Fifteen-year-old Miranda Allerdon and her older sister, Lander, are spending another summer at their parents' idyllic cottage on the Connecticut River. Miranda lazes about with the neighborhood kids while Lander focuses intensely on her medical studies, essentially ignoring her younger sister. After the Allerdons and their neighbors witness a frightening boating accident, Lander inexplicably begins dating one of the men involved in the accident—a man Miranda thinks is dangerous. Unfortunately, the sisters have never been close, and Lander refuses to consider Miranda’s warnings. Then Lander is arrested for murder, and the Allerdons scramble to help their eldest daughter. Only Miranda manages to think clearly as she circumvents the police in an effort to clear her sister’s name.

The legendary Caroline B. Cooney has penned another suspenseful pageturner with No Such Person, which alternates between two present-tense narratives: Miranda at home and Lander in a grimy jail cell as she tries make sense of the events. Although Lander is considered to be the ultra-driven sister, she is unable to help herself as police interrogate her. Meanwhile, Miranda, often criticized for her lack of ambition, attempts to prove what the police, and even her parents, cannot.

What’s extraordinary is how Cooney has written the Allerdons as a typical American family who are thrust into a tragic situation. This isn’t a far-fetched plot but a story of an authentic family being tested at their most vulnerable moment.

Kimberly Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards, a young adult paranormal mystery.

Three intersecting narratives combine in this spinoff to Morgan Rhodes’ best-selling Falling Kingdoms series. In contemporary Toronto, teenage photographer Crystal reconnects with her estranged father when her sister, Becca, becomes catatonic after opening a magical book in their family bookstore. Meanwhile, overprivileged Farrell guides his younger brother through the initiation ritual of a mysterious—and deadly—secret society. And in the fantastical realm of Mytica, Maddox, who has a talent for trapping wayward spirits, finds that his feelings for a spirit girl cause him to be noticed by the evil ruling goddess Valoria. As these stories merge, family secrets are revealed, longstanding lies are uncovered and potential future paths begin to open for all three teens.

The events of A Book of Spirits and Thieves take place a thousand years before those of Falling Kingdoms, allowing fans of that series a detailed look at the legends of ancient Mytica, but no previous knowledge is necessary to enjoy this novel. Readers of fantasy epics like A Song of Ice and Fire won’t be shocked by the sudden and sometimes brutal violence here, and readers who like action, romance and twisty mysteries will find much to appreciate, too. Although a story focusing on three characters in two different settings could easily become confusing, Rhodes’ breezy, casual writing style makes this tale accessible and easy to follow. The conclusion ties up some loose ends but keeps others unresolved, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next volume in this new series.

Jill Ratzan teaches research rudiments in central New Jersey. She learned most of what she knows about YA lit from her terrific grad students.

Decked out in the latest Parisian fashions for 1897, New York City debutantes and cousins Dacia and Lou are traveling on the Orient Express to their mothers’ native country, Romania. They should be thrilled, as everyone knows Bucharest is the vacation spot for wealthy Europeans. But why are there so many behind-closed-door arguments after the teens arrive?

Dacia and Lou capture the attention of many eligible bachelors—particularly that of Prince Mihai of the Dracula family—but instead of a season of high-society socializing, the cousins discover their family’s supernatural abilities and a prophecy their relatives hope they will fulfill. Their new shapeshifting talents give them independence and courage, and they are expected to use these powers to help the Dracula family depose the current king and put Prince Mihai on the throne. Articles, diary entries and telegrams add to the surprises. 

Silver in the Blood is far from your typical Dracula story.

This article was originally published in the July 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Throughout their childhood, next-door neighbors Emmy and Oliver were inseparable—until Oliver disappeared in second grade, kidnapped by his noncustodial father. Ten years later, Oliver has been found and is returning home to California. The intervening years have changed a few things: Oliver’s mom remarried and has twin daughters, and Emmy’s parents have reacted to Oliver’s disappearance by becoming hyper-protective of their only daughter. It’s the end of senior year, and everyone—not just Oliver—is trying to figure out how to reconcile their future plans with their past.

Although the novel explores Oliver’s complicated feelings in the wake of his kidnapping and homecoming, the primary focus is on Emmy’s divided loyalties—to her parents, to her friends, to her hopes and dreams. Robin Benway effectively uses Oliver’s extreme situation to dramatize the inner struggles that preoccupy many young people on the border between childhood and adulthood.

This article was originally published in the July 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Early in Seeing Off the Johns, author Rene S. Perez II gives us the key word in the story: onus—a burden or responsibility, often an unpleasant one.

Greenton is a small, dead-end town in 1998 Texas where no one expects greatness but some dream of it nonetheless. As the novel opens, the entire town has showed up to bestow well wishes upon their two hometown heroes, John Robison and John Mejia, athletic superstars who are headed to UT Austin. But the Johns never make it to the university—their car flips en route, and the two are killed.

