Contemporary Novel Project-Novel Overviews

Dystopian Society Theme

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Its graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and
the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is
celebrating. All Cia can think abouthope foris whether
shell be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth
program that selects the best and brightest new graduates
to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-
war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells
her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The
Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (Cia, trust no one),
she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends
and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romanceand sheer
terrorawait.

The Compund by S.A. Bodeen

Eli and his family have lived in the underground
Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone,
and theyve become accustomed to their new life.
Accustomed, but not happy. No amount of luxury can
stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with
only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing
the same thing day after day after day. As problems with
their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy
their sanctuaryand their sanityEli cant help but
wonder if hed rather take his chances outside. Elis
father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are
they safereally?

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

A dystopic look at what happens to one American town
when all the fossil fuels run out...It's the near future - the
very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas.
No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are
empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local
than we ever knew it could be. Nobody expected the end to
come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley,
decisions that once seemed easy are quickly
becoming matters of life and death. There is
hope - there has to be hope - just there are
also sacrifices that need to be made, and a
whole society that needs to be rethought.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
America Singer is chosen to compete in the Selection, a contest to see
which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince, but all she really wants is
a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the
procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient.
It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far
the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say
that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The
deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you
have it and when you don't.

Life and Death Theme

Sickened by Julie Gregory (Nonfiction)
From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-
rayed, medicated, and operated onin the vain pursuit of
an illness that was created in her mothers mind.
Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the worlds most hidden and dangerous
form of child abuse, in which the caretakeralmost always the mother
invents or induces symptoms in her child because she
craves the attention of medical professionals. Many MBP
children die, but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped
the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her
identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman.

Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco

(Nonfiction)
While other kids were daydreaming about dances, first kisses,
and college, Jodee Blanco was just trying to figure out how to
get from homeroom to study hall without being taunted or
spit upon as she walked through the halls. This powerful,
unforgettable memoir chronicles how one child was
shunned -- and sometimes physically abused -- by her
classmates from elementary school through high
school. It is an unflinching look at what it means to be
the outcast, how even the most loving parents can get
it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent
disaster and how bullying has been misunderstood and
mishandled by the mental health community. You will be
shocked, moved, and ultimately inspired by this
harrowing tale of survival against insurmountable odds.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where
nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is
shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the
daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the
state's best witness, but she can't remember what
happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the
trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and
the adult community begin to show--destroying the
closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes
asks what it means to be different in our society, who
has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really
who they seem to be.

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to
buy a plane ticket. In envelope 2 are directions to a specific
London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a
starving artist. Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a
playwright/thief/ blokeabouttown called Keith go to
Scotland together, with somewhat disastrousthough utterly
romanticresults. But will she ever see him again?
Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all
because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

Six Feet Over It by Jennifer Longo

No one is more surprised than Leigh when her father buys a
graveyard. Less shocking is the fact that hes too lazy to look
farther than the dinner table for employees. Working the
literal graveyard shift, she becomes great at predicting
headstone choice (mostly granite) and taking notes with one
hand while offering Kleenex with the other. Sarcastic and
smart, Leigh should be able to quit this stupid after-school
job. But her worlds been turned upside down by the sudden
loss of her best friend and the appearance of Dario, the
slightly-too-old-for-her gravedigger. Can Leigh move on, if
moving on means its time to get a life? Darkly humorous and heart-
wrenchingly beautiful, Jennifer Longos YA debut about a girl
surrounded by death will change the way you look at friendship, love,
and life.

Science Fiction Theme

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This
Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and
William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town
with the arrival of a dark carnival one Autumn midnight. How these
two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their
own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What
would you do if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious
ringmaster Mr. Dark?

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

Elena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory all her life--or so she
thinks. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation selects her for a
top-secret project, she can't say no. All she has to do is participate in a
trip to the future to bring back data, and she'll be set for life. Elena
joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a
science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time
travelers arrive in the future, something goes wrong and they break
the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates.

Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a
way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time
running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic
memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new
friends and herself.

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a
trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or
tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're
sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a
mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the
person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she
remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except
they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what
happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim,
Max. He doesn't come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of
all Max's sister Avery, who needs to find her brother--dead or alive--and
isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-
Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that
human life may not be touched from the moment of
conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between
the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may
choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process
called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life
doesnt technically end by transplanting all the organs in
the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and
accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens
are able to easily be unwound. With breathtaking suspense, this book
follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Its the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in
Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead
outside wont stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it
takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous
version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesnt
sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since
then, shes failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems
like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for
the barricades to fall, shes forced to witness the apocalypse
through the eyes of five people who actually wantto live. But
as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in
startling ways and soon the groups fate is determined less
and less by whats happening outside and more and more by the
unpredictable and violent bids for lifeand deathinside.

Love Theme
He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander
He says: Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls has got it madea full
football ride to UMiami, hero-worship status at school, and
pick of any girl at West Charleston High. She says:
Football, shmootball. Here's what Claudia Clarke cares
about: Harvard, the poor, the disenfranchised, the hungry,
the staggering teen pregnancy rate, investigative
journalism . . . the list goes on. She does not have a minute to waste
on Mr. T-Diddy Smalls and his harem of bimbos. He Said, She Said is a
fun and fresh novel from Kwame Alexander that throws these two high
school seniors together when they unexpectedly end up leading the
biggest social protest this side of the Mississippiwith a lot of help
from Facebook and Twitter.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Set over the course of one school year in 1986,
ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed
misfits smart enough to know that first love almost
never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
When Eleanor meets Park, youll remember your own
first love and just how hard it pulled you under.
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess
around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from
her mother, who's currently working on husband
number five. But there's something about Dexter that
seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't
seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy
just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's
starting to understand what those love songs are all
about?

