Going Off Script by Jen Wilde

Lately, I have read several books with strong young women characters who are tired of being pushed around and decide (although often reluctantly) to fight back even if it means sacrificing something important to them. And so we have Bex.

Bex arrives in Los Angeles to pursue her dream of being a television writer. She has grown up poor in a small town in Washington. She has landed an internship on her favorite show Silver Falls (full of teens and werewolves). Some aspects of the job are amazing - working with the show's stars, seeing the sets and possibly meeting her first love. Other things...Well, Hollywood is a tough place sometimes. The show runner, Malcolm, is moody and uptight and has no respect for interns. He is, however, willing to take the script Bex wrote and put his name on it. Ya, he is a major jerk of unspeakable proportions.

Included with the tension of her new job, Bex is struggling to come out to her cousin, Parker, who she is staying with. He is gay, too, but she doesn't want to appear to be imitating him (as she has been accused in the past). The fact that she has never come out to anyone only adds to her nervousness. But this is LA, and she's away from home. And there is this stunningly beautiful social media star that Bex meets at a party. Could Bex ever hope to have the Shrupty Padwal as her first girlfriend?

Fighting for your dreams is hard, as Bex finds out. She has people who support her, so she is not as alone as she sometimes feels. After all, you can't change the world all by yourself.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook

Think Alfred Hitchcock with angsty teens. I mean literally Hitchcock since the premise is very similar to the movie Strangers On a Train.

Kim is on a two week trip to London with other Canadian students to visit sites of art and culture. On the plane, Kim meets Nicki, a Londoner heading home. While drinking a pilfered bottle of vodka, their conversation turns to how much Kim is upset at her ex, Connor who (by no coincidence) is also on the trip and how much Nicki hates her mother. Nicki proposes the perfect murder: Nicki will kill Connor and Kim will kill Nicki's mother. As strangers to the victims, they have no connection so they won't be suspected. Kim passes it off the musings of two people who have had a little too much to drink. Nicki is serious.

When something happens to Connor, Kim does not immediately connect it to Nicki. It quickly becomes clear that Nicki is not to be ignored. Nicki will do whatever she feels is necessary to force Kim to kill her mother.

Kim's only distraction is an attractive guy who is also on the trip. He steps up to be her partner on the various excursions around England. His closeness to Kim may not be good for his own safety.

Kim's trip is a suspenseful nightmare making her question he own sanity. It is a well done story.

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

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough

Amelia Westlake doesn't exist. She is made up; the creation of two teen girls who cannot stand each other. They are opposites who reluctantly team up to fight injustices at the private girls school that both attend. 

Will is a scholarship student on the verge of expulsion. She doesn't do her homework and talks back to teachers. She is also not overly concerned about her appearance. Will is ready to take down the school and all of its pretentiousness.

In contrast, Harriet is an excellent student and treats all faculty with respect. She is smartly attired. She has been training to win the big doubles tennis tournament for a long time. Even when the staff's questionable behavior is pointed out to her, she is always willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Harriet would never risk her future taking on the school administration.

Yet, circumstances bring Will and Harriet together. The swim coach is a pervert who is too friendly with some of the girls. He is an Olympic medalist who brings students and money to the school, so the administration will never reprimand him. Harriet agrees to help Will create a comic about the coach to be submitted to the school paper but only if it is anonymous. Thus, Amelia Westlake is born.

Needless to say, Amelia Westlake takes on a life of her own in a crusade that grows beyond the two girls. The question is can the girls make a difference at the school without getting in a lot of trouble.

It's a fun story about female empowerment and doing what is right no matter what the cost. Good messages for young people.

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

Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover

For Matt and Cole, everything change the day a shooter entered their first grade classroom and killed their classmates. Matt was sick at home and feels guilty for not being there. Cole was rescued by the police chief, a moment that was captured in a photograph that became famous. And their friend, Andy...he didn't survive. Matt and Cole are now graduating from high school and must decide what to do with the rest of their lives.

