Category: Young Adult (Age 12+)

The Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by A.E. Cannon


Title: The Loser’s Guide to Life and Love

Author: A.E. Canon

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: June, 2008

ISBN: 978-0061128462

Size: 272 pages, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult

Ordinary, boring Ed works a loser summer job at Reel Life Movies, where he doesn’t even have his own name tag. He’s stuck with “Sergio.” Ed’s only consolations are his two best friends. Shelving DVDs isn’t so mind-numbingly dull with Scout cracking jokes, and after hours Ed hangs out with the superbrain, Quark. Life starts to look up when the girl of his dreams saunters into Reel Life. Ed knows he doesn’t stand a chance . . . but maybe, just maybe Sergio does. All he has to do is pretend to be a smoldering Brazilian stud for the rest of his life. Simple, right? But . . . Ed’s new dream girl has her own secrets, Scout wants to be more than Ed’s best friend, and his buddy Quark wants Scout for himself.

Star-crossed crushes make for hilarious misunderstandings as Ed guides his life toward disaster in this fresh, contemporary twist on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Life in the Pit by Kristen Landon


Title: Life in the Pit

Author: Kristen Landon

Publisher: Blooming Tree Press

Release Date: November 15, 2008

ISBN: 978-1933831084

Size: 248 pages, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult

Plain, normal Brittany has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful, popular friend Amanda. Amanda has a new boyfriend every week; Brittany doesn’t date. Amanda is the star of the school musical; Brittany watches from behind her cello in the orchestra pit. But then, the hot lead in the play starts showing an interest in Brittany and not because she’s Amanda s best friend. At the same time, Amanda and Brittany both get threatening anonymous letters. Brittany doesn’t know what to do: a guy likes her, and she and Amanda are in danger. Has the world gone insane?

Dragonlance: The Survivors by Dan Willis


Title: Dragonlance: The Survivors

Author: Dan Willis, Tracy Hickman

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Release Date: November 4, 2008

ISBN: 978-0786947232

Size: 320 pages, 4×7, Softcover

Genre: YA Fantasy

There are many stories in Krynn–and history is watching.

The Journeyman is charged to use the ancient Anvil of Time to travel back along the river of time and find the lost stories that fell between the pages of the history books.

He finds Bradok Axeblade. A chance meeting in a pub turns into a dire warning of impending apocalypse, and Bradok and a determined band of dwarves must brave the dark of the underworld, facing strange new dangers and horrors long hidden from the light. Hunger, fatigue, betrayal, and death await them, all in their quest to find safety in an alien environment – the surface world.

Tracy Hickman Presents the Anvil of Time is the series title for the stand-alone biographies of several of the most important characters in the Dragonlance world.

Reunion by Allyson B. Condie


Title: Reunion

Author: Allyson B. Condie

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: October 13, 2008

ISBN: 978-1590389898

Size: 224 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance

Series: Yearbook, First Day

The final book in the Yearbook Trilogy.

Addie Sherman isn’t popular, she’s not exuberant, and she’s not known as the class clown. She’s just Addie, a high school junior who is convinced that she has nothing in common with the rest of her outgoing family, including her brother Dave. When Dave’s wife, Avery, needs help during a difficult pregnancy, Dave calls on Addie. Addie has to hide her resentment over having to help her sister- in- law when there are plenty of things going on in her own life that need her attention.

Sam Choi is one of Addie’s best friends, and he has a few secrets of his own. He doesn’t want to go on a mission, and he’s not sure how to break the news to his parents.

Cate Giovanni is a freshman in college, and enjoying the chance to reinvent herself and leave her high school years behind. As she makes new friends and encounters new people, she also can’t help but think about someone she left behind.

Reunion, the final book in the Yearbook trilogy, is a novel about the journeys home that become possible after you’ve discovered more about yourself.

