When 14-year-old Nawra, living in an Internally Displaced People Camp in Darfur, receives a small sum of money from an unknown donor, she assumes a rich widow with many sheep must have bestowed her wealth on her. In actuality, it’s 15-year-old K.C. Cannelli from Richmond, Virginia, after her mother signs her up for Save the Girls, a fictional yet realistic relief organization that encourages a year-long correspondence between young women from the U.S. and Sudan. In Sylvia Whitman’s The Milk of Birds, their initial hesitancy becomes a fierce connection that cannot be separated by oceans, war, poverty or different faiths.

Peppered with wise, traditional sayings, Nawra’s letters describe the destruction of her once-lively village, the murder of its men, the rape of its women and the aftermath that led her and the scant survivors to the IDP camp. A lesser author would have made K.C. a rich, selfish snob who only comes to realize her privilege in light of Nawra’s hardships. Instead, K.C. is a nuanced teen, struggling with a learning disability, fallout from her parents’ divorce and the possibility of a new boyfriend—yet she is responsive to Nawra’s dilemmas.

Nawra and K.C. worry over one another, extend advice and encourage each other’s talents—all the things good friends simply do. Inspired by Nawra, K.C. starts a school club to raise awareness for the tragedies in Africa. Together, these teens offer hope to Darfur.

Readers will feel shocked, outraged and saddened, but like K.C., they’ll ultimately be moved to learn more about Sudan’s ongoing injustices and the people they affect.

The actual solstice may be several weeks away, but Gorgeous ushers in the summer reading season with a bang. Becky Randle is living in a Missouri trailer park with her mom and working as a checkout girl when fate throws her a curveball. When her mom dies, she’s called to New York to meet international design icon Tom Kelly, who offers to make her three dresses that will turn her from average-on-a-good-day into the most beautiful woman in the world. Who wouldn’t bite?

The newly minted Rebecca Randle, who lands the cover of Vogue and a hit movie in record time, is only visible when someone else is looking at her; when they leave, she morphs back into Becky. Things are further complicated when she meets gawky but adorable Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and falls in love. For the relationship to work, he’ll have to find Becky behind the gloss and sparkle of Rebecca. To say “wacky hijinks ensue” would be putting it mildly.

Author Paul Rudnick brings his biting wit to this fierce, foul-mouthed and very funny fairy tale. The worlds of fashion, celebrity obsession and the royal family are skewed and skewered for big laughs—the names of Tom Kelly’s signature fragrances alone are worth the price of admission (“Intoxicated” causes a memorable girl-fight).

References to My Fair Lady are not coincidental, but the wonderfully snarky social commentary will also connect with fans of Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens. The laughter complements a big-hearted story with a clear moral: “Inner beauty wants out.” So don’t just read Gorgeous: Be gorgeous, because you are.

Eleanore has no memory of who she was before she was found wandering the streets of London in the early 1900s. Placed in an orphanage, she would have easily blended in with the other lost children if she hadn't spoken aloud the secret she carried: She hears music when there is none, sweet songs vibrating from the metal around her. Locked in a mental institution, she learns to tune out the songs, but just when she is to be released, the First World War breaks out. Eleanore is then sent to the country and given the charity spot at a prestigious all-girls school.

The Iverson School for Girls proves to be a cold, unwelcoming place, but soon Eleanore finds reasons to be happy, like the handsome groundskeeper Jesse, with whom she seems to have an instant connection. But things become complicated when her benefactor’s son, Armand, also takes an interest in her.

Jesse reveals that he knows why she hears music others don't: She’s a Drakon—but what that means, she does not know. Eleanore learns she can transform into shimmering smoke at will, but to become who she truly is meant to be, she must work toward an even more dramatic transformation.

An orphan girl with a strange secret discovers her own ancient magic.

First introduced in her adult Drakon series, Shaba Abé’s new dragon mythology creates a unique world for Eleanore to explore. The book’s greatest strength is its strong-willed protagonist who never lets herself be made to feel inferior. She owns her powers, but it’s not her powers alone that give her courage—it’s her own sense of self-worth.

The novel can drag where too much focus is given to the day-to-day drudgery that Eleanore must endure at school, but the questions that are left unanswered until almost the very end about Drakons and Eleanore's heritage keep the reader engaged. The romance between Eleanore and Jesse, as well as the tension between Eleanore and Armand, are also compelling as their feelings become parts of their destinies.

