Nominations
Updated July 29, 2008
Fiction
Adlington, L.J. Cherry Heaven. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-143181-4 $16.99
Two sisters move to a seemingly idyllic home on the frontier of their planet. It’s been ten years since the murders at Cherry Heaven, but revenge is now imminent.
Adoff, Jaime. The Death of Jayson Porter. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun. 2008.
978-1-4231-0691-3 $15.99
Surrounded by poverty, abuse and neglect, sixteen-year-old Jayson Porter finds himself increasingly drawn to an alternative: what if he jumped from the 18th floor of his apartment building?
Almond, David. The Savage. Candlewick. 2008. 978-0-7636-3932-7 $17.99
Blue Baker is writing a story about a wild savage living in the woods…at least he thinks it’s a story. When realities shift, the reader must discern what really happened.
Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Vol. II: The Kingdom on the Waves . Candlewick. 2008. 978-0-7636-2950-2 $22.99
Having escaped from his captors, Octavian joins the Royal Ethiopian Regiment of the British Army in 1775 Boston when they promise freedom to any slave who fights the rebel forces.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. The Boy Who Dared. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-68013-4 $16.99
Told through flashbacks, this is a fictionalized biography of German teenager Helmuth Hubener, who was imprisoned and executed in 1942 for openly resisting the Nazis.
Baskin, Nora Raleigh. All We Know of Love. Candlewick. 2008. 978-0-7636-3623-4 $16.99
Natalie’s mother walked out in midsentence four years ago. Natalie sets off on a 24 hour bus trip to find her mother, herself and the meaning of love.
Beaufrand, Mary Jane. Primavera. Little, Brown and Co. 2008. 978-0-316-01644-5 $16.99
Flora's father is plotting to unseat the Medici family in Renaissance Florence. She must choose her allies wisely in order to stay alive as murder and chaos unfold around her.
Bell, Julia. Dirty Work. Walker. 2007. 978-0-8027-9741-4 $16.95
A chance encounter with a Russian girl leads 15-year-old Hope, daughter of a wealthy English businessman, into the nightmarish world of a prostitution ring with little chance of escape.
Benway, Robin. Audrey, Wait! Penguin/Razorbill. 2008. 978-1-59514-191-0 $16.99
Audrey's ex-boyfriend records a hit song about their breakup, and suddenly all eyes (and cameras) are on Audrey. Fans, Facebook, and tabloids — it's all too much for Audrey.
Bertagna, Julie. Exodus. Walker. 2008. 978-0-8027-9745-2 $16.95
Fifteen-year-old Mara is thrust into a savior's role in the dystopian society of New Mungo, a city flooded after decades of extreme global warming.
Bodeen, S.A. Compound. Feiwel and Friends. 2008. 978-0-312-37015-2 $16.95
Eli's billionaire megalomaniac father fakes the death of his family and seals them in an underground compound, believing that nuclear war is imminent.
Booth, Coe. Kendra. Scholastic/Push. 2008. 978-0-439-92536-5 $16.99
Kendra is thrilled her mom, Renee, has completed her Ph.D. program—now they can finally be a real family. But is Renee excited for their future together, too?
Bray, Libba. The Sweet Far Thing. Delacorte. 2007. 978-0-385-73030-3 $17.99
Gemma Doyle returns to Spence Academy and the Realms in this conclusion of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. Filled with magic, suspense and vengeance, this is a worthy conclusion.
Brothers, Meagan. Debby Harry Sings in French. Henry Holt. 2008. 978-0-8050-8080-3 $16.95
After Johnny’s dad dies in a car accident and an unintentional drug overdose lands him in the hospital, he moves in with an uncle, gets a girlfriend, and starts to explore his interest in cross-dressing.
Bruchac, Joseph. March Toward the Thunder. Penguin/Dial. 2008. 978-0-8037-3188-2 $16.99
A 15-year-old Abenaki boy joins the Union Army to gain respect and financial security but finds war more complicated than he expected as he deals with cultural and racial prejudice.
