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Each year, YALSA presents the Best Fiction for Young Adults list after ALA’s Midwinter Meeting. This year’s list of 102 books was drawn from 200 official nominations. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse.

In addition to the full list, the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee also created a Top Ten list of titles from the final list, denoted here by an asterisk.

“I am very proud of the hard work, patience and dedication each committee member took this year in selecting the 2013 BFYA list,” said Chair Ted Schelvan. “After much deliberation and discussion, our final list is comprised of books a library can be proud to add to their Young Adult collection.”

Anderson, Jodi Lynn. Tiger Lily. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062003256; $17.99.

Before Wendy came into Peter Pan’s life, there was only Tiger Lily.

*Andrews, Jesse. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419701764; $16.95.

Greg and Earl are forced to spend time with a classmate recently diagnosed with leukemia. Will their lives change for the better or just stay the same as usual?

Bacigalupi, Paolo. The Drowned Cities. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316056243; $17.99.

Mahlia and Mouse are cast-off refugees from the Drowned Cities of a war-torn future American Southeast when they meet Tool, a half-man genetically engineered for one thing: killing.

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone. Henry Holt and Company, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780805094596; $18.00.

Alina discovers she has secret powers and must try abolishing the monsters of the Fold.

Barnaby, Hannah. Wonder Show. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547599809; $16.99.

Portia is looking for another new beginning and a place to belong. Does she have a strong enough constitution to do it at the travelling freak show?

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. Every Other Day. Egmont, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781606841693; $ 17.99.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be something else every other day? Kali D’Angelo is just that; an “Other,” or so she calls herself, invincible one day human the next. When Kali comes across a student who has an ouroboros mark, giving her moments to live; she ventures into a dangerous world where few survive the things that go bump in the night.

Barraclough, Lindsey. Long Lankin. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763658083; $16.99.

In a town paralyzed with fear over the presence of a nightmarish creature, sisters Cora and Mimi learn that Long Lankin may be the least of their problems.

*Bray, Libba. The Diviners. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316126113; $19.99.

New age, old magic.

Brennan, Sarah Rees. Unspoken: The Lynburn Legacy. Random House Books/Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375870415; $18.99.

Your imaginary friend turns out to be not so imaginary. Meeting him brings its own mystery and conflicts. Which do you trust more what you’ve always known or what you see?

Calame, Don. Call the Shots. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763655563; $16.99.

Sean, Matt, and Coop have pulled off a few schemes in the past, but can they manage to make a low-budget horror film?

Cameron, Sharon. The Dark Unwinding. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545327862; $17.99.

Sent to prove her uncle insane, Katherine discovers another windup world.

Carey, Janet Lee. Dragonswood. Penguin/Dial, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780803735040; $17.99.

Tess has endured a lot in her short life. She has witnessed an execution, watched her siblings die, been accused of witchcraft and tortured. She’s now escaped to begin a magical adventure that could bring three races together for the common good.

Carlton, Susan. Love & Haight. Henry Holt and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 97800805080971; $16.99.

Chloe and MJ are spending their Christmas vacation in San Francisco. While MJ is looking for a good time, Chloe is looking for an abortion, but in 1971, abortions, while legal, aren’t easy to find.

Cashore, Kristin. Bitterblue. Penguin/Dial, 2012; ISBN 13: 978-08373-4739; $19.99.

Katsa saved her life, but now Bitterblue has to save her kingdom

Coats, Jillian Anderson. The Wicked and the Just. Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547688374; $16.99.

In the late thirteenth century, Cecily practices a haughty style as befits a lady of the manor in occupied Wales where her father has landed them in search of cheap land. Gwinny, the servant is not about to accede to these upstart English who she knows are simply tyrants to the Welsh who used to rule their own lives.

Cronn-Mills, Kirstin. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. Flux, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780738732510; $9.99.

Everyone knows the A side of the record but it’s time for everyone to know the B side.

Cross, Sarah. Kill Me Softly. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606843239; $17.99.

