Here's a wealth of excellent books that explore the here and now, some just-the-facts-ma'am realistic and some more fantastical--pick and choose what you like.
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 11, 2012
"The exactly right conclusion eschews easy resolution, though there's plenty of hope as they flounder into the future. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
"Quite possibly the best teen novel featuring a girl questioning her sexuality written in years. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
"Though the portrayal of Rob's deteriorating mental state is raw and often uncomfortable, in the end, the honest, uncensored storytelling makes this a tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A dark and dangerous thrill ride pushes teen readers to the brink of their comfort zones when it comes to issues of love, lust, politics, family and war.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
"Aside from the too-anxious-to-eat valorization, fresh as a daisy and sharp as a tack. (Fiction. 12-17)"
Biting wit makes this quest for suburban normalcy in the face of depression and anxiety both laugh-out-loud funny and immensely intelligent.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
"An uncommon (to say the least) coming-of-age, retraced with well-deserved pride but not self-aggrandizement, and as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. (endnotes, bibliography [not seen]) (Memoir. 14-18)"
Selecting high and low points from his experiences as a child, college student, teacher, refugee-camp worker, amateur boxer, Rhodes scholar, Navy SEAL and worker with disabled vets, Greitens both charts his philosophical evolution and challenges young readers to think about "a better way to walk in the world."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
"Readers will learn much about the war in Afghanistan even as they cheer on this feisty protagonist. (author's note) (Fiction. 11 & up)"
In a follow-up that turns the Breadwinner Trilogy into a quartet, 15-year-old Parvana is imprisoned and interrogated as a suspected terrorist in Afghanistan.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
"An uplifting story that convincingly celebrates the power of perseverance. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Two unlikely teens find a connection despite the reluctance of one and the vastly different life obstacles they confront.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
"The magic is entirely pragmatic; the impossible, extraordinarily true. (Fantasy. 13 & up)"
An ancient Welsh king may be buried in the Virginia countryside; three privileged boys hope to disinter him.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
"Deeply moving and fast-paced, this life-affirming effort is a worthy addition to the bookshelves of sturdy readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Key (
Alabama Moon, 2006, etc.) has crafted another powerful, riveting coming-of-age tale that doesn't stint on violence to advance the action.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for preteens and teens, a surefire hit. (Thriller. 12-16)"
Teenage hackers Noa and Peter band together for vengeance and discover an inconceivable conspiracy.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"This book won't make readers proud to be Jewish. It will make them proud to be a pool player in a porkpie hat, a tattooed punk or anyone who survives all the way to 13. Everyone should read it the moment he becomes a man. (Fiction. 13-17) "
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"Fearlessly foul, this consistently comical series should be required reading for all teenage boys and anyone else with a strong stomach and highly sensitive funny bone. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
It's nice guy Sean's turn to shine in this hilarious follow-up to
Swim the Fly (2009) and
Beat the Band (2010).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 4, 2012
"An astonishing, wrenching achievement. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2012
"Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)"
From award winner Telgemeier (
Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 28, 2012
"An awe-inspiring, thought-provoking reminder that love reaches beyond physical appearances or gender. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 28, 2012
"A wonderfully crafted and deeply satisfying novel, full of detail that provides texture and meaning. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Scotty's world is turned upside down when an accident leaves her brother severely injured, an acquaintance dead and Scotty feeling responsible.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 28, 2012
"This one goes to the head of the class. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
To the recent crop of strong debuts in an overcrowded literary arena add this series opener, a tale of demonic possession and a centuries-old family trade in exorcism.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 21, 2012
"Intense, keenly insightful, nuanced and affecting. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
At the heart of Oates' riveting and poignant story of three teenage girls in crisis is the notion that a "secret can be too toxic to expose to a friend."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 14, 2012
"Far more than a summer romance, this is a tribute to those left behind. (Fiction. 11-15)"
Daniel (E.) Anderson looks back on the summer he fell in love and finally came to terms with his soldier brother's death.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
"Though hamstrung by a depressingly chick-lit-y cover, this total-immersion emotional experience is one readers will both recognize and thoroughly enjoy. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
A girl in love with the theater tells the story of her first great love in the form of a script.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
"Pulse-pounding thrills leavened with laughter. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)"
A satisfying conclusion to ghostly Anna's terrifying story comes with more heart-thumping suspense and clever quips as Cas tries to save her from an undeserved, dreadful fate.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 17, 2012
"Meticulously researched and told with inspiring prose and stirring images, this is a gripping, triumphant story of science and survival. (photographs, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
As he did in The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004), Hoose explores the tragedy of extinction through a single bird species, but there is hope for survival in this story, and that hope is pinned on understanding the remarkable longevity of a single bird.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 17, 2012
"Simply lovely. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 19, 2012
"This smart, stylish series opener raises the bar for paranormal fiction, leaving readers impatient for the next installment. (author's note) (Urban fantasy. 12 & up)"
Crime noir meets paranormal romance in this addictive thriller about two London teens in whom the fae awakens, conferring abilities at once exhilarating and harshly stigmatized.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2012
"As the clock ticks down on Heidi's soul, readers will be rooting for both Jerome and Heidi with all their hearts. (Paranormal adventure. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Tart, funny and fast-moving, with a touch of rueful realism and a lot of heart. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Lia Latimer is more than ready to take her future in her own hands when she wins £8 million in the lottery. She'll drop out of school, buy a flat, leave her annoying family behind. What could go wrong?
