The Dead by Charlie Higson takes place just over a year prior to his first novel, The Enemy. This is when the dangerous disease that turns anyone over the age of 16 into a decaying, flesh eating zombie is just taking over all of the adults. This story follows a group of boys from a private school as they fight to escape their teachers, and make their way through the streets of London, trying to find safety. Along the way, they pick up several other kids who have had their own struggles dealing with losing their parents and friends to this terrible disease. Whether they're called zombies, strangers, sickos or mothers and fathers, the diseased adults are the walking dead - covered in pus filled boils and oozing blood. The only thing they seem to want is children... for dinner! For the children, survival seems bleak and some simple give up. Others create their own religion to give them solace, and still others just take everything one step at a time, becoming leaders despite believing they never could.
Shantorian (Trackers Series #2) by Patrick Carman is the second book in the Trackers Series. This time, Adam Henderson and his team of high tech hackers/trackers are being investigated for stealing billions of dollars by moving it around and hiding it on the Internet. It all starts when Adam and his friends are approached by Lazlo and Zara to join forces in finding the mysterious hacker, Shantorian. Through a game Adam designed and Zara perfected, the group contacts Shantorian and sets up a meeting. Shantorian wants the trackers to help him steal billions of dollars from banks all over the world, but Lazlo's plan is to catch Shantorian in the act! Everything seems to be going as planned... until it isn't anymore! Turns out, enemies are lurking in the closest spaces, while friends aren't always who they seem.
Independence Hall (I, Q Series, Book #1) by Roland Smith is about teens Quest (Q for short) and Angela. Q's rocker mother marries Angela's songwriter father after the duo's band became extremely successful. They decide to go on tour across country in a giant tour bus, bringing the kids along. Little did they know that Angela and Q were delving into Angela's deceased mother's old occupation: secret service agent and spy! When an ancient old roadie named Boone suddenly appears just when the family needs them, things really begin to get strange. It turns out, Boone isn't who he says he is, and he's got some information about Angela's mother - not only might she not be dead, she might be a terrorist... and Boone and his team are not the only people who know. Angela and Q are being tracked by a team of known terrorists and it's Boone's job to protect them, while making sure that Q's mom and Angela's dad don't find out.
Hero by Mike Lupica is about fourteen year old Zach Harriman and his evolution into a hero. In the beginning of the story, Zach's father dies unexpectedly in an accidental plane crash. But, Zach doesn't believe it was an accident. Desperate to find out what really happened to his father, Zach begins investigating. Zach's best friend, Kate, who's mother is the Harrimans' live-in housekeeper, know him better than anyone else alive and can tell something is not quite right with him. Zach's, who normally tells Kate everything, has been keeping a secret from her. Ever since his father's accident, Zach has begun to develop super powers. He can run faster, jump higher, and 'sense' things that he couldn't before. And, he's had a visit from a strange old man who insists that Zach must take over for his father. Zach finally begins to realize his destiny as a hero when he saves the future president of the United States from assassination!
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is about 15 year old John Smith... at least, his name is John Smith for now. John and his guardian, Henri, are on the run and have been moving every few months for the past 11 years. They are running from a murderous race of aliens, the Mogadorians, who are trying to wipe out every last being from the planet Lorien, where John and Henri are from. They've hidden on Earth, along with 8 other kids and their guardians. Watching their planet and all of their people be destroyed by the Mogadorians, these 9 members of the garde (special Loriens who develop supernatural skills called Legacies) and their 9 cepan (guardians who help the garde develop their Legacies) are the planet's only hope for survival. They were bound by an enchantment just before their ship left for Earth - they can only be killed in a specific order. John is number 4... and the first 3 have already been killed. Now, it is extremely important for John and Henri to remain hidden. They choose to do so in a small Ohio town where John finds his first girlfriend, a protective beagle, and the only friend he's ever been able to tell the truth. Will John's Legacies develop before the Mogadorians find him? What will happen to John's friends? Will they ever get back to Lorien? Read I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore to find out!
