Ava's Book List
Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys)
Sixteen-year-olds Riley and Reid make a pact to pursue their respective crushes and document the experiences in a shared notebook they call "The Passenger Manifest." Fun! Drama!
Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks
Frankie Landau-Banks attempts to take over a secret, all-male society at her exclusive prep school. Feisty and fun.
The Misfits
Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names. Friendship. Drama. Funny.
The Walls Around Us
Orianna and Violet are ballet dancers and best friends, but when the ballerinas who have been harassing Violet are murdered, Orianna is accused of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together. Thriller.
Gadget Girl
A little bit different but fits into feisty female adventure genre. Aiko Cassidy, a fourteen-year-old with cerebral palsy, tired of posing for the sculptures that have made her mother famous, dreams of going to Japan to meet her father and become a great manga artist, but takes a life-changing trip to Paris, instead.
Ink and Ashes
When Japanese American Claire Takata finds out that her deceased father was once a member of the yakuza, a Japanese crime syndicate, danger enters her life that could end up killing someone. Excellent taut mystery.
The Theory of Everything
Outside the box a bit; but, described by one reviewer as a "quirky adventure." I loved this book. When fourteen-year-old Sophie Sophia journeys to New York with a scientific boy genius, a Kerouac-loving bookworm, and a giant shaman panda guide, she discovers more about her visions, string theory and a father who could be the key to an extraordinary life.
Also Known As
Funny and smart. This one is for Kiki Strike fans. As the active-duty daughter of international spies, sixteen-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver never attended high school so when she and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, Maggie is introduced to cliques, school lunches, and maybe even a boyfriend. There is a sequel.
Simon & The Homo Sapiens Agenda
A bit outside your zone; but, a fun romp. When an e-mail falls into the wrong hands, not-so-openly gay Simon is blackmailed into being a classmate's wingman - or risk having his secret relationship exposed to the entire school.