Bryant, Jen. Ringside 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial. Alfred A. Knopf. 2008. 978-0-375-84047-0 $15.99
Visitors, spectators, and residents of Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925 describe in a series of free-verse poems the Scopes "monkey trial" and its effects on that small town and its citizens.
Buckhanon, Kalisha. Conception. St. Martin’s. 2008. 978-0-312-33270-9. $21.95
When 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery becomes pregnant by an older married man, she struggles to carve out a hopeful path to escape a life of challenge and destitution.
Bunce, Elizabeth. A Curse Dark as Gold. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-89576-7 $17.99
When young Charlotte Miller takes over the family's woolen mill after her father's death, she is faced with unexpected debts, catastrophes, and a hidden curse that threatens her family's future.
Cadnum, Michael. The King’s Arrow. Viking. 2008. 978-0-670-063314 $16.99
King William II of England, son of the Conqueror, lies dead of an arrow shot through his chest while on a stag hunt. How could this have come to pass?
Caletti, Deb. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. Simon & Schuster. 2008. 978-1-1469-1007-7
$15.99
At 18, Indigo wants no more out of life than to be a waitress and give people food, until a customer gives her $2,500,000. Can she stand the changes?
Cashore, Kristin. Graceling. Harcourt. 2008. 978-0-15-206396-2 $17.00
Katsa was born with ability to kill men with her bare hands but can she find moral courage to stand up to evil rulers and fight for what is right?
Colfer, Eoin. Airman. Hyperion. 2008. 978-1-4231-0750-7 $17.99
Conor Broekhart spends his days dreaming of flying hot air balloons and inventing flying machines until murder and court intrigue sends him to prison and labor in the diamond mines.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-02348-1 $17.99
Katniss has been providing for her family since her father died, but is she strong enough to win the Hunger Games, a deadly competition that can have only one winner?
Conner, Leslie. Waiting for Normal. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-089088-9 $16.99
Left to live in an old trailer under the overhead train track with Mommers, Addie is the child that has to learn to take care of herself. She almost succeeds.
de la Pena, Matt. Mexican WhiteBoy. Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73310-6 $15.00
Half white, half Mexican and 100% confused, Danny struggles with baseball, his absent father and first love while spending the summer with his familia in San Diego.
Dessen, Sarah. Lock and Key. Penguin. 2008. 978-0-670-01088-2 $18.99
When Ruby's alcoholic mother abandons her, Ruby is sent to live with her sister, Cora, whom she hasn't seen in years.
Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. Tom Doherty. 2008. 978-0-7653-1985-2 $17.95
There's been another major terrorist attack and the Department of Homeland Security has clamped down big time. It's up to Marcus, computer geek, to save everyone from this police state.
Dole, Mayra Lazara. Down to the Bone. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-084311-3 $16.99
Laura’s life changes the day her Cuban-American community discovers she is a lesbian, but with courage and strength, she is able to find pride in her identity.
Dowd, Siobhan. The London Eye Mystery. David Fickling/Random House. 2008. 978-0-375-84976-3 $15.99
When their cousin Salim disappears into thin air during a ride on the London Eye ferris wheel, Ted and his sister Kat try to solve.
Feldman, Jody. The Gollywhopper Games. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-121450-9 $16.99
Gil knows winning the Gollywhopper Games will take knowledge, athleticism, creativity, and the ability to put the past behind him. All of which he can do…right?
Fleischman, Sid. The Entertainer and the Dybbuk. HarperCollins. 2007. 978-0-06-134445-9 $16.99
The Great Freddie, a second-rate ventriloquist, is inhabited by the spirit of a 12-year-old Jewish boy killed in the Holocaust.
Galante, Cecilia. The Patron Saint of Butterflies. Bloomsbury. 2008. 978-1-59990-249-4 $16.99
Agnes and Honey have grown up together under the “protection” of a religious commune but when physical abuse escalates, they make a bolt for freedom.
