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A teenager’s worst fear is to be different. Terra in Justina Chen Headley’s book North of Beautiful struggles with the stares at the birthmark on the side of her face. Between an overbearing father and a subservient mother, she fights a different battle at home. Terra’s life dramatically changes when she meets a boy who helps her see beauty in the most unexpected places. Readers, especially teens, will identify with Terra’s relationship with herself and with others, and will see what it takes to strengthen both. The details and honest confessions in the book will make you want to start an adventure of your own.

Reviewed by Karyn J., Davidson Branch

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Growing up in a strict religious community is hard enough. Fifteen-year-old Alis believes that to obey the harsh rules of her community is the will of the Maker. But when she learns of her arranged marriage to her 40-year-old pastor, she immediately plans an escape. Leaving her beloved Luke behind, she ventures into the city to find shelter with her brother Joel, who escaped years before. She soon learns that the only way to survive, is to become a thief. Will she be able to put her morals aside to save her life? This is a wonderful, and very inspiring story of a young girl taking control of her own destiny, defying her community and religion, to make her own way in the world.

Reviewed by Amy H., Steele Creek Branch

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This whimsical series of tales has enough gravity to bring it into the young adult genre. At times haunting, Tan's stories depict the wide range of a boy growing up in the suburb's imagination. Ethereal illustrations combine with sparse and lyrical prose to create an experience of temporary escape. There are several different stories; one is about a world where everyone is given "backyard nukes" during the cold war, only to convert them into planters and works of art. Another is about small, dreary houses with majestic "inner courtyards" that families retreat to for picnics. A kind of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs for adults, the book reminds one of the transformative power of imagination to help one escape, even redefine, dreary circumstances.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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Have you ever had the choice between two things and neither option looked good? Kyra, who is almost 14, lives in a closed community with her father, his three wives, and her 20 brothers and sisters. When the whole family is brought together for a visit from Prophet Child, the leader of their community, the family thinks they may be getting promoted, which would mean a nicer house than the three trailers the family live in now. Instead, they learn that the Prophet has decreed that Kyra is to marry Hyrum, her sixty-year old uncle who has 6 wives already. Kyra does not want to, but as she starts to rebel, the consequences fall on people she cares about. Kyra must choose between her freedom and her family.

Reviewed by Emily L., University City Regional

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Marcelo, 17, has a condition similar to Asperger's and has "pervasive interests" in religion and music, especially the IM, the internal music that only he can hear. He wants to work with ponies and disabled children but his father decides he needs a job that will make him interact with the "real world" and hires him to work in the mail room of his law firm. While filing, he discovers a picture of a young girl with half a face. Marcelo's unusual way of seeing and doing things as he searches for the girl in the picture and uncovers deception and injustice ultimately force him to choose between his father and the consequences of doing the right thing. Brilliantly written, Marcelo's voice is unforgettable.

Reviewed by Vera B., North County Regional

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How would you feel if someone you loved died unexpectedly? It has been six months since Molly’s dad died. Nothing has been right since. Her mom is a shadow of herself. Molly is not sure of anything anymore. Molly and her dad had a special bond. They both loved baseball. When it comes time to go out for softball, Molly decides she is going out for baseball instead. No other girl has ever been on the team before. Will she make the team? If she does, will the team accept her as a teammate? How does she explain why she is even trying? Will anyone understand her need to play ‘real’ baseball instead of softball? She just knows it is something she has to do.

Reviewed by Linda K., North County Regional

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A cruise liner ploughs the Atlantic, passengers fixed in a moment of luxury in lives of terror. Based on a true story, this is the tale of a group of Jewish refugees on a cruise ship heading from Germany to Cuba in 1939. Not knowing whether the new port will take him, Thomas can do little more than fight to survive until he meets Priska, a girl who has seen a different side of life to him, and who gives him something to live for instead of just surviving. This is accurate, gripping Young Adult fiction that creates a dangerous and terrifying world.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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We all have to make choices. Think about a difficult choice you’ve had to make. Did you have help making it? For Mia, some choices have been easy, like playing the cello, which always called to her, even though her family is more rock-and-roll than classical music. Others, like applying to Julliard, thousands of miles away from her family and her boyfriend Adam, have been more difficult. But then on one weekday morning, Mia’s life completely changes, and she realizes she has to make the biggest and most difficult decision imaginable. And she has to do it completely on her own.

