Sara and her two best friends are ready for their summer Reinvention Project. Plans for learning to surf, acquiring a new language, and dyeing their hair are already underway, but then one of Sara’s moms decides to take her family cross-country by train in order to write about the experience for her blog. Even Sara’s friends are excited, but Sara can’t believe how much her plans have changed. Her only sanctuary from her moms and eccentric sisters is an English assignment: write about your summer. By the end of the trip, Sara realizes that This Would Make a Good Story Someday (Delacorte, $16.99)—and that she may have reinvented herself after all. Dana Alison Levy lets readers into Sara’s journal, which contains postcards, excerpts from her mom’s writing, and all of the juicy details of a summer traveling the country. Ages 11-13.
Ultra-popular Briggs Henry has just graduated from high school and is escaping to Lake Michigan for what he confidently predicts will be a cushy summer job as an 84-year-old woman’s personal assistant. Having won the hearts of countless moms and elderly country club goers, he sees his future boss as just another old lady ready to fall under his spell. Unfortunately for Briggs, Mrs. Bosic isn’t fooled by his charm. She immediately puts him to work as her chauffeur to a seemingly everlasting series of funerals. Then, just when Briggs finally feels like he’s getting used to these new circumstances, he meets Abigail, the mysterious girl from across the street. Driven by Erin McCahan’s blunt, punchy writing, The Lake Effect (Dial, $17.99) is ultimately about making your own luck. Ages 14-17.
When Jess and her fellow truant friends get caught shoplifting, all of the blame somehow falls on Jess’s shoulders. In order to avoid jail time, she finds herself forced to join a program for juvenile delinquents. She’s miserable until she bonds with Nicu, a Romanian immigrant who, like Jess, has suffered from domestic abuse and severe bullying. Thanks to their shared pain, they begin to stand up for each other and truly discover themselves along the way. When things take a turn for the worse, however, Jess and Nicu have to decide if it’s time for them to stand alone. Told in striking verse in alternating voices by authors Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan, We Come Apart (Bloomsbury, $17.99) offers a unique view into the very raw, very real experiences plaguing teens today. Ages 14-18
