Heather Nill is living a dead-end life in a washed-up town. Prospects are so grim that the high school kids’ best hope of escaping is through a legendary game called Panic. Everyone pays in, and there can be only one winner, but it's not just a matter of facing down your worst fears—the stakes can be life or death. Heather’s there to support her best friend Nat, but at the last minute she decides to compete. The money’s a powerful motivator, but there’s more at stake, for her and everyone involved.

Panic is full of big scares, but the central horror is the daily reality these kids face. Life with addicted parents and meth-infested trailer parks, with little hope of relief, would drive anyone to take chances. Author Lauren Oliver (the Delirium trilogy) weaves together themes of jealousy and revenge, and puts these kids through some terrifying challenges. There are a series of twists leading up to an explosive finale that will have readers breathlessly turning pages. And in between the hard-won victories and awful consequences of the game, there are quiet moments of friendship, family and connection that are the real grand prizes in life. 

Virtually everyone involved with Panic has a secret, including Heather's friend Bishop, who’s not playing but is always around when the challenges are announced. Unpacking everyone’s motivations adds another layer to the mystery, but the book is best when it hews close to Heather and her resistance to change, even though it holds her only chance at happiness. Her conviction that she “was a nobody. Nill. As in zero” is the most formidable demon she needs to conquer in order to thrive. Panic is a thrill ride with a still point at its center.

Heather Seggel reads too much and writes all about it in Northern California.

BookPage Top Pick in Teen Books, March 2014

Somewhere deep within the African jungles of Gabon, a young street boy searches for a family, a home and a purpose beyond simply fighting for survival. While Threatened is the account of his learning to survive in the wild, it’s also the tale of his learning to trust and accept others, even if they don’t share the same genus and species.

Luc—an AIDS-orphaned child of the slums who’s only vaguely aware of his own age—was sold to a local debt collector as an indentured servant to pay off his mother’s hospital bills for her unsuccessful care. Barely scraping by, Luc one day befriends an Arab professor and researcher from the National Geographic Society who appears at the bar where Luc works illegally for pocket change. The “Prof,” as Luc calls him, has traveled to Gabon—home of the largest concentration of chimpanzees in the world—in hopes of becoming the next Jane Goodall and bringing more national attention to the chimps’ fragile existence.

Prof uses cunning and deceit to procure Luc from the debt collector as his research assistant. Prof, Omar (his pet vervet monkey) and Luc set up camp in the middle of the rainforest and fortuitously stumble upon a small family of chimpanzees. As Luc observes the wild beasts that once haunted his nightmares, he learns firsthand of their humanity—from their ferocity as much as from their kindness and personalities—and develops better relationships with them than he ever has with people. But with hunters and far worse dangers surrounding them, Luc must constantly put his life on the line to protect this blended family he’s come to love.

Author Eliot Schrefer, whose novel Endangered was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award, combines his interest in conservation and education in Threatened—his eighth novel overall and the second in his Great Ape Quartet—to draw his readers ever nearer to the edge of this primitive, natural world. He asks us to jump with him into the unencumbered jungle to see all the beauty and mystery that only the wild can offer.

Justin Barisich is a freelancer, satirist, poet and performer living in Atlanta. More of his writing can be found at littlewritingman.com.

The Mirk and Midnight Hour blends historical romance, suspense and the paranormal into a novel that’s a Southern Gothic tale at heart.

Violet Dancey is left to mind Scuppernong Farm in Mississippi while her father fights the Yankees. Already heartbroken by the death of her twin brother, Violet is beginning to question whether the Confederacy is in the right when she finds a wounded Union soldier named Thomas in her old childhood hideout. Their relationship turns into a romance, but it’s risky business in more ways than one.

Author Jane Nickerson juggles a large and complex cast here, and there’s voodoo, violence, mayhem, laudanum addiction and telepathic communication with bees to keep the players busy, yet the book maintains an easy pace. There’s a scary climactic scene when Violet must come between Thomas and the people who have been treating his injuries, but most of the action here is slow-burning suspense. The contrast between a community bazaar and the war roiling in the distance adds to the eerie sense of a world on the brink of big changes.