Dirt Road Home by Watt Key is the companion novel to Alabama Moon, one of the 2010-2011 Maud Hart Lovelace nominees. Dirt Road Home is about Hal, a fifteen year old boy who, though a series of bad decisions, winds up in Hellenweiler, a home for seriously troubled boys. Hal was sent to Pinson, a different home for boys after stealing some bikes and disrespecting his mother. He and two friends, Moon and Kit, escaped from there and lived off the land in rugged Alabama until Hal split from the others and made his way home to his father. He would have been home free, but Moon needed his help, so he came forward and ended up helping Moon, but being sent to Hellenweiler in the end. Determined to get out right away, Hal decides to straighten up and follow the rules. His father, also determined to be reunited with Hal decides to clean up his act and stop drinking. They have been told by their lawyer that if they can both stay out of trouble, Hal will be out before they know it. Unfortunately, the two ruling gangs at Hellenweiler are just as determined to force Hal to choose sides. They pick fights with him, steal his things, and make life miserable. The worst news of all comes when Hal realizes that even the guards at Hellenweiler are corrupt and have been falsifying his behavior reports! Unable to prove his innocence, Hal is near the breaking point and ready to give in to the constant provoking by the other boys. But, two unlikely friends and a crazy plan give Hal hope that he still may be able to leave Hellenweiler for good.
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith is about Alex Sawyer, a troubled teen who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He and his best friend, Toby, broke into a house to rob it, but were attacked by mysterious looking men in black suits and a monstrous "being" who appeared to be stitched together and wearing a gas mask. The blacksuits shot killed and framed Alex. As a result, Alex was sentenced to life imprisonment in Furnace, a new prison built into a deep rocky crevice especially for violent kids. Every night something new and horrifying awakens Alex from his sleep - skinless, vicious dogs terrorizing and eating the inmates, the "wheezers" marking certain cells and taking the inhabitants after stabbing them with a needle, and of course, the taunts and jeers from the resident gangs within the prison. And the day isn't much better - having to perform "hard labor" chipping rock walls, cleaning toilets, doing laundry, or preparing the prison food which is a mush made from rotten and moldy left-overs. Alex contemplates suicide nearly every day until he and his roommate, Donovan, and friend Zee figure out a plan for escape. If they get caught, they will be killed - they may be killed anyway! But they believe it is worth the risk for just the chance to escape the Furnace.
Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the final book in the 39 Clues Series. In this novel, Amy and Dan find themselves following leads to Shakespeare's final resting place. All of the other family members are hot on their trail and have actually resorted to following them to find the clues! It turns out that all of the 5 family branches (Tomas, Janus, Ekaterina, Lucian, and Madrigal, named after the 5 children of Olivia and Gideon Cahill) have 38 of the clues between them - if they would just get along and share, they could easily solve the entire mystery together. Unfortunately, the majority of the Cahills are cut-throat, greedy, and uninterested in "bonding". Amy and Dan have been asked to do just that - reunite the descendants of Gideon and Olivia Cahill. They a
re convinced that finding the last clue will give them enough power to convince the other teams to unite, but they'll have to survive The Gauntlet and their competition first!
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the third book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. In this last installment, Katniss, after having won the Hunger Games with Peeta and escaped the arena during the Quarter Quell, is living in District 13 with the other rebels. Narrowly escaping the destruction in their home district, 12, Katniss's mother and sister, Prim, and also long-time friend, Gale, have made it to District 13 as well. Coin, the leader of the rebels and her council ask Katniss to agree to be the mockingjay - the "face" of the rebellion. She agrees, but only after making a few demands of her own, including immunity for the other former Hunger Games Tributes. Soon after, Katniss finds out that Peeta, who was captured when she was retrieved from the Quarter Quell, is being held and tortured in the Capitol. Desperate to save Peeta and to kill President Snow to whom she attributes all of the country's suffering, Katniss begins training with the rebel army and taking her role as mockingjay more seriously. Eventually, Peeta is rescued, but has been tortured so much he doesn't know what's real and what isn't. His memories of Katniss were distorted and instead of loving her, he wants to kill her! This just fuels Katniss's fire even more, leading her on a televised raid on the Capitol which ends in more trauma than even Katniss could have imagined. Is the Capitol all bad and the rebels all good? Who can be trusted? Will Katniss ever live a normal life or will being the mockingjay eventually consume her?
Shock Point by April Henry is about Cassie Streng, a teenage girl who finds out a shocking secret her step-father, Rick is trying to hide. He's a psychologist and has been prescribing a drug to his patients that causes them to commit suicide! When Cassie finds out, she wants to tell someone... anyone... to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, Rick finds out that Cassie knows and convinces her mother to send her to a "private boarding school" in Mexico called Peaceful Cove. Peaceful Cove is really a prison camp meant to break rebellious teens through power and control and sometimes even pain. Cassie is desperate to escape so she can be reunited with her mother and tell the truth about her stepfather and what he has done. The only problem is, it's nearly impossible to get out... people have even died (or been killed) trying.
Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver is about Mel (melody) Walters, her dad, Johnny, and their love of car racing. Mel and Johnny own and run Headwaters Speedway in central Minnesota, along with some gracious volunteers who couldn't bear to see the Walters' track go under. Every Saturday night, local racers of all ages and abilities face off in their stock cars. One particular Saturday night, rain has forced many larger tracks to cancel. With the weather holding off over Heatwaters, Mel sees this as their opportunity to bring in some extra drivers and more fans. With the storm quickly approaching and old, ongoing rivalries heating up, racing at Headwaters Speedway will surely be exciting this night!
Trackers by Patrick Carman is about Adam Henderson, a self-proclaimed tracker (NOT a hacker). Adam and his gang, Emily, Finn, and Lewis, are all experts with technology. They work together, developing high-tech gadgets, computer programming, and running special operations to test their skills. Adam works in his dad's computer repair shop and has built his own space where he can command the team - the Vault. During the day Adam reprograms and fixes computers for his dad, but during his free time, Adam is busy perfecting his gadgets, running training exercises with his crew, and developing and coding computer programs. Unfortunately, someone outsmarts Adam and blindsides him, infiltrating the Vault and stealing all of his designs and plans. Now it is up to Adam and his friends to find out who stole their hard work and what they have to do to get it back. The adventure takes them places they never thought they'd go - putting them all into very real danger.
Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz is the sequel to Stormbreaker (the first Alex Rider Adventure). In this action/adventure, Alex has been asked by M16 (England's version of the CIA) to investigate the mysterious murders of two seemingly unconnected, but equally powerful, men. The only tie between the two is that the two men had 14 year old sons attending the same boarding school in the Swiss Alps: Point Blanc. Alex's undercover assignment is to attend the school and learn as much about these boys, the school, and the headmaster Dr. Grief as possible. What Alex finds out is both amazing and terrifying, and puts him in terrible danger.
Swindle by Gordon Korman is about Griffin Bing, the "man with the plan". When he and his best friend, Ben, spend the night in the condemned Rockford building the night before it is to be knocked down, they never knew what kind of trouble they'd find. What they did find as a 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card. They took it to the local collectible store and sold it to S. Wendell Palomino (Swindle) for a whopping $120.00. It was only a few days later when Griffin saw Swindle on tv talking excitedly about his belief that he would earn over 1 million dollars when he put it up for auction! Griffin immediately devised a plan to get the card back, hoping he could sell it and save his family from financial ruin. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned - from a vicious attack dog, to a friend with narcolepsy, to a nosy neighbor - things just kept going wrong!
H.I.V.E. (The Higher Institute of Villainous Education) by Mark Walden is about a unique training facility... it trains teens to be villains! Otto Malpence and Wing Fanchu found themselves being transported to H.I.V.E. after having been "retrieved" by fiends operating under Nero and Number One. H.I.V.E. is hidden within a seemingly active volcano on an uncharted island. Upon arrival, the boys quickly learn that thoughts of escape are futile. They, along with all of the other students at this school, were hand selected for their various talents. Otto just happened to hijack the teleprompter at the Prime Minister's latest speech and caused quite a scene, one of their other classmates in the infamous Wraith, who steals priceless jewelry from some of the most highly guarded buildings in the world. No one knows why Wing was chosen for H.I.V.E., but everyone has seen his unparalleled combat skills! Wing, Otto, and two other students hatch a plan for escape after Otto accidentally sees some blueprints of The H.I.V.E. Between the four of them, it looks like escape might actually be possible, if not for H.I.V.E.mind, the artificial intelligence agent who is everywhere and sees everything. Despite not having much to return to, the four of them desperately want to leave The H.I.V.E., and think they may have found a way to do it!
The Black Circle (The 39 Clues Series #5) by Patrick Carman is set in Russia. Amy and Dan are receiving notes (from an anonymous person with the initials NRR) that lead them all over Russia in search of the next clue. They aren't sure they can trust this stranger, but they don't have another choice. Amy and Dan know if they're going to follow the directions on the notes exactly, they'll need to team up. They recruit the help of Hamilton Holt, one of their cousins, who's family is also on the hunt for the 39 clues leading to fame and fortune. Despite their fears that they're being lead straight into a Lucian trap, Amy and Dan pursue the next clue from Moscow to St. Petersburg to the youngest Romanov's playroom! Of course, Irina Spasky, the former KGB agent and cousin to the Cahills is on their heels the entire time, trying to stop them from finding what they seek.
