Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

What would you do if you suddenly couldn't remember the last 4 years of your life?

Naomi is having a typical day when she falls down a flight of stairs at school--and gets amnesia. Now, she's missing the last four years of her life--years where many things happened. She has to be told about her parents' divorce and her mother's remarriage. She has to be told about her boyfriend and her best friend. And while people are trying to fill the holes in her memory, they also tell her how she should be acting, feeling, and talking.

All except James. And what will happen if she gets her memory back?

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Conor has always had his eyes on the sky. Being born in a hot air balloon will do that to you. From an early age, he has wanted to fly and be free. It seems he will have that opportunity to discover how to fly.

Then tragedy strikes--he witnesses a murder. Not just any murder--the murder of his king and his mentor. The murderer then locks him away in prison with no one knowing what happened to him. Conor must find a way to conquer the sky and rescue himself and his family from danger that lurks around every corner.

A fascinating read, staged in Ireland around the time of the discovery of flight. Conor is an energetic and determined teen thrown into some harrowing and frustrating circumstances. This book is action-packed!

Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles

Laine has not always had an easy life. When she was young, she wanted to be Leah's best friend--Leah being the most popular girl in school. And magically, it seems to happen! Laine is pulled into the popular circle--much to the dismay of everyone else.

But Laine and Leah share a secret. One that Laine fears will come out. And as they age, Leah and Laine grow apart--and Leah becomes more dangerous. Leah's secret is even worse than the one they share. Leah's self-destructive behavior pushes both girls closer to the edge...until Leah jumps off. Her death begins Laine's recollections of their childhood together, and the lessons she's learned from a dead girl.

The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty

This book centers around the Zing family, and what the Zing family centers itself around. Each main character is followed by the third-person narrator's voice, yet it is told in the alternating style as other books are.

You see Fancy, the oldest Zing child, with her husband Radcliffe and their daughter Cassie. Fancy is a writer and aspires to write something better than wilderness romances.

You see Marbie, the other Zing child, who is dating and living with Nathaniel and Listen Taylor. Listen discovers a spell book the first week she lives with Marbie, and starts to follow all the spells. And what's strange--they seem to work!

Cassie's 2nd grade teacher also plays an important role in this book--Cath Murphy. Inbetween all of these is the story of Fancy and Marbie's parents--how they met, and what brought them together.

The Zing family has a secret though. One no one must know about.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Jennifer and Cameron were best friends in elementary school. Always the target for bullies, they stuck together to survive it all. Then one day, Cameron disappears. The kids at school tell Jennifer he died, and her mother doesn't refute the story.

But Cameron didn't die. And Jennifer, now Jenna and 17, thinks she's losing her mind. She's completely changed since Cameron went away. Gone is the chubby little girl no one liked. She changed schools and is popular. But she feels it's all fake--and Cameron brings back her memories of what she was like before he left.

With the conflict Jenna now feels, can things go back the way they were?

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Rose and Lissa escaped from their school almost 2 years ago. Since then, they've been wary of being hunted by guardians of the Moroi, and the Strigoi. Until one night, when it seems they can't escape.

But they're captured by the guardians, who only want to return the girls to the academy, not the Strigoi who would kill or convert them. Well, convert Lissa. Rose is her guardian and a dhampir. Both need to finish their schooling so they're prepared for the outside world full of Strigoi.

Rose and Lissa both have a hard time fitting back into their routine. There are rumors floating around about why they ran and what Lissa can do with her powers. And someone seems to have it out for Lissa, and if Rose can't find out who, they'll both be in more danger.

An exciting read. The ending more than makes up for the slower pace in the middle of the book.

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The authors of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist are back in another alternative voice book. Naomi and Ely have lived across the hall in their New York apartment building for their entire lives. They both understand each other in a way no one else does. Until the unthinkable happens. Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend.

Now Naomi has lost her trust in Ely. Even though she wasn't all that happy with Bruce the Second, she can't believe Ely kissed her boyfriend. He wasn't on their No Kiss List, but he should have been! Both Naomi and Ely are left floundering without the other. And everyone else is affected by the separation.

This is a great book told from many different points of view. Sometimes confusing, it's still laughable and intriguing, all in one.