Updated 2012 List

1.                  Alcott, Kate. The Dressmaker.  Doubleday.  978-0-385-53558-8.  A naïve but adventurous Tess Collins decides to seek employment on the Titantic and runs into the famous (and infamous) Lady Lucille Duff Gordon who designs magically beautiful dresses for society’s top names.  Lady Duff Gordon is the image of haughty English society who rants and raves over every little perceived slight, never considering the feelings of anyone else.  Based loosely on the fact that Lady Duff Gordon’s lifeboat contains only 12 people, refuses to allow any other survivors on board, and refuses to return to help anyone stranded in the water, this novel explores the moral and immoral actions of a nightmare that haunted the world. Tess learns the definition of loyalty, friendship, and love on her way to surviving as a dressmaker in her new world.  Historical fiction.

2.                  Blake, Jon. The Last Free Cat. Albert Whitman & Company.  978-0-8075-4364-1. Because a deadly cat flu virus has overtaken the world, cats and their breeding are strictly monitored by governmental bureaucracy.  Only the wealthy can afford cats bred by the mandated government program, so when Jade finds a beautiful but stray cat, names her Feela, and decides to keep her hidden, she places herself and everyone around her in danger.  After her mother’s death, Jade must decide whether her new friend Kris will be a help or a hindrance in trying to save Feela.  Science fiction.

3.                  Blount, Patty. Send.  Sourcebooks. 978-1-4022-7337-7.  It’s a battle between Kenny and Daniel.  Kenny is an obnoxious bully and a murderer while Daniel is a senior trying to overcome 9 months spent in a juvenile detention center.  Relocating from New Jersey to New York to Maryland cannot separate the two because in reality, they are the same person.  As Kenny, he posted a locker room picture of Liam Murphy in his Scooby Do underwear which resulted in Liam’s suicide.  Kenny was then sentenced to a juvenile detention center for distributing kiddie porn and has tried to rebuild his life as Daniel.  Language.

4.                  Brown, Jennifer. Perfect Escape.  Little, Brown, and Company.  978-0-316-20050-9.  All her life, Kendra has been forced to play second fiddle to her brother Grayson and his overwhelming OCD which requires him to count everything.  Every moment of every day of her life is dictated by what Grayson does—or does not do. To combat her parents’ focus on Grayson, she has strived to be the perfect child—until she cheats on a calculus exam—and decides to escape into a new world, taking Grayson with her, where she finds that being perfect is not all that it’s cracked up to be.

5.                  Caletti, Deb. The Story of Us.  Simon Pulse.  978-1-4424-2346-6. Cricket decides that the week before her mom’s wedding to Dan might be the longest week in captivity.  Her mother has already left two previous boyfriends at the altar.  While trapped at a small inn, add snarky future step-sisters, a hovering ex-wife, two sets of feuding grandparents, a stoned innkeeper, a crazy aunt, dog problems, a handsome potential boyfriend, and wild raccoons to make for a hilarious train wreck of a week---which is nothing compared to the chaos and ruin that Cricket has made of her own love life. Language.

6.                  Clark, Marcia.  Guilt by Degrees.  Little, Brown and Company. 978-0-316-12953-4. A deputy district attorney in the Special Trials department, Rachel Knight jumps into the hopeless case of the murder of a homeless man.  There are no leads, no witnesses, not even a name for the homeless victim.  Rachel and her friends Bailey and Toni become targets themselves when the first murder is linked to the murder of a cop.  Second in a series.  (first book is Guilt by Association). Older readers will like this mystery/thriller. Language.

7.                  Crewe, Megan.  The Way We Fall. Hyperion. 978-1-4231-4616-2.  It starts with a sneeze---then itching, coughing, fever, hallucinations, and finally death.  The island is quarantined to save the rest of the world from the unknown virus as Kaelyn Weber and her family fight to survive. Rioting, looting, and death became daily occurrences in this new world.  Written in a diary format, there are no heroic efforts from the government or miracle cures from the medical world for this dystopian society.  Kaelyn must save her own family. Language.

8.                  Crockett, Sophie D. After The Snow.  Fiewel and Friends. 978-0-312-64169-6. It is 2059.  Global warming has so damaged the atmosphere that the oceans don’t work and there is nothing but snow covering most of the earth. Fifteen year old Willo Blake lives in Wales and returns from hunting to find his family gone.  Humans have been reduced to scavenging for the smallest of comforts in this post-apocalyptic society and his family had thought that they had escaped the government’s oppression.  For readers who liked Hunger Games meets Maze Runner meets The Knife of Never Letting Go, all in the frigid cold. Expect a sequel.

