lots of depth for a YA novel.

After being abandoned by her parents, and then raised by her grandmother, Mercy Louis has turned into an extremely successful teenager. She's the best basketball player in the state, popular, beautiful. Girl's going places. Or is she? Because nothing is ever as it seems, especially in this debut novel by Keija Parssinen.

The Unraveling of Mercy Louis is honestly the unraveling of an entire Texas town after a premature infant is found in the garbage and every girl at Mercy's school is a suspect. And this isn't the only news or even the craziest thing that happens. AND don't even get me started on Mercy Louis's grandmother who thinks the Rapture is going to happen any day and the world is going to end. Add that to the cryptic letters she's receiving from the mother who left her behind, and Mercy Louis is going to crack.

lots of feels.

We live in a world where it's not that uncommon to establish friendships without ever meeting. I follow blogs of women around the country that I am positive would be my best friends if we lived in the same area. Social media allows us to get to know people fast. But author Leah Thomas takes us back to the days of pen pals and letter writing in her debut YA novel, Because You'll Never Meet Me.

The entire novel is made up of letters between two boys, Oliver and Mortiz. Ollie is allergic to electricity. He lives in a secluded cabin in the woods because he literally cannot be around it. No cell phones, computers, no Facebook. Ollie's doctor recommended a pen pal relationship with a German teenager, Mortiz who has a pacemaker, among other ailments. They are both lonely, secluded from society in their own ways. And the boys can never actually meet, even if they wanted to. or they could both die. Sounds a little outlandish, but bare with me because this is such a soul-baring remarkable story.

a hero you can relate to.

A middle grade spy novel? YES. A huge win for the popular Jackson Pearce. The Doublecross: And Other Skills I Learned as a Superspy features chubby twelve-year-old Hale Jordon who was born into a secret spy society, and is now being trained to follow in his parent's footsteps. Problem is, Hale is a bit out of shape which is keeping him from passing his physical exam. He may not be svelte, but the kid is smart, and size definitely does not matter when he sets out to save his parents AND THE WORLD.

comics for girls.

Teachers, publishers, parents, are putting in a lot of effort to create these amazing graphic novels and young adult series for middle grade boys to get them into reading. Hello? What about the girls? I loved to read the second I was properly taught how, but what about the girls I deal with everyday who hate reading, find it boring, have a hard time finding a book they relate to, etc.?

Enter Dana Simpson's Phoebe and Her Unicorn series. Yes, I am aware that a girl and her unicorn aren't exactly relatable. But the whole premise of the third installment, Unicorn vs. Goblins: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure, which came out last month, is how to make friends at summer camp. And any middle grade girl can relate to that. The series is funny, up to date on what is cool, with a touch of the imagination we want our young girls to keep for as long as possible.

catholic teen fiction.

I'm not Catholic. But many of my friends and students are. I know that all of the girls going to church school working towards their confirmation would really appreciate a Catholic teen fiction read like A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman for a lot of reasons. One being that this read will show a little more appreciate for their religion and the power of prayer.

A year after sixteen-year-old Katelyn Roberts' grandmother dies in a plane crash, a single rosary bead (that included initials) is found from the rosary her grandmother had with her on the plane. Her mother has been in a deep dark depression since the tragic loss, causing Kate to lose her faith in God. Throughout the story, Kate talks to and meets other people who find her grandmother’s beads and share the miracles that have occurred, giving comfort to Kate and her family, helping her find her faith again.

a psychological thriller for kids? yes.

I am loving all of these middle grade books I've been reading recently. I love even more that they are all spooky, with amazing illustrations will make getting a book in your kid's hand that much easier. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel is a psychological thriller written for grades 5-7, and it is super haunting and a little unsettling, probably in a good way.

Steve isn't your typical hero. He's a kid with some serious anxiety and maybe some OCD thrown in there. He's definitely on the spectrum. But anyways, his baby brother is sick which begins to cause stressful dreams for Steve. Dreams about wasps, and their queen, and his only solution, their offer to save the baby. When things start going south, and with actual wasps in a nest at the house, Steven worries about what the wasps will do to his brother. The story is definitely creepy, but there are morals, so I recommend reading the book before your child to help them understand the author's message.

this series is so good.

