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.

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.

Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb

"Whizzer, however, pounced. He put his arm round her and stuck his tongue down her throat. Jess was disgusted. He tasted of cigarettes. And Ben might be watching from somewhere nearby. She struggled slightly. It was hard to make a polite excuse while a guy's tongue was down your throat. Jane Austen's heroines didn't have to put up with this kind of thing."

It's a story as old as time...or at least as old as Pride and Prejudice. Girl meets boy. Girl obsesses about boy. Girl makes complete silly git out of self in front of said boy. Girl never notices the whole time that the right boy has been waiting patiently the whole time. And so it is with Jess. She's 15, fixated, and funneeeeee! In addition to the boy problems, Jess' Grandmother has moved into her bedroom, her mum's gone mad, and then there was the minestrone soup incident. Jess is the Bridget Jones of her generation.

When you finish with this book, go on to read Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture and Girl Going on 17, Pants on Fire.

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

SLJ recommeds grade 7 to 10.

Startled by his Furry Shorts by Louise Rennison

"But then she realized I was really upset and she came over and put her arms around me. That made me blub like billio. I told her everything. I said, 'He, I (gulp snort), when he came he said...then I...to the woods, snooged but I didn't fall of the log, then he said no and I went to visit my forest friends, which I don't have.' "

Another exciting installment from the diaries of Georgia Nicholson, consumer of lippy, wearer of strange hats, chaser of Stiff Dylans, keeper of mad highland cats, and all-around offbeat British teen. Laugh at her wild dancing! Cry for her heartbreak! And thrill to her troubles at Stalag-14! Really...she's bright, she's funny, and she's high maintenance. If you haven't met her already, start with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging and work your way towards Startled by His Furry Shorts.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 7-9.