Reading Connection for Teens

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No time to die, and, The deep end of fear
Elizabeth Chandler

It's about…

Secrets taken to the grave don't always stay buried. In "No Time to Die," Jenny is devastated by the recent death of her sister, Liza. Looking for a sense of closure, she secretly signs up for the drama camp where Liza died. Jenny knows that someone here holds the key to what really happened to Liza that night, but if she doesn't find out the truth soon, she may become the next victim.
In "The Deep End of Fear," Kate has tried to bury the horrible memories associated with the Westbrook estate. After her best friend Ashley drowned on the estate, Kate vowed never to return. But now, twelve years later, she is drawn back towards the house and that fatal icy pond. There, Kate still feels Ashley's presence and the past seems to be pulling her back towards Ashley's life-threatening dares.

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Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver

It's about…

A terrible accident takes Samantha Kingston's life. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined

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The Carrie Diaries
Candace Bushnell

It's about…

Before Carrie Bradshaw became the queen of the New York City social scene, she was a regular girl growing up in the suburbs of Connecticut. How did she turn into one of the most-read social observers of our generation? THE CARRIE DIARIES opens in Carrie's senior year of high school. She and her best friends are inseparable - and then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture. Sebastian is a bad boy - older, intriguing and unpredictable. Carrie falls into the relationship that she was always supposed to have in high school - until a friends betrayal makes her question everything. With her high school days coming to a close, Carrie will realise it's finally time to go after everything she ever wanted. Fans of SEX AND THE CITY will love seeing Carrie Bradshaw evolve from a regular girl into a sharp, insightful writer. And we'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where the next CARRIE DIARIES book will take place.

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The secret circle. The initiation and The captive part 1
L.J. Smith

It's about…

Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witches that's controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she's drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that's both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants—even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her.

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Pashion for Fashion
Ellie Royce

It's about…

Think you've got what it takes to go from swottie to hottie? There's a competition. Girlzone magazine is looking for REAL GIRLS and they'll come to the winning school to do makeovers and a fashion shoot. There's a social to organise and heaps of plans to make, so Aphra and Mimi start a letter book. That way they can swap ideas without being sprung. Then, just as everything's happening at school, life at home becomes complicated. There are rules for single-parent dating, but apparently Mimi's mum hasn't heard of them. Aphra looks like losing the plot, too. Passion for Fashion is the mad funny story of the way real life keeps causing trouble. And the way real friends can help make our dreams come true.

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Fire
Kristin Cashore

It's about…

From the bestselling author of Graceling. In a world of stunningly beautiful and exceptionally deadly monsters, Fire is one of the most dangerous monsters of all – a human one. Marked out by her flame red hair, she’s more than attractive; Fire is mesmerising. But with this extraordinary beauty comes influence and power. People who are susceptible to her appeal will do anything for her attention and for her affection, neglecting their kingdoms and abusing their power along the way. Aware of her influence and yet afraid of it, Fire lives in a corner of the world away from people – and from temptation – until the day comes when she is needed; a day when, for her king, she has to stand against not only his enemies, but also against herself…

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The Ask and the Answer
Patrick Ness

It's about…

We were in the square, in the square where I'd run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren't no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men. Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode. "The Ask and the Answer" is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure.

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If I Stay
Gayle Forman

It's about…

The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents' corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state (Am I dead? I actually have to ask myself this), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia's thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager's life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam. Mia's singular perspective (which will recall Alice Sebold's adult novel, The Lovely Bones) also allows for powerful portraits of her friends and family as they cope: Please don't die. If you die, there's going to be one of those cheesy Princess Diana memorials at school, prays Mia's friend Kim. I know you'd hate that kind of thing. Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living.

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Witch and Wizard
James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

It's about…

Everything is about to change. The government has seized control of every aspect of society, and now kids are disappearing. For 15 year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside-down when they are hauled out of bed one night, separated from their parents, and thrown into a secret compound for no apparent reason. It's clear that the new government will stop at nothing to suppress Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Being a Normal Teenager. For the sister and brother, the chaos started when Whit's girlfriend, Celia, was spirited away in a black van, never to be seen or heard from again. Locked inside their cells, the two fear that they have been taken to the very same complex that swallowed Celia and realize that a daring escape is their only hope of survival. While imprisoned together, Wisty and Whit start exhibiting strange abilities and powers they never knew they possessed. Their new talents lead them to believe that maybe there is a reason they were singled out. Can this newly minted witch and a wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents--and maybe the world?

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Need
Carrie Jones

It's about…

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life's been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother's pretty much checked out. Now Zara's living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays 'safe.' Zara doesn't think she's in danger; she thinks her mother can't deal. Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie - and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara. With suspense, romance, and paranormal themes, this exciting breakout novel has all the elements to keep teens rapidly turning the pages

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Book trailers


 

First Lines


There are many reasons why we might choose to read a book. You might have read a review that intrigued you, it might be an author that you love, or like many of us you may just like the cover, but is the first line in a book enough to entice you?

 

"Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water."

 

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