Fabulous teen reads for Fall
Reviews by Melissa Oxborrow

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[November 29, 2016]   Check out these great 'teen reads' for fall!

Rebel of the Sands
by Alwyn Hamilton,
c2016


Amani is a fierce young woman who has determined the only way to get out of the dried-up little town of Dustwalk is to shoot her way out. During the shooting contest she is sure will change her life forever she meets Jin---a young man that is so much more than a pretty face. He’s a fugitive from the Sultan, and saving his life is about to make hers more complicated than she ever imagined. Before she knows what’s happening she has joined Jin on the run. Somehow in the middle of the flight for her life, she’ll discover a powerful truth about herself and about the way love can change you from the inside out. And she’ll join the fight for the desert that’s made her who she is.

A fantastical mix of Arabian Nights and the Wild West, the first book in the Hamilton’s series is filled with arresting characters and surprising plot twists.

Jackaby
by William Ritter,
c2014

Abigail Rook has run away from her upper class English upbringing, crossed an ocean, and landed in New Fiddleham, New England. As a single woman in 1892 she finds that options for employment are limited, which leads her to R.F. Jackaby, an investigator of the supernatural. Jackaby is taken by her eye for detail, and before she realizes it, she’s in the middle of a disturbing case involving a serial killer. A serial killer that isn’t human. Along with her eccentric employer, an exceptionally dashing young detective, and a resident ghost destined to become her best friend, Abigail is about to enter a dangerous world she never suspected even existed. And now that she’s arrived? Survival is about to become her top priority.

The first in a series filled with dry humor, heart-pounding adventure, creepy creatures and just the right amount of romance---Jackaby is a perfect fit for teens that love mystery and horror without all the gore.

This is My Brain on Boys
by Sarah Strohmeyer,
c2016


For Addie Emerson, budding scientist, facts and data are her life. More than anything she wants to attend Harvard for college and she is determined that science will get her there. Along with her lab partner Dex, Addie is designing an involved experiment to prove irrefutably that falling in love is really just a chemical reaction in the brain. She’s even developed a formula that she is convinced can make anyone fall in love.

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 Things get a little complicated, however, when Kris Condos, one of her metaphorical lab rats, starts to show definite signs of crushing---on her. Can Addie get the guy and run the perfect experiment? Only time will tell.

Addie is a quirky and memorable character whose journey of self-discovery will make readers laugh out loud. Teens looking for a clean, light romance filled with humor and a bit of drama will love this book.

These Vicious Masks
by Sharun Tanker,
c2016

When Evelyn’s sister disappears all her parents seem to be worried about is hushing it up to prevent a scandal. But Evelyn is convinced that Rose did not leave of her own free will. Disobeying her parents, she travels to London to find her, accompanied by the handsome and charming Mr. Kent. While there, Evelyn discovers the mysterious Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her sister, convinced that she has the miraculous power to heal. When Evelyn realizes that Braddock’s tales of magical powers are the truth, she finally understands the dangerous game they are all playing. Will she be able to understand her own remarkable abilities and use them to save her sister? And will she lose her heart along the way?
These Vicious Masks is a perfect blend of fantasy, adventure and romance for guys and girls alike. (Think X-men in Victorian England!) Teen readers will be clamoring for the next in the series, due out in March of 2017.

To check out these books or to get recommendations for other great reads on the Lincoln Community High School Reading List, please come see us at the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin Street.

[By MELISSA OXBORROW, Lincoln Public Library District]

 

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