Gardner, Sally. The Red Necklace: A Story of the French Revolution. Penguin/Dial. 2008. 978-0-8037-3100-4 $16.99
During the French Revolution, Yann a 14-year-old magician's assistant, witnesses the death of his employer and the evil that ensues.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Eleven. Wendy Lamb/Random House. 2008. 978-0-385-73069-3 $15.99
While looking for hidden birthday presents in the attic, Sam finds evidence that suggests he may have been kidnapped by the man he's always known as his grandfather.
Gilman, David. The Devil’s Breath. Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73560-5 $16.99
An assassin has just tried to kill Max Gordon at his remote boarding school and his father is missing in Africa. There is one clue: the word Farentino.
Godbersen, Anna. Luxe. HarperCollins. 2007. 978-0-06-134567-8 $17.99
Set in Manhattan in 1899, the Holland sisters and their friends reveal the secrets of upper crust society in this lush historical romance.
Golding, Julia. The Diamond of Drury Lane: A Cat Royal Adventure. Roaring Brook. 2008. 978-1-59643-351-9 $16.95
Set in the seedy streets of lower class Victorian London, Cat Royal, an orphan living in the Drury Theater, is determined to uncover the secret of a hidden diamond.
Gonzalez, Julie. Imaginary Enemy. Random House. 2008. 978-0-385-73552-0 $15.99
Most kids have an imaginary friend, but Jane is stuck with "Bubba," her imaginary enemy. After years of sending him hate mail, she is quite surprised when Bubba writes back.
Green, John. Paper Towns. Penguin/Dutton. 2008. 978-0-25-47818-8 $17.99
Quentin idolizes next door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. When she includes him in a wild night of revenge and then disappears, Q must follow the clues to find her.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Uprising. Simon & Schuster. 2007. 978-1-4169-1171-5 $16.99
Three young women defy tradition, risk jail and struggle for equality in a world dominated by men during the 1909 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike. Then a horrifying fire ignites.
Halpern, Julie. Get Well Soon. Feiwel and Friends. 2007. 978-0-312-36795-4 $16.95
When Anna's parents commit her to a mental hospital, she begins to see herself more fully and discovers the first real community of friends she's ever known.
Harmon, Michael. The Last Exit to Normal. Alfred A. Knopf. 2008. 978-0-375-94098-9 $18.99
To get him on the right track, Ben Campbell's dad and stepdad accompany him to Montana, where he encounters small town life, homophobia, an abused boy, and a special girl.
Harris, Joanne. Runemarks. Alfred A. Knopf. 2008. 978-0-375-84444-7 $18.99
Outcast Maddy has only the mysterious One-Eye as a friend. Magic, along with the Good Folk, cease to be important but what about the runemark on her palm?
Hernandez , David. Suckerpunch. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-117330-1 $16.99
The guilt that Marcus feels because he couldn't keep his father from beating his brother Enrique compels him to go along when Enrique seeks answers - and maybe revenge.
Hesse, Karen. Brooklyn Bridge. Feiwel and Friends. 2008. 978-0-312-37886-8 $16.95
Joseph's immigrant parents' successful business keeps him too busy to visit the new Coney Island amusement park everyone's talking about. When he finally is there, a tragic mystery is resolved.
Heuston, Kimberley. The Book of Jude. Front Street. 2008. 978-1-932425-26-0 $17.95
Since her family's move to Prague, Jude finds it increasingly difficult to cope with the shadows that lurk in the corners of her mind and threaten to envelop her.
Hooper, Mary. Newes from the Dead: Being a True Story of Anne Green, Hanged for Infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650, Restored to the World and Died Again 1665. Roaring Brook Press. 2008. 978-1-596433557 $16.95
Having been publicly hanged (and declared dead) for murdering her illegitimate fetus, Anne Greene awoke on the table where she was to be dissected and was restored to life.
