New York Times Best Young Adult Books of 2013

Check out these notable books of 2013!

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang:  In these companion graphic novels, Yang, a Michael L. Printz Award winner, tackles the complicated history of China’s Boxer Rebellion, using characters with opposing perspectives to explore the era’s politics and religion.    New Teen Fiction Yang

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell:  A misfit girl from an abusive home and a Korean-American boy form a happy bond over music and comics on the school bus in this novel, which John Green said “reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”   New Teen Fiction Rowell    

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell:  In her second Y.A. novel published this year, Rowell cleverly weaves the story of an introverted girl’s freshman year in college--and first romance--with the “Harry Potter”-like fan-fiction she writes in her spare time.   New Teen Fiction Rowell

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: Yancey’s wildly entertaining novel, in which aliens come to Earth, manages the trick of appealing to teens and adults alike.   New Teen Fiction Yancey

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff:  Mila, a young Londoner with an uncanny gift for empathy, accompanies her father to upstate New York to search for his best friend. Questions of honesty and trust are central to this novel, a ­National Book Award finalist.  Coming soon!*

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson:  A boy longs to join a magical group defending humanity against merciless “chalklings” in this fantasy, set in an alternate version of ­America.   New Teen Fiction Sanderson

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein:   In this sequel to the highly-praised Code Name Verity, Rose, 18, an American transport pilot and aspiring poet, struggles to survive in a women’s concentration camp after her plane is grounded in World War II-era Germany.  Coming soon!*

*available through interlibraryloan

       

 

 

New Books for September!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black:  When 17-year-old Tana wakes up following a party in the aftermath of a violent vampire attack, she travels to Coldtown, a quarantined Massachusetts city full of vampires, with her ex-boyfriend and a mysterious vampire boy in tow.  New Fiction Black




Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington:  Twelve-year-old Sarah writes letters to her hero, To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, for help understanding her mentally ill mother, her first real crush, and life in her small Texas town, all in the course of one momentous summer.  New Fiction Harrington




The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer:  In the fourth Life as We Knew It book, it's been more than two years since a meteor knocked the moon off its orbit and the world changed forever.  Jon Evans and his family have left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave, but Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister, Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?  New Fiction Pfeffer




Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell:  Feeling cast off when her best friend outgrows their shared love for a favorite celebrity, Cath, a dedicated fan-fiction writer, struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words, and worrying about her fragile father.  New Fiction Rowell





The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater:  In book two of the Raven Boys series, magic is swirling around the Raven boys and Ronan Lynch's ability to pull objects from his dreams is almost out of control.  Worst of all, the mysterious Gray Man is stalking the Lynch family and looking for something called the Greywaren.   New Fiction Stiefvater





 
 


Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson:  At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers.  Now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners--the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.  New Fiction Sanderson





Risked by Margaret Haddix Peterson:  In the book six of the Missing series, Jonah and Katherine travel back in time to 1918 Russia just as Alexei, Anastasia, and the rest of Czar Nicholas II's family is about to be executed.  Includes fascinating facts about the Romanovs and the mystery surrounding their deaths.  New Fiction Peterson

New Books for August!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

Going Vintage by Lindsay Leavitt:  When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her online, she swears off boys.  She also swears off modern technology.  Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and complete her grandma's list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous.  But the list is trickier than it looks.  And obviously finding a steady is out...no matter how handsome Jeremy's cousin, Oliver, is.  But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow.  New Fiction Leavitt



Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block:  The earth shakes, a wall of water comes, and everyone Penelope loves disappears, leaving her alone.  She can see nothing but ruins around her pink house by the sea in Los Angeles. Her family was swept away by the water.  Her father had warned of impending danger, and though her mother thought he was paranoid, his emergency provisions keep Pen alive.  Weeks later, men break into her house, but Pen escapes with their van.  She sets off on an Odyssey-like journey in search of her family.  On the way, she encounters giants, sirens, a witch, a girl who may be magical, and companions to aid her in her quest. Through flashbacks, she reveals that she had been struggling with feelings for one of her closest girlfriends. Now, as she, Hex, Ez, and Ash speed toward Las Vegas, Pen finds strength she's never known and love she didn't expect.  New Fiction Block


September Girls by Bennett Madison:  Sam is spending the summer in a beach town filled with beautiful blond girls who all seem inexplicably attracted to him.  But that’s not the only reason why he thinks the girls are strange.  They only wear flats because heels make their feet bleed.  They never go swimming in the water.  And they all want something from him.  Sam finds himself in an unexpected summer romance when he falls for one of the girls, DeeDee.  But as they get closer, she pulls away without explanation.  Sam knows that if he is going to win her back, he’ll have to learn the girls’ secret.  New Fiction Madison



