National Network for Equitable Library Service

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEED AND CAPTIVATE People keep changing who they are & defining themselves by their own choices, and that's cool most of the time, but not all the time. No, it's not cool all the time at all. Belle is closing in on her last few months of high school and things are much better than they were before. Well, almost. Belle's not too sure about all the sureness that other people seem to have about things like labels (popular, slut, jock), change (college, real adulthood, new friends, lost friends), and love (oh yeah, that).

Billy O'Reilly, a farm boy in rural Iowa, has been secretly dating Lisa Wells, the popular, wealthy daughter of the president of the local college. It's a complicated relationship: people of HER class don't associate with people of HIS class. Her controlling father does not approve of the relationship, her "real" boyfriend is growing suspicious, and her troubled stepbrother is adding to the drama by stirring up trouble. Billy's life is thrown into turmoil when Lisa breaks up with him and then is found murdered the next morning.

Wendell "Stony" Stoneking is not one to worry. Everyone likes him. His girlfriend is gorgeous and very willing to please-anytime, anywhere. He is the star of his high school football team. And when he graduates, there's a steady job in the gravel quarry waiting for him. Then he meets Robyn, a single mom with a dark past. Suddenly Stony is more bothered than he has been in a long time-not only by the violence Robyn has endured, but by the danger she could put him in. For the first time, Stony reflects on his own life, his broken family, and the dizzying notion of a wide-open future.

Looming above Zach Ramsey's hometown of Blaine are the smokestacks of the truck assembly plant, the greasy lifeblood of this Detroit suburb. Surrounded by drunks, broken marriages, and factory rats living in fear of the pink slip, Zach is getting the hell out of town after graduation. But first, he's going to enjoy the summer before senior year. Getting smashed with his best friend Tank and falling in love for the first time, Zach's having a blast until he uncovers dark secrets that shake his faith in everyone-including Tank, a wrestler whose violent mood swings betray a shocking habit.

Nadio and his twin sister, Noelle, always had a unique bond. And somehow, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But when Keeley spends the summer in England, she comes home changed, haunted by a dark memory. As she and Nadio fall in love, they try to hide it from Noelle, who's jealously guarding a secret of her own. Slowly, a life-long friendship begins to crack under the crushing weight of past trauma, guarded secrets, jealousy, obsession...'nd an unexpected love that could destroy them.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan lives in a hick town in the middle of Nebraska. College is two years away. Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was three, her dad drinks, and her stepmom is a non-entity. Her boyfriend Derek is boring and her coworker Rob has a very cute butt that she can't stop staring at. Then there's the kiss she shared with her classmate Tessa...'ut when Morgan discovers that the one person in the world she trusted most has kept a devastating secret from her, Morgan must redefine her life and herself.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEED AND CAPTIVATE After landing a lead role in the high school musical, freshman Liliana Faltin is hoping for some stability and happiness in her life. But her mom's live-in boyfriend has a thing for booze, touching, and telling dark family secrets. And the other people in her world aren't exactly role-model material, either. Her unreliable father cries a lot, wears blue tights, and drives a little beige car. Her backstabbing best friend cares more about being popular than being real.

I feel like I'm about to pass out, but that won't do much for my new reputation as a non-dork, so I bury my head in the Book instead. There's not much there, really-just the senior portrait of every girl in my class, and below each photo, space for me to record her measurements-once I get her measurements, that is. From his flute-playing prowess to his nerdy reputation, Kevin Mopsely epitomizes uncool. When popular jock Brandon Trent appoints Kevin to compile the Book of Busts-a record of the bust, waist, and hip measurements of every senior girl-Kevin fears he's out of his league.

A lifelong climber, seventeen-year-old Jordan spends as much time as he can scaling the crags outside his Washington hometown. His friend A.J., a fellow climber and popular super-jock, keeps the gorilla football players off Jordan's back, and his girlfriend Juana likes the crags as much as he does. All in all, Jordan's got a crimp hold on happiness. But even the tightest grip is useless if a piece of the rock breaks away. For the climber, there are only two absolutes in life: gravity and death. Unfortunately, Jordan can't protect his friends from either.

Cassie wakes up on her sixteenth birthday only to realize she's been floating in her sleep. With her brother's help, Cassie learns how to control her new flying power, but she's afraid people will think differently of her if they find out. She's willing to do anything to keep her secret-practicing in the middle of the night, lying to her parents, even blowing off friends. But when a friend is in danger, Cassie must decide whether or not to help, even if taking action means revealing her secret.