The new school year has just begun, but already the teens in Kingsbridge Library's Teen Advisory Group have been reading up a storm. Here are some of their favorite books from 2011 — some of them are already on our shelves, and some of them will be released in the coming months. They're all listed in our Catalog, so you can reserve copies of these new and super-new titles!

Vivien recommends Unleashed (Wolf Spring Chronicles) by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie.

Katelyn is a dancer who lives in Los Angeles, but when her mother dies in a tragic accident, she must move to Wolf Springs to live with her grandfather. Strange things are happening in Wolf Springs, like when Kat gets attacked by a wolf. She might find possible love interests, and her life could change forever. This is a good book for teens who are more advanced readers. I found the book to be confusing in certain sections, especially at the beginning, but it is very interesting and I enjoyed reading it.

Vivien also enjoyed Deviant by Andrian McKinty.

Danny moves from Los Angeles to Colorado, and his mom and step-dad put him in a small, weird school. The kids are always silent, class is scripted, and everyone is forced to wear white gloves. Weird cat killings are happening in Danny’s town, and Danny has a much-loved cat named Jeff, so he is determined to catch the cat killer. With the help of Danny’s new friends and a possible new girlfriend, Danny will get down to the bottom of this. And there is quite a shocker at the end! This book is very interesting, mysterious, and exciting. It caught my attention right away. It's a good read about a kid whose age is close to my own. That’s why I am recommending it to anyone who wants to read a good book. It was great because it was well written, it didn’t confuse me, and it wasn’t very predictable.

Vivien also liked Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott.

When Abby’s sister Tess gets into an accident and falls into a coma, Abby must confront life without her perfect sister in it. Abby forms a plan to get Tess back with help from the “gorgeous” Eli, but in the end, she discovers some shocking things about Tess and finally finds someone who likes her more than her sister. This is a good book for young teens, and I think girls will relate well to this book. The story is a bit slow in the beginning, but once I got past the first two chapters, I was very interested and wanted to know what happened next.

Rosalie recommends What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen.

Ever since her parents divorced, McLean has been living with her father and moving from town to town. She is used to being the new girl, so at every new school she goes to she gets a chance to try on a new persona. But when she starts yet another new school, McLean decides to be someone she hasn’t been in a long time — herself. Along the way, she meets a boy, Dave. McLean thinks Dave is the most sincere person she has ever met. And Dave might be falling in love with McLean. But will she have to move again? I think this is a great book because it has romance and adventure, which are my favorite kinds of stories. I think teenagers will love this book.

Leslie enjoyed Alice Bliss: A Novel by Laura Harrington.

This book is about a girl, Alice, and her father, Matt. She just heard that her father is being shipped to Iraq, so she feels sad. Her mother and father start arguing, because Alice’s father is going to miss out on Alice growing up. I recommend this book because it can help kids who have family members in the armed forces to deal with their pain. And it will help kids feel what it’s like to be a child whose parents are far away. 

And finally, Leslie also recommends Shut Out by Kody Keplinger.

This book is about a girl named Lissa at Hamilton High School. She has a boyfriend, Randy, who is a football player, but she is tired of him always starting fights with the soccer team. Lissa — along with other football and soccer team girlfriends — decides to have a sex strike to end the rivalry between the teams. I recommend this book because it will help girls who have boyfriend-related problems. With this book, girls will learn how to deal with their boyfriends if they are cheating on them or if they are struggling with their relationships.