In Francisco X. Stork’s eloquent and often surprising coming-of-age novel, 17-year-old Marcelo Sandoval, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is supposed to be spending the summer caring for nine ponies at his special-needs school. Instead, his unsympathetic lawyer father wants him to work in the mailroom of his law firm and experience “the real world.” The father and son agree that if Marcelo succeeds, he can return to his beloved school where he fits in perfectly, and if he doesn’t do well, he will be mainstreamed in the local public high school.

Marcelo’s first-person narration, with the flat inflections typical of Asperger’s, welcomes readers into a complex yet amazing mind that constantly tries to decipher sarcasm, figures of speech, facial expressions and other communication subtleties. Marcelo quickly finds an ally in the money-driven law firm in Jasmine, his confident, perceptive and gorgeous mailroom supervisor. While working, or rather picking up the slack, for smarmy Wendell, the partner’s son, he receives unsolicited advice on attraction and sex. When the teen discovers suppressed evidence and ponders his father’s involvement in a cover-up, he must decide if he will risk his father’s position and everything he wants in the new school term to do the right thing. But how does he even decide what the right thing is?

Marcelo finds that the real world—filled with jealousy, anger, suffering and difficult choices—is harder than he ever imagined. But with a strength he never knew he had, he realizes that the real world also comes with trust, friendship and even love. Perhaps Marcelo knows more about the world than it gives him credit for. His shockingly beautiful and thought-provoking story will make readers question their own motives and place in this world.

Angela Leeper is a librarian at the University of Richmond.
 

Erin Dionne, author of Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, has again found a way to capture the sheer mortification of being the average eighth grader. But Hamlet Kennedy, the heroine of The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, feels anything but average, much to her dismay. With parents who are professors obsessed with “The Bard” and a seven-year-old sister who is taking college courses, Hamlet feels like she has landed in the middle of an Elizabethan English freak show. As she says, “I ended up with not just any boy’s name, but the name of a tragic Denmarkian prince who spoke to skulls and had a thing for his mother. So I’m a little touchy about it.”

By the eighth grade, Hamlet has almost accepted her fate—but then her big-brained baby sister is forced to take “remedial” classes at her middle school, and her parents are asked to take part in a “Salute to Shakespeare” unit in her English class. Hamlet fears that there is no escaping this “total tragedy.”

Hamlet is spunky, smart and sensitive. Her tell-it-like-it-is voice carries the novel and makes readers of any age sympathize with her “tragedies.” You never fault Hamlet for being so melodramatic, though; it’s not only practically genetic, but it’s also part of being in middle school. When you’re 13, almost every day in your life seems as bad as the life of Shakespeare’s Danish prince.

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet would be an excellent choice for any preteen—and her parents. Girls will love Dionne’s accurate descriptions of middle-school life, from the two prissy bullies intent on humiliating our heroine to her crush on the most popular boy in school. Parents will appreciate the novel for its focus on the importance of accepting yourself and on open communication among family members. As the Bard himself says, “All the world’s a stage.” This book just might inspire the tween in your life to share all of her “total tragedies” with you.

Dana Britt teaches ninth grade English in Washington, D.C. She wasn't always as big a fan of the Bard as she is now and her middle school experience was a total tragedy, too.

Kathleen Ernst's newest tale of historic fiction follows teenage Chigger O'Malley as he courageously faces everyday challenges in the war-torn town of Williamsport, Maryland, during the American Civil War. Ernst realistically shows us the sorrow, hatred, agony and confusion that the War Between the States caused not only to the soldiers in battle, but to those who remained behind. Chigger, too young and small to become a soldier, has been left to mind the family land and keep a watchful eye on his mother while his pa and older brothers are off fighting for the Union forces in the Irish Brigade. One of the many emotionally-charged turns in the story comes when his father and all of his brothers are killed in battle. Chigger, a mere teenager, realizes he is now the man of the family. Torn between his desire to fight for his country and his responsibility to shelter his mother, Chigger is angry, frightened and constantly hoping that the war will just end. Chigger's hatred for the "cursed Rebels," as he calls them, becomes almost uncontrollable when he and his mother are forced to care for a severely injured officer. This hatred and his desire to avenge the deaths of his father and brothers drive Chigger to plot to kill the soldier, even though he knows he could be killed himself. True to Ernst's strength in writing about internal and external conflict, it is the officer's continued kindness that teaches Chigger not everyone in a Confederate coat is his enemy.

Even until the last page, Chigger grapples with his emotions and beliefs until he summons up his courage to rely on his own intuition and compassion, thus, truly becoming the man of the family.

Heidi Henneman has written for various consumer magazines, including the popular teen title Twist. She lives in New York City and is a member of the DAR.

From time to time, I am reminded why I love reviewing children's books. On those occasions, I am fortunate enough to discover works of such depth, profundity and brilliance that they would astonish my friends and acquaintances who believe I read nothing more complex than Hop on Pop. Reading M.T. Anderson's two – volume novel Octavian Nothing has certainly been one of those moments.

When we left Octavian in the first volume, he was figuratively at sea – unsure whom to trust in the wake of revelations about his origins and identity and his beloved, beautiful mother's tragic death and its aftermath. Accompanied only by his aged tutor, Dr. Trefusis, Octavian finds his way back to Boston amid some of the early skirmishes of the Revolutionary War. At first, Octavian finds employment playing his violin for the British Loyalists. This occupation, however, soon fails to satisfy Octavian, who has grown increasingly bitter amid talk of freedom and liberty – for everyone except black people like himself. "We are an army that but waits to be mustered," Octavian proclaims. "We shall join whosoever doth free us first." And join he does, when he learns of a rumor that Lord Dunmore, the exiled governor of Virginia, has promised to free any slaves who join him against the rebel forces. At first Octavian's participation in the Royal Ethiopian Regiment is frustrating. Literally at sea in the regiment's offshore location, ridiculed by the other soldiers for the very qualities – refined speech, education, love of culture – that had been the basis of his previous life, Octavian must define this new struggle for liberty, and his own place within it.

Octavian Nothing – filled with humor, insight and moments of genuine pathos and tragedy – is brimming with surprises, not least the revelations in the author's note that the book and its included historical documents are based on historical fact. This deeply moving re – imagining of a little – known episode in American history should be required reading not only for high school students of the American Revolution but, I would argue, for anyone who wants to see just what brilliance is possible in so – called children's books.

Norah Piehl is a writer and editor who lives near Boston.

Most kids know the traditional folk song "Scarborough Fair" (if they know it at all) from their parents’ and grandparents’ dusty old Simon & Garfunkel albums. For 17-year-old Lucy Scarborough, however, the haunting ballad takes on life-or-death significance when she learns that the song’s riddle-like lyrics might hold the key to breaking the curse that has entrapped generations of Scarborough women.

Raised by her adoring foster parents, Lucy has had a nurturing upbringing. Athletic, smart, funny, loving Lucy seems on track to have the kind of successful life that was never an option for her birth mother, Miranda, who had Lucy when she was 18 and went mad shortly thereafter. Now Miranda is a shadowy, often troubling figure at the margins of Lucy’s comfortable life. But Miranda’s story takes on new significance when Lucy herself becomes pregnant the night of her junior prom. Like her mother, Lucy will give birth at age 18. But is she, as the old song seems to suggest, doomed to a life of madness and alienation once she’s had her infant daughter? Reading Miranda’s old diaries, Lucy decides it’s time to take action against the powerful forces determined to take over her life. With equally powerful allies—including her foster parents and boy-next-door Zach—Lucy might be the Scarborough clan’s last, best, hope to break the curse that has enslaved them for so long.

With its romantic plot and folkloric roots, Impossible might seem at first glance to be a departure for author Nancy Werlin, best known for suspense novels such as The Killer’s Cousin and Double Helix. But, in addition to showcasing her adeptness at developing characters, Impossible remains, in the end, just as suspenseful as any of Werlin’s more traditional mystery novels. Romantic tension, a battle between good and evil, and a race against time—all set within a realistic contemporary setting—result in an intriguing medley of genres and a story that will remain in readers’ minds much like a beautiful, haunting melody.

Kelly Link’s stories fit into the young adult category in the same way that Salman Rushdie’s collection, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, does: sure, youngsters will love these stories, but grown-ups will love them more deeply, more permanently and with the full weight of experience. Link is the author of two short story collections for adults, Magic for Beginners and Stranger Things Happen, which have put her into the demi-pantheon of those who appreciate slightly dark experimental fiction. That the title story from Magic for Beginners is included in her new book, Pretty Monsters, shows how thin the line is between Kelly Link for kids and Kelly Link for adults.

The only thing that makes this collection YA is that most of its protagonists are teens. There’s Miles, the boy who buried the only copy of his poems in the casket of his dead girlfriend and now regrets it; Jeremy, in the aforementioned "Magic for Beginners," whose parents are separating even as his favorite cult-TV show seems to be leaking into the real world (or is he in the real world?); and Genevieve, whose grandmother keeps an entire fairy village inside her furry dogskin purse. Link’s monsters are scary but also funny. In "Monster," boys at summer camp become snacks for a hungry beast who uses a cell phone. ("No way," one of the boys says. "That’s stupid. How would the monster know Terence’s cell phone number?").

After eating the other campers, the monster stops for some witty banter with the leftover boy, James, and makes fun of him just like everybody else always has. ("I’ve never seen anything as funny as you," it tells him. But more than her oddball characters and wacked-out plotlines, what makes these stories haunting is Link’s disinclination to resolve them in any ordinary way. Many of them end mid-chase, or immediately before some cataclysmic event that will change everything. The story stops, and the imagination takes over. These are perfect bedtime stories for people who never want to have boring dreams.

Get ready for a pirate adventure unlike any other, with fierce pirate queens, mystical swords and a surprisingly hefty dose of humanitarian feeling. Carrie Vaughn’s newest novel Steel treads new ground for the writer, whose Kitty Norville werewolf series for adults has gained her quite a reputation for daring tales. This time, however, Vaughn whisks her teen readers—as well as her unassuming heroine Jill—back to the wildest pirate days of the Caribbean.

A family trip to the Bahamas turns intriguing when Jill discovers a rusty rapier tip in the sand—which then mysteriously transports her back in time. A competitive fencer (albeit a second-rate one in her own eyes), Jill is used to handling a sword, but nothing can prepare her for the moment when she is hauled aboard the Diana to face Captain Cooper and her band of cackling pirates. Jill might be handy with a blade, but she has never had to fight for blood, and the deck of a pirate ship is no place to spare a life. However, the only way to get back home is to become a part of the crew. Jill must face the adventure of a lifetime, and it all comes down to whether or not she is pirate enough to survive.

Carrie Vaughn makes it clear that her pirates are neither historical nor cinematic, but they seem to be a hybrid of pirates as they really were, and pirates as a teenage girl might wish them to be. Does Jill actually time-travel to the deck of a pirate ship that is captained by a fierce woman who seeks revenge for a deep heartbreak? Does she really see pirates setting free the slaves from a trade ship? Or is it all a dream? Aye, Steel be a story not for t’ faint o’ heart!

Very rarely in life do we understand blessings when they arrive. Blessings are misunderstood or scary until we have had time to process them. This is the main theme in Jerry Spinelli’s latest offering, Stargirl. When Stargirl Caraway enters Leo Borlock’s life, her impact is both disturbing and permanent. Stargirl is a ukulele-strumming, plain-faced, costume-donning character that enters a cookie-cutter student body at an Arizona high school. Her antics range from annoying to amusing, and the prevailing attitude is clearly defined by her peers as her fame rises and falls, time and again.

Middle school students will enjoy comparing and contrasting the characters, but high school students can delve much deeper into theme and application. This is not just another ‘underdog makes good’ story; in fact, a probing question is whether Stargirl’s actions are positive at all. She is an anti-teenager, if ever there was one: She’s not cool, she shuns the attentions and opinions of others, and offers her heart in completely constructive ways. Very few bother to discover what motivates this strange creature, and Stargirl’s effect lingers long after she vanishes. Stargirl is a the type of book that is ripe for multi-level discussion.

"Nate stood up. He was very still, but I knew from dance how stillness could explode into movement.” That tension, between the threat of violence and the act, is at the heart of Strings Attached, the latest thriller by National Book Award winner Judy Blundell.

