Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best By: Maria Padian Young Adult Literature

Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best  By: Maria Padian
This is the story of two young ladies who are very good friends. One is dedicated to ballet and the other to tennis. Both are from New Jersey and go away to various summer schools/camps for further work on their avocation. They pledge that they will always be best friends.
A great story about two girls who learn what life is really about. It also deals with issues of bulimia and peer pressure. $16.99 Ages 12-17 Random House Reviewed by: Kathy Zachel Professor

RAGE By: Jackie Morse Kessler Young Adult Book Two of Horsemen on the Apocalypse

RAGE  By: Jackie Morse Kessler 
Melissa Miller is not okay. Her home life is terrible, her ex-boyfriend thinks she's a loser, and everyone at school hates her. And after one terrible Friday night, Melissa is done with feeling like a freak. She takes out her razor, the one she has used so many times before, and cuts down deeper and deeper and deeper until she can feel nothing at all. But Melissa slices a little too deep and comes face to face with Death, one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, dressed in the skin of Kurt Cobain. Instead of taking her life, Death offers Melissa a choice: die or wield the sword of War and have the power to take revenge on anyone that has ever hurt her. Ages 12 and up. $8.99 Graphia

NIGHTSPELL By: Leah Cypess Young Adult Literature

NIGHTSPELL  By: Leah Cypress
It's been four years since Darri's sister, Callie, was taken from her home and sent to live in Ghostland, a place where the dead linger, hoping to seek revenge of the living. And, after traveling hundreds of miles, battling the toughest terrain and evil ghosts, the warrior princess, Darri, has finally come to save her sister. She will do anything to get Callie home to safety, including sacrificing herself to be married to the Ghostland king, defeating an evil sorcerer, and out-maneuvering a manipulative tribal warrior (who just so happens to be her older brother). But no matter what Darri does, it might not be enough. Callie has changed in the four years that she and Darri have been apart. Now she has a secret, one that may keep the two sisters apart forever. Ages 12 and up. $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16. Greenwillow

RICE KRISPIES TREATS COOKBOOK Cooking with kids without the heat

RICE KRISPIES TREATS COOKBOOK
It is summer and I love to cook. But it is hot here, soon to be 100 degrees and turning on an oven is not my way of keeping cool. But here is a cookbook that you use with your microwave to make great treats. The birthday fun cups look great, and they have either pudding or ice cream in the center.
But come fall they have treats for all the holidays that you can make with  your children. I am going to call my grand kids right now and see if we can do something together. Hope you do the same. $9.99 Weldon Owen

THE LUNCH BOX By: Kate McMillan and Sarah Putman Clegg

THE LUNCH BOX  By: Kate McMillan and Sarah Putman Clegg
Are you ready to start packing lunches for you kids. Well this book has a plethora of goodies for everyone. There are even lunches for adults in here. The cookbook comes on in October just after you have spent over of month trying to come up with something else besides p&j. There are gobbler sandwiches, fruitwiches, pinwheels, even sushi. But the best part is that they are easy to prepare.
Salads and snacks are plentiful throughout too.  All ages  $18.95 Weldon Owen

ART OF THE COOKIE By: Shelly Kaldunski Great thing to do with your children

ART OF THE COOKIE  By: Shelly Kaldunski
This fabulous cookie cookbook is one that is going to be on my shelf come November. Stunning photographs of all the cookies. I plan on making three with my grandsons. The first is a chocolate waffle cookie. You use a waffle cone maker or a pizzelle maker. You frost them half way (see cover) and cover part with white chocolate. How pretty is that. Then they have a chocolate pretzel, yummy.
And last is a peppermint cookie shaped like a stick. I am sure we will try others, but those would be great to give as gifts from the children.
I hope you will try this with your kids and make it a tradition. When my children were little they always helped in the kitchen. Now they are great cooks.
For Adults and Children  Weldon Owen Publishers $19.95

