2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults
2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults
The list of 99 books, drawn from 191 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. In 2010, YALSA restructured the charge for the Best Books for Young Adults committee and renamed it Best Fiction for Young Adults. The 2011 list is the first for the new committee.
The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse. The committee also selected a Top Ten list.
The members of the Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee are: Terri Snethen, chair, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kan.; Martha Baden, Alice Boucher World Languages Academy, Lafayette, La.; Jennifer Barnes, Gleason Library, Carlisle, Mass. and Concord- Carlisle (Mass.) High School; Louise Brueggemann, Naperville (Ill.) Public Library; Debbie Fisher, Central Falls (R.I.) High School; Michael Fleming, Pacific Cascade Middle School, Issaquah, Wash.; Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas DLIS, Denton; Alissa Lauzon, Haverhill (Mass.) Public Library; Shelly McNerney, Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park, Kan.; Shilo Pearson, Chicago Public Library; Dr. Judith Rodgers, Wayzata Central Middle School, Plymouth, Minn.; Dr. Ann Sloan, McLennan Community College, Waco, Texas; Patti Tjomsland, Mark Morris High School, Longview, Wash.; Brooke Young, Salt Lake City (Utah) Public Library; Shauna Yusko, Evergreen Junior High, Redmond, Wash.; Gillian Engberg, Booklist consultant, Chicago; and, Crissy Claiborne, administrative assistant, Las Vegas-Clark County (Nev.) Library.
The Titles
*denotes Top Ten title
Alonzo, Sandra. Riding Invisible. Illus. by Nathan Huang. Disney-Hyperion Books for Children, 2010. $15.99. 978-1-4231-1898-5.
Yancy’s life is torn apart by his older brother’s Conduct Disorder and he runs away when Will threatens his horse. He records his thoughts and feelings in his Adventure Journal.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Forge. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-6144-4.
All that stands between Curzon and his freedom is George Washington's army and a winter at Valley Forge.
Avasthi, Swati. Split. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-375-86340-0.
Jace, 16, fights back against his abusive father and is thrown out of the house. He finds his older brother which begins a journey toward healing for both brothers.
Ayarbe, Heidi. Compromised. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-172849-5.
When Maya's father is jailed and she is put in a group home, she and new "friend" Nicole run away to search of Maya's aunt and face difficult situations.
*Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. Little, Brown, & Co., 2010. $17.99. 978-0-316-05621-2.
Nailer is a light crew scavenger tearing up old hulks of ships, living day to day, until a rich girl and her gleaming ship run ashore in a storm on the beach and his life gets more dangerous.
Black, Holly. White Cat. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2010. $17.99. 978-1-4169-6397-4.
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers and begins to suspect his brothers have cursed him to use him as a tool in their quest for power.
Bow, Erin. Plain Kate. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-16664-5.
After her father’s death, Plain Kate has nothing except her carving tools and her cat, Taggle. Alone, she is vulnerable to witches and to those who suspect she is one.
Boyce, Frank. Cosmic. Walden Pond Press, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-183683-1.
When 12-year-old Liam, who looks like he is 30, poses as the "adult" chaperone on a kids' mission to space, he must think fast to save the group.
Boyd, Maria. Will. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-3758620-9-0.
Outraged Will is in his school’s musical as punishment for his latest prank. Teachers hope to develop his “leadership potential” but he only wants to save his social status.
Brande, Robin. Fat Cat. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009. $16.99. 978-0-375-84449-2.
Aiming to take home top prize at the science fair and maybe lose some weight in the process, Cat plans to examine life as a cave girl. Her subject: herself.
Bunce, Elizabeth C. Star Crossed. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-13605-1.
Escaping the city, Digger, a thief, ends up in a remote castle full of nobles and becomes involved in political intrigue in a country where magic has been forbidden.
Calame, Don. Beat the Band. Candlewick, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-7636-4633-2.
Coop must win battle of the bands with his buddies to regain his mojo after getting paired with an infamous partner in Health class, only none of them play instruments.
Carbone, Elisa. Jump. Penguin Group (USA)/Viking Juvenile, 2010.; 978-0-670-01185-8; $16.99.
P.K. refuses to go to boarding school; Critter busts out of the psych ward. A chance meeting at a rock-climbing wall brings them to Yosemite for an unforgettable adventure.
Chima, Cinda Williams. The Demon King: A Seven Realms Novel. Disney-Hyperion Press, 2009. $17.99. 978-1-4231-1823-7.
The lives of Princess Raisa and former street lord, Han, intertwine when an amulet Han finds helps him discover his true heritage and Raisa uncovers treachery in the castle.
Christopher, Lucy. Stolen. Scholastic/Chicken House, 2010. 978-0-545-17093-2; $17.99.
Gemma, 16, writes to the young man who kidnapped her and held her captive in the Australian outback, revealing the complexity of her feelings for both Ty and the land.
Cohn, Rachel and Levithan, David. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. 978-0-375-86659-3; $16.99.
In hopes of meeting a boy, Lily leaves a set of clues in a bookstore and begins a series messages, dares and a possible romance with Dash.
Combres, Elisabeth. Broken Memory: A Novel of Rwanda. Trans. Shelley Tanaka. Groundwood Books, 2009. $17.95. 978-0-88899-892-7;
Emma witnesses the brutal murder of her mother during the 1994 genocide massacres in Rwanda and her fears continue to haunt her.
Condie, Ally. Matched. Dutton Juvenile, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-525-42364-5.
Cassia and Xander are Matched by the Society that plans all aspects of one's life, making everything perfect for her, until Ky's face flashes across her screen and everything changes.
Crowley, Cath. A Little Wanting Song. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. 978-0-375-86096-6; $16.99.
Charlie and Rose have never been friends and couldn’t be more different on the outside, but this summer, their longing and unhappiness causes them to turn to one another.
Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-385-73794-4.
Thomas’ memories don’t serve him well when he wakes on an elevator, only to find himself in the Glade, trapped by monsters and a maze that changes daily.
David, Keren. When I Was Joe. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2010. $16.95. 978-1-847-80131-9.
Ty is just fourteen when he sees another teen murdered. He becomes a witness for the prosectution of the attackers but the truth is costly for Ty and his family.
De Goldi, Kate. The 10 PM Question. Candlewick, 2010. $15.99. 978-0-7636-4939-5.
When a new girl, a free-spirit who doesn’t seem to worry about anything, arrives at school, Frankie begins to question the way he looks at his life.
De Vigan, Delphine. No and Me. Bloomsbury, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-59990-479-5.
Brilliant, lonely and compassionate, thirteen-year-old Lou befriends a homeless eighteen-year-old, No, and is determined to save her.
DeGramont, Nina.Every Little Thing in the World. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-8013-1..
Sydney’s parents send her to a wilderness camp after her run-in with the police. The trip gives her a month to consider what to do about her secret pregnancy.
Derting, Kimberly. The Body Finder. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-177981-7.
When her ESP leads to the body of a girl who met a violent death, Violet finds herself not only drawn to the murdered, but to the murderer as well.
Diamand, Emily. Raiders’ Ransom. Scholastic/Chicken House, 2009. $17.99. 978-0-545-14297-7.
When pirate raiders kidnap the Prime Minister's daughter, thirteen-year-old Lilly sets out on a rescue mission, with a mysterious talking jewel for ransom.
*Donnelley, Jennifer. Revolution. Random House Children's Publishing/Delacorte, 2010. 978-0-385-73763-0; $18.99.
Haunted by the death of her brother, Andi is taken to Paris by her estranged father where an encounter with a mysterious diary may bring her back from the edge.
Edwardson, Debby Dahl. Blessing’s Bead. Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Melanie Kroupa Books, 2009. 978-0-374-30805-6; $16.99.
This book is a beautifully written account of life in Alaska through the eyes of an Inupiaq family. One child is given a special bead which threads the generations together.
Erskine, Kathryn. Mockingbird. Penguin Group (USA)/Philomel, 2010. 978-0-399-25264-8; $15.99.