Violet’s awakening to the politics of slavery after a lifetime of friendship with people her family owned is touching and handled gracefully, giving The Mirk and Midnight Hour extra depth and something to ponder after the thrills have worn off. It’s an exciting story—juicy, romantic and at times quite chilling.

Heather Seggel reads too much and writes all about it in Northern California.

“Your father doesn’t have any enemies. He’s an accountant.” Daniel Pratzer’s mom couldn’t be more wrong about her mild-mannered, potbellied husband.

Mr. Pratzer’s secret past begins to unravel quite by accident. Struggling freshman Daniel has joined the chess club because . . . well, he isn’t great at sports. When two popular seniors invite him to participate in a father-son chess tournament, he laughs. After all, he’s just a beginner, and his father doesn’t even play. But the seniors have done some research: Morris W. Pratzer was ranked a grandmaster of chess.

Mr. Pratzer reluctantly agrees to attend the tournament, but as the weekend unfolds, Daniel starts to understand the complex reasons why his father left the game: Competitive chess almost killed him, and he has an enemy who understands the depth of his weaknesses.

Grandmaster is a page-turning read, full of authentic details that offer a fascinating glimpse into tournament chess. It’s also a compassionate look at the choices we make, and how difficult situations bring families closer in unexpected ways.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is The Great Trouble.

In the opening scene of unflinching thriller Before My Eyes—reminiscent of the shooting at Gabby Giffords’ political rally in 2011—a gunman pulls out a weapon at a Labor Day campaign rally for New York state senator Glenn Cooper. Who is the target? What is the motive? And how will the crowd react to and fare the tragedy? To answer these questions, author Caroline Bock takes readers back to the Friday that kicks off this holiday weekend on Long Island and the events that lead up to the gunman’s appearance.

Three young adults give varying perspectives in distinct voices. While all of his varsity soccer buddies have had cushy summer jobs and plenty of free time to party on the beach, Max, Glenn Cooper’s son, has had to keep up appearances as a “common man’s” son, taking ice cream orders at the beach snack shack. In the less affluent part of town, Claire has been babysitting her sister and writing poetry while her mother recovers from a stroke and her father figures out how to pay for the rehab center. Barkley, who has stopped bathing and started hearing voices, has become concerned with the environment and demands answers from Glenn Cooper, even if it means using a gun to get them.

When these three young adults inadvertently become involved with each otherBock shows just how intertwined yet overlooked human connections can be. As the hour of the shooting approaches, the pace quickens as each character’s strengths and weaknesses are revealed. The thought-provoking story broaches such topics as recognizing signs of mental illness, caring for the mentally ill, gun control and the difficulties of each. While Bock doesn’t provide answers, she offers a rich opportunity to start a dialogue on these issues that continue to plague America.

Cy Williams is not a slave, but his life is far from his own. Growing up in Georgia in the 1890s, he knows that the cruel white plantation owner his father works for could throw him in jail or even kill him in a second.

When a tragic accident leaves the plantation owner’s son—and Cy’s best friend—dead, the blame falls on Cy. Still mourning, Cy finds himself bound and blindfolded, on the way to a chain gang where he’ll work, shackled to a line of other boys who dared to make a white man angry. Four years spent working under the threat of a whip breaks Cy’s spirit and drains him of all hope that he’ll ever see his father again. But when his father appears with clean clothes and a plan, Cy dares to believe there might be freedom in his future.

Cy in Chains is a difficult, painful novel, but it’s an important one. Cy quickly morphs from a kind, compassionate boy, looking out for his friend before the accident, to a young man who’s been broken by a life of hard work and cruelty, and who comes to see compassion as a weakness he can’t afford.

His transformation is shown in sharp contrast from another boy on the chain gang, Jess, whose deep faith keeps him hopeful and who takes care of the younger, weaker boys. Jess’ sense of responsibility to help those who can’t stand up for themselves highlights Cy’s every-man-for-himself attitude, as well as exposing the cracks in it. It’s a prerogative Cy adopted to survive, not a true representation of his character.