Your life is a fairy tale. That doesn’t mean it’s happily ever after.

Crowley, Cath. Graffiti Moon. Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869532; $16.99.

Lucy has a crush on Shadow, a local graffiti artist. Little does she know that Shadow may be closer to her than she thinks.

Damico, Gina. Croak. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547608327; $8.99.

Who would have thought being a grim reaper could give you a life?

Danforth, Emily M. The Miseducation of Cameron Post. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062020567; $17.99.

Cameron explores her lesbian sexuality in small town Montana in the early 1990′s, and is sent to God’s Promise, a school to cure homosexual tendencies.

Derting, Kimberly. The Pledge. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781442422018; $16.99.

Charlie knows that she is different.  In a world where each class system had their own language, she can understand them all.  What happens when people figure out her secret?

Doller, Trish. Something Like Normal. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599908441; $16.99.

Travis, a young Marine, deals with life at home after his best friend is killed in Afghanistan.

Jordan, Dream. Bad Boy. St. Martin’s Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312549978; $9.99.

Kate has been institutionalized her entire life, but things start to look up when she connects with a handsome stranger. But can she heed the warning signs of his abusive behavior?

Ellison, Kate. Butterfly Clues. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606842638; $17.99.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not all Lo must deal with when she accidentally witnesses a murder.

Fama, Elizabeth. Monstrous Beauty. Macmillian/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780374373665; $17.99.

Syrenka, a vicious mermaid who’s a victim of circumstance, and Hester, a modern day teen who’s a victim of her family’s tragic past, have a lot more in common than they think.

Farish, Terry. The Good Braider. Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761462675; $17.99.

This is a story of Viola’s escape from the Sudan, her long and arduous journey to the U.S., and her struggle with the emotional effects that still linger. Upon arriving in the U.S. she struggles with trying to fit it while maintaining the traditions of her family. This story, told in verse, immerses the reader in the struggles that immigrants have to face while trying to build a new life for themselves but still trying to maintain the ideals of their cultures.

Fforde, Jasper. The Last Dragonslayer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547738475; $16.99.

With magic drying up, it’s hard for a freelance magical agency to stay afloat, especially with the rumors and prophecies of the death of the last dragon.

Fitzpatrick, Huntley. My Life Next Door. Penguin/Dial Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780803736993; $17.99.

Samantha was always curious about the large, boisterous family next door since her family is quiet and orderly.  One day, Jase, one of the boys, climbed up to her hidden perch. What happens next?

Gagnon, Michelle. Don’t Turn Around. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062102904; $17.99.

Computer hackers Peter and Noa stumble across a conspiracy targeting runaway teens.

Gaughen, A. C. Scarlet. Walker & Co., 2012; ISBN 13: 9780802723468; $17.99.

Scarlet, a spunky lady-thief, has made a home in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood and his band of thieves, but a face from the past may put her forest life and people she loves in jeopardy.

Grant, Michael. BZRK. Egmont, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781606843123; $17.99.

A war is raging in the nano…where biots and nanobots battle in the brain for control of the human race. For the soldiers of BZRK and AFCG it victory or madness.

Grant, Michael and Katherine Applegate. Eve & Adam. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312583514; $17.99.

What if you could design the perfect boy?  Eve is given the chance; but what are the consequences of playing god?

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. Penguin/Dutton Juvenile, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780525478812; $17.99.

Hazel and Gus are both Cancer Kids with very different prognoses when they meet and bond over what they share outside of their disease. Funny, poignant, charming, honest and powerful.

Halpern, Julie. Have a Nice Day. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312606602; $16.99.

Home after a stay in a mental institution, Anna discovers that maintaining her improved outlook is a challenge as the stresses of life that sent her there in the first place are pretty much the same. It’s really up to her to make a difference, and perhaps a sense of humor will help.

Hand, Elizabeth. Radiant Days. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670011353; $17.99.

Art student Merle and poet Arthur Rimbaud may live in separate continents and time periods but one night together will change their lives forever.

