Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart

Ava was severely burned in a house fire that killed her parents and best friend cousin. Her aunt and uncle (parents of her dead cousin) take her in as their own. Ava's life is filled with surgeries, skin grafts and more pain than anyone should have to experience. She loathes being called an inspiration for not dying.

After a year, Ava is told she can go back to school. No. Imagine facing other teens. The looks, the whispers, the insults. No way.

But she decides to give it two weeks. Will that be enough to satisfy her aunt who wants Ava to stop hiding from the world or will Ava decide that school is not so bad? It's an eventful time: a guy who seems to look past her scarred face; a drama queen who seems to hate her from the start; a potential new friend who is also a fire survivor. 

Ava’s story is full anger, sadness and hope. She wants to hide herself away forever, but must face others as she struggles to find her ‘new normal.’ Occasionally, she sees glimpses of the girl she used to be, but she also knows that girl is gone forever.

This is a story with real depth and characters that are imperfect. It is not a sad story but a girl dealing with a terrible situation. It is inspirational whether Ava likes it or not.

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

Suggested Reading by Dave Connis

Clara Evans just read her new favorite book, and she cannot wait to show up on the first day of school to talk about it. Unfortunately, that is the day her private school initiates a ban on a list of books (including the new one). Not only are the books to be pulled from the library, but they cannot even be brought on campus or discussed. For a book lover like Clara, the news is devastating.

Books have shaped Clara's life. She can't understand how the same books that have meant so much to her are now being called bad for young people. So what can Clara do? She can follow procedure for student concerns and write a letter to the principal...which she does but that is not enough. With the help of the school librarian, Clara gets all the copies of the books from the library and starts her own underground library out of her locker.

The principal is serious about enforcing the new rule, so Clara is taking a big risk. She could be expelled or loose her chance at a big scholarship. If that weren't stressful enough, Clara starts to realize there is more to learn in life than what you find in books - like those popular kids may not be as one dimensional as she thought. Also, books may not be the cure for everyone's problems. Clara is having a tough senior year.

One thing I like about this story was the emphasis placed on the importance of books (I am librarian after all). I think more importantly is the fact that you never know what book will connect with a person. Like books, we shouldn't judge people based on their 'cover.' It is a good thing to keep in mind in life not just in choosing books.

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

Rated by Melissa Grey

Everyone is rated. It's how you know your place in society. Do good and your rating goes up; do bad, it goes down. Ratings determine where you can shop and live and what hospital you can use. Ratings are everything.

So it is quite a shock to everyone when "THE RATINGS ARE NOT REAL" is spray painted across the front doors of Maplethorpe Academy (founded by the man who also created the ratings) on the first day of school. Most right it off as a one time act of vandalism by a disgruntled student. For six students it becomes a puzzle after they each receive a cryptic message that seems related to the graffiti.

Circumstances cause them to pair up (even though none of them really know each other). Chase (star baseball pitcher on the verge of losing his scholarship due to a low rating) and Bex (driven, ambitious student with one of the highest ratings in the school). Tamsin (would be witch and tarot card reader and all around rebel who is near an expulsion level rating) and Hana (hopeful future ice skating star who is starving herself to be better). Javi (outgoing nationally known video champion who is trying to provide for his younger siblings) and Noah (old school photographer who keeps to himself).

I expected this to be more dystopian in nature. Even though the ratings drive the narrative, it is really a study about each of the six students. They are presented in a way that avoids stereotypes, and that made for a much more interesting read.

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

Road Tripped by Pete Hautman

Steven (aka Stiggy) runs away or actually drives away from home. His girlfriend (if that's what she really was) broke up and literally left town. He ticked off his only friend (maybe permanently). And almost a year ago, his dad died.

So what better way to deal with his problems than hop in his dad's Mustang and leave Minnesota to head down the Great River Road. Stiggy has no destination in mind; he is not trying to find answers or search for himself; he just wants to get away. The river road may be paved, but for Stiggy it is a rough one.

Of course, Stiggy does have a lot of time to remember past events (that we learn about through flash backs). Times with his friend; times with his girlfriend; times before and after his dad died.

Stiggy meets a lot of interesting people on the road: some odd, some helpful, some scary. But they all play a role in Stiggy's ultimate decision to keep heading South or turn around and head home.

You will root for Stiggy to find his way and deal with his problems. He makes them worse before he can make them better, but he is trying.

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

Everything Grows by Aimee Herman

Eleanor was bullied by James. She didn't know him other than from the torment he gave her. One day, James commits suicide. So Eleanor cuts her hair and dyes it. Eleanor also starts writing to James in her journal. She tells him everything that is happening in her life - and it's a lot.

Eleanor's mom tried to commit suicide about a year ago. She fears her mom will try it again. Eleanor goes to group therapy to help deal.

Eleanor is also exploring her own sexuality. She knows she's gay, but it feels like there is more. She hasn't come out to anyone...yet. Although her mom's friend Flora seems like a good place to start since she is gay, too.

She loses an old friend. Gains new ones. Meets James' parents. And tries to find who she really is and who she is supposed to be. As readers, we take some big steps with Eleanor, but is only just the beginning for her.

Eleanor's story is a positive one for young people struggling with identity, particularly LGBTQ teens.

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

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Birdie loves mysteries. She reads them; she watches them. How cool would it be to have a real mystery to solve. When she starts working as a overnight clerk at an old hotel in Seattle, she may get her wish. A gentlemen, who may or may not be the famous reclusive writer Raymond Darke, frequently comes into the hotel, goes to a room and leaves in less than an hour. No one knows what Darke looks like, so could it really be him? And what is he doing at the hotel that only takes an hour?

How does Birdie even know about all this? Well, that's complicated. Birdie hangs out at a diner and one night she met Daniel and they went to his car and had sex and never saw it each other again. Birdie has tried to put it out of her mind, but, much to her surprise, Daniel works at the hotel. He tells her about the potential mystery (even though she tries to avoid interacting with him out of embarrassment).

The rest of Birdie's life is not so straight forward, either. She lives with her grandfather (her grandmother having just recently passed away). Her mother died when she was young. She has a quirky aunt who lives in an old theater. Birdie also has a sleeping disorder which causes her to doze off anytime (but she is not willing to get ant treatment for it).

Really, Birdie is a nice person who just trying to make sense of everything. Unfortunately, life is not a mystery where everything wraps up neatly. This is a fun read with interesting characters and those lingering questions about Raymond Darke. 

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

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.