Dooley Takes The Fall, Norah McClintock; Red Deer Press

“Seventeen-year-old Dooley is witness to a suicide, but with his troubled past and new details to the case he is suspected of murder.”
Robin’s Note: This is a relatively new title but it’s been buzzed about as a strong tale that manages to be readable, suspenseful, and emotionally honest.  Dooley is a bit of a black sheep, but he’s caught in a situation that’s pushes what he can handle on his own.  This is a strong pick for readers looking for a realistic tale that’s realtively short but packs a punch.

Little Brother, Cory Doctorow; Tom Doherty Associates

“After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.”
Robin’s Note: This title, set in a very near possible future, is one of the best recent thrill rides.  Little Brother combines a lot of ideas: security, terrorism, patriotism, and loyalty mix with gaming, hacking, and clever non-violent public protests.  The insight of Marcus’s computer invasions are exciting and impressive, like any good movie where one side outsmarts the other.  Once the story begins, it never lets up, and pulls you right through to the end.  Doctorow poses a lot of questions along the way in this book, and does have clear concerns about civil rights and government restrictions, but the most engaging part of this book is the tense adventure.

The Body Of Christopher Creed, Carol Plum-Ucci; Volo/Hyperion

“When Christopher Creed, the class freak and whipping boy, suddenly disappears without a trace, everyone speculates on what could have happened to him. Soon fingers begin pointing, and several lives are changed forever.”
Robin’s Note: Carol Plum-Ucci has made a name for herself in writing incredibly tense tales, and she tends to let you decide the answer to a lot of her plots.  This is her first book, and as you try to puzzle through what happened to Creed, the building questions and threats increase the thrill.  If you like her style, I’d also recommend What Happened to Lani Garver? and The She.

Liar, Justine Larbalestier; Bloomsbury Children's Books

“Micah freely admits that she’s a compulsive liar. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and her parents. But when her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances, the shock might be enough to set her straight. Or maybe not.”
Robin’s Note: This is a new book that’s gotten a lot of buzz, and I haven’t heard a bad word about it yet.  Micah is emotionally honest, but it’s one of those reads where it’s more and more difficult to spot the “true” story. 

The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor; Dial

“When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne.”
Robin’s Note: If you like richly imagined fantasy, Frank Beddor’s new series featuring a very different Hatter.  Although the series draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Beddor’s version of the players are skewed: Hatter M is a lethal, loyal bodyguard of the lost heir to the throne, Alyss, and his desperate search to find her in our world is plagued by enemies from all side.  There are currently two books in the series, with a third to come.

The Red Necklace, Sally Gardner; Dial

In the late eighteenth-century, Sido, the twelve-year-old daughter of a self-indulgent marquis, and Yann, a fourteen-year-old Gypsy orphan raised to perform in a magic show, face a common enemy at the start of the French Revolution.

This title grabs you right from the beginning with its spooky atmosphere, intriguing characters, and strong sense of time and place (without overwhelming the reader with historical details.)