The details of the horrors Cy and the other boys suffer at the hands of the men who run the chain gang are vivid and varied, from sexual abuse to physical abuse, to neglect so severe their lives are in danger. Each new punishment is more horrible than the last.

Cy in Chains is a book for those who love historical fiction and don’t want the horrors of the past sugar-coated.

Molly Horan has her MFA in writing for children and young adults from The New School

Madeline Landry’s role in life has always been made clear: As the eldest (and only) child in the leading gentry family in society, she must have a successful debut, marry and beget an heir. It doesn’t matter that Madeline wants a university education. Her father isn’t interested in her arguments that knowing business will make her a better owner of the Landry Park estate, that understanding science will allow her to appreciate her grandfather’s invention of the nuclear technology behind the Cherenkov lantern, or that appreciating history will give her insights into the Last War, when America lost all its land west of the Rockies to the Eastern Empire.

Madeline soon finds it almost impossible to change her father’s mind or the rules of this society where class is everything. At least her lot is better than that of a Rootless, who are condemned to poverty and early death after years of handling radioactive nuclear material in the lanterns that keep gentry homes bright. But all Madeline’s preconceptions about rules are about to be thrown into question when she meets and falls in love with a mysterious gentry boy named David Dana and gets involved in one of the most dangerous pastimes of this future America: revolution.

In Landry Park Bethany Hagen creates a fully realized dystopian setting that manages to weave together a believable nuclear future with costumes and customs reminiscent of “Downton Abbey.” Teens will be drawn to Madeline and her struggles to make sense of love, class, duty and ideals in a world where choices are never easy and actions have real consequences. In many ways, it’s a world not that different from ours.

Harbinger “Harry” Jones was in a childhood accident that left him externally scarred and broken inside. When he meets Johnny, their friendship leads to a spontaneous decision to form a band, which brings Harry out of his shell. Their burgeoning popularity is a pleasant surprise, but it opens up a subtle rift with his best friend. As The Scar Boys gain in popularity, their future grows ever less certain.

Author Len Vlahos wrote his own teenage band, Woofing Cookies, into the background of this smart, ambitious debut novel, and it’s clear he’s familiar with the rigors of the road, the triumph of a successful if tiny gig and the unfathomable miracle of a seven-inch record you cut with your friends. All these things give The Scar Boys richness and depth.

Harry tells his story to a faceless college administrator in an application essay, and his asides to this presumed audience are smart-mouthed fun. What makes this a standout, though, is Vlahos’ ability to capture the complex dynamics of male friendship. Harry and Johnny are best friends, but their trust is undermined by Harry’s insecurity. When Harry begins to stand up for himself, Johnny feels threatened and lashes out. It ultimately takes losing each other for them to see what they had.

With its song-titled chapters and an overload of firsts (kiss, tour, betrayal, vehicle) and lasts, The Scar Boys is a music-drenched, fast-moving story with a revealing male relationship at its core.

In Broken Tooth, Maine, the legend of the Grey Man tells of a spirit who haunts the old lighthouse on Jackson Rock. But the Grey Man is more than a ghost. He’s a cursed man who must gather the souls of those who die under his light. The Grey Man knows there’s a girl out there who might be his savior if only he can convince her to take his place.

Willa Dixon is the steadfast daughter of a lobster fisherman. Her greatest ambition is to captain her father’s boat. But centuries of lobstering also come with strife when Willa’s younger brother, Levi, is murdered aboard their boat. Not only could Willa lose her fishing license and any hope of the future she wants, but her brother’s killer could go free. With her family in shambles, Willa seeks refuge with the Grey Man and in a moment of desperation considers making the ultimate sacrifice.

What makes Mistwalker such a standout read is Broken Tooth’s atmospheric setting and Willa’s compelling daily struggles. To earn money, she gathers a rake and bucket and waits for low tide so she can dig for bait. She drops lobster traps in the Atlantic waters before school. Her high school is in an old converted mansion, and sometimes school is canceled because the fog is so thick that neither sunrise nor a streetlight can cut through it. There are moments when the reader feels like Willa doesn’t even live in a modern age. Sure, she texts and goes to parties, but how many teens know how to pilot a fishing vessel or locate bloodworms? Because Willa’s life is so unlike that of most teens, readers will be instantly drawn to her story, and Saundra Mitchell’s haunting narrative will keep them turning pages.