Perhaps the only person in Greenton who didn’t see off the Johns was Concepcion “Chon” Gonzales, who has been waiting nearly his entire life for John Mejia to get out of dodge so he can take a shot at Mejia’s girlfriend, Araceli. As cold and insensitive as it sounds, death has made Chon’s dreams come true, and he finds relief from resentment as he finally pursues his dream girl. But like a child who learns the world doesn’t pause while he sleeps, Chon begins to recognize the crushing unfairness and ugliness of death’s gift. Mejia’s parents’ grief becomes Araceli’s unwanted burden, and the citizens of Greenton turn to her, watching her reaction as if it were a barometer for their own. Chon evolves beyond both his shallow, lustful desire for Araceli and his pursuit of some kind of machismo protector status, and he eventually finds the capacity to connect—with Araceli and his community—and acknowledge the tragedy in the Johns’ passing.

Loss, and our response to it, is no simple thing. This is a searing, mature novel, not just because sexual scenes (which are among the most complex and thoughtful moments in the book) are included, but in the way it handles the innumerable challenges associated with grief and love.

This article was originally published in the July 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Two years after they graduate from Camp Okahatchee, Zoe, Joy, Luce and Tali—once the four musketeers—have drifted so far apart they hardly speak to one another anymore. But when Joy calls the other three out of the blue, begging them to meet her at the Camp OK reunion, the old friends agree to get together. That night, a novelty photobooth sends the girls back in time to their last summer at camp, offering them second chances at first love and self-discovery and an opportunity to mend their friendship before it even falls apart.

Debut author Lexa Hillyer is a former YA editor, award-winning poet and accomplished literary entrepreneur. In the vein of Sarah Dessen or Ann Brashares, Proof of Forever is an ode to summer camp—to the intensity of the friendships formed and the soul searching inspired there. The four protagonists, each colorfully and distinctly rendered, represent a group of teenage girls with very little in common—except that they are all still growing into their own skin—whose thick-as-thieves friendship blossoms in that mysterious summer camp air. Hillyer so adeptly captures this phenomenon that readers who have experienced the magic will be transported, while those who have not will feel equally welcomed.

At more than 300 pages and spanning just under a week, the novel doesn’t exactly clip along, but the girls’ journey is equal parts funny and heartwarming, and its leisurely build to a dramatic climax makes it a perfect read for a sprawling summer day.

Aaron Soto lives in the Bronx projects, crammed into a one-bedroom apartment with his mom and brother. Aaron’s still reeling since his dad committed suicide, so when he meets Thomas, their friendship lifts him up—until he realizes his feelings go beyond just being friends. But in Aaron’s scary, concrete world, there’s a trendy new scientific procedure that offers a fantastic possibility. The new Leteo procedure can wipe his memory clean: no more tragedy, no risk of beat-downs for being gay, no Thomas.

Author Adam Silvera is at his best when he’s taking readers through Aaron’s neighborhood. The bodegas and hangout spots feel real and like home, albeit one that can turn on you with frightening speed. The details of the Leteo procedure sometimes drag the story down a bit, but the ethical questions it raises are juicy ones: How much of your past are you willing to surrender for the relative safety of a fresh start? And what if who you are can’t so easily be erased?

More Happy Than Not wrestles with several big questions—at times it seems too many, and the book suffers for it. But the grittiness of the setting combined with sci-fi flourishes make the novel a sure bet for reluctant readers and a great pick for reading groups. This is not dystopian fiction; the sad world portrayed here is all too real and comes to eye-opening life on the page.

Seventeen-year-old Abe Sora wants to fit in—play baseball, complain about homework, worry about college. Unfortunately, he’s dying. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, but dying nonetheless. In The Last Leaves Falling, a debut novel set in Japan and written by Sarah Benwell, Abe has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and is slowing losing control of his body. Isolated and succumbing to a disease that typically affects people three times his age, Abe turns to an Internet chat board to disconnect from his life—and ends up finding the one thing he was looking for.

Almost by accident, Abe becomes first virtual and then in-person friends with two very different people—MonkEC (Mai) and NoFace (Kaito). As the three grow closer together, Abe finds, for the first time since his diagnosis, friendship without pity. However, he also grows in his realization that his life is drawing to an end, and he wants that end to be on his own terms. For that, he will need to test the strength of the bonds of his friendship.

Beautifully and hauntingly written, The Last Leaves Falling seamlessly blends Samurai death poetry and Internet chat logs to create the immersive and heartbreaking story of a young man faced with an impossible choice. Readers will find themselves struggling along with Abe as he weighs a decision with no right answer and remembering him long after the last page.

Claire Takata’s father was always a bit of a mystery, but on the 10th anniversary of his death, she stumbles upon a cryptic letter he’d written to her now-stepfather, and Claire realizes just how little she knows about either man. A sleuth by nature, she gathers her brothers and her closest friends and begins to investigate. Claire quickly discovers that her father had been a member of a Japanese crime syndicate called the yakuza. Before she can learn more, her discovery sets off a chain of events that puts Claire and her family and friends in more danger than she’d ever imagined.

