Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

Click the green play button to hear a review.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Fifteen-year-old twins Eli and Eddy have the best father in the world who also happens to be one of the richest. When the world comes under a radiation attack, their father sends the entire family to an underground compound to protect them from the radiation effects. Unfortunately, Eddy and Grandma don't make it into the compound before the door is sealed. Six years pass with Eli believing his twin brother and grandmother have died in the attack. Little by little, though, Eli realizes his father has not been completely honest with the family about what really happened. When he discovers a laptop that still has an internet connection, Eli is able to reconnect with the outside world. But can he save his family before his father destroys them all?

Two Tearjerkers!

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor - 12-year-old Addie lives with her bipolar mother in a tiny trailer next to the train tracks in upstate New York. When the only stable person in her life (her ex-step-father) moves two hours away, she has to learn to trust the kindness of strangers to help keep her safe and teach her the meaning of family.
The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong - After their mother dies, three brothers and their father set sail on a year-long voyage to the Caribbean. After their father disappears one evening, before the boys can decide what happened to him, they find themselves in the middle of a horrible storm. Finally as the storm subsides, their small sailboat washes them ashore a tiny uninhabited island. Left with little food, little water, and little chance of rescue, the three brothers are forced to face their wildest fears and put their lives at risk.

Suck It Up by Brian Meehl

Meet Morning McCobb, the world's first wanna-be vampire super-hero. The only problem is people are afraid of vampires because typically vampires want to kill you, or at the very least, suck a few pints of your blood. So Morning sets out with the best public relations guru in the U.S. to educate the mortals of the world about the International Vampire League (IVL), a secret organization of vampires hoping to come out and be recognized as just another minority with special needs.

How NOT to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

Maggie Dempsey has moved around and changed schools... A LOT! She used to think moving every few months was fun and adventurous, but as she has gotten older and started making friends along the way, moving and changing schools is now one giant hassle. So when her parents tell her they are moving to Austin, Texas, Maggie vows to NOT make any friends in this place, thinking that will save her from heart break. But what Maggie doesn't understand is that by trying NOT to be popular, the opposite effect happens and she becomes the new "It" girl on campus.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

How far would you be willing to go to get what you want? For Mick Johnson, the son of an infamous high school, then college, and finally NFL football player, he's got huge shoes to fill. But can he do it himself or does he need the help of some gym candy? And what about the consequences that come with that kind of "candy"? For Mick, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. But is it really?

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman

What lengths would you go to in order to get a little attention from your family? What would you be willing to do to help a friend in need? For Anthony, a.k.a. Antsy, Bonano he knows a friend in need of help when he sees one, so he sarcastically offers to give his friend a month of his life. And what starts out as a joke gets crazily out of control... quickly!

Organ donation to the extreme!

UNWIND by Neal Shusterman - In the not-too-distant future, a person's life is precious from conception until the age of 13, when parents who aren't happy with the way their child has evolved, can have them "unwound", where body parts are harvested and given to the highest bidder. You see this satisfies both the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers because technically no one ever dies. Their body parts continue to live on in other peoples' bodies. 16-year-old Connor decides to take matters into his own hands and run away from the "harvesting camp" before he can become one of the "unwinds". Along the way he discovers an underground world of unwinds where there is a whole new set of rules he must abide by or risk the same fate.

If you like that one here is another look at the topic...

THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson - What would you do to save the life of someone you love? How many organ transplants can one person receive and still be the same person? What percentage of a person's body should remain in order to still be considered human? Does everyone hear voices of dead people? What really happened the night her two best friends died? Why can't she remember that night? These are all questions Jenna Fox asks herself after she wakes up from an 18-month-long "nap".

Found: The Missing, Book 1 by Margaret Peterson Haddix

What happens when a plane suddenly appears out of nowhere carrying nothing but 36 babies? There was no sign of the plane on the airport's radar, there was no flight crew on the plane. The plane was seen by only a handful of people and those people have mysteriously disappeared. Flash foward 13 years to a couple of boys playing basketball in the driveway. One of them receives a creepy letter that leads to a bizarre turn of events and perhaps a little bit of time travel.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas

15-year-old Antonia has two wishes: 1)to be named the first ever living saint to be named by the Pope and 2)to be movie-star kissed by the tall, dark, and handsome Andy Rotellini. While constantly petitioning an assortment of saints to intercede on her behalf in whatever matter presents itself, she is always on the lookout for an idea to propose to the Vatican that will help her become the first ever living saint. But first, that kiss... and why does that goofy Michael, with his oh-so-fake Irish accent, keep hanging around?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Every year in a future place called Panem (what used to be known as North America), 24 kids between the ages of 12 and 18 are randomly chosen to be sent to the Hunger Games that are televised for all of Panem to watch. Only one can win. The winner is the only one to emerge out of the arena still alive. 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen has been surviving using her wits and hunting skills for the last several years, but she has never been put in a situation where she has to kill or be killed.