Fresh Takes From the Teen Shelves | Not To Miss in September

So many cool books to tell you about this month! Some are departures–new things from established authors–and some are debuts, and some are just cool.

PARANORMAL/SUPERNATURAL

THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson (9/29/11 from Putnam) This one doesn’t come out until the end of the month, but I’m looking forward to it. Johnson’s voice is always engaging, but never fluffy. The Name of the Star looks very genre friendly: Louisiana teen Rory starts boarding school in London the same day that brutal, Jack the Ripper copycat murders start, sending terror across the city. Rory is the only witness–literally, because only she can see the mysterious man the police consider the prime suspect. Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police (!!) and her own abilities… which make her the killer’s next target. Ghosts, mystery, murder, humor and romance, all in an Ripper-iffic thriller. Who can resist that? It’s like she wrote this book with me in mind!

THE SHATTERING by Karen Healey (9/5/11 from Little Brown). Keri is a planner, but she doesn’t know how to handle her older brother’s sudden suicide. When her childhood friend tells her it’s not suicide, but murder, and it’s not the first, Keri must dig deeper into the secrets of her idyllic town of Summerton. Set in the beautiful, exotic (to me) setting of New Zealand, with unique and well realized characters (who just happen to be ethnically diverse), this second novel by Australian Healey has gotten great reviews, even by people who don’t usually like fantasy in their thrillers. I think this is one worth checking out.

AFTER OBSESSION by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel (9/13/11 from Bloomsbury) A creepy, thrilling, scary, romantic co-authoring by two authors I already love. Jones writes the NYT bestselling Need and Captivate, and Wedel writes adult fantasy novels. (Not that kind of adult fantasy–the gritty werewolf variety.) In After Obsession, Aimee and Alan prefer to keep their pasts, and their unusual abilities, hidden. But secrets spill out when they meet, and must join up to save Alan’s cousin Courtney, who has become possessed by an unnatural force determined to devour her, and everything around her. Jones has a great voice, and Wedel has a grittiness that makes a compelling read. Adults reading YA should check this out.

DRINK, SLAY, LOVE by Sarah Beth Durst (9/13/11 from McElderry) Yes, I’m recommending a vampire book. This is a fresh, truly unique take on the genre, a genuine twist with a delightful heroine and a totally engaging story. Vampire Pearl gets stabbed with a unicorn horn through the heart, and suddenly she’s starting to appear human. The vampires want to use this to their advantage. She just wants to figure out High School… which is not that different from vampire clans and politics. Funny, cool, dark in places, and all together delightful. Grab this even if you think you’re tired of vampires, or think you don’t like High School set YA.

QUICK TAKES:

SWEET VENOM

VANISH

GLOW

SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs (9/6/11 from Katherine Tegan) Three descendants of the much maligned medusa must unite, accept their destinies, and fight monsters. Awesome.

VANISH (Firelight #2)by Sophie Jordan (9/6/11 from HarperCollins) The sequel to Jordan’s popular Firelight, about a girl who is a shapeshifting dragon. Paranormal romance with sizzle. (I’d recommend grabbing the first before the second.)

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan (9/13/11 from St. Martin’s Griffin) Futuristic adventure where the romantic triangle is the least dangerous thing. Action, suspense and romance… Obligatory “Hunger Games” comparison. Sounds really cool.

CONTEMPORARY/NON-PARANORMAL

SHUT OUT

SHELTER

THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER

ALL THE EARTH, THROWN TO THE SKY

EVERY YOU, EVERY ME

SHUT OUT by Kody Keplinger (9/5/11 from Poppy) The author of THE DUFF takes on Lysistrata in this battle of the battling sexes. Even if I didn’t find Keplinger personally charming, I would love her for this. When the rivalries between the football and soccer teems at Hamilton High get out of hand, Lissa organizes a shut out of all the player’s girlfriends. No action until the guys make peace. Only it turns into a contest of who will cave in to their libidos first, complicated by Lissa’s inconvenient attraction to the leader of the guys, the awesomely named Cash Sterling. Keplinger has a fresh and hilarious voice, and I’m excited to see it turned to this fun story, which promises to scandalize parents and delight readers.

SHELTER: A MICKEY BOLITAR NOVELby Harlan Coben (9/6/11 from Putnam Juvenile) The YA debut of bestselling mystery/thriller author Harlan Coben. After witnessing his father’s death and sending his mom to rehab, Mickey is forced to live with his uncle. New school, new friends, new girlfriend… it seems like life is improving. But when his girlfriend vanishes, it leads him down the road to mystery, and question everything he thought he knew. Mickey is the quick-witted nephew Coben’s protagonist Myron Bolitar from his best-selling adult thrillers, but you don’t have to read the existing books to jump right in with this twisty, well plotted mystery. Coben doesn’t dumb things down for the YA crowd. Fans of his work and new teen readers will both enjoy this book.

THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYERby Michelle Hodkin (9/27/11 from Simon & Schuster) Mara wakes in the hospital with no memory of how she got there, after surviving an accident that killed her friends but left her strangely unharmed. That’s the start of this mysterious thriller romance. Yes, romance. The heroine is quick-witted, and engaging, the plot twisty and thrilling. Hard to talk about this one without spoilers, but I will say there’s a sequel that continues this story.

ALL THE EARTH, THROWN TO THE SKYby Joe R. Lansdale (9/13/11 from Delacorte) A road trip set in the Great Depression from celebrated author Lansdale, who set the standard for the true Texas brand of Southern Gothic literature. Rail-hopping, hobos, gangers and carnivals, this is full of quirky characters and epic adventure.

EVERY YOU, EVERY MEby David Levithan (9/13/11 from Knopf) Another award-winning author, this psychological thriller is a unnerving tale of grief and mystery. Evan, dealing with the loss of his friend Ariel, discovers a stash of photographs, all featuring him. Someone is stalking him, and as he unravels the mystery, paranoia begins to unravel him. A uniquely told tale a literary author who is really readable. (Hence the recommend.)

Until October… Happy reading!

Rosemary Clement-Moore writes Young Adult books because she loves to read them.
Visit her webpage or blog to find out more about her award winning Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series, and her gothic romance, THE SPLENDOR FALLS (now in paperback). Next up is TEXAS GOTHIC.