Young Adult (ages 14-18)

Material appropriate for young adults

Promise the Night

For a young girl, Beryl has big dreams- bigger than the vast ranch in British East Africa where she is being raised by her demanding father.  Abandoned by her mother, who fled the remote African life to return to “civilized” England, Beryl’s only friend is her mother’s dog, Buller- that is, until one night when Buller is attacked by a leopard and dragged into the jungle.  While keeping her promise to rescue him, she makes a new friend, and begins her journey to becoming one of the most famous and admired women of her time.

Based on the true life of Beryl Markham- the first pilot to fly solo from England to North America- Michaela MacColl’s richly imagined story of a feisty girl who hunts with Nandi warriors, becomes the best horse breaker on her father’s ranch, and resists all attempts to make her a proper lady, is a compelling and action-packed read for anyone with a thirst for adventure.

It’s A Wonderful Life

What a pity excue for a holiday!

While her friends party in Europe, Anna- a Dutch seventeen year old- is sent to her uncle who lives ina tiny town in Pennsylvania.  Bakerton: two streets, a church, a diner, two undertakers and a steamtrain that spills out a bunch of tourists on a daily basis.

How was she to know that she would feel at home in Bakerton.  That she would meet the most intriguing people.  that she would spend her holiday wearing vintage dresses selling antiques, and learn about funeral rituals.  And that she would befriend a vicar, a baker, a waitress, an old Jewish couple, an Italian cook and many others…

If only she knew she would learn about life this summer…and a little more about herself as well…

It’s a Wonderful Life is a captivating and colorful story of coming of age and true friendship.

Crusade in Jeans

Fifteen-year-old Dolf uses a prototype time machine and gets stuck in the Middle Ages. Trying to find his way back to the twentieth century, he joins a children’s crusade of almost ten thousand children on their way to the Holy Land. Dolf helps the children defy the terrible mountains, conquer disease and fight evil knights. Slowly, Dolf begins to realize that the real danger does not lurk behind the next mountaintop, but rather within the crusade itself.

Five Flavors Of Dumb

Eighteen-year-old Piper becomes the manager for her classmates’ popular rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others, if only she can get the band members to get along.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 2

Schneider Family Book Award

Fox and Phoenix

The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king’s daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best (female) friend Yan must work together to help the princess escape and return to Long City.

The Other Half of Life

A heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a World War II voyage.In May of 1939, the SS St. Francis sets sail from Germany, carrying German Jews and other refugees away from Hitler’s regime. The passengers believe they are bound for freedom in Cuba and eventually the United States, but not all of them are celebrating. Fifteen-year-old Thomas is anxious about his parents and didn’t want to leave Germany: his father, a Jew, has been imprisoned and his mother, a Christian, is left behind, alone. Fourteen-year old Priska has her family with her, and she’s determined to enjoy the voyage, looking forward to their new lives. Based on the true story of the MS St. Louis, this historical young adult novel imagines two travelers and the lives they may have lived until events, and immigration laws, conspired to change their fates.

Fix Me

Orphaned as a child, terrorized by her abusive brother, and haunted by memories, Leia feels exposed, powerless, and vulnerable. When her tormented mind can stand it no longer, she escapes to the zoo, where she finds shelter and seeks refuge. The zoo is a sanctuary: a protective space for families, and a safe place for the traumatized to forget. But can she ever feel safe? Can she ever forget? Once again, Rune Michaels brings us a harrowing psychological drama that raises questions about the very nature of humanity.

Iboy

Sixteen-year-old Tom Harvey was an ordinary Londoner until an attack that caused fragments of an iPhone to be embedded in his brain, giving him incredible knowledge and power, but using that power against the gang that attacked him and a friend could have deadly consequences.

You against Me

If someone hurts your sister and you’re any kind of man, you seek revenge.If your brother’s accused of a terrible crime but says he didn’t do it, you defend him.When Mikey’s sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart. When Ellie’s brother is charged with the offense, her world begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.