The Best of
for TEEN Readers!
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© 2017 Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Illustrations by Mariana Martins.
Plain Kate
By Erin Bow

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. When Kate's village falls on hard times—crops fail, and even Kate's father falls victim to a deadly fever—the townspeople look for someone to blame, and their eyes fall on Kate. Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: in exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever—and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.
Erin Bow's acclaimed, award-winning fantasy novel reissued in paperback!
Last of Her Name
By Jessica Khoury

Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the Leonov royal family was murdered—down to their youngest child, Princess Anya—making way for the Union government to seize power. But Stacia doesn't think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father's vineyard with her friends, Clio and Pol. That all changes when a Union ship appears burning through the sky, bearing the leader of the Union, the Direktor Eminent himself, who declares that Stacia's sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists. Even more shocking, the Direktor claims that Princess Anya Leonova is alive—and Stacia is the lost princess. As their home explodes into chaos, Pol smuggles Stacia to a hidden escape ship, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into the stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission: She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail.
From Jessica Khoury comes a gripping story of royalty and rebellion, coursing across a far-away star system like a trail of jewels.
The Girl In the Locked Room
By Mary Downing Hahn

A family moves into an old, abandoned house. Jules's parents love the house, but Jules is frightened and feels a sense of foreboding. When she sees a pale face in an upstairs window, though, she can't stop wondering about the eerie presence on the top floor—in a room with a locked door. Could it be someone who lived in the house a century earlier? Her fear replaced by fascination, Jules is determined to make contact with the mysterious figure and help unlock the door. Past and present intersect as she and her ghostly friend discover—and change the fate of the family who lived in the house all those many years ago.
Special Forces #1: Unconventional Warfare
By Chris Lynch

Discover the secret missions behind America's greatest conflicts.
Danny Manion has been fighting his entire life. Sometimes with his fists. Sometimes with his words. But when his actions finally land him in real trouble, he can't fight the judge who offers him a choice: jail... or the army. Turns out there's a perfect place for him in the US military: the Studies and Observation Group (SOG), an elite volunteer-only task force comprised of US Air Force Commandos, Army Green Berets, Navy SEALS, and even a CIA agent or two. With the SOG's focus on covert action and psychological warfare, Danny is guaranteed an unusual tour of duty, and a hugely dangerous one. Fortunately, the very same qualities that got him in trouble at home make him a natural-born commando in a secret war. Even if almost nobody knows he's there.
National Book Award finalist Chris Lynch begins a new, explosive fiction series based on the real-life, top-secret history of US black ops.
Brawler
By Neil Connelly

Eddie MacIntyre—Mac to a handful of friends—is Pennsylvania’s most promising wrestler. His future is bright with scholarship offers and the dream of helping his struggling mom. But then comes a fateful match at the state championship, when his famous rage consumes him and he assaults a referee. In an instant, Mac loses all he and his mom have worked to build since his abusive father was locked up years ago. Facing arrest, Mac runs away to another town, where he is taken in by a shady promoter who has followed his career. He recruits Mac into Brawlers, an illegal underground fighting ring run by a gangland boss. This is a bloodsport that has no rules . . . but offers plenty of reward. Mac teams up with Khajee, a girl with the fighting skills he’ll need to learn to survive . . . and her own dark past tying her to the head of the ring. Together the two must figure out their place in a world that hasn’t been kind to them . . . and forge a future that could be.
The Way Back Home
By Allan Stratton

One misunderstood teen. One eccentric granny. One missing uncle. A coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of one family's secrets. Zoe's straitlaced and narrow-minded parents don't understand her—they are shocked by her swearing and believe that she's a bad girl. They also want to put Zoe's Granny in a seniors home, despite Zoe's objections. Sure, Granny has become a bit odd and her memory is spotty, but she's outspoken and funny, and Zoe loves her. Granny still mourns her favourite son, Teddy, who was also a troublemaker, and who died before Zoe was born. Or did he? After a series of disastrous incidents, including a school suspension and a near-death experience, Zoe decides to liberate herself and her grandmother from their respective prisons, taking them on an unforgettable journey to Toronto, where Zoe learns the truth about her uncle and discovers strengths of her own that just might help her find a way back home.
From award-winning storyteller Allan Stratton comes a moving story of unresolved family conflicts, and a young girl's awakening to the things that matter most.