In Gripped (Part 6: The Dunkin Legacy) by Stacy A. Padula, Taylor Dunkin’s life is in turmoil, and it’s hard to see a clear way out. He used to be a college football star with everything going for him, but a knee injury ended it...

In Dear Dairy by Steve Goldsmith, the story follows Justin Case, a twelve-year-old boy who writes about his life in a diary while dealing with school, family struggles, and the challenges of being dyslexic and mildly autistic. His entries, full of misspellings and made-up words,...

In Rae Knightly’s Doomstar, after surviving imprisonment aboard the battleship Grimstar during the Remnant assault on Enillon, Trinket emerges from the wreckage of war with far more than the memory of the Doomstar crash. A dying prisoner has entrusted her with living beads linked to...

V for Victory by John McKay is a most interesting story set during the occupation of Paris by the Germans from June 1940 to July 1944. Events are seen through the eyes of a young Parisian boy, Charles Mercier, who is 13 years old and...

Sway with the Wind by Amanda LaPera is the story of eleven-year-old Anne Dougherty, who is sent off to live on a ranch in the desert with her grandfather, after her parents died in a terrible accident. The land is large, empty, and harsh, and...

Murasaki: Seasons of the Sword Book 4 by David Kudler is about Kano Murasaki, also called Risuko, a girl growing up during Japan’s civil war. After her father is disgraced and sent away, her mother ends up selling her to a hidden school where girls...

What We Found Last Summer by Javier De Lucia follows twelve-year-olds Calvin and Derek as they try to enjoy a carefree summer in their quiet Connecticut suburb. The summer has a distinctly 1980s feel as they build treehouses, ride their bikes, and hang out with...

Hallowed Hill by Kit Campbell is a suitably creepy, entertaining, gripping tale set in a remote prep school in Vermont. This book is a real treat for fans of the horror genre, with all the classic elements present: a sinister landscape with ominous trees, a...

Katy Farber's What If It Wasn’t My Fault follows Indie Watson, a teenager trying to navigate life after being sexually assaulted at a party. She wrestles with memories and a relentless sense of guilt. On top of that, she is burdened by her family's problems,...

Essence of Life by Jackson McLean tells the story of Jack Green, a boy growing up in a new settlement where life is hard, and expectations are heavy. Jack’s father is in charge of the town, and people look up to him, but he’s tough...