Young Adult (ages 14-18)

Material appropriate for young adults

Slog’s Dad

The ineffable nature of grieving and belief inspires a tender, gritty, and breathtaking work of graphic storytelling from the creators of The Savage. “Slogger, man,” I said. “Your dad’s dead.” “I know that, Davie. But it’s him. He’s come back again, like he said he would.” Do you believe in life after death? Slog does. He believes that the scruffy man on a bench outside the butcher shop is his dad, returned to visit him one last time. Slog’s friend Davie isn’t so sure. Can it be that some mysteries are never meant to be solved? And that belief, at times, is its own reward? The acclaimed creators of The Savage reunite for a feat of graphic storytelling that defies categorization. Eerie, poignant, and masterful, Slog’s Dad is a tale of astonishing power and complexity.

Closer

Closer to victory…or closer to death? An army of darkness is on the march: Who won’t escape with their life? The fourth book in the New York Times Bestselling TUNNELS series! At long last reunited with his dad, Will now spends his days exploring the “land of the second sun,” decoding the cryptic glyphs carved into its three mysterious temples–or eyeing the wild animals with renegade girl Elliott. Chester, meanwhile, has finally returned Topsoil, where his homecoming is rapidly becoming a horror show. But an army of darkness is on the march. And the ruthless Rebeccas have once more cheated death. With a corps of cold-blooded Limiters at their command, they’re determined to hunt Will to the bitter innards of the earth. This time, who WON’T escape with their life?

Consumed

The thrilling sequel to POSSESSED finds 16-year-old Rayne still entwined in the creepy history of Morton’s Keep — and about to discover that she’s the only one who can stop the evil lurking there. Rayne’s countryside escape has proven to be anything but — the remote mansion house where she lives and works holds terrible secrets, and she feels trapped there. And when a new manager shows up, things take an even more sinister turn. Rayne doesn’t know who to trust — even the ghosts of Morton’s Keep seem to be warning her. It’s up to Rayne to overcome the ancient evil lurking here — but how?

The Chaos

The curse of the NUM8ERS continues in Rachel Ward’s CHA0T1C, earth-shattering sequel! Adam has more than inherited his mother’s curse: When he looks in someone’s eyes, he not only sees the date of their death…he feels the searing, shocking pain of it. Since Jem died, Adam has lived by the sea with his great-grandmother, Val. But when rising tides flood the coast, they return to London. The city is an alien, exciting, frightening place. Most disturbing of all, Adam can’t help but clock how many people’s numbers are in January 2027; how many are on New Year’s Day. What chaos awaits the world? Can he and Sarah stop a catastrophe? Or are they, too, counted among the “twenty-sevens”?

Wonderland

She’s back. Jude’s childhood friend sexy, daring Stella returns to their stifling hometown, and life will never be the same again. Sixteen-year-old Jude has to get out of tiny Churchtown. She has to escape her outcast status and her pathetic dad, who hasn’t gotten past her mother’s death. The one bright light is drama, her way out, if only she can get into the Lab, a prestigious program in London. Then Stella, Jude’s childhood best friend, swaggers in after years away. With bold and magnetic Stella by her side, Jude knows she’s capable of anything. But Stella’s influence extends well beyond the theater. Soon Stella’s wild and dangerous streak begins to cause trouble for Jude yet Jude can’t bring herself to abandon Stella and the attention she’s always craved. And besides, now that Stella’s back, there’s no stopping her. In Jude’s dark and tangled story, British author Joanna Nadin plumbs the aftermath of loss and the consequences of becoming the person you always wished you were.

The Children of the Lost

Cast out of the city of Agora where they were left at the end of The Midnight Charter, Mark and Lily must now survive in a dense forest. The strange villages, terrifying nightmares, and powerful witches they find there are even more frightening than Agora with all its slums and secrets. In an adventure that expands with every turn of the page, David Whitley delivers a novel as thrilling and horrifying as his characters’ darkest dreams.

Human.4

Humanity, like computers, can be upgraded. And old versions disappear. At some unspecified point in the future, when technology is as advanced as possible and we are a race of super beings, some old audio tapes are discovered. On the tapes is the story of fourteen-year-old Kyle Straker. Hypnotized, Kyle missed the upgrade of humanity to 1.0. He isn’t compatible with the new technology. And through the recording, he narrates what the upgrades really mean. And it’s absolutely terrifying. Sci-fi futuristic and technological apocalypse in the style of War of the Worlds, I am Legend and The X-Files.

The Story of Britain from the Norman Conquest to the European Union

Stunningly illustrated by P.J. Lynch, Patrick Dillon’s accessible narrative brings the dramatic history of a nation to life. The history of Britain is a thrilling story of kings and queens, battles and truces, discoveries and inventions, expansion and diplomacy. From William the Conqueror’s arrival in 1066 to the end of the twentieth century, The Story of Britain celebrates the rich diversity of a people and culture, as well as the events, good and bad, that have shaped Britain and the world over the past thousand years. Royals, commoners, warriors, and scientists have all had parts to play, and each of their stories is told here in lively, lucid language appropriate for a young audience. Timelines summarize each era in a quick-view format between each section, while bite-size chapters and full-color plates make this history easy to pick up and hard to put down.

A Sword In Her Hand

A feast of a medieval adventure with a thoroughly modern heroine. As the murmur of prayers fills the icy room, mother and baby seem doomed. When the newborn finally struggles into the world, the Count of Flanders flees in a rage. The child is not the expected male heir — but a girl. Growing up under the disapproving eye of her heartless father, the strong-willed Marguerite instinctively learns to survive in the fierce and violent male world of the Middle Ages, with its pagan rituals and bloody fights to the death. When her father demands that she wed a man she detests, the young countess uses all her cunning to stop the marriage. The only thing she cannot conquer is the plague, which marches across the land killing thousands, including the man she loves. Based on a real character, this colorful story is told with sharp humor and is filled with dramatic intensity. The final scene in the book, in which Marguerite and her father engage in a savage sword fight, will remain engrained in readers’ memories.