The Sweetest Dark is a novel that borrows from many genres, from historical fiction to fantasy to romance. What pulls the book together is the well-drawn characters that are easy for almost any reader to connect to.

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

At 14, Faye has learned her place in life the hard way. She is bullied by rich girls in her neighborhood, so when she finally makes friends who stick up for her, she goes along with their plans—even when that includes beating up and robbing the same girls who once picked on them. When they rob an elderly woman in her own apartment, things go horribly wrong, and Faye may be responsible for a lot more than some simple payback. It may come back to bite Faye, or it might be the wake-up call she needs to turn her life around.

When author Carolita Blythe modulates the high emotions and stark good-versus-evil tone, Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl is great. Saddled with an unstable and abusive mom, a loving but absent father and friends who reinforce her isolation, Faye thinks life is simple: It simply sucks for people like her. But she has a conscience, and the friendship she forms with the woman she robbed leads to new possibilities and a shot at happiness.

It would have been great to get more insight into Faye's background (her family is from Dominica, not the Dominican Republic). Her mother prepared one meal that was drool-worthy to read about, and their Catholic faith figures heavily into Faye's evolution (she calls one of her teachers “Devil Nun”). These glimpses are some of the book's strongest material. Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl works in broad strokes, but the emphasis on self-respect is worth repeating, especially to high-risk kids like Faye. Life gets better, but only when you work to make it so.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? What if the genie granting your wishes was a sophomore at your high school, a photographer for the yearbook . . .  and really cute?

When Margo first picks up a magic ring during rehearsal for the school musical, her thoughts are mostly of clichés: It’s Lord of the Rings meets Disney’s Aladdin, she figures. But the genie, Oliver, turns out to be something else entirely. His drab gray hoodie conceals his fantastical magical powers—including the ability to grant whoever possesses his ring the three wishes of traditional genie lore. As Margo quickly learns, though, Oliver’s magic is limited. He immediately rejects her wish for world peace (“If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one!”), forcing Margo to shift her focus to wishes that impact her everyday life in small but significant ways.

Oliver may have centuries of experience in granting wishes, but Margo only has a few days to choose hers: A rival genie is hunting Oliver, using ruthless tactics to achieve his ends, and Oliver is running out of time to elude his pursuer. But unlike the cartoon Aladdin, Margo can't use one of her wishes to set Oliver free—his magic, his ring and his history are so deeply entwined that breaking the connection between them would cost him his life.

Full of pop-culture references and teenage neologisms, Lindsay Ribar's debut novel combines a fun, peppy tone with reflections on deeper issues about the nature of love . . . and what people (and genies) will do in its name. The first in a planned trilogy, The Art of Wishing is a thoroughly modern—and thoroughly enjoyable—take on ancient legends of wish-granting genies.

After 17-year-old Lauren Woodman sees the poster for a missing local girl, she begins having visions of other 17-year-old girls who have gone missing. These girls appear to Lauren, both in dreams and in daytime, to tell their chilling stories. Some of the girls ran away only to meet unspeakable ends. Some were taken during their most vulnerable moments. Others simply vanished without a trace. But it’s Abby Sinclair, the girl who allegedly ran away from a nearby summer camp, that torments Lauren the most.

For some reason, Abby can’t tell Lauren her story. Is Abby dead like so many of the other girls? Or is she somewhere else, calling out for help and only Lauren can hear her? As Lauren investigates Abby’s disappearance, she discovers that being labeled a “runaway” means that just about everyone has given up on finding her. But Lauren’s investigation soon becomes an obsession, an obsession triggered by the long-ago disappearance of her neighbor’s daughter—a disappearance Lauren can never forget. It’s clear that Lauren is being haunted by these girls. But are these girls ghosts or something more sinister?

Nova Ren Suma, arguably one of the best YA authors writing today, has penned a chilling tale about what it means to be 17 years old and lost. Lauren is a raw protagonist. Unlike police and friends, she refuses to give up on finding what happened to these missing girls, even if it means losing a bit of herself in the process. 17 & Gone will frighten readers, not because of its haunting atmosphere, but because Suma grounds her readers in a harsh reality: Girls go missing all the time—and that’s the horror of it.

The year is 1918, and wherever 16-year-old Mary Shelley Black turns, she is confronted with people’s fears of the deadly Spanish influenza. Desperate attempts to ward off or cure the disease abound: Victims are smothered in raw onions; the uninfected wear pouches reeking of supposed medicines around their necks to prevent getting sick; and soldiers returning from WWI have been quarantined. Nothing is certain.

