American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
This award-winning graphic novel intertwines the stories of the legendary Monkey King, Chinese American, Jin Wang, and seemingly Caucasian high school student, Danny. The story grapples with issues of identity, stereotypes, friendship, and ultimately acceptance as the three characters’ lives collide.

Anahita’s Woven Riddle by Meghan Nuttall Sayres.
A richly textured novel about a young girl’s quest for the perfect husband in early 20th century Iran. Headstrong, talented Anahita is terrified of marriage to someone who will not understand her riddles, her carpets, or her desire to learn, so she convinces her father to allow her to hold a contest: She will marry the man who guesses the riddle woven into her wedding carpet.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham.
Sixteen-year-old Tessa has months to live. She compiles a “Before I Die” list, but the list changes dramatically as she reaches the end of her life.

Billy by Albert French.
This is a gut-wrenching story about 10-year old Billy Lee Turner. In 1937 he is convicted of killing a white girl in segregated Banes County, Mississippi. Read about the impact of race and the justice system on a little black boy in this southern community.

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser.
Lake Harmony is a camp for “troubled” teens. In reality it is a prison camp for teens that are too much trouble for their parents to handle. Garrett is sent to the camp where harsh, sometimes cruel treatment is given to those who refuse to go by what others see as the rules.

Defect by Will Weaver.
Fifteen-year-old David has a secret. He can fly. Is he blessed or cursed? After getting in one too many fights, he is sent to an alternative school. There he meets Cheetah, a girl who helps him understand his “defect” and deal with the consequences.

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah.
To wear the hijab or to not wear the hijab, that is the question. When Amal decides to become a full-timer and wear the hijab to her snobby, private school, she knows it will be tough. Is she tough enough to get through it?

Echo by Kate Morgenroth.
In the year after his younger brother dies in a terrible accident, Justin’s life has fallen apart. He hears a voice in his head that makes him relive the accident over and over. Tension builds as the reader is taken through Justin’s recovery process.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande.
Is it possible to believe in God and the theory of evolution at the same time? Mena Reece thinks so, but no one else she knows does—and now it seems the whole world is mad at her! She’s lost her friends, even her parents won’t talk to her, and as for that cute guy? Forget it. How high a price would you pay for the right to think for yourself?

Extras by Scott Westerfeld.
This installment in the Uglies series takes place years after the close of the previous book, Specials. The world is in cultural upheaval, with importance currently defined by a person’s level of fame. Our new heroine, Aya Fuse, stumbles onto information that propels her from total obscurity to celebrity – yet it’s not all she thought it would be.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker.
Mick Johnson is growing up in the shadow of his father’s failed NFL career and is determined not to make the same mistakes. When he’s tackled just short of the goal in a pivotal game, he decides that vitamin supplements aren’t enough and begins purchasing “gym candy.”

Lizard People by Charlie Price.
Caring for his mentally ill mother is taking its toll on 17-year-old Ben Manders. So it’s a relief when he meets Marco, a guy his age who is also struggling with the care of an unstable parent. He’s a good friend, but he’s starting to freak Ben out. Marco’s had some strange experience with time travel, and they seem to confirm the wildest delusions of Ben’s mother!

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos.
In the tradition of Poe, Gantos tells a story of a girl named Ivy and her shocking discovery that her father is one of the strange “Twins.” If you cut your teeth on Rotten Ralph, and were raised on Joey Pigza, you will be drawn to Love Curse. There’s something about the twisted mind of Gantos that makes for unforgettable imagery and good stories.

Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson.
The second Book in the Series of Three. The “Flock,” a group of human-avian hybrids, is on the run from the scientists who created them. In this book the Flock returns to school and discovers that the school is actually run by the “Whitecoats” who had experimented upon them. They must devise a plan to escape or face a return to the lab from which they once came.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin.
A girl hits her head and forgets everything she has done since sixth grade. Her life is turned upside down when the things she wants now are nothing like what she wanted before. A great story about how a persons experiences shape their choices.

The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer.
Spellbinding story of five sisters being watched by a lonely, nameless man who observes the girls with a growing obsession.

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List: a Novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
Naomi didn’t think she needed to put her boyfriend on the No Kiss List, but Ely’s confession sparks a feud that was a long time coming. A hip and varied cast shows relationships from numerous angles in this second collaboration by Cohn and Levithan.

November Blues by Sharon M. Draper.
In The Battle of Jericho, Josh died as the result of a hazing ritual. Now, his girlfriend November and his cousin Jericho are left to deal with his sudden death. For November, it also means dealing with the consequences of having had sex with Josh the night before he died and finding out that she is pregnant.

99 ways to Cut, Sew & Deck Out Your Denim
by Faith Blakeney, Justina Blakeney & Ellen Schultz.
Check out some hip styles that are sure to liven up those old pairs of jeans; and you’ll become a “denim doctor” in no time with this easy-to-follow guide with illustrated photos.

The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher.
Artistic Alice and her friend Julian “Jewel” shun everything that is typically teenage. Then the football player Alice has a crush on takes notice of her and Jewel sees Alice as more than just a friend.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.
After Jane survives a bomb attack in Metro City, her parents decide it’s time to move out to the suburbs. Now Jane just has to figure out how to survive the boredom.

Saints of Augustine by P.E. Ryan.
This story alternates chapters between former best friends, Sam and Charlie. As each of their lives begins to crumble, they discover they need each other to get through.

Sara’s Face by Melvin Burgess.
What if a certain pop star, who pretty much ruined his face with too much plastic surgery, decided he wanted to undo the damage by getting a face transplant? What if it wasn’t just any old face he wanted? What if it was yours?

The Spoken Word ReVolution Redux edited by Mark Eleveld.
If the spoken word is your thing, this book is for you. It even comes with a CD so that the poetry can rise off the page and slide into your ear hole, striking a chord against your eardrum, and resonating with your poetic soul.

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett.
Anwell, a boy who was responsible for his older brother’s death, changes his name and meets a wild friend named Finnegan. Together the boys discover each other’s secrets while discovering major ones about themselves.

Sweethearts: a Novel by Sara Zarr.
As children, Jennifer and Cameron were each other’s only friend. When Cameron disappears without warning, Jenna thinks she has lost her one true friend. Eight years later Cameron suddenly reappears and both confront their changed lives.

Thirteen Reasons Why: a Novel by Jay Asher.
Clay is the first of 13 people who receive cassette tapes from Hannah, a classmate who committed suicide. The tapes contain revealing information about why Hannah took her own life. The story takes the reader on a powerful journey revealing the impact we have on others through our words and actions.

The Trap by John Smelcer.
Seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel worries that his grandfather hasn’t returned home from checking his trapline. The elderly Native American packed ample supplies onto his snowmobile, but has been out far too long in the plummeting temperatures of the Alaskan winter. Only readers know that Albert Least-Weasel has caught his leg in a trap, several feet from his supplies, and is unable to free himself.

Tyrell by Coe Booth.
Fifteen-year-old Tyrell is dealing with some major issues. Can he figure out a way to help his family move out of a Bronx homeless shelter or will his plan backfire?