Alan Sitomer's Caged Warrior series is a kick ass young adult novel collection that your middle and high school aged boys are sure to love. The second of the series, Noble Warrior came out in July and is just violent enough to make the kids who hate reading want to read for pleasure.

The series revolves around McCutcheon Daniels' who is a star fighter in an underground Mixed Martial Arts circuit in the slums of Detroit. These are fight to the death kind of fights, and he is forced to compete to appease his crazy father, and keeps himself alive to protect his little sister. You'll have to read book number one for yourself to get the rest of the details on that one.

Noble Warrior will spoil Caged Warrior, just a little warning before I continue. In Noble Warrior, McCutcheon, his mother, and sister are now in the Witness Protection Program, but McCutcheon still cannot escape his demons. So instead of playing it safe, he decides he wants revenge, and he'll do anything to get it.

Margo Roth Spiegelman.

I wish I was half as funny and clever as Quentin Jacobson and his band of band geeks in John Green's latest book to movie, Paper Towns. I literally laughed out loud at the dialog and shenanigans between this not so popular senior and his faithful friends. Quentin grew up next to Margo Roth Spiegelman in the super touristy area surrounding Orlando Florida. He pretty much loved her from day one, and although they grew apart after the age of ten, (Margo being beautiful and popular), she always made sure her own group of friends didn't both Quentin's. Life was moving along pretty normally as senior year was coming to a close, when one night Margo appeared at Ben's window, face painted black for a night of debauchery. She had a plan. He had his mom's van. And they spent the evening seeking revenge on those who have harmed them and those who have failed them. Quentin was super excited to go to school the next day, to see how his night may have changed his days. But Margo never shows. She has run off again, as she has done many times before, and left him clues. Him. Quentin Jacobson. He can hardly believe it, and then he can't think of anything else.

This novel is super relatable for teens. Showing them that people aren't who they seem to be. And pedestals should never exist because they make an ass out of everyone. And how you can't ever really know someone. You just know your version of them. And how running out on your graduation to go find the supposed love of your life is probably not the best idea, but it will make a kick ass story.

kiss kiss bang bang.

When I was in middle school, I LIVED off of being dared to kiss a boy at a party. What a rush. Nothing romantic about it, but when you're 14, who needs romance? Anna Staniszewski's I'm With Cupid from her new Switched at First Kiss series begins with a dare and a kiss that is much more complicated than anything I had to deal with. You see, Lena and Marcus aren't your average eighth graders, they have supernatural powers, and kissing caused them to not only swap spit, but swap powers with each other.

Staniszewski's take on the actual myths of Cupid and the Grim Reaper was super clever. Lena is a reaper (yes, a collector of dead souls) and Marcus the dreamer, is a cupid. They are polar opposites, and by switching their powers, they are almost killing and accidently love zapping lots of inappropriate people. This novel is thrilling enough for your middle school boys, and romantic enough for the girls.

you can't sit with us.

I love the concept of Adi Alsaid's latest teen read, Never Always Sometimes which is about two best friends who are NOT trying to be like those cliché high school kids, but then realize that maybe by trying so hard to be different they are limiting themselves from having the full high school experience.

When they were freshman, Dave and Julia created a list of rules that one should never do to be different in high school, including #10 - never date your best friend which is a huge bummer because Dave has been in love with Julie since day one. Honestly, some of their rules make sense, especially the one about never hooking up with a teacher, but not joining in on the high school hooray - or skinny dipping (which is rule #6) is just silly. During the last few months of their senior year, the two of them start to question the rules they made so long ago, and try to save their high school experience before they literally miss out on everything, including love.

a quick read for your teen.