After her father’s arrest for opposing the war, Mary Shelley sets out from Portland to stay with her Aunt Eva in San Diego, where it seems that everyone she meets is wearing a gauze mask to try to protect themselves from this horrible disease.

In the wake of the Great War, it’s no wonder that people are turning to superstition and séances to make sense of the mystery of death. In the weeks that follow her arrival in California, Mary Shelley is confronted with a mystery only she can solve: What exactly has happened to Stephen, the young soldier she loves so deeply? Was he a victim of the battlefield, or was there another, even darker reason for his death?

Mary Shelley is a likable, sympathetic heroine, and through her story, teen readers will get a glimpse of a fascinating time period, made all the more real by the haunting historic photographs that pepper the novel, from soldiers in trenches to policemen in gauze masks. Part romance, part mystery and part ghost story, In the Shadow of Blackbirds makes palpable a terrifying time that brought the horror of death into the homes of millions.

An author of sports fiction and thrillers, Michael Northrop shows his versatility as he turns to realistic fiction in Rotten. After spending the summer away from home, 16-year-old Jimmer Dobbs (or preferably JD) returns to his small town to discover that his single mother has rescued an abused Rottweiler that’s not too fond of men, including him. Their tenuous relationship causes JD to name the dog Johnny Rotten (or preferably JR) after the lead singer of the classic punk rock band, the Sex Pistols.

JD spends his last few days of summer earning the dog’s trust with pizza rolls until he can finally approach JR comfortably. But when good friend Mars corners JR and the canine responds with a bite, it’s JD who feels like he’s in the doghouse. Mars’ lazy family threatens legal action to make quick money, which means not only that JD and his mother could lose their house, but also that their now-beloved pet will have to be euthanized.

Suspense drives the story as JD solicits the help of his buddies to do some intelligence gathering on Mars’ family. JD may also have to come clean about where he really spent his summer (and it was no vacation). In the process of trying to save his dog, JD may earn another shot at dating Janie, his on-again, off-again and hopefully on-again girlfriend.

Northrop knows just how to get into the male mind, blending subtle humor with convincing dialogue throughout. But above all, the author knows that nothing gets between a guy and his dog.

Ellie O’Neill is probably the last person you’d expect to get involved with a movie star. She doesn’t really care about celebrities, and a secret in her own family’s past has made her skittish of even the idea of fame. Thanks to a misspelled email address, however, Ellie finds herself the unwitting pen pal of none other than Graham Larkin, teen heartthrob, who is about to start shooting a film in Ellie’s coastal Maine hometown. This shooting locale is more than just a coincidence, though—Graham pressured the director to choose it because he wants to meet the funny, smart, poetry-quoting girl with whom he’s been corresponding for the past several months. Even if she has no idea—yet—who he is.

Over the course of a single summer, Graham and Ellie’s relationship is characterized by a series of awkward encounters, miscommunications and mixed signals—and by some truly sweet and lovely discoveries. Graham loves Ellie because she sees him for who he is, apart from all the fame and rumors. Ellie loves Graham because he seems to hear and understand her when no one else does. But what will happen if the press gets wind of their romance? Can Ellie risk having her family’s secret uncovered? And can Graham’s career survive him dating someone other than another A-list star?

Told through adorably worded emails and chapters from both Ellie and Graham’s points of view, This Is What Happy Looks Like is both breezy and thoughtful. Author Jennifer E. Smith’s bittersweet romance certainly stretches the boundaries of believability at times, but readers likely won’t care as they’re swept away by the small-town resort atmosphere and the aura of Hollywood glamour that underlie Graham and Ellie’s love story.

Unlike many of her countrymen, 15-year-old Nina has no desire to leave her native Dominican Republic for the United States. She would much rather tend her garden and live simply with her overbearing mother. Unfortunately, when pretty Nina catches the eyes of some unsavory tourists, her mother sends her to New York City to live with her older brother, Darrio.

In Washington Heights, Nina discovers a world of gray concrete, a far cry from the tropical colors of her island. Despite being surrounded by fellow Dominicans, Nina feels strange and alone. Darrio does his best to make Nina feel at home—he enrolls her in high school, buys her new clothing and even helps her plant orchids on the fire escape—but he cannot hide that he’s in serious trouble. Things get emotionally confusing for Nina when she falls in love with a suspected drug dealer. This is not the America that Nina expected. Despite all the turmoil, Nina does make a life for herself.

