The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks

Looking for a book that empowers young women without being preachy? This is the book you are looking for. It's got the typical awkward girl goes home for summer, returns a knockout, dates popular boy story, but it also has a female character who is quirky without apology and who has a lot of guts!

Also one of John Green favorites (yes, I stalk him).

Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

A great mix of fantasy and mystery, this trilogy is exciting for both male and female students. The premise is that within our world exists another world most of us cannot see, a world of faeries, demons, vampires, werewolves, and Shadow Hunters. Clary, a human, witnesses a murder at a nightclub . . . but no one else can see it. This begins her journey into another world.

A fun read, but be warned -- there's some creepy incestuous implications :)

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.