The Ivies by Alexa Donne

If you attend Claflin Academy and want to apply for an Ivy League school - think again. Unless you are one of the Ivies. The group of ambitious young women (now seniors) have done whatever is necessary to hobble the competition. That's probably too polite - they sabotaged their classmates so they be in charge of groups and have the highest test scores. The Ivies did anything to make sure they had their choice of schools. 

Within the group, each girl has to choose a school. The Ivey Leagues would never choose more than two or three people from each school, so no two Ivies can apply for the same one. Harvard belonged to Avery. She's a legacy coming from a wealthy family. No way her mom will settle for Avery going to any where other than Harvard. 

Olivia wants to go to Harvard, but she accepts Penn because that's the the rules of being an Ivy. She's never been completely sure why she was accepted into the group. She is on scholarship, so she doesn't have money and luxuries like the others. Despite her insecurities, she has always been grateful to have been included. 

Just a few issues: Olivia applies for Harvard anyway (unbeknownst to anyone), and one of the Ivies is murdered. I may be telling you too much already. Suffice it to say that Olivia is desperate to find who killed her roommate. Knowing how ruthless Avery and the other Ivies can be, no one can be trusted. 

It may be difficult to have much sympathy for Olivia knowing her part in hurting others, but above all else you want to know who the killer is (like we do). Aside from the police, she is the person doing the most to find out. Suspenseful and intriguing. 

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

Switch by A.S. King

A.S. King books are difficult to describe. The stories exist in a world similar to reality but always with some impossible element that is treated as mostly normal. And there are several in this one. The first being that time stopped several months ago - for everyone. Not that everyone and everything is frozen in place. Time just stopped - no moving clocks or watches. So many questions, but best to accept it and move on. 

Truda's life is literally upside down (like sometimes her house rotates). Again, best to just roll with it. Her mother left and her father is not handling it well. He cooks and builds. He builds boxes within boxes to cover the switch on the wall in the house. Truda lives in one of the boxes and so does her older brother. Their sister is never in the story but has caused so much pain that she is central to the narrative. 

The world is not right. Truda spends her time in school in a group trying to find ways to restart time - the group's focus is psychology. She joins the track team and becomes a javelin thrower. She hangs out with her friend Carrie. Mostly normal, but not really. Time stopping has messed up everything in her life. 

I enjoy A.S. King books. They are odd enough to keep me interested without going too far. Even when they are difficult to visualize, I know there is a point being made. Like the characters are living in a giant metaphor. 

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

Amelia Unabrided by Ashley Schumacher

Amelia loves the Orman Chronicles books. You could even call her obsessed. Ameli's best friend, Jenna, loves books, too. On the surface, it would seem that Amelia and Jenna have little in common: Amelia is reserved and unsure; Jenna is outgoing and confident. But they love each other like sisters, disagreements and all. When Amelia's parents split up (her father just leaves and her mother spends all of her time in a daze in front of the TV), Jenna's family practically adopts her. 

After graduating, the two plan a trip to a big convention where the young, reclusive author (N.E. Endsley) of the Orman Chronicles will make a rare public appearance. Amelia anticipates the best day ever. At the last minute, Endsley cancels. Sad, yes, but not as devastating as when Jenna confesses (on their way home) that she met Endsley. Amelia is livid and hurt and confused. 

Oh, I wish I could tell you what happens next. Let's just say that Amelia does eventually meet in N.E. Endsley under less than ideal circumstances in place she's never been. She has difficult decisions to make about her life that she fears will cause others to be disappointed. 

I was really drawn into this story. There is something delicate about it, but also cozy and warm. Like parts of it made me feel like I was sitting by a warm fireplace in a comfortable chair after I had been out in the pouring rain. Too much? Sorry, I don't know how else to describe it. I definitely recommend it. 

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

A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is Juniper's nightmare. Her parents are very firmly in the 'not' category. They live a pseudo hippie life and believe vaccinations put chemicals and poisons in your body. Juniper never thought about it much until she gets the measles and ends up in quarantine in the hospital. And her brother and sister get it, too. But it was really a tragic consequence of her interactions with someone else that pushes her to think that maybe her parents are wrong. 

Juniper and her family live in an old Victorian house across the street from the local high school. Juniper is homeschooled and wants to go to school and experience normal teen things (like football games, dances, the cafeteria), but she is forced to have 'kitchen table' school with her younger siblings and her dad as the teacher. 

She doesn't mind the organic food grown in their yard or the lack of television or internet. But at 16, she wants to have a social life with friends and maybe even a boyfriend. Too bad her parents will not listen to her. Getting vaccinated is where she draws the line. She is determined to get her shots even if it means hiring a lawyer. 

Juniper knows it is time to start taking responsibility for her own medical decisions. Yes, things get dark for Juniper, but she has new spots of light to keep her going. It is an interesting and timely subject with no easy answers, but it is worth going through it with Juniper. 

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

This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry

Izzy accidentally tried stand-up comedy one day. Accidentally? How do you end up on stage in front of people without meaning to? Izzy did it by trying to avoid her boyfriend - that is a story in and of itself. Oh, wait that is a big part of this story. Let me back up a bit...

Izzy feels like a fifth wheel in her own family. Her mom is a big time Chicago lawyer and works all the time, so no mother-daughter time for them. Dad is busy, too. Her older sister and brother seem to get all the attention. Izzy feels like she can't get a word in at the dinner table. So, she drifts through life on her own.

The only one who seems to need her is Alex, her boyfriend. Since she and her best friend, Naomi, stopped speaking to each other over Alex, Izzy only spends time with him. You quickly start seeing red flags in Alex's behavior and wonder why Izzy doesn't see them, too. 

