Some call them sea-wives. Others call them seal-women, fairy lasses or monsters. But to the boys of Rollrock Island—only boys, not a single daughter in a generation—they are their mams. Beautiful, docile, other­worldly and sad, the mams say nothing of their past, only that they came from the sea.

At the heart of this magic lies the witch Misskaella. Mocked and alienated by the people of Rollrock, Misskaella draws on her natural affinity with the island’s seals to exact an exquisite revenge. The radiant, not-fully-human women she calls forth from the water’s edge dazzle the men of the village. Once a man has been enchanted by a seal maiden, his interest in the business of human affairs dries up like old seaweed.

In The Brides of Rollrock Island (first published in Australia as Sea Hearts), two-time Printz Honor recipient Margo Lanagan draws on Scottish, Irish and other Northern European coastal legends of ­selkies: shape-shifting seal women who can be held captive in their human form by whoever possesses their sealskins. Lanagan’s lush, image-laden writing style, reminiscent of the fairy tale retellings of Donna Jo Napoli and Francesca Lia Block, forms the perfect vehicle for the atmosphere of wistful longing that traditionally characterizes selkie tales. Weaving between the points of view of several generations of islanders, mainlanders, witches and boys, Lanagan tells a story in which loves are lost and sometimes regained, truths are hidden and sometimes revealed . . . and redemption may be both closer and farther away than it appears.

Seventeen-year-old Katharine Tulman, an orphan under the guardianship of her dreadful aunt, has been sent to her uncle’s country estate to have him committed to an insane asylum. Having never met her Uncle Tully, Katharine plans to carry out her assignment and return to London at once. However, she is unprepared for the people who await her: her uncle, an eccentric inventor who spends hours in his workshop tinkering with toys that exceed the imagination; his brooding yet handsome assistant; a secretive, mute boy; a resentful housekeeper; and a gossipy servant.

Uncle Tully’s estate holds more than just his workshop; it is responsible for the livelihood of 900 people, all of whom will do anything to stop Katharine from taking it away. She must weigh the lives of hundreds of people—including powerless women, poor families and others on the fringes of society—against her own. If she doesn’t want to see her uncle’s laborers sent back to London’s abysmal workhouses, she just might have to forfeit her own financial future.

Set in 1852 against the backdrop of England’s burgeoning Technological Revolution, The Dark Unwinding blends together elements of streampunk and Gothic literature. It is atmospheric and imaginative, rooted in a rich history and packed with well-drawn characters—and is a great crossover for adults.

“A” awakens in a different person’s body each day. One day, A might inhabit the body of a suicidal girl; the next, maybe an athletic boy. All A knows is that he/she must never get attached and never interfere with a body’s life—and the body will never know.

The rules change when A wakes up as Justin. When A meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon, their connection is instantaneous . . . and seemingly impossible to pursue. As A attempts to form a relationship with Rhiannon from within multiple bodies, A must convince her that the story of his/her life is real—and that he/she is a person she can love.

With Every Day, author David Levithan has given readers a genderless, faceless and virtually nameless protagonist who still manages to be endearing and emotionally resonant. And while the core question—can a love between a bodiless soul and a real human possibly work—captivates on its own, the novel’s greatest strength lies in its ability to capture many different experiences of young adults. From stress to depression, from obesity to loneliness, the daily struggles of A’s bodies transform this love story into a brilliant mediation on teen life.

Levithan (Boy Meets Boy, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is not timid about taking on unique storylines, but in Every Day he has created something totally new.

Although Myron Horowitz is an orphan and the survivor of a horrible accident that left him permanently disfigured (he has no nose), Immortal Lycanthropes hasn’t even a hint of sentimental melancholy. As the narrator matter-of-factly states, “It would be easy to paint a sob story here, but I am trying to remain objective. So: Myron Horowitz, short, scrawny, and hideous, had no friends.” Clearly, this is not your typical coming-of-age novel.