The shooting is never far from their minds. How could it be living in the same small town where it happened. Matt and Cole tell their stories in alternating chapters. Cole is trying to work up the courage to tell Viola (who moved into town way after the shooting) how he feels about her. He thinks an end of summer grand gesture is the way to go. He is depending on Matt to get the money needed to pull it off which unfortunately may lead to doing questionable things (like selling Cole's dad's old pain medication).

Matt is forever questioning whether he should even by alive. He escaped the shooting because his diabetes kept him home that day. He still regrets it, and it has made him more impulsive than Cole. He feels left out of the dominant conversation of his life. He looks for answers in sex, in indifference to his glucose levels and in physically pushing himself to the brink of death.

I have read more than few books about school shootings, but they usually cover the tragedy itself. This one delves into the long, painful aftermath: the survivors, the permanently injured, the parents of the victims, the children of the heroes, the broken families and even the childhood home of the shooter. It excruciatingly relevant in the time we are living. A shooting happens somewhere and the world moves on. For those directly affected, the trauma never truly ends.

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

Dig by A.S. King

Starting a A.S. King book is always interesting. I never know where the story is heading and what reality warping aspect will she include. In this instance, there is a girl who can transport herself to other places; although the destination is not always totally under her control. One moment she is her room and the next she is in Hong Kong.

The story is not really about that girl, per se. She is just one teen interwoven with the lives of the others (who at first seemed to not be connected). They all seem lost in their own way - like the boy who shovels snow and decides that he will hold onto the shelve wherever he goes even when there is no shoveling to do. And the girl who sells weed out of the drive through window. I could attempt to go on, but I couldn't do any of them justice or describe them as interestingly as the author. Suffice to say that this, like her other books, is mind bending but worth it if you like stories that cut to the heart of difficult matters (like neglectful families and racism).

While I realize that this story would not appeal to a lot of people, I hope that readers of quirky stories would at least give it a chance.

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

Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

Abbi survived the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. That day was Abbi's first birthday. She is Baby Hope captured in a famous photograph holding a red balloon and being carried by a fleeing woman. That photo has become a symbol of hope.

But Abbi is not really Baby Hope. She was that baby, but now she is 15 and does not feel connected to the photo. At this point in her life, she just wants to put it behind her.

Noah wants to know more about that day. He is interested in the other people in the photo who are running in the back ground. He feels it is fate that he and Abbi end up working at the same summer camp as counselors. Maybe he can get her to help him find the others and interview them. Her involvement will give his project credibility. Noah's best friend Jack thinks the whole idea is stupid.

Told in the alternating voices of Abbi and Noah, we learn how each is coping with the day that changed the world. Will Abbi get the illness that has already taken so many 9/11 survivors? Why is Noah so interested in the other people? Why does his mom never talk about his dad who died in the attack that day?

Those of us old enough to remember September 11 do not need reminders. But younger people should know what happened that day and understand why the aftermath will reverberate for generations. This story does a good job of bringing the horror and sadness of the day without recreating the actual events. Readers can experience the personal loss through these characters.

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

Summer of '69 by Todd Strasser

As the title states, this story takes place in the summer of 1969. Lucas has just graduated from high school, but doesn't know what comes next. He is one of the growing number of young people who are against the establishment. He has long hair, smokes weed, takes LSD, drives a psychedelic VW bus and protests against the war in Vietnam. You would think being of the hippie mindset would be make Lucas pretty mellow, but no. Lucas has a lot on his mind.

Let's start with Robin, his girlfriend. For the summer she is heading up to Canada to work at a camp. She has already expressed dissatisfaction with some of Lucas' choices (his drug use, for example), so being apart all summer has him concerned.

Lucas' dad. Lucas doesn't like his dad. His dad owns businesses and can set his own hours - most of them he spends playing tennis (obsessively, so). Lucas also knows that his dad has been frequently unfaithful to his mother. And Lucas certainly has not turned out to be what his father wanted him to be.

Tinsley, the free love photographer Lucas meets through his cousin. With Robin so far away...Tinsley is so tempting. Is she flirting? Is there something between them? Lucas is definitely thinking about her.

