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.

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.