Harrington, Hannah. Speechless. Harlequin/Harlequin Teen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780373210527; $9.99.

Chelsea could never keep her mouth shut, always having to tell the latest gossip as soon as she heard it.  The latest secret she tells causes someone to almost die.  What happens when she decides to take a vow of silence?

*Hartman, Rachel. Seraphina. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375866562; $17.99.

Intriguingly, in this world, dragons can transform at will into the body of a human. Part human, part dragon, Seraphina must hide her heritage  as the tenuous peace her country has with dragons seems likely to slip away as unknown elements are stirring up trouble that even Seraphina’s music can’t assuage.

Hiaasen, Carl. Chomp. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375868429; $16.99.

Wahoo lives with a bunch of animals, including his father.  When they get contacted to provide animals for the show Expedition Survival they agree- but can they live through it?

Johnson, Angela. A Certain October. Simon & Schuster, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780689865053; $16.99.

After surviving a train accident that killed her friend, Scotty must reevaluate her life and find a way to forgive herself.

Kagawa, Julie. The Immortal Rules. Harlequin/Harlequin Teen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780373210510; $18.99.

Allison lives in a society that requires humans to register as blood donors for the ruling class of vampires. Instead of surrendering to their demands, she survives on the fringes of the city by scavenging for food and banding together with other runaways. However, the situation changes drastically when she finds herself at the top of the food chain.

Kincaid, S.J. Insignia. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062092991; $17.99.

Tom is great at one thing: gaming.  He’s given the chance to make something of himself in the military and he jumps at it.  Can he beat the best the enemy has?

Kindl, Patrice. Keeping the Castle. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670014385; $16.99.

The only way Althea can hope to keep the family home, Crawley Castle, is to marry a rich man.  She must vie for the affections of too few men with her older step-sisters and the mysterious Miss Vincy.

King, A.S. Ask the Passengers. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316194686; $17.99.

Astrid, who just moved from the big city to a small town, must discover her way in life, her sexuality and, most importantly, herself.

Knowles, Jo. See You At Harry’s. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763654078; $16.99.

Harry’s, the restaurant owned by 12 year old Fern’s family, has always centered them but when tragedy takes Charlie, her sticky, smelly, younger brother, nothing will ever be the same.

Kokie, E.M. Personal Effects. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763655273; $16.99.

Matt’s brother has died fighting for his country, and now Matt has the remnants of his brother’s personal belongings. In looking through these items, Matt discovers a side of his brother he never knew.

*Kontis, Alethea. Enchanted. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Harcourt Children’s Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547645704; $16.99.

Sunday’s child may be able to find her story with the help of ….a frog.

Lacey, Josh. Island of Thieves. Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Children, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547763279; $15.99.

An unexpected adventure with Uncle Harvey will leave Tom’s life changed forever..That is if they can make it out alive!

LaCour, Nina. The Disenchantments. Penguin/Dutton, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780525422198; $16.99.

Colby and his friends’ band, The Disenchantments, go touring for a week right after graduation. Will they use this time to figure out what’s next in their lives?

LaFevers, Robin. Grave Mercy. Houghton Mifflin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547628349; $16.99.

Ismae, a daughter of death and trained by the convent as an assassin, is assigned to assist Duval, the bastard brother of her ruler in this alternate medieval history novel.

Lake, Nick. In Darkness. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599907437; $17.99.

Trapped in darkness on Haiti hundreds of years apart, the lives of gangster Shorty and slave rebellion leader Toussaint l’Ouverture are intertwined as Shorty tries to survive the 2010 earthquake.

Lanagan, Margo. The Brides of Rollrock Island. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869198; $17.99.

On an ungenerous island where life is hard, Misskaella, herself unattractive, discovers she has the power to pull humans from the seals cavorting in the sea. A selkie tale that is unromantic and details the unlovely consequences for future residents.

Larbalestier, Justine and Sarah Rees Brennan. Team Human. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062089649; $17.99.

