2010 Summer Favorites - PG-15

Finn finds himself in a vast prison with no memory of how he got there. Certain that he came from Outside, Finn vows to escape when he finds a mysterious key. Claudia really is from Outside, but she has used her key to enter the prison, fleeing an arranged marriage and a repressive society. The two agree to help one another, but their journey through the physical and mental geography of INCARCERON (Dial, $17.99) may prove more than they can bear. Catherine Fisher has created a prison unlike any other. It is malignant – and it is determined that no one will leave. Ages 13-18. SNB

NUM8ERS (Chicken House, $17.99) always appear when 15-year-old Jem looks at someone.  When her drug-addicted mother dies, Jem realizes that the numbers represent a person's date of death.  Horrified by this knowledge, Jem, now in foster care, vows that her life will be one of isolation.  Her resolve is challenged when she develops a friendship with restless, mouthy Spider and, despite her wariness and awareness that his death is imminent, finds herself falling in love.  Rachel Ward's gritty thriller explores the life of an outsider struggling to make it in an unforgiving world.  A sequel to this disturbing, poignant novel is promised.  Ages 14-18.  MAG

Lennie is overcome with grief when her older sister, Bailey, dies suddenly. Lennie refuses to change anything in the room the sisters shared. At school, she abandons the clarinet. She writes poems and leaves them behind wherever she goes. Lennie finds comfort in sharing her sorrow with Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, but their need for each other turns in a direction Lennie never anticipated. In the midst of all this confusion, her new friend Joe is a joyous relief, and when she is with him THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE (Dial, $17.99). Jandy Nelson laces this sexy novel with humor, compassion, and characters who will steal your heart. Ages 14 and up. MAG