9.                  Defilippis, Nunzio and Christina Weir and illustrated by Jackie Lewis.  Play Ball.  Oni Press.  978-1-934964-79-8. Dash Brody moves to a new town and runs into all the problems inherent with settling into a new school. Added to the acclimation process is that Dash does not want to play softball, but wants to play on the boys’ baseball team.  There are no easy solutions to Dash’s decision as the entire school gets involved in the controversy. Graphic novel.

10.              Doller, Trish.  Something Like Normal. Bloomsbury.  978-1-59990-844-1. Known as the “son of former Green Bay Packer Dean Stephenson” and a major disappointment to that father, Travis just wants to be known as Travis Stephenson and live a “normal” life.  With his life on a collision course for his personal train wreck, Travis, nicknamed Solo after Han Solo, must come to terms with his previous life as a major jerk, his family, his PTSD from a tour in Afghanistan, and his love life.  Realistic fiction for reluctant readers. Language.

11.              Fukuda, Andrew.  The Hunt.  St. Martin’s Griffin. 978-1-250-00514-4. Life is defined by the 3 D’s: desert, desolation, and death.  Beyond the limited living area, there is nothing but the desert and DBS: death by sunlight.  Life is lonely and desolate as humans have become extinct.  Don’t laugh, don’t sweat, don’t. . .don’t. . don’t--- or the result will be instant death.  As a human disguised as a vampire and one of the hunted, Gene must learn to survive in a frightening world where one mistake will result in a brutal death, just like for his mother, his sister, and his father. Stunning ending. Highly recommended!

12.              Gardiner, Meg.  Ransom River.  Dutton. 978-0-525-95285-5. Rorie Mackenzie fled Ransom River in order to rebuild her shattered life.  After serving two years in an international peace foundation, she has returned to her quite hometown in an attempt to rebuild it once again.  Unfortunately, she is called for jury duty on a highly emotional trial involving two cops.  When the courtroom is overtaken by two gunmen, the town suddenly becomes a hotbed of unrest with Rorie as a prime suspect in the plot. Mystery/thriller for older teens because of size of book.

13.              Grace, Amanda.  In Too Deep.  Flux.  978-0-7387-2600-7. A lie of omission is still a lie. Samantha has dug herself into a hole that involves the entire community with a lie of omission.  She loves Nick and tries to make him jealous by chasing Carter.  When Carter ruthlessly rejects Sam and she leaves in disheveled clothes and tears, the rumor begins that Carter raped her.  Soon the entire community has chosen sides and Sam is in too deep. Reluctant readers.

14.              Gray, Shelley Shepard. Missing.  (The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book One)  Avon Inspire. 978-0-06-208970-0. The discovery of Perry Borntrager’s body dumped into a shallow well sends the entire community of small town Crittenden, Kentucky, into a tailspin.  Detective Luke Reynolds finds numerous roadblocks in his search for the truth behind Perry’s activities and his eventual death.  Perry’s former Amish girlfriend, Lydia Plank, and his one-time Englischer friend, Walker Anderson, are at the center of the controversial investigation. Lydia struggles with the sudden knowledge that she is adopted while Walker struggles with his growing attraction to Lydia. Christian fiction.

Gray, Shelley Shepard.  The Search.  (The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book Two). Avon Inspire. 978-0-06-208970-0 and Found (The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book Three).  Avon Inspire.  978-0062089755.

15.              Grossman, Nancy. A World Away.  Hyperion. 978-142315153-1. Sixteen year old Amish Eliza Miller has never used a computer, a microwave, a car, a hair dryer, or a CD player.  She is surprised at the stiffness of the material when wearing her first pair of jeans.   With her mother’s words of “Try their ways but remembers ours” in her ears, Eliza heads to Chicago to work in the English world as a nanny for two small children.  Although Chicago is only three hours away from her Iowa community, it is really a world away from her Amish world.

16.              Henry, April.  The Night She Disappeared.  Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt and Company).  978-0-8050-9262-2. Delivering pizzas can be murder—literally.  When Kayla unknowingly responds to a fake pizza order and doesn’t return from the delivery, the entire town goes on high alert.  Her co-worker Drew agonizes over wishing he had recognized a murderer, while coworker Gabie is even more distraught because the caller specifically asked for her. The murderer is identified—or is he?  Mystery thriller for reluctant readers.