Myron looks and feels like a 13-year-old kid (without the nose), but he’s really an immortal lycanthrope—a were-mammal who can transform at will from animal to human and back again. His search for the answers to who he is and what it all means—and why so many others like him want to kill him—drives this remarkable debut novel.

In Immortal Lycanthropes, adventure is a given. Whether it’s secret societies, doomsday devices or a kimono-wearing gorilla named Gloria, Myron is fantastically unperturbed. As he says with a sigh, “You know, the first time I stared down my own death, I was really scared. The second time I cried. But by now, it’s just something that happens to me.”

Myron is on a quest, and his journey is a cleverly imagined, smartly written, wonderful ride of a story.

Sixteen-year-old Sara Jane Rispoli is on the run. The only daughter in an influential Chicago crime family, Sara Jane comes home one night to find that her beloved family has been kidnapped. Her father’s cryptic message before his disappearance helps Sara Jane find cash, a gun and a mysterious notebook. This notebook not only contains fascinating details about the history of Chicago’s organized crime, but information on how to access those connected to it. Unfortunately for Sara Jane, the people who kidnapped her family want that notebook and all the power it wields—and they’re coming for it. An amateur boxer, Sara Jane has the tools to defend herself against a masked, murdering thug and her traitorous uncle, never realizing that her greatest weapon might just be her inheritance—an innate ability far deadlier than a quick left hook.

Sara Jane Rispoli is a surprising protagonist. A trained and powerful fighter, she is conflicted about when and how to use the violence that comes naturally to her. Although disgusted with her family’s criminal history, Sara Jane has to employ unsavory tactics of her own to track them down. But ruthlessness can only help her so much, especially when a dear friend gets caught in the crossfire.

This debut novel is written like it’s ready for the movie screen, complete with nonstop action sequences, foul villains and a butt-kicking female lead out for vengeance. Be warned—this page-turner ends on a cliffhanger.

You may think you know all there is to know about Peter Pan, but long before Wendy, there was Tiger Lily. Featured only briefly in the Disney movie, Tiger Lily receives the coverage she deserves in Jodi Lynn Anderson’s captivating retelling. The mute, insect-sized fairy Tink narrates the love story, revealing even more mysteries about Neverland.

The adopted daughter of her tribe’s cross-dressing shaman, Tiger Lily enjoys immense freedom until she learns that she is to be wed to violent, overgrown Giant. The forever-15-year-old accepts her fate until she meets the infamous Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. Their tentative and secret love, full of tenderness, doubt, companionship and jealousy, often surprises them both.

Readers will enjoy the intensity of the story, which intersects with Barrie’s and Disney’s versions, but the rich, complex characters earn the most appreciation. Tiger Lily must reconcile her duty to her tribe and loyalty to her father with her true feelings, while Pan fights to stay a boy as he wrestles with becoming a leader to his Lost Boys and finding the privacy that love requires. Even the minor characters—broken, alcoholic Hook, psychotic Smee and killer mermaids—elicit fascination.

With this quiet and bittersweet story, readers will never again think of Peter Pan as simple animation.

Katie McGarry’s debut novel has everything a summer romance for teens should: compelling characters, an intriguing plot, sparkling dialogue and plenty of suspense.

Pushing the Limits is told by two high school seniors who could not be more different. Echo is trying to emerge into “normalcy” after a series of traumas: Her brother died in Afghanistan; she is repressing a terrible incident with her mother; and her new stepmother (and former babysitter) is pregnant. Furthermore, Echo’s father has pushed her away from the art classes she loves. 

At least Echo has a stable home. When her new counselor assigns her to tutor Noah, she’s unsure about getting involved with a reputed stoner. Noah, for his part, is also struggling to overcome the death of his parents, which separated him from his younger brothers and changed their lives forever.

Echo and Noah may be facing intense life situations, but their story is full of insightful humor and a cast of engaging characters. Pushing the Limits is an accomplished debut, a perfect choice for readers who thrive on edgy, riveting storytelling.

