Feed by M. T. Anderson

"I cried, sitting by her bed, and I told her the story of us. 'It's about the feed,' I said. 'It's about this meg normal guy, who doesn't think about anything until one wacky day, when he meets a dissident with a heart of gold.' I said, 'Set against the backdrop of American in its final days, it's the high-spirited story of their love together, it's laugh-out-loud funny, really heartwarming, and a visual feast."

In a time, not to far in the future, almost everybody has a 'feed'. A transmitter implanted directly into your brain, the feed enables you to communicate instantaneously with any other user, making conversation unnecessary. The feed can find the answer to any question for you, making school unnecessary. And, above all, the feed is a marvelous tool for making all of those important shopping decisions. When Titus, an "meg normal" guy meets Violet, an unusual girl, he begins to understand some unsettling things about his America. Anderson has created an entertaining, yet chilling, satire about where our country--and our youth--are headed. This book belongs on any bookshelf with Huxley, Orwell, and Vonnegut. For a truly enjoyable experiences, listen to the audio book, which adds a special zing to all of that consumerism.

SLJ recommends grades 8 and up.

Learn more at HCL and here.

Abundance of Katherines by John Green

"When it comes to girls (and in Colin's case, it so often did), everyone has a type. Colin Singleton's type was not physical but linguistic: he liked Katherines. And not Katies or Kats or Kitties or Cathys or Rynns or Trinas or Kays or Kates or, God forbid, Catherines. K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E. He had dated nineteen girls. All of them had been named Katherine. And all of them--every single solitary one--had dumped him."

Colin is a child prodigy--or rather was a child prodigy. Child prodigies are young people who can memorize an extraordinary amount of information. It takes a leap of original creative thought to mature from a prodigy to a genius--and how humiliating would it be if Colin, child prodigy, never moved on to become a genius? On the heels of his most recent Katherine break up, Colin embarks on a road trip with his closest friend, Hassan. ("Hassan Harbish. Sunni Muslim. Not a terrorist.") During that trip Colin and Hassan meet new friends, cope with impending adulthood, and make a discovery that just might take Colin to the realm of genius. John Green's clever use of footnotes and mathematical formulas...and his off beat sense of humor...make this a one-of-a-kind coming-of-age story.

SLJ recommends grades 9 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

All the Way by Andy Behrens

"Ian began describing his courtship with Danielle, selecting the details carefully. He portrayed their relationship as something that had evolved slowly, naturally, and sweetly (when in fact it had evolved in a week, largely through deception, ans mostly because Ian had been a complete sphincter). Still, Ian gushed to his friends about all the good qualities he could only hope Danielle possessed."

Poor Ian. He's got no luck with girls. His friends have all been out of town for the summer. And he has spend most of his vacation behind the counter at Dunkin Donuts (except for the parts that he's spent inside the giant donut costume!) When he accidentally meets a real-live college girl over the internet, he can't help but tell a few fibs to make himself seem like a catch. Before he knows it, he's planning and end of the summer road trip to meet up with this mystery girl. And then his two best friends find out about it. Then things get really complicated! Andy Behrens spins a laugh out loud tale about two boys, two girls, one car, and a sad, sad donut costume.

SLJ recommends grades 9 and up.

Learn more at HCL, and Amazon.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

"Scab particles were in Mitty Blake's fingerprints. He had wiped them on his cheek and rubbed them against his nose. He had breathed them in.
Every virus, although not quite alive, nevertheless has a shelf "life". The shelf life of some viruses is known; the shelf life of others is uncertain.
In this case, it was the shelf life of Mitchell John Blake that was uncertain."

As usual, Mitty Blake, mediocre high school student, has procrastinated again. While attempting to scrape together enough information to write his biology paper, he discovers an envelope filled with--ew--antique scabs. Only later does he realize what they are and what he may have done by touching them. As if coming down with an incurable disease was not enough, now mysterious men are after him. Are they government agents or terrorists? Does Mitty have a sore throat or small pox? Does the fate of the planet lie in the hands of a D student and a long forgotten envelope?

SLJ recommends grades 7 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Horseradish: bitter truths you can't avoid by Lemony Snicke

"Most schools have a system of loud bells, which startle the students and teachers at regular intervals and remind them that time is passing even more slowly than it seems."

Haven't had enough of Mr. Snicket, yet? The mysterious author returns one more time to offer a collection of musings. Some startling, some amusing, all terribly, terribly true. Snicket fans should find a few minutes to peruse this tome.

SLJ recommends grades

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Hole in the Sky by Pete Hautman

"I look toward the sound and see a pile of rags on the floor against the far wall. My eyes adjust further and the pile of rags becomes a man hugging his knees to his chest. He coughs, a dry cough that starts high in his throat, then works its way down until it becomes a bubbling chortle."

In the year 2038, only 38 million people are left on Earth. Most have fallen victim to the worst flu in history. Many others have been killed in the aftermath by the warring tribes of people left behind. Some have survived the flu, only to live without hair, or sight, or sanity. Four teens are on their own, trying to survive, and hoping to find a hole in the sky. Told, in turn, from the points of view of all four teens (including the deaf mute) this is a harrowing story of loyalty and hope.

