All the Secrets of the World, by Steve Almond

Like a Disneyland rollercoaster, this literary thriller twists and turns, combining heart-stopping suspense with a stunning view of California in the early 1980s. Whipsmart Lorena Saenz keeps her head down at high school, but when she’s paired with astrology fan Jenny Stallworth for a science project, events are set in motion that test her to unimaginable extremes. A resourceful heroine with a fatal attraction to scorpions (and Jenny’s dad), Saenz makes readers wish they weren’t turning pages so damn fast to find out what will happen next. This is that rare tale that works as hard on the nerves as it does on the brain cells. Enormously satisfying!