Fingerprints of You opens on Lemon’s 17th birthday, which her mom, Stella, is celebrating by getting herself a new tattoo. After a lifetime of being dragged from place to place in the wake of Stella’s bad decisions inspired by bad men, Lemon wants to differentiate herself from the mother she sees as “made of metal and glass.” Lacking a better role model, she does so by hooking up with her mom’s tattoo artist and ending up pregnant.

Author Kristen-Paige Madonia brings poetry to the down-but-not-out Stella and Lemon. When Lemon rides a bus cross-country in search of her absentee dad, she can finally loosen up and explore an age-appropriate romance (ironic belly bump notwithstanding). Lemon’s first impressions of San Francisco’s Mission District include “the smells of marinara and car fumes and something dank and wet seeping from the street drains,” along with the many small kindnesses from neighbors in an overwhelming landscape. Those little lessons pay forward into Lemon’s budding relationship with her dad and help her forge some peace with Stella.

At its heart, Fingerprints of You is the tale of Lemon’s liberation from a too-young adulthood and her emancipation back into youth. At the beginning of the book Stella jokes that she chose the name “Lemon” because her daughter was bitter; later she admits to being drawn to it because, “That yellow looked like hope to me.” Lemon’s trip is a tough one, but by the end she’s found a new path that owes as much to the hardships she’s seen as to her mother’s once-invisible but nevertheless enduring love.

Rachel Greenberg’s parents are on the edge of divorce, her former best friend Alexis is barely speaking to her, her grandmother’s health is fading—and while she’s theoretically almost-dating handsome, athletic Jake, something about the rabbi’s son, Adam, is totally irresistible.

Arriving early at her synagogue one day, Rachel accidentally hears an encounter that overturns everything she thought she knew about someone she trusted. She must come to terms with the secret and what it means for her own beliefs.

Rachel doesn’t always make the right choices—particularly when it comes to sneaking out of Friday night services or exacting revenge on a friend. However, her sense of morality, shaped by her religious heritage, leads her to well intended—if stumbling—attempts to make amends. Perhaps resolving these internal conflicts can help her find peace with her external ones as well.

Printz Honor-winning author Deborah Heiligman’s Intentions is suffused with the traditions of Reform Judaism. For readers who have struggled with Judaism’s views on God and personal responsibility, Intentions is a mirror that will validate their own experiences; for others, it’s a window to the landscape of an unfamiliar world. Intentions is a unique and welcome addition to the world of young adult literature.

Seventeen-year-old David Ellison and his fellow Oak Fields Prep classmates are expected to apply to nearby Stanford and the Ivies. His parents have even hired an independent consultant, or “college narrative coach,” to help with the process. As the star in his school’s stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby, David would rather attend Juilliard. If only his college choice were his only problem. He’s never questioned his two-year relationship with smart, attractive Ellen until he has to share a kissing scene with sexy new student Vanessa, who also has a secret past.

Author Coert Voorhees recreates the turmoil of high school and the allure of drama as David tries to decide which side is stronger in the love triangle he’s entered. In this first-person narration, punctuated with snappy dialogue and plenty of angst, the perplexed teen grapples with success (or perhaps his own fantasies) and honesty (or perhaps the truth others want to hear). Instead of playing another role and simply becoming a character, he begins to experience the intensity of life firsthand.

Adding a layer of mystery to this realistic novel are the titillating bulletin board attacks signed by “The Artist.” No one is immune from his (or her) outing of posers, fakes and liars throughout the school. Students who have studied F. Scott Fitzgerald will find similar themes, especially concerning the future we create for ourselves. Teens, whether or not Gatsby fans, will enjoy pondering David’s dilemmas and the series of choices he makes along the way.

