F MOR	The Year of Secret Assignments (age 12+) by Jaclyn Moriarty realistic ... friendship ... humor ... school ... letters/journal Publisher comments: The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program is designed to bring together the two rival schools in a spirit of harmony and "the Joy of the Envelope." But when Cassie, Lydia, and Emily send their first letters to Matthew, Charlie, and Sebastian, things don't go quite as planned. What starts out as a simple letter exchange soon leads to secret missions, false alarms, lock picking, mistaken identities, and an all-out war between the schools--not to mention some really excellent kissing.
F LIM	Girl, 15, Charming But Insane (age 12+) by Sue Limb humor ... realistic ... growing up ... friendship Publisher comments: sequel: Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture sequel: Girl, Going on 17, Pants on Fire sequel: Girl, Barely 15, Flirting for England
F KAN	Confessions of a Not It Girl (age 12+) by Melissa Kantor realistic ... friendship ... school ... growing up ... humor Publisher comments: Catalog: High schooler Jan Miller, hoping for a senior year romance, just cannot seem to do anything right, especially when compared to her best friend Rebecca who has just been named a New York "It Girl," but things start looking up when an old crush moves back to town.
F JUB	Miss Smithers (age 12+) by Susan Juby realistic ... letters/journal ... humor ... enterprise ... friendship ... growing up Publisher comments: In Spite of the premature publication of my 'zine and resulting renewed social ostracism, things are happening for me! I've been stood up by the coolest girl in school, I have a Jesus bracelet, I ate dinner at a steak restaurant and lived to tell, I may be a virgin until I marry, I'm a Miss Smithers candidate, and I HAVE LEATHER PANTS! Susan Juby's delightful second novel is about finding the perfect outfit and finding oneself, about winning a pageant and winning at love.
F JUB	Alice, I Think (age 12+) by Susan Juby realistic ... school ... letters/journal ... humor ... friendship ... growing up Publisher comments: "I grew up in one of those loving families that fails to prepare a person for real life..." A few weeks into first grade Alice's parents took her out of school and have taught her at home ever since. Now she's about to enter high school, with the stated goal of boosting the self-esteem of her counselor, Death Lord Bob. Bob is happy now. But what about Alice? Will she be able to interact with people her own age who are not home-based learners? Will she be able to survive some sort of boy-girl interaction? Or is this best left until after high school? Until middle age? What about a unique and innovative career path? A new look? (This must, like career choice, reflect uniqueness.) Alice, I Thinkis the story of a teenager attempting to survive her parents, her hometown, and her reentry into society. Told through keenly observant, satirical journal entries, Susan Juby's first novel is wise, witty, and utterly original.
F JON	Am I Right Or Am I Right? (age 12+) by Barry Jonsberg school ... realistic ... family ... humor ... growing up Publisher comments: Calma Harrison is in love. Not just with herself, but also with the handsome checkout guy at Crazi-Cheep. So stocking shelves at the Crazi-Cheep seems like the perfect job, until that annoying customer tries to hold up the store. And then there's the small matter of the rest of Calma's life, which is fast falling apart: her absent father turns up after five years and wants to "talk," her mother is clearly living a secret second life, and her new best friend is hiding something horrible. Calma is sure she knows exactly what's going on. And clearly her direct, personal intervention is required to make things right. Except, if she's wrong. And then her butting in will make everything much, much worse. Am I Right or Am I Right? is a whip-smart, wise-cracking, big-hearted novel about a girl who is learning that things are not always what they seem, and how to start again when you've gotten it all so very wrong.
F JOH	The Key to the Golden Firebird: A Novel (age 12+) by Maureen Johnson realistic ... humor ... growing up ... family ... illness/loss Publisher comments: The funny thing about stop signs is that they're also start signs. Mayzie is the brainy middle sister, Brooks is the beautiful but conflicted oldest, and Palmer's the quirky baby of the family. In spite of their differences, the Gold sisters have always been close. When their father dies, everything begins to fall apart. Level–headed May is left to fend for herself (and somehow learn to drive), while her two sisters struggle with their own demons. But the girls learn that while there are a lot of rules for the road, there are no rules when it comes to the heart. Together, they discover the key to moving on, and it's the key to their father's Pontiac Firebird. This critically acclaimed, totally compelling book is perfect for readers looking for both a fun ride and a life–changing journey from one of today's best new YA writers. And it fits perfectly in the glove compartment.
F TAY	The Bomb (age 12+) by Theodore Taylor historical ... realistic ... nature ... war Publisher comments: Shortly after the first atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, World War II came to and, and the terrible reality of the atomic age began. Sixteen-year-old Sorry Rinamu has lived on the Bikini Atoll in the western Pacific all his life. Now the United States government wants to use his home as a site for atomic weapons tests. The islanders are told that they must leave weapon tests. The islanders are told that they must leave the island in the interest of world peace but can return when the island in the interest of world peace but can return when the land is safe again. Sorry doesn't believe the story. He is sure that radioactive fallout will poison the warm blue waters and beautiful white sand beaches, and Bikini Atoll will be lost to its people forever. Sorry knows that he has no choice but stop this disaster before it starts — even if it means standing alone against the U.S. military, and risking his own life to save his ancestral land.
F HOL	Asphalt Angels (age 12+) by Ineke Holtwijk realistic ... adventure ... survival ... growing up Publisher comments: Thirteen-year-old Alex is the main character in Asphalt Angels, an unsparing look at a band of street kids trying to survive in Rio de Janeiro without family, money, or resources. Theirs is a life of deprivation and despair, lightened by luck and tenacity and the bonds these desperate children must form with one another. Alex is thrown into the streets by his stepfather when his mother dies. Hazards abound: drug-dealing, theft, glue-sniffing, harassment, brutality, even murder. It's not easy steering clear of them, yet Alex manages to survive, eventually making a home with 14 other boys in a house, working in an office, and attending night school. Asphalt Angels grew from the real-life drama the author observed while on assignment. In an afterword, she reports that 10,000 children sleep in Rio's streets, and more than that number roam them by day, victims of inadequate nutrition, education, and shelter, and prey to drugs and violence. Alex is based on a real boy; his name was changed for this story.
F DES	Someone Like You (age 12+) by Sarah Dessen friendship ... growing up ... realistic Publisher comments: Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Though their friendship may be tested by the strain, like a true friendship, it will endure.
F MAR	Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever Series (age 12+) by Ann M. Martin realistic ... friendship ... school Members of the Baby-Sitters Club rely on each other as they move into high school. They truly are friends forever. title: Graduation Day title: Mary Anne's Big Break-up title: Claudia and the Disaster Date title: Stacey and the Boyfriend Trap title: Stacey's Problem title: Welcome Home Mary Anne title: Kristy and the Kidnapper
F ELL	The Year of My Indian Prince (age 12+) by Ella Thorp Ellis realistic ... illness/loss ... historical Publisher comments: It's the summer of 1945, and April is delighted that the war is finally over and her beloved father is home again. But she has a nagging cough and a fever, and she just can't seem to get better. When she's diagnosed with tuberculosis she's in shock; all she knows about TB is that characters in novels die of it. Soon her world has changed from school and swim meets to long days of complete bed rest in a TB hospital. There she meets her roommate, the beautiful and desperately ill Nancie. There she also meets Ravi, the handsome Indian prince who begins courting her under the guise of a "literary friendship." They share some wonderful times, but April is slowly getting sicker. There is one way out, but it is radical surgery that will leave her scarred, if she lives through it. What should she do?
F DES	The Truth About Forever (age 12+) by Sarah Dessen realistic ... growing up ... illness/loss Publisher comments: Marcy is looking forward to a boring summer: She has a dull job at the library, will log many hours studying for the SATs, and will grieve silently over her father's death. Everything changes when she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew and starts really living life.
F DES	Born Confused (age 12+) by Tannuja Desai-Hidier realistic ... growing up ... identity ... humor Publisher comments: Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. Her parents are from India, and she's spent her whole life resisting their traditions. Then suddenly she gets to high school and everything Indian is trendy. To make matters worse, her parents arrange for her to meet a "suitable boy." Of course it doesn't go well, until Dimple goes to a club and finds him spinning a magical web. Suddenly the suitable boy is suitable because of his sheer unsuitability. Complications ensue. This is a funny, thoughtful story about finding your heart, finding your culture, and finding your place in America.
F DES	That Summer (age 12+) by Sarah Dessen growing up ... realistic ... humor Publisher comments: For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister, the always perfect Ashley, is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.
F DES	This Lullaby: A Novel (age 12+) by Sarah Dessen growing up ... realistic ... humor Publisher comments: When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about? From acclaimed author Sarah Dessen, this is a captivating novel about a tough-as-nails girl and the unexpectedly charming boy who's determined to soften her up.
F CRE	Children of the River (age 12+) by Linda Crew realistic ... growing up ... family ... identity ... survival Publisher comments: Sundara fled Cambodia with her aunt's family to escape the Khmer Rouge army when she was thirteen, leaving behind her parents, her brother and sister, and the boy she had loved since she was a child. Now, four years later, she struggles to fit in at her Oregon high school and to be "a good Cambodian girl" at home. A good Cambodian girl never dates; she waits for her family to arrange her marriage to a Cambodian boy. Yet Sundara and Jonathan, an extraordinary American boy, are powerfully drawn to each other. Haunted by grief for her lost family and for the life left behind, Sundara longs to be with him. At the same time she wonders, Are her hopes for happiness and new life in America disloyal to her past and her people?
F CHO	If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period (age 12+) by Gennifer Choldenko realistic ... humor ... friendship ... school Publisher comments: Kirsten's parents are barely speaking to each other, and her best friend has fallen under the spell of the school's queen bee, Brianna. It seems like only Kirsten's younger science-geek sister is on her side. Walker's goal is to survive at the new white private school his mom has sent him to because she thinks he's going to screw up like his cousin. But he's a good kid. So is his friend Matteo, though no one knows why he'll do absolutely anything that hot blond Brianna asks of him. But all of this feels almost trivial when Kirsten and Walker discover a secret that shakes them both to the core. Fast paced, marvelously funny, and brutally honest, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period touches on universal truths about human nature.
F MYE	Sunrise Over Fallujah (age 12+) by Walter Dean Myers realistic ... adventure ... action ... survival ... war Publisher comments: Operation Iraqi Freedom, that's the code name. But the young men and women in the military's Civil Affairs Battalion have a simpler name for it: war. In this novel, Walter Dean Myers looks at a contemporary war with the same power and searing insight he brought to the Vietnam war of his classic, Fallen Angels. He creates memorable characters like the book's narrator, Birdy, a young recruit from Harlem who's questioning why he even enlisted; Marla, a blond, tough-talking, wisecracking gunner; Jonesy, a guitar-playing bluesman who just wants to make it back to Georgia and open a club; and a whole unit of other young men and women and drops them incountry in Iraq, where they are supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The young civil affairs soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and their good intentions being replaced by terms like "survival" and "despair." Caught in the crossfire, Myers' richly rendered characters are just beginning to understand the meaning of war in this powerful, realistic novel of our times.
F PET	The Rule of Won (age 12+) by Stefan Petrucha realistic ... action ... adventure ... friendship ... school Publisher comments: The secret of The Rule of Won is simple, yet its power has been suppressed for generations. The universe is one of infinite abundance. Ask, and you shall receive. Umm, yeah right. Meet Caleb Dunne, slacker extraordinaire. Caleb prefers to glide through life with the minimal amount of effort, so he isnt too jazzed when his overachieving girlfriend, Vicky, convinces him to join a new school club based on a controversial book, The Rule of Won. Slackers dont join school clubs, do they? As The Rule gains popularity, though, the club members start to gain power within the school. From dark posts on the clubs online message board to all-out threats in the hallways, it becomes apparent that the group is getting out of control. For slacker Caleb, though, the only thing worse than doing something is not doing something. Darkly funny and exceptionally thought-provoking, The Rule of Won, inspired by the ideas behind books like the runaway hit The Secret, shines a light on the dangers of group thinking and the inner desires that can sometimes get the best of us all.
F SCH	Black Box: A Novel (age 12+) by Julie Schumacher realistic ... illness/loss ... family Publisher comments: When Dora, Elena’s older sister, is diagnosed with depression and has to be admitted to the hospital, Elena can’t seem to make sense of their lives anymore. At school, the only people who acknowledge Elena are Dora’s friends and Jimmy Zenk, who failed at least one grade and wears black every day of the week. And at home, Elena’s parents keep arguing with each other. Elena will do anything to help her sister get better and get their lives back to normal, even when the responsibility becomes too much to bear.
F VAI	Lucky (age 12+) by Rachel Vail realistic ... humor ... friendship Publisher comments: It's all good, and lucky Phoebe Avery plans to celebrate by throwing an end-of-the-year bash with her four closest friends. Everything will be perfect, from the guest list to the fashion photographer to the engraved invitations. The only thing left to do is find the perfect dress, until Phoebe goes from having it all to hiding all she's lost. Phoebe's older sisters warn her to keep the family's crisis totally secret. Unfortunately, her alpha-girl best friend looks increasingly suspicious, and Phoebe's crush starts sending seriously mixed signals. Phoebe tries hard to keep smiling, but when her mother is humiliated in Neiman Marcus while buying Phoebe that perfect dress and her father decides to cancel her party, she panics. How far will she go to keep up her image as a lucky girl? sequel: Gorgeous
F HIL	Do Not Pass Go (age 12+) by Kirkpatrick Hill realistic ... illness/loss ... family Deet's world turns upside down when his father is arrested for drug use. It doesn't seem possible that kind, caring Dad could be a criminal! After all, he only took the pills to stay awake so he could work two jobs. Now what will happen? How will Deet be able to face his classmates? Where will they get money? And most importantly, will Dad be okay in prison? Hurt, angry, and ashamed, Deet doesn't want to visit his father in jail. But when Mom goes back to work, Deet starts visiting Dad after school. It's frightening at first, but as he adjusts to the routine, Deet begins to see the prisoners as people with stories of their own, just like his dad. Deet soon realizes that prison isn't the terrifying place of movies and nightmares. In fact, Dad's imprisonment leads Deet to make a few surprising discoveries: about his father, his friends, and himself.

Sat Aug 25 11:55:25 2012 Other themes and genres