The Testing

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

It has been a decade since anyone from Five Lakes was chosen for Testing for the University. But when Cia is chosen, it is not the celebration she thought it would be. Her father warns her of the potential dangers she faces, but nothing can prepare her for the fierce competition. With only one person she can trust, Tomas, Cia has to do things she never imagined she would when she was selected. Only the strongest and smartest will survive The Testing. This book is the perfect "next pick" for fans of the Hunger Games.

Book 2, Independent Study, is a satisfying second installation of this trilogy. Cia is now at the University, but the tests are not over. But this time, Cia is prepared, and there are people who have their eyes on her...some who are watching to protect her, and others waiting for her to make a mistake so they can strike. But Cia is stronger than even she imagined as she seeks a way to bring the truth about the Testing to light.

The Lord of Opium

The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer

In this long-awaited sequel to The House of the Scorpion, El Patron is dead, and Matt finds his status elevated from clone to human. Matt wants to help those that have been enslaved by El Patron, but he doesn't even know where to begin, or who he can trust to help him. With Opium locked down, the threats from outside the boarders are gone, but inside, Matt has a lot to learn before he can truly be the Lord of Opium. Do not read this book without going back to read the first one. Both are excellent examples of dystopian fiction.

Who Needs Magic

Who Needs Magic by Kathy McCullough

In this sequel to Don't Expect Magic, Delaney is searching for the next client who needs her fairy godmother services. What she doesn't expect to find, is another fairy godmother. Ariella makes Delaney look like a dud as a fairy godmother, and when both Ariella and Delaney try to help two different girls fulfill their wish with the same boy, the competition becomes fierce. In Delaney's rush to help Jeni find true love, she misses out on what is right in front of her. Does she really need magic, or can the magic happen all by itself?

The Real Boy

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Oscar knows he's different. He has trouble relating to the people that come to the wizard shop, magician's apprentice, Wolf, and to his master, the Caleb. He is more than content to be the shop boy, spending his time gathering and mixing the herbs that Caleb sells to people who want to buy his magic and talking to the cats that roam the house. But when Wolf is killed, Caleb disappears, and a beast appears intent on destroying anything magic, Oscar has no choice but to try to save the children of the city and find out how to stop the beast from destroying his world.

The Selection

The Selection by Kiera Cass

In the distant future, the world is divided into numbered groups. The higher the number, the easier life is. America Singer has an opportunity to change her status and help her family. Prince Maxon is having a selection, calling 35 girls to the palace to choose one to be his wife. But America's heart belongs to someone else already, and she is torn between opportunity and love. Entering the selection to appease her mother, America makes it clear to the prince that she is not in the game to win. But Prince Maxon isn't want she expects, and America is soon unsure of what she feels for whom anymore.



You'll want to have the rest of the Trilogy, The Elite and The One, on hand as soon as you finish this first part of America and Maxon's story, as well as the story of their Heir.

Wake Up Missing

Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner

When Cat suffers a concussion that leaves her with headaches and other symptoms, her parents decide to send her to I-CAN, an institute that is making ground-breaking progress with concussion treatments. However, when Cat arrives, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems. One resident has not been seen in days, another won't stop working on science experiments. As Cat and the others begin to do their research, they begin to realize that the institute isn't helping them, but altering them in some way. Determined to escape, Cat and the others know that if they do not get out and tell the truth, then they may never be able to go home again.

Heaven is Paved With Oreos

Heaven is Paved With Oreos by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Sarah and her best friend Curtis have a secret...they aren't really boyfriend and girlfriend, they just pretend to be to keep everyone from asking. But now Sarah isn't sure her feelings for Curtis are pretend, and she doesn't know what to do about it. When Sarah's grandmother invites her to go to Italy with her to visit, Sarah sees it as a chance to get away and figure out what her true feelings for Curtis are. What she doesn't count on is her grandmother's real reason for the Roman holiday, and what surprise Curtis has waiting for her when she comes home. You don't have to have read the other books, starting with Dairy Queen, to understand what is going on in this story, although several characters appear from the other books.

The Dead and Buried

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Jade doesn't believe it when her little brother Colby tells her he sees a girl in his room at their new house. That is, until she goes to school and finds out that the girl who lived there before died from a mysterious fall. As Jade makes friends at her new school, Kayla’s ghost becomes more demanding that Jade find out who murdered her. And when the list of suspects narrows to everyone Jade has become close to, she wonders if she will be able to find the killer before the killer comes for her. With plenty of twists and turns, this mystery is hard to put down.

Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner

In a future not too far away, killer storms are a daily occurrence. Jaden feels lucky to be able to spend the summer at Placid Meadows, the storm-safe community that her father helped to build. Jaden’s father, a renowned weather scientist, also runs a summer camp, where Jaden meets Alex and Risha. Together Alex and Jaden begin to work on way so dissipate the storms before they do any damage, despite the fact that Jaden’s father is trying to by the farm where Alex’s family lives. When Jaden discovers what her father is really working on, she must decide what the right thing to do is, even if it hurts her own family.

See You at Harry's

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Starting middle school is hard enough, but when your family is famous around town for a lame commercial advertising the family business, Fern knows she’s in for a rough ride. In the meantime, her brother Holden has a secret he’s not sharing, her older sister Sara doesn’t have the patience to deal with Fern, and Fern’s little brother Charlie is always hanging around. Fern is tired of being overlooked. But when tragedy strikes, Fern’s world is turned upside down, and she’s not sure how her family will ever recover. 

Doll Bones

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Zach and his friends, Poppy and Alice, have always loved playing together with action figures. But when his father throws his figures away, Zach can't play anymore. Rather than tell his friends what happened to his characters, Zach decides to just stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But when Poppy comes to Zach and claims she is being haunted by a doll made from the ground up bones of a murdered girl, Zach knows he has to help Poppy find the doll's final resting place before something bad happens to his friend. The quest takes them far from home and into danger that they could not forsee in this creep read.

Unbroken (A Ruined Novel)

Unbroken by Paula Morris

Returning to New Orleans for spring break with her father and her friend, Rebecca is looking forward to seeing Anton, the boy she fell in love with the year before. What she is not expecting, is to meet yet another ghost, Frank, who needs her help so that he can cross over and stop wandering New Orleans. In this second Ruined novel, Rebecca and her friends must find a missing locket and return it to it's rightful owner, freeing Frank's ghost to move on. Action and mystery dominate this satisfying sequel. 

Perfect Scoundrels

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

In book four of the Heist Society series, Kat finds herself in an unfamiliar position...stealing for a friend. When Hale's grandmother dies leaving him the family company, Kat learns that something isn't right. Using her crew, Kat tries to uncover the real will...only to discover that control of the company isn't the only thing at stake. Kat is forced to call in her extended family to pull off the biggest con of her career, all while not letting Hale know what and why she is really doing what she is doing. Kat and her crew pull out all the stops in this fast-paced tale of suspense and intrigue.

The Wells Bequest

The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman

In a companion to The Grimm Legacy, another collection at the New York Circulating Repository is explored. This time, it is the Wells Bequest, a collection of artifacts from science fiction novels, including the Time Machine. Leo's family has always been scientific, so much so that they even use science words in place of "normal" insults and curses. When Leo decides to research the history of the robot for a science fair project, he discovers the New York Circulating Repository. And there he also discovers the girl he saw riding the time machine that appeared in his bedroom earlier. Pulled into the mysteries surrounding the time machine, Leo and Jaya must travel back in time to find Nikola Tesla before the plans for his famous death ray fall into the wrong hands. In a unique blend of science fiction, fantasy, and history, Leo and Jaya must travel back in time to change the course of history and save the world.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Kyle loves to play games. It is the one thing that can separate him from his older brothers, the jock and the brain. When Kyle is selected to be locked into the new library designed by the most famous game-maker in the world, he is thrilled. What he doesn't realize is that getting in will be easier than getting out. To exit the library, Kyle and the others must play a game based on their knowledge of the library, the town, and most of all, literature. using his wits and with some help from his friends, Kyle takes on the challenge of a gamer's lifetime. This book is a fabulous story filled with puzzles and clues that help the players learn more than just how to escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

After Eli

After Eli by Rebecca Rupp

When Danny's brother Eli is killed by an IED in Afghanistan, his whole world changes. Eli had always been there for Danny, teaching him everything he needed to know about life...how and when to swear, what to do about girls, and everything in between. But now his mother won't talk to anyone, his father is always angry, and Danny keeps a Book of the Dead where he writes about famous people and how they died. But this summer everything is about to change when Danny meets Isabelle and the twins, begins working for a friend of his brother's on an organic farm, and befriends the school weirdo. Told in a funny and heartfelt way, Danny's voice captures his love for his brother and the pain he feels at his loss on every page.