17.              Howard, Chris.  Rootless.  Scholastic. 978-0-545-38789-7. Wiped out by The Darkness over a century ago, trees are non-existent in Banyan’s world.  To help alleviate the absolute desolation of the new world, Banyan builds trees out of any scrap metal to be found. Pirates, poachers, locusts, GenTech, and even the climate will do anything it takes to keep Will from accomplishing his mission of finding real live trees. Will be released in November of 2012.

18.              Johnson, Angela.  A Certain October.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 9781442431614.  Scotty is struggling to balance her mind which is in one place and her body which is in another.  Once she thought that her life was as bland as tofu, except for what is added.  And what’s added during one certain October is a train wreck that hospitalizes her autistic brother Keone with multiple broken bones and a coma and kills a long-time friend named Kris. Will appeal to reluctant readers.  Language.

19.              Kephart, Beth.  Small Damages.  Philomel Books. 978-0—399-25748-3.  Kenzie’s life has been turned upside down by the death of her father and her resentment towards her mother’s goals to move on. Now Kenzie’s plans to spend the last summer together with her four best friends are shot down when her mother ships her off to Spain for five months.  Kenzie decides that she is the Queen of Missing—especially missing her 4 best friends at their beach rental house.  But what she doesn’t realize is that she is missing herself and until she finds herself, she won’t be able to manager her own life---or the life of the baby she carries.

20.              The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to Their Younger Selves.  Arthur A. Levine Books.  978-0-545-39932-6.  ge comes wisdom—or at least the ability not to be so self-critical and to realize that conformity is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  This powerful and heart-warming book contains words of advice from 63 authors looking back on surviving those dreadful years in high school as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teenager. LGBT.

21.              Leveen, Lois.  The Secrets of Mary Bowser.  William Morrow.  978-0-06-210790-9. Mary was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, but baptized in a white church and taught arithmetic and reading by the unconventional Bet Van Lew, who bought all her mother’s slaves to then set them free.  Because it was illegal to educate a slave in Virginia, Bet was determined that Mary be educated in Philadelphia where she herself had been educated.  By law, Mary would not ever be able to return to Virginia, but returns posing as a slave so that she may help abolish slavery. Mary becomes a spy for the North and actually serves Jefferson Davis in the Confederate White House.  Both she and Bet Van Lew made such an impact on the abolition movement that fifty years after the Civil War, the original Van Lew mansion was destroyed because Southern public opinion still protested the support of the Union by its own citizens. Historical fiction.

22.              Lorentz, Dayna.  No Safety in Numbers.  Dial Books. 978-0-8037-3873-7.  When Marco inadvertently discovers a bomb at the local mall, it creates a nightmare beyond anything ever imagined.  Quarantined in the mall, surrounded by hazmat suits, and with bodies piling up, chaos reigns.  Teenagers Shay, Ryan, Lexi, and Marco must learn to rely on each other as well as their mortal teenage enemies if they hope to survive. Book One in a series.  Reluctant reader.

23.              Lynch, Chris.  Vietnam: Book 1:  I Pledge Allegiance. Scholastic.  978-0-545-27029-8.  Best friends since fourth grade, Beck, Ivan, Morris, and Rudi make a pact for everything—including a pledge to stay together no matter what.  When Rudi is drafted into the Vietnam War and joins the Marines, the other three pledge that they will all go to Vietnam together.  Ivan enlists in the Army; Beck enlists in the Air Force, and Morris enlists in the Navy because the Navy watches over the Marines and he will be able to “protect” Rudi.  Leaving the city of Boston for the USS Boston, Morris fights to keep his pledge of keeping his friends safe. Part of a series:  The second book is Sharpshooter (978-0-545-27026-7) which features Ivan’s experiences as a sniper in Vietnam.  The third book is Free-Fire Zone (978-0-545-27025-0) which features Rudi’s experiences as a Marine private in Vietnam. Books should be read in order.  Reluctant reader/historical fiction.  Language. Book #4, Casualties of War will be released in January of 2013.