Jenkins, A.M. Night Road. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-054604-5 $16.99
Eighteen-year-old Gordon, a heme or blood feeder, must learn the rules of his new life while on a road trip with Cole and Sandor.
Jordan, Hillary. Mudbound. Algonquin. 2008. 978-1-56512-569-8 $21.95
Two young heroes return to their neighboring families after World War II. Jamie is haunted by horrors of war, Ronsel by horrors of the segregated South.
Juby, Susan. Another Kind of Cowboy. HarperCollins. 2007. 978-0-06-076518-7 $16.99
When horse-crazy Alex finally gets a chance to switch from western pleasure to dressage, he feels more in tune with both his riding and his overall identity.
Kephart, Beth. Undercover. HarperTeen. 2007. 978-0-06-123893-2 $16.99
With her gift for poetry, Elisa writes romantic lines for boys to send to other girls, until one winter when she realizes she loves one of these boys.
Kibuishi, Kazu. Amulet: Book 1: The Stone Keeper. Scholastic/Graphix. 2008. 978-0-439-84680-6 $21.99 Emily and her brother Navin descend into a dark and dangerous world below their great grandfather's mansion hoping to save their mother, who's been kidnapped by a large creature with tentacles.
Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park. Penguin. 2008. 978-0-8037-3227-8 16.99
Augie, Alé and Anthony make unlikely friends, but with help from each other, the three high school freshmen survive heartbreak, find first loves and discover their callings.
Koertge, Ron. Deadville. Candlewick. 2008. 978-0-7636-3580-0 $16.99
Sixteen-year-old Ryan put his life on hold following his sister’s death from brain cancer. Now he’s compelled to visit Charlotte, a girl he barely knows, hospitalized and in a coma.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Lavinia. Harcourt. 2008. 978-0-15-101424-8 $24.00
In the centuries before the founding of Rome, Lavinia is a princess of Latium who begins a war when she is promised, because of an oracle, to the stranger Aeneas.
Lecesne, James. Absolute Brightness. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-125628-8 $17.99
Flamboyant, outrageous, fourteen-year-old cousin Leonard covers his own sorrows and brings hope and new beginnings to Phoebe's troubled family until the day of his mysterious disappearance.
Levithan, David. How They Met, And Other Stories. Alfred A. Knopf. 2008.
978-0-375-84886-5 $16.99
Levithan's eighteen short stories - written during high school and college - capture the humor, bliss, disappointment and magic of falling in love.
Little, Melanie. The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain. Annick Press. 2008. 978-1-55451-117-8 $19.95
In the cruel times after Queen Isabella I of Spain begins the Spanish Inquisition, teen boys, one Jewish, one Muslim, learn what really matters: survival, each other, their people.
Lockhart, E. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Hyperion. 2008.
978-0-7868-3818-9 $16.99
Frankie Landau-Banks has a chip on her shoulder and is determined to bring down the all-male Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds of Alabaster Preparatory Academy.
Lurie, April. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73125-6 $15.99
Fifteen-year-old Dylan is on a journey of self discovery but encounters problems with his absentee mother, a detached father and a brother who smokes too much weed.
MacLeod, Doug. I'm Being Stalked by a Moonshadow. Front Street /Boyds Mills Press. 2007. 978-1-59078-501-0 $16.95
War erupts between Seth Parrot's pony-tailed father and the building inspector who checks their newly dung-coated house and nearly smashes Seth's dreams of a muscular girlfriend.
Mazer, Norma Fox. The Missing Girl. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-623777-0 $16.99
The five Herbert sisters find their innocent lives exploding in emotional turmoil when one of the sisters is abducted and held captive by a truly creepy child predator.
McMann, Lisa. Wake. Simon & Schuster. 2008. 978-1-4169-5357-9 $15.99
Janie can see other people's dreams, but one night she falls into a nightmare and for the first time, Janie is not just an observer, she’s part of the horror.