Ten-year-old Caitlin has to figure out how to make the world work now that her brother Devon has died.
Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron. Penguin Group (USA)/Dial, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-8037-3396-1.
Trapped in the massive prison world of Incarceron, Finn searches for his true identity; outside, Claudia searches for the truth about Incarceron and its warden, her father.
Flood, Nancy Bo. Warriors in the Crossfire. Boyds Mills Press, 2010. $17.95. 978-1-590-78661-1.
In 1944 the Japanese and Americans fight a bloody battle for the island of Saipan, where twelve-year-old Joseph must decide who to trust so he can save his family.
Funke, Cornelia. Reckless. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. $19.99. 978031605609-0.
Jacob Reckless knows the fantasy world behind the mirror, but his brother doesn't and now he is turning to stone and Jacob must help.
George, Jessica Day. Princess of Glass. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-59990-478-8.
Poppy, one of the twelve dancing princesses, is witness to the events surrounding a mysterious princess at court who wears glass slippers to the balls.
Gleitzman, Morris. Once. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Henry Holt, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-8050-9026-0.
Felix, a naive Jewish boy in a Catholic orphanage, runs away to find his parents in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Gonzalez, Christina Diaz. The Red Umbrella. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-375-86190-1..
Lucia and her brother live an idyllic life in Cuba in 1961 until the revolution when they are sent to live with strangers in Nebraska until their parents can escape.
Goto, Hiromi. Half World. Illus. by Jillian Tamaki. Penguin Group (USA)/Viking Juvenile, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-670-01220-6.
Overweight and over-teased Melanie Tamaki must follow her mother into Half-world, where the cycles are out of balance and fight the horrible Mr. Glueskin.
Gray, Keith. Ostrich Boys. Random House Children’s Books, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-375-85843-7.
When their best friend Ross dies an accident, Kenny, Sim, and Blake run off to Ross, Scotland, to give him their idea of a proper funeral.
Green, John and Levithan, David. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Penguin Group (USA)/Dutton, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-525-42158-0; .
When two very different teenage guys named Will Grayson meet by chance in Chicago, their worlds collide.
Healey, Karen. Guardian of the Dead. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-316-04430-1.
Ellie’s drawn into a mysterious world of Maori myth and magic when she meets Mark at boarding school in New Zealand during a killing spree that leaves victims without eyes.
Henry, April. Girl, Stolen. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-805-09005-5.
Sick with pneumonia, blind teenager Cheyenne is waiting in the back seat of her stepmother’s car when someone steals it, effectively—and unintentionally—kidnapping her.
Hoffman, Alice. Green Witch. Scholastic, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-14195-6.
Green sets out on a journey to learn the histories of the local witches and to free her soul mate from prison.
Holt, Kimberly Willis. The Water Seeker. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-8050-8020-9.
Amos Kincaid comes from a family of men who can find water underground. This gift follows him and his family as they travel West.
Kelly, Tara. Harmonic Feedback. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Henry Holt, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-8050-9010-9.
Drea, with “a touch of Asperger’s,” has never been considered “normal.” A skilled sound designer, she starts a band with Naomi and Justin, who appreciate her for who she is.
Kephart, Beth. The Heart is Not A Size. HarperCollins/Harper Teen, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-147048-6;
While on a service trip in Mexico, Georgia gains perspective on her life that enables her to challenge the things not discussed in her relationship with her best friend Riley.
King, A.S. Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Random House Children’s Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-375-96586-9;
Vera Dietz spends her days going to school and working full time as a pizza delivery technician, all while being haunted by her dead best friend.
Koertge, Ron.Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs. Candlewick, 2010. $15.99. 978-0-7636-4435-2.
Fourteen-year-old Kevin Boland’s biggest problem isn’t the baseball playoffs: it’s what to do when he’s dating one girl but emailing poems to another.
Lockhart, E. Real Live Boyfriends: Yes, Boyfriends, Plural, If My Life Wasn’t Complicated I Wouldn’t Be Ruby Oliver. Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Press, 2010. $19.99. 978-0-385-90438-4.
Finally in her senior year of high school, Ruby Oliver tries to figure out whether or not Noel is her real live boyfriend.
