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Emelie Schepp, author of Marked for Life

When a high-ranking head of the migration board is found shot to death in his living room, there is no shortage of suspects. But no one expects to find mysterious, child-size fingerprints in this childless home. A few days later, the body of a derelict preteen is discovered, and with him, the murder weapon that killed the official. As she attends his autopsy, public prosecutor Jana Berzelius recognizes something familiar on his body. Cut deep into his flesh are initials that scream child trafficking and trigger in her a flash of memory from her own dark childhood. Now, to protect her own horrific but hidden past, she must find the real suspect behind these murders before the police do.

Editorial Content for The Language of Stars

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Alyssa L., Teen Board Member

THE LANGUAGE OF STARS, Louise Hawes’ first novel that includes poetry, is quite different from all of her other well-loved novels. Sarah is a soon-to-be high school senior and has gone from the “wrong” group to the “right” group after she started dating the most popular guy in school. Her mother has Sarah’s future all planned out for her: she is to attend medical school and come out as a successful doctor. Read More

Teaser


Sarah’s had her happy ending: she’s at the party of the year with the most popular boy in school. But when that boy turns out to be a troublemaker who decided to throw a party at a cottage museum dedicated to renowned poet Rufus Baylor, everything changes. By the end of the party, the whole cottage is trashed --- and when the partygoers are caught, they’re all sentenced to take a summer class studying Rufus Baylor’s poetry...with Baylor as their teacher. Through his classes, Sarah starts to see her relationships and the world in a new light --- and finds that maybe her happy ending is really only part of a much more interesting beginning.

Promo

Sarah’s had her happy ending: she’s at the party of the year with the most popular boy in school. But when that boy turns out to be a troublemaker who decided to throw a party at a cottage museum dedicated to renowned poet Rufus Baylor, everything changes. By the end of the party, the whole cottage is trashed --- and when the partygoers are caught, they’re all sentenced to take a summer class studying Rufus Baylor’s poetry...with Baylor as their teacher. Through his classes, Sarah starts to see her relationships and the world in a new light --- and finds that maybe her happy ending is really only part of a much more interesting beginning.

About the Book

Sarah is forced to take a summer poetry class as penance for trashing the home of a famous poet in this fresh novel about finding your own voice.
 
Sarah’s had her happy ending: she’s at the party of the year with the most popular boy in school. But when that boy turns out to be a troublemaker who decided to throw a party at a cottage museum dedicated to renowned poet Rufus Baylor, everything changes. By the end of the party, the whole cottage is trashed --- curtains up in flames, walls damaged, mementos smashed --- and when the partygoers are caught, they’re all sentenced to take a summer class studying Rufus Baylor’s poetry...with Baylor as their teacher.
 
For Sarah, Baylor is a revelation. Unlike her mother, who is obsessed with keeping up appearances, and her estranged father, for whom she can’t do anything right, Rufus Baylor listens to what she has to say, and appreciates her ear for language. Through his classes, Sarah starts to see her relationships and the world in a new light --- and finds that maybe her happy ending is really only part of a much more interesting beginning.
 
The Language of Stars is a gorgeous celebration of poetry, language and love from celebrated author Louise Hawes.

Editorial Content for The Fall of Butterflies

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Alyssa L., Teen Board Member

THE FALL OF BUTTERFLIES, by Andrea Portes, is about a girl named Willa. It begins as your typical story of a teenager leaving home and starting over at a new school. At school, Willa meets someone she instantly connects with --- Remy. They seem to have a special connection at this elite school, and Willa is introduced to a whole new world because of Remy. Remy is not only very rich, but also big trouble: she introduces Willa to a lot of bad things, including drugs. Read More

Teaser

 

Willa Parker, 646th and least-popular resident of What Cheer, Iowa, is headed east to start a new life. It’s her famous genius mother’s idea to send her to ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive Pembroke Prep, and Willa has no intention of fitting in. But when she meets peculiar, glittering Remy Taft, the richest, most mysterious girl on campus, she starts to see a foothold in this foreign world --- a place where she could maybe, possibly, sort of fit in. When Willa looks at Remy, she sees a girl who has everything. But for Remy, having everything comes at a price.

Promo

Willa Parker, 646th and least-popular resident of What Cheer, Iowa, is headed east to start a new life. It’s her famous genius mother’s idea to send her to ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive Pembroke Prep, and Willa has no intention of fitting in. But when she meets peculiar, glittering Remy Taft, the richest, most mysterious girl on campus, she starts to see a foothold in this foreign world --- a place where she could maybe, possibly, sort of fit in. When Willa looks at Remy, she sees a girl who has everything. But for Remy, having everything comes at a price.