And Vietnam. Lucas does not want to get drafted and sent to war. The letters from his friend who is there remind of the daily horrors. The problem for Lucas is that he didn't get accepted to college. He should have studied more when had the chance. Now, he is desperately trying to find away to avoid military service.

Other books I have read for young people set in the same time period tend to focus on Vietnam or Woodstock, but this one is a slice out of a young person's ever day life and deals with multiple issues and events. It is refreshing to have a story for young people that provides a glimpse into the late 60s without glorifying it.

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

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian is tired of the guys (particularly athletes) being treated like gods in her school. They get away with everything including verbally and physically assaulting girls. Back her day, Vivian's mom was a Riot Grrrl (although now, her life is just going to work and -gasp!- dating a republican.) Going through her mom's box of old stuff, Vivian finds the inspiration she needs to take on the system.

Not that Vivian isn't hesitant about spreading her newly created Moxie Girl zine around school. She knows the risk. Girls are often subjected to greater scrutiny than the guys. She keeps the zine anonymous partly out of fear, but also because the Riot Grrrls had no true leader making the movement more organic.

When the zine is out, everyone is talking about it. Lucy, a new girl, who Vivian has seen be treated badly by the guys is excited about it. Claudia, Vivian's best friend...not so much. Maybe they should wait out their time until the graduate. Being an outsider, Lucy knows all schools aren't like this.

Vivian also has her eye on a new guy in school. Will he understand what she's trying to accomplish? As Vivian learns, starting a revolution is not easy. Maybe this book will inspire young women to fight a system that treats them as less than equal.

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

The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette

Three years ago, the spaceship landed in the small town of Sorrow Falls, Massachusetts, and then nothing happened. Scientists photographed, probed and scanned the ship. The ship just sat there - no lights, no door, no noises, no aliens, nothing.
The military moved in and built a base around the ship along with manned check points at the entrances to the town. Some town residents became famous when the press showed up. And a group of dedicated (some would say odd) UFO enthusiasts are permanently camped out along the military perimeter fence. For all that and given the circumstances, a government analyst thinks the town has remained too unaffected by it all.

Sixteen year old Annie Collins knows everyone in her hometown and knows just about everything that is going on. When the analyst shows up pretending to be a journalist, Annie immediately hears about it and seeks him out. They form a reluctant partnership to try to find the answer for whatever he is looking for (even he is not sure).

Obviously, something happens with the ship or it wouldn't be much of a story. I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that people who are known to be dead are seen walking around town.  Aliens (maybe), zombies and soldiers. Do I need to say more?

I don't want you to think this is an action packed story (yes, there is some), but it is also about the people of the town dealing with extraordinary circumstances. It is about Annie dealing with her sick mom and the absence of her father. It is an interesting mix of science fiction and realistic fiction. Did I mention aliens and zombies? Good story.

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

Immoral Code by Lillian Clark

I started reading this because I thought it would be a suspenseful story of teens planning and carrying out a heist. It is that, but it is much more a tale of friends on the verge of heading off to college and ultimately going their separate ways; Each one has their own motives for risking everything to help a friend secure the money to go to MIT.

Bellamy has never met her father. He has lead a life acquiring great wealth and another family. Bellamy and her mother scrape by. When his fortune is figured into her financial aid application, Bellamy can't even get a loan. And she sure can't ask her father for money. So what is Bellamy to do?

In steps her best friend Nari, a total computer genius, who has an idea about skimming money from Bellamy's father's numerous accounts a little at a time. To pull it off, they need their other friends: Reese (artist extraordinaire), Santiago (future Olympic diver, he hopes) and Keagan (Nari's boyfriend).

What I like most about this book is how the characters are written. They are not teen stereotypes. We know their motivations and complexities. We also see them disagree about the illegal act they are planning. Keagan doesn't like it. Even though he goes along, his reservations never go away completely. The five teens have unique relationships with every other person in the group. They argue; they support each other; they rely on one another.

Even though, this story was not the intense caper I was hoping, I enjoyed it for the strong teen characters.

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