New YA Books

Wildwood - Colin Meloy
When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest in the middle of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.

The Girl Is Murder - Kathryn Miller Haines
In 1942 New York City, fifteen-year-old Iris grieves for her mother who committed suicide and for the loss of her life of privilege, and secretly helps her father with his detective business since he, having lost a leg at Pearl Harbor, struggles to make ends meet.

The Fox Inheritance - Mary E. Pearson
Two-hundred-sixty years after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, sixteen-year-old Locke and seventeen-year-old Kara have been brought back to life in newly bioengineered bodies, with many questions about the world they find themselves in and more than two centuries of horrible memories of being trapped in a digital netherworld wondering what would become of them.

Lie - Caroline Bock
Told in several voices, a group of Long Island high school seniors conspire to protect eighteen-year-old Jimmy after he brutally assaults two Salvadoran immigrants, until they begin to see the moral implications of Jimmy's actions and the consequences of being loyal to a violent bully.

Silhouetted by the Blue - Traci L. Jones
After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Witchlanders - Lena Coakley
After the prediction of Ryder's mother, once a great prophet and powerful witch, comes true and their village is destroyed by a deadly assassin, Ryder embarks on a quest that takes him into the mountains in search of the destroyer.

Sparrow Road - Sheila O'Connor
Twelve-year-old Raine spends the summer at a mysterious artists colony and discovers a secret about her past.

Americapedia: Taking the Dumb Out of Freedom - Jodi Lynn Anderson
Presents a blend of humor and a civic textbook to cover American politics, international relations, religion, and culture.

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II - Ron Koertge
High schooler Ben Bancroft, a budding filmmaker with Cerebral Palsy, struggles to understand his relationship with drug-addict Colleen while he explores a new friendship with A.J., who shares his obsession with movies and makes a good impression on Ben's grandmother.

Waterfall - Lisa T. Bergren
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds-- until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. And thus does she come to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father's castle--a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?

Cascade - Lisa T. Bergren
When Gabi and Lia return to medieval Italy with their mother, they find a heroes' welcome from the people of Siena and enemies that wish them dead.

People - Blexbolex
Explores, through brief text and illustrations, various sorts of people, the jobs they do, and the connections among them.


Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos
In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.


City of Orphans - Avi
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. Includes historical notes.

I'll Be There - Holly Goldberg Sloan
Raised by an unstable father who keeps constantly on the move, Sam Border has long been the voice of his younger brother, Riddle, but everything changes when Sam meets Emily Bell and, welcomed by her family, the brothers are faced with normalcy for the first time.

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert - Marc Aronson
Provides a detailed account of rescue efforts to save thirty-three miners, who got trapped in a copper-gold mine in San Jose, Chile, examining the psychological, physical, and environmental factors influencing the course of the rescue, and describing the efforts of experts from around the world--drillers, astronauts, submarine specialists, and others--came together in response to the crisis.

Big Nate on a Roll - Lincoln Peirce
Middle-schooler Nate Wright vies against his rival, the "perfect" Artur, to win the grand prize of a customized skateboard in their scout troop contest.

Queen of Hearts - Martha Brooks
Shortly after her first kiss but before her sixteenth birthday in December, 1941, Marie Claire and her younger brother and sister are sent to a tuberculosis sanatorium near their Manitoba farm.

Addie on the Inside - James Howe
Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend.