Fallen

Fallen is by Lauren Kate. The first book in the Fallen series. Luce finds herself in reform school after the strange death of her boyfriend in a fire she is believed to have caused. Once she arrives she finds herself attracted to two new boys, the standoffish Daniel and the darkly appealing Cam. Then she begins to have dreams that seem to reveal she has known Daniel before in other lives. Is she going crazy or is there something supernatural going on with her two new guys? Are she and Daniel really reincarnated star crossed lovers? Girls will enjoy this suspenseful paranormal romance.

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content).

House of Dark Shadows

House of Dark Shadows is by Robert Liparulo. The first book in the Dreamhouse Kings series. The King family moves from L.A. to a creepy house in a secluded small time. As his parents work on their fixer-upper, fifteen-year-old Xander begins to feel there is something very wrong with their new home. Sounds don't travel as their should, and he constantly feels he is being watched - and the strange footprints they find in the dust of the floor don't help. Then he and his younger brother discover a hidden door that leads them to a hallway with doors that seem to lead them into other times and places. When his sister wakes up and finds a large man in her room, Xander begins to wonder if the doors work both ways and allow entry to their house from other places as well. A scary new series both boys and girls will enjoy.

Ratings: 6th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (mild violence).

In the Shadow of the Mammoth

In the Shadow of the Mammoth is by Patricia Nikolina Clark. Zol belongs to a clan of Ice Age hunters. His rite of passage into manhood is the yearly mammoth hunt. The hunt where is father was killed. As Zol struggles to find his courage, he rescues and raises a baby crow. To keep his friend he must confront the superstitions of the own tribe, as well as his fear. A charming coming of age tale, boys will enjoy.

Ratings: 6th grade - 7 out of 10.

The Iron King

The Iron King is by Julie Kagawa. The first book in the Iron Fey series. Meghan Chase is not who she believes herself to be. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. She feels someone is watching her, and she is not wrong. When her younger brother is kidnapped by fairies, she discovers her best friend is really Robin Goodfellow, and that she is the daughter of Oberon, King of the Summer Court, and has a destiny she could never have dreamed of - she must save the Winter and Summer Courts from the mysterious and deadly Iron King. Can she make it through the dangers of the Nevernever while being hunted by all of faerie? Is the Winter Prince her friend or foe? Will she be able to save her brother and the realm of Faerie and still return to her old life?

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10.

Revolver

Revolver is by Marcus Sedgwick. Set in the Arctic wilderness of the early 1900s, this is the story of a teenage boy who is threatened by a mysterious stranger after his father falls through an ice covered lake and freezes to death. The stranger claims Sig's father has stolen gold from him and he will kill Sig and his sister if they don't give it to him. The problem is Sig doesn't know anything about any gold and, with his father's death, there is no one to ask. The only chance he has is his father's revolver and the training his father gave him in its use. A suspenseful tale boys will love.

Ratings: 8th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is by Neil Gaiman. A modern day adult fairy tale. When a middle aged man returns home for a funeral, he heads to a pond at the end of the lane where his childhood home used to be. There he remembers his experiences with a girl whose family lived on a farm at the end of the lane when he was seven years old. As memories of this past time coming flooding back, he seems to recall a time of danger and magic that changed his life forever - or did it? A magnificent and horrifying look at childhood terror, friendship, and bravery. One of Gaiman's best!

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).

The Fourth Stall

The Fourth Stall is by Chris Rylander. The first book in what will hopefully be a long acquaintance with these characters. Mac and Vince have been friends forever. They run a business out of a bathroom stall in their school. They arrange things for other students, and business is booming. They are on track to have enough money to buy themselves tickets to the World Series, if their Chicago Cubs can make it through the playoffs for the first time in seventy years. Then they find their business and school threatened by Staples, a near-mythic high school thug, who is running a gambling ring and roughing up students who can't pay. Can Mac and Vince find a way to get rid of Staples, or will taking on this bully cost them everything, including their friendship? Boys will love this story.

Ratings: 7th grade - 9 out of 10 - V ( mild violence).