The Indigo King by James A Owen


Title: The Indigo King (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)

Author: James A. Owen

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Release Date: October 21, 2008

ISBN: 978-1416951070

Size: 384 pages, Hardcover

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: Here There Be Dragons (v. 1), The Search for the Red Dragon (v. 2)

“Answer the question unanswered for more than two millennia, and perhaps you may yet restore the world.”

On a September evening in 1931, John and Jack, two of the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, discover a cryptic warning on a medieval manuscript—which is not only addressed to them but seems to have been written by their friend, Hugo Dyson! But before they can discover the origin of the strange book, Hugo walks through a door in time—and vanishes into the past.

And in that moment, the world begins to change.

The Frontier, which separates our world from the Archipelago of Dreams, has fallen. Dark and terrible beasts roam throughout England. No one can be summoned from the Archipelago. And both worlds have fallen into darkness under the reign of a cruel and terrible king.

The only hope to restore the proper order of things lies on a forgotten island at the edge of the Archipelago, where a time travel device left by Jules Verne must be used to race through history itself—from the Bronze Age to ancient Alexandria and the founding of the Silver Throne—in one night. And in that single night, John and Jack will find that the only way to save their friend and stop the chaos destroying the world is to solve a 2,000-year-old mystery: Who is the Cartographer?

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson


Title: The Hero of Ages (Mistborn vol. 3)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: October 14, 2008

ISBN: 978-0765316899

Size: 576 pages, hardcover

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Mistborn (vol. 1), The Well of Ascension (vol. 2)

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

Lost Luke by Leora Potter


Title: Lost Luke

Author: Leora Potter

Publisher: Jorlan Publishing, Inc.

Release Date: July 7, 2008

ISBN: 978-1933830056

Size: 204 pages, 6×9, hardback

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Luke Wilde’s curiosity about a strange customer causes him to become a prisoner of Dr. Rollins. The doctor offers Luke $50,000 for one of his kidneys. Doc plans to sell it on the black market for transplant. The doctor gets greedy and decides Luke will not survive the operation and Dr. Rollins will have lots of body parts to sell on the black market. Nick, the doctor’s PA, learns of the deadly plan and helps Luke escape. As Nick and Luke try to outrun and outsmart the doctor, the suspense intensifies.

Runaway Amanda by Leora Potter


Title: Runaway Amanda

Author: Leora Potter

Publisher: Jorlan Publishing, Inc.

Release Date: May 30, 2008

ISBN: 978-1933830049

Size: 196 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Amanda was a teen with an adult problem. Her charming stepfather was molesting her. When her mother, Kathy, would not listen to the truth, Amanda ran away and found life on the street challenging. Life in prison was even worse. Her dilemma was how to free herself from the demands of the nightmare. Doors were locked, windows nailed shut, and no phone to call out. Debbie, Amanda’s older sister, was willing to be taken prisoner to try to locate Amanda and free her. The suspense intensifies as the two girls fight for their freedom.

Journey of the Heart by W. Dave Free


Title: Journey of the Heart

Author: W. Dave Free

Publisher: Leatherwood Press

Release Date: 2008

ISBN:

Size: 5.5×8″, softcover

Genre: YA

Steve is a typical teenage boy immersed in the material things of the world. He was raised by active LDS parents who taught him the right, but he has never experienced the fire and truth of the Gospel. Instead he has just gone through the motions. The morning he tells his parents he is not going to serve a mission is the same morning he is in a serious skiing accident. When he wakes up he discovers that he is a on a train and about to embark on a trek across the states to Utah.

While with the pioneer company he struggles with his desires to return home and his knowledge that many of the pioneers will die. In the process he learns that the truth is worth any amount of sacrifice. He also meet a young girl, traveling on her own because her parents disowned her when she joined the church. She becomes Steve’s friend and confidant and has an impact on his life Steve could have never imagined.