Everyday by David Levithan

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every
day in love with the same girl. Theres never any warning
about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace
with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never
get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. Its
all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin
and meets Justins girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment,
the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because
finally A has found someone he wants to be withday in, day
out, day after day.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E.

Smith
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley
Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and
late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London
and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then
she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His
name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A
long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and
Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport
chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them
together once more?

Sports Theme
Striking Gridiron by Greg Nichols (Nonfiction)
In the summer of 1959, most of the town of Braddock,
Pennsylvania---along with half a million steel workers
around the country---went on strike in the longest labor
stoppage in American history. With no paychecks coming in, the
families of Braddock looked to its football team for inspiration. Striking
Gridiron takes us from the sidelines and stands on game day into the
school hallways, onto the street corners, and into the very homes of
Braddock to reveal a beleaguered blue-collar town from a bygone era---
and the striking workers whose strength was mirrored by the football
heroics of steel-town boys on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.

Solo by Hope Solo (Nonfiction)

Solo is a candid and moving memoir about family, loss, and
reconciliation from Hope Solo, the supremely talented, headline-
making goalkeeper for the U.S. womens national soccer team. During
the 2011 Womens World Cup, Solo became an idol, role model, and
sex symbol to a new generation of young American sports enthusiasts,
inspiring the kind of intense devotion not seen since the days of Mia
Hamm.

Juice by Eric Walters

When a Division One coach comes to their smaller school to bring the
football program up to contender status, Moose and the rest of the
players on the team are pumped. Coach Barnes has new ideas and a
vision for the future--nothing is too good for his players. With a new
training regimen, everything seems to be on a winning track. But when
Moose and others are offered steroids, tempers start to fray and the
teammates have to decide whose side they are on. Juice is a
compelling story about the pressures and temptations that
are faced by many in the competitive world of high-school
athletics.

Force Out by Tim Green

Joey and Zach have always been best friends. Theyre also
two of the best baseball players in their league, and shoo-
ins for the all-star team at the end of the season. Their
dream is to play together on the Center State select team,
and they will do anything to help each other get there. So
when Zach is forced to go on an extra-credit field trip that
would make him miss the championship game and his
chances to move on, Joey comes up with a risky plan to
bail him out. Everything should be fineas long as no one
finds out what they did. Then the unthinkable happens:
The boys learn theres only one open spot on the select team.
Suddenly Joey and Zach go from being best friends to biggest
rivals, and Joey has to decide his next move. He can play the
biggest game of his life, or he can use their secret to force
Zach out. How far should Joey go to win?
True Legend by Mike Lupica
There's a reason teammates call him "True." Because for basketball
phenom Drew Robinson, there is nothing more true than
his talent on the court. It's the kind that comes along once
in a generation and is loaded with perks--and with
problems. Before long, True buys in to his own hype, much
to the chagrin of his mother, who wants to keep her boy's
head grounded--and suddenly trouble has a way of finding
him. That is, until a washed-up former playground legend
steps back onto the court and takes True under his wing.

Mystery/Thriller Theme
Columbine by Dave Cullen (Nonfiction)
On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the
American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their
school, Oklahoma-City style, and to leave "a lasting
impression on the world." Their bombs failed, but the
ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence-
irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting "another
Columbine." The result is an astonishing account of two
good students with lots of friends, who came to stockpile a
basement cache of weapons, to record their raging hatred,
and to manipulate every adult who got in their way. They left signs
everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative
eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of
interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI
psychologists, and the boy's tapes and diaries, he gives
the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say. But
he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer,
and for Dear Old Dad, "Take Your Son to Work Day" was
year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they
could--from the criminals' point of view. And now, even though Dad
has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of
Lobo's Nod. Again. In an effort to prove murder doesn't run in the
family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer.
But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than
anyone knows?

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part-time as a
delivery girl at Petes Pizza. One night, Kaylaanother delivery
girlgoes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed
kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working. Gabie
cant move beyond the fact that Kaylas fate was really meant for her.
She becomes obsessed with finding Kayla and teams up with Drew,
who also works at Petes. Together they set out to prove that Kayla
isnt deadand hopefully to find her before she isin The Night She
Disappeared by April Henry.

Beyond by Graham Mcnamee

Jane is not your typical teen. She and her best friend Lexi call
themselves the Creep Sisters. Only Lexi knows why Jane is different
from anyone else: Her own shadow seems to pull her into near-fatal
accidents. Jane is determined to find out why these terrifying things
happen, and to overcome her shadow enemy. Her sleuthing with Lexi
connects her own horrors to the secret history of a serial killer.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills
the dead. So did his father before him, until he was
gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now,
armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame,
Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother
and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and
local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky
things like the future and friends at bay. Searching for a
ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual:
track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl
entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never
faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the
day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now
stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death,
Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to
step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
Yet she spares Cas's life.