The Death Zone, by Dom Testa
The fourth installment in Mix 100.3-FM radio host Testa’s ongoing sci-fi series about 251 teenagers flying to a distant solar system finds the kids coping with an opportunistic space organism that’s installed itself on their ship, Galahad.
Animal? Mineral? Vegetable? Something else altogether? The Galahad’s crew warily calculates how to evaluate their uninvited guest. The tension is underscored as some members of the crew test romantic and cultural boundaries.
It’s fast, smart and addicting, a great antidote to an academic year’s worth of textbooks. Ages 12 and up.
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Who savagely beat a young gay teenager and left him duct-taped to a service station gasoline nozzle? The local police immediately pin the blame on unnamed students from a nearby college, but Cat, 16, thinks she knows the real culprits.
In a dark, richly detailed investigation, she tracks down the homegrown suspects, putting her own life at risk. It’s a thoughtful and sorrowful story. Ages 12 and up.
Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor
Magic and special powers, a popular element in children’s and young-adult books that predates E. Nesbit’s “Five Children And It” and other fantastic contributions, gets a fresh spin in this story of an African albino girl.
Young Sunny, Nigerian by way of New York, has skin “the color of sour milk,” prompting rude taunts of “akata” (“bush animal”) from her peers. Upon discovering that she belongs to a tribe with supernatural abilities, she’s stunned and scared — especially when she is tasked with eliminating a ruthless murderer who targets young children.
What makes “Akata Witch” stand out from the avalanche of books about magical kids is the authenticity of its African setting. Author Okorafor establishes a sense of place that’s almost tangible, evoking Nigerian culture and mores as powerfully as she coaxes the magic within. Ages 12 and up.
Stay, by Deb Caletti
As adolescent Clara and her father retreat to a remote Northwest island to escape her stalker ex-boyfriend, she reflects on the events that shaped their relationship.
What she initially saw as a boy’s flattering devotion morphed into a stifling fixation that threatens Clara’s life. Mapping the course of their increasingly destructive relationship allows Clara to see what she was unable to perceive at the time — that obsession is the opposite of love. Ages 12 and up.
The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen, by Geraldine McCaughrean
Set in a simpler time, meaning a period when one-room schoolhouses were common and nobody blinked when parents cut short a child’s education in order to acquire another wage- earner, this lively story is full of yokels, pipe-dreamers and small-time criminals.
McCaughrean, celebrated for her splendid books on mythology, weaves a complicated but swift tale, with a narrator who combines humor and common sense. Ages 10 and up.
The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley
Adolescent Molly’s family sends her to work as a scullery maid at the local castle. Her first job, polishing the royal silverware, leads her to discover an heirloom bowl connected to an ancient family curse. Can she help save the next victim?
What saves this from being a plot outline for the next Disney princess movie is Stanley’s intelligence, wit and the apparently effortless way she employs historical research into her tale. Readers will find an excellent portrait of what life once was like for citizens of a small monarchy. Ages 10 and up.
Survivor Kid, by Denise Long
This practical book by a veteran search and rescue volunteer offers excellent tips on coping with potentially dangerous situations in the backcountry.
Learn how to quickly start a fire (Vaseline and cotton or paper are practically failproof), build a brush shelter, collect drinkable water and deal with extreme weather. For ages 10 and up, and a great book for anyone, young or old, who spends time in remote areas.