In Seraphina’s world, dragons can take the shape of humans. Mathematical creatures by nature, dragons perceive the human world much like Mr. Spock on "Star Trek": logically and literally. While dragons and humans may coexist, their relationship is one of distrust and suspicion. Dragons’ speech and actions betray no human emotions, and they are forbidden from falling in love with humans.

A talented palace musician, Seraphina is half-dragon, a secret she must vehemently protect. Thus, her isolation is her greatest protector—until she befriends Prince Lucian Kiggs and gets caught up in the investigation of his uncle’s death. Prince Lucian is quick to see through Seraphina’s lies, and when she suspects a larger conspiracy, hiding her true identity becomes nearly impossible. Like her dragon mother, Seraphina must decide if she is willing to sacrifice self-preservation for love.

Debut novelist Rachel Hartman has created a unique and imaginative fantasy kingdom. Her world-building is so detailed and well-integrated, each character and place so well-drawn, one wonders if they truly exist somewhere. Seraphina is a strong heroine, a young woman who straddles both the dragon and human worlds but is welcomed by neither. Her talent and intellect are matched only by Prince Lucian, and yet she feels unworthy of him—a sentiment with which most readers will empathize. The novel ends with new conflict, so readers can expect more from the talented Hartman.

Endorsed by fantasy powerhouses such as Christopher Paolini and Tamora Pierce, Seraphina is an engaging and innovative fantasy that uses the plights of dragons and humans as an allegory for the real prejudices we all must face.

Lexi and Taylor have been best friends since kindergarten, and even if Taylor is rich and has the best clothes and haircut, Lexi knows she has something even more desirable: a beautiful face.

During their fifteenth summer, Lexi’s life is changed forever when she goes through the windshield of a car driven by Taylor’s brother. Lexi’s shattered world and ruined features are bad enough, but even worse is her memory of what happened just before the accident, when Taylor betrayed their friendship and Lexi’s trust.

Lexi wishes she could break every mirror in the world. Without her best friend for support, she is lost. When high school starts in the fall, Lexi refuses to leave her room and can’t talk to her parents—especially her mother, who is disappointed that Lexi will never be a beauty queen.

Lexi gets no sympathy from her older sister, Ruthie, who has never been popular or pretty. Instead, Ruthie challenges her little sister: “If you hate your life so much, stop wallowing and change it. Change yourself. No one’s going to do it for you.”

Slowly, with help from Ruthie and a boy named Theo, who has also had to cope with a terrible loss, Lexi does just that. Instead of beauty pageants, she takes up a hobby she could never have imagined. At a time when popularity and self-worth are closely tied to appearances, Lexi is forced to see the world—and herself—with new eyes.

My Life in Black and White is a satisfying journey of discovery. And, thanks to Natasha Friend’s wonderful prose, it’s a journey that readers will be glad to take with her.

Callie LeRoux has lived in the small town of Slow Run, Kansas for her entire life. Even though the constant dust that chokes her town threatens Callie’s health, her mother refuses to leave. She awaits the return of Callie’s father, who disappeared years ago and hasn’t been heard from since.

When her mother goes missing in a dust storm, Callie heads west to find her. She meets Baya, a mysterious Indian Man who helps her and then disappears. As her search continues, she befriends Jack Hollander, a young hobo who is happy to keep her company even as they encounter danger at every turn.

Callie is biracial, the daughter of a white mother and a black father—a dangerous situation in 1930s America. However, that isn’t the most unique thing about Callie; she also happens to be part fairy. In Dust Girl, book one of The American Fairy Trilogy, Sarah Zettel lays the groundwork for a complex fairy mythology. There are light and dark factions of fairies, animal-spirit guides and creatures who hide in human skins.

Dust Girl is also a complex novel of historical fiction. The Dust Bowl period—or the “Dirty Thirties”—is depicted with vivid imagery and complex detail. Whether readers are interested in the historical aspects, the magical elements or simply the well-woven tapestry of a story, Dust Girl is a mysterious and engrossing page-turner of a novel.

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Read an interview with Sarah Zettel for Dust Girl.