Carry On is a companion book to Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. In Fangirl, twins Wren and Cath write fan fiction for a fantasy book whose main character is Simon Snow, a wizard who has been compared to Harry Potter. Carry On is Simon's story. Unlike Harry, Simon is not a very good wizard. He can't get his wand to work, his roommate may be a vampire, and he has a monster running around wearing his face. This book appeared on many best books of 2015 lists, including Time magazine and School Library Journal.
Outrun the Moon is a wonderful historical fiction about 15-year-old Mercy Wong who lives through the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. She lives in Chinatown, but finagles her way into attending St. Clare's School for Girls. Mercy is an outcast at school until the earthquake forces her and her classmates into a temporary camp at the park, where she rises to the occasion and helps those around her survive. A sequel is said to be in the works.
Six of Crows is the first in a duology starring six dangerous outcasts in the magic infused city of Ketterdam, who are offered vast sums of money to liberate a scientist from a maximum security prison. Kaz, who heads the crew, recruits his friends to help him with the heist. The story is told from multiple points of view and along the way readers find out each person's backstory which leads them to Kaz's gang. This page turner ends with a cliff-hanger ending, followed by the sequel Crooked Kingdom.
Still Life with Tornado, the latest by A.S. King, involves a 16-year-old artist, Sarah, who is devastated when a piece she created for a show is destroyed. She wonders if life is really worth living. She has a dysfunctional family, her brother is missing, her art teacher is dismissive and cruel, and she has lost her ability to draw. Her 10, 23 and 40-year-old selves help her navigate the waters of depression, as she wanders the city trying to find a reason to go on. This book appears on many best books of 2016 lists including The New York Times and Booklist.
Thicker Than Water is a heartbreaking story of family tragedy and drug addiction. Cecelia Price is locked up and forced into treatment, after being accused of killing her brother. After her mom dies, CeCe's brother, a star soccer player, is injured and gets addicted to painkillers. As his life spirals downward, and their father is in denial, CeCe takes matters into her own hands to try to save the family.
This Is Where It Ends is a story about 54 minutes during a school shooting. The story is told from the perspectives of four different teens, who all know the shooter and have reason to fear him. During a school assembly at Opportunity High in Alabama, the troubled teen locks the doors and begins shooting, randomly killing staff and students. Two boys who were not in the auditorium mastermind a rescue operation. This debut novel also made many best books of 2016 lists.
The Treatment is the sequel to last year's nominee, The Program, about a futuristic society, that deals with teenage depression and suicidal tendencies, by wiping the troubled teens' memories. The followup finds teens working with rebels to put an end to the program. Protagonists Sloane and James find the key to unlocking their memories, so they can take down The Program, lies with the Treatment, a pill that can bring back their memories but at a high cost.
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