Forevermore

Forevermore by Cindy Miles

Ivy's is not happy to be moving from Charleston to Scotland to live in her new step-father's drafty old family castle. She is even less happy when strange things start to happen to her, like her violin floating in the air. Until she discovers Logan. Logan's ghost has been haunting the castle since his death two hundred years before. Ivy knows falling in love with a ghost is not a good idea, but she can't help herself where Logan is concerned. But Logan's spirit is not the only one haunting Ivy's new home. And the other spirit is not nearly as friendly; in fact, the other spirit wants Ivy gone for good. With all of the atmosphere an old castle in the Scottish country-side can provide, Ivy's battle with the forces at work in the castle make for a chilling read.

The Moon and More

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Evaline is looking forward to spending the summer before her college year working for her grandmother's realty company and spending time with friends and spending time with friends. But that was before her biological father and half-brother appear unexpectedly, dredging up feelings Evaline would rather not face. And that was before Theo breezes into town to help his boss Ivy film a documentary about a reclusive local artist and comes between Evaline and her long-time boyfriend Luke. Set against the backdrop of a beach-front tourist town, Evaline spends her summer learning more than going off to college could ever teach her.

Loki's Wolves

Loki's Wolves by K. L. Armstrong and M. A. Marr

The first in The Blackwell Pages series finds a son of Thor, and a son and daughter of Loki, working together to prepare for Ragnarok, the battle for the end of the world. Matt has always known he has the power of Thor's Hammer. He just never expected that he would have to use it to save the world. Fen has always protected Laurie from knowing about her mythological ancestor, Loki. But the time is coming when she may have to pay her dues or choose to be a lone wolf like her father. United in their quest to gather the descendants of the Norse gods and goddesses, Matt, Fen, and Laurie find themselves battling Trolls, Valkyries, and other monsters from Norse Mythology to prevent the Midgaard Serpent from taking over. If you liked Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, take this fantastic ride with Matt, Fen, and Laurie.

Paperboy

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Vince loves to throw baseballs, and he’s known as being one of the best pitchers at his school. What he’s also know for is his stuttering. Even though he works with a speech therapist, Vince has a hard time talking to people, especially strangers. To make up for hitting his best friend Rat with a baseball, Vince agrees to take over Rat’s paper route for the month Rat will be away at his grandparents. In addition to making amends for injuring Rat, Vince hopes to practice and improve his speech by forcing himself to talk to strangers on the paper route. What Vince doesn’t realize is that he will make new friends and new enemies during that one month as the paperboy. Set in the segregated south, this is a great story of overcoming adversity.

Operation Oleander

Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson

While Jess’s dad is serving in Afghanistan, Jess wants nothing more than to help in some way. Starting a drive to help orphans in a village near where her father is stationed seems like the perfect way to help. But while Operation Oleander is a success, that success comes with consequences when a bomb is set off near the orphanage while the soldiers are delivering aid. Jess is unprepared for the political fallout her simple desire to help kids her age one the other side of the world has on her personal relationships at home with her friends and family. Jess’s agony at the cost of her decisions is made clear by the author’s portrayal of a girl who only wants to do something to help others. 

Primates

Primates by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

This graphic biography tells the tale of three of the most renowned scientists to study primates: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birule Galdiaks. The adventures and discoveries of these three women are told using  graphic format, which only enhances their story. Each recruited by the famous Dr. Louis Leakey, Jane studies chimpanzees, Dain studies gorillas, and Birule studies orangutans. This book chronicles how each came to study in the wild, and what their contributions have done for science and the study of humans.

Starters

Starters by Lissa Price

In a society where everyone between the ages of 20 and 60 has died from an illness, youth is prized. Technology makes it possible for the older generation of Enders to “borrow” the bodies of the teens, the Starters. In order to help her brother, Callie rents out her body, only to discover that the Ender who borrowed it is using it to commit a crime. Fast-paced and action-packed, Callie has to try to figure out who is really telling her the truth and who is really committing the crime.

Prisoner B-3087

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz

A fictionalize account of the true story of Yanek Gruner, the survivor of 10 concentration camps during the Holocaust. From him home in Krakow, to the ghetto, then across eastern Europe, this novel spans several years of Yanek’s life as he struggles to survive the day-to-day horror of the concentration camps. Yanek’s ability to maintain his spirit and never give up hope makes him one of the most memorable characters in a Holocaust novel to date.

