Category: YA General

Title: Glimpse

Author: Carol Lynch Williams

Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Release Date: June 22, 2010

ISBN: 978-1416997306

Size: 496 pages, hardcover

Genre: YA

In one moment
it is over.
In one moment
it is gone.

The morning grows
thin, grey
and our lives-
how they were-
have vanished.
Our lives have
changed

when I walk in
on Lizzie
my sister
holding a shotgun.

Twelve year old girl Hope’s life is turned upside down when her older sister Lizzie becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself. Ever since their dad died Hope and Lizzie have relied on each other from a young age. Their mother is a reluctant and unreliable parent at best, who turns tricks to support the family. Throughout the course of this lyrical and heartbreaking narrative readers and Hope discover that the mother is prostituting Lizzie and it’s up to Hope to bring the truth to light to save her sister.

Title: Geek Girl

Author: Cindy C Bennett

Publisher: CreateSpace (self)

Release Date: July 26, 2010

ISBN: 978-1453663318

Size: 316 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: YA

“Think I can turn that boy bad?”

High school junior Jen inadvertently turns her life upside down when, out of boredom, she makes a bet that she can turn school geek Trevor into a someone bad, someone like her. His complete opposite in every way, the sarcastic goth-girl tries pulling him into her world of partying. Instead she finds herself sucked into Trevor’s world of sci-fi movies, charity work and even – ugh! – bowling.

If that weren’t bad enough, she desperately wants to become a permanent part of the foster family she currently lives with, even if it means having a cheerleader for a sister. What’s up with that?

But Jen must come to terms with her past, including her now-dead abusive father and her imprisoned mother. Jen’s journey will lead her to discover the true meaning of friendship. family, forgiveness, and above all, love.

Title: The Hoarders

Author: Jean Stringham

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: June 8, 2010

ISBN: 978-1599554075

Size: 224 pages, 5.5×8, paperback

Genre: Young Adult

While everything around him falls apart, Cheyenne can only count on two things: his little brother, Joaquin, and his precious food hoard. But when their situation goes from bad to worse, Cheyenne knows he and Joaquin will need to stick together and rely on the lessons they’ve learned to keep them alive.

Title: My Double Life

Author: Janette Rallison

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Release Date: May 13, 2010

ISBN: 978-0399252624

Size: 272 pages, hardcover

Genre: YA

Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia’s photo filters through the Internet, she’s offered a job to be Kari’s double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia’s mother has always warned her against celebrities.

Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else!

Title: Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me

Author: Kristen Chandler

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Release Date: May 13, 2010

ISBN: 978-0670011421

Size: 371 pages, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult

Read excerpt here.

When KJ Carson is assigned to write a column for her school newspaper about the wolves in nearby Yellowstone National Park, she’s more interested in impressing Virgil Whitman, the new kid in school and the photographer assigned as her partner, than in investigative journalism. But before long, KJ has a face-to-face encounter with a wolf that changes her and the way she thinks about wolves. With her new found passion for protecting these controversial animals, KJ inadvertently ignites the fuse of the anti-wolf sentiment in the community. First Virgil is injured during a town parade, and then her father’s store is set on fire in retribution. To stop the escalating violence, KJ follows Virgil to the cattle ranch of the most outspoken anti-wolf activists in town, against her father’s will. What she discovers there threatens everything and everyone she cares about.

In KJ’s fierce and funny attempt to make peace between the wolves and the people that despise them, she must first face her own long-held fears. It’s terrifying, but then, finding yourself always is.

Title: Cameron Meets Madison Again

Author: Jack Weyland

Publisher: Granite Publishing

Release Date: May, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59936-054-6

Size: 122 pages, 5×8, softcover

Genre: YA

Have you ever had a day that was so good you wished it would, never end? Well, that is how Cameron felt, until that day. The day that would not end. The anything-but-humble Cameron, star quarterback of the Lincoln High School football team has a chance to live and relive his good day over and over again.

Cameron has every reason to look forward to the Monday victory rally after making the winning touchdown on Friday night in the game for the state championship. After the rally though, when he tries to exit the school, a mysterious force pushes him back inside, and he finds himself, once again, starting the same Monday all over again. With each new Monday, Madison, the only LDS student in school, is waiting at his locker to interview him for the school paper. As much as he wants to, he can’t seem to escape her influence for good. But will that be enough to help him see that his arrogance has blinded him to the worth of those around him?

Cameron is one of the funnest and most thought provoking plots best-selling author, Jack Weyland has ever written. If you liked the movie Groundhog Day, you will love Cameron.

Title: Princess for Hire

Author: Lindsey Leavitt

Publisher: Hyperion Book

Release Date: March 16, 2010

ISBN:

Size: 256 pages, 6×8″, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult

When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to know, like, now if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you

a) run
b) faint
c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?