Miss Emily: A Novel by Nuala O'Connor is the story of the Emily Dickinson's maid, eighteen-year-old Ada Concannon. Just a story mind you, but a lovely work of fiction by O'Connor about how two very different women can become friends. The story is set in Dickinson's Amherst Massachusetts household in the 1860's. Emily is quite a bit older than Ada, living her spinster existence shut up in her family's home while Ada has quite the spirit to go out and live. But once Ada finds herself in some trouble, Emily must let go of the comforts of home and go out on a limb for her new friend. The novel is an old school read that adults young and old are sure to enjoy.

middle children of the world unite.

 

Being the most middle of the middle children in her family, this is exactly how Sunday Foweler feels on a daily basis. She's almost twelve and she's invisible. In Lindsay Eland's very charming A Summer of Sundays, Sunday is taking a stand. She is going to make a name for herself. She will never be forgotten at the gas station again. After discovering an old manuscript in a library her father has been hired to renovate, Sunday just knows it was written by deceased author Lee Wren, she just needs to prove it. With the help of a new friend, Sunday uncovers the mystery and realizes that maybe being a hero isn't what you DO, but what you DON'T do.

 

 

from the mouths of tweens.

Newly formed cousins, Lana and Cassie are forced to get to know each other in pretty close quarters as they road trip from California to Maine with their just as newly wedded grandparents in this very cute middle school novel titled Drive Me Crazy by Terra Elan McVoy. Middle school is one of the most difficult ages to get kids into reading for fun, and Lana and Cassie's differences help a lot. These girls are extremely relatable and alternate narrating each chapter from start to finish.

Unlike Lana, who is pretty excited about this adventure and getting to know her cousin who she has only met one other time (at the wedding), Cassie struggles to remain positive as she's missing out on a lot at home social wise. Trying to stay in the queen bee Kendra's good graces is pretty impossible when you're on a road trip with your grandma and her new husband. Although Lana is trying to have fun, she has her own set of issues as she has a sick feeling her parents are keeping the seriousness of her mother's recent illness from her.

My favorite parts of the story are when the girls can forget their worries for a short while and enjoy themselves at tourist attractions along the way. There is lots of humor and heart in Drive Me Crazy, and I know your moody girl will get something out of it.

fantasy friday.

The Elusion series is a duology of fantasy/action/sci-fi/futuristic young adult novels written by co-authors Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam and are sure to spice up your reader's library. The series is set in a futuristic Detroit (which is a lot worse than present Detroit if you can imagine), narrated by sixteen-year-old Regan who, along with the rest of the residents of this city live with acid rain falling from the sky, forcing them to wear purifiers to survive everyday life. Many wish to escape their current reality, and before his unexpected death, Regan's father made an app for that. An app that transports you to exotic places, where you can find adventure and forget your troubles. Book one of the series, Elusion, is action packed while reader's follow Regan and her attempt find out what's really going on in the virtual world that seems too good to be true, because it is.

 

 

 

In book two titled, Etherworld, Regan and Josh (who she befriends in book one) are stuck behind the firewall in Etherworld, and are unable to fight Elusion. I am not going to go into a lot of detail as to not spoil book one for anyone who hasn't started this series. But there is more danger in Etherworld, more betrayal, romance and more to lose.

welcome to new york.

I love Candace Bushnell and Sarah Dessen, even at twenty-nine, so I was super excited to discover Susane Colasanti and her City Love series which follows three teenagers, Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna, in NYC. Being able to recommend new authors to students is EVERYTHING. And any high school girl will love these realistic characters.

The first installment, City Love is not only about finding love in the big city for these three very different roommates, it's about their love for the city. Which is contagious. We follow Sadie, the dreamer, Darcy, the Cali girl, and Rosanna, the philanthropist through the city that never sleeps, experiencing all three points of view. Summer, NYC, and romance, what more could you ask for in a summer novel?

a family with more issues than yours.

