Teen Readers

As Christy's students are preparing for a school play, she reveals her dream to act on stage. Little does she know that Dr. MacNeill's aunt is the artistic director of the Knoxville Theater. Before long, just as Christy is about to debut on stage, several mysterious incidents threaten both her dreams and her pride.

When Christy travels alone to a nearby mountain, she vows to discover the truth behind the terrifying legend of a strange mountain creature. But what she finds seems worse than anything she could ever have imagined!

Christy screamed as the train broke from the track and plunged down the side of the mountain. When Christy is offered a chance to teach in her hometown, she faces a difficult decision. Will her train ride back to Cutter Gap be a journey home, or a last farewell? In a moment of terror and danger, Christy must decide where her future lies.

Thirteen-year-old Bosworth Hartie didn't think his parents could inflict much more mental torture on him. However, they get it into their heads to find him a wife, to keep him on the straight and narrow! And they match him up with the spiteful Veronica Melling.

Luisa (Lou) Patterson grew up across the street from Sam Alvarez in the small, quirky town of Port Coral. They used to be inseparable — spending every holiday together, shooting silly YouTube videos, and rescuing stray cats. But then middle school happened, including the most disastrous (and embarrassing) serenade ever, and Lou and Sam haven't talked in the four years since.

Meet Mazie May Farley. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live above a 1950s Dime Store as a young girl, look no further. Take a charming waltz down memory lane in this humorous, heart-warming Dime Store Duet: Farley's Five and Dime and Summer of the Carousel.

Gabriel's life is about to change. He lives in a world where change never happens. In Harmony, a tyrannical mayor dictates everyone's lives without opposition. Gabriel makes a plan to change the routine of such a boring, regimented life. In his quest, he never expected to find himself in an unfamiliar place. And, unfortunately for him, his past is hot on his trail.

Growing up in a remote part of Alaska, Ivan and September Crane know that autumn is an unpredictable season - days of clear blue skies can give way to fierce, sudden storms in a blink. They know the trouble signs: changes in the wind, the temperature, or even the color of the dawn. But somehow, this time, left alone when their fisherman father is delayed at sea, even their keen sense of their surroundings and the lessons they've been taught fail them.

Being 14 is a minefield: with fashion dilemmas, teacher trauma, embarrassing parents, and boy drama, Faith is just hoping to make it through Year 10 without too many disasters. But when she and her best friend, Megs, sign up to take part in an inter-school choir with the local boys comprehensive, Faith's life gets even more complicated.... Just how is she supposed to concentrate on becoming the next Cheryl Cole when she's trying to understand how teenage boys' minds work?

A story of friendship, courage and a bit of crime. Bridget wants a quiet life, including, if possible, keeping her parents out of prison. Then a boy called Menzies makes her an offer she can't refuse, and they set off on a job of their own. It's a desperate, daring plan, to rescue two kids, Jamal and Bibi, from a desert detention centre. Can Bridget and Menzies pull off their very first jail break, or will they end up behind bars too? Sometimes to help a friend, you have to dig deep.

Having "the talk" can sometimes be an awkward experience for both parent and child. I didn't want to wait until my children's hormones kicked in, and I didn't want to be caught off guard when they had questions, but most of all, I didn't want them growing up with misconceptions concerning sex. I told them what I have written in Your Special Gift, by using the analogy of a gift, a lock, and a key to define commonly used sexual terms, and to caution them about possible consequences.

As infants, twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while White-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia. Magnolia knows nothing of her racial heritage, but secrets are hard to keep in a town haunted by the ghosts of its slave-holding past.

Ellen’s mother has struggled with depression before, but not like this. With her father away fighting in World War II and her mother unable to care for them, Ellen’s only option is to reach out to her cold, distant aunt Pearl. Soon enough, city-dwelling Ellen and her mother are shepherded off to the countryside to Aunt Pearl’s home, a neat little cabin at the base of Snowden Mountain. Adjusting to life in a small town is no easy thing: the school has one room, one of her classmates smells of skunks, and members of the community seem to whisper about Ellen’s family.

Everywhere 12-year-old Andrea Carter goes, trouble follows. Even in the middle of the main street in Fresno, California. When Andi takes part in a reckless, impromptu horse race with her friend Cory, she nearly tramples her new teacher - not a good way to start the fall term! That mishap is only the beginning. Good intentions just aren't enough to keep Andi out of trouble. When an escaped prisoner forces his way into the schoolroom, Andi must make one of the hardest decisions of her life.

Uh-oh! Neal has a problem. He's turned into a bug...again. Eric and Julie hope someone in Droon can help. Princess Keeah thinks there might be a cure in the CIty in the Clouds. Too bad the friends only have one day before the city disappears.

Eric, Julie, and Neal have a problem. The nasty Lord Sparr has stolen a magic jewel from their friend Princess Keeah. The princess really needs their help. The good news is the jewel is in Lord Sparr's secret palace. The bad news is the secret palace is in the volcano!

Eighteen-year-old Devon longs for two things: The stars, and the boy she fell in love with last summer. When Ashton breaks Devon's heart at the end of the most romantic summer ever, she thinks her heart will never heal again. But over the course of the following year, Devon finds herself slowly putting the broken pieces back together. Now it's senior year and she's determined to enjoy every moment of it, as she prepares for a future studying galaxies. That is, until Ashton shows up on the first day of school. Can she forgive and open her heart to him again?

Annalise may be cousin to the prince, but her past isn't what she claims, and she possesses a magic so powerful it takes all her strength to control it. Evra is a country girl, and has watched as each friend and family member came into their own magic, while hers remains dormant. But everything changes after Annalise loses control of herself and Evra begins experiencing the debilitating visions of a once-in-a-generation clairvoyant meant to serve the crown.

There are two files on Sahara Jones. The one the school counselor keeps is evidence that she is a fifth grader who needs special education. The other is the book Sahara is secretly writing, her Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures.

Hunger Games for short stories! Paranormal, steampunk, fantasy, and sci-fi! Twelve young adult short stories compete for the coveted spot: a novel that will tell us What Happens Next!