1) "Not After Everything" by Michelle Levy
“I wish they would all stop tiptoeing around me just because my mom offed herself over the summer.”
The summer before his senior year, 17-year-old Tyler Blackwell had it all. A popular jock with a cheerleader girlfriend and the promise of a scholarship to Stanford to prove he had brawn and brains in equal measure, Tyler was destined for better things in better places—until an early-summer afternoon changed everything. A tough and uncompromising look at a young man’s struggle to come to terms with his mother’s suicide and to survive the horrifically abusive father who blames him for her death, Levy’s debut novel is both powerful and difficult to read, largely because she does an excellent job capturing both Tyler’s volatility and his vulnerability. The first-person narration is raw and honest, the voice of a real teen searching for answers while walking a razor-thin line between salvaging what remains or throwing it all away. This novel isn’t for the faint of heart. Tyler’s interactions with his father are graphic and unrelenting, and anticipating when and how he will strike will leave readers as anxious as Tyler. Thankfully, Tyler’s rekindled relationship with an old friend and her family provides some respite—a chance for Tyler and readers alike to catch their breaths.
Raw and unforgettable. (Fiction. 14-18)
2) "Deadly Design" by Debra Dockter
When perfectionist, genetically modified teens start dying, surely slacker Kyle can’t be next.
Designed in the Genesis Innovations lab because of their parents’ disease-carrying genes, Kyle, 16, and his older brother, Connor, nearly 18, are technically identical twins. Hoping to provide a relatively safe environment for both twins, Kyle’s parents kept his embryo frozen for two years. Ever since, Kyle’s always been in Connor’s shadow—literally and figuratively. While Connor has been popular for his good looks, athleticism, and intelligence, Kyle has been the underachiever, excelling only at video games. But when Connor dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, just days before his 18th birthday, Kyle takes charge for the first time in this quick-paced thriller. He discovers that not only Connor, but other genetically superior teens, all created by the same mad scientist, have been dying at age 18. Soon Kyle’s quest to understand Connor’s death becomes a harrowing mission to subvert his own. As if contemplating life and death weren’t hard enough, Kyle must also sort through his feelings for longtime pal Cami and the crush he’s had on Connor’s steady girlfriend. Kyle’s present-tense narration ticks along, revealing both his thoughts and the unfolding events with workmanlike efficiency. Twists and turns keep readers guessing on all fronts.
This engaging blend of science fiction and survival may well pique many interests. (Thriller. 14-18)
3) "The Last Leaves Falling" by Sarah Benwell
A Japanese teen contracts a fatal disease and tests the strength of friendship.
Online, introverted Abe Sora can be anything—like the 17-year-old baseball player he was before Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stole his ability to walk and even attend school. Largely homebound, he turns to samurai death poetry for comfort and the KyoToTeenz chat room for distraction. Eavesdropping on school woes and exchanging quips (printed in various types for verisimilitude), he meets artistic Mai and techy Kaito, and he eventually invites them to dinner. Overcoming their initial awkwardness, they become inseparable. Through vividly depicted outings and comic-book adventures, they give Sora something to live for as his health declines. Search terms like "help me die" foreshadow his outlook, however, and after poignantly encountering a dying man and waking up unable to use his fingers, he wonders if his friends will help him. Sora's introspective narration, coupled with stark and startling moments of chapter-to-chapter deterioration, emphasizes that suicide is his personal choice, avoiding generalizations of disability as a whole. Their dialogue is sometimes stilted, but the supportive characterizations of Sora's family and friends ease the sharply articulated uncertainty of disability and dying young. References to samurai culture and snippets of poetry will leave readers at peace with the drifting ending.
Benwell's gentle treatment of friendship and death with dignity will touch fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2012). (Fiction. 13-18)
4) "Woven" by Michael Jensen
In a world where reality is created on looms and woven into complex tapestries, Nels’ life dangles from a single vulnerable thread.
Nels longs to be a knight and can’t understand why his mother’s forbidden him to pursue his dream. Coaxed into disobeying her to attend the summer festival, he beats Avërand’s chief knight in a wrestling match but is publicly snubbed by Princess Tyra, who reneges on her promise to kiss the winner (after all, Nels is a mere peasant). Just hours later, Nels is murdered by a mysterious stranger and becomes a ghost, visible only to Tyra. She may be able to help him back to life, but first he must persuade her to do so and to accompany him on a dangerous quest before time runs out. Mentoring the heroes’ journey is Ickabosh, who practices Fabrication, as he is able to perceive and manipulate the threads from which reality is woven. They’re pursued by Rasmus, Bosh’s former apprentice, bent but powerful and wielding a terrifying gift. Jensen and King’s cosmology draws from weaving and tailoring, as do the tools fabricators manipulate—thread, thimbles, scissors—and what they create with them. While the plot follows a familiar high-fantasy arc that occasionally dips into melodrama, the worldbuilding is dynamic, original and intriguing (if a tad schematic), and the characters, appealing.
