by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
Ron Carlson
"In 1999, four friends who once played in a high school band reunite in their hometown, Oakpine, WY--Craig and Frank never left, Mason is back from Denver to sell his parents' home, and Jimmy, who had gone to New York and become a famous novelist, has returned because he is dying."--Library Journal.
Marissa Stapley
"Mae Summers has it all: a loving fiancé, Peter, a job at the flourishing company he owns and a beautiful New York City apartment. But Mae's life shatters when she wakes up one morning to discover Peter gone--leaving only a cryptic note behind him--and the company in shambles, its investments founded on lies. There's only one place for Mae to go: home to Alexandria Bay, the small tourist town in upstate New York where she was raised by her grandparents in the inn they own. And not all is right in Alex Bay, either: Mae finds her grandmother struggling with dementia, separated from Mae's grandfather thanks to a terrible secret she never meant to reveal. She also finds Gabe, her childhood best friend who became the love of her young life--now a handsome if brooding adult, working through a private trauma that still haunts him. A lifetime of secrets stands in the way of Mae and her family's happiness. Home may be where the heart is, but sometimes it takes equal parts love, forgiveness and will to mend that heart" --
Sheila O'Flanagan
Romy Kilkenny loves her life in Australia, she has her dream job, lots of mates, and a best friend in Keith, who understands her better than anyone. Best of all, she couldn't be further from her family. But when her brother rings to say she's needed back in Ireland right away, Romy's world is turned upside down. Flying home to see her mother and her half-siblings, Romy doubts she'll fit in better now than she ever did. She also worries that the accidental half-kiss with Keith at the airport may have brought their easy friendship to a sudden end. Whatever lies ahead, it's not what Romy's expecting - even the people we grow up with can surprise us, and if love is to be found, it will find a way.
Barry Jonsberg
Candice is a twelve-year-old optimist, with a literal mind, the very best of intentions, and an unwavering determination to fix all the problems of her family, friends, pets, and everyone in her life.