Freshman for President by Ally Condie


Title: Freshman for President

Author: Allyson Condie

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: May, 2008

ISBN: 978-1590389133

Size: 304 pages; 5.5×8″, softcover

Genre: YA

Fifteen- year- old Milo J. Wright and his best friend, Eden, are crazy to even consider participating in the election for President of the United States of America, aren’t they? Never mind that Milo is twenty years too young. Never mind the fact that he’ll have to balance the election with school, his lawn- mowing job, soccer practice, and trying to understand girls. There are times in life when you just have to go for something, no matter how impossible. Readers will discover that everyone, no matter what age, has something valuable to say.

The Book of Jude by Kimberley Heuston


Title: The Book of Jude

Author: Kimberley Heuston

Publisher: Front Street

Release Date: April 2008

ISBN: 978-1-932425-26-0

Size: 232 pages, Hardcover

Genre: YA

Read the review.

A brilliant young woman’s fight against a debilitating psychological illness is set against the historical events of the Prague Spring and the anti-Soviet struggles in Czechoslovakia. When Jude’s mother gets a fellowship to go to Prague to study, Jude’s world is thrown into chaos. The teenage girl feels threatened and isolated. It turns out her whole family is going, but still Jude feels adrift. When she arrives in Prague and discovers that their life in the embassy compound is closely circumscribed by rules and regulations and that they are closely watched at all times, she begins to suffer even more. Desperate to break out of the constraints imposed on her and her family, Jude sneaks out one night only to encounter a security crackdown on students and dissenters. Although she makes it home safely, her consciousness continues to deteriorate as she fluctuates in and out of rationality. Only when Jude steals a friend’s car and drives into the countryside does the true seriousness of her condition become apparent to her family. Then the long road to recovery begins.

The Unvalentine by Sam Beeson and Jesse Draper (Illus)


Title: The Unvalentine*

Author: Sam Beeson

Illustrator: Jesse Draper

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: January 8 2008

ISBN: 978-1590388433

Size: 6×7; 32 pages

Genre: Children’s picture book, Teens & Adults

“Exactly mid-way through the frigid month of February A day is celebrated by the dumb and ordinary. And all around me, notes are passed by idiots and stupids– Packed tight with sugar-mottoed hearts and naked pudgy cupids. This ritual, conducted under heart-shaped, crimson flag, Does absolutely nothing for me, but to make me gag!”

This tongue-in-cheek, rhymed story is a hilarious gift for young single adults. Features UnValentine cards in the back of the book!

This book is not eligible for a Whitney Award.

Heaven Scent by Rebecca Cornish Talley


Title: Heaven Scent

Author: Rebecca Cornish Talley

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 2008*

ISBN: 978-1-59955-100-5

Size: 5.5×8.5; 236 pages

Genre: YA

“She’d wanted her father to pay more attention to her, and she’d wanted her family to be like it used to be. She hadn’t wanted everything to change so drastically that she may not even survive it.”

As Liza proves herself a basketball star, everyone – from college basketball recruiters to the gorgeous Kyle Reynolds – seems to take note of her. Everyone, that is, except her own father. While her father is busy at his law practice, Liza learns about a strange new religion from Kyle. Could Kyle’s religion help her family? Or is it already too late for her father to make amends?

When yet another broken promise finally leads to tragedy, Liza doesn’t know if she will ever be able to forgive her father. It will take a good friend, a new belief, and a miracle straight from heaven to help Liza see that she still has a choice. The compelling story of a high school basketball star, this is a novel every girl will want, and none will be able to put down!

*Author website says release in March; publisher’s site says February and it’s listed for sale now.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George


Title: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Author: Jessica Day George

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Release Date: January 8, 2008

ISBN: 978-1599901091

Size: Hardback; 336 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass has always felt estranged from her family, who struggle to make a living in the windswept north. So when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out and promises that her family will be provided for if she accompanies him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the great white bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle. Slowly the Lass unravels the mystery of the bear’s enchantment and the spell connecting him with the strange symbols carved in the castle’s icy walls. But on a journey to a place where the four winds fear to travel, the true horror of the bear’s spell is revealed, and the Lass’s courage—and love—will be tested.

