein
Prequel to Code Name
Verity
“When fifteen-year-old
Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital, she knows the lazy summer break
she'd imagined won't be exactly like she anticipated. And once she returns to
her grandfather's estate, a bit banged up but alive, she begins to realize that
her injury might not have been an accident. One of her family's employees is
missing, and he disappeared on the very same day she landed in the hospital.
Desperate to figure out what happened, she befriends Euan McEwen, the Scots
Traveller boy who found her when she was injured, and his standoffish sister
Ellen. However, when a body is discovered, her new friends are caught in the
crosshairs of long-held biases about Travellers. Julie must get to the bottom
of the mystery in order to keep them from being framed for the crime."
–Amazon