Lynch, Chris. Hothouse: A Novel. HarperCollins, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-167379-5.
Russell and DJ lose their firefighter fathers in a major fire and must cope with their private grief and the community’s adulation of their fathers. And then there’s backlash.
Maberry, Jonathan. Rot and Ruin. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2010. $17.99. 978-1442402324.
Benny and Tom Imura are brothers who don't really get along in a zombified world until catastrophic events help Benny understand his brother better.
*Marchetta, Melina. Finnikin of the Rock. Candlewick, 2010. $18.99. 978-0-7636-4361-4.
Finnikin and his fellow exiles from Lumatere wish to return to their cursed homeland. Finnikin must go on an epic journey with a mute novice named Evanjalin to return home.
*Matson, Morgan. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour.2010. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9065-9.
Amy and Roger must both learn to deal with loss while on a road trip across the country which doesn't go as expected.
*McBride, Lish. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Henry Holt, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-805-09098-7..
When Sam discovers he is a necromancer he must learn to control his power in order to defeat a powerful and corrupt rival and save his friends.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. HarperCollins/Harper, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-183665-7.
When Pepper Roux was born his aunt had a vision from Saint Constance that the boy would die on his fourteenth birthday, but Pepper Roux has other ideas.
McMullan, Margaret. Sources of Light. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. $16.00. 978-547-07659-1.
It’s 1962, and after her father’s death in Vietnam, 14-year-old Sam and her mother move to Jackson, Mississippi, where they encounter the prejudice and violence of the segregationist South.
Milford, Kate. The Boneshaker. Clarion, 2010. $17.00. 978-0-5472-4187-6.
In Arcane, Missouri, in 1914, Natalie stands at the crossroads, looks the devil directly in the face, conquers him, and saves her family and her town.
Millard, Glenda. A Small Free Kiss in the Dark. Holiday House, 2010. $16.95. 978-0-8234-2264-7.
Runaway Skip struggles to survive during a sudden war, living in an abandoned amusement park with an older homeless man, a young orphan, a teenage ballerina, and a newborn.
*Mulligan, Andy. Trash. David Fickling Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-385-75214-5.
Three garbage-picker boys find an item of great value to a corrupt politician on their rounds, setting off a tense hunt to see who will triumph.
Myers, Walter Dean. Lockdown. HarperCollins/Amistad, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-121480-6.
With a few months remaining on his sentence in a juvenile detention facility, Reese struggles to overcome racism, prejudice and his volatile personality to cope with life on the outside.
Nelson, Jandy. The Sky is Everywhere. Penguin Group (USA)/Dial Books, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-8037-3495-1.
When Lennie's beloved big sister suddenly dies, she gets help pushing past her grief from two very different boys.
Nolan, Han. Crazy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. $17.00. 978-0-152-05109-9..
Jason can’t put his mother’s death behind him, not with a mentally ill father and a chorus of distinct voices filling his head. Is he crazy too?
O’Brien, Caragh M. Birthmarked. Roaring Brook Press, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-59643-569-8.
After her parents' arrest, Gaia falls heir to a dangerous parcel and assumes her mother’s role as midwife, all the while beginning to question her allegiance to the Enclave.
Oliver, Lauren. Before I Fall. HarperCollins/Harper, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-06-172680-4.
Sam’s seemingly perfect life has ended in a terrible crash. But, it turns out she has to relive the last day of her life seven times to get it right.
Oppel, Kenneth. Half Brother. Scholastic, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-22925-8.
Ben begins to see the chimpanzee his father is using to study language acquisition as more than a test subject which leads to problems when funding runs low.
Paulsen, Gary. Woods Runner. Random House Children’s Books/Wendy Lamb, 2010. $15.99. 978-0-385-73884-2.
In 1776, 13-year-old Samuel returns home from hunting in the woods to find the settlement burned and most of the settlers murdered.
Perkins, Lynne Rae. As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-187090-3.
On the way to camp, Ry finds himself in the midde of nowhere when his train leaves him behind, leading to a remarkable journey full of surprises and adventure.