Based on the Nordic legend East of the Sun, West of the Moon, this richly reimagined tale is perfect for fans of Shannon Hale and Donna Jo Napoli.

The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen


Title: The Search for the Red Dragon

Author: James A. Owen

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Release Date: January 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-1416948506

Size: 9 x 6; 384 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Sequel to Here There Be Dragons

It has been nine years since John, Jack, and Charles had their great adventure in the Archipelago of Dreams and became the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. Now they have been brought together again to solve a mystery: Someone is kidnapping the children of the Archipelago. And their only clue is a mysterious message delivered by a strange girl with artificial wings: “The Crusade has begun.” Worse, they discover that all of the legendary Dragonships have disappeared as well.

The only chance they have to save the world from a centuries-old plot is to seek out the last of the Dragonships—the Red Dragon—in a spectacular journey that takes them from Sir James Barrie’s Kensington Gardens to the Underneath of the Greek Titans of myth. With friends both familiar and new, they will travel through an extraordinary landscape where history, myth, and fable blend together to tell the oldest story in the world. And along the way, the Caretakers of the Geographica will discover that great deeds alone do not make heroes, and that growing up may be unavoidable…but growing old doesn’t have to be.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale


Title: Book of a Thousand Days

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Release Date: September 18, 2007

ISBN: 978-1599900513

Size: 5×8; 320 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, the other decidedly less so—the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison


Title: How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend

Author: Janette Rallison

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons Books

Release Date: June 21, 2007

ISBN: 978-0399246173

Size: 5.5×8.5; 272 pages

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romantic Comedy

Boyfriends are supposed to be loyal, caring and handsome. Giovanna’s boyfriend Jesse may have the last two down, but he’s seriously lacking in the loyalty department. When her twin brother, Dante, runs for student body president, Jesse campaigns for the opponent. In the heat of the moment, Giovanna dumps Jesse and becomes Dante’s campaign manager. But she almost immediately regrets her decision. Beating the mayor’s son at school politics and winning her boyfriend back are going to take a lot more risk than Giovanna ever dreamed she’d take.

First Day by Allyson B. Condie


Title: First Day

Author: Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: June 7, 2007

ISBN: 978-1590387757

Size: 6×9; 304 pages

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Romance

Series: Sequel to Yearbook

College. Missions. Jobs. Love.

For the last two-and-a-half years, Andrea Beckett has been attending college in New York, caught up in the whirlwind of finals, career options, and falling in love.

Joel Hammond is attending the same college on the faith of an answered prayer. Feeling a little lost and alone, he’s still not sure why he has chosen to be so far from home. Then he’s asked to teach early-morning seminary with Andrea and begins to feel a little less lonely.

Though Joel and Andrea’s class of eight high-school students is small, the problems the students are dealing with are large. High-school senior Cate is a down-to-earth girl who can’t decide whether leaving home after high school is her greatest wish or her worst nightmare

And far from New York, Andrea’s brother, Ethan, is serving a mission in Brazil. The language is new, the culture is different, and sometimes being Elder Beckett is harder than he expected, but Ethan is determined to make every day the best day of his mission.

Galdoni by Cheree Alsop

“This is the Arena, and here we live to die.”

These are the words carved into a holding cell where genetically-altered gladiators, the winged humans called Galdoni, are trained to fight. Kale, rescued by three high school students and nursed back from the brink of death, is given the chance to experience life as a human.

When the other Galdoni are threatened, he has to use what he learned in the world outside the Academy to face the Arena and return to the human girl he loves.

Dark and exciting, Galdoni pushes the boundaries of love in a world of violence.

Read excerpt

Title: Galdoni

Author: Cheree Alsop

Publisher: Self

Release Date: December 16, 2011

ISBN: NA

Size: 183 pages, eBook

Genre: YA Paranormal