About the Book

WE WERE LIARS meets LOOKING FOR ALASKA in a uniquely funny and heartbreaking teen novel about a passionate-yet-doomed friendship set against a backdrop of wealth and glamour.

Willa Parker, 646th and least-popular resident of What Cheer, Iowa, is headed east to start a new life. Did she choose this life? No, because that would be too easy --- and nothing in Willa’s life is easy. It’s her famous genius mother’s idea to send her to ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive Pembroke Prep, and Willa has no intention of fitting in. But when she meets peculiar, glittering Remy Taft, the richest, most mysterious girl on campus, she starts to see a foothold in this foreign world --- a place where she could maybe, possibly, sort of fit in. When Willa looks at Remy, she sees a girl who has everything. But for Remy, having everything comes at a price. And as she spirals out of control, Willa can feel Remy spinning right out of her grasp.

Andrea Portes, author of the hilarious, heartbreaking ANNATOMY OF A MISFIT, spins a similarly incandescent, heartfelt story that explores the meaning of friendship, new beginnings, and the precarious joy and devastating pain of finding home in a place --- a person --- with wings.

Editorial Content for The Square Root of Summer

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Hafsah K., Teen Board Member

THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER by Harriet Reuter Hapgood is about a girl named Gottie who is obsessed with math and science --- that’s how she thinks. Over the past several years, Gottie has lost her mother, her best friend, her heart and, in the past year, her grandfather. Life had lost its luster as grief dulled her own identity. Slowly, Gottie has pulled back from her family and friends, but when her former love and childhood best friend come barreling back into her life, she is forced to confront her own heartache. Read More

Teaser

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past. To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory. Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide --- and someone's heart is about to be broken.

Promo

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past. To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory. Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide --- and someone's heart is about to be broken.

About the Book

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:

To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory.

Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide --- and someone's heart is about to be broken.

With time travel, quantum physics, and sweeping romance, THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER is an exponentially enthralling story about love, loss, and trying to figure it all out, from stunning debut YA voice, Harriet Reuter Hapgood.

Editorial Content for 100 Days of Cake

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Juliette G., Teen Board Member

“Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred-meter relay times and college applications.” Read More

Teaser

Every other senior at Cove High School might be mapping out every facet of their future, but Molly Bryne just wants to spend the rest of the summer watching Golden Girls reruns and hanging out with her cute coworker at FishTopia. For the past year, Molly’s been struggling with depression, above and beyond industry-standard teen angst. Crushing on her therapist isn’t helping, and neither is her mom, who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure her. 100 DAYS OF CAKE is a quirky and poignant story of a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet world.

Promo

Every other senior at Cove High School might be mapping out every facet of their future, but Molly Bryne just wants to spend the rest of the summer watching Golden Girls reruns and hanging out with her cute coworker at FishTopia. For the past year, Molly’s been struggling with depression, above and beyond industry-standard teen angst. Crushing on her therapist isn’t helping, and neither is her mom, who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure her. 100 DAYS OF CAKE is a quirky and poignant story of a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet world.

About the Book

Every other senior at Cove High School might be mapping out every facet of their future, but Molly Bryne just wants to spend the rest of the summer (maybe the rest of her life) watching Golden Girls reruns and hanging out with her cute coworker at FishTopia. Some days, they are the only things that get her out of bed. You see, for the past year, Molly’s been struggling with depression, above and beyond industry-standard teen angst. Crushing on her therapist isn’t helping, and neither is her mom, who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure her --- as if icing alone can magically make her rejoin the swim team or care about the SATs.
 
Ummm, no, not going to happen.
 
But when Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a lame country diner, her already crummy life starts to fall even more out of her control, and soon she has to figure out what --- if anything --- is worth fighting for. 100 DAYS OF CAKE is a quirky and poignant story of a girl, her depression, an aggressive amount of baked goods and the struggle to simply stay afloat in an unpredictable, bittersweet world.

