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.

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

" It's just a small story really, about, among other things:
* A girl
* Some words
* An accordionist
* Some fanatical Germans
* A Jewish fist fighter
* And quite a lot of thievery

I saw the book thief three times."

This epic-length novel takes place during World War II in Germany, so you know it will be an emotionally wrenching read. Zusak, ever the creative storyteller, however does not set his story in a concentration camp or on the battlefield. Instead, his story takes place in a small working-class German town and follows the lives of the residents of Himmel Street as they react and respond to the events of the time. Moreover, this story is narrated by an unusual and formidable narrator, Death. The characters in this story share a passion for language and words from the Mayor's wife in her library to the main character Liesel the Book Thief to the Jewish refugee hiding in her basement. All of these characters come to understand that words can inflict pain as well as provide salvation. Zusak's text is embroidered with poetic, evocative language. This, combined with the subject matter, makes for an important novel. Although this book is being marketed to teenagers, there is plenty for an adult audience to appreciate as well.

SLJ recommends grades 9 and up.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Freedom Walkers: the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman

"...one day a half century ago, the black citizens in Montgomery rose up in protest and united to demand their rights--by walking peacefully. It all started on a bus."

Award-winning non-fiction author, Russell Freedman delivers yet another vibrant look back. Freedman is known for his very accessible history books written for young people. His use of simple but effective language, gratuitous primary source excerpts and images, and habit of telling the truth through the eyes of the people who lived through an event are the perfect tools for bringing history alive. Freedom Walkers is no exception. Freedman uses the personal stories of Civil Rights giants like Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as not-so-famous figures like Claudette Colvin and Jo Ann Robinson to relate the events of the 13-month bus boycott that changed America. The images he chooses and the style he uses will entice even the most reluctant readers.

SLJ recommends grades 4 to 6.

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

What are You Afraid of? Stories about phobias editted by Donald R. Gallo

"Phoebe knelt and held out her hand. But instead of going up to her, the creature padded toward me. As I stood there, trying to decide what to do, he put both his front paws on my leg, stretched, and extended he claws. He stared at me with the cold eyes of a serial killer."

Are you afraid of small spaces (claustrophobia)? How about large spaces (agoraphobia)? Knives (aichmophobia)? Cats (elurophobia)? String (linonophobia)? Everything (panophobia)?!? Everyone is afraid of something! And in 10 short stories written by 10 different authors you can read about some of them. Reading about Will's fear of clowns, will certainly make you feel better about the little terrors that plague your own life! And reading a collection of short stories is always a great way to discover new authors.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 6 to 9.

Beating Heart by A. M. Jenkins

"I never felt the knots
till they
unraveled

never saw the ties
till they
dropped loose

never knew that I was
clinging to debris
in someone else's wake."

In the wake of her divorce, Mom quits her job to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and moves 17-year-old Evan and his little sister Libby into her dream house. The house is old, dilapidated, and long empty. Some pricey renovation begins to return the house to a livable state, but it's original occupant is still attached to the past. Soon the lives and feelings of Evan and a long-dead Victorian ghost become intertwined. This sensual novella is written both in poetry prose.

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

SLJ recommends grades 9 & up.

Losing Gemma by Katy Gardner

"Isn't it incredible how those tiny apparently minute, spilt-second decisions can change the course of a life? If we had gone with one of the tours, or asked the backpackers how best to get into the city center, or even done the unthinkable and visited the Tourist Information Office, everything might have been different."

Girlhood friends Esther and Gemma are off on a once in a lifetime adventure--backpacking in India. Esther is confident, beautiful, and accomplished, while Gemma is a cautious homebody. Before long, Esther's dream of capriciously wandering around the exotic countryside becomes a tedious chore as she coddles timid Gemma and hides a guilty secret. Eventually Esther is forced to return home, alone. What happened to dear Gemma? And what is Esther supposed to do now? This tale of a friendship past its prime is a riveting page-turner.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Being Dead by Vivian Vande Velde

"My brother, Kevin, may or may not have come back from the dead for any one of several contradictory reasons, depending on which one of my relatives you assume is most reasonable. Personally, I wouldn't consider any of us particularly reliable."

Being Dead is a collection of nine short stories dealing with, well, being dead. All nine are ghost tales...several of them chilling, several sad, several are told from an unique point of view. Brenda's getting phone calls from a disconnected phone line. Emily's having an unearthly romance. And Marjorie won't stop dancing. Fans of spooky tales will love, love, LOVE this collection!

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

SLJ recommends grades 7 & up.

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.