Kit Corrigan is a struggling chorus girl in New York City, having fled her home in Rhode Island for a shot at life onstage. It’s 1950, the Korean War is just beginning, and Kit’s ex, Billy, has enlisted in the Army. She’s surprised when Billy’s father, Nate Benedict, offers her a leg up. He provides her with an apartment, tailored clothes and connections leading to bigger and better jobs. In exchange, Kit must keep tabs on Billy and do occasional favors for his dad. Easy enough, right? But Nate Benedict is a lawyer with mob connections, and his favors have potentially fatal consequences.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s something not quite right about how close Billy was with Kit’s brother Jamie. And the family is still smarting from a falling-out that sent their aunt so far away that nobody can find her.

Strings Attached sets a murder mystery, love story and rich family history in a meaty stretch of American history. Between two wars, the anti-Communist blacklists, air-raid drills, automats and a thriving nightclub scene largely run by the Mafia, Blundell weaves a complex story. Readers will get a generous dose of history here, but it’s the glamour and mystery, along with concern for Kit and her family, that will keep them hooked. Strings Attached is a winner.
 

Seventeen-year-old Cassia Reyes lives in a futuristic society that is ruled by unforgiving Officials who tightly control birth, housing, jobs, marriage and even death. No one dares defy the government for fear of punishment; in fact many, including Cassia, happily comply in order to live comfortable, stable lives. So on the night of her Match Banquet, Cassia is elated that Officials have selected her best friend Xander as her future husband. But then someone makes a mistake and briefly pairs Cassia up with Ky Markham, a boy with a mysterious past. Suddenly Cassia is drawn to Ky, and the two begin an innocent, yet subversive, romance. As Cassia falls in love, she defies the Officials, leading to danger not only for herself, but for her family and Ky as well.

Told in first-person point of view, Cassia’s narration is riveting as she describes life without liberties. On losing her grandfather, she notes, “Today is Sunday. It is Grandfather’s eightieth birthday, so tonight he will die. . . . Things didn’t use to be this fair. In the old days, not everyone died at the same age and there were all kinds of problems and uncertainty.” As Cassia changes and embraces all that’s forbidden—first love, poetry, free will—readers will be captivated by her desperation and rebellion. Her poetic voice and struggles will stay with readers long after the last page.

Despite the violence characteristic of dystopian favorites such as The Hunger Games, there is no overt bloodshed in this novel. Just as Cassia is unsure exactly what the Officials are capable of, so is the reader, who anxiously expects the Officials’ cruelty at every turn.

Ally Condie is a masterful storyteller whose latest novel will ignite meaningful conversations about the power of free will in a totalitarian society. An impressive work, Matched joins the ranks of classics such as Brave New World and 1984. Destined to be a classic for teens, Matched is also a compelling read for adults—and readers of all ages will eagerly await the impending sequel.

Delilah Hannaford’s life is a complete mess. She is caught stealing lipstick, she is caught sneaking around with her “non-boyfriend” and her grades are tanking—not that her career-obsessed mother has even noticed. However, when her estranged grandmother dies, Delilah and her mother must spend the summer in Red Falls, Vermont, for the first time in eight years, to settle the Hannaford matriarch’s estate. They are reunited with Delilah’s aunt, a tarot reader who avoids the issue of the eight-year-old fight just like everyone else. The air between the three women is tense and unforgiving, and no one seems willing to budge.

Delilah’s summer suddenly becomes maple syrup-thick with unanswered questions—about the Hannaford sister who died long ago and about the sudden silence between the remaining Hannaford women—and Delilah cannot seem to let any of it go. As they rummage through the piles of junk in the old house and unearth a treasury of family history, the women start to get along. Nevertheless, some secrets are just too difficult to tell.

As Delilah goes head to head with the mysteries of Red Falls, her life gets even more complicated. She discovers some inconvenient butterflies in her stomach when she runs into her childhood friend Patrick, who has over the years turned into a sexy musician with the ability to challenge Delilah’s previous notions of love and relationships. He forces her to rethink yet another personal connection she has forfeited, but Delilah is never without a fight, and sometimes close is just too close.

Sarah Ockler follows up her debut novel, Twenty Boy Summer, with another story of great emotional depth and empathy. Fixing Delilah contains multiple levels of teenage heartbreak, and Ockler captures the small-town atmosphere of one lazy summer from the perspective of a lost teenage girl with too many holes in her past. With a multigenerational touch, she has whipped up a story with a vast emotional range and plenty of challenges to test the bonds of mother and daughter.

“We all long for what could have been,” Ockler writes, but as Delilah discovers, it takes a real family to move on from what has been lost.