If you're looking for a book that doesn't have a soul-crushing end, you might want to check out Navigating Early, by Clare Vanderpool. In this historical fiction novel that takes place right after WWII ends, Jack Baker finds himself attending school in Maine. After his mother's unexpected death, his dad moves him from the middle of Kansas, the only place he's ever known, to a boarding school in Maine where he meets the strangest of boys...Early Auden. Early seems to do his own thing and everyone at the school lets him. When his plans for Thanksgiving fall through, Jack ends up on an incredible adventure with Early where he discovers that they may not be as different as he once thought. If you like stories with some adventure, some humor, and a lot about friendship, you'll like Navigating Early. You can find copies at MCPL and through MCPL's Overdrive.
If you've read This is What Happy Looks Like, by Jennifer E. Smith, you'll probably want to check out Happy Again, a novella that tells what happened to the Ellie and Graham one year after they meet and his movie has been filmed. If you haven't read This is What Happy Looks Like, you can read about it here. This short novella gives you a chance to fall in love with Ellie & Graham all over again.
Now...let me tell you about a few books that are under consideration for nomination for the Truman Reader's Award for next year.
First up is Katie Alendar's Famous Last Words. If you recognize this author's name, it might be because her book, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer, is one of this year's nominees. Famous Last Words tells the story of Willa, who has just moved to LA after her mom marries a famous movie director. Right away, strange things start happening to Willa. Things like seeing a dead body in her swimming pool and strange messages on her walls. And while all this is going on, there is a serial killer on the loose in Hollywood who is reenacting murder scenes from famous old films with each murder he commits. Willa starts to believe that there is a ghost in her house that is trying to tell her who the killer is...but can she figure it out before she becomes his next target? If you like creepy ghost stories and mysteries, you'll probably like Famous Last Words. I have a copy of this book if you're interested. You can also find copies at MCPL or through MCPL's Overdrive.
If you're more up for an action-adventure story, you might like Carter Roy's, The Blood Guard, which is book one in a series. In this book, Ronan Truelove's ordinary life gets turned upside down when his mom pulls him out of school, tells him some crazy story that she's a member of some ancient order of knights called The Blood Guard, who protect people who are Pure - 36 normal people who's safety keeps the world as we know it is to survive. All of a sudden, all of the crazy lessons his mom enrolled him in over the years now make sense. Those have given him the skills he's going to need to protect himself as he sets off on a crazy adventure with a pickpocket named Jack and a girl he hasn't seen in years, Greta. A thrilling adventure and a shocking ending make The Blood Guard hard to put down. If you're interested in this story, you can get a copy at MCPL.
Another story under consideration is Pieces of Me, by Amber Kizer. You might recognize Kizer's name, as well, because her book A Matter of Days, is one of this year's Truman Nominees. Pieces of Me is a very different type of story, whose main character, Jessica, is killed in a car crash. After she is killed, her parents decide to donate her organs and 4 other teens are given a chance at new life with that donation. Jessica lives through these 4 teens because of cell memory...and watches them either bloom or destroy the gift that was given through her life. If you like a book that's going to cause you to feel some strong emotions, you'd probably like Pieces of Me. You can find copies of this book at MCPL and on MCPL's Overdrive.
If you're more in the mood for something that will make you laugh as you read, you might like I Have a Bad Feeling About This, by Jeff Strand. In this story, we meet Henry, a normal, but quite un-athletic 16 year old boy. Henry's parents decide he needs to toughen up and send him to Strongwoods Survival Camp, which is out in the middle of nowhere. Max, the only adult around at survival camp may be mentally insane, but he's the one in charge of teaching Henry and 4 other boys how to survive. When the camp-ending Survival Games become all too real, Henry has to rely on what he's learned to save his own life and that of his fellow campers. You can find a copy of this story at MCPL.
Finally, let me tell you about another humorous story - Skink, No Surrender, by Carl Hiassen. In this story, Richard's cousin has been abducted by an Internet predator. Everyone else thinks that she left early for her new boarding school up north, but Richard figures out otherwise. She left willingly to avoid this new boarding school, but now can't get away from the crazy man she thought was helping her. Richard inadvertently gets the help of a man, whom he first thought might be homeless when he met him on the beach. It turns out that his man - who goes by Skink - used to be the governor of Florida and has connections that just might help Richard to get his cousin back...if they can survive. You can find a copy of this in our Congress Media Center or at MCPL or through MCPL's Overdrive.
There's lots to read out there. I hope you can find something that is right for you!
