The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This fast-paced novel is like Survivor with a twist. In the not-so-distant future, the US has become a set of colonies once again. And this time, to keep the colonies in line, the Capital has set up an elaborate game in which two reps from each colony must fight to the death.

I love this book! It is a Twilight for those with self-esteem!

What I Saw and How I Lied

What I Saw takes place shortly after WWII. When Evie's stepfather returns from the war, the family settles into a seemingly normal life. But suddenly, Joe seems to want to run away to Florida, trying to escape from some mysterious phone calls.

A little like a film-nor, this is a fun little mystery with a pretty good message.

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss

This was one of the top Abe books this year. While I thought it was totally contrived and ridiculous, I know I would have loved it as a fifteen year old.

Meredith's father molested her as a child, and now after only three years in jail, he's back. Meredith's mom never believed that he was guilty, so she expect Meredith to welcome him home with open arms. Meredith decides that she needs to make sure he will never hurt another child, so she comes up with a plan.

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

A sci-fi thriller from the same author who wrote Impossible. Not nearly as enchanting as Impossible, but a fun little read all the same.

Eli graduates from high school knowing that he is a little bit smarter, a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, and a little bit taller than his classmates. Actually, he knows it's more than a little in each case, but he's always tried to hide it. Now he's been offered a job at a prestigious science firm and the famous founder has taken a special interest in him. Why? . . .

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchette

I really can't summarize this book in any way that will do it justice. This is a 400+ pager that I read in one day because I was so drawn in.

Marchette is an author who is pretty well known in Australia . . . hopefully, she'll break through in the US with this novel.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

You must read this book! It is so beautifully written and such a powerful story; I read this book in three hours and was weeping at the end -- partly because of the story and partly because of how well it was written.

Lakshmi is a young girl coming of age in Nepal. After a monsoon that destroys most everything they own, Lakshmi's stepfather sells her into prostitution in India. This is the story of how Lakshmi survives . . .

I read this book right after watching Slumdog Millionaire, and the first thing I thought was that this could be Latima's story. Even though McCormick is an American author, the global issue of human trafficking makes it a good choice for World Literature.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

Bog Child takes place in Northern Ireland in the mid-80's. While stealing peat with his uncle at the local bog, Fergus discovers the body of what appears to be a little girl. Once the authorities come in, they realize the body is hundred of years old. Fergus begins to imagine the life of the girl, just as he is trying to figure out the own mess of his family and community.

I learned a lot about the conflict in Ireland by reading this book. I think it would be a great summer read for Irish Lit!

Story of A Girl by Sarah Zaar

I read this book in about 5 hours . . . I just couldn't put it down. Shout out to Myles for suggesting this one. Another sad one . . .

If I were planning to teach Scarlet Letter again, I would use this book and 13 Reasons Why as introductions to the themes. In this novel, Dena is trying to live down the reputation she earned as an 8th grader when her father caught her in a "compromising position" with an 18 year old boy. Though she has been a good student and a well-behaved daughter, no one can get past seeing her as a slut . . . most of all Dena.

Rules of Survival

Another novel by Nancy Werlin, but a very different concept than Impossible. Rules of Survival tells the story of Matthew and his two sisters as they try desperately to find someone who will help them escape from their abusive mother.

This was a pretty sad book, but definitely something I think students would enjoy reading. The abuse isn't over-the-top; the relationships are very believable.

Paper Towns by John Green

In case you haven't noticed, I really like John Green's writing. I think he does an amazing job capturing the realities of friendship. In my opinion, John Green creates the most believable portraits of teenagers.

In Paper Town, Quentin has good friends, good grades, and a good relationship with his parents. The one things he's always longed for, though, is his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. One night, Margo knocks on Q's window and takes him on an adventure of a lifetime -- complete with revenge and breaking and entering. The next day, Margo disappears, leaving a few clues behind. Q decides it is his mission to find her.

Paper Towns combines elements of An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska, and it would be a great addition to a junior level curriculum or summer reading program.