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Best Teen Books of 2012: In the Here and Now

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.

Cover art for LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Star LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS
by Laura Buzo
"The exactly right conclusion eschews easy resolution, though there's plenty of hope as they flounder into the future. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A sweet and scathingly funny love story (kinda) from Australia. Read full book review >
Cover art for ASK THE PASSENGERS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star ASK THE PASSENGERS
by A.S. King
"Quite possibly the best teen novel featuring a girl questioning her sexuality written in years. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Big-town girl stuck in a small-town world full of lies falls for another girl. Read full book review >
Cover art for THIS IS NOT FORGIVENESS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
Kirkus Star THIS IS NOT FORGIVENESS
by Celia Rees
"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. Read full book review >
Cover art for HAVE A NICE DAY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
Kirkus Star HAVE A NICE DAY
by Julie Halpern
"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. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE WARRIOR'S HEART
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Star THE WARRIOR'S HEART: BECOMING A MAN OF COMPASSION AND COURAGE
by Eric Greitens
"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." Read full book review >
Cover art for MY NAME IS PARVANA
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
Kirkus Star MY NAME IS PARVANA
by Deborah Ellis
"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. Read full book review >