In The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks , when Frankie finished her first year at a super-prestigious boarding school, she was mousy, flat-chested, and an excellent member of the Debate Team.  When she starts her sophomore year, she’s a bombshell.  Smart, gorgeous, and dating the senior she crushed on all last year. 

 Sounds great, right?  But then she finds out that her perfect boyfriend is part of an all-male secret society and that he’s been lying to her so he won’t have to tell her about it.  What’s more, it’s the same society her dad used to belong to. To top it all off, the secret society’s pranks are really, really dumb.  Frankie decides she can do way better.  She moves in, takes over, and discovers her unparalleled talent for organized crime. 

Frankie’s pranks are inspired, they’re brilliant, and they have a purpose, but what will happen when her boyfriend realizes that she’s the mastermind behind his secret society?  And what does her old boyfriend, from her mousy days, have to do with all of this?  Is Frankie in over her head, or is she just deep enough?

 E. Lockhart, author of The Boyfriend List, Dramarama, and How To Be Bad, has written a book that addresses parental expectations, teen relationships, sexism, and radical art, but you’ll hardly notice because you’ll be so caught up by this Printz Honor-winning story.

Ted O'Connor is 16 years old and recently orphaned when his parents died in a car accident.  He is now a foster child with a new home with fellow foster children and rather odd foster parents as well as beginning a new school.  He was a social outcast in his previous school with no friends and is well on his way to continuing as one until he is taken underwing by his two foster brothers.  Ted's unconnected, weird parents had a pet store where Ted helped out.  Out of isolation, Ted developed an uncanny ability to communicate with animals and there he finds solace.  Astin and C.W., his foster brothers, try to smooth Ted's way in the high school world and gradually Ted adapts to his foster home, brothers and the school.  This is a positive story of a young man finding his place in the world.  I liked all the characters in this book, even the really strange ones.  Strays is well-written and, even with the magical talking animals element, somehow rings true with me.  Lonely Ted learns how to connect and to believe in himself.

Quentin has been in love with Margo ever since they were little kids who played together.  Now they're one month away from graduating.  Margo is the queen of high school - beautiful, charismatic, and totally unattainable. 

Then Margo disappears, leaving clues meant just for Quentin.  The quest to find where she has gone turns into a quest to understand who, exactly, she is.  Quentin realizes that the Margo he imagined is different from the Margo he discovers through her clues who is different from the Margo his friends knew who may be different from the Margo he will find.

Like John Green's other two, award-winning, novels for teens, Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines , Paper Towns is a complicated story about real teenagers which explores how they - and how we all - understand each other.  It is funny and profound, action-packed and thoughtful.  Highly recommended.

"Twilight " by Stephenie  Meyer has invigorated the teen literature scene.  Following in it's wake is this fun collection of short stories,"Prom Nights From Hell ".  It is just the thing to feed a craving for the paranormal.    It will also introduce  you to other YA novelists who are well worth your time to read.

Containing the short stories: "The Exterminator's Daughter", "The Corsage", "Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper", "Kiss and Tell" and "Hell on Earth", it has a joyful selection of prom nightmares.

A  review of these stories, in retrospect, makes your own prom seem somewhat pleasant.  My favorite of the stories is the offering by Stephenie Meyer, '"Hell on Earth".

We can only hope that Meyer takes the time to weave characters: Gabe, Melissa, Celeste and Sheba into another much longer work of fiction.

(Poseidon Books 2008 - www.poseidonbooks.com/ )
Christopher J. Holcroft continues the adventure of Scott Morrow and his Venturer Scout Unit as the boys take a canyoning trip that will pit them against the raging elements and force them to make a life and death decision nobody wants.
The actions of the deft teenager will unite a nation behind him as time starts running out to save both he and his best mate.
Take the journey with Scott and his Venturers as they hone their abseil skills with Army Commandos and go on a trip of a lifetime down a canyon that will be etched into the national psyche forever.
Follow the intrepid Venturers as they are forced to face a daunting challenge that only their bravery and skills will help them overcome.
Join Scott as he is forced to rescue his best mate in a life and death struggle against the canyon in a gripping exploit to keep them both alive.
Once again, the Australian Defence Force joins the fight against time in a perilous race to save Scott and his fellow Venturer from certain death.
Canyon is a novel full of adventure and daring do as a teenage boy comes to grips with staring death in the face in a vain bid to save his best mate and himself.

Sixteen year old Miranda wants a date for the prom. She wants to ace her tests, and to figure out why her former best friends Megan and Samantha are acting so strange. What she gets is an asteroid collision with the moon and a disaster on earth. Miranda keeps a journal describing her family's adjustments as food, water, fuel and even sunlight become scarce in her small Pennsylvania town. Miranda's concern with grades and friends evolves day by day into a desire to survive, with her family, for another month, another week, another day. The sense of her world becoming small and claustrophic is clearly imagined, as the whole family moves into the one room  that still has heat, thanks to her brother Matt chopping wood every day. Miranda is a realistic teen, who fights with her mother and brothers, while knowing how much she loves them. She longs to experience normal life before everyone dies. The situation is dire, but Pfeffer keeps hope alive. The companion title is The Dead and the Gone, the story of Alex, who experiences the disaster in New York City.

This new teen novel by Sara Zarr is as appealing as her National Book Award finalist, Story of a Girl . Sweethearts is the story of two elementary age misfits, Jennifer and Cameron. They are best pals and stick up for each other when the bullies at school torment them. They also spend a lot of time together after school when Jennifer’s single-mother is unavailable because of long hours working. One day they share a scary experience involving Cameron’s father and then Cameron just disappears. The mean girls at school tell Jennifer that Cameron died. Her mother does nothing to refute that story so Jennifer slowly accepts that she has lost her only friend. She is determined to change herself so that she can fit in at school even if it means completely remaking herself. Fast forward eight years when Jennifer – now known as Jenna – has a completely different life with a lot of friends and new boyfriend and has adjusted just fine as long as no one finds out what she used to be like. Then Cameron walks back into her life, which forces both of them to reexamine who they were back then and who they are now. Zarr continues to establish herself as a teen author to watch.

Catherine Ryan Hyde's latest book, Chasing Windmills is a novel that appeals to teens and adults.  The story centers on two young New Yorkers who are both living in fear. Sebastian is 17 years old and lives with his controlling father who tries to keep him safe from the world by barely allowing him to leave their apartment except to go jogging. He has never seen a movie or even eaten a hot dog from a street vendor.  He has little memory of his mother who died when he was very young. Sebastian manages to leave the apartment at night while his father is deeply sleeping after popping a pill.  He meets 22 year old Maria on the subway and finds a soul mate. Maria has two young children by her abusive boyfriend, Carl.  She is riding the subway aimlessly so Carl will think she is at work though she had been recently laid off.  Sebastian and Maria gain courage through their friendship and, with the help of her sister and his only and unlikely friend, Delilah, break away from the abusive relationships.  They travel to the Mojave Desert with her toddler daughter to Sebastian's grandmother's home. Maria left her son behind with Carl, who is attached to the boy.  She soon realizes the depth of her mistake and returns with the help of two strong women to take custody of her son. The hundreds of "windmills" on Tehachapi Pass are the comforting early childhood memories of Sebastian's visit to his grandmother with his lone gone mother. They become a symbol of the joy life can hold. The two break free of their trapped lives and manage to find genuine love and friendship between themselves and the others who help them on their journey of discovery.  The novel references the parallel stories of “Romeo and Juliet” and “West Side Story” as the two star-crossed lovers move toward “somewhere” better.  The author's simple prose and believable, interesting characters form a novel that rings true.

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