Easy Prey by Catherine Lo

Three students are brought together to do a school project for their most despised class. Each has a history with the other.

Jenna ran with the popular crowd until nude photos of her were sent sent out to the whole school last year. People tell her to get passed it, but they have never been through it so what do they know.

Matthew (aka Mouse) is a computer guy hoping to get into MIT. His grades do not mean anything to his dad who wishes Mouse were a star athlete like his cousin Troy (who was also Jenna's boyfriend until she accused him of posting the photos). Mouse was Jenna's best friend; now his father wants him to stay way from the girl that tried to ruin Troy's life.

Drew is a jock and a player (as in girls). He is Troy's best friend, and flirts with Jenna even though he knows he cannot date his best friend's ex (not that Jenna would date Drew).

So their little group finds themselves in the principal's office facing serious allegations of leaking nude photos of a teacher. The three of them are the only ones who had access to the photos, so one of them must be guilty but is not saying anything. How did they get access to the photos? That's half the story and is a frustrating exercise in asking (sometimes out loud) what the characters are thinking.

It is an story that is timely and suspenseful which makes for an interesting story but a sad commentary on what teens face in real life.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and author's site.

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter

Welcome to the goth version of It's a Wonderful Life. You know that movie where the guy gets to see what the world would be like if he had never been born. OK, this is not really like that, but there is a bit of fantasy involved for a teen girl who gets so see what the world is like if goth were popular and she was the queen of the school. That girl would be Jade.

Jade has shut herself off from everything. Dressed in black on the outside and filled with darkness on the inside. She has friends, but she never gets too close (she might even be pushing them away). She can never open herself up to anyone - the fatal car crash that took her mother is proof of that.

Jade is one of the goth kids that are bullied by the popular kids (including Jade's former best friend, Mercedes). Jade is not one to be pushed around, so she strikes back at others when necessary. This does not make her a favorite with teachers.

Mercedes is popular and has tormented Jade and her friends for years. So when she and Mercedes essentially trade places in their alternate world, they both get to see what the other is going through. If they each learn a lesson, will they go back to their old lives? Come to think of it, maybe this is more like the Prince and the Pauper or Freaky Friday. Either way, it is fun look at two girls who need an otherworldly intervention to make things better for everyone.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Your Own Worst Enemy by Gordon Jack

During a student body election that goes completely off the rails, all three candidates end up in the principal's office on election day.

Who are the candidates? Stacey has wanted to be the president for her whole high school career. She has been involved in student government and many clubs. A few weeks before the election, she is running unopposed.

Julia is new to school having just moved from Canada to live with her aunt. Her features make some think she is a Latina, but even she's not sure. Her mom is white, but she never knew her dad. Mom thinks Julia should be an individual and not worry about racial identity.

Tony only wants to hang out his parent's mansion (they travel a lot) and get high. School is of no interest. He is talked into running for president by a mo-hawk wearing freshman. Tony's platform is all about getting his favorite chocolate milk back in the cafeteria.

And then there's Brian, Stacey's best friend and election confidante, who falls for Julia the first time he sees her. His life is not complicated at all: friend to one candidate and hopeful boyfriend to another. Another force in the whole election is Kyle, Brian's little brother, who will do whatever he can to make Brian's life miserable. Oh ya, Kyle has a mo-hawk.

Even school politics can be messy. And when the stakes are high, even the most respectable student can dirty. For the reader, it's all fun and worth the time.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.