Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal

A book review by Madeline Soucie

This is a story about a boy, a girl, and a ghost. The ghost is someone everyone has heard of at on point or another, but in his afterlife he becomes the protector of the boy.

         

Jeremy Johnson Johnson is quiet and shy and very studious. From time to time he hears voices. One voice in particular is that of his ghost.

         

Ginger is a wild girl always looking for an adventure and getting into trouble along the way. She and Jeremy become friends when she includes him in her next adventure of breaking and entering.

         

As this story unfolds and the trio carry out plans together, they will come upon an adventure they never expected and realize that far, far away can be so much closer than they expected.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC McNeal, T.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Dante and Aristotle (Ari) become friends the summer of their 15th year over swimming lessons. Dante is very open, into drawing and poetry and introduces Ari to poetry. Ari is quiet and angry about a brother in jail he can barely remember and no one will talk about.

    

As Ari and Dante spend the summer hanging out, they will learn new things and Ari will come to terms with his feelings and things about his brother's past that he didn't know will be revealed.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Saenz, B.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

A book review by Madeline Soucie

    

Friendship, Wisconsin, is a small town, population now 688. Everyone knows everyone else, no one locks their doors at night, and people are always smiling. Even the police cars have smiley faces on them. In the town of Friendship, there aren't many problems besides missing pets until high school student Ruth Fried turns up dead in a cornfield.

    

Since the police are convinced they have the case closed and the suspect locked up, best friend Kippy Bushman takes it upon herself to find her friend's real killer. The only problem is in a town this small, everyone seems innocent, even the killer.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Hale, K.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A book review by Madeline Soucie

We Were Liars is a mystery in its own way, unwound by a girl as she regains her memories after a traumatic event from two years ago. And, of course, everyone is not as they seem.

I cannot tell you anymore, least I ruin the story for you. But I will say this; The Sinclairs are a rich family who spends their summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts, and they are liars.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Lockhart, E.

I Am Number Four by Piticus Lore

A book review by Kat Seevers

My favorite thing about this book was John. This novel was particularly good at creating a male that was both authentic and likable. Through his perspective we got to see how earth compared to his home planet. I liked that he didn't back down to bullying but was also sweet and devoted to Sarah. The combination of a sense of responsibility and his willingness to be a kid really made his character pop. 

I Am Number Four is stuffed with originality from the different type of legacies, the way the charms work, how the deaths are burned into their legs to the evil races hunting down the Numbers. This was definitely a page turner for me!

This is the first book in the Lorien Legacies.

Find it in APL Teen Fiction YA FIC Lore, P.

ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen

A book review by Paige Boehk

Auden West is the best kid you could ask for, although she has a weird schedule -- she stays up all night and sleeps half the day.  She's been doing her own thing for awhile.  She uses her free time to study and take notes for college, even though she's 18 years old and hasn't  gone to college.  She is very mature and isn't like all the other girls her age.  She doesn't care about the latest fashion or who's dating who -- she just wants to do her own thing.  When Auden was 16, she saw her parents nasty divorce.  A couple years after, her father met Heidi, got married and had a baby -- a little girl named Thisbe. Auden also has an older brother named Hollis, who was backpacking around Europe.  Auden's mother was busy with her own life, having dinner parties with scholarly students every night.  That's when Auden chose to move in with her dad for the summer.

The beautiful beaches, the bright shining sun, and clear skies -- this was Colby in the summer.  Auden wanted to spend time with her dad and stay away from her new step-mom, Heidi.  She'd always seen Heidi as the girl who wears pink and high heels, though she found out this was not the case.  Heidi was very tired and emotional from just having her baby.  It was hard on her with no help from her husband.  Auden saw all the popular girls in miniskirts and the popular guys all riding bikes and doing tricks, seeing them all happy.  She still felt left out, like she did at home.

Auden realizes she will have to spend her whole summer with her dad in Colby and knows she needs to meet the kids there.  This is when she meets Jake Stock, a major player who has his eyes on her.  Colby is so small that Auden ends up getting together with Jake, who happens to be Maggie's boyfriend.  Maggie also works at Auden's step-mom's boutique, Clementine's.  After Auden apologizes, Auden and Maggie are able to become friends.  That's when Auden meets Eli, a boy with nocturnal habits and a past like her own.  They form a strong relationship throughout the book. 

Every character in the book needs to face his or her own fears and grow up.  They all make mistakes and have their own problems, which underscores the fact that no person is perfect though at first they may look that way.

Find it in YA FIC Dessen, S.