Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

Love & Gelato

by Jenna Evans Welch
find this in our catalog

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

romanceYAfiction

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

Scythe

by Neal Shusterman
find this in our catalog

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

book 1 in the Arc of a Scythe series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “What a crazy ride! I’ve been a convert to Shusterman since the time I was a young teen and read Speeding Bullet. Since then, I’ve loved the Everlost and Unwind series, along with pretty much everything else he’s ever written. So when this popped up, I had to have it. And I’m glad I did.

“The entire time I was reading this I kept talking about it with people. Telling them all about this new book that was coming out and trying to describe the crazy world and characters, all while failing to do them justice. At one point I was talking about it and the person I was talking to brought up the Unwind series and how much they loved it. I was happy to be able to tell them that this was the same author and they have much to look forward to!

“This book gives the reader a lot to think about, both on a literal level and then on multiple philosophical levels. I can’t wait to be able to hand it to readers and share more about it.”

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

science fictiondystopianYAfiction

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

If I Was Your Girl

by Meredith Russo
find this in our catalog

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There’s a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and why she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.

And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone she’s ever met—open, honest, kind—and Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself…including her past. But she’s terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won’t be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that she used to be Andrew.

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

romanceGLBTYAfiction

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

This is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp
find this in our catalog

10:00 a.m. The principal of Opportunity High School finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 a.m. The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05 a.m. Someone starts shooting.

Told from four different perspectives over the span of fifty-four harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

realistic fictionYAfiction

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

All We Have Left

by Wendy Mills
find this in our catalog

A haunting and heart-wrenching story of two girls, two time periods, and the one event that changed their lives—and the world—forever.

Now:
Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. Her older brother died in the September 11th attacks, and her dad has filled their home with anger and grief. When Jesse gets caught up with the wrong crowd, one momentary hate-fueled decision turns her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past, starting Jesse on a journey that will reveal the truth about how her brother died.

Then:
In 2001, sixteen-year-old Alia is proud to be Muslim… it’s being a teenager that she finds difficult. After being grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia is determined to show her parents that that they must respect her choices. She’ll start by confronting her father at his office in downtown Manhattan, putting Alia in danger she never could have imagined. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers Alia is trapped inside one of the buildings. In the final hours she meets a boy who will change everything for her as the flames rage around them . . .

Interweaving stories past and present, full of heartbreak and hope, two girls come of age in an instant, learning that both hate and love have the power to reverberate into the future and beyond.

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017/button]

realistic fictionYAfiction

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

Heartless

by Marissa Meyer
find this in our catalog

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “First off – MARISSA MEYER! I don’t know that she can go wrong. Definitely a great new read for her fans, and a new take on a new tale. The magic of Alice is found in this book, but it takes form in its own way, shaping the characters and the storyline as it goes.

“Meyer is a master at creating in-depth characters and settings that bring her stories to life. It was so easy to see the different scenes, including the magical tea party Cath attends. Cath is such a strong heroine, complete in her own right, and her relationship with her friends shows what she values. I loved the glimpses into the world of Alice, while still maintaining a unique tale full of intrigue and danger.

“This seems to be a standalone title, though I’m sure we would all be willing to read more of Cath’s story. Recommended for fans of Meyer’s other works and other retold tales.”

Natalie rated it ★★★★ and said, “Heartless shook me up. Marissa Meyer did a great job recreating Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and all of his characters. I loved all the characters: Jest, Catherine, Hatta, and Mary Ann. I was sucked into Wonderland and couldn’t get out until I finished the book. It was an emotionally draining book. I felt like I was with Catherine every step of the way, and felt every emotion with her. I desperately rooted for her every step of the way.”

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

fantasyfairy tale retellingsYAfiction

Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh

Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

Burning Midnight

by Will McIntosh
find this in our catalog

Seventeen-year-old David Sullivan’s life is about to change—all because of one tiny, priceless item found in the murky bottom of a Brooklyn water tower.

Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn’t pay much—Alex Holliday’s stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers—but it helps him and his mom make rent.

No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the more expensive—and the greater the improvement.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. One day they find a Gold—a color no one has ever seen. And when Alex Holliday learns what they have, he will go to any lengths, will use all of his wealth and power, to take it from them.

There’s no question the Gold is worth millions, but what does it actually do? None of them is aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on this little golden orb. Because all the world fights over the spheres, but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they’re here.

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

fantasyscience fictionYAfiction

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

The Year We Fell Apart

by Emily Martin

Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.

As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

romancerealistic fictionYAfiction

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Starflight by Melissa Landers

by | May 19, 2017 | 0 comments

Starflight

by Melissa Landers
find this in our catalog

Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She’s so desperate to reach the realm that she’s willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he’s been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe…

book 1 in the Starflight series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

romancescience fictionfantasyYAfiction

Pin It on Pinterest