Editorial Content for The Safest Lies

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Kate F., Teen Board Member

In THE SAFEST LIES by Megan Miranda, Kelsey Thomas does not live a normal life for a teenage girl. The first thing Kelsey does when she walks into a room is look for possible exits. In order to get into her home, Kelsey has to type in a code and scan her fingerprint. Instead of going out on the weekends, Kelsey practices what to do in case of a home invasion. Kelsey and her mother have lived in fear for all of Kelsey’s life. It all began when her mother was abducted at age 17, the same age Kelsey is now. Jan, Mrs. Read More

Teaser

Kelsey's mother hasn’t set foot outside their front door in 17 years, since she escaped from her kidnappers with nothing but her attacker’s baby growing inside her. Kelsey knows she’s supposed to keep a low profile and stay off the grid for their protection, but that plan is shattered when her dramatic car accident and rescue by volunteer firefighter and classmate Ryan Baker sparks media coverage. A few days later, she arrives home to find her mother missing. Now, to have a chance at a future, Kelsey will have to face her darkest fears. Because someone is coming for her. And the truth about the past may end up being the most dangerous thing of all.

Promo

Kelsey's mother hasn’t set foot outside their front door in 17 years, since she escaped from her kidnappers with nothing but her attacker’s baby growing inside her. Kelsey knows she’s supposed to keep a low profile and stay off the grid for their protection, but that plan is shattered when her dramatic car accident and rescue by volunteer firefighter and classmate Ryan Baker sparks media coverage. A few days later, she arrives home to find her mother missing. Now, to have a chance at a future, Kelsey will have to face her darkest fears. Because someone is coming for her. And the truth about the past may end up being the most dangerous thing of all.

About the Book

Fans of Lauren Oliver and Gayle Foreman will be captivated by this YA psychological mystery that explores the cutting-edge science of fear.
 

Kelsey has lived most of her life in a shadow of fear, raised to see danger everywhere. Her mother hasn’t set foot outside their front door in 17 years, since she escaped from her kidnappers with nothing but her attacker’s baby growing inside her --- Kelsey.
 
Kelsey knows she’s supposed to keep a low profile and stay off the grid for their protection, but that plan is shattered when her dramatic car accident and rescue by volunteer firefighter and classmate Ryan Baker sparks media coverage.
 
A few days later, she arrives home to find her mother missing. Now, to have a chance at a future, Kelsey will have to face her darkest fears. Because someone is coming for her. And the truth about the past may end up being the most dangerous thing of all.

Editorial Content for Frannie and Tru

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Janine C., Teen Board Member

FRANNIE AND TRU, Karen Hattrup’s debut novel, follows the summer adventures of Frannie, a 15-year-old girl who hopes the arrival of Tru --- her wild cousin going into his senior year --- will break the monotony of her normal summer boredom. After overhearing a whispered conversation between her mom and dad, Frannie believes Tru is coming to stay with her family after his strict Catholic parents cannot deal with his coming out. Read More

Teaser

 

Frannie has always idolized her cousin Tru. At 17, Tru is charismatic, rich, charming --- everything 15-year-old Frannie wants to be. So when Frannie overhears her parents saying that after a bad coming-out experience Tru will be staying with them in Baltimore for the summer, Frannie is excited and desperate to impress him. But as Frannie gets swept up in Tru’s worldly way of life, she starts to worry that it may all be a mask Tru wears to hide a dark secret.

Promo

Frannie has always idolized her cousin Tru. At 17, Tru is charismatic, rich, charming --- everything 15-year-old Frannie wants to be. So when Frannie overhears her parents saying that after a bad coming-out experience Tru will be staying with them in Baltimore for the summer, Frannie is excited and desperate to impress him. But as Frannie gets swept up in Tru’s worldly way of life, she starts to worry that it may all be a mask Tru wears to hide a dark secret.

About the Book

Perfect for fans of PREP and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, FRANNIE AND TRU is a dazzling YA debut about a transformative summer in the life of a girl whose idol is not what he seems.

Frannie has always idolized her cousin Tru. At 17, Tru is charismatic, rich, charming --- everything 15-year-old Frannie wants to be, and everything she’s not. So when Frannie overhears her parents saying that after a bad coming-out experience Tru will be staying with them in Baltimore for the summer, Frannie is excited and desperate to impress him. But as Frannie gets swept up in Tru’s worldly way of life, she starts to worry that it may all be a mask Tru wears to hide a dark secret. And if Tru isn’t the person Frannie thought he was, what does that mean for the new life she has built with him?

Confronting issues of race, class and sexuality, Karen Hattrup weaves a powerful coming-of-age story that’s at once timeless and immediate, sharply observed, and recognizable to anyone who has ever loved the idea of a person more than the reality.

May 23, 2016

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Tuesday, May 24th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY by Bill Clegg, which is now available in paperback. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

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Dalai Lama

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

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Dalai Lama