McMullan, Margaret. When I Crossed No-Bob. Houghton Mifflin. 2007. 978-0-618-71715-6 $16.00
Twelve-year-old Addy McDonnell struggles to come to terms with her family's unpleasant legacy and the events happening around her in post-Civil War Mississippi.
McNamee, Graham. Bonechiller. Wendy Lamb/Random House. 2008. 978-0-385-74658-8 $15.99
An ancient demon, intent on satisfying its hunger for human flesh, stalks Danny and his three friends in the brutal cold of backwoods Canada.
Meldrum, Christina. Madapple. Random House Children's Books / Alfred A. Knopf. 2008. 978-0-375-95176-3 $16.99
After growing up in almost total isolation believing she is was immaculately conceived, 15-year-old Aslaug's world begins to crumble when her mother dies
Meyer, Stephenie. The Host. Little, Brown. 2008. 978-0-316-06804-8 $25.99
Set in a believable futuristic time when Earth and other worlds have been taken over by the "souls”, this is a story of love, betrayal and compassion.
Mitchard, Jacquelyn. All We Know of Heaven. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2008. 978-0-06-134578-4 $16.99
Two look-alike friends are in an accident. One dies, but they are incorrectly identified for weeks. In recovery, Maureen deals with repercussions of the accident and the mistaken identities.
Monninger, Joseph. Baby. Front Street/Boyd Mills Press. 2007. 978-1-59078-502-7 $16.95
Fifteen-year-old Baby leaves the middle-aged Potters, her last chance at foster care, to be with her old boyfriend while she figures out her own needs and wants.
Murphy, Pat. The Wild Girls. Viking/Penguin. 2007. 978-0-670-06226-3 $16.99
Twelve year old Joan hates her new life in California until she meets the Queen of the Foxes and becomes one of the Wild Girls.
Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-91624-0 $17.99
Robin Perry tells his experience as a civil affairs unit member in the Iraqi war.
Myracle, Lauren. Bliss. Harry N. Abrams. 2008. 978-0-8109-7071-7 $16.95
Bliss has been left with her grandmother as her hippie parents escape to Canada. She is enrolled in prestigious Crestview Academy, where she is haunted by a malicious dead girl.
Na, An. The Fold. Penguin. 2008. 978-0-399-24276-2 $16.99
When Joyce is offered a type of plastic surgery many young Korean-Americans would love to have, she must decide what beauty truly means to her.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale. Simon Pulse. 2007. 978-0-689-86176-5 $16.99
Melkorka, a 10th century Irish princess, must adapt to a harsh new life after she is stolen from her home by Russian slavers.
Pearson, Mary E. The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Henry Holt. 2008. 978-0-8050-7668-4 $16.95
Jenna Fox wakes from a year-long coma. As her memory begins to return, she has more questions than answers about who she was, and who she is now.
Petrucha, Stefan. Teen, Inc. Walker. 2007. 978-0-8027-9650-9 $16.95
Jiaden has been raised by NECorp and has fought for a semblance of independent teen life. Then he finds out they may be hiding mercury emissions.
Reeve, Philip. Here Lies Arthur. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-545-09334-1 $17.99
A fresh look at the Arthur legend told through the eyes of a young girl who pretends to be a boy to survive.
Reinhardt, Dana. How to Build a House. Random House/Wendy Lamb. 2008. 978-0-375-84453-9 $15.99
Devastated by her parent's divorce Harper Evans spends the summer with 11 other students building a house for a family in Tennessee and finds herself healing while making new friends.
Rex, Adam. The True Meaning of Smekday. Hyperion. 2007. 978-0-7868-4900-0 $16.99 While driving to the reservation for humans, Gratuity Tucci becomes friends with a renegade from the alien Boov invaders before the nasty Gorg come to enslave or kill them all.
Roe, Monica M. Thaw. Front Street. 2008. 978-1-59078-496-9 $17.95
Dane is in rehab recovering from the paralyzing effects of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, with time to reflect on his academic and athletic achievements, his ex-girlfriend, and his emotionally distant parents.