Vampires may be an everyday part of life, but Mel still isn’t thrilled when her best friend Cathy suddenly wants to become one.

Leavitt, Martine. My Book of Life by Angel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780374351236; $17.99.

Angel must escape her life of drugs and prostitution before she is forced to do the same for another.

Lee, Y.S. The Traitor and the Tunnel. Candlewick Press, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763653163; $16.99.

Mary Lang cannot keep herself out of scrapes. Once again, she is thrown into the thick of a murder mystery. This time it involves both the British Royal Family and her own long-lost father. The clues bringer her closer to the truth, but deeper into trouble!

Lerangis, Peter and Harry Mazer. Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781416938958; $15.99.

Ben Bright makes the decision to enlist in the Army. His deployment to the Middle East stresses his relationships with his friends and family, but nothing can prepare them for the way he returns home.

Leveen, Tom. Zero. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869211; $16.99.

Zero didn’t get the scholarship to art school, so she’s stuck in Phoenix trying to figure out how to emulate Dali when she falls for the drummer of Gothic Rainbow.

Levine, Kristin. Lions of Little Rock. Penguin/Putnam, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780399256448; $16.99.

Painfully shy Marlee lives in Little Rock and makes friends with Liz the year after the ‘Nine” integrated. When schools close, these friends decide they can make a difference.

*Levithan, David. Every Day. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780307931187; $16.99.

How can love survive if each day you wake up as a different person?

Lyga, Barry. I Hunt Killers. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316125840; $17.99.

Jazz, the son of one of the most notorious of all serial killers, must come to terms with his upbringing by hunting down a new serial killer in his hometown.

Maas, Sarah. Throne of Glass. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599906959; $17.99.

Left for dead in a notorious prison work camp, Celaena is given a second chance at freedom by the Crown  Prince himself.  However, this freedom must be won in a cut-throat tournament of assassins, and some of her competitors are not playing by the rules.

MacColl, Michaela. Promise the Night. Chronicle Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780811876254; $16.99.

Famous aviator, Beryl Markham’s childhood in Kenya with racehorses, lions, and the Nandi neighbors at a time when white women were expected to be ladies and Beryl is anything but.

Mackall, Dandi. The Silence of Murder. Alfred A. Knopf, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780375968969; $16.99.

An 18- year old, autistic boy has been put on trial for murder. Only one person thinks he’s innocent. Did he do it? What really happened that night?

Magoon, Kekla. Fire in the Streets. Aladdin, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442422308; $15.99.

Maxie’s attachment to the Black Panthers in Chicago in the late sixties gradually confronts some of the other constants in her life, but she knows it’s her only way to make a powerful difference in the world.

Marchetta, Melina. Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles. Candlewick Press, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780763647599; $18.99.

Three years after Finnikin of the Rock completed his journey back to Lumatere, young Froi is sent away from Lumatere on a journey of his own.

Marillier, Juliet. Shadowfell. Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869549; $16.99.

Frightened of being made a king’s hostage if her powers are known, Neryn must decide whether  or not to trust  taciturn mysterious Flint who has won her in a bet.

Matson, Morgan. Second Chance Summer. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781416990673; $16.99.

Taylor’s family is spending one last summer together at their house on the lake, which means she can’t run away from the people she hurt five summers before.

*McCormick, Patricia. Never Fall Down. Harper Collins/Balzar + Bray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780061730931; $17.99.

Arn is taken from his home by the Khmer Rouge and forced to become a child soldier. What will he do to survive?

McDonald, Ian. Planesrunner. Prometheus Books/PYR, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781616145415; $16.95.

Convinced his Dad was kidnapped, Everett uses his computer expertise, his soccer skills and his math knowledge to try to go after him—even as far as into another universe.

McQuerry, Maureen Doyle. The Peculiars. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419701788; $16.95.

Lena, left destitute on her way to the frontier, is recruited as a spy, infiltrates the library and home of a wealthy recluse, and discovers genocide may be coming.