Told in Nina’s lyrical first-person narrative, Flowers in the Sky is a story about expectations and the pressure to succeed in the “land of opportunity.” Nina’s acclimation to New York is aided by those who came before her, especially her brother, whose criminal activities have provided Nina and her mother with a comfortable life in the Dominican Republic and even afforded Nina a visa to get to the U.S. Although readers might take issue with Nina’s dependent relationship with men, they still will be able to sympathize with her circumstances. It takes a strong person to leave one’s homeland for opportunities—both good and bad—in another country. Faced with numerous choices, Nina must decide what kind of woman she wants to be: naive or empowered.

When he was 7 years old, Vane Weston became known as “the Miracle Child” for surviving the Category 5 tornado that killed his parents. That was 10 years ago. And though Vane has found friends and a new home with loving adoptive parents, he is still haunted by unanswered questions and recurring dreams about his past. Just how did he survive? And why does he see the face of the same girl, night after night?

Speaking of girls, Vane seems to have bad luck in that department. He’s not bad looking, but every date ends in a disaster. So Vane is delighted when things go well on a blind date with a visiting Canadian called Hannah. Until, that is, the girl from his dreams suddenly appears in real life.

From that moment, Vane’s world turns upside-down. Instinctively, Vane knows that the stranger, who calls herself Audra, holds the key to unlocking memories of his parents and his life before the storm. But Vane is not at all prepared for what Audra tells him about who he really is, or for the challenges that lie ahead if he is to keep his new family safe—nor is Audra prepared for the forbidden attraction she feels for someone she knows is promised to another.

Told in alternating voices, Let the Sky Fall brings readers into a world of fantasy close enough to touch but impossible to see. Messenger has created an intriguing paranormal romance filled with suspense, adventure and realistic, likable characters. By the end, fans will be eager for the second book in the series.

In Sherri L. Smith’s futuristic Orleans, six deadly hurricanes have followed Hurricane Katrina, each more devastating for the land and the people than the last. When an incurable sickness called Delta Fever follows, the Gulf Coast is quarantined and ultimately abandoned as the rest of the United States separates from the affected states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

Twenty-five years later, the rest of the union believes that the Delta is dying; rather, a new society has formed, where bonds are forged and broken around blood type, and primitive tribes rule the land now called Orleans.

Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States, is determined to find a cure for Delta Fever, but the only way to test his hypothesis is to illegally sneak into the Delta. There he meets Fen, an O-Positive teenage girl who has been left with her tribe leader’s newborn baby after a deadly ambush.

In a moment of danger, Fen and Daniel make a deal: Daniel will take the baby over the wall to a better life before her blood becomes tainted in exchange for Fen’s guidance through the Delta. But what starts as a simple agreement becomes a deep alliance as Fen and Daniel fight for survival across the wasteland, encountering enemies and so-called friends alike as they learn they can trust no one but each other.

Sherri L. Smith, whose mother survived Hurricane Katrina, builds upon real New Orleans landmarks and history to create a feel of authenticity that will drive readers to keep reading until the very last page. Orleans is a heart-pumping meditation on the worst-case scenario in a region recently plagued by natural disasters, and thankfully, it’s fictional.

June Costa is an artist in the post-apocalyptic city of Palmares Tres, in what was once Brazil. She is a “waka,” a citizen younger than the age of 30, in a matriarchal society ruled by a Queen and “Aunties” (powerful older women). The matriarchy came into power following a horrific plague that killed many of the males and was largely attributed to the negligence of the male rulers.

Although the Queen manages the city, a Summer Prince (a waka) is chosen to rule alongside her as the Summer King for one year, after which time he will be sacrificed. A romance blossoms between June and Enki, the new Summer King, as they develop a relationship based upon their mutual love for artistic expression. As a result, June is forced to question the rules of her society and the wisdom of the ruling class.

In her debut novel for young adults, Alaya Dawn Johnson creates a society where homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality are equally accepted. Women are the accepted leaders, and elders command respect and obedience. However, corruption among the powerful is still very much in existence, and race and culture are still obstacles for those with ambition.

The Summer Prince is a complicated story that weaves together elements of romance, art, moral dilemmas and dystopian themes. The heroine is deeply flawed but still intriguing, and readers of all ages will find themselves craving more from this fresh new voice in young adult fiction.

Emily Booth Masters reviews from Nashville, Tennessee.