Crime Scene

This week, I am sharing crime stories for teens.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
Eleven years after six kindergarteners were taken, five come back--with no idea of where they've been and no memory of the sixth victim, Max, but Avery, Max's sister, is determined to find her brother.

Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn
A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

The Invisible by Mats Wahl
A Swedish teenager is assaulted and killed, but returns as a ghost to find his killer.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Followed everywhere by the ghost of her recently deceased best friend, Hannah investigates the serial murders of young girls in her community.


More Teen Crime Stories --
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
Gentlemen by Michael Northrop
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
Jude by Kate Morgenroth
Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
The Lost Causes by Jessica Koosed Etting
The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn
The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius
Panic by Sharon M. Draper
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams
Shine by Lauren Myracle
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
We Now Return to Our Regular Life by Martin Wilson
Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf
Wild Blues by Beth Kephart

Check these books out at the Arnold Branch.

You Can Trust Me! Don't Believe a Word I Say!

This week I am sharing teen fiction with unreliable narrators.  Can you trust what they are telling you?  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka 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.

The Thief by  Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.


More Books --
After by Amy Efaw
Belzhar: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer
Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi
Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Crazy by Han Nolan
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory
Schizo by Nic Sheff
The Sin-Eater's Confession by Ilsa J. Bick
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through April 6, 2018.

Crime Scene!

This week, I'm highlighting teen books featuring crime stories.  These might be stories of teen criminals, teen detectives, and teen mysteries.  Here are some of my favorites . . .

Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn
A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

Invisible by  Mats Wahl
A Swedish teenager is assaulted and killed, but returns as a ghost to find his killer.

Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn
Narrated from several different perspectives, tells the story of the 1956 murder of two teenaged girls in suburban Baltimore, Maryland.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
In small-town Australia, teens Jasper and Charlie form an unlikely friendship when one asks the other to help him cover up a murder until they can prove who is responsible.

After by Amy Efaw
In complete denial that she is pregnant, straight-A student and star athlete Devon Davenport leaves her baby in the trash to die, and after the baby is discovered, Devon is accused of attempted murder.


More Books --
Blood With Tell by April Henry
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
Gentlemen by  Michael Northrop
Jude by Kate Morgenroth
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
The Knife That Killed Me by Anthony McGowan
Looking for Normal by Betty Monthei
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford
Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Shine by Lauren Myracle

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 30, 2016.

Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"  

That is one of the most memorable lines from the movie The Wizard Oz.  This week, I thought I would share some books for teens featuring witches.  It is up to you to determine whether they are good or bad . . .

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A retelling of the tale of twelve princesses who wear out their shoes dancing every night, and of Galen, a former soldier now working in the king's gardens, who follows them in hopes of breaking the curse.

Garden Princess by Kristin Kladstrup

Princess Adela, preferring plants and trees to idle chit-chat, attends a garden party hosted by Lady Hortensia and finds something is amiss in the Lady's garden.

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Tells the story of Kendra, a witch, and the first three-hundred years of her life, including takes on a classic fairy tale, the 1666 plague in Britain, the "Titanic" disaster, and the story of a modern-day, plain stepsister.

Juniper by Monica Furlong

While apprenticed to the witch woman Juniper, a young girl struggles to save her family from the evil machinations of her power-hungry aunt Meroot. 

More Books Featuring Witches --

All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Time of Witches by Anna Myers

Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson

Witch Child by Celia Rees