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. Macmillian/Feiwel & Friends, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312641894; $17.99.

Cyborg Cinder, a mechanic in the chaotic street market of New Beijing, threatened by disease and aliens, meets Prince Kai when he brings a beloved robot in for repair.

Michaelis, Antonia. The Storyteller. Abrams/Amulet Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781419700477; $18.95.

Anna falls in love not only with Abel, the boy she has a crush on, but also the fairy tale he tells his younger sister. When people in the story actually turn up dead, Anna has to choose between love and the right thing.

Mieville, China. Railsea. Random House/Del Ray, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780345524522; $18.00.

Sham Yes ap Soorap, a lousy doctors assistant aboard the Medes, has been given a dream to look at but may never see. The unending space of where the railsea ends and where angels may roam, is a legend, and it’s the place Sham wants to go.  Captain Naphi, however, has other plans. She is after the great white moldywarpe, Mocker-Jocker, and will stop at nothing to capture it.

Myers, Kate Kae. The Vanishing Game. Bloomsbury, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781599906942; $16.99.

Still grieving the loss of her brother, Jocelyn unexpectedly receives a letter from him, a letter that sends her on a hunt through her past.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. No Crystal Stair: A Novel in Documents, Based on the Life and Work, of Lewis Micheaux, Harlem Bookseller. Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761361695; $17.95

Lewis will do whatever people tell him he can’t which surprisingly turns the young thief into someone nobody ever expected, particularly the white banker who told him “Negros don’t read.”

Newman, Leslea. October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. Candlewick, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780763658076; $15.99.

In 1998, Matthew Shepard was robbed, beaten and left to die tied to a fence in a field in Wyoming. The events surrounding his death are told through various forms of poetry and from varying points of view.

Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545284134; $17.99.

The ambitious Conner hand-picks four orphans with the intention of selecting one to pose as the lost Prince Jaron, heir to the throne of Carthya, then taking the kingship for himself.

Nix, Garth. A Confusion of Princes. Harper Collins, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780060096946; $17.99.

When Prince Khemri comes of age, he finds he has a lot to learn about the intergalactic empire he serves. This is the story of his first three deaths.

Oppel, Kenneth. Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book Two. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442403185; $16.99.

Try as he might, Victor cannot swear off the two great temptations in his life: the power over life and death offered by the Dark Sciences, and his love for his brother’s fiancé.

Pearce, Jackson. Purity. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780316182461; $17.99.

Shelby promised her dying mother three things: listen to her father, love as much as possible, and live without restraint. What happens when promise one runs up against promises two and three?

Poblocki, Dan. The Ghost of Graylock. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545402682; $16.99.

Be warned sometimes things follow you home.

Pratchett, Terry. Dodger. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062009494; $17.99.

Dodger is the canniest cove in all of London, scheming with Dickens, glad-handing Disraeli, and even getting the upper hand over Sweeney Todd in his quest to protect an anonymous girl.

*Quick, Matthew. Boy 21. Little, Brown and Company, 2012: ISBN 13: 9780316186193; $17.99.

A chronicle of grief paralleling Finley’s silence and immersion in the repetition of basketball with Boy 21′s belief that his murdered parents will return from space and take him to the cosmos.

Rivers, Karen. The Encyclopedia of Me. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545310284; $16.99.

Pick a letter and let Tink take you on a journey.

Rossi, Veronica. Under the Never Sky. HarperCollins, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062072030; $17.99.

Aria has grown up living in the safety of the domes, while Peregrine is a savage outsider. When a series of events leads to Aria’s banishment, Peregrine helps her survive.

Rubens, Michael. Sons of the 613. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780547612164; $16.99.

Having skimped on his prep sessions for his bar mitzvah, Isaac gets schooled in what it means to be a man by older brother Josh, who could use some lessons on responsibility and sanity himself.

*Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781442408920; $16.99.

Aristotle and Dante could scarcely be more different, but through the years of growing up, they become more to each other than they ever imagined.

Schrefer, Eliot. Endangered. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545165761; $17.99.

