- Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
- Publication date: 3/25/2014
- Pages: 320
- Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Synopsis:
Summer has begun, the beach beckons . . .
. . . but Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca was the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on—most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be Simon’s reincarnation. Their surprising friendship leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to go—and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.
Reviews:
“The characters of the story are all very well drawn, the dialogue realistic, and the story itself well written, with much for teens to think and talk about.” —VOYA
“The Summer of Letting Go is haunting, heart-lifting, and impossible to put down . . . Francesca Schnell is one of the most authentic young adult characters I've read in a long time.” —A. S. King, author of Reality Boy, Ask the Passengers and Please Ignore Vera Dietz
About the author:
GAE POLISNER is the award-winning author of The Pull of Gravity. She is a family law mediator by trade but a writer by calling. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two sons. When she’s not writing, she can be found in a pool or, in warmer weather, in her wet suit in the open waters of Long Island Sound. The Summer of Letting Go is her second novel for teen readers.
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- Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
- Publication date: 3/25/2014
- Pages: 272
- Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Synopsis:
This novel kickstarted a national conversation on weight, beauty, and transformation. In it, we meet Ever, a fifteen-year-old girl who weighs over 300 pounds and is haunted by a voice in her head she calls "Skinny." Skinny tells Ever she is ugly. Fat. Unlovable. And Ever believes her. When Ever makes the controversial choice to have gastric bypass surgery, she does start losing weight and gains the interest of boys...but Skinny is still there, louder than before. Ever will need to confront that voice before she can truly find, and accept, her own.
Reviews:
"Will appeal to girls who struggle with doubts and fears, whether dealing with weight issues, loneliness, or lack of popularity." — School Library Journal
"Debut novelist Cooner's real-life experience with gastric bypass lends the story an irrefutable authenticity…a crucial text." — Booklist
"Resounding . . . with wit, compassion, and courage, SKINNY will speak to everyone who has ever felt invisible or unlovable." — Kathi Appelt, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author and winner of the Newbery Honor
About the author:
Donna Cooner lives with her goat dog, Roxanne, in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she also works as a professor of education. A former gastric bypass patient, Donna was inspired to share some of her experiences with readers. SKINNY is her debut novel. You can visit her online at www.donnacooner.com.
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- Publisher: Square Fish
- Publication date: 3/25/2014
- Pages: 176
- Age range: 12 - 18 Years
Synopsis:
Quebrado has been traded from pirate ship to ship in the Caribbean Sea for as long as he can remember. The sailors he toils under call him el quebrado—half islander, half outsider, a broken one. Now the pirate captain Bernardino de Talavera uses Quebrado as a translator to help navigate the worlds and words between his mother’s Taíno Indian language and his father’s Spanish.
But when a hurricane sinks the ship and most of its crew, it is Quebrado who escapes to safety. He learns how to live on land again, among people who treat him well. And it is he who must decide the fate of his former captors.
Reviews:
"The subject matter is an excellent introduction to the age of exploration and its consequences, showing slavery sinking its insidious roots in the Americas and the price paid by those who were there first." —Publishers Weekly
"Taken individually the stories are slight, but they work together elegantly; the notes and back matter make this a great choice for classroom use." —Kirkus Reviews
About the author:
Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She is the author of young adult nonfiction books and novels in verse, including The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor Book; The Poet Slave of Cuba; The Firefly Letters; and Tropical Secrets. She lives in northern California.
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- Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated
- Publication date: 3/25/2014
- Pages: 288
- Age range: 14 years
Synopsis:
17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light Sophie, Declan, Anat, and the rest must decide what to do with a second chance at life—if they can survive to claim it.
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light Sophie, Declan, Anat, and the rest must decide what to do with a second chance at life—if they can survive to claim it.
Reviews:
“Gagnon blends the dystopian phenomenon with a creepiness that fans of The Walking Dead can appreciate. And while Gagnon presents the story simply, it is anything but easy to explain, with the tragedy of an incident akin to Isla Bick’s Ashes... With gore, sympathetic and equally unsympathetic characters, and tension, teens will unequivocally devour this dystopian tale, which is certainly worth adding to the shelf.”
—VOYA
—VOYA
“Three very different teens on the edge of death get firsthand experience of the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics... Finding out what happened takes a back seat to survival... but readers won’t mind. Interesting characters, some of whom have dangerous secrets, act and react like real teens. The slow reveal of what’s going on is as tantalizing as the action is pulse-pounding... A fun ride.”
—Kirkus Reviews
—Kirkus Reviews
About the author:
Michelle Gagnon is a veteran thriller writer and International Mystery Book Association bestseller, whose novels have been published in numerous countries and include The Tunnels,Boneyard, The Gatekeeper, and Kidnap & Ransom. Her first YA trilogy, Don't Turn Around, debuted in 2012.
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- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date: 3/25/2014
- Pages: 288
- Age range: 14 years
Synopsis:
Period 8. An hour a day. You can hang out. You can eat your lunch. You can talk. Or listen. Or neither. Or both. Nothing is off-limits. The only rule is that you keep it real; that you tell the truth.
Heller High senior Paul Baum—aka Paulie Bomb—tells the truth. Not the "Wow, that's an ugly sweater" variety of truth, but the other kind. The truth that matters. It might be hard. It often hurts. But Paulie doesn't know how not to tell it. When he tells his girlfriend Hannah the life-altering, messed-up, awful truth, his life falls apart. The truth can get complicated, fast.
Reviews:
Laurie Halse Anderson
“Period 8 is the best of Crutcher: warmth, humor, and spot-on teen reality, but coupled with terrifying intensity and a shocking ending.”About the author:
Chris Crutcher has written nine critically acclaimed novels, an autobiography, and two collections of short stories. Drawing on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist, Crutcher writes honestly about real issues facing teenagers today: making it through school, competing in sports, handling rejection and failure, and dealing with parents. He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work: the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award. Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington.
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As for me, next week is not going to be the winner array of YA books. How did you like them? Will you read some of them, though?
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