Love Story by Jennifer Echols

More than anything else in the world, Erin wants to be a published writer. Erin's cold and stern grandmother, her caregiver since she was 12, plans to send her granddaughter to college in New York to major in business and take over the family horse farm.When Erin reveals her dream, her grandmother responds by cutting Erin off and naming Hunter, the stable boy, her new heir.

Erin doesn't care. She heads to New York to take her place in the creative writing program of a prestigious college. She gets a part time job, scrimps and saves, and just about manages to hold everything together - until Hunter walks into her class. Erin is convinced that Hunter hates her, that he has stolen her inheritance and is so manipulative that every conversation, every story he writes, is just another way to humiliate her. But could she be wrong?

Love Story is an engrossing novel about very likeable and realistic characters. I read it in 24-hours, stopping reluctantly to eat, sleep and work and returning to my marked page with anticipation. I highly recommend this book to fans of Sarah Dessen and Justina Chen Headley. The publication date isn't until July 19th, though, so you'll have to wait a little while. In the meantime, check out Echols' other novels, Going Too Far, Forget You, Endless Summer, Major Crush and The Ex Games. And check out Jennifer Echols herself here at the Homewood Public Library on June 25th!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

When Tiffany Quinn disappeared, 178 of the 212 residents of Cryer’s Cross, Montana, searched their small town and the surrounding farms., calling out in vain for the missing teen. They searched for five days but Tiffany was nowhere to be found. Juniors Kendall Fletcher and her best friend/boyfriend Nico Cruz helped in the search. Kendall has OCD, and her mind cannot escape the endless whir of thoughts about Tiffany getting lost, getting abducted, and being murdered in horrible ways. It doesn’t help that she’s spending her days riding a tractor on her parent’s farm. Long, hot days with nothing to distract her from the fear. But when school starts back Kendall begins to forget some of her fears, exhausted by soccer and dance and back into her normal routine. Then Nico disappears, too, and Kendall doesn’t think she can survive his absence.

This thriller is packed with great characters, a creepy mystery and an unexpected evil. It’s also a quick read, so you have time to devour it between study sessions! 

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Jacob Fielding should have died in the car accident. But right before the car slammed into the tree, his foster father whispered three words: you are indestructible. With those words a powerful force entered Jacob, saving him from certain death and dooming Mr. Fielding. But is this new indestructibility a gift or a curse? Can you really cheat death?

When Jacob tells his friends Milo and Ophelia about what happened, they experiment with transferring the power to each other and even people they don't know. Ophelia in particular becomes obsessed with cheating death, asking Jacob to transfer the indestructibility to strangers in order to protect them from what could be dangerous or deadly. But everything comes at a price, and as the days go by Ophelia begins to change. Her vibrancy turns to lifelessness, deep shadows appear under her eyes and she gets more violent and moody. Jacob and Milo have to figure this power out before they lose Ophelia - but they only way to stop her may be to give death it's due.

The Limit by Kristen Landon

In the not-too-distant future the government has stepped in to "help" individuals control their personal debt. Everyone is given a limit, and families who exceed their limit are given options: they can undergo a program of strict spending regulation or send one of their children to a workhouse.


This has always been something that happened to other families. Then one day Matt's mother's card is rejected at the supermarket. A few hours later Matt is taken. At first it's not a big deal. Matt is placed on the Top Floor, with it's cushy rooms, unlimited buying and freedom to order anything and everything for meals. But Matt is suspicious and hacks into the workhouse's computer. What he finds shocks him out of his complacency. Now he has to find a way to stop the abuses going on before he's permanently silenced.

This thrilling novel takes today's economics and turns them into a dystopia that is easily imagined. I could not stop reading it and recommend it highly.

Kane Chronicles #2 Release Date!

Rick Riordan's popular new series, The Kane Chronicles, follows siblings Carter and Sadie as they learn about their family's magical roots and the power that flows in their blood. Book one, The Red Pyramid, came out in May 2009 and was a huge hit. It has just been announced that book two, The Throne of Fire, will be released on May 3, 2011.

Rick Riordan is also the author of the popular Percy Jackson series.

Firespell by Chloe Neill

Its not often that I come across something original in paranormal lit for teens, but Firespell is definitely one of these rare gems. Chloe Neill took the (almost) overused themes of boarding school, magic and vampires and twisted them around to tell the story of Lily Parker and the Junior Varsity.

Lily's parents have the opportunity to take a sabbatical in Germany, studying the papers of a famous philosopher. Rather than take their teenage daughter with them, they enroll Lily in St. Sophia's, an all-girls boarding school in Chicago. There Lily meets Scout, her self-proclaimed new BFF. But while Scout has taken Lily under her wing, the uber-rich-brat-pack finds every opportunity to antagonize the new girl. Typical boarding school stuff, really. But then one night Lily follows Scout as she sneaks out of their suite on a mysterious "errand." They descend into a series of tunnels under the school, and though Lily loses Scout, she learns enough to be afraid for her friend's safety.

Okay, I could say more but I'd be giving too much away. Read the book. Its great. Trust me.

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes is a cute novel about how friendships transition. Told in the voices of three girls (Olivia, Georgia & Kate) the novel relates each girls' perspective on their long-standing friendship, their crushes, and each other. Each girl is realistic and the story plays out well. I recommend this one for middle-school girls who worry that growing up means growing apart from their friends.

By the way, here's a fortune cookie recipe, in case this book makes you crave homemade fortune cookies, or if you want to duplicate Olivia, Georgia & Kate's idea.