*Perkins, Mitali. Bamboo People. Charlesbridge, 2010. $16.95. 978-1-58089-328-2.
Chiko, a Burmese soldier and Tu Reh, a Kerenni refugee meet on opposite sides of war and each must learn what it means to be a man of his people.
Quick, Matthew. Sorta Like a Rock Star. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-316-04352-6.
Despite the fact that she lives in a school bus, Amber Appleton is the biggest optimist you’ll ever meet. But then one tragic event makes her question everything.
Reeve, Philip. Fever Crumb. Scholastic/Scholastic Press, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-20719-5.
Fever Crumb, raised by the Order of Engineers and the only female among its ranks, finds her engineer rationality continually tested as she begins to discover more about her past.
*Reinhardt, Dana. The Things a Brother Knows. Random House Children’s Books/Wendy Lamb, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-375-84455-3.
Boaz is back and hailed as the hometown hero, but he is not at all the same. Can his younger brother Levi help him truly make his way home?
Richards, Jame. Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood. Random House Children’s Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010. $19.99. 978-0-375-95885-4.
Told in verse, this story revolves around a variety of people whose lives touch before and after the failure of the earthen dam above Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889.
Roy, Jennifer. Mindblind. Marshall Cavendish, 2010. $15.99. 978-0-7614-5716-9.
Nathaniel, 14, a high functioning "Aspie" who struggles with social interactions, but can solve mathematical problems that elude graduate students. People say he's a genius, but he thinks differently.
Ruiz Zafón, Carlos. The Prince of Mist. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-316-04477-6.
Roland, Max, and Alicia battle the mysterious Prince of Mist - a diabolical character who has returned from the sea to collect on a debt from the past.
Sachar, Louis. The Cardturner. Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010. $17.99 978-0-385-73662-6.
Alton's summer job is turning cards at bridge games for his blind great-uncle Trapp. He learns much more than how to play bridge as a result.
*Saenz, Benjamin. Last Night I Sang to the Monster. Cinco Puntos Press, 2009. $16.95. 978-1-933693-58-3.
Weeks in therapy go by and 18-year-old Zach is still unable to remember the monstrous events that left him alone and haunted by nightmares.
*Sedgwick, Marcus. Revolver. Roaring Brook Press, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-59643-592-6;
Sig is alone with his father’s body when the lawless man his father had managed to escape appears out of the icy wilderness.
Shimko, Bonnie. The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-374-36131-0.
Growing up in the 1960’s, Amelia finds her one true friend and discovers the courage to stand up to the town bullies, local bigots and her train-wreck family.
Shinn, Sharon. Gateway. Penguin Group (USA), 2009. $17.99. 978-0-670-01178-0.
Daiyu finds herself in Shenglang, an alternate world, where she is enlisted to help send an evil traveler back to his own iteration before he can wreck chaos in Shenglang.
Shulman, Mark. Scrawl. Roaring Book Press, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-59643-417-2.
In detention, eighth grade bully, Tod, journals thoughts and experiences exposing the bleak private agonies of life behind his actions.
Shulman, Polly. The Grimm Legacy. Penguin Group USA/Putnam Juvenile, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-399-25096-5.
Elizabeth gets a job in a strange lending library that has everything, including the working original items from the Grimm's fairytales, but things are going missing.
Slade, Arthur. The Hunchback Assignments. Random House Children’s Books, 2009. $15.99. 978-0-385-73784-5.
Modo is a gifted spy, fighter and scholar, but so disfigured that he always hides his face. When children in London go missing, Modo’s skills just might save them.
Smith, Andrew. The Marbury Lens. MacMillan Children's Book Group, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-312-61342-6.
Jack is a regular sixteen-year-old boy until he drinks too much at a party and wakes up in a stranger’s home.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. After Ever After. Scholastic, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-439-83706-4..
Jeffrey must figure out how to live as a cancer survivor, and graduate eighth grade.
Standiford, Natalie. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters. Scholastic, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-10710-5..
One of the Sullivans deeply offended Almighty, who will cut the entire family out of her will unless that person confesses. So begin the confessions of Norrie, Jane, and Sassy.