In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.

Title: Summer in Paris

Author: Michele Ashman Bell

Publisher: Valor Publishing Group

Release Date: March 16, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-935546-17-7

Size: 210 pages, 6×9″, softcover

Genre: YA Coming of Age/Romance

Kenzie Williams feels like she has it all; wealth, friends, popularity and talent. But when her father tells her that he has declared bankruptcy, her whole world in New York City turns upside down. Her parents’ solution while they sort through their financial and marital problems is to send Kenzie to live with her relatives in Paris . . . Idaho!

Feeling like she’s been sentenced to three months in Hickville Prison, Kenzie arrives in Idaho feeling like a square peg, with name brand clothes, in a round, horribly podunk, hole.

Leaving everything she loves behind, Kenzie is forced to get up at the crack of dawn, do chores, and hang out with her cousin’s loser friends. She feels like she’s about to die until she meets Adam White, the town outcast, whose been accused of killing his best friend and is being blamed for some trouble that’s been happening around town.

Not only is Adam the best-looking guy she’s ever seen, but he’s also the most fascinating guy she’s ever met and Kenzie is determined to get to know him and find out his secret. But, the longer she stays in Paris, the more she realizes, Adam isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Title: My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions

Author: Becca Wilhite

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: February 18, 2010

ISBN: 978-1606415962

Size: 176 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Young Adult

A perfect blend of wit, comedy, suspense, and, of course, romance.

This is NOT your typical romance novel.

Sarah Howard’s first year at the university is everything and nothing she expected—especially when a very cute boy named Ben in her Art History class starts to show interest in her.

Sarah feels like she’s an average, normal, everyday girl. So, when Ben (to whom she secretly refers as Adonis because she thinks he could be a Greek god) begins to take interest in her, Sarah is in denial. For one thing, last year she was deeply crushed and humiliated by “Jesse James”—a guy who she thought liked her. She’s determined not to get burned again. But in her heart of hearts, what she really wants is a Jane Austen kind of romance.

Ridiculous, right? That kind of romance doesn’t exist anymore . . . or does it? Sarah is smart and fun to be around and even pretty, despite her Medusa-like red curls. She even plays the guitar. (So does Ben!) Yes, Sarah is everything Ben has wanted. He’s crazy for her, but Sarah is just not getting it. She’s playing hard to get, and if she’s not careful, she’s going to lose a real “hot” gentleman—her 21st-century Mr. Darcy.

Title: Tombs of Terror

Author: T Lynn Adams

Publisher: Bonneville Books (CFI)

Release Date: February 8, 2010

ISBN: 978-1599553269

Size: 208 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: YA Mystery

When Jonathon Bradford gets lost in an ancient cavern while sightseeing in Peru, he discovers the secret behind the legendary disappearance of the ancient Inca people.

In Tombs of Terror, the gripping debut from T. Lynn Adams, Jonathon is catapulted into an epic struggle between greed and honor. Now he must prove his loyalty and bravery as he battles lethal traps, starvation, kidnapping, and his own fear—all while holding the precarious fate of an entire civilization in his hands.

Title: Taming the Wind

Author: Michelle Thompson

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: January 8, 2010

ISBN: 978-1599553795

Size: 176 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Young Adult

At fifteen, Claire’s too young to deal with anything more than school, soccer, and friends. But when a horrific car accident takes the lives of her parents and siblings, Claire feels like it’s all her fault. Still injured physically and emotionally, she’s forced to move in with her estranged grandparents and begin a new life in their small Colorado farm town.

There she meets Jesse, a handsome neighbor she can’t help falling for. But just as she begins to find happiness again, Claire realizes she’ll have to face the demons in her past before she can ever hope to truly move on.

This poignant debut novel from Michelle Thompson tells of one girl’s struggle to find meaning in the midst of tragedy and will draw you in from the very first page. Join Claire as she learns to embrace the winds of change and find love,
faith, and hope for the future.

Title: Being Sixteen

Author: Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: January 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1606412336

Size: 248 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Young Adult

The night of my sixteenth birthday, I didn’t even bother to make a wish when I blew out the candles on the cake. It was my sixteenth birthday, after all. My wishes had already come true. When you turn sixteen, you can start dating. And driving. And living. I counted the candles on my cake as the flames flickered in the summer breeze. I heard the cheers of my friends and family, and as I tasted cake and summer and the promise of good times to come, I thought, This is going to be a good year. Maybe the best year of my life. I had no idea.