A sure bet for high-fantasy fans. (Fantasy. 10-14)
Nels longs to be a knight and can’t understand why his mother’s forbidden him to pursue his dream. Coaxed into disobeying her to attend the summer festival, he beats Avërand’s chief knight in a wrestling match but is publicly snubbed by Princess Tyra, who reneges on her promise to kiss the winner (after all, Nels is a mere peasant). Just hours later, Nels is murdered by a mysterious stranger and becomes a ghost, visible only to Tyra. She may be able to help him back to life, but first he must persuade her to do so and to accompany him on a dangerous quest before time runs out. Mentoring the heroes’ journey is Ickabosh, who practices Fabrication, as he is able to perceive and manipulate the threads from which reality is woven. They’re pursued by Rasmus, Bosh’s former apprentice, bent but powerful and wielding a terrifying gift. Jensen and King’s cosmology draws from weaving and tailoring, as do the tools fabricators manipulate—thread, thimbles, scissors—and what they create with them. While the plot follows a familiar high-fantasy arc that occasionally dips into melodrama, the worldbuilding is dynamic, original and intriguing (if a tad schematic), and the characters, appealing.
A sure bet for high-fantasy fans. (Fantasy. 10-14)
5) "Alive" by Chandler Baker
A young woman’s life-saving heart transplant leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own life until she meets a new guy with whom she experiences an undeniable magnetism.
Stella is grateful to have survived surgery, but afterward she struggles with her family’s and friends’ tendency to treat her with kid gloves. Worse, she’s plagued by a searing, inexplicable pain that strikes her at exactly the same time each day, making her doubt her sanity. So when gorgeous Levi arrives at her insular private Seattle high school and vigorously pursues her, she’s more than ready for the distraction. Being around him seems to produce an actual physical relief that mixes into their steamy attraction. Stella’s descent into a haze so unlike her normal behavior that it worries her friends is believable, as are the story’s developing chills. Characters are well-developed, including friends Henry (who seems to want more than just friendship) and tough, bawdy Brynn, who has a spot-on sarcastic edge that will be recognizable to many teens: “Okay, lovebird. Stop making me want to vom and don’t forget to use protection.” In the end, the plotting is largely predictable, but it packs in some authentic scares.
Plentiful blood-slicked scenes will please horror fans, but the eerie tone surrounding the central mystery is what works best in this supernatural thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)
6) "Scarlett Undercover" by Jennifer Latham
A 16-year-old gumshoe's new case reveals ancient—perhaps magical—family secrets.
Intrepid sleuth Scarlett has tested out of the last years of high school, founding a detective agency instead of going to college. Ever since the deaths of her Egyptian father and Sudanese mother, Scarlett's insisted on taking care of herself. Her older sister, a doctor, is too busy to spend much time at home, so Scarlett is proudly independent. When she takes a case from a frightened 9-year-old, Scarlett discovers a terrifying conspiracy that's endangered her own family for generations. As she investigates clues pointing to an ancient myth that the children of King Solomon are at war with the descendants of the jinn, she stumbles upon a cult of true believers. Scarlett is supported by a crew of irregulars that would make any private eye proud: a loving sister; a handsome Jewish best friend who's becoming something more; and solicitous neighbors from bakers to cops. Meanwhile, she must come to terms with her feelings about her sister, her memories of her parents, and her unobservant relationship with Islam. With some secrets left unresolved, dare we hope this is not the last mystery Scarlett will solve?
This whip-smart, determined, black Muslim heroine brings a fresh hard-boiled tone to the field of teen mysteries. (Mystery. 12-15)
7) "Zeroboxer" by Fonda Lee
Boxing gets an upgrade to zero gravity in this futuristic outing.
Living centuries in the future, Carr, at 17, has dreams of winning the title. Carr is a zeroboxer, trading punches in a zero-G cube. Carr was born on Earth in “balmy Toronto.” As a Terran, he’s low on the totem pole socially; Martians, resented on Earth for their genetic modifications, look down on Earth as a backwater. After a few wins, Carr gets a pay raise and a brandhelm to manage his career. However, he learns a secret that brings him close to a criminal conspiracy, and he can’t see a way out. Lee creates a believable future world by attaching new surroundings to common experiences. Carr lives in the inner circle on a space station; the wealthy can afford outer apartments with views of Earth. Boxing keeps its familiar customs, such as loud announcers, title belts and trash-talking opponents, but includes weightless flying. As a sports hero, Carr copes with interviews and fans just as today’s star athletes do. More interestingly, the book focuses on ethical issues such as the genetic modifications humans undertook to begin living on Mars and promotes social awareness, focusing on Carr’s humble beginnings and his still-impoverished young friend, Enzo. It all adds up to a superior sci-fi outing that doesn’t need mad scientists to provide suspense.
Top-notch science fiction and a great sports novel too. (Science fiction. 12-18)
8) "In A World Just Right" by Jen Brooks
High school senior Jonathan Aubrey has a secret: He is a world-maker.
Survivor of a plane crash that killed his family and left him in a three-month coma at the age of 8, Jonathan woke up with the ability to will new worlds into existence. Years later, a lonely and physically scarred Jonathan creates Kylie-Simms-is-my-girlfriend, a world in which the beautiful and popular Kylie Simms is his, well, girlfriend; he is sure the real Kylie has never even looked him in the eye. When Jonathan confuses the real and created worlds, the two girls begin to merge: Real Kylie becomes obsessed with Jonathan, while made-up Kylie questions her love for him. When another world-maker offers to help Jonathan set things right, Jonathan must decide whether to complete the merging of the Kylies and destroy the made-up world in which he is successful and loved and accepted by his peers. Brooks is a competent worldbuilder, adhering to the rules of her novel’s world(s), but the pacing is slow and the story bland. A plot twist about 50 pages from the end finally speeds up the pace, but by then, readers aren’t likely to care what becomes of the flat, one-dimensional characters.
Though it has an undeniably thought-provoking concept, this debut doesn’t reach its potential.(Fantasy. 12-15)
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