My Life with the Lincolns

Twelve-year-old Mina Edelman is convinced that her family members are the Lincolns reincarnate, and she has many coincidences to back her up, such as their Illinois roots, her father’s initials (A.B.E.), and her instinctual preoccupation to protect him from potential assassination. Belief in civil rights is another link, and in this summer of 1966, the news is all about Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership of the Chicago Freedom Movement in a housing campaign, with which A.B.E., a well-meaning if sometimes awkward suburban furniture salesman, and Mina become deeply involved. Vietnam, interracial dating, machine politics, parental separation, a mass murder, and puberty are also part of the story, which includes some racially derogatory language.

As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins

A teenaged boy encounters one calamity after another when his train strands him in the middle of nowhere.

Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker by Robin Palmer

Sixth grade is hard enough for Lucy B. Parker, but it gets so much worse when her mom announces that she’s going to marry Laurel Moses’s dad. Yes, that Laurel Moses—the TV-movie-music star who makes Hannah Montana look like some random kid from the sticks. Suddenly, Lucy’s life is turned upside down and sideways. All Lucy wants to do is get through the day without totally embarrassing herself too much, but that’s hard to do when you’re the less-pretty, less-talented not-quite sister of a mega superstar.

Lynn Visible by Julia DeVillers

For ninth-grader Lynn Vincent, creating her own festive, funky ensembles has always been a source of fun and self-expression, even though she is often ridiculed, especially by a trendy mean girl, Chasey. When one of her shoe creations unexpectedly catches famous designer Valentyna’s eye, Lynn is chosen as the first “It Girl” for a new online teen-trend magazine. Soon everyone wants to be her friend, and Lynn even gets a marketing offer for national distribution. Issues arise when her creations become mainstream and Lynn must determine what’s right—for her.

Dream of Night by Heather Henson

Once Dream of Night was a champion racehorse, but by the time Jess DiLima gets him he's nearly dead from starvation and pneumonia, and his thin hide is covered in scars. Twelve-year-old Shiloh is scarred, too, both from physical abuse and from the emotional withering of years in foster care. Jess doesn't feel up to the challenge of either one of them, but she knows that she may represent their last chance. Their story is told in third-person, present-tense narration that shifts its focus among the three principals: Jess, Shiloh and Night. WARNING: the scenes and flashbacks of abuse are realistically graphic.

Lies: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant

In this book for older readers, all the grown-ups disappear. They're gone, and the young residents of the FAYZ face ominous new threats, including a death-obsessed cult leader and the resurrection of a buried girl.They say that death is a way to escape. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free? This story picks up shortly after the world-changing events of Gone (2008) and Hunger (2009).

Sports Camp by Rich Wallace

Riley feels like the smallest kid at sports camp. In fact, he is. He just turned eleven in April, but most kids here are twelve, and a few are even thirteen—and gigantic. It’s hard enough for a shrimp like Riley to fit in. He just doesn’t want to be the weak link as his bunk competes for the Camp Olympia Trophy.Riley knows he’s no good at strength and accuracy games like basketball and softball. But when it comes to speed and endurance events, like running and swimming, he’s better than he looks. He’s pretty sure he can place in the top ten—and bring in major trophy points—in the final mile-long swim race across Lake Surprise. But he doesn’t count on being followed by the shadow of Big Joe, the giant vicious snapping turtle of camp lore. Wasn’t that supposed to be a legend?