It Came from the Stacks: Finding Cool Fiction

It's summer, which means every day hungry teens tear through our books. It also means It also means each morning, we try to make everything look nice again after the teen tornado has swept through. While it's not fun stooping to pick up the books that have half-fallen through the floor and sneezing through clouds of dust, nothing can quell the feeling of when an interesting book catches your attention.

Here are the books that I found as I stooped, squatted, reached, lifted, and otherwise cleaned up after our illustrious teen readers:

Catherine Ryan Hyde
Becoming Chloe

Jordy is a gay 17 year-old who's left alone in New York City, with no family or friends to worry about. One day, Chloe comes into Jordy's life, with more secrets than a teen should ever have to bear. Chloe has been taught that the world is an ugly place, and it's up to Jordy to show her that it's not--before it's too late.

Brian James
Dirty Liar

Benji has to leave home after his mother's boyfriend crosses an unimaginable line. He moves into his father's Portland home with his new stepmother, but he doesn't trust her. Nor does Benji's father trust him. At the end of the day, can Benji even trust himself?

A.M. Jenkins
Repossessed

When a demon (who prefers to be called a "fallen angel") gets bored in hell, it makes its way to earth to inhabit the body of a seventeen-year-old slacker. Meanwhile, the teen's parents and friends are wondering why he's suddenly acting so strange...

Paula Jolin
In the Name of God

Nadia is a devoted student, daughter, and sister, but nothing compares to her desire to walk the straight path and follow the laws of Islam. But that doesn't stop her from being conflicted as her peers become Westernized; economic, social, and political struggles rage around her; and war breaks out in Iraq. Soon, her cousin is arrested for speaking out, and Nadia is drawn into an unforseen path of doubt and sacrifice.

David Nicholls
A Question of Attraction

The year is 1985, and Brian Jackson--a working class kid on a full scholarship to university--has a dark secret: he's always wanted to appear on the TV quiz show University Challenge. After he joins the school team and makes it through the qualifying rounds, Brian's finally poised to appear on television for the first time ever. But love has other plans for Brian. After he falls for one of the members on his team, he has harder questions to answer than trivia can provide.

Shana Norris
Something to Blog About

Libby Fawcett is not having a good day. First she lights her hair on fire with a Bunsen burner (with her longtime crush Seth Jacobs watching). Then she finds out that her mother is dating the father of Angel Rivera, the meanest, nastiest girl in school! Libby starts a secret blog to vent, but can even a blog contain what cruel prank Angel Rivera is about to play next?

Jon Ripslinger
How I Fell in Love & Learned to Shoot Free Throws

Danny "the Bruiser" Henderson plans on wooing the beautiful Angel McPherson. But not through traditional means like dinner, flowers, or chocolate. Angel McPherson happens to be the best female basketball player in the state of Iowa, and Danny knows the only way to her heart is through his jump shot. Unfortunately, Danny can't shoot a free throw to save his life.

Janet Ruth Young
The Opposite of Music

When his dad stopped listening to music, Billy knew something was wrong. Then he stopped eating, sleeping, or even being a father at all. Billy's family undergoes a series of creative remedies to fight the depression, but will their efforts drain them past the point at which they can keep their father alive?

~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main