Arcady's Goal

By Eugene Yelchin

When twelve-year-old Arcady is sent to a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state in Soviet Russia, soccer becomes a way to secure extra food, respect, and protection, but it may also be his way out if he can believe in himself.

Fish In a Tree

By Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help. However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker.

The Girl in the Well Is Me

By Karen Rivers

Eleven-year-old Kammie reflects on her life as she fights claustrophobia while waiting to be rescued from a well she fell into while trying to impress some mean girls.

Pax

By Sara Pennypacker

After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back, with an impending war approaching.

Some Kind of Courage

By Dan Gemeinhart

In 1890 Washington the only family Joseph Johnson has left is his half-wild Indian pony, Sarah, so when she is sold by a man who has no right to do so, Joseph sets out to get her back--and he plans to let nothing stop him in his quest.

Tall Story

By Candy Gourlay

Sixteen-year-old Bernardo, who is eight feet tall and suffers from a condition called Gigantism, leaves the Philippines to live with his mother's family in London, much to the delight of his thirteen-year-old half sister Andi, a passionate basketball player.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

By Kelly Jones

Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family's move to her Great Uncle Jim's farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.

Apple and Rain

By Sarah Crossan

When her imagined perfect life with her estranged mother begins to unravel, fourteen- year-old Apple finds comfort in reading and writing poetry.

The Bitter Side of Sweet

By Tara Sullivan

Kept as forced labor on a chocolate plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou and his younger brother Seydou had given up hope, until a young girl arrives at the camp who rekindles the urge to escape.

Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

By Steve Sheinkin

Recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries, and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.

Chasing Secrets

By Gennifer Choldenko

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie and her secret friend Noah, who is hiding in her house, plan to rescue Noah's father from the quarantined Chinatown, and save everyone they love from contracting the plague that is spreading in 1900 San Francisco.

Full Cicada Moon

By Marilyn Hilton

In 1969 twelve-year-old Mimi and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi's mixed-race background and interest in "boyish" topics like astronomy make her feel like an outsider.

The Girl I Used To Be

By April Henry

Olivia's parents were killed fourteen years ago. Now, new evidence reopens the case ... and she finds herself involved.

Goodbye Stranger

By Rebecca Stead

As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvaceous Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend--or more than friend--Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?"

Half a World Away

By Cynthia Kadohata

Twelve-year-old Jaden, an emotionally damaged adopted boy fascinated by electricity, feels a connection to a small, weak toddler with special needs in Kazakhstan, where Jaden's family is trying to adopt a "normal" baby.

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

By Caitlin Alifirenka

The true story of an all-American girl from Pennsylvania and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. Nonfiction.

Lois Lane: Fallout

By Gwenna Bond

Lois Lane is the new girl at East Metropolis High, and her instinct to ask questions brings her and her online friend, Smallville Guy, into conflict with some bullying video gamers called the Warheads, who are being used in a dangerous virtual reality experiment.

The Unwanteds

By Lisa McMann

In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic. First in a series.

Zane and the Hurricane

By Rodman Philbrick

A twelve-year-old boy and his dog become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park

By Steve Kluger

Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

The Novice

By Taran Matharu

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy where must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. First of a trilogy.

Silence Is Goldfish

By Annabel Pitcher

Fifteen-year-old Tess Turner of Manchester, England, decides to stop speaking in the wake of discovering a heartbreaking family secret.

Something In Between

By Melissa de la Cruz

After learning of her family's illegal immigrant status, Jasmine realizes that college may be impossible and that deportation is a real threat, uncertainties she endures as she falls for the son of a congressman who opposes an immigration reform bill.

Terror at Bottle Creek

By Watt Key

Thirteen-year-old Cort's father is a local expert on hunting and swamp lore in lower Alabama who has been teaching his son everything he knows. But when a deadly Gulf Coast hurricane makes landfall, Cort must unexpectedly put his all skills--and bravery--to the test.

Took: A Ghost Story

By Mary Downing Hahn

A witch called Old Auntie is lurking near Dan's family's new home. He doesn't believe in her at first, but is forced to accept that she is real and take action when his little sister, Erica, is 'took' to become Auntie's slave for the next fifty years.

Under Their Skin

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Twelve-year-old twins Nick and Eryn investigate why their mother and new stepfather are keeping secrets, why they are forbidden to meet their stepsiblings, and, most important, why their lives are in danger. First of a duology.

The Walk On

By John Feinstein

After moving to a new town his freshman year in high school, Alex Myers is happy to win a spot on the varsity team as a quarterback but must deal with idea of not playing for two years since the first-string quarterback is not only a local hero, he is also son of the corrupt head coach. First in a series.

The War That Saved My Life

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarassingly, A True Story

By Josh Sundquist

A bright, poignant, and deeply funny autobiographical account of coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor, from Josh Sundquist: Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker.