Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

1st in Ruby Red series.  Sequel is Sapphire Blue.  First published in Germany.

Gwen is 16 and lives with her mum, siblings, grandmother, aunt and cousin in an upperclass London neighborhood.  Her extended family doesn't pay much attention to her, focused on her cousin, believed to be the carrier of the time-travel gene that runs through her family and sure to show up very soon in the form of an abrupt trip to somewhere in the past.  But all is not as it seems.  Since a mathematical formula had worked out that Gwen's real birth  date was the birth date of the next time traveler, and her cousin was also born that day, Gwen's mum and (late) father secretly falsified her records to indicate Gwen was born the day before, allegedly in the hopes that she would be able to live a normal life (and since she was born at home with a midwife, no one was the wiser.

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Nora has a pretty good life - yes, her brother is still dead and her parents are still withdrawn into their own self-absorbed worlds, but she has made a new family of sorts, with bright, charming, boy-wonder Chris and his lovely, capricious girlfriend Adriane as her best friends, and moody, quiet, scholarly Max as her boyfriend.  She also has an engrossing translation project for a local professor to strengthen her link with Chris and Max - while they work on translating the "important" parts of an ancient mystical document the professor is obsessed with, Nora translates late 16th century letters from a young woman, stepdaughter to a great magician - busy work to the professor, but more and more fascinating to Nora.  When her translation of the letters leads to a new discovery, she never expects it to end with the professor insane, Chris dead, Adriane catatonic and Max gone and branded a murder...but that's what happens.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

Lots and lots and LOTS of geek and pop culture references from the 80's, as a teenage boy and his cohorts/competition attempt to solve puzzles in an online game that will determine who controls the internet in a futuristic society that lives mainly online.  Full summary from the publisher after the break.  Good for advanced teens and adults interested in the tagged subjects.  2011.

The Agency: A Spy in the House, by Y.S. Lee, Bk 1

Only the Good Spy Young, by Ally Carter, Bk 4 in the Gallagher Girls series

In the previous three books in the series Cammie aka Chameleon Morgan has found out how serious being a Gallagher Girl is.  In the beginning it was fun knowing that she was a spy-in-training, sneaking out to meet a townie boy in Book 1 and using their special skills at detection, evasion, invention and deception to learn more about the mysterious boys from Blackthorne Academy in Book 2. 

White Cat by Holly Black, Curse Workers, Bk. 1

It was extremely hard not to read ahead in this book because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  Little clues and pieces of info get scattered out like breadcrumbs, drawing you on, making you want to keep reading.  I figured out some of the twists before they came, but not all, and not too much before they were revealed.

It's a Mall World After All by Janette Rallison

Charlotte has a grudge against her best friend's boyfriend because of how he treated her in middle school, teasing her and making her life miserable.  As seniors now, Charlotte is convinced that Bryant is cheating on Brianna, and spies on him to prove it.  Instead of finding hard evidence of cheating, she keeps getting herself in embarrassing (and messy) situations, usually involving Colton, a guy in many of her classes, president of the National Honor Society club she belongs to, and also the guy who is Bryant's best friend and convinced he isn't cheating.  Charlotte has to face her own prejudices against Bryant and hope Colton and Brianna can get past their preconceived notions of Bryant's honesty in a light and fluffy book about high school and friendships.  A sub-plot in which Charlotte helps a little boy get shoes for his mom by organizing a Christmas gift drive offers some real heart, and Rallison's writing offers real opportunities for laughing out loud.

SLJ recommendation for grades 6-10

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie has her growth spurt and discovers leave-in conditioner the summer after her freshman year in high school, and when she gets back to school, boys seem to notice.  In particular one boy, Matthew, whom Frankie begins to date.  But Matthew and his friends are part of a secret society, the Basset Hounds, and the society doesn't let in girls.  Frankie, frustrated at being underestimated, impersonates the Basset's leader, organizing increasingly daring and successful pranks on campus, but pulling off brilliant pranks while letting someone else gets the credit rankles, and ultimately she has to come clean.  There are elements of romance, but ultimately this story is about Frankie and her growing realization of how being female effects how others see and treat her.  It doesn't have a "happy ending" in that Frankie does not end up with the boy of her dreams, but she does recognize her own self-confidence, worth and sense of power.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson

Destiny wants one fair day, so when she discovers a convertible car apparently abandoned and just waiting for her, she enlists 3 classmates from boarding school to go on a roadtrip to a nearby town. Cute Seth, flaky Mira and serious Aiden join her, and as Destiny slowly begins to admit that her parents did not abandon her by choice and that sometimes things cannot be controlled no matter how much she tries, she faces the truth behind their death and her denial and discovers that Seth, Mira and Aiden aren't defined only by their most obvious characteristics, either.

SLJ grades 9 and up