SLJ recommends grades 7 to 10.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

"Wilcox had books but no family. Minnie had a family now, but those babies would keep her from reading for a good long time. Some people, like my aunt Josie and Alvah Dunning the hermit, had neither love nor books. Nobody I knew had both."

It is the early twentieth century, and Mattie Gokey is a farm girl in the Adirondacks. Mattie is brilliant and filled with potential, but tied to her father's farm since the death of her mother and her brother's desertion. Her seemingly impossible dreams of college in New York City conflict with her loyalty to her family and her duties on the farm. When she takes a job at the Glenmore Hotel, Mattie finds herself entangled in the aftermath of a young woman's mysterious death. Mattie's story voice examines feminism, poverty, and racism set against Donnelly's romantic description of the Adirondacks at the turn of the century. I found myself wondering the same as Mattie, why can't a girl have books and boys? Oh, and the part about the mysterious death is a true story!

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ reccommends grades 8 and up.

Rash by Pete Hautman

"Back when Gramps was in high school, kids ran faster. Gramps claimed to have run 100 meters in 11 seconds, and the mile in 4:37. That was before the Child Safety Act of 2033. Now every high school runner has to wear a full set of protective gear--AtherSafe shoes with lateral ankle support and four layers of memory gel in the thick soles, knee pads, elbow pads, neck brace, tooth guard, wrist monitor, and an FDHHSS-cerified sports helmet. We raced on an Adzorbium track with its five centimeters of compacted gel-foam topped by a thick sheet of artificial latex. It's like running on a sponge."

In a not too distant future when the USA has become the USSA--the United Safer States of America, when obesity is a felony, and when 24% of the American population is imprisoned for acts of unsafe behavior, Bo is just a teenage boy struggling to obey the rules. After unintentionally spreading a psychosomatic rash through his school, Bo is sent to prison. For a young man raised in a highly supervised safer society, the anonymity of life in his prison camp is only slightly less tolerable than the intentional danger the warden is about to expose him to. His only way out might be an artificial intelligence homework assignment gone wrong. Pete Hautman challenges us to take a look at our current society of safety and wonder where it will take us in just a few short years.

SLJ recommends grades 8 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Dead Connections by Charlie Price

"They are not graveyards. I hate it when people say that. They are cemeteries. The one I know best is Forest Grove. I spend most of my time there. That's where most of my friends are. I don't spend much time with the older people. I figure they deserved it. Not deserved it, really, but what could they expect? After forty, you're going to die. The ones my age and the children, they almost all need someone to talk to. I comfort them the best I can. They weren't ready. They'll tell you that. They're not jealous or mean or scary like you might think. Just really lonely. Everybody needs a friend."

Murray spends most of his free time in the local cemetery. It's probably because all of his friends are there. Murray speaks to the dead. Now he's hearing a new voice and doesn't know how to help. Told in many voices from many points of view, this unusual page-turner follows the lives small town residents and their connections to one dead girl.

SLJ recommends grades 8 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

"They told me there'd be palm trees."

Suze isn't just your ordinary sassy New York teen giving up her city life and crossing the country to move in with her new step family in California. She also sees dead people. As if adjusting to a new family, new home, and new school isn't enough, Suze's being stalked by an angry, dead classmante. One part chick lit, one part ghost story, all part fun, fans of Meg Cabot will breeze through this spirited read.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Dragon Head by Minetaro Mochizuki

"I remember the train lurching like it had been hit, and then...screaming...the train started shaking...I was thrown out of my chair...then the lights went out. There was this long noise, like a chainsaw cutting through sheet metal...and then everything went black."

Aoki is on his way home from a school field trip when his train ride is interrupted by a devastating accident in an underground tunnel. Everyone is killed in the crash, except for Aoki and two unstable classmates. Cut off from the outside world, trapped in an oppressively hot tunnel, the trio are all alone...or are they? Mochizuki's story and art combine to evoke the terror of a disaster story, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

SLJ recommends grades 10 and up.

Learn more at Amazon and here.

Grand and Humble by Brent Hartinger

"And inside his head, he was suddenly in a different place and time. A city street at night? A truck--or was it a van?--was bearing down on Harlan. He could see the expanding headlights, could watch the vehicle veering to one side as the driver tried to swerve away at the last second.
It was too late."

Manny has been dreaming, lately...about drowning. The dreams are terrifying, puzzling, and very real. Harlan's been having inexplicable panic attacks. Two boys from different worlds, Manny is an unassuming geek while Harlan is the popular son of a local politician. Both boys are startled by the sudden onset of their nightmares and anxiety, and puzzled by the cause. Hartinger spins an unusual tale in this brief thriller.

SLJ recommends grades 9 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

"One moment she was with me--sitting in the back of the Mercedes, looking around the yard--and then the moment suddenly cracked and I was with her, walking a storm-ravaged lane in the middle of a desolate moor. We were cold and wet and tired and scared, and the world was black and empty, and I didn't know why."