Stork, Francisco X. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-15133-7.
Seventeen-year-old Pancho grapples with the mysterious death of his sister while accompanying his new friend, D.Q, on his own quest to face down death.
Stratton, Allan. Borderline. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-145111-9.
Sami sets out to prove his father’s innocence after Homeland Security breaks into their house and hauls his father away as a person of interest in a possible terrorist attack.
Stuber, Barbara. Crossing the Tracks. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing/Margaret McElderry, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9703-0.
Iris finds love and acceptance in unexpected places in the summer of 1926 after her father sends her away to work for a doctor and his mother in rural Missouri.
Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are. St. Martin’s Press/Saint Martin’s Griffin, 2010. $9.99. 978-0-312-57380-5.
Regina used to be a member of the Fearless Five but is now being frozen out by her friends and must find acceptance among the peers she used to terrorize.
Supplee, Suzanne. Somebody Everybody Listens To. Penguin Group (USA), 2010. $16.99. 978-0-525-42242-6.
Retta Lee’s dreams of making it big as a country singer have a chance of coming true if she can survive the reality of life on her own in Nashville.
Teller, Janne. Nothing. Trans. by Martin Aitken. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Atheneum, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-8579-2.
When a classmate tells them “nothing matters,” his peers reinforce the opposite, sacrificing what matters to them in progressively intense challenges, assembling a pile of meaning.
Tomlinson, Heather. Toads and Diamonds. Macmillan Children's Book Group/Henry Holt, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-8050-8968-4.
In a Perrault fairy tale reset to fascinating pre-British India, impoverished stepsisters encounter a goddess whose gifts bless, or curse. Diribani returns speaking jewels and flowers; Tana, toads and snakes.
Turner, Megan Whalen. A Conspiracy of Kings. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-06-187093-4.
When his uncle, the king, is murdered, Sophos must set aside his self-doubt, accept his role as Sounis and unite the kingdom against invaders.
Vivian, Siobhan. Not That Kind of Girl. Scholastic./PUSH, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-16915-8.
Life is about choices. Natalie makes choices that border between good and bad. The choices she makes could end in disaster or be the best choices she'll ever make.
Ward, Rachel. Numbers. Scholastic/The Chicken House, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-545-14299-1.
Jem, a British girl of 15, is on the run with her erstwhile boyfriend Spider, because of complications from her "talent" of seeing the date that people will die when she looks in their eyes.
Wesselhoeft, Conrad. Adios, Nirvana. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. $16. 978-0-547-36895-5.
Jonathan lost his twin to an accident and his will to move on. His friends, and the man he is ghostwriting WWII memoirs for will not let him slide.
Whitney, Daisy. The Mockingbirds. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 978-0-316-09053-7.
After Alex is date-raped at her boarding school, she turns to a secret society of students, the Mockingbirds, to find the justice her school administration cannot provide.
Williams, Carol Lynch. Glimpse. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/ Paula Wiseman Books, 2010. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9730-6.
Hope keeps having dreams about crying. It’s no wonder: her father is dead, her mother clearly has issues, and her sister Liz has been institutionalized after trying to kill herself.
Williams, Gabrielle. Beatle Meets Destiny. Marshall Cavendish, 2010. $17.99. 978-0-7614-5723-7.
Superstitious John “Beatle” Lennon meets Destiny McCartney on Friday the 13th. Their romance starts strong—except for Beatle’s girlfriend, his angry twin sister, and a stalker. Can love survive?
Yancey, Rick. The Curse of the Wendigo. Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, 2010. $17.99. 978-1-4169-8450-4.
Henry and monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrop are in the Canadian wilds, trying to disprove the existence of the Wendigo, a wraithlike creature that gorges on flesh, yet is perpetually hungry.
Yovanoff, Brenna. Replacement. Penguin Group (USA), 2010. $17.99. 978-1-59514-337-2.
Mackie is sixteen when the latest baby is stolen away, a monstrous replacement left in her crib. Now it’s time for Mackie to face his true identity.