Reviewed by Emily L., University City Regional

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Everyone knows that the seventh son of a seventh son will be a magician, but nobody ever thinks about the daughters. Eff is the thirteenth child of her family, twin sister to Lan, a “Double Seven”, and superstition says she carries all the family’s bad luck. When her father moves the family to a frontier town, just east of the Great Barrier, she must fight against prejudice, fear, magic, and the dangerous things that live in the wild. This is an excellent book that combines the best of frontier fiction with alternative history and fantasy, creating a new and enchanting masterpiece for young and old alike.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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This fast-paced, suspense-filled YA novel is set in a small village that must always be guarded for fear of the entrance of the Unconsecrated who live on the other side of the fence. The protagonist, Mary, is sent to live with the sisters who protect the village after her mother and father join the Unconsecrated. Soon after, the village becomes unsafe and Mary is forced to set out into the unknown in hopes of finding a safe home away from the Unconsecrated. In the meantime, she is trying to work out her feelings for the boy whom she is betrothed to and the boy she really loves who was betrothed to her best friend. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a unique and well-written YA book!

Reviewed by Amy W., ImaginOn

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In his last summer before starting college, Dade Hamilton finally starts figuring out how to be himself. He makes new friends, shaves his head, breaks up with his volatile ex-boyfriend, and falls in love with a charming outsider named Alex. But as Dade's parents' marriage begins to collapse, Dade also begins to understand the sadness of those around him. This pervasive sadness is mercifully balanced by the gentle optimism of the romance between Dade and Alex, and Burd’s wistful, quietly evocative language perfectly captures those moments when the repression of suburban adolescence begins to give way, and the potential for escape finally becomes reality. This moving coming-of-age story will remind readers that there is possibility in the most ordinary places. Highly recommended for older teens.

Reviewed by Rebecca P., Matthews Branch

Read the Author Interview with Nick Burd

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Nina, 15, writes books about Zadia Bloodstone, heroic crime-fighting vampire. Nina, herself, has been a vampire since 1973 and isn't writing from experience because real vampires are a sickly bunch that wouldn't stand a chance against anyone. Hence, the Reformed Vampire Support Group. When one of the creepier members, Casimir, doesn't answer their calls they look for him, but find only a pile of ash and a sharpened stake. The group blames Nina; her fearless fictional character has no doubt scared someone into hunting and killing all vampires. Nina and Dave, the only one of the group who can drive, set off to find Casimir's murderer. The Reformed Vampire Support Group is a delightfully satirical look at vampires and the risks of coming-of-age.

Reviewed by Vera B., North County Regional

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Samara Taylor knows that everyone expects her life to be picture perfect—she is the pastor’s daughter, after all. During one particularly scorching August, Sam’s mother gets a DUI and enters rehab, leaving Sam alone with her father who seems to have the right words to comfort everyone but her. Then the sudden disappearance of a 13-year-old member of Sam’s church youth group seems unreal. As the search for Jody extends from hours into days, Sam questions not only her belief in God but also her faith in her father, her mother, and the people she thought she could trust in her community. Sam isn’t expecting a miracle, but she certainly would welcome one.

Reviewed by Amy W., ImaginOn

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Micah is the girl who cried wolf. A self-confessed liar, she loves the thrill of control that comes with making someone else believe in her version of the world. When Micah’s secret boyfriend is murdered, however, she pledges to tell the truth. But when the truth is so shocking, will anyone believe her? Liar is an absorbing and complex story, written in a deceptively simple style. The suspense builds steadily as Micah’s version of events twists and unravels, and the ending will make readers question not only the truth of Micah’s tale, but also their own willingness to believe.

Reviewed by Rebecca P., Matthews Branch

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Years ago, the kingdom of Lumatere was violently overthrown, and a curse sealed its borders. Since then, Finnikin has tried to help his fellow Lumateran exiles, but it’s not until he meets Evanjalin, a strangely compelling young woman with an extraordinary gift, that he believes it might be possible to return to their homeland. Printz winner Marchetta has built a wonderfully complex imaginary world combining elements of familiar fantasy stories — magic, quests, and swords — with the harrowing ordeals experienced by real refugees. The plot develops slowly but deliberately, and the characters are drawn with depth and compassion. Older teen and adult fantasy readers will be engaged by the emotional heft and ultimately hopeful message of this book.

Reviewed by Rebecca P., Matthews Branch

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