Being on stage is liberating for Izzy. It is the one place she can say what she wants and people listen. The problem is that in order to stand-up, Izzy digs herself a big hole of lies. She lies to her parents, Alex, and her new college age friends. It's a mess that cannot be sustained forever. 

But Izzy is persistent and tries to keep her life in balance. Check this story out and stick with her as she attempts to reinvent herself. 

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

Broken Shards of Time by Nyah Nichol

Wren must travel to the future to stop an authoritarian from destroying society. The person threatening everyone? Wren (future Wren, actually). Now, logic (if logic can truly be applied to plot devices of time travel stories) would usually dictate that one should travel to the past to stop someone from becoming evil in the first place. Not so this time. 

Wren survived a serious accident, that killed her parents, only by integrating robotic elements into her body. She grew up in the secret government lab where her uncle was building a time machine. His influence on her was immeasurable, so after his death she took up his work. The idea of time travel and a mysterious stone he left her caused Wren to become powerful enough to control the lives of others. 

Three people connected to the facility make it their mission to build a new time machine so past Wren can stop future Wren. Their backgrounds and motivations are revealed through sections of the story that focus on their perspectives. 

This relatively brief story packs a lot of sci-fi tech into it. More than just a time machine is necessary to complete the mission. So cool machines, lots of action, another 'evil' person. Good stuff. 

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

 

My Life Before Me by Norah McClintock

Cady was ready to run away, but when the orphanage burns down she doesn't have to do it in secret. Upon leaving, she is given a clue to her history: an old photograph of a vandalized grave in a small Indiana town. It is the only link she has to her parents. With dreams of becoming a journalist (not an easy profession for women in the 1960s), Cady leaves Canada with idea that this could be a story worth publishing. So she heads south to the rural town of Orrenstown. 

The people of the town do not like outsiders asking a lot of questions particularly about the grave of a black man who was convicted of murder so long ago. Cady meets a lot of resistance and sometimes fears for her safety. Luckily, she finds some sympathetic people to her situation. She starts to uncover things about the man and how he died that many would rather leave undiscovered. 

Cady's secret history is ours, too. The vial actions of the townspeople is a true reflection of the times in Indiana and so many other places. The horrors brought upon people reverberate to this day and make this story all too relevant for young readers. Cady plows ahead to uncover the mystery with a determination we all need to deal with the ongoing issues that plague our country still. 

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

The Gifted, the Talented, and Me by William Sutcliffe

Sam's younger sister is a budding artist. His older brother has potential as a musician. And Sam is good at...well, he excels in...he likes soccer. That was perfectly fine in his old public school. But once his family comes into some money, his parents move them all to London where the three children will attend an exclusive arts academy. Yay for Sam. 

Sam is miserable at the new school. His mom (who starts writing a blog about her parenting) constantly pushes Sam to the point where he feels like she doesn't understand him. He is not like his siblings. He has no talent and does not fit in at the school. She's not even trying to listen to him. 

There is Jennifer who is way too talented and popular and pretty for Sam. Through a chance pairing up with her in class, he thinks maybe getting involve in drama wouldn't be too bad. He could at least see her. 

Of course, there's Jennifer's boyfriend, Felipe, who thinks he is the greatest actor ever. He was already bullying Sam before Sam showed any interest in acting. 

Sam's struggles continues with moments of light and hope. Sam is a sympathetic character who pushes the limit of being frustrating only to be redeemed by the atrocious behavior of his mother. Stay with Sam through his story; it is worth it. 

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

Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

Time travel is tricky at best. Have you ever read or seen a time travel story that didn't have something go wrong? No exception in this story. 

Nephele uses her supreme grasp of math to make an app on her phone that allows her to travel back in time. She will tell you that her long term goal is to save the planet by stopping pollution, but in truth she wants a do over of her freshman year. It just doesn't turn out like she was hoping. 

Without giving away too much, Nephele's travels make her a freshman again while everyone else moves on. Her friends (the few she has) don't know her. Her parents can't tell her when she was born. Things are not quite right. Sure, Nephele doesn't get stuck with that horrible nickname this time around, but she has not become popular either. 

Nephele is concerned about the potential harm she has caused her parents, but ultimately is blinded by her need to get the math right with her app. She is not always the most caring person. 

Like most stories involving time travel, you shouldn't think too much about inconsistencies or logic bending plot elements. While this is not the most intriguing time travel story I have ever read, I was interested to see how it was resolved. Nephele is a little out there, but so is this story. 

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

 

All Eyes On Her by L.E. Flynn

Did Tabby push her boyfriend Mark off the cliff? That's the question that pervades this story. That is what everyone is talking about. Was Tabby a good friend or a manipulative schemer? It all depends on who you ask. 

We get to hear from all the people who know Tabby: Elle, her best friend; Bridget, her younger sister; Keegan, best friend of Mark; Lou, classmate who has not liked Tabby for awhile. We also get to see police interrogations, news reports, diary entries, texts, and blog posts. Through each, we see a different Tabby. 

Tabby was dating Mark, star swimmer at Princeton, while she was in high school. She had previously dated Beck who was now seeing Lou. Rumors spread that Tabby was cheating on Mark with Beck. People saw Mark and Beck confront each other at a party. Mark and Tabby were often seen fighting, although they were affectionate just as often. Tabby thought Mark was cheating on her when he was away at college. 

Mark and Tabby hike in the woods to the well known dangerous cliff edge. Only she comes out. Some say Tabby didn't like the outdoors let alone hiking. So why did she go? Some say she planned the hike months in advance and that it was not a last minute idea. Only two people really know what happened. One is dead, and the other may never tell. 

Sorting out the truth is almost impossible. Everyone sees things from a different perspective. I found myself going back and forth between believing Tabby was innocent or guilty. It makes for complex and fascinating story. 
 

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