Smart Girls Get What They Want

Gigi, Neerja, and Bea have been best friends since kindergarten. They do everything together, and they're three of the smartest girls in their class.  Maybe they aren't the most popular girls in school--ok, most people don't even know who they are--but they aren't too worried about it.  They know the real fun will start in college.

But something happens to show them that maybe they are missing out on too much by not participating in high school life, and they make a plan.  They are the smartest girls in school, and there's no reason they can't have everything they want including grades, athletics, arts, student government, and maybe even cute guys!

Join these three friends on their journey to get the most out of life as they realize smart girls may not know everything, but they can get what they want if they put their minds to it.

This is Sarah Strohmeyer's first book for YA's, and it's a great ride through high school and teen romance.

Every Other Day

Kali D'Angelo isn't a normal girl; she's just pretending to be one.  From the outside she looks normal, maybe a bit of a loner, and no one knows about her practically nonexistent relationship with her father.  But all this pretending to be normal is a cover for her secret.  Every other day Kali is anything but normal, she's a superhuman hunter, unstoppable and gifted with incredible strength and healing powers.  Even on the days when she is human, she's not normal.

In Kali's world, Darwin didn't just find proof of evolution, he found proof of preternatural beings that once discovered seemed to pop up everywhere--chupacabras, zombies, hell hounds, dragons.  You name it, Kali feels the overwhelming desire to fight it.

Now she's in bigger trouble than she's ever imagined.  It all started when she saw the mark on Bethany Davis's back.  Kali could have ignored it, but she didn't.  In her efforts to save Bethany from a death sentence, Kali sets off a chain reaction even she couldn't have predicted.  Now she has a voice in her head that may or may not be trustworthy giving her advice and direction, and the girl that has kept all her secrets close for years will have to learn to trust an odd assortment of people who may just be able to help her get some answers about who and what she is.

But the truth will come at cost that may break her heart.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's new thriller is filled with monsters, gore, and plenty of plot twists!

Ripper

Fourteen-year-old Carver Young has lived in an orphanage all his life, but just as he's about to forced out on his own, he's adopted by a strange and cranky old man named Hawking.

Carver soon learns that Hawking is a former Pinkerton, an agent from the elite Pinkerton Detective Agency.  This is a dream come true for Carver who's always dreamed of becoming a detective but with no way to get the training he needs.

Soon he is on the trail of a ruthless killer.  Could it be that Jack the Ripper has abandoned his London killing grounds for New York society?  Carver thought he would have the help and training of Hawking, but the man seems determined to make Carver do this on his own, so instead he turns to Delia and Finn, both former orphans who've been adopted.

With a notoriously corrupt police force only recently placed under the charge of Teddy Roosevelt, the Pinkertons may be the city's only hope.  Should Carver trust the Pinkertons, the police, Roosevelt himself?  How could he convince anyone to listen to a poor orphan like himself anyway?

Filled with twists, turns, and heart-pounding action, Stephan Petrucha's Ripper is sure to excite mystery and detective fans!

Bewitching

Fans of Alex Flinn's Beastly should start getting excited!  This book follows Kendra, the witch who cursed Kyle into a beast is back with more problems.  This time she can't decide if she should intervene in the life of a friend whose new stepsister is beautiful but sneakily evil.

As Kendra tries to decide what to do, she reviews other times she's intervened in the past that didn't turn out so well.  There's the time she tried to help a prince with an overbearing mother and the time a mermaid came to her looking for true love.

Meanwhile, Emma is watching her life slowly unravel under the influence of the deceptively beautiful Lisette.

This take on Cinderella looks at the story from a new perspective.  Maybe the beautiful Cinderella character isn't so pure and wonderful after all, and maybe the "ugly" stepsister isn't the evil one.

If you enjoyed Beastly, you'll definitely want to read Bewtiching!

Almost Home

Sugar Mae Cole lives with her beloved mother, Reba, a woman who knows about sweetness in the little house they bought with her recently deceased grandfather, King Cole.  She loves her sixth grade language arts teacher, Mr. B, who encourages her to write and to think.  All in all, life is pretty good.

But now that Reba's lost her job, and all their saving are gone, the bank is sending scary letters and phone messages.  Reba thinks Sugar's father, Mr. Leeland, will finally come through and support his family instead of just showing up when he needs money.  Sugar isn't so sure.  The day they are evicted is the worst day of Sugar's life.  She can't believe this is happening, and she can't believe Reba won't act like the grown up and figure out what to do.

But Sugar has her positive attitude, words of wisdom from King Cole's autobiography, and her dog, Shush, to keep her going.  Even though she is far away, she even has Mr. B who continues to send her encouraging emails.

As Sugar quickly learns what is means to be homeless, she also learns about her gifts and strengths.  And while some people, like Mr. Leeland, may always try to bring her down, there are many others who will support and encourage her.

Joan Bauer's latest book is heartbreaking and uplifting.  She is one of my favorite authors, and Almost Home is another great read!

The False Prince

Sage is mostly minding his own business as a fourteen-year-old orphan.  Sure, he's hungry and filthy most of the time, but he supplements everyone's diet by theft and stealth.  This simple existence ends in an instant when a man named Conner plucks Sage from his orphanage and forces him into a dangerous plot.

It seems the country is on the brink of civil war, and the only way to avoid it is for a long lost prince to reappear and take the throne.  But Prince Jaron is dead, and Sage is part of a small group of boys who will be groomed and trained to become the false prince.  It will be a deception to last a lifetime with the throne and a beautiful princess as the reward, and the boys who aren't chosen face the only real way to keep the secret:  death.

Conner is a dangerous and cruel master, but he isn't the only threat.  The boys jealousies and frustrations among themselves as they struggle to overcome their orphanage childhoods and hide the secret plot from power hungry nobles.

Jennifer A. Nielsen's new book is filled with action, danger, political intrigue, and plot twists at every turn.  Can Sage survive in this world where no one is what he seems?

Shadow and Bone

Alina Starkov's life hasn't been easy.  Her parents died long ago in the border wars that have plagued Ravka for over a century.  Her only family is her best friend, Mal, a fellow orphan. Now that they are older, her friendship with him has blossomed into love, but Mal only sees her as a friend.

The two friends are headed to the Shadow Fold with the First Army.  Mal as a tracker and Alina as a cartographer.  When they enter this area of mysterious and unnatural darkness on sandskiffs, they are attacked by horrifying creatures.  When Mal's life is endangered, Alina feels a power rising up inside her to overwhelm her body and mind.

When she awakes, she is caught in a whirlwind of activity and questioning from the Darkling, the most powerful magician in the land. Soon she finds herself in the world of the Grishas, magicians who are pampered and talented.  The Grishas and even the King are convinced that Alina has the power to destroy the Fold, but she isn't so sure.  And she certainly isn't prepared for this new world of sophisticated Grishas with their jealousies and intrigues.  Will the luxuries of her new life and the confusing attentions of the Darkling be enough to make Alina forget Mal and take her place among Ravka's elite?

Set in an alternate and magical Russia filled with snow, ice, and furs, Shadow and Bone is dark, twisting, and hypnotic.  Visit this world created by first time author, Leigh Bardugo, and you will be hungry for more.

Under the Mesquite

For Lupita, family is everything.  Her mother is the driving force that keeps everything together from Lupita's young childhood in Mexico to life now in los Estados Unidos.  Mami can make everything work from squabbling little brothers and sisters to fresh tortillas to a yard full of beautiful rosebushes.  As the oldest, Lupita has always helped out, but she doesn't really mind the extra time those chores give her with Mami.  Papi spends most of his time working to provide for his family and save for the future, so Mami counts on Lupita to help with the little kids.

When Lupita is 14, her mother is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes forever.  There are moments of lightness and occasional trips to Mexico to visit family and friends there, but most of the family's energy and all of their prayers are devoted helping Mami get better.

Even with the stress about Mami and her responsibilities at home, Lupita finds time to take drama at school, and she's pretty good.  But as Mami's cancer gets worse, Lupita feels overwhelmed with responsibility, and her efforts to improve herself, could pull her away from family and friends.

The verse novel is a beautiful story of heartbreak and triumph and the struggle of balancing who you were with who you want to be.  I highly recommend Guadalupe Garcia McCall's novel.  Plus, she is San Antonio middle school teacher who used her own immigration experiences to inform Lupita's story.

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

This is the newest book by Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and other fabulous books.  Curveball has the same energy and tone as the others as Sonnenblick's characters face life's disasters with humor and sensitivity.

Peter Friedman loves baseball.  He and his best friend AJ have been pitching and catching on the same team since they were kids, but just as they are on the cusp of what they know will be their brilliant high school careers, Peter faces a devastating injury that will impact his ability to play baseball forever.

But he does have one more thing going for him, photography.  Peter's grandfather has been sharing his love of photography with him his whole life, and the two are close friends beyond the lens.  One day on a photography trip something strange happens to Gramps.  It's like he's just gone for a few minutes, and things get worse from there.

So instead of starting high school on a high Peter is beginning with the specter of his injury and his worries about Gramps hanging over him.

Even with all this, there is Angelika, the really cute girl who keeps flirting with him and the hope of something other than baseball to love.

Will Peter be able to handle life's curveball, or will completely lose his grip?  Read the book to find out!

Legend

Are you looking for something to cure your post-Hunger Games blues?  You will love Marie Lu's debut novel!  Set in a future where the United States is divided into two warring countries, and the United States itself is a myth that's been wiped from the history books, Legend tells the story of Day and June.

Day is a rebel living on the outside of society, causing problems while keeping his identity secret.

June is a prodigy destined for a military career just like her brother.

There is no reason for their paths to cross until Day's younger brother is diagnosed with the plague, and Day becomes desperate to get a cure.  When he breaks into the hospital to steal medicine, June's beloved brother ends up dead, and she is now desperate to find her brother's killer.

Both will discover secrets and lies about their worlds and find an undeniable attraction to each other.  Can these enemies find the truth and each other behind all the lies?