I've been reading lists of forthcoming books, and I almost drooled over
the number of cool titles being released this spring. Here are some of the ones I'm most looking forward to.
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley (Katherine Tegen books hardcover, 19 March 2013).
Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods
alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to
find that it's three years later and she's sixteen
-or at least that's what everyone tells her.
What happened to the past three years of her life?
Angie doesn't know.
But there are people who do
-people
who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they
weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage,
Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality,
otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about
her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you
remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of
yourself that are responsible?
Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon (Soho Teen hardcover, 9 April 2013).
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands
of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned
hospital-only to discover that they're not alone. Three other teens from
different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or
something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks
ticking, they must band together if they're to have any hope of
surviving.
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a
future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once
entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but
only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to
light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken
on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must
decide what to do with a second chance at life.
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch (St. Martin's Griffin hardcover, 26 March 2013).
Fourteen-year-old Carey and six-year-old Jenessa have been living in the
woods with their mother for as long as they can remember; the
sheltering trees and a broken-down camper are all they know. But what
they’ve never been told is that Carey vanished from the real world ten
years ago, when their mother took her, causing an uproar in the
media—and in her father's life.
Now, abandoned by the mother they
trusted, they’re often left alone for long periods of time to fend for
themselves—until, in one moment, everything changes. They're found by
Carey's father and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world, one of
shopping malls, shiny appliances, new clothes and mouth-watering food.
Carey desperately wants to believe in this new reality, but is held back
by a deep and painful loyalty to her mentally ill mother, who gave
Carey her violin and taught her how to play the soaring music that helps
her survive.
And then there’s the other piece of Carey’s past
that haunts her . . . the story of what happened to her and Jenessa on
that dark night in the woods . . . the reason Jenessa hasn't spoken a
word in over a year. Will Carey ever be able to trust her father and his
family enough to fit into this new life? Will Jenessa finally break her
silence and ruin the cocoon of safety that Carey’s built so carefully
around them? And what will happen if the secret comes out?
Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin (Simon Pulse hardcover, 7 May 2013.)
Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone
at New England’s premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca’s
dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss.
Then Tess
transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything
that Becca wasn’t. And despite her roommate’s warnings, she falls for
brooding Max.
Now Max finally has a reason to move on. Except it
won’t be easy. Because Becca may be gone, but she’s not quite ready to
let him go…
Star Cursed (Cahill Witch Chronicles #2) by Jessica Spotswood (Putnam hardcover, 18 June 2013).
With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided
Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers.
And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty
Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger
everyone she loves.
Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she
doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's
schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it
clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory.
Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if
it means all-out war.