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

"At 7:46, Marv gets out of the car and stands there. "Good luck" I say. God, I can hear his heart from inside the cab. It's a wonder it isn't bludgeoning the poor guy to death. He stands there. Three minutes. He crosses the road. Two attempts. The yard is different. First go--a surprise."

Ed Kennedy is the epitome of average--a classic example of a slacker--until the day of the bank robbery. After becoming an unwitting hometown hero that day, Ed begins receiving cryptic "messages" that he must deliver. Although the messages are all meant for other people, each one has an effect on our hero. Set in Australia, I am the Messenger is a story about change told with humor and truth.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 9 & up.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

"My mother once explained to me why she married my father. 'Of all the Ph.D. students at the university, he had the thickest glasses,' she said."

Ah, poor Jin Wang! As the American born son of Chinese parents, life in the thick of a suburban middle school is not always easy. He wants cooler friends. He wants the attention of a pretty girl. And he wants to be accepted. But, then again, who doesn't? Jin Lan's story overlaps and intertwines with a tradational Monkey King tale and with the story of hopelessly over-stereotyped cousin Chin
Kee. This graphic novel is an uncomfortably amusing reflection of adolesence AND a cautionary tale for those that would hide from their true selves.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 7 & up.

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.

Midnighters Volume 3: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld

"Then it struck, washing through the gymnasium, sweeping away the puny energies of the pep rally, obliterating the surrounding mind noise of Bixby.... She opened her eyes and saw what had happened. The blue light, the frozen bodies, a leaping cheerleader hovering suspended in the air. The whole world struck by...silence."

Set in Bixby, Oklahoma, a small band of teenagers can experience an extra hour in each day. At exactly midnight time stops for the "daylighters". But for the "midnighters" each night offers a romp in a frozen world of blue light. However, the midnighters aren't alone in the blue time. Each night in the hour between 12:00 and 12:01 they are stalked by darklings--shape shifting carnivores who are as old as time. And if that weren't enough, by day our heroes must brave high school! One part sci-fi, one part horror, and one part teenage drama, this series will appeal to Buffy fans...and, undoubtedly, to fans of Westerfeld's other novels.

Blue Moon is the third installment in Westerfeld's Midnighter's series. Begin with the Secret Hour and move on to Touching Darkness if you want to read them in order.

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

SLJ recommends grades 6 and up.

The End by Lemony Snicket

"'The end' is a phrase which refers to the completion of a story, or the final moment of some accomplishment, such as a secret errand, or a great deal of research, and indeed this thirteenth volume marks the completion of my investigation into the Beaudelaire case, which required much research, a great many secret errands, and the accomplishments of a number of my comrades, from a trolley driver to a botanical hybridization expert, with many, many typewriter repairmen in between. But it cannot be said that The End contains the end of the Baudelaires' story, any more than The Bad Beginning contained its beginning."

This is the final, miserable installment in the saga of the unfortunate Baudelaire orphans. Fans, like me, are anxious to find out what becomes of our fearless heroes...and you won't be disappointed. This is a fitting end to a series of bizzare and unfortunated events.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 5-7.

The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket

"The waiter agreed to bring this card with your drink. If you don't want to meet me, rip it in half when you are done with your root beer float, and I will leave and never try to contact you again."

Wait!!! Before you begin The End, peruse the Beatrice Letters. A series of actual correspondence between Mr. Snicket and the elusive Beatrice, this book contains important insights into the case of the Beaudelaire orphans. Not only is the information in the file critically important, but it is also presented in its original format: small calling cards, wrinkled notes, typewritten letters. (You kids do still know what a typewriter is, don't you?)

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

SLJ recommends grades 5 to 7.

Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

"The moolight through the window illuminated the rose-colored chair by the writing table, the brandy cupboard, the cushions, the clock. It shone as well on the grand piano, and, taking another step so as to get a closer look, I saw the hand, the severed hand, fingering the keys."

After having been orphaned by her mentally unstable mother, Judith travels from Ohio to South Carolina to move in with an Uncle. Her Uncle's hospitality comes with only one clause, Judith must not bring any green items with her. Forced to break that rule, Judith begins to hear scratching, to uncover horrible sights, and to encounter her cousin Charles' leers. Is Jade Green really haunting Judith, or is Judith slipping into madness just like her mother?

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor spins a tightly crafted, page-turning, supernatural tale. This period tale combines romance, mystery, and chills while it explores the nature of horror. Discover which is scarier, a disembodied hand or Cousin Charles!

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and the author's web site.

(SLJ recommends grades 5 through 8)