The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick:  Edward picks up what he thinks is a rock. He doesn’t know it is a sleeping Time Fetch—and touching it will release its foragers too soon and alter the entire fabric of time and space. Soon the bell rings to end class just as it has begun. Buses race down streets, too far behind schedule to stop for passengers. Buildings and sidewalks begin to disappear as the whole fabric of the universe starts to unravel. To try to stop the foragers, Edward must depend on the help of his classmates Feenix, Danton, and Brigit—whether he likes it or not. They all have touched the Fetch, and it has drawn them together in a strange and thrilling adventure. The boundaries between worlds and dimensions are blurred, and places and creatures on the other side are much like the ones they’ve always known—but slightly twisted, a little darker, and much more dangerous.  New Fiction Herrick


Twerp by Mark Goldblatt: Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.  New Fiction Goldblatt



Unnatural Creatures: Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman: A collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by bestselling author Neil Gaiman. The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman range from whimsical to terrifying, and the magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology. New Fiction Gaiman





The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (The Lorien Legacies #4): In the fourth book of the Lorien saga, the Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?   John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found one another. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.  But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they're hiding out in Nine's Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.  The six of them are powerful, but they're not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More important, they'll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.  And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it's too late.  The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.  Lorien will rise again.  New Fiction Lore

New Books for July!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!


Starstruck by Rachel Shukert:  Every week they arrive in Los Angeles--beautiful and talented young hopefuls who dream of becoming stars.  It's all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted—and when she's discovered by a powerful agent, she can barely believe her luck.  She's more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative family for a chance to light up the silver screen.  The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios and Margaret—now Margo—is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, who at 16 is already a grizzled show-biz veteran caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all--ambition, glamour...and dirty secrets.  Missing from the pack is Diana Chesterfield, the beautiful actress who mysteriously disappeared, and there are whispers that Diana's boyfriend—Margo's new co-star—may have had something to do with it. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems.   New Teen Fiction Shukert





 Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff:  Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about.  He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long.  Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes."  Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.  But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change.  The mayor's daughter is unlike anyone he's ever met and the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching.  Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.  New Teen Fiction Zadoff


The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata:  Summer knows that kouun means “good luck” in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan—right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills.  The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brother, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss’s cute son. But notice she does, and what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own. Having thoroughly disappointed her grandmother, Summer figures the bad luck must be finished—but then it gets worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family.  New Teen Fiction Kadohata


In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters:  In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?
Featuring haunting archival early-20th century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.  New Teen Fiction Winters


Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg:  Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls: the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys.  And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara--part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).  Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.  The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game--and she's in it to win it.  New Teen Fiction Eulberg 


Theodore Boone: The Activist by John Grisham (Theodore Boone series, #4):  Theodore Boone is back, and he’s facing his most dangerous case yet. As Strattenburg sits divided over a hot political and environmental issue, Theo finds himself in the middle of the battle. When he uncovers corruption beneath the surface, Theo will confront bigger risks than ever to himself and those he loves. But even face-to-face with danger, Theodore Boone will do whatever it takes to stand up for what’s right.   New Teen Fiction Grisham




 Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill by James Patterson (Middle School series #5): Rafe Khatchadorian is ready for a fun summer at camp--until he finds out it's a summer school camp! Luckily, Rafe easily makes friends with his troublemaking cabin mates and bunkmate, a boy nicknamed Booger-Eater, who puts up with endless teasing from the other kids. Rafe soon realizes there's more to a person than a nickname, though, and Booger-Eater might be the kind of friend you want on your side when the boys from the Cool Cabin attack.  New Teen Fiction Patterson

Awaken by Meg Cabot (Abandon series #3):  Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she'd be forced to live forever in the one place she's always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy  she loves.  But now her happiness--and safety--are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: he revived a human soul.  If the balance between life and death isn't fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce's home back on earth will be wiped away.  And there's only one way to restore order.  Someone has to die.  New Teen Fiction Cabot

New Books for June!

Check out these new books coming to Riverdale Public Library soon!



The More and More by Sarah Dessen:  During her last summer at home before leaving for college, Emaline begins a whirlwind romance with Theo, an assistant documentary filmmaker who is in town to make a movie.  New Teen Fiction Dessen




Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker by Rachel Renee Russell:  In the sixth book of the popular series, middle-school drama queen Nikki Maxwell worries about asking a boy to her school's "sweetheart dance."  New Teen Fiction Russell







Doll Bones by Holly Black: Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middle school who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.  New Teen Fiction Black 




The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani:  Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White.  Meanwhile, Agatha seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.  The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.  But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are...?  New Teen Fiction Chainani




The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson: As Wild Chalklings threaten the American Isles and Rithmatists are humanity's only defense, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice.  New Teen Fiction Sanderson



Crushed by Sara Shepard: In the 13th installment of the Pretty Little Liars series, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria are on a different kind of hunt: they're looking for A...Hanna puts her campaign for prom queen on the back burner to volunteer at a burn clinic, where one of A's victims is recovering. Emily digs into Ali's past at the psychiatric hospital with some very crazy consequences. Spencer contacts an amateur private eye to help her stalk her stalker. But when their sessions get a little too private, they may forget to keep their eyes on A. And Aria's worried that A is even closer than she thought. When her dark secret from Iceland comes to light, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, the one person she's been trying to hide the truth from has known all along. New Teen Fiction Shepard



The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey:  In this best-seller, Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them.  New Teen Fiction Yancey

New Books for February!

Look for these great new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard:  Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.”  On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most.  New Teen Fiction Mitchard


In Darkness by Nick Lake:  "Shorty" is a Haitian boy trapped in the ruins of a hospital when the earth explodes around him.  Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems inevitable. Yet as Shorty waits in darkness for a rescue that may never come, he becomes aware of another presence, one reaching out to him across two hundred years of history. It is the presence of slave and revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, whose life was marred by violence, and whose own end came in darkness. What unites a child of the slums with the man who would shake a troubled country out of slavery?  Is it the darkness they share...or is it hope?  In Darkness won the 2013 Michael L. Printz Award for Distinguished Contribution to Young Adult Literature.  New Teen Fiction Lake

Prodigy: A Legend Novel by Marie Lu:  In this sequel to the best-selling Legend, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.  It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.  But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?  New Teen Fiction Lu

 

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool:  At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mother's death and placed in a boy's boarding school in Maine.  There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains. Newcomer Jack feels lost yet can't help being drawn to Early, who won't believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.  But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives.   New Teen Fiction Vanderpool

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My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris:  On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly soon-to-be stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family's trip to Florence, Italy is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits...right into Renaissance Firenze.  Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?   New Teen Fiction Harris

 

Girl With Borrowed Wings by Rinsai Rossetti:  Controlled by her father and bound by the desert, Frenenqer Paje's life is tediously the same, until a small act of rebellion explodes her world and she meets a boy, but not just a boy--a Free person, a winged person, a shape-shifter. He has everything Frenenqer doesn't. No family, no attachments, no rules.  At night, he flies them to the far-flung places of their childhoods to retrace their pasts. But when the delicate balance of their friendship threatens to rupture into something more, Frenenqer must confront her isolation, her father, and her very sense of identity, breaking all the rules of her life to become free.  A stunningly written tale of an isolated girl and the shape-shifting boy who shows her what freedom could be--if only she has the courage to take it.  New Teen Fiction Rossetti

 

 

Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin:  In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: when placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two.  That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents.  In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community.  In Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing.  And deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos.  This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb.   Bomb was a 2012 National Book Awards finalist for Young People's Literature.  New Teen Non-Fiction 623.4 SHE

 

 

Best Adult Books for Young Adults

If you're a great reader, you probably enjoy novels written for adults.  Here are the best adult books for young adults of 2012, chosen by Booklist:

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker:  A coming-of-age story and a tale of a frightening possible future, this gem of a novel features 12-year-old Julia, who is living in a world that is coming to an end as the earth's rotation gradually slows.  New Adult Fiction Walker

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson:  This frenzied novel features a young hacker-for-hire who becomes an enemy of the state after his computer program catches the eye of the iron-clad security prescence known as the Hand.  New Adult Fiction Wilson

The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau:  No, not the Jonas Brothers.  With its spare writing and subtle story, Dau's debut vividly demonstrates the cost of war through 15-year-old Jonas, who moves from a conflict-ridden Middle Eastern country to Pittsburgh.  Adult Fiction Dau

Edge of Dark Water by Joe R. Lansdale:  Set in the 1930s, this dark, fast-paced, coming-of-age mysery follows teens Sue Ellen, Jinx, and Terry, who are transporting their friend and once-aspiring star Mary Lynn's ashes from East Texas to Hollywood.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman:  Hassman's inventive and utterly believable debut takes place in a 1980's Reno trailer park, where narrator Rory Dawn lives with her alcoholic and mentally ill mother and suffers abuse at the hands of incompetent babysitters.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson:  A mesmerizing tale of how an exposed family secret changes the lives of three generations of women in the Slocumb family, including 30-year-old Liza, a former drug addict, and Liza's gangly and awkward 15-year-old daughter, Mosey.  Adult Fiction Jackson

Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist:  This title begins when an abusive former recording artist and his meek wife discover a musically talented baby in the woods.  As the novel progresses, the oddball protagonists offer up a chilling, disturbing portrait of adolescence.  New Adult Fiction Ajvide

Pure by Julianna Baggott:  Thanks to something called the Detonations, civilization has been destroyed and survivors are horribly burned, scarred, and fused to whatever they happened to be near when the Detonations occurred.  A postapocalyptic novel for Hunger Games fans.  New Teen Fiction Baggott

So Far Away by Meg Mitchell:  Miserable 13-year-old cyberbullied Natalie Gallagher and lonely archivist Kathleen Lynch make a life-changing connection at the Massachussetts State Archives when Natalie bring in an old journal for a school project in this compassionate novel of human connection.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka:  This novel is a beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope as 14-year-old June Elbus reels from the death of beloved Uncle Finn, a famous painter who has succumbed to AIDS, in 1987.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

That's Not a Feeling by Dan Josefson:  At the Roaring Orchards Schools for Troubled Teens in upstate New York, the cult leader-like headmaster insists on structure and limits, but interpreting his rules isn't easy for students like Benjamin and Tidbit, whose friendship, confusion, and longing anchor this noteworthy debut.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man by Nick Dybek:  This compelling variation on Treasure Island feature a boy named Cal, a sensitive and courageous guide to the cruel mysteries of adult life, who finds himself thrust in a complex and moral dilemma.  Adult Fiction Dybek

Click here to place interlibrary loans.  Have your library card and pin number on hand.

New Books for January!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

Dodger by Terry Pratchett:  A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.  Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl—not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.  From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.  

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Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger:  It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.  Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.  

 

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand: Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.) But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all. If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy.


Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi:  Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.  Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.  A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 

Pure by Julianna Baggott:  Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost--how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.  There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked: Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss--maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.  When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.
Every Day by David Levithan:  Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.   There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.  It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth: When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship—one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not exactly sure who that is. 
 

 
Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas: In the 2012 London Olympics, US gymnast Gabrielle Douglas stole hearts and flew high as the All-Around Gold Medal winner, as well as acting as a critical member of the US gold-medal-winning women gymnastics team. In this personal autobiography, Gabrielle tells her story of faith, perseverance, and determination, demonstrating you can reach your dreams if you let yourself soar.

New Books for November!

Look for these new teen reads coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!


Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall:  When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico.  But returning home to Texas turns into an incredible.  With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a tough road to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?

Eighth Grade is Making Me Sick:  Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff: by Jennifer L. Holm:  Ginny has big plans for eighth grade. She's going to try out for cheerleading, join Virtual Vampire Vixens, and maybe even fall in love. But middle school is more of a roller-coaster ride than Ginny could have ever predicted. Her family has just moved into a fancy new house when Ginny's stepdad loses his job. (Can worrying about money make you sick?) Ginny's big brother keeps getting into trouble. And there's a new baby on the way. (Living proof that Ginny's mom and stepdad are having sex. Just what she needs.) Filled with Post-its, journal entries, grocery lists, hand-drawn comic strips, report cards, IMs, notes, and more, Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick is the sometimes poignant, often hilarious, always relatable look at a year in the life of one girl, told entirely through her stuff. Part graphic novel, part scrapbook and altogether original.


Drama by Raina Telgemeier:  Callie loves theater.  And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of "Moon Over Mississippi," she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget.  But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen and two cute brothers enter the picture.  Featuring a diverse set of characters, this graphic novel humorously explores friendship, crushes, and all-around drama!


Look for these books or put them on hold here.

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

This book was ok. I really liked the concept of finding a psycho's diary and finding him, but i don't like the way it was expressed. I kind of wish they would explain Maya more an the importance of it.

Rating: It was just okay

Written by C.T.
Grade 8

Prince of Mist by Carlos Faiz Zafron

I LOVED this book because its the perfect horror with a little mystery. Max and his family move to a house by a beach and he and Alicia befriend a boy named Roland. They are having magical problems with a certain magician and may or may not solve the mystery of magic.

Rating: Loved it!

Written by C.T.
Grade 8

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

I like it because I thought it was scary and the same time interesting, like the old man moving into a creepy house and meeting a boy. I suggest for it to be better is to have more enthusiasm.I still really liked it a lot and I hope anybody else who reads the book will also like it to.

Rating: Liked It

Written by: A.D.
Grade 6