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2012
"Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level. (Fiction. 11 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2012
"Rich in voice, humor and dazzling imagery, studded with edgy ideas and wildly original, this multicultural mashup--like its heroine--defies categorization. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
Noted for her fantasy and science fiction for adults, Hopkinson jumps triumphantly to teen literature.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 3, 2012
"If you haven't discovered this series yet, get going; if you're already a fan, why are you even reading this review? (Urban fantasy/thriller. 14 & up)"
The conclusion to Black's brilliant and unusual Curse Workers trilogy lives up to its predecessors.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"A smart and rewarding ode to literature. (Fantasy. 12 & up)"
This richly satisfying tale of first and last love transcends its genre--not another breathless, fan-fiction take on a literary classic but an intertextual love letter.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2012
"The issue is seldom front and center in books for teens, but Vivian refuses to falsify or avoid the uncomfortable realities that looks alone confer status, and their power is greatest when obscured by the pretense that "looks don't matter." (Fiction. 12 & up)"
This riveting exploration of physical appearance and the status it confers opens a cultural conversation that's needed to happen for a long time.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 13, 2012
"No simple coming-out story, this many-layered effort is gritty, warm and ultimately hopeful. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Compassionate, thoughtful and expressive, this New Zealand import traces a Maori teen's journey through friendships, family, work and the realization that he is gay.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 5, 2012
"A story that, like Finley, expresses a lot in relatively few words. (Fiction. 12 & up) "
In a town partially controlled by the Irish mob, a quiet friendship develops between two basketball players.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2012
"Though this novel begs inevitable thematic comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2012), it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor and heart. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A frequently hysterical confessional from a teen narrator who won't be able to convince readers he's as unlikable as he wants them to believe.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2012
"While in the end there are some plotlines left untied in slice-of-life fashion, the bittersweet resolution of the main conflict is deeply satisfying. (Fiction. 13 & up)"
A novel with alternating narrators takes an unusually interesting twist due to one of the character's habitual tendency toward self-delusion.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 28, 2012
"Readers will definitely want to have, know or be Maggie's brothers--but she herself proves to be no slouch when it comes to coping with change and taking on challenges. (Graphic fantasy. 11-13)"
Nervous, home-schooled by her absent and much-missed mom and saddled with three adored older brothers--and a ghost--Maggie starts high school.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 21, 2012
"Readers who like the quick pace of Gail Giles' mysteries and the dark, finely crafted suspense of Kevin Brooks will find the perfect combination here. (Thriller. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 21, 2012
"Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A boring summer stretches ahead of Ari, who at 15 feels hemmed in by a life filled with rules and family secrets.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 16, 2012
"Hauntingly beautiful. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Colby and Bev plan to forgo college in favor of a brief tour with Bev's band, The Disenchantments, followed by a year traveling through Europe. But only hours into the trip, Bev makes an announcement that changes everything.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 2, 2012
"A moving, honest and hopeful story. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Fifteen-year-old Laurel attempts to understand and move past a year of her life when addiction to methamphetamine nearly cost her family and her life.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"Hard to read, impossible to forget. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Two wayward teens fall under the evil thrall of a third in this disturbing tale by the Printz Honor–winning author of Punkzilla (2009).
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012
"Heartbreakingly honest. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Eighteen-year-old Polly recounts her road trip with Odd, a fellow survivor of the disease that killed five others from their small town, in D'Elegance, his Gramma's old baby-blue Cadillac.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 17, 2012
"A dark journey well worth taking—engrossing, disturbing, illuminating. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A tale of two Haitis—one modern, one historic—deftly intertwine in a novel for teens and adults.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 10, 2012
"Green seamlessly bridges the gap between the present and the existential, and readers will need more than one box of tissues to make it through Hazel and Gus' poignant journey. (Fiction. 15 & up)"
He's in remission from the osteosarcoma that took one of his legs. She's fighting the brown fluid in her lungs caused by tumors. Both know that their time is limited.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 2, 2012
"Yes, many teens face more compelling problems than those of a smart, attractive daughter of affluent and loving, if estranged, parents; but Smith's acute insights make Hadley's heartache and loss as real as the magical unfurling of new love. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2012
"A superb offering--and therefore a shame that its cover design of a boy and girl in a clinch makes it look like a run-of-the mill romance, which may limit its appeal. (Short stories. 14 & up)"
This conceptually unique collection of short story pairings by a constellation of teen-literature stars explores a variety of relationship types as the respective male and female involved in each one experience them.
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