The Savages by Matt Whyman is sure to keep your ninth grader reading and you happy, as long as you're not a prude. The Savage family have a secret that dates back one generation, from a time when Grandpa had little to nothing to survive on. It's a secret that has now become a family tradition, only for very special occasions. Not only are The Savage family, Titus, Angelica, 15-year-old Sasha, 12-year-old Ivan, toddler Kat, and grandpa Oleg, CANNIBALS - they have plenty other things wrong with them as well. Titus is never up to any good with his shady business deals. Mom, Angelica is a shopping addict and has racked up an insane amount of debt she's trying to hide from Titus. But Ivan and his string of dangerous practical jokes is definitely the cherry on top as he has a tendency to kill people on accident, sort of. And poor Sasha's biggest problem is she's dating a vegetarian who she absolutely cannot bring home to her family who enjoys a man-flesh sandwich on special occasions. This super dark young adult novel manages to be funny when it needs to be, it's a little awkward at times, but since high school is pretty awkward, it fits.

if you're a sarah dessen fan.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan is a novel just as powerful as the title it carries. Leila is an Iranian-American high school junior just trying to make it through high school (and all its dating rituals), get good grades, and please her very traditional Middle Eastern parents. It's tough enough being one of the very few brown students at Armstead Academy, let alone being the only openly gay one, so she's been keeping that little detail to herself for years. Until a beautiful new student enrolls in the Academy, and Leila begins to think Saskia may be worth the risk. Seeking help from unlikely characters, Leila realizes that she is not the only student at Armstead Academy with a secret, but will this give her the courage to come out to her closest friends and family?

If you're a Sarah Dessen fan (which I whole-heartedly am!) I absolutely recommend this book, plus she recommends it.  It's a touchy subject, but I do think it will be good for your teen (no matter what their sexual orientation) to read Leila's story. At this age so many teenagers are struggling with personal identity, many finding it terrifying to be themselves. This is a novel about embracing who you are, even if it's different from the status quo.

And always remember kids, it's okay to be different but it's never okay to be an asshole :)

dark and funny, just like your teenager.

It always excites me when the first book of a trilogy comes out. I just love trilogies, there's always something to look forward to. I especially love a good YA novel trilogy, like Edward Carey's Heap House: The Iremonger Trilogy: Book One, because it's amazing, completely odd and will keep my kiddos reading!

When it comes to anything YA, the stranger the better, and Carey totally has that covered with his main character, Clod Iremonger. For generations, the Iremonger family have been responsible for “the Heaps,” a tremendous sea of trash and discarded items outside an alternate-universe London. Clod is an outcast of the family because of his strange ability to hear objects talk. For example, his uncle lost his safety pin, and Clod was the only one able to find it again because he could hear it. Anyways, both Clod and a feisty orphan named Lucy Pennant alternate narrating as they begin to uncover dark secrets of the Iremonger family.

YA novel set in the 90's, my favorite decade.

Jessie Ann Foley is an English teacher turned author (and still English teacher), which is exactly what I want to be when I grow up. Her very first YA novel has been winning prizes and fabulous reviews all over the place, and that won't stop here. The Carnival at Bray is set in 1993 Ireland. Main character Maggie Lynch has just left her home (and the only stable adult in her life, her grandmother) in Chicago to move to Ireland as her mother decided to marry a man who appears to have it together more than her past dozen boyfriends, and move her and her little sister to his hometown of Bray, outside of Dublin.

First of all, I loved sixteen-year-old Maggie the second I met her. A girl with a flighty mother who has to play grown up to her younger sister more than any teenager should, she is wiser than her years and super likable. The novel is filled with typical teenage angst. Trying to fit in, in a new school (in a different COUNTRY), growing up, young love, all the good stuff. And Foley writes like an English teacher, amazing character development, imagery, and enough swear words and drama to keep any teenager interested.

first love in the real world.

First love. It's the perfect combination of pain and pleasure, one that I remember well. You think your love was written in the stars, it's destiny, and then life happens. Very much like the book I am reviewing today.

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle is the story of two eighteen-year-olds who are from very different sides of the track and fell in love after high school, because that's just how it happens sometimes when there is no one around to judge who is holding hands with who in the hallway. When Wren Gray and Charlie Parker have their first real conversation, they feel it instantly, a spark. Wren, who's been too busy trying to please her parents her entire life to ever think about boys. And Charlie, who has been in and out of foster homes his entire life, just trying to love and be loved. They are quite the pair, and this is quite the love story for the high school and college-aged kids out there.