24.              Lynch, Janet Nichols. Racing California. Holiday House. 978-0-8234-2363-7. Evan Burroughs is an average looking high school senior who must study to do well on his advanced placement exams and loves cycling in his free time.  Despite the warnings from his mother and troubles with his girlfriend, he is willing to risk his high school career when he’s offered a job riding for a professional cycling team.  Even if the reader knows nothing about cycling, the reader will enjoy the action, triumphs, pressures, disappointments, and overwhelming emotions of the cycling world. Reluctant readers.

25.              Lyon, George Ella. Holding On To Zoe.  Margaret Ferguson Books (Farrar Straus Giroux). 978-0-374-33264-8. Sixteen year old Julie is burdened with the care of her new born daughter Zoe when her boyfriend drops out of school and leaves town, while her mother refuses to even acknowledge Zoe.  Julie’s life erupts when the reality of the present collides with the nightmare of the past and no one but Julie wants to keep Zoe in her life. Psychological thriller for reluctant readers.

26.              McCormick, Patricia.  Never Fall Down.  Balzer + Bray. 978-0-06-173094-8. Based on the true story of Arn Chorn, a Cambodian boy who learns to kill to survive, this book chronicles his life from April of 1975 until he is adopted by an American relief worker in 1980.  Between the starvations, the malaria, the beatings, the labor camps with no medical supplies, and surrounded by death, both slow and too fast, Arn learns to survive the only way he can.  Historical fiction.

27.              McDonald, Abby.  Getting Over Garrett Delaney.  Candlewick. 978-0-7636-5507-5.  From the moment that Garrett Delaney moved into town, Sadie has been Garrett’s own personal fan club. Unfortunately, for two solid years, Garrett recognizes her only as his BFF (aka his special fan) who agrees and/or likes everything he does.  When Sadie is not accepted to a highly anticipated summer writer’s club, but Garrett is, Sadie decides that the six week break will be the time to reinvent herself through a 12 step process into the real Sadie. Language.

28.              McGarry, Katie.  Pushing the Limits.  Harlequin Teen.  978-0-373-21049-7. Echo Emerson was a popular sophomore dating the heartthrob of the school and an award winning artist until her bipolar mother destroyed her life.  Echo is trying to cope with her mother’s abuse, the death of her brother in Afghanistan, and the intrusion of her former babysitter into her life as her new stepmother when she connects with Noah Hutchison who is described as a girl-using stoner.  Noah will do anything to achieve his goal of gaining custody of his 4 year-old and 8 year-old brothers. Romance.  Expect to purchase the sequel which covers Beth’s (Noah’s friend in the foster home) story.  Language.

29.              Miranda, Megan.  Fracture.  Walker & Co.  978-0-8027-2309-3. Eleven minutes can be an eternity—especially if you’re drowning in the freezing lake.  After being in a coma for 6 days with no physical signs of brain damage, Delaney realizes that something about her has mysteriously changed.  She can sense death around her.  Romance/supernatural. Language.

30.              Monoghan, Annabelle.  D1G1T: She’s Got Your Number.  Houghton Mifflin. 978-0-547-66852-9. Farrah Higgins, (yes, she’s named after THAT Farrah), is a math genius nicknamed Digit, when all she really wants to do is be part of the regular high school crowd. Instead she finds herself the focus of an eco-terrorist group when she unravels their plot to bomb their next target.  With her life on the line, she is rescued by John, a young and handsome FBI agent, a brainiac language specialist, and realizes that being smart isn’t all bad.

31.              Nicholson, Lorna Schultz.  Vegas Tryout.  James Lorimer & Co. 978-1-4594-0070-2.

Carrie Munroe is shocked and embarrassed when her synchronized swim coach announces in front of the entire team that Carrie is the shortest and heaviest girl on the team—and needs to lose 10 pounds. Carrie is willing to do whatever it takes to make the final cut for the synchronized team heading to Vegas—even losing 10 pounds and then 20 and then. . . Reluctant readers

32.              Pausch, Jai. Dream New Dreams:  Reimagining My Life After Loss. Crown Archetype.  978-0-307-88850-1. Readers who enjoyed The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch will appreciate the other side of the story told by his widow, Jai Pausch.  Brutally honest about the three ring circus, i.e. the kids, Randy’s health, and the friends/family who were constantly in the house to help out, Jai Pausch tells of the heartbreaking weariness that overcomes caretakers, especially when in the public spotlight.