Juliet Kendall has been looking forward to her sixteenth birthday for what feels like forever. At first, it seems like being sixteen will be as perfect as she dreamed—she has great friends, a cute almost-boyfriend, a spot on the varsity girls’ basketball team, and even a car of her own. But, as the year goes on, she discovers that her sister Carly is hiding a secret and realizes that, in fact, being sixteen may be her hardest year yet.

Being Sixteen is a coming-of-age story about two sisters and their different struggles. It addresses what it means to have a testimony, what it means to be a friend and a sister, and what’s involved in dealing with and overcoming an eating disorder.

Title: Briana, My Brother, and the Blog

Author: Jack Weyland

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: October, 2009

ISBN:

Size: softcover

Genre: YA

Brianna needs a friend, someone to keep her from being lonely while she’s waiting for her missionary, Robbie, to come home. And who better for the job than Robbie’s brother, Austin? He can keep the other men at bay while giving Brianna guy-type help, like hauling her harp around on weekends to play at wedding receptions.

Austin needs a friend, too. And Brianna is the perfect choice since there’s no romantic involvement — of course not, how could there be, she’s waiting for his brother, after all. As a friendship develops between Austin and Brianna, Austin is free to learn what it means to be “true and faithful friends” with a girl.

He begins posting his findings in blog entries that quickly gather a following of interested readers. But what will happen to his friendship with Brianna when she finds out who the real author of the blog is? Because the truth is, Austin isn’t looking for just a friend anymore, but something more. Will he have the courage to tell Brianna the truth — before Robbie comes home?

Title: The Pirate Slayers: Ghost Waves

Author: W. Everett Prusso

Publisher: WiDo Publishing

Release Date: October 20, 2009

ISBN: 978-0979607028

Size: 288 pages, 6×9 Hardcover

Genre: YA

In the winter of 1846, 238 pioneers leave New York City for a voyage that would take them twenty-six thousand miles around South America to Honolulu, and to their final destination, San Francisco. On a warm, sultry, moonless night, off the coast of Brazil, four teenage passengers inadvertently fall overboard. Thomas, Elizabeth, Nicole and their Australian sailor friend, Matthew, find themselves stranded in dangerous waters. The Caribbean Sea and South Pacific are the backdrops for this adventure that pits the foursome in desperate contests with pirates, profiteers and scoundrels as they swash-buckle their way to California.

Title: The Samaritan Bueno

Author: Jack Weyland

Publisher: Granite

Release Date: July 23, 2009

ISBN: 978-1599360423

Size: 192 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: YA

Dan and his two friends are asked to deliver a food box to a needy family. By mistake they deliver it to the wrong house and meet Maria, an undocumented mom and her two young kids. Over the next few weeks, as Dan becomes drawn into Maria’s life, his parents find themselves at a loss to deal with his uncharacteristic behavior.

Title: The Chosen One

Author: Carol Lynch Williams

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Release Date: May 12, 2009

ISBN: 978-0312555115

Size: 224 pages, hardcover

Genre: YA

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

Title: Having Hope

Author: Terri Ferran

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: February 9, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-59955-233-0

Size: 282 pages, 6×9 softcover

Genre: YA

Series: Finding Faith

Kit Matthews has waited for her missionary, Adam Bridger, for two long years. Just as they are getting to know each other again, Kit experiences feelings that she cannot ignore promptings that take her halfway around the world.

Kit s soul is stirred by the plight of the orphans of Romania, and the connection she feels is compounded by her own abandonment at birth. Kit meets a charismatic Romanian medical student, Marcel, who shares her desire to help the children. When she challenges Marcel to learn about the gospel, she has no idea of the doors she s opened.

As she deals with turmoil in Romania, Kit receives disturbing news from home: Adam is involved with someone else, and her own family is disintegrating! Kit begins to fear that she will never be part of an eternal family.

Kit struggles to have hope that God is mindful of His children, especially her, and she must make a choice of creating a new life in Romania, or returning to America to pick up the pieces of her old one.

Title: Bright Blue Miracle

Author: Becca Wilhite

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: February 4, 2009

ISBN: 978-1606410318

Size: 176 pages, 5×8 softcover

Genre: YA

READ THE REVIEW

Seventeen-year-old Leigh Mason is not sure she is ready to share her mom, her bedroom, and her little sisters with her new stepsister, Betsy. And she’s definitely not ready to share her best friend, who happens to be a boy!

Coping with a blended family is not easy for either Leigh or Betsy, especially during their senior year in high school. Each step brings them nearer to a crisis that will either send them running in different directions or bind them firmly together (which, let s face it, would take a miracle).

Bright Blue Miracle is a new young adult novel that has everything a girl wants: a hero (more specifically, a really cute boy), a villain (who happens to be a stepsister), comedy, despair, pedicures, ice cream, love, hate, tennis, revenge, and, of course, a couple of surprises that might send you for some tissues.