They Never Came Back – Caroline Cooney

Cooney is the same author who wrote “The Face on the Milk Carton” and “Whatever Happened to Janie”. This is an extension of the subject; this time it’s a teenage boy who thinks he recognizes his long-lost cousin. A quick read with the inevitable outcome, but it will appeal to the students who liked the original stories.

Fathers & daughters & sports : featuring Jim Craig, Chris Evert, Mike Golic, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sally Jenkins, Steve Rushin, Bill Simmons, and others

Short stories written by fathers, some famous,  about their sports playing daughters. At times, funny, poignant and enlightening, this is a must for daughters and dads. I couldn’t put it down and read the whole thing in two days.

Twenty Boy Summer – Sarah Ockler

First boyfriends and summer romances are supposed to be things dreams are made of. Tragedy is never easy to handle, but 15 year-old Anna and Frankie do their best in their own way. A trip to California – Frankie wants Anna to find/date 20 boys in three weeks – brings the past year’s events to a head. Working it all out may not be possible and this friendship may not be able to go the distance.

Fire Will Fall – Carol Plum-Ucci

Bio-terrorism has struck Trinity Falls, but only four teenagers were seriously infected. They are isolated while scientists around the world scramble to find a permanent cure … and also rushing to finish the job they began are the terrorists. A gripping tale which sort of ends with a predictable outcome, but well worth the reading to get to the conclusion of the book.

The Year We Disappeared: A Father – Daughter Memoir by Cylin Busby, John Busby

What happens when your father, a policeman on the Falmouth (MA) Police Department, ticks off the local adult bully? This true-life story details the brutal attack on the policeman and the aftermath as his family attempts to go back to life as they knew it. Written from two points of view – the father and the daughter – the story is both riveting and disturbing.

Little Brother – Cory Doctorow

The internet has opened up the world to everyone … and in return, everyone who wants to can find out all about you. Marcus finds this out after a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Seems the government has been monitoring everyone’s movements; the devices on the cars which allow them to zip through tolls, the cards that are used on the subways in lieu of cash … it is all used to track the ordinary citizen’s daily movements. And if you travel too many times to the same place? Well, that becomes suspicious. Follow along as these teens set out to circumvent the tracking devices and find themselves in a whole lot of trouble.

I could not put this down and finished it in two days. In 1984 Orwell wrote that Big Brother is watching you; it’s now the future and it seems that Little Brother is doing the same thing….

Notes From the Midnight Driver – Jordan Sonnenblick

What’s worse than waking up face down in the grass? Waking up face down in the grass and seeing two shiny black shoes … which everyone knows only the police wear. You won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve finished the last page. An easy, enjoyable read, at times laugh-out-loud funny and at other times poignant.