Best of
Adolescence

2013

Surviving Suicide


Anna Akana - 2013
    It consisted of her old diary entries from 2007-2009 in efforts to show the aftermath of suicide. She provides a free online link but all proceeds will go towards suicide prevention programs. Her intent behind the book is to remind people like her (survivors of suicide) that they are not alone.

One Direction: The Official Annual 2014


One Direction - 2013
    This is THE Annual for all 1D fans! The most successful band in the world - One Direction - are having an amazing year. A sell-out tour, bagging number one in 63 countries and the release of their first movie this summer are just some of their achievements. Find out straight from Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn what they think about success, their musical influences, making the movie, their style, their amazing fans and much more! With exclusive interviews, up to the minute news and fantastic never-seen-before photos, this is a must-have for all One Direction fans, and a fantastic Christmas gift!

The Fifty-First State


Lisa Borders - 2013
    As they learn their family's history, Josh and Hallie will invite disaster into their lives, and will learn, together, to navigate its currents, keeping further losses at bay.Lisa Borders is the author of Cloud Cuckoo Land, winner of the Fred Bonnie Award for Best First Novel and fiction honors in the Massachusetts Book Awards.

Thirst Boxed Set: Thirst No. 1-3


Christopher Pike - 2013
    Her humanity is returning, and secrets from her past are coming back to haunt her. Alisa must quickly reconcile her new and changing identity, and figure out who to trust, before everything she’s worked for in the past five millennia turns to ash....In this boxed set containing Thirst No. 1, Thirst No. 2, and Thirst No. 3, follow Alisa’s path from vampire to human to target of a covert organization, as she learns what it means to be truly alive.

Secret Origins


Michael C. Bailey - 2013
    Her parents have just gotten divorced, her mom has uprooted her to the town of Kingsport, a lethal high-tech mercenary wants her dead, and a group of teenage superhero wannabes need her help taking down a rogue artificial intelligence threatening to wreck her new home. What's a girl with super-powers to do?

The Devil's Gate: An Impossible Journey


Deepak Kripal - 2013
    Plundered by humans of their habitats, animals take a drastic step when they decide to send a team of a cat named as Katy and a dog named as Dug, to an invisible island known, as the Island of 'Five Hundred Graves'. The island becomes visible only for a short time on the night of the full moon. Legend has it that the island is inhabited by the demons. Katy and Dug are supposed to negotiate a deal with the demons, convincing them to allow the animals inhabit the island. Majority of the animal community believe that tinkering with the other world could bring their wrath to the animals. The team is sent to the island nevertheless. But, can a deal with the dead be materialized? Are there really demons on the island? is there any conspiracy involved? Will Katy and Dug be able to negotiate, or will survival remain their only question in the deadly island?

Kibble Talk


Cynthia Port - 2013
    Suddenly she can hear and talk to dogs, including her own dog, an enormous and demanding Great Dane named Dinky. Dinky explains to Tawny that his fondest wish is to be a tiny lap dog and Tawny promises to help him become one. From helicopters to the five o'clock news, Tawny soon finds out what it means to make a promise to a friend. Along the way, her parents can't help but question her sanity and her best friend Jenny turns into her worst enemy. If Tawny can just keep her own thoughts straight, maybe she can make things right in her family, get her best friend back, and decide for herself how she will handle having such a special gift. Kibble Talk, the first in the Kibble Talk series, is a funny and fast moving fiction story perfect for readers aged 7 to 12, or as a read-a-loud.

Sasquatch in the Paint


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 2013
    Coach Mandrake wants to transform him from invisible science geek into star basketball player, even though Theo has little experience with the game. When Theo tries to hone his skills by playing pick-up ball in the park, kids are eager to include him at first; then they quickly see that he has no control of his gangly body. A girl named Rain even dubs him "Sasquatch." To make matters worse, all his time spent on training is starting to hurt his science club's chances of winning the "Aca-lympics," the school's trivia competition. Just when Theo thinks he can't handle any more pressure, he's accused of stealing. Can he find the real thief before he is kicked off the basketball and science club teams, or will his attempt at sleuthing be yet another air ball?Loosely based on challenges that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faced while growing up, Sasquatch in the Paint is a slam dunk for fans of basketball action and absorbing mysteries.Praise for Sasquatch in the Paint"A crisp tale of sports, smarts and what it means to be your own man or woman-or boy or girl, if you happen to be 13...It seems to be an embarrassment of riches to be, say, one of the best basketball players in history and also write tightly entertaining novels for kids, but there you have Abdul-Jabbar. Fearless, caring sports fiction." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A humorous novel that delivers a heartwarming story about growing up, facing down bullies, and learning what true friendship is all about." --School Library Journal"The depth and realism Abdul-Jabbar and Obstfeld bring to the novel keep it from being a run-of-the-mill sports story...Readers will feel a kinship with Theo as he maneuvers through tough but realistic choices." --Publishers Weekly"This smart, sensitive novel is full of simple truths that extend far beyond the court." --Booklist"This funny and inspirational novel based on Kareem's sudden growth spurt as a middle-schooler captures the excitement of playing basketball and the anxiety of growing up--while growing tall, which I know a little something about. Kids will learn about the wonderful world of basketball and the importance of friendship and following your dreams." --Magic Johnson

Beneath the Surface


Miranda Rae Carter - 2013
    Their capabilities are endless. Their strength is colossal. But they are also being hunted and their numbers are dwindling. One of them has just fallen in love with a human. On the west coast of Canada, sixteen-year-old Melissa Lawrences's life is about to take a turn for the worse. It could also be her saving grace.She just can't get caught. *****Adolescence hasn’t been fun for Liss Lawrence. And after a year in Vancouver, when she’s finally adjusted to her new situation, a freak car accident sends her life spinning out of control and crashing into the world of the malions, a hidden race silently helping humanity from secret enclaves underground. Liss’s knowledge of the malions endangers her family when Jaredsons Securities takes an interest in her accident. Few know the men of Jaredsons Securities, an international intelligence company specializing in missing persons cases, are actually the Vykhars, ancient malion enemies whose true purpose is the eradication of the malion race. The Vykhars will stop at nothing to discover if Liss is connected with the malions, and if they do, they will exploit her.Perhaps more dangerous still are Liss’s growing feelings for Rion, a strong-willed malion scarred by his encounters with Vykhars and carrying a secret that could destroy their relationship. But Liss has a secret and scars of her own, and Rion’s fiercely protective nature threatens to tear them back open. Can this pair of unlikely lovers survive the dangers of the Vykhars? And can their love survive their own misconceptions?

Ninety 9


Vanessa Berry - 2013
    Written and illustrated by one of Australia’s foremost zine-makers, Ninety 9 is a memoir about adolescence, its cherished objects, its magical places and, above all, its friendships –a personal guide to the end of the millennium for those who were too young to be there, and an intimate history, full of moments of recognition, for those who were.

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2013 Edition


Paula GuranEllen Klages - 2013
    There need be no monsters for us to be terrified in the dark, but if there are, they are just as often human and supernatural. Join us in this outstanding annual exploration of the year's best dark fiction that includes stories of quiet fear, the utterly fantastic, the weirdly surreal, atmospheric noir, mysterious hauntings, seductive nightmares, and frighteningly plausible futures. Featuring thirty-five tales from masterful authors and talented new writers sure to make you reconsider walking in the shadows alone...Instructions for Use • Paula GuranNo Ghosts in London • Helen MarshallFake Plastic Trees • Caitlín R KiernanThe Natural History of Autumn • Jeffrey FordGreat-Grandmother in the Cellar • Peter S. BeagleRenfrew’s Course • John LanganEnd of White • Ekaterina SediaWho is Arvid Pekon? • Karin TidbeckIphigenia in Aulis • Mike CareySlaughterhouse Blues • Tim LebbonEngland Under the White Witch • Theodora GossThe Sea of Trees • Rachel SwirskyThe Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury • Neil GaimanThe Education of a Witch • Ellen KlagesWelcome to the Reptile House • Stephen Graham JonesGlamour of Madness • Peter BellBigfoot on Campus • Jim ButcherEverything Must Go • Brooke WondersNightside Eye • Terry DowlingEscena de un Asesinato • Robert HoodGood Hunting • Ken LiuGo Home Again • Simon StrantzasThe Bird Country • K. M. FerebeeSinking Among Lilies • Cory SkerryDown in the Valley • Joseph BruchacArmless Maidens of the American West • Genevieve ValentineBlue Lace Agate • Sarah MonetteThe Eyes of Water • Alison LittlewoodThe Tall Grass • Joe R. LansdaleGame • Maria Dahvana HeadleyPearls • Priya SharmaForget You • Marc LaidlawWhen Death Wakes Me to Myself • John ShirleyDahlias • Melanie TemBedtime Stories for Yasmin • Robert ShearmanHand of Glory • Laird Barron

The Guide: Managing Douchebags, Recruiting Wingmen, and Attracting Who You Want (Survival)


Rosalind Wiseman - 2013
    But as she was working on her book for the boys’ parents, Rosalind realized that teenage boys themselves are in desperate need of guidance. They need a book, The Guide, that speaks directly to them (in a boy-friendly format and in their language) about the problems they face every day: How do you get out of the friendzone (where girls refuse to take you seriously)? What’s the right way to react when getting made fun of? How do you talk to your parents so that they’ll actually listen? With the help of hundreds of middle and high school aged boys, Rosalind has identified and answered the most pressing questions teenage boys have. The result is an invaluable e-book guide that no teenage boy should be without.

A Pocketful of Posies


W.C. Sorice - 2013
    A Pocketful of Posies is an inventive novel that successfully sets an FBI conspiracy plot against a decade-spanning American backdrop. It's interweaving of historical episodes, rock-n-roll superstars, Civil Rights angst, and current events will carry readers through the tumultuous times of the 1950s and 60s.In the 1950s and 60s did The FBI target Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Buddy Holly? 1968, did James Earl Ray act alone when he shot and killed Martin Luther King, Jr.? And will Alexander Posy's evidence expose it all? Read the amazing story that tells it all in A Pocketful of Posies!