YA Gift Ideas

(young adults, ages 12+)
Young adults who would like to recommend titles for this page, please email Cheryl.

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		Hyde & Shriek by Scott Lobdell and Sidney Lima When a visiting dignitarys daughter is scheduled to attend a party at a horror-themed restaurant in New York City, ATAC agents Joe and Frank Hardy are enlisted as undercover protection! But in a building where anything can happenwhere the walls literally have earscan the Hardy Boys find and stop the assassin before it is too late? (from Amazon.com)
		Knights of the Hill Country byTim Tharp In the hill country of Oklahoma, where high-school football ranks "next to God and country, and truth be known, sometimes came in first," Hampton Green is a star linebacker of the Kennisaw Knights, and he feels the weight of carrying on his team's fifth undefeated season like "one hell of a big sack of rocks." Things are heavy at home, too, where he often finds his single mother with a new guy. Blaine is Hamp's teammate and best friend, but he doesn't understand Hamp's interest in Sara, whose wild hair and baggy clothes separate her from the football players' girlfriends. Tharp's debut novel is a sensitive portrait of small-town life and a young athlete's growing awareness that he is more than just the sport he plays so well. Taut scenes on the football field and the dilemmas about choosing what feels right over what's expected are all made memorable by Hamp's unforgettable, colloquial voice, which speaks about feelings and football with the same unwavering, fully realized personality. A moving, sensitive debut from a writer to watch. (from Booklist)
		Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot Katie Ellison is a big-time liar: she is running for the title of Quahog Princess, but she can't stand the clams her town is famous for, and she juggles two boyfriends. But the lie that weighs on her soul the most is the big secret that she is keeping about her former best friend, Tommy. To complicate matters, Tommy suddenly returns to town after a four-year absence that began after he spilled the beans about local football players who cheated on their SATs. Katie sorts through her attraction to multiple guys, including Tommy, who became all grown up and gorgeous while he was away. (from Booklist)
		Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor Jan Miller is a fresh, funny, and real teen seeking her first romance during her senior year in high school. Her parents are New York intellectuals who seem only vaguely aware of what is going on with their children. Jan obsesses about the college applications she has not yet begun; the size of her butt; and Josh, who has returned after many years in Seattle with his father to live with his mother. Most of this melodrama is shared with her friend Rebecca, who is gorgeous, rich, and sophisticated; has recently been named an "It Girl" in a teen magazine; and has considerably more sexual experience than Jan, who has absolutely none. The teen's daydreams about her romantic life are theatrical scenarios with dialogue, stage directions, and curtain closings, an entertaining gimmick that harks back to the first real interaction she and Josh have, during a Romeo and Juliet reading in English class. Clumsy and self-deprecating, witty and smart, Jan struggles with her feelings and her nerves, and comes through a winner on the very last page. Lots of fun, lots of truth, very satisfying. (from School Library Journal) Thank you, Emma, for recommending this one!
		I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott Sophomore Annisa has moved from New Jersey to Florida, where she gets off on the wrong foot almost immediately, especially with the cheerleading squad. She attracts one girl's boyfriend, moves into another's recently vacated home, and hits a third in the nose with a door. So when she makes the squad, the welcome mat is not exactly out. Her most visible difference is her dark, short hair; even the team's African American coach is a blonde. In generalities, the story is predictable. By the end of the book, Annisa, the narrator, is spouting lines such as, "It didn't even matter how we did at regionals on Saturday because at that moment we weren't just a squad. We were friends." Still, the specifics are fun and definitely au courant, as Annisa discovers love, friendship, and backflips as she deals with prank wars, unsupervised parties, and cheerleading crises. (from Booklist) Thank you, Emma, for recommending this one!