Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is about Grace, a Minnesota teen who survived a wolf attack in her backyard six years ago. She doesn't remember much about the attack, except that she's certain one wolf saved her from the rest. She thinks of him as her wolf, and waits for his appearance in the woods bordering her backyard - usually in late fall of each year. The older she gets, the harder it is for her to wait for him.

The story is also about Sam, a teen who 11 years ago was bitten by a werewolf and became one himself. He is still young enough that he retains his human form during the warmest months of the year, only becoming wolf during the cold. He is Grace's wolf.

Sam and Grace live for the small moments they each get to stare at one another across her backyard each season, sharing a bond neither of them fully understands. When a student from Grace's school is attacked and killed by a pack of wolves, the townspeople (including Grace's father) take matters into their own hands and go out hunting. Sam is shot, and amazingly returns to his human form, despite the frigid fall weather. Grace finds him on her doorstep, and recognizes him as her wolf immediately. From then on, the two are inseparable, falling madly in love with one another and constantly saddened by the reality that eventually Sam will change back to wolf... maybe for good. Things take a turn for the worse as Jack, the boy who was killed by the wolf pack returns - as a wolf himself - unstable and angrier than ever. Grace's best friend Olivia begins acting strangely, and Grace is being stalked by a she-wolf who is bent on rising to the top of the pack as Sam's mate.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!!!!! Mrs. Ruder (from the HOMS MC) recommended it to me, and she was right - it's my new favorite! I could barely put it down. The ending was AWESOME!! It's one of those endings that makes me want to start reading it again from the start. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes the Twilight Series, for sure! The sequel, Linger, comes out July 20, 2010, and I will be first in line to grab my copy!