Title: The Secret Journal of Ashley Juergens
Author: ABC Family
Pages: 240
Content: PG13
Language: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary: I got called into Principal Miller's office again. She handed me a notebook. This notebook. She told me keeping a journal is an excellent way to express oneself. So I have to write in this stupid thing and turn it in at the end of each month.

Little does she know what she's in for. With everything that's been going on—Amy's band camp pregnancy, my parents' divorce, a secret wedding—it's practically one-stop shopping for all your Grant High gossip needs. Property of Ashley Juergens. Read at your own risk (especially you, Amy).

Review: Based on the series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager",  this book was requested by numerous students.  However, I was not impressed.  I do not exaggerate when I say the word sex appears on nearly every page.  The sister had it, Ashley shouldn't.  Although following Ashley through the course of high school and the problems in her lives through her entries in a journal may open some eyes to what teenagers are dealing with on a daily basis, I would not recommend this book.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 272
Content: G
Language: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: VERY Good Read

Summary: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Review: I truly enjoyed everything about this book.  Good language, good content, good story!  It is crazy to see how much of one's life can be shared while on a 7 hour flight to London.  There are many underlying themes to this book that come through conversation!  It was a delight to find a book that's content was suitable for all students.  Thank you Jennifer Smith!

52 Reasons To Hate My Father

Title: 52 Reasons To Hate My Father
Author: Jessica Brody
Pages: 352
Content: PG13 (underage drinking)
Language: PG13 (10 swears)
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job…but someone’s gotta do it.  Lexington Larrabee has never had to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand-new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Boulevard either.  Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

Review: I fully expected this dislike this book.  Although I didn't love the main character, I did find myself enjoying the story and wanted to know if Lexi's life changes when she has to work 52 menial jobs assigned to her by her father.  There were a couple unexpected twists at the end, but I did enjoy the book.  Be aware...there is underage drinkin involved (although it is used to show the negative effects of drinking).

Boy21

Title: Boy21
Author: Matthew Quick
Pages: 256
Level: High School
Content: PG
Language: PG
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: You can lose yourself in repetition—quiet your thoughts; I learned the value of this at a very young age.

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights, and Finley is left to take care of his disabled grandfather alone. He's always dreamed of getting out someday, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.  Russ has just moved to the neighborhood, and the life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won't pick up a basketball, but answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.  As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, a unique friendship may turn out to be the answer they both need.

Review: Although some parts of this book were a little quirky, I enjoyed the book.  Based around 2 basketball players with some inner-struggles, the book was quick and easy, yet enjoyable.  Good read for any student who enjoys basketball, or likes space!

Stronger

Title: Stronger
Author: Michael Carroll
Pages: 370
Level: Middle School/High School
Language: G
Content: PG (violence)
Recommendation: Good Read For Guys

Summary:  The critically acclaimed Super Human series reaches its shocking conclusion.  All Gethin Rao wants is to be like every other boy his age. But normal twelve-year-olds aren't blue. And they certainly aren't thirteen feet tall. That's what happens when his superpowers kick in. And from that moment on, his life is never the same. Treated as a villain—a monster—Gethin spends the rest of his life on the run or as a prisoner in a secret military facility.

When he finally escapes, he falls in with a group of superpowered teens and becomes the one thing he never thought he'd be: a hero. But as the years pass by and he takes the name Brawn, Gethin learns that being a good guy is a lot more difficult than he thought.

Review: Think comic book in novel form.  Readers who enjoy comics and superheros will be drawn into this book.  Although at times the book seemed disjointed, due to flashbacks of how Brawn became super human, I wanted to know what happened to him!  I read this book, even though I hadn't read any of the other Super Human books,  but am now intrigued to read more.

Clarity

Title: Clarity
Author: Kim Harrington
Pages: 256
Language: PG
Content: PG13
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary:  When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?  This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.  Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.  And a curse.  When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review: I had no expectations going into this book.  I have never read this author, or heard of the series, but was intrigued when I saw the cover in another library.  A twist on the paranormal, the book is set around a family with gifts - talking to the deceased, seeing visions, reading minds.  The gifts are put to use to help solve a crime.  The story was well written - but be warned, it does contain references to sexual experiences.

Edenbrooke

Title: Edenbrooke
Author: Julianne Donaldson
Pages: 255
Content: PG
Lanugage: G
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: When Marianne receives a letter from her twin sister, she is languishing from boredom in Bath with her grandmother and spinster aunt. After convincing her grandmother to let her go to her sister's aid, Marianne's idea of a restful country summer helping her sister snag the handsome Lord of Edenbrooke is transformed into a thrilling adventure filled with intrigue, romance, and, yes, even a bit of twirling. With just a touch of Austen-esque charm, Julianne Donaldson creates an endearing Regency romance filled with misunderstandings, perilous rescues, and a love letter that will melt readers' hearts.

Review: Refreshing and delightful debut novel.  Great to have a book that grabs attention, gives character insight, has twists and turns, and little bit of romance to boot!!!

Don't Turn Around

Title: Don't Turn Around
Author: Michelle Gagnon
Pages:310
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Review:  This novel has a lot of chase scenes, and street-wise Noa uses her brain and hacking skills to get away!  She is headstrong and truly independent.  The plot was interesting, with a new disease to conquer, but I didn't  have a lot of emotional connection to either of the main characters.   YA readers who want a novel with a bit more mystery and excitement would enjoy this book.  There is  a little language (no "F"s) and a few graphic images that are discussed.

The Girls of No Return

Title: The Girls of No Return
Author: Erin Saldin
Pages: 345
Language: R (13 "F",  40+ other)
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Optional

Summary: CUT meets HATCHET in this lacerating debut about girls, knives, and redemption.  The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches across two million acres in northern Idaho. In its heart sits the Alice Marshall School, where fifty teenage girls come to escape their histories and themselves. Lida Wallace has tried to negate herself in every way possible. At Alice Marshall, she meets Elsa Boone, a fierce native Idahoan; Jules, who seems too healthy to belong at the school; and Gia Longchamps, whose glamour entrances the entire camp. As the girls prepare for a wilderness trek, Lida is both thrilled and terrified to be chosen as Gia's friend. But everyone has their secrets--their "Things" they try to protect; and when those come out, the knives do as well.

Review: Based around girls who are at a camp to rehabilitated, this story has secrets and twists.  However, I was completely put off by the language of the book, even though I realize that girls with "problems" don't have the best language, it was hard to suffer through. 

Confessions of A Murder Suspect

Title: Confessions of A Murde Suspect
Author: James Patterson
Pages: 384
Language: G
Content: PG
Level: Upper Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently wealthy Angel family . . . and the dark secrets they're keeping from one another. On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. 3) She can't trust anyone--maybe not even herself. Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?

Review: I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book.  I was pleasantly surprised with the twists, turns, and insights that were found throughout the entire book.  I did however, find myself needing to pay close attention to the names  - they came fast and furious at the beginning!  Not super intense, but a safe read for teens.