Schmidt, Gary D. Trouble. Clarion. 2008. 978-0-618-92766-1 $16.00
Henry’s father said Trouble would not find this family. But it did one horrific night, setting off tensions in Blythbury-by-the-Sea. Maybe it had it been there always, just waiting.
Schumacher, Julie. Black Box. Random House / Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73542-1 $15.99
Fourteen-year-old Elena struggles to hold steady ground and help her sister Dora, who has been admitted to a psychiatric ward after swallowing an entire bottle of antidepressants.
Shaw, Susan. Safe. Penguin. 2007. 978-0-525-47829-4 $16.99
It is the last day of 7th grade for Tracy, a day filled with thoughts of summer fun. Then the orange car pulls up and her world is forever changed.
Sheth, Kashmira. Keeping Corner. Hyperion. 2007. 978-0-7868-3859-2 $15.99
In India during World War I, twelve-year-old Leela's husband dies, and she is forced to shave her head and keep corner, staying inside her family's house for a year.
Shoup, Barbara E. Everything You Want. Llewellyn / Flux. 2008. 978-0-7387-1227-7 $16.95
College freshman Emma and her family struggle with love, loss and the lottery, learning what’s important in their lives when money isn’t an issue.
Smith, Roland. Elephant Run. Hyperion. 2007. 978-1-4231-0402-5 $15.99
Thirteen-year-old Nick is trapped on his father's teak plantation during the Japanese invasion of Burma during 1941 and must find a way to save his father as well as himself.
Smith, Jennifer. The Comeback Season. Simon & Schuster. 2008. 978-1-4169-3847-7 $15.99
Ryan’s life stopped when her dad died five years ago. Everyone in her family moved on but her. Then she met Nick and her life was filled with hope.
Stein, Garth. The Art of Racing in the Rain. Harper. 2008. 978-0-06-153793-6 $23.95
Puppy Enzo is chosen as racecar driver Denny's special friend and remains faithful as Denny marries, becomes a father, loses his wife, and has to fight to keep his daughter.
Tamaki, Mariko. Skim. House of Anansi Press / Groundwood Books. 2008. 978-0-88899-753-1 $18.95
Friendship, love, identity, and a general feeling of isolation in an all-girls private school contribute to Kim Cameron (Skim)'s growing depression.
Townsend, Wendy. Lizard Love. Boyds Mills Press. 2008. 978-1-932425-34-5 $16.95
Grace must learn to grow into her new skin, just like the lizards she loves.
Valentine, Jenny. Me, the Missing, and the Dead. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2008. 978-0-06-085068-5 $16.99
Five years after his dad’s disappearance, Lucas senses that a dead woman is trying to communicate with him and he is driven to listen and respond.
Venkatraman, Padma. Climbing the Stairs. Penguin. 2008. 978-0-399-24746-0 $16.99
When Vidya’s father is seriously injured, her family moves from their progressive home to the household of her conservative relatives, where she must adjust to a new set of expectations.
Volponi, Paul. Hurricane Song. Penguin/Viking. 2008. 978-0670-06160-0 $15.99
Miles and his father spend several days in the New Orleans Superdome riding out Hurricane Katrina and learn tough lessons about human nature and each other.
Werlin, Nancy. Impossible. Penguin/Dial. 2008. 978-0-8037-3002-1 $17.99
Lucy, 17, discovers the women of her family have been cursed with madness unless they complete three impossible tasks. All have failed. Will Zach's help and her resolve save her?
Whittenberg, Allison. Life is Fine. Random House/Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73480-6 $15.99
Samara's life changes after her attitude does as she discovers poetry, education, dignity, and one caring, responsible adult.
Wood, Don. Into the Volcano. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-72671-9 $18.99
Duffy and Sumo set off on an adventure into the belly of an ancient volcano without knowing exactly what they’re looking for. Their discoveries shock and then nearly kill them.
Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac and D Foster. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2008.