Far, Far Away

Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal

Jeremy Johnson Johnson has a problem. He carries around in his head the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of The Brothers Grimm fairy-tale writing duo. But Jeremy has a bigger problem. His father is about to lose their house, Ginger Boultinghouse falls in love with him after taking a bite of Prince Cake, and in the village he’s grown up in, Never Better, children have been disappearing for decades. Jacob’s ghost tries as hard as he can to protect Jeremy, but even he doesn’t see the danger lurking right in front of them until it is too late. This story of a boy and a girl, told by a ghost, will captivate and haunt the reader at the same time. 

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

Pulled into the Glade from the Box, Thomas can’t remember anything, except his name. In the Glade, no one can remember the past, only that from the day they were sent into the Glade, they have worked each day to survive and try to unlock the mystery of the Maze that surrounds them. And when Teresa, the only girl to ever arrive in the Glade, shows up, everything changes. She triggers the Ending, and discovering the secrets of the Glade becomes a matter of life and death. Fans of the Hunger Games should enter the Maze alongside Thomas to try to uncover its secrets before it is too late.

Trilogies

The idea of writing a trilogy, a three book series, is not new. Lord of the Rings (plus one) set the bar for fantasy and science fiction authors to try their hand at three-book stories. Oftentimes, those stories end up with a Plus One, as Lois Lowry just did by publishing Son, making the Giver trilogy into a quartet. 

The Hunger Games and Twilight re-introduced the topic of the trilogy:

Ending a Trilogy from Publisher's Weekly

Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag by Kate Messner

Anna, Jose, and Henry don’t realize it when they are all thrown together at a reception at the Smithsonian, but they have more in common than they realize. But it all becomes clear when the trio is thrown together to solve the mystery of the stolen Stars and Stripes. Sure that the stolen flag is in the same airport they are snowed it at, the kids decide to try to find it before it gets away. Will they capture the flag before it disappears forever?

Legend Trilogy

Legend by Marie Lu

June and Day have lived two different lives under the Republic. Prodigy June Iparis has been groomed to be an elite soldier. Day has lived under the rule of the Republic fighting daily for the survival of his family. When June risks her life to save Day, the two become united in their fight against the Republic and what it stands for. Told in alternating points of view, this dystopian vision of a future where the United States is divided, the voices of both June and Day portray their desire to live to see a better world.

The story continues in Prodigy and Champion.

Invisibility

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Stephen had given up hope that anyone would ever be able to see him…until Elizabeth moved in two doors down. Cursed before he was born, Stephen has lived his entire life wanting to be seen. But Elizabeth changes all of that. Seeing Stephen opens up a whole new world for Elizabeth. She begins to understand just what she has been seeing all of these years that no one else could. Guided by Millie, Elizabeth explores her new powers, leading to a showdown with the cursecaster who cursed Stephen to invisibility. Told in alternating points of view, the voices of these two characters ring painfully true.

The 5th Wave

5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Cassie has always had a crush on Ben, but he didn’t even know she was alive. When the Others invade Earth, shutting down power and releasing a deadly virus to kill off most of the Earth’s population, life changes for Cassie and Ben are put onto separate paths to survival. This science fiction novel begs to be made into a movie at some point. 
The story continues in Infinite Sea.

Don't Expect Magic

Don’t Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough

Delaney Collins doesn’t want to move to California to live with her famous father. Dr. Hank has been there for everyone else in the country but her. But Delaney has no choice in the matter, once her mother is gone. Determined not to bond with her father, Delaney is an outcast in the beginning of the novel. She doesn’t at all fit in with the kids at her new high school. But when she discovers her father’s true occupation – fairy “godmother” – things begin to change, especially when she discovers that she is a fairy godmother, too. Delany’s voice in the novel is rich with humor and sarcasm, but that is only part of who Delaney really is. The first person narration really lets the reader experience the events as Delany does, and helps the reader connect to the character in a way that another type of narration would not.

Sohia's War

Sophia’s War by Avi

Avi weaves an intricate tale of one girl’s fight to avenge her brother and help the patriots win the Revolutionary War. When Sophia Calderwood’s home is invaded by a British officer, Sophia can’t help but be fascinated by him. She revels in the attention that John Andre bestows upon her, but when he refuses to help her brother, William, who is imprisoned by the British, Sophia is devastated. Years later, Sophia has a chance to exact revenge for the treatment of her brother by the British, but she has to overcome her long-buried feelings for John Andre to help American win the war. 