Valynne Maetani’s debut young adult novel (a New Visions Award winner and Junior Library Guild selection) is equal parts gripping mystery and engaging coming-of-age story. Claire’s confusing mix of grief and indignation at discovering her father’s secrets is powerful and relatable, and her colorful cast of friends offers both the unwavering support and the comic relief that the protagonist and readers desperately crave. (Not to mention, of course, the romantic tension that manages to be at once cringe-inducingly cheesy and heart-flutteringly adorable.)

Maetani does an admirable job weaving the mystery of Claire’s family history and creating realistic, escalating stakes that build the story from a Nancy Drew-level adventure into a climax that is pure thriller. The novel is compelling from the start, but for the last 150 pages or so, it’s impossible to put down.

Presumably, Charlie was flying solo in his father’s airplane when it exploded over the North Sea. Plane wreckage and Charlie’s blood-soaked jacket attest to the certainty that he died, but at his funeral, Charlie’s American girlfriend, Aubrey, catches the eye of a beautiful girl who seems to be just as heartbroken as Aubrey herself. This is Lena, Charlie’s other girlfriend, who believes that Charlie is still alive.

As outrageous as that seems, Lena convinces Aubrey that the two of them should team up and track him down. As the narration switches back and forth between Aubrey and Lena, it becomes clear that both have secrets. As Lena says, “The thing I can’t figure out—the thing this whole crazy idea depends on—is whether I can trust her. Because I know she can’t trust me.” Following clues gleaned from Charlie’s acquaintances, the girls travel from London to Mumbai to Kerala to Bangkok. At each turn, Charlie’s personage is transmuted into someone increasingly unrecognizable.

Author Anne Heltzel eases into the suspense slowly, taking it one uneasy revelation at a time. The story gradually morphs from one of romantic betrayal to outright horror, as the girls’ actions place them in mortal danger. Like Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone, the characters are not who they seem; like We Were Liars, the truth is masked by delusion.

Diane Colson works at the Nashville Public Library. She has long been active in the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Association (YALSA), serving on selection committees such as the Morris Award, the Alex Award and the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award.

New Yorker Carson Smith and his mother are spending the summer in Montana, caring for Carson’s estranged and dying father. Quirky Carson felt like an outsider in New York, but quiet Montana feels downright lonely—until he meets Aisha Stinson. Aisha is beautiful, funny and homeless, kicked out by her religious father when she told him she’s gay. Carson and Aisha quickly become best friends when he invites her to live with him and his dysfunctional parents. Carson’s father is still reeling from his own father’s abandonment, so Carson and Aisha embark on a journey to locate Carson’s grandfather, in hopes that solving the mystery will heal years of pain. But their adventure proves to be more emotionally difficult—and hilarious—than they thought possible.

Award-winning author Bill Konigsberg explores heavy themes of sexuality, religion and prejudice with humor and honesty. As heartwrenching as it is heartwarming, Carson and Aisha’s journey isn’t so much about finding Carson’s grandfather as it is about finding peace within themselves and forgiving the mistakes of others.

Kimberly Giarratano is the author of Grunge Gods and Graveyards, a young adult paranormal mystery.

This article was originally published in the June 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

It’s a long tumble from Hollywood darling to inmate, but Pagan Jones has done a terrible thing. While drunk, she drove her vehicle off the edge of Mulholland Drive, killing both her passengers—her father and her little sister. 

The year is 1951, and America is enjoying a postwar boom. Pagan receives a too-good-to-be-true movie offer that frees her from imprisonment and takes her across the world to the eerie streets of Berlin. But Pagan has no idea of the post-World War II divisions of the city, or the rumors of a wall that will be built around the Soviet sector. The tension builds as Pagan’s “guardian,” 19-year-old Devin Black, keeps an abnormally close watch on his charge. International intrigue unfolds as the complexity of a city divided into four parts, each ruled by a separate nation, becomes increasingly dangerous. 

The taut plotting and historical details will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity and Beth Kephart’s Going Over.

This article was originally published in the June 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Shopaholic series author Sophie Kinsella bursts onto the YA scene with an adorable, heartwarming story, and it’s a perfect blend of her well-loved British charm, comedy and, just for teens, first love. Kinsella holds nothing back, starting off on a laugh-out-loud note and quickly and articulately pulling the reader into the depth of the story. 

Audrey suffers from an anxiety disorder and depression, the combination causing her to wear dark glasses, hole up in a dark den and avoid contact with new people. Then she meets Linus, one of the members of her brother Frank’s gaming team. After Audrey suffers an anxiety attack during their first meeting, Frank brings Linus up to speed on her condition. Linus then enters Audrey’s world with a sweet, uncommon tenderness: He has conversations via notes while sitting next to her; they touch shoes before holding hands and eventually make actual eye contact. Linus has a soft, sensitive way of pulling Audrey out of the shadows that will leave readers sighing with delight as this sweet story unfolds.

Kinsella is spot-on in her descriptions of anxiety, providing an honest look at the disorder through Audrey’s therapies and recovery. The author nails the teen voice—complete with parent-induced embarrassment, accurate inner monologues and foul language—making a seamless transition from adult to YA fiction.

This article was originally published in the June 2015 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.