Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen-year-old diagnosed with mad cow disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

Liz says:

“Holy Cow! It’s hard even to comprehend how to describe this masterpiece. Crazy, epic, fun, funny, tragic, ironic are just a few words that come to mind. This is for a reader who likes a long book that goes off in wild tangents. For those who decide to sink their teeth into this treasure, you will not be disappointed .”

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

Liz says:

“Having attended a special school for his whole life, Marcelo’s father decides that Marcelo should go to public school for his senior year of high school. Marcelo loves his school and is especially attached to a program there that allows him to work with horses. He makes a “deal” with his mom that if he goes to work at his father’s law firm for the summer and gives an honest try at working in the “real world” he can then choose which school he will go to. Over the course of the summer, Marcelo experiences many challenges and encounters injustice and dishonesty. Marcelo’s unflinching goodness and unique sense of the world make this a powerful story with the lasting effect of new understanding and empathy.” (Received 5 starred reviews).

Fourteen-year-old John creates alternative realities in his mind as he tries to deal with his mother’s abusive boyfriend, his crush on a beautiful, but shallow classmate and other problems at school.

Liz says:

“Right from the start, John catches the reader off guard as he directs his thoughts toward his mother. It’s almost as if this is told from a 4th person narration. This is a gripping story of mental and physical abuse and there are some harrowing scenes. It’s an amazing story with an amazing ending.”

Seventeen-year-old Vince’s life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

Liz says:

“This hilariously funny book is a modern day version of Romeo & Juliet without the tough language and the horrific tragedy! You will be laughing from the first scene.” (Sequel – Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle)

After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, sixteen-year-old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.

Liz says:

“Sonnenblick’s ability to capture believable voices and to deliver a meaningful story is amazing. There’s some tough stuff in this book but its well worth it.”

Martyn Pig’s life goes from bad to worse when he accidentally kills his father, and he must choose whether to tell the police the truth about what happened and be suspected of murder, or he can get rid of the body and pretend nothing ever happened.

Liz says:

“ “This book is a great example of dark humor. It’s very entertaining and has a real twist. Kevin Brooks is an amazing author!”

While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.

Liz says:

Walter Dean Myers is one of the best authors for young adults. This is a masterpiece (note the 3 awards.) Myers used to be a journalist and interviewed a lot of criminals. In telling this story, Myers narrates the book in 2 totally distinct formats. We are shown Steve’s journal that he keeps in prison, allowing us to hear his voice and his inner thoughts. Then, we are shown a film transcript of the trial as recorded by Steve. Myers says that when he used to interview criminals they spoke of their crimes in the 3rd person and that is how he came up with the concept for this book. This along with photographs by Myer’s son Christopher, make for a poignant story of stereotypes and justice. This is a must read and I recommend it for 7th grade and up.”

Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends–one a loner obsessed by his model trains, the other a popular student involved in football and theatre–who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever.

Liz says:

“Haunted by an event in the past, this psychological drama is both poignant and gripping.”

After starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents’ divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality.

Liz says:

“John has such a real voice, you will think you actually know him. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother outside of Boston and goes to his father’s apartment in Boston on weekends. John’s mother is loving but has a hard time showing it and his father is completely detached. He leaves John in the apartment while he goes out with his girlfriend – so much for quality time. John is so lonely he figures out a way to meet the author of his favorite zine (eclectic, homemade magazine). Through this very tough relationship, John learns about love and all the different ways it can manifest itself. In the end, he finds that hard love is better than no love at all!”