978-0-399-24654-8 $15.99
The friendship of three girls from very different families fills the emptiness of uncertainty as they struggle with Tupac Shakur's troubles as well as their own.
Yoo, Paula. Good Enough. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-079085-1 $16.99
Patti's life is all about being a good Korean daughter. Study and get into HYP - Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. No boys, no distractions. Then Cute Trumpet Guy walks in.
Zarr, Sara. Sweethearts. Little, Brown. 2008. 978-0-316-01455-7 $16.99
High school senior Jenna has successfully remade her life, but has to confront long-suppressed memories of a traumatic childhood when her only friend from childhood, Cameron, suddenly reappears.
Ziegler, Jennifer Lynn. How Not to be Popular. Delacorte. 978-0-385-73465-3 $15.99
Sugar Magnolia Dempsey has switched high schools 10 times at the whim of her hippie parents and this time she's determined to avoid friendships by being unpopular.
Nonfiction
Abadzis, Nick. Laika. Roaring Brook Press. 2007. 978-1-59643-101-0 $17.95
Abandoned puppy Laika was destined to become Earth's first space traveler in the Soviet Union's Sputnik program. This graphic novel portrays her fateful journey.
Barry, Lynda. What It Is. Drawn and Quarterly. 2008. 978-1-897299-35-7 $24.95
Questions, images, story, comic illustrations and workbook pages guide and push readers to break down barriers, experiment and grow through writing or drawing.
Bowman, Robin. It's Complicated: The American Teenager. Umbrage Editions. 2007. 978-1-884167-69-0 $40.00
This random collection of black and white photographs of teenagers from across the country includes short testimonials about their lives.
Dickinson, Emily. My Letter to the World and Other Poems. Kids Can Press. 2008. 978-1-55453-339-8 $9.95
Sophisticated new illustrations reveal seven of Emily Dickinson's poems and make them more meaningful and accessible to a whole new generation.
Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. Henry Holt. 2008. 978-0-8050-8674-4 $16.95
Caves and hidden huts serve as secret hospitals for Rosa as she risks her life nursing the sick and wounded during three wars for Cuba’s independence from 1850-1899.
Hillstrand, Jonathan, et al. Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs. Ballantine Books. 2008. 978-0-345-50372-5 $25.00
Andy and Jonathan Hillstrand, of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, relate their unusual childhood and provide a behind-the-scenes explanation of how and why they risk their lives as Alaskan crab fishermen.
Lewis, J. Patrick. The Brothers' War: Civil War Voices in Verse. National Geographic. 2007. 978-1-4263-0036-3 $17.95
Lewis has crafted eleven stark and compelling poems describing the horrors of the Civil War. "Five thousand fell that day by Sudley Road,/ Five thousand left their mothers in despair.”
Murphy, Jim. The Real Benedict Arnold. Clarion. 2007. 978-0-395-77609-4 $20.00
Author searches for the real man behind the traitor label and explores the legend and controversy surrounding this historical figure.
Nelson, Scott Reynolds. Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry. National Geographic Society. 2207. 978-1-4263-0000-4 $18.95
Historian Scott Reynolds Nelson chronicles his journeys, both on land and in historical records, to find the truth about the man behind the myth of "John Henry."
Porcellino, John. Thoreau at Walden. Hyperion. 2008. 978-1-4231-0038-6 $16.99
Simply but beautifully illustrated, this adaptation of "Walden" introduces new readers to Thoreau's work while providing a fresh perspective for those already familiar with the text.
Rhodes-Courter, Ashley. Three Little Words: A Memoir. Atheneum. 2008. 978-1-4169-4806-1 $17.99
Ashley Rhodes-Courter has written a searing portrait of nine years enduring horrific conditions in the foster care system.
Shields, Charles J. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee. Henry Holt. 2008. 978-0-8050-8334-7 $18.95
Curious about Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird? Finally her story is told; her childhood, success, seclusion and rejection of fame.
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