New Teen Titles

New Teen Titles

New Teen Titles

By Nicole Manfredi, Young Adult Librarian at Kaimuki Public Library

Andrew Auseon Jo-Jo and the Fiendish Lot [grades 9 and up] Distraught over the murder of his girlfriend, seventeen-year-old Jo-Jo is set to kill himself. But when he meets a dead girl and tags along with her band, Jo-Jo finds himself in for the ride of his life – or rather, afterlife.
Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler Dream Factory [grades 8 and up] Ella performs as Disney’s Cinderella at an amusement park summer job. Luke is Dale the Chipmunk. In alternating chapters, the two relate their adventures and dream of their futures after high school.
Jonathan Bernstein Hottie [grades 9 and up] After a freak accident during plastic surgery, Beverly Hills high-schooler Alison emerges with the ability to shoot fire from her fingertips! Though she falls from popularity due to her super powers, Alison teams up with the class geek, using her powers to fight crime.
Chris Carlton Brown Hoppergrass [grades 10 and up] After being sent to the county jail and the Diagnostic Center, 15-year-old Bowser is now in an institute for juvenile delinquents called The Hill. When one of the boys whom Bowser befriended is killed, Bowser intends to discover if it was truly an accident.
Brent Crawford Carter Finally Gets It [grades 8 and up] Will Carter has ADD and tends to stutter when nervous or stressed. He’s just started high school and can’t get enough of this new world of girls, football, girls, swimming, girls, and girls.
Marjetta Geerling Fancy White Trash [grades 10 and up] 15-year-old Abby’s life is a bit like a soap opera: both of her unwed sisters, Kait and Shelby, are pregnant, and now her mom is about to have a baby too – by the father of Kait’s child! Abby is determined to lead a normal, drama-free life, but fears she may be falling in love with her best friend’s older brother, Jackson (who dated her sister a while back …).
K. L. Going King of the Screwups [grades 9 and up] High school senior Liam is a talented athlete with a taste for fashion and girls, though he’s not a great student. When his abusive father kicks him out of the house, Liam is taken in by his gay, glam-rocker uncle, who lives in a trailer in upstate New York.
Catherine Jinks The Reformed Vampire Support Group [grades 8 and up] Nina is a vampire and has been stuck as a 15-year-old for over 50 years. Her boring life is only made a little less so by weekly meetings of the Reformed Vampire Support group, but when one of the members is murdered, Nina and her friends undertake an exciting adventure, trying to solve the crime.
Jeremy Love Bayou, vol. 1 [grades 7 and up] Mississippi, 1933. Lee and her white friend Lily often play together, but when Lily is stolen by a legendary swamp monster, Lee’s father is blamed. In order to free her father and save her friend, Lee travels to the parallel world of Dixie, where Southern folklore comes to life.
Michael Northrop Gentlemen [grades 10 and up] High school sophomores Mike, Mixer, Tommy, and Bones are pretty tight. When Tommy goes missing, at first no one is worried, as it’s happened before. But the boys’ English teacher begins acting strange, and they think Mr. Haberman may be behind Tommy’s disappearance.
Philip Reeve Mothstorm [grades 7 and up] The interstellar adventures continue as Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle are thrown into another fight to save the universe, this time from Giant Moths. Sequel to Larklight and Starcross.
Francisco X. Stork Marcelo in the Real World [grades 10 and up] 17-year-old Marcelo is on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, and has his heart set on spending the summer working with the ponies at his school. When his father insists that Marcelo work at his law firm over the summer instead, Marcelo finds himself dealing with many eye-opening experiences.
Joyce Sweeney The Guardian [grades 9 and up] When he was a child, Hunter prayed to the Gabriel, believing the angel was his guardian. Now, years later, and left in the hands of an abusive foster mother, thirteen-year-old Hunter turns to Gabriel again. Though his prayers seem to be answered, Hunter finds that his guardian may not be such a good thing after all.
N. D. Wilson Dandelion Fire [grades 8 and up] When Henry York first found the worlds beyond the cupboards in his attic bedroom, he only shared his discovery with his cousin, Henrietta. Now, one of those worlds is in trouble, and Henry, his cousins, his aunt, and uncle will have to travel through the cupboards to defeat the witch of Endor

New YA Titles

Titles compiled by Linda Mediati

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. (gr. 9+) Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
Barry, Dave. Science Fair. (gr. 5-8) Every year the Hubble Middle School science fair is won by one of the ME kids-a group of spoiled rich kids who buy their winning projects. This year Grdankl the Strong, president of Kprshtskan, plans to sell the ME kids projects that will help him take over the U.S.
Berry, Julie. The Amaranth Enchantment. (gr. 6-8) Orphaned at age five, Lucinda, now fifteen, stands with courage against the man who took everything from her, aided by a thief, a clever goat, and a mysterious woman called the Witch of Amaranth, while the prince she knew as a child prepares to marry, unaware that he, too, is in danger.
Connor, Leslie. Waiting for Normal. (gr. 6-8) Addie's mom has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, jubilation or gloom, her way or no way. All or nothing never adds up to normal. All or nothing can't bring you all to home, which is exactly where Addie longs to be, with her half sisters, every day. Addie remains optimistic. Someday, maybe, she'll find normal.
Ferraiolo, Jack D. The Big Splash. (gr. 6-8) Franklin Middle School is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forged hall passes and black-market candy. Double-cross him and your number is punched by one of his deadly water-gun-toting assassins. One hit in the pants and you are in “the Outs” forever. Matt Stevens has avoided being pulled into Vinny’s organization until now: Mr. Biggs has offered him a job he can’t resist, one that leads to the surprising downfall of Vinny’s top assassin, the beautiful and deadly Nikki “Fingers” Finnegan, at the hands of an unknown assailant.
Forman, Gayle. If I Stay. (gr. 8+) A tragic accident lands Mia in a hospital ICU. Her body in a coma, she becomes an invisible observer, watching and narrating her tragic ordeal from the time the accident happens. Mia reflects on the past and has to make the toughest decision of her life. She has to choose between her life or death.
Gibson, Marley. Ghost Huntress: The Awakening. (gr. 8+) When Kendall Moorehead and her family move to the small historical town of Radisson, Georgia, her psychic abilities awaken. She's hearing, feeling, and seeing things that seem unbelievable. She comes to terms with her newly emerging gift and forms a ghost hunting team. The team has the latest technology. Now they're going to clean up Radisson of its less savory spirits.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Alligator Bayou. (gr. 7-10) To 14-year-old Calogero, newly arrived from Sicily, Tallulah is a lush world full of contradictions, hidden rules, and tension between the Negro and white communities. Some people welcome the Sicilians. Most do not. Calogero’s family is caught in the middle: the whites don’t see them as equal, but befriending Negroes is dangerous. Every day brings Calogero and his family closer to a terrifying, violent confrontation.
Rex, Adam. The True Meaning of Smekday. (gr. 6-8) Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular -- until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.