33.              Reeves, Amy Carol.  Ripper.  Flux.  978073830721.  After her mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Arabella Sharp is taken in by Lady Westfield, the haughty grandmother she has never met.  Arabella’s liberal ways are a tribulation to her grandmother until Dr. Julian Bartlett offers to let Arabella volunteer at his Whitechapel Hospital which serves the health needs of the unfortunate women in the East End of London.  Feeding newborn orphans, witnessing the death of a pregnant woman, facing a violent husband, and encountering the handsome Dr. William Siddal are all in a day’s work.  Unfortunately, the nights are filled with visions of Whitechapel patients as future murder victims of the infamous Ripper.  Expect a sequel as Arabella plans to attend medical school as well as stop the formidable Ripper.

34.              Roberts, Jeyn.  Dark Inside.   Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. 978-1442423510. Earthquakes, bombs, families gone, night time, and zombies called Baggers are just a few of the frightening changes in the new world that was once called North America.  Aries, Clementine, Mason, and Michael, along with the anonymous Nothing, narrate this story in alternating chapters, where nothing is as it seems, especially when it comes to the traitor Nothing. Expect a sequel.

35.              Rosenfelt, David. Heart of a Killer.  Minotaur Books. 978-0-312-59837-2. What would you do to save the life of your daughter?  Convicted murderer Sheryl Harrison wants to donate her heart to her daughter who is in desperate need of a transplant and has a rare blood type that only matches her mother’s. Sarcastic, unmotivated Jamie Wagner is assigned the pro bono case by his large law firm and is not sure how he feels about working with a murderer.  Mystery thriller for older readers. Language.

36.              Rushby, Allison.  Shooting Stars.  Walker & Company.  978-0-8027-2375-8. High school student and professional paparazzo Josephine Foster is known as Zo Jo in the media world.  She is able to get those shots that no one else can, but her real goal is to become a professional portrait photographer. When she’s asked to take the sleazy job of going undercover to get reality photos of an elusive star, she must come to terms with the conflict between her love life and her disliked occupation.  Reluctant readers.

37.              Scheier, Leah,  Secret Letters.  Hyperion. 978-1-4231-2405-4. Sixteen year old Dora Joyce travels to London to further her career as an investigator – and to look up her biological father whom she believes is Sherlock Holmes. She is disappointed to find Sherlock Holmes dead and instead partners with Peter Cartwright, a seventeen year old investigator. Victorian romance/ historical fiction.

38.              Schmidt, Tiffany.  Send Me A Sign.  Walker & Company.  978-0-8027-2840-1. With a drama queen for a mother who expects her to be academically and socially perfect, senior Mia Moore is always looking for a sign that will help her make the right decision. She knows that her friends would never understand her dilemmas and the only one who does understand is Gyver Russo.  Then Mia is diagnosed with leukemia and not only struggles with the physical issues of leukemia, but finds it even harder to deal with the emotional issues.  Language.  (publication date: October 2, 2012).

39.              Shoemaker, Tim.  Code of Silence.  Zondervan.  9780310726531.  Three friends are witness to the robbery of a local diner.  Based on the threats of the robbers, Cooper, his cousin Gordy, and their friend Hiroko vow to keep a “code of silence” and not tell anyone what they saw.  As the threats to their safety escalate, their friendship begins to disintegrate.  Each must decide what price they are willing to pay to keep the “simple” pact or to inform the police—who may be in on the robbery.  Mystery thriller for younger high school students.

40.              Simmons, Kristen.  Article 5.  Tor Teen Book. 978-0-7653-2958-5.  After a disastrous attack on the United States, the Moral Militia is the ruling class of the new world.  Religion, literature, and family structure are all clearly defined under the new statutes.  Non-compliant citizens are sent to rehab—which means they never return.  And unfortunately, the rules of compliance constantly change.  Ember Miller’s mother is arrested for non-compliance of Article 5 because she had Ember out of wedlock---seventeen years ago. Now seventeen-year-old Ember must fight to find her mother and must trust people who can’t be trusted—including the former love of her life, Chase Jennings.

41.              Sonnenblick, Jordan. Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip.  Scholastic Press. 978-0-545-32069-6. Filled with humor at his arrival onto the high school scene as well as sadness at his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, Peter Friedman must learn how to cope with it all.  A serious accident ruins Peter’s hopes of becoming the star of the baseball team so he must find his way through the rocky road of girls, friends, parents, aging grandparents, and the dynamics of high school. High interest novel for both boys and girls.

