, Matthew Quick
Finley, an unnaturally quiet boy who is the only white player on his high school’s varsity basketball team, lives in a dismal Pennsylvania town that is ruled by the Irish mob, and when his coach asks him to mentor a troubled African American student who has transferred there from an elite private school in California, he finds that they have a lot in common in spite of their apparent differences.

Crewel, Gennifer Albin (2013 Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival Author)
Gifted with the unusual ability to embroider the very fabric of life, sixteen-year-old Adelice is summoned by Manipulation Services to become a Spinster, a move that will separate her from her beloved family and home forever.
Dark Lord: The Early Years, Jamie Thomson
Evil Dark Lord tries to recover his dignity, his power, and his lands when an arch-foe transports him to a small town, into the body of a thirteen-year-old boy.

Feedback (Sequel to Variant), Robison Wells
After escaping the walls of Maxfield Academy, Benson Fisher finds himself trapped in a town that is also under the school’s control–where he discovers that Maxfield’s plans are deadlier than anything he imagined.

Have a Nice Day (Companion to Get Well Soon), Julie Halpern
When Anna returns from a three-week stay in a mental hospital she struggles to resume a normal life in the face of her parents’ arguments and peers who are afraid to ask her what happened.

The Last Dragonslayer, Jasper Fforde
Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Strange runs an agency for underemployed magicians in a world where magic is fading away, but when visions of the death of the world’s last dragon begin, all signs point to Jennifer–and Big Magic.

Promised (Book Three of The Birthmarked Trilogy), Caragh O’Brien
Gaia succeeds in leading her people to Wharfton and the Enclave, but rebellion there threatens them all just when everything they have dreamed of seems to be at hand.

The Quick Fix, Jack Ferraiolo
When the star of the basketball team is blackmailed, it is up to Matt Stevens, the lone voice for justice in corrupt Franklin Middle School, to uncover who is behind the scheme–Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, his deputy Kevin Carling, or perhaps the scheming Thompson twins.

The Slayer Chronicles: Second Chance, Heather Brewer
Joss is summoned by Abraham to New York City and told he must prove his loyalty to the Slayer Society by successfully leading a team in hunting a murderous Manhattan vampire, or his life will be forfeit.

Stealing Parker, Miranda Kenneally
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her. Now Parker wants a new life.

What Happens Next, Colleen Clayton
The stress of hiding a horrific incident that she can neither remember nor completely forget leads sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy to become alienated from her friends, obsess about weight loss, and draw close to Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston.

Who I Kissed, Janet Gurtler
Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in… And she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died–right in her arms. Sam is now the school pariah and a media sensation. Consumed with guilt, she’ll have to find strength that goes way deeper than the fastest time in the 200-meter butterfly. Because if she can’t figure out how to forgive herself, no one else will either.

Zom-B, Darren Shan
When the news starts reporting a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B’s father thinks it’s a hoax-but even if it isn’t, the two of them joke, it’s only the Irish, right? That is, until zombies actually attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers. But when they come face-to-face with the ravenous, oozing corpses, all bets are off. There are no friends. No allies. Just whatever it takes to survive.


Published on October 25, 2012.


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