Kids' Next List for Teen Readers

"Fourteen-year-old Alis is part of a very strict religious community, though she has never felt constrained -- until her parents arrange for her to marry the 40-year-old preacher. Alis runs away, which, ultimately, sets off a tragic chain of events." --Margaret Brennan Neville, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

"Will Carter (call him Carter) is a high school freshman who is sweet and funny, with an honest and original voice. You'll laugh when he says something funny and cringe right alongside him when he does something humiliating, which is fairly often! This book really captures the pain and joy of making that transition from childhood to adolescence, and it is a delight to read from beginning to end. I'm glad to see that realistic teen fiction for boys is finally finding its place on the young adult shelves, and this is one of the best young adult books I've read this year." --Karen Keyte, Books, Etc., Portland, ME

"This creative and sparklingly original tale is absolutely gripping, beginning in the 17th century and spanning 300 years of the life of famous pirate Emer Morrisey. Oh yeah, did I mention that the 300 years is the time it took Emer to live the lives of 100 dogs, a curse put upon her after her human existence was slain? A very cool story." --Rob Dougherty, Clinton Book Shop, Clinton, NJ

"Things change for Jessica when Lucius Vladescu arrives from Romania claiming he's a vampire prince, destined to marry her to bring peace between two vampire clans. But just as Jessica starts to believe Lucius, he changes his mind -- how confusing is that? Will she fight for him? Can she stop a vampire war? The many twists along the way keep you guessing right to the end." --Angela Mann, Kepler's Books & Magazine, Menlo Park, CA

"The time has come for the Clave to oppose Valentine, but he has no intentions of submitting, putting both the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders on edge. Clare's concluding volume of The Mortal Instruments trilogy is complex and striking. Not to be missed." --Krys Tourtois, Schuler Books & Music, Lansing, MI

"When Emily heads from the suburbs into Philadelphia to take a summer art class, she leaves behind the life she knows and has her eyes opened. But she finds a new way to see herself and her world, and comes to a new understanding about the meaning of home, true friends and relationships. This is a great book for a teen reading groups." --Sarah and Marc Galvin, The Bookstore Plus, Lake Placid, NY