42.              Spielman, Chris with Bruce Hooley.  That’s Why I’m Here.  Zondervan.  978-0-310-33614-3. This is a love story.  It’s about the love of football, the love of God, and the love for his wife, Stefanie.  Chris Spielman is known for his toughness.  He is a football legend at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels but his wife, Stefanie, was even tougher.  Although she was kind, beautiful, and athletic, her best attribute would not be clearly defined until she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Will appeal to both boys and girls as well as adults.

43.              Tashjian, Janet.  For What It’s Worth.  Henry Holt and Company. 978-0-8050-9365-0. Record albums, The Vietnam War, Mama Cass, Ouija boards, and The Draft all make up a regular day in the life of fourteen year old Quinn in 1971.  Those of us who actually lived in 1971 may appreciate this “historical” fiction more than kids would. It’s filled with music trivia and real life issues.  Music fans as well as reluctant readers.

44.              Tsintziras, Aya.  Pretty Bones.  James Lorimer & Co. 978-1-55277-712-1.  Raine is a popular and excellent student, but no one realizes that she is afraid-----afraid of her own reflection.  She is especially afraid of the bathroom scales that show she weighs a disgusting and astronomical 100 pounds. Those three digits are a monster that almost drive her to her death.  Reluctant reader.

45.              Valentine, Jenny.  Double. Hyperion. 978-1-4231-4715-5. When he is mistaken for Cassiel, another 16 year old boy who has been missing for two years, runaway Chap is suddenly surrounded by the family he had always wished for.  Unfortunately, some times we get what we wish for. . . and families aren’t always what they seem----especially the family member who murdered Cassiel.  Mystery thriller.

46.              Vivian, Siobhan. The List. Push. 978-0-545-16917-2. On the last Monday of September, the hallways of Mount Washington High School are covered with “The List.”  Eight girls become famous or infamous, depending on where they are ranked on the list---as the prettiest girl in their class or the ugliest girl in their class.  Each girl struggles with the burden of being brutally evaluated by her looks. 

47.              Volponi, Paul. The Final Four.  Viking.  978-0-670-01264-0.  Filled with quotes from both former players and coaches, realistic problems for collegiate athletes, and national news, this novel covers the story of four college basketball players on their way to the biggest goal of their life—the NCAA championship.  Freshman Malcolm McBride plans on leaving the projects of Detroit behind him and playing in the NBA; Junior Roko “Red Bull” Bacic escaped his native Croatia but misses his family terribly. Crispin Rice is inspired by the wealthy Hope, the girl of his dreams. Reserve player M.J. wants to get off the bench and prove that he can live up to his name of Michael Jordan.

48.              Wolf, Jennifer Shaw.  Breaking Beautiful.  Walker & Co.  978-0-8027-2352-9. Allie can’t remember many details from the night that her boyfriend Trip was killed as his truck drover a cliff—and the details that she can remember, she wishes she could forget—especially the details of Trip’s continuous physical and emotional abuse. The once beautiful Allie is now broken—inside and out—and must find her way out of the black hole of her depression.  Mystery thriller.

49.              Woodson, Jacqueline. Beneath A Meth Moon. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin). 978-0-399-25250-1. After her mother and grandmother are killed in Hurricane Katrina, Laurel Daneau’s remaining family end up in Galilee, Iowa, where there’s a new job for her father and a new friend, a place on the cheerleading squad, and a boyfriend for Laurel.  Fourteen-year-old Laurel falls in love with the beautiful T-Boom who makes her feel better, stronger, and happier than she’s ever been----or maybe it’s the methadone that T-Boom gives her.  Laurel runs away from home and spends her 15th birthday begging for money, addicted to chasing the moon.

50.              Zarr, Sara.  How To Save A Life.  Little, Brown, and Company. 978-0-316-18614-8.  Jill is angry.  She’s angry at her friends, her boyfriend, her mom, basically she’s angry at the world for her father’s death in a car accident.  And NOW, her mother has decided to adopt the baby carried by petite, wholesome-looking Mandy whom she met through the Internet.  Is her mom trying to erase the memory of Jill’s dad—or worse, Jill herself with this new baby? Feeling raw and exposed, Jill is unprepared for the beautiful but naïve Mandy. Told in alternating chapters by the two girls, there is the surly, pierced, dyed-hair Jill versus Mandy, now a high school dropout, who was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.  Mandy has nowhere to go, no money, and no future. Each is trying to find her place in the world.