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Young Adult Books You Want to Read

As you may or may not know, our company, The Book Report Network, has a number of websites about books and authors in addition to Bookreporter.com. Throughout the year, Bookreporter.com features adult books on Teenreads.com, our site for young adult readers, that we think will have definite appeal to a teen audience. In the spirit of sharing, we are now spotlighting a selection of titles each month from Teenreads.com that we believe are great reads that you might enjoy.

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

July 2016

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy Austrian household. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching. And this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. Pierrot is quickly taken under Hitler's wing and thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets and betrayal from which he may never be able to escape. This title has Common Core connections.

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Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch

July 2016

Stolen from her family as a young girl, Scarlett was lucky enough to eventually escape her captor. Now a teen, she's starting a summer job at an amusement park. There are cute boys, new friends and the chance to finally have a normal life. Her first day on the job, Scarlett is shocked to discover that a girl from the park has gone missing. Old memories come rushing back. And now, as she meets her new co-workers, one of the girls seems strangely familiar. When Scarlett chose to run all those years ago, what did she set into motion? And when push comes to shove, how far will she go to uncover the truth…before it's too late?

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How to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

July 2016

Nicolette Holland is the girl everyone likes. And she’s pretty sure she can get away with anything...until a young woman is brutally murdered in the woods near her house. Which is why she has to disappear. Jack Manx has always been the stand-up guy with the killer last name. But straight A’s and athletic trophies can’t make people forget that his father was a hit man and his brother is doing time for armed assault. Just when Jack is about to head to college, his brother pulls him into the family business with inescapable instructions: find Nicolette and get rid of her. Or else Jack and everyone he loves will pay the price. As Nicolette and Jack race to outsmart each other, tensions --- and attractions --- run high.

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Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings

June 2016

At the age of five, Jazz Jennings transitioned to life as a girl with the support of her parents. A year later, her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview. In this memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. But it hasn’t all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. Making the journey from girl to woman is never easy --- especially when you began your life in a boy’s body.

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Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

June 2016

Nanette O'Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hardworking student and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper --- a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic --- the rebel within Nanette awakens. As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young but troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that rebellion sometimes comes at a high price.

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Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten

June 2016

Kate O’Brien's whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of, but she's determined to change that.  As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already befriended the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he becomes especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal --- and can’t afford to ignore.

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With Malice by Eileen Cook

June 2016

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron's senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care --- care that includes a lawyer and a press team. Because maybe the accident wasn't really an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

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Doreen by Ilana Manaster

June 2016

If Doreen Gray were to take a selfie upon her arrival at the elite Chandler Academy, it would capture a face marked with acne, a head full of frizz, and eyes looking anywhere but at the lens. What Chandler queen bee Heidi Whelan sees is a desperate hunger for acceptance and the makings of a willing and useful protégé. Heidi’s roommate, Biz Gibbons-Brown, works her Photoshop magic to create a stunning profile pic of Doreen --- a glossy, digital makeover that Doreen initially rejects...only to wake up the next morning transformed as the girl in the picture. But Doreen quickly becomes accustomed to her newfound power and lives without considering the consequences of her actions.

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Property of the State: Book 1 of The Legend of Joey by Bill Cameron

June 2016

Joey Getchie has been property of the state longer than he was in parental custody. But he's a survivor, and he has a Plan: graduate high school and get out of the foster care system before it eats him alive. He bonds with Trisha, another foster, who seems to have lucked out when it comes to foster parents. A false accusation leads to a physical clash with his foster father, so Joey flees to Huntzel Manor, where he works part time. He takes up unauthorized residence and keeps a low profile, hoping to avoid attention. But attention arrives in the worst possible way: a classmate is seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident, and Joey becomes the focus of the investigation.

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The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

May 2016

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie is in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself. This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him. But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast.

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