BookPage Top Pick in Teen Books, February 2014

The end of the world is coming, and it will start in the small town of Ealing, Iowa. While skateboarding and smoking in an abandoned alley they’ve nicknamed Grasshopper Jungle, best friends Austin Szerba and Robby Brees are accosted by neighborhood bullies. After a scuffle, the boys’ shoes and skateboards wind up on the roof of a dilapidated pancake house. When they sneak up to the roof later that night to retrieve their missing items, Austin and Robby have no idea that they’re about to witness a series of events that could result in the end of the human race.

Revealing any more details about the plot twists of this edgy, darkly funny work of magical realism would spoil the fun. Instead, readers—like Austin and Robby—can gradually learn what forces have been unleashed by a combination of teen curiosity, Ealing’s flailing economy and the legacy left behind by the town’s questionable past. As Austin narrates his escapades in hilarious, uncensored language, he also reflects on his family’s Polish ancestry, his confusing romantic attractions and the nature of history itself.

No author writing for teens today can match Andrew Smith’s mastery of the grotesque, the authentic experiences of teenage boys or the way one seamlessly becomes a metaphor for the other. Like Smith’s earlier novel The Marbury Lens, Grasshopper Jungle looks at the senseless violence, intense friendship and palpable sexual energy that come together when the world comes apart. Unlike The Marbury Lens, though, it also includes references to 1970s classic rock, bad science-fiction movies, pink lawn flamingos and—of course—giant, hungry, sex-driven, mutant praying mantises. What more could a reader want from contemporary YA fiction?

The Tyrant’s Daughter is the existential story of a teenage girl living on the periphery of war, where she straddles the blood-soaked country she’s always called home and the new American land of bittersweet promise where she has since been exiled.

Laila is 15 years old when her father—the iron-fisted inheritor of an unnamed Middle Eastern “kingdom”—is murdered in cold-blooded betrayal. Laila’s mother agrees to the amnesty offered by an American CIA agent in exchange for family and governmental secrets, and Laila’s family is whisked away to Washington, D.C. 

Laila is observant, analytical and introspective, regularly comparing American customs to her family’s old existence of royal restriction. She neither fully condemns nor endorses either one of her lives or the people associated with them, but rather walks the common ground between them and begins to understand them. She grapples with harsh truths of guilt, identity and freedom. Without knowing whom she can truly trust, she must tread quietly and cautiously if she hopes to avoid the destruction of her family and her country.

As a former undercover CIA agent, debut author J.C. Carleson has a firm grasp on the world of espionage and power plays. She is able to take her intimate knowledge of this secretive world, an often-avoided gray area of morality, and craft an amazingly gripping and honest tale. Carleson keeps her readers feeling as though they have just returned from traveling in a foreign land, making those faraway issues feel a little more personal—a feat few can achieve with words alone.

In the winter of 2001, the tragedy of 9/11 is still fresh, especially for 16-year-old Aidan Donovan. There’s something to fear everywhere, and with this fear comes isolation. Only charismatic and vibrant Father Greg offers certainty, and maybe even love, in a world that seems to be falling apart. As Aidan turns to drugs, alcohol and a new set of friends, he begins to question his relationship with Father Greg. Faced with the possibility of a girlfriend for the first time and a classmate who may share Father Greg’s dirty secrets, Aidan has more to ponder, including his own sexuality and his belief system.

This hard-hitting literary story propels Aidan’s problems even more when the widespread priest sexual abuse scandal hits the news. Author Brendan Kiely raises common questions of abuse victims as the teen wonders if everyone will read his face and know what happened, whether Father Greg’s attention was really love or abuse, and who is to blame. The Gospel of Winter speaks soundly to the current generation of YA readers, who will understand Aidan’s distrust, trepidation and desire for honest relationships.