Shock Point by April Henry

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.

This was a great action story and a really quick read. I finished it in a few hours one Sunday afternoon! I really liked the way the author used flashbacks to what happened just before Cassie was kidnapped and transported to Peaceful Cove. It was a really cool way to provide the back story! I also liked the way everything fell into place at the end.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor is about twelve year old Addie. Her family has taken some "twists and turns" and now Addie lives alone with her mother in a dilapidated trailer under some railroad tracks, while her beloved step-father and her half-sisters live together some distance away. Addie's mother has a history of leaving the girls alone for days at a time, and continues to do so. Addie befriends an odd "couple" across the street from her trailer - Soula, who lives in the convenience store on the corner and is suffering the after affects of her battle with cancer, and Elliott, Soula's best friend and co-worker at the convenience store. Things begin to fall apart for Addie, despite how hard she tries to keep everything together.

I really enjoyed this book! Addie is such a sweet character - I felt for her throughout the entire story. She is strong and brave despite having lived a pretty difficult life.