STAY By: Deb Caletti Young Adult Literature

STAY  By: Deb Caletti
When Clara met Christian for the first time, it was love at first sight. But as their relationship grows, Clara soon realizes that what she thought was devotion is really more like obsession and Christian's overbearing, jealous, and hot-tempered attitude is dangerous. Clara flees the city in an attempt to get away from Christian, telling no one where she has gone or when she is coming back. Still, she can't shake off her fear. Clara knows that when it comes to Christian, she may be able to run, but she will never be able to hide. Ages 12 and up. Simon Pulse $16.99

SHARKS AND BOYS By: Kristen Tracy Young Adult Literature

SHARKS AND BOYS  By: Kristen Tracy
When Enid's boyfriend, Wick, announces that he wants to "take a break" from their relationship, Enid is sure that he is cheating on her. Hoping to catch him in the act, Enid stows away on the yacht where Wick, her brother, and their group of friends from twin studies are planning on spending the night drinking and letting loose. but when the boys take the boat out into a storm and everyone is left adrift in the ocean, Enid learns the new definition of the term desperate. stuck in a tiny raft, with sharks circling and no food or water in sight, Enid and the twins must begin to confront their deepest fears and come to terms with the fact that some of them might not make it home. Ages 12 and up. Hyperion $16.99  Reviewed by Maggie age 16.

WHERE I BELONG By: Gwendolyn Heasley

WHERE I BELONG By: Gwendolyn Heasley
Meet Corrinne Corcoran, a spoiled, young socialite, living every girl's dream in New York City. Or rather, she was...before her father lost his job. Now instead of attending a chic boarding school and dating millionaires' sons, Corrinne is spending her sophomore year in Podunk town in Texas. Forced to attend public school and take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne will do anything to get back to the life she was supposed to be living back in New York and she could care less who gets hurt along the way. But after Corrinne makes some unlikely friends and starts to fall for one of the town's hunks, she starts to wonder if her old life is really as great as it once seemed. Maybe, Just maybe, Corrinne is a country girl at heart. Ages 12 and up. Harper Teen $7.99 Reviewed by Maggie

MAGGIE'S TOP 10 FOR YOUNG ADULT FROM 2011 - MAGGIE IS 16

MAGGIE'S TOP 10 YOUNG ADULT NOVELS FOR 2011

DIVERGENT  By: Veronica Roth
RUBY RED  By: Kerstin Gier
THE MOCKINGBIRDS By: Daisy Whitney
THE IRON THORN  By: Caitlin Kirtridge
BEFORE I FALL  By: Lauren Oliver
THE REPLACEMENT  By: Brenna Yovanoff
TIGER'S CURSE By: Coleen Houck
JASPER JONES  By: Craig Silvey
SHATTER ME  By: Tehereh Mafi
THE ETERNAL ONES  By: Kirsten Miller

I thought it would be helpful for all my librarians and either young adult readers or their parents to see what was really wonderful according to Maggie. Maggie reads more than I do in a year. She is a remarkable young lady who enjoys a great read, but is also very conscientious on writing style. Hope this helps everyone. Marcia

VARIANT By: Robison Wells Ages 12-17

VARIANT  By: Robison Wells
Variant is a highly suspenseful book that takes place in a secretive boarding school. The main character, Benson Fisher, comes into this environment prepared for a new chance at life after suffering through countless foster homes, but receives an unpleasant surprise upon arrival. From this enticing beginning right up to the last page, Variants leaves the reader begging for more. A great book for readers who like Lord of the Flies and other books like it. Ages 12-17 $17.99 Harper Teen
Reviewed by Molly Hoch age 15

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J. By: Erica S. Perl Ages 8-12 Humorous Yiddish words throughout

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J.  By: Erica S. Perl
Zelly Fried is an ordinary ten year old girl, who happens to have her grandfather Ace living with her.
Zelly wakes up one morning to find a note attached to and orange juice bottle, to come and see Ace immediately and don't tell anyone. Ace has decided that if Zelly really wants a dog, a practice one will be just the ticket. Zelly is to walk and feed O.J. to show her parents she is responsible.The only problem is she is so embarrassed that she doesn't want anyone to see her walking a bottle with no legs. The plot only gets more involved as Zelly tries to keep it a secret. Ages 8-10  $15.99  Knopf

TROUBLE-MAKER By: Andrew Clements Ages 9-12

TROUBLE-MAKER  By: Andrew Clements
Clayton is always being sent to the principals office. But when he draws a picture of the the principal with a face of a donkey, his life begins to change. Clay can't wait to go home and show his brother Mitch the picture he took with his cell phone of the principal. Mitch's response wasn't what Clay thought it would be. Mitch had just returned from a month in prison. He made Clay promise he would never do anything bad again, had him get a haircut, get different clothes and change his ways. Will this be enough to change Clay?  Andrew Clements deals with a tough topic again and achieves his goal.  Ages 9-12  Antheneum  $16.99

EXPOSED By: Kimberly Marcus Young Adult Literature

EXPOSED By: Kimberly Marcus
In one night, Liz Grayson's life changed forever and she doesn't even know why. Suddenly her best friend won't talk to her, won't even look at her, her brother is acting strange, and her boyfriend is suddenly growing distant. Then rumors begin to spread around Liz's school about what her best friend, Kate, and her brother did late one evening while Liz was asleep in her room. Everything Liz thought she knew about her family and her friends is obscured. Nothing is making sense anymore. Liz's life is crumbling around her and she can do nothing to stop it. Ages 14 and up. Random House $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16.

FROM BAD TO CURSED By: Katie Alender Young Adult Literature

FROM BAD TO CURSED  By: Katie Alender
Alexis has had enough of ghosts. They possessed her sister, Kasey, burned down her house, and just basically ruined her entire life. But, then Kasey comes home from her stay at the psych ward and joins some kind of supernatural cult. Now Alexis has no choice but dive back into the world of disembodied souls in order to save her sister's life. Alexis joins the cult and comes face to face with one of the most powerful, most evil spirits in existence, Aralt, but instead of fighting off the supernatural, Alexis ends up selling him her soul. And when wonderful things begin to happen all around her, Alexis can't remember why she joined the cult in the first place. She could never destroy Aralt, she loves him. Ages 12 and up. Hyperion $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16.

IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT By: Kersten Hamilton Book Two of the Goblin Wars Young Adult Literature Coming November, 2011

IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT  By: Kersten Hamilton
Teagan and her friends have escaped form Mag Mell, but heir troubles are far form over. Tea's goblin blood has been awoken and her goblin cousins will do anything to get her to come back to Mag Mell, including trying to kidnap, torture, or kill Teagan's family and friends. She knows that it's only a matter of time before her goblin have takes over and she has to succumb to her destiny, but as long as she can hold on to her human half, Teagan will fight for her family and her friends, and maybe fall head over heels in love with the hunky goblin hunter, Finn. But Teagan finds that keeping everyone she loves safe is harder that it seems and she ends up returning to Mag Mell. And this time escaping won't be so easy. Ages 12 and up. Clarion Reviewed by Maggie age 16. Book two of the Goblin Wars

MERCY By: Rebecca Lim Young Adult Literature

MERCY  By: Rebecca Lim
Mercy doesn't know who she is or what has happened to her. In fact, the only thing that Mercy knows for certain is that for centuries she has been invading the souls of young girls, living their lives out for them while they are trapped inside of their own bodies. It's a lonely, awful existence. That is until she wakes up and meets Ryan, an older boy reeling from the loss of his sister. Suddenly, Mercy realizes that she has a purpose: She was sent to help Ryan. But as Mercy grows closer to Ryan and the two begin to solve the mystery surrounding Ryan's sister's disappearance, Mercy feels herself slipping away, into another person's life. Mercy knows that she has to act quickly in order to fulfill her destiny before her time runs out and she loses the only boy she has ever loved. Ages 13 up. Hyperion
$16.99  Reviewed by Maggie age 16

GLOW By: Amy Kathleen Ryan Young Adult Literature

GLOW  By: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Living on the spaceship, the Empyrean, and being part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, Waverly and her boyfriend Kieran will be some of the first people to settle on New Earth. Waverly has always known that it was her duty to marry young in order to have children so that New Earth will have a stable population, and Kieran is obviously the best choice for a husband. But still, Waverly can't help but want more. But when the Empyrean is attacked by its sister ship, The New Horizon, and Waverly and the rest of the young girls form her ship are kidnapped, marriage becomes the last thing on any one's mind. Now Waverly and Kieran are separated and struggling to survive on two very different ships, which are traveling farther and farther away form each other every passing second. Trapped in deep outer space, will Waverly and Kieran ever see each other again? Ages 14 and up. St. Martins Griffin  $17.99  Reviewed by Maggie age 16. On another note I loved this book, couldn't put it down.

HAUNTED By: Jessica Verday Young Adult Literature

HAUNTED  By: Jessica Verday
After a few months spent trying to forget about the boy she fell in love with, the boy that she learned was dead, and getting her grip back on reality, Abby returns to her home in Sleepy Hollow. Totally convinced that she has been cured of her insanity, Abby feels good, kind of, and is ready to get back to the life she led before she met Caspian and all of these shenanigans began. But all that proves difficult when Caspian comes stumbling back into Abby's life late one June evening. Old feelings begin to resurface as Abby comes to learn that it is her destiny to be with Caspian. The only problem is that to complete that destiny Abby must die and some new residents of Sleepy Hollow will do anything to make sure that happens sooner, rather than later. Ages 14 and up. Simon Pulse $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

IS EVERYONE READY FOR FUN? By: Jan Thomas Ages 2-6 Funny Picture Book

IS EVERYONE READY FOR FUN?  By: Jan Thomas
Talk about an exciting book for a four year old! Younger and older children will appreciate the book too, however my grandson Aidan thought it was so funny we had to read it six times before he would let me read anything else.
This is a story of three cows who find Chicken's sofa a blast. They jump, dance, wiggle and get Chicken so mad, but in the end peace at last, for they all nap on the sofa, even Chicken. Beach Lane Books  Coming in September 2011   $12.99

OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE By: Larraine Rosenthal Young Adult Literature

OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE By: Larraine Rosenthal       After the death of her great uncle, Ari is able to transfer to the very elite, Hollister prep school. Here she meets Leigh, a strange new friend who introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York, and to her amazing cousin, Blake. As Blake and Ari's relationship begins to heat up, Ari must face ridicule from everyone around her. She begins to lose touch with her family, her friends, and her job, as her first ever romance grows intense and consuming. But then Blake suddenly breaks things off and Ari's world is flipped upside down. As she struggles to gain control of her life and bring things back to the way they were, Ari must finally ask her: was she really in love, or was she feeling something else entirely. Ages 14 and up. Delacorte $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16.

  

TIMELESS By: Alexandra Monir Young Adult Literature

TIMELESS By: Alexandra Monir

Ever since she was a little girl, Michele has had the same recurring dream about a young, sapphire-eyed boy. He is mysterious and nothing like the boys that Michele knows in reality. Although the older she gets, the more Michele realizes that her dream man is just that, a dream. That is, until tragedy strikes and Michele is sent to live with her grandparents in New York. While living in the city, Michele discovers a diary that sends her hurtling back into the year 1910. Here she meets the blue-eyed boy from her dreams. Soon Michele is leading a double life, struggling to balance her drab life in 2010 with her fairytale in 1910. But then she stumbles upon a terrible discovery. Michele is propelled on a race thought time to save the boy of her dreams before it is too late and he is lost forever. Ages 12 and up. Delacorte $16.99

EVERYTHING I WAS By: Corinne Demas

Irene had sort of been hoping to spend her summer with her friends, shopping in the city, and going to camp. But after her father loses his job as a corporate VP and her mother spends their savings on shoes, Irene's previous summer plans are exchanged for a job working in her grandfather's greenhouse in the country. Irene is almost ninety-nine percent sure that her summer is going to be a disaster. But then she meets the most amazing family and her summer goes form being unbearable to being pretty amazing. Ages 12 and up. Carolrhoda $17.95

THE DEAD By: Charlie Higson Young Adult Literature

THE DEAD By: Charlie Higson

A terrible disease is infecting everyone over the age of sixteen. It starts out like a cold. Your nose gets runny. Your head starts to hurt. Maybe your throat begins to feel scratchy and you start to cough. The your skin starts to itch. It won't stop and soon you're covered in boils and blisters and voices are ringing in you head. They want you to eat, eat children, eat each other...

Jack and Ed, two English boarding school student's discover the effects of this horrible disease for themselves when their teachers begin to turn into horrible flesh-eating creatures. The boys decide that they need to escape to the city before it's too late. But will it really be better in the city: or is all hope lost for those uninfected? Ages 14 and up. Hyperion $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

THE NEAR WITCH By: Victoria Schwab Young Adult Literature

THE NEAR WITCH By: Victoria Schwab

Stories of the Near Witch have been told in the village of Near for centuries. Lexi has heard these stories all her life and they haven't been much more than fiction until one day when a stranger - a boy who appears and disappears like smoke - appears out on the moor one night. When children start disappearing from Near and the mysterious boy becomes the main (and only) suspect, Lexi begins to believe that the stranger may be innocent. And as the hunt for the stranger and the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to uncover the truth behind the story of the Near Witch and to learn the story of the nameless boy who has become so much more that a stranger to Lexi. Age 12-18 Hyperion $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

BLESSED By: Cynthia Leitich Smith Young Adult Literature

BLESSED By: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Quincie P. Morris has just been turned into a blood thirsty vampire. And if that's not enough to worry about then there's always the fact that the vampire that "blessed" her is running loose and attempting to become a modern day Dracula, complete with his own army of fledglings. Or maybe she could worry about clearing the name of her best friend (and true love) of murder charges. The angel waiting in her parents' restaurant would be cause for some alarm if he wasn't trying to save Quincie's soul from destruction. With all this on her plate, Quincie and a few unusual friends set out to save the human race from a vampire apocalypse and maybe, just maybe save a few souls in the process. Ages 14 and up. Candlewick $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

SAY THE WORD By: Jeannine Garsee Young Adult Literature

SAY THE WORD By: Jeannine Garsee

Shawna Gallagher has always tried he hardest to be perfect, and for the most part she is. She gets good grades, has the right friends, and follows all the rules. But Shawna is also haunted by a dark secret. And when her estranged mother dies, Shawna not only has to deal with her resurfacing anger from being abandoned ten years earlier, but rumors begin to fly about her mother's other family. Now Shawna has a decision to make, a decision that will change her life forever. Should she do what is right, hurting the only family she has ever known? Or should she do what is expected, making her father happy, but destroying the lives of the people close to her? Ages 14 and up. $17.99 Bloomsbury Reviewed by Maggie age 16 Sex and language.

SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT By: Jennifer Richard Jacobson Ages 10-14

SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT By: Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Ever since Jack was little, his mom has bee...unpredictable. Sometimes he is happy and care-free, other times she's moody or depressed. But despite these mood swings, Jack never expected his mom to desert him at some strange campground one night. Now Jack has no money, no phone, and about a three day journey to get to his home in Boston. With only a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins to travel south toward home and toward (he hopes) his mother. Along the way, his strength, his wit, and his loyalties will be tested, as he tries to outrun the police and keep his family intact. Ages 10-14 Candlewick $15.99

PUTTING MAKE-UP ON DEAD PEOPLE By: Jennifer Violi

After her father's death, Donna hasn't really been present in life. She's let her friends push her around and she's let her mother choose her college and her major. Basically Donna has just lost touch with the living. But then, one day, Donna has an epiphany: she wants to be a mortician. Who cares if her mother and the rest of the planet things she's gone insane. Donna finally knows what she wants and maybe, just maybe she can regain her life among the living by helping the dead. Ages 14 and up. Hyperion $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

ALL YOU GET IS ME By: Yvonne Prinz Young Adult

ALL YOU GET IS ME By: Yvonne Prinz

When her father suddenly decides to move to the country to become a farmer, Roar finds that life has become a lot more complicated and a lot more work. Especially when, just a year after breaking into the business, Roar and her father witness a fatal accident. Roar un-expectantly finds herself caught between her best friend, Storm, a mysterious, easy-on-the-eyes boy from L.a. and her father, a man who's' on a human rights crusade that threatens to uproot the small amount of normality that Roar has been holding onto and possibly change the very fabric of the farming community. So much for the easy summer. Ages 14 and up. Harper Teen $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

VISCONTI HOUSE By: Elsbeth Edgar Young Adult Literature

VISCONTI HOUSE By: Elsbeth Edgar

Laura Horton doesn't quite fit in at her school. She lives in a crumbling mansion that everyone seems to think is "haunted" and spends too much time with her parents' artist friends than with kids her own age. So when rumors start to fly about the strange new boy, Leon Murphy, Laura decides it's best to keep her distance. But soon Laura finds that keeping her distance may be harder than expected. It turns out that Leon and she may have more in common than she thought. and Laura may just need his help if she ever wants to uncover the secrets of the "haunted" Visconti House. Ages 9 and up. Candlewick $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

KINDRED By: Tammar Stein Young Adult Literature

KINDRED By: Tammar Stein

What would you do if you woke up one morning and archangel Raphael is standing over your bed?

Miriam has never considered herself a religious girl, but after one strange morning in her college dorm, she finds herself embarking on a mission for the big man himself. and, little does she know, her twin brother Mo has also had a bit of a religious encounter, only his came from the other end of the good-evil spectrum. He's doing everything in his power to stop Miriam from saving her contemporaries, which leaves Miriam to wonder whether she has been blessed or cursed by God and what the real purpose behind her mission is. Whatever the answer, Miriam only has a few short months to complete her task, save her brother and save herself. Ages 12 and up. Knopf $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

THROAT By: R.A. Nelson Epilepsy-Vampires Young Adult Literature

THROAT By: R.A. Nelson

Emma has always felt trapped by her epilepsy. Unable to get a license, always

going to the doctor's, she hasn't had much of a life since the seizures started when she was a little girl. She always thought of the disease as a curse, until one morning when she wakes up in the hospital, weak for blood loss. Her epilepsy has saved her from a violent attack from the evil vampire, Wirtz. Now Emma is left with some amazing powers-speed, strength, heightened sense-minus the need to drink blood. So is Emma a vampire or something else? Only one thing soon becomes clear: Wirtz wants Emma for his, whether she's a vampire or not, and he won't leave until he gets exactly what he wants. Ages 12 and up. Knopf $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

RUBY RED By: Kerstin Gier Young Adult Literature

RUBY RED By: Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth has grown up watching as her beautiful cousin Charlotte who has been pampered and prepped for the day that she begins to travel through time. but then on day, as Gwyneth is walking to the store, she's transported back to the 1800's. It was Gwyneth who was carrying the time travelers gene all along. Now Gwyneth must discover why her mother would lie about her birth date, begin Time Traveler's training, and learn to go along with Gideon, the infuriating, handsome time traveler for a similarly gifted family. Together, the two must travel through time to unearth the mysteries of time travel.But soon it becomes obvious that everything it the past is not as it seems and the people they trust the most may turn out to be their worst enemies. Ages 12 and up. Henry Holt $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16.

RUNNING DREAM By:Wendlin Van Draanen Young Adult Literature

THE RUNNING DREAM By: Wendlin Van Draanen

After a devastating car accident leaves Jessica without a leg, she thinks her life is over. Even after she learns that she'll walk again with the help of a prosthetic, her life still seems hopeless and depressing. Who cares about walking when you dream of being able to run: But then something amazing happens. Jessica's track team starts a fund raiser to help Jessica buy a runner's prosthetic. Only problem is, those legs aren't cheap, in fact, they cost about $20.000. Her friends are doing everything they can to help raise the money, but its hard when they're only revenue is coming from bake sales and car washes. As the months drag on and her classmates are nowhere near raising enough money for the leg, Jessica begins to wonder: Will she ever run again? Ages 12 and up. Knopf $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

DROUGHT By: Pam Bachorz Young Adult

DROUGHT By: Pam Bachorz

For the last 200 years, Ruby has been a part of the Congregation, a religious group enslaved by Darwin West and his Overseers, forced to harvest Water for a man called the Visitor. They are starved and brutally beaten, but they struggle through each year waiting faithfully for Otto, their savior to come and rescue them. Only he doesn't come, he never comes, and Ruby begins to lose faith. She longs to escape the congregation and live in the real world, but if Ruby leaves, the Congregation would die because only her blood and her blood alone can give the Water its healing and life-sustaining powers. So Ruby is left with a choice. Does she stay with the Congregation, keeping faith that Otto will return? Or does she risk the lives of hundreds of people and venture out to find their savior herself? Ages 12 and up. Egmont $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

LARK By: Tracey Porter

When Lark Austin is kidnapped late one January evening and left to die in a cold, snowy, Virginia forest, her two best friends are stunned by the loss. Eve can't help feeling as though Lark's disappearance was somehow her fault. While Nyetta is convinced that she is being haunted by her friend's ghost. Together the two girls must work to help their old friend, who they discover is caught in limbo between two worlds. Only by joining together can Eve and Nyetta begin to heal themselves and help Lark move onto her afterlife. Ages 12 and up. Harper Teen

$15.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

A BEAUTIFUL DARK By: Jocelyn Davis Young Adult Literature

A BEAUTIFUL DARK By: Jocelyn Davis

Until the night of her 17th birthday, Skye had never questioned how her parents died. But when two strangers intrude on her cozy, Colorado life, Skye begins to feel as though everything is not as it has always seemed. Polar opposites, Asher is daring and wild, while Devin is cold and aloof. Skye has no idea who they are or what they want, only that strange things begin to happen right after they appear. Suddenly Skye's peaceful lifestyle is transformed into a terrifying adventure, as she finds herself torn between Asher and Devin, and caught in the middle of an ancient battle between chaos and order. Ages 12 and up. Harper Teen $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

ORCHARDS By: Holly Thompson, Young Adult Literature

ORCHARDS By: Holly Thompson

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg is caught up in a world of trouble. She and her friends had said some, kind of, awful things to the girl and are being blamed for her death. But, whatever, it's not like they knew she was bipolar. It's not like they told her to hang herself. It's not Kana's fault that the girl died, but no one really seems to care. Instead, they send her off to Japan to spend the summer with their strict, orange picking relatives. At first Kana finds it hard to fit in with her grandparents and cousins, bitter over having to spend so much time away from her friends. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, travels through Japan, and learns about her village's culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then, just as her life seems to be back to normal, terrible news comes from home, sending her world spinning out of orbit all over again. Ages 12 and up. Delacorte Press $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

SHATTER ME By: Tahereh Mafi, Coming November 2011

SHATTER ME By: Tahereh Mafi

Juliette has been imprisoned for a dangerous and powerful ability that she cannot control. The only contact that she has had in the past 264 days comes from the soldiers that march outside of her cell door. Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. That is, until she gets a roommate, a mysterious boy named Adam. Just a few days after they have been cellmates, The Reestablishment, the government group that is keeping Juliette imprisoned, decides that Juliette may be exactly what they need to regain control of a crumbling society. Now Juliette must make a choice: Be a weapon, or be a warrior. Ages 14 and up. Harper Teen $17.99

Reviewed by Maggie No cover was available when this blog was done, a must read.

DIVERGENT BY: Veronica Roth Young Adult Literature

DIVERGENT By: Veronica Roth

In the future, society is divided into five factions, each representing a different virtue: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Once every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives, leaving everything they hold dear behind. It's a difficult time for any young adult, but even more so for Beatrice Prior. As Beatrice begins to settle into her new life, she discovers that there is a growing conflict within her (seemingly) perfect society. Now it's up to Beatrice to stop the unrest before it tears everything she knows apart. But Beatrice has a secret. And, even though it could save everyone that she loves, if anyone where to discover what she was, Beatrice would be sentenced to death. Ages 14 and up. Katherine Tegen Books $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie

TEN THINGS WE DID (and probaby shouldn't have) By: Sarah Mlynowski Young Adult Literature

TEN THINGS WE DID (and probably shouldn't have) By: Sarah Mlynowski

In retrospect April probably shouldn't have tricked her father into letting her live alone with her best friend, Vi. But she saw an opportunity and, hey, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't kill form the chance to live unsupervised with a hefty monthly allowance. So what if April had to tell a tiny, itty-bitty lie to make it happen? April and Vi are very responsible young ladies, it's not like they will get into trouble. Right? I mean, buying a hot tub seemed completely necessary at the time. And the girls only skipped school once because it was, like, a total emergency. Okay and they maybe...probably..definitely shouldn't have harbored a fugitive, thrown a crazy party, played "I never", and paid $3000 for a cat, but they're two sixteen-year-old living without parental supervision. Did you really expect them to follow all the rules? Ages 14 and up. Harper Teen $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16

HEREAFTER By: Tara Hudson Young Adult Literature

HEREAFTER By: Tara Hudson

The only thing that Amelia knows for sure is that she is dead. Floating alone, down a mysterious river, she has no memories of her past life and no actual memories of her death. She is trapped in a lonely nightmarish existence. That is, until one night, when she saves a boy named Joshua from drowning in her river, and everything changes, forever. As the days go on, Amelia and Joshua begin to grow closer and start to uncover the strange circumstances that surround her death. But while their relationship grows stronger and they begin to discover more about Amelia's past, an evil spirit named Eli is trying everything in his power to destroy their bond and drag Amelia back into the ghost world so he can keep her for himself, forever. Ages 12 and up. Harper Teen $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie

EVE By: Anna Carey Young Adult Literature

EVE By: Anna Carey

The year is 2032 and the world has been invaded by a deadly virus. Most of the population has been wiped out, and the girls and boys who survived the viruses have been sent off to boarding schools where they will stay until they are old enough to move into the City of Sand. Or so they are told. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve's graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her when she reaches the city. Fearing the worst, Eve flees the school and ventures into the wilderness where she encounters Caleb, a rebellious boy, escaped from a labor camp. He promises to protect Eve from the dangers of the wild, but when City soldiers begin to hunt them, Eve must choose between true love and her life. Ages 12 and up. HarperCollins $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie

THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE By: Maureen Johnson, Young Adult

THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE By: Maureen Johnson

Ginny Blackstone spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her eccentric aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. But, when someone stole Ginny's backpack and all of her aunt's letters, she never got to finish her journey. It's not until months later, when a mysterious boy contacts Ginny form London, saying he's found her bag that Ginny has any hope finally finishing what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure just as wild and crazy as the one before it. Only this time, she doesn't have her ant's instructions to guide her. Ages 12 and up. Harper Teen $ 16.99 Reviewed by Maggie

DIE FOR ME By: Amy Plum Young Adult

DIE FOR ME By: Amy Plum

After Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life behind to live with her older sister and grandparents in Paris. But the longer Kate spends in Paris, the more reclusive she becomes. That is, until she meets Vincent, a mysterious, charming and devastatingly handsome young Frenchmen. But as Kate begins to fall in love with Vincent, she discovers that he is hiding something dangerous. As Kate becomes closer to him and his friends the more trouble begins to unfold. And she soon realizes that if she follows her heart and stays by Vincent's side, she may never be safe again. Ages 14 and up. Harperteen $17.99 Reviewed by Maggie

CRYER'S CROSS By: Lisa McMann, Young Adult

CRYER'S CROSS By: Lisa McMann

When Tiffany Quinn disappears without a trace, the residents of Cryer's cross, Montana are distraught. Kendall Fletcher didn't know her all that well, but Tiffany's empty seat in the back of their one room school house is wreaking havoc on her OCD-addled brain. And when another student disappears, someone very close to Kendall, it becomes almost impossible for her not to obsess about the missing kids. Then Kendall begins to hear the voices of Tiffany and Nico (the other missing students), calling for help, and she fears that she may be losing her mind. But whether Kendall likes it or not, her OCD is forcing her to listen to the voices of the missing and act on her suspicions. Kendall is about to find out that something is amiss in Cryer's cross and that some of its residents will do anything to keep their secrets buried. Ages 14 and up. Simon Pulse $16.99 Reviewed by Maggie age 16