Sizzle

Sizzle by Lee McClain

Linda loves nothing more than cooking in her Aunt Elba’s restaurant. But when Aunt Elba falls ill, Linda is shipped off to Pittsburgh to stay with her Aunt Pat. Going from being an only child to being one of eight children. Worse yet, Aunt Pat hosts her own cooking show, Cooking from Cans, and Linda can’t stand eating the bland, boring food. The problems mount as Linda and her cousin fall for the same boy, and Linda’s on-line criticism of Aunt Pat’s cooking causes conflicts for the family. Learning to be part of a family is bigger than any challenge Linda has faced in the kitchen.

Wonder

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

August has never been to school. Born with severe facial deformities, Auggie’s parents have homeschooled him until now…his fifth grade year. Auggie isn’t happy to be starting school. He’s well aware that people are horrified by his appearance. Told in alternating points of view from Auggie, his classmates, and his family, Auggie’s fifth grade year is documented in sometimes funny, sometimes painful ways. This book isn’t just about a fifth grader with physical issues, it’s about every kid who has ever had to endure the life of a middle school kid.

Destiny Rewritten

Destiny Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Emily’s mother believes in destiny. Finding a book of poems by Emily Dickinson the day before Emily was born was how her mother named her. In the book of poems, Emily’s mother writes notes about the great events in Emily’s life. But the one thing she won’t tell Emily is who her father is. Emily, tired of waiting for her destiny to just happen, tries to hurry it along by looking for the name of her father in the book. But before she can find it, fate takes the book away from it. On Emily’s quest to find the book, and her father, she learns along the way that sometimes you have to take charge of your own destiny.

Smart Girls Get What They Want

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Gigi and her friends are overachievers in the classroom. When they decide that they are missing out on the full high school experience, the girls set out to each take on a social challenge. Gigi runs for student rep, Neerja tries out for the play, and Bea joins the ski team. Determined to get what they want, they end up getting more attention than they ever wanted. With a wry, humorous outlook on her experiences, let Gigi tell you exactly how Smart Girls Get What They Want.

The Girl is Murder & The Girl is Trouble

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

World War II is raging, and Iris’s world will never be the same. With her Pop back from the war missing a leg, he needs help to run his detective business. Iris wants to help, but her father thinks girls should be girls. But when a boy from Iris’s new school goes missing, Iris puts her detective skills to work to find out what happened to Tommy. 

The Girl is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines

In Iris's second case, her Pop has finally agreed to let her help out with his detective agency. But this case becomes personal when Iris begins to find out details about her mother’s supposed suicide.

Divergent Trilogy

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In a distant future, the world is decided into five groups, each representing a different virtue. On her sixteenth birthday, Beatrice must choose a faction. During the initiation into her chosen group, Tris (Beatrice) struggles to face up to the choice she made. But something more challenging is coming, and her “perfect” society begins to unravel before her eyes. Tris’s story continues in Insurgent, as war between the factions looms on the horizon.

The Trilogy continues with Insurgent and Allegiant.

Morpheus Road Trilogy

Morpheus Road: The Light by D. J. Machale

Marshall Seaver is being haunted. Something beyond this world is after him. In the first book, The Light, when Marshall’s best friend Cooper goes missing, Marshall is convinced there is a connection. With Cooper’s sister, Marsh goes on a quest for the truth about what happened to his friend. 

Morpheus Road: The Black by D. J. Machale 

In book two, Cooper tells his side of the mystery. 

Morpheus Road: The Blood by D. J. Machale

The trilogy concludes with  Marshall and Cooper face down the evil force that has been stalking Marshall.

Storm Runners series

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

Ever since the death of his mother and sister, and his father survived a lightning strike, Chase Masters and his father have been storm chasing. Anywhere there is bad weather, they move in to help with the cleanup. In the first book, Storm Runners, the hurricane of the century hits, and Chase and his father must try to help those around them survive. 

Storm Runners: The Surge by Roland Smith

Picking up where Storm Runners leaves off off, Chase and his friends have survived the storm, but in the aftermath they now are battling floodwaters and escaped circus animals. 

Storm Runners: Eruption by Roland Smith

In book three, Chase and his father are off to Mexico to find the Rossi Brothers’ Circus in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and before an erupting volcano can destroy the workers and animals. These books are action-packed and filled with details about weather disasters.