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213 pp.
| Candlewick
| May, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-6267-7$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-7636-7018-4
(2)
YA
After graduation, "Speddies" (short for special ed) Biddy and Quincy are assigned to live together, helping to cook and clean for well-meaning Miss Lizzy. Quincy also gets a job at a grocery store where, on her first day, she's accosted by a coworker who later rapes her. The teens' slow-to-develop friendship, with small moments and poignant encounters, is believably volatile yet ultimately rewarding.
292 pp.
| Little
| September, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-06886-4$16.99
(4)
YA
Ames's once-wealthy family loses everything after her dad embezzles money and they're forced to move to a decrepit shack in Texas. There, Ames falls for Marc, a bad-boy who understands her--especially her fury at her parents' betrayal. The riches-to-rags plot is a stretch, but Ames's fixation on creepy yet seductive Marc drives the story to a gripping conclusion.
292 pp.
| Little
| September, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-16636-2$15.99
(4)
YA
When Kip was nine years old he set a boy on fire, killing him. Now fourteen, Kip and his family are trying to put the past behind them by changing their names and moving away from their Alaska home. The charged premise is intriguing, but Kip's first-person narration is so even-tempered it's hard to believe he actually did what he did.
212 pp.
| Little
| November, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-316-16638-3$16.99
(3)
YA
After his brother commits suicide, Kyle Kirby kidnaps and buries alive Cass, the girl he holds responsible. Chapters alternate between the first-person voices of Kyle and Cass and the third-person perspective of police detective Ben (each with a unique typeface). Kyle's wrath, Cass's terror, and Ben's urgency are palpable, as is the horrifying claustrophobia, in this unnerving thriller.
(4)
YA
Matt likes being invisible at school: "If I can't be one of the golden ones, I'll stay the hell out of sight." But when thrill-seeking Skye notices him, he can't help being drawn in by her blatant sexuality, despite the many signs of danger. Readers will likewise be drawn in by the high-stakes high school drama, even as the deadly climax leaves reality behind.
(4)
YA
When Sunny's older sister, Jazz, presumed dead in a fire, returns home, Sunny is unconvinced that the girl really is Jazz. Readers in turn learn that while "Jazz" is certainly not to be trusted, neither is Sunny's narration. The twisty surprise ending is more muddled than convincing, but the dark atmosphere (Ã la Lois Duncan) and troubled family dynamics are effectively presented.
(3)
YA
High-schooler Young Steward and his friends fall under the spell of an amoral new student who suggests they turn the class geek, Simon Glass, into a popular figure. On page one readers are told Glass will be killed; after-the-fact commentary at the head of each chapter gives clues as to how and why. This device contributes to the menacing tone in a suspense novel that has a strong psychological component.