Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

An unflinching story of a troubled friendship — and one girl’s struggle to come to terms with secrets and shame and find her own power to heal. Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when... (more)

Vibes

by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Nothing is beyond Kristi Carmichael’s disdain—her hippie high school, her friend Jacob, her workaholic mom. Yet for all her attitude and her mind-reading abilities, Kristi has a vulnerable side. She can hear the thoughts of her fellow students, calling her fat and gross. She’s hot for Gusty Peterson, one of the most popular guys in school, but of course, she’s sure he thinks she is disgusting. And she’s still mad... (more)

Echo

by Kate Morgenroth

How can I know what's going to happen? But somehow he did know. The feeling was like déjà vu but stronger...and scarier. It told him that without a doubt something was going to happen. And it was going to be bad. *** In the year since Justin's younger brother, Mark, died in a horrific accident, Justin's life has unraveled. Justin used to be one of the school's star athletes, but now he's not even on any of... (more)

Tyrell

by Coe Booth

Tyrell is a young African-American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail. His girlfriend supports him, but he doesn't feel good enough for her -- and seems to be always on the verge of doing the wrong thing around her. There's another girl at the homeless shelter who is also after him, although the desires... (more)

Now You See Her

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Hope has it all: brains, beauty, and acceptance at Starwood, a prestigious arts prep school. A mere sophomore, she has won the lead in Romeo and Juliet , beating out seniors for the role—seniors who have been in movies and on Broadway! And with handsome Logan as her Romeo onstage and off, her life couldn't be more perfect. So why would this talented teen throw everything away? Why would she fake her own... (more)

Just Listen

by Sarah Dessen

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that’s the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf ’s Department Store.This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is... (more)

Story of a Girl

by Sara Zarr

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend - Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, The Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience,... (more)

Payback

by Andy McNab

A series of high-profile suicide bombing has devastated London and stymied British Intelligence. But none of that matters to Danny Watts and his ex-spy grandfather Fergus, who are living peacefully incognito in Spain—that is, until their cover is blown in a botched assassination attempt. Suddenly, Danny and Fergus are forced to return to London and into the swirl of current events. Their only hope of... (more)

Between Mom and Jo

by Julie Anne Peters

Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest Moms ever, but everything changes when his birth mom and her wife, Jo, start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in the middle, and instead of having two Moms to turn to for advice, he has no one. Nick's emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with... (more)

Headlong

by Kathe Koja

What sets Vaughn apart is the quality of our girls. We do draw from all over, girls from every kind of background, girls for whom Vaughn is a major life experience. And not every girl is the right girl for Vaughn. You can often tell, early on, who these girls are. The Vaughn School. Home of domed ceilings, gleaming checkerboard floors, and the Vaughn Virgins: the upper stratum of girls who have perfect... (more)

Ten Mile River

by Paul Griffin

A stunning debut novel about survival and friendship on the streets of New York City. Best friends Ray and José are not your typical teenagers. They've escaped foster care and juvenile detention centers to live on their own together in an abandoned building in Manhattan's Ten Mile River Park. With no use for school or families, street-smart José and bookish, introspective Ray have everything they need in each... (more)

Dope Sick

by Walter Dean Myers

The itch starts when things get too heavy for Lil J. Skin popping or stealing pain pills from his mom help him relax. But Lil J's focus is wandering because money is short, and his man Rico knows a way to make some quick cash. It's supposed to be an easy deal, but it isn't so simple when the buyer is an undercover cop. With a gunshot wound to the arm, Rico in jail, and a police officer clinging to life, Lil J... (more)

If I Stay

by Gayle Forman

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeenyear- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she fi nds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck... A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice... (more)

Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size... (more)

Numbers

by David A. Poulsen

Fifteen-year-old Andy Crockett wouldn’t call himself the luckiest kid on Earth. At home, his brother got all the looks and all the smarts. And at school, he doesn’t fit with any of the groups — the goths, the athletes, or the brains. Even those misfits, The Six, are not exactly welcoming. But with a new school year starting, Andy thinks his luck may be changing. Parkerville isn't the coolest school, but at least... (more)

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

by Catherine Jinks

Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves. Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk... (more)

Madapple

by Christina Meldrum

THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present. Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be. When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her... (more)

Mistik Lake

by Martha Brooks

Seventeen-year-old Odella is haunted by family secrets. Why doesn’t her great-aunt Gloria visit anymore? Why does her mother, Sally, drink so much? Sally’s tragic car accident on a frozen lake when she was sixteen seems to have cast a spell over her life that no one can break. Odella tries to hold her family together, but when her mother runs off, the family is left reeling. Then Odella meets Jimmy Tomasson, whose... (more)

Restless

by Rich Wallace

Herbie is about to enter his senior year of high school and his days are packed with football, cross-country, and the pursuit of a potential girlfriend. Herbie is nothing short of an exceptional teenager, but he is also a prime conduit for ghostly energy. And Herbie's brother, who died ten years ago, is desperately trying to make contact. His brother Frank is a soul trapped without a body, and Herbie... (more)

Tough Boy Sonatas

by Curtis L. Crisler

Starred Review. Grade 8 Up—In this collection of 38 poems, an unflinching narrative offers a view of the boys who run within the confines of the industrial town of Gary, IN. Their lives, unknown to the "groggy commuters" who flash by on the train, are harsh and difficult, bold and passionate. There's LaRoy, who sings, "i am not a failing flashlight. i am an inspired/inspiration….they know I have/hope, and hope... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: language alert

by Johanna Knowles