When Rueben's sister Rachel is murdered far from home, Rueben knows about it immediately. In fact, due to his psychic abilities, Rueben feels as if he had been there with her. When the police refuse to return Rachel's body to her family until the crime is solved, Rueben and his older brother Cole set off to solve the crime themselves. The more clues they uncover, the stranger the mystery gets. Kevin Brooks uses poetic language to tell his page-turning story. All of the loose ends seem to tie up a bit too quickly in the end, but the book is still well-worth the read.

SLJ recommends grades 9 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney

"A police car was behind her.
No way! she thought. It's a mirage.
She looked a second time. Definitely a police car.
Brit could hardly hold on to the wheel.
The diamond-and-emerald bracelet felt very stolen.
Aurelia felt very kidnapped.
The Safari felt very illegal."

While her parents go on vacation, sixteen-year-old Brit will be spending the next few weeks with at her grandmother's house...or so she thinks. As soon as Mom and Dad are out of sight, Nannie unveils her plan to kidnap one of her oldest and dearest friends from her nursing home and head up to their annual college reunion. Before she knows what's happened, Brit finds herself behind the wheel of a rental van, responsible for four elderly women, and on the run from the cops! On that road trip, Brit begins to understand the heartbreak of getting old and being forced to give up your independence. Fans of the prolific Caroline Cooney will not doubt love this book, too.

SLJ recommends grades 8 to 10.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier

"My head was filled with a hundred confusing thoughts. The legendary cellar had turned out to be an exceptionally well-lit wine cellar, crowded with endless bottles. Sacrificing animals down there would be pretty difficult. There'd barely been room to move. It didn't smell of blood. Nor of antiseptic for getting rid of the scent of blood. It smelled only of dust. "

Here's another Aussie YA author for you! Magic or Madness is the first book in Larbalestier's trilogy about Reason Cansino and her family secrets. Reason's mother brought her up to believe in logic and science and math. She also brought her up to believe that her grandmother is an evil, animal-sacrificing witch. When Reason's mother must be institutionalized for mental illness, Reason is sent to live with that grandmother, where she begins to uncover unbelievable secrets. Soon reason learns that solutions in life, only choices, and she must choose between magic and madness. Larbalestier has written a griping page-turner filled with strong voices and unexpected twists. Thoughtfully, she has also included a glossary of Australian slang so that we can keep up with her. This book is a great ride!

SLJ recommends grades 7 to 10.

Learn more at HCL, Barnes and Noble, and here.

First Part Last by Angela Johnson

"Fred and Mary sat real still, and for a while I thought what I just told them about Nia being pregnant had turned both of them to stone.
It had been a long time since either of them ever agreed on anything.
So I waited. I waited to hear how they'd been talking to me for years about this . How we all talked about respect and responsibility. How Fred and me had taken the ferry out to Staten Island and talked about sex, to and from the island. And didn't we go together and get me condoms? What the hell about those pamphlets Mary put beside my bed about STDs and teenage pregnancy?
How did this happen? Where was my head? Where was my sense? What the hell were we going to do?
And then, not moving and still quiet, my pops just starts to cry."

Three-time Coretta Scott King Award winning author, Angela Johnson is a master at packing a powerful wallop into just a few short pages. The First Part Last is the powerful story of a Bobby, a 16-year-old parent, told in alternating chapters--"then" and "now". "Now", of course, deals with bone-tired Bobby's foray into the first few weeks of parenthood. Not only is he a teen parent, but he is a single parent, too. It is unclear what became of the baby's mother, but she is definitely not in the picture. And Bobby's mother makes it quite clear that "in the dictionary next to "sitter", there is not a picture of Grandma." "Then" deals with the months leading up to fatherhood: their parents' disappointment, their plans to give the baby up for adoption, and their mad, deep, young love. Eventually past and present collide and we come to understand exactly what this baby means. I have already used more words than Johnson, and with only a fraction of her efficiency or emotion. Just read it.

SLJ recommends grades 8 & up.

Learn more at HCL, Barnes and Nobel, and here.

Wabi by Joseph Burchac

"'Young one, do you hearrr meeee?'
I turned my head to listen more closely to that voice. It was a voice I had never heard before. It was...strange. I might have said it was pleasant, but somehow it made me feel uneasy. Yet is was an attractive voice, a voice that made me curious. I knew immediately that I wanted to see the one who had that voice.
'Young one, come hhhhhheeeerrre," it trilled, "into the swaaaammmp. I have something forrrr you.'"

Wabi is an owl. Or is he a human? Joseph Bruchac spins a tale of an owl who becomes a man through the magic of the seven stones and through his own battles against monsters like Mamaskwa, the Toad Woman, and Mojid, the Greedy Eater. Bruchac combines a respect for the natural world, the elements of the heroic journey, and just a dash of love with the style of a Native American storyteller to produce a story that is in turn exciting and mystical. Wabi will appeal to fantasy fans, adventure readers, and nature lovers.

SLJ recommends grades 5 to 8.

Learn more at HCL, Barnes and Noble, and here.