A book of friendship that endures through hardship. A book of human cruelty and human compassion. A book that crosses cultures and species, to connect us with one another.

Schumacher, Julie. The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls. Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780385737739; $16.99.

What would you do if you were forced to join a book club with girls that you never met? But that’s not the worst part your mom and their moms are part of this book club as well, a mother-daughter book club. Ugh, that is exactly what Adrienne Haus thinks when her mother informs her that she is now part of this endeavor and has no choice but to join.

Selfors, Suzanne. The Sweetest Spell. Walker, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780802723765; $16.99.

Emmeline Thistle has survived sure death a couple of times due to cows coming to the rescue but will she be able to find true love and the long lost secret of chocolate?

Sherman, Delia. The Freedom Maze. Big Mouth House, 2011; ISBN 13: 9781931520300; $16.95.

Forced to spend her summer at her grandmother’s Southern house in the 1960′s, Sophie unwittingly finds herself transported to the Civil War era as a slave of her ancestors.

Schreiber, Joe. Au Revoir Crazy European Chick. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011; ISBN 13: 9780547577388; $16.99.

Perry’s priorities shift when the geeky Lithuanian exchange student his parents make him take to the prom ends up being a vengeful assassin in need of transportation to her “hits.”

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Curveball: the Year I Lost My Grip. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545320696; $17.99.

After Peter endures a sports ending injury, he discovers that life can curve in new directions, not always the way he anticipates; a new girl and Grandfather’s Alzheimer’s among them.

*Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. Scholastic, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545424929; $18.99.

Blue Sargent has been told her entire life that she will kill her true love.  She stays away from boys, but when one boy’s ghost shows up on the corpse road, which is a promise of death within a year, Blue understands that she can no longer avoid the Raven Boys.  When she teams up with them to search for ley lines and lost kings, she knows that something has started and that her life will never be the same.

Summers, Courtney. This is Not a Test. St. Martin’s Griffith, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780312656744; $9.99.

Meet the girl who doesn’t want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Tregay, Sarah. Love & Leftovers. Harper Collins/Katherine Tegan Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780062023582; $17.99.

When a summer vacation with her mother turns into a permanent move, Marcie realizes her life will never be the same.

Vivian, Siobhan. The List. Scholastic/Push, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780545169172; $17.99.

The list of the hottest and ugliest girls of Mount Washington High is finally out. Meet the eight teens whose lives will changed by one piece of paper.

Volponi, Paul. The Final Four. Penguin/Viking, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780670012640; $16.99.

Experience March Madness from the point of view of those who know it the best: the players. Who will triumph and who will fall?

Wasserman, Robin. The Book of Blood and Shadow. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375868764; $17.99.

In one night, Nora’s best friend is murdered and her boyfriend disappears.  When she starts looking for answers, she finds cryptic clues that lead to more danger and, perhaps, the answers to much more than she bargained for.

*Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. Disney/Hyperion, 2012; ISBN 13: 9781423152194; $16.99.

Verity and Maddie are friends working in the war effort.  When the Gestapo captures Verity, she trades information for freedom.  Meanwhile, Maddie tries to free her.  This is their story.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Beneath a Meth Moon. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780399252501; $16.99.

When Laurel moved to a new town, she was introduced to the drug moon.  What happens when she can’t get enough?

Woolston, Blythe. Catch & Release. Lerner/Carolrhoda LA, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780761377559; $17.95.

Body parts are among the things one-time pretty girl, Polly, and football star, Odd, lost when they were struck by flesh eating disease. Can a road trip heal them?

Zettel, Sarah. Dust Girl. Random House, 2012; ISBN 13: 9780375869389; $17.99.

“Oh Brother Where Art Thou” meets Rapunzel.

I was shocked that there were only seven books I have read or have in my Kindle to read on the list. Glad Veronica Roth’s Under The Never Sky showed up on the list. The nice thing is I have more books to consider down the road, while I am waiting for the next books from my list of favorite authors.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy