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