The document discusses the 2016 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice awards for young adult books. It recognizes excellence in literature for teenage readers in the state of Pennsylvania. No other details are provided in the very brief document title.
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
At age 13, Theo was focused on ballet, her best friend Donovan, and her secret older boyfriend Trent. But then Trent dumped her, Donovan vanished, and Theo developed a severe eating disorder. Four years later, she's healthier and steadily pursuing her dream of being one of only a few African-American ballerinas to dance with a professional company. When Donovan is found and returned home, Theo is shocked to discover that the "person of interest" in Donovan's abduction is none other than Trent. Now Theo is torn between her dark secret and her loyalty to Donovan, who isn't speaking to anyone. As one of the last people to see Donovan before his disappearance, Theo is expected to testify, and she battles with herself over how much to reveal about her history with the man on trial. Will it impact her opportunities in the dance world, and will it change how a new love interest sees her? Meanwhile, the more she worries, the less she eats. Theo’s awakening to the truth about Trent, Donovan, and especially herself is suspenseful and emotional. This beautifully creative debut novel is realistic YA fiction at its best!
Author Website: https://brandycolbert.wordpress.com/
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
Imagine having so much money that you couldn’t spend it all in one lifetime. Then imagine ruling over a land so vast that it was morning in one part, and while it was still night in another. If you were part of the Romanov family, that is what you would have done. However, you would also be brutally murdered one night along with the rest of your family. The Romanovs were a royal Russian family who lived in a fairy tale world. An evil monk named Rasputin made sure that the family didn’t know that their people were very angry and were starving. The Romanovs didn’t know how their people had to live, but the people knew how the Romanovs lived. The story is true and one you will not forget. This is an easy way to learn a bit of Russian history.
Book Page on Author Website: http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_romanov.html
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean’s love letters to all the boys she’s ever crushed on were never supposed to be mailed. They were just a way for to move on by proving to herself that she is over it. The letters were sealed and safely stored away in a special hatbox that belonged to her mother, who died years ago. But somehow these secret love letters have been sent and delivered: to a crush from summer camp … to her very first kiss, Peter, who has just broken up with his girlfriend … and to her older sister’s boyfriend, the boy next door who Lara Jean adored from afar before he began dating Margot. Now that her secrets have been exposed, what will Lara Jean do next? She can’t turn to Margot, who is studying abroad. A fake relationship with Peter, who wants to get back at his ex, seems like a good idea at first. But real feelings bubble to the surface as Lara Jean realizes that maybe she’s not as over it all as she thought. Is this whole mess the worst thing that could happen, or a bit of romantic serendipity? And if you need more sweet secrets in your life, check out P.S. I Still Love You, a sequel coming soon that will make you fall for Lara Jean’s story all over again!
Author Website: http://www.dearjennyhan.com/teen.html
Find Momo by Andrew Knapp
In 2012, Andrew Knapp started photographing his border collie, Momo, hiding in various places, and then posted these shots on Instagram with the hashtag #findMomo. Knapp’s 600 followers quickly grew and now he has over 350,000 followers who play this massive game of hide-and-seek. In this photo essay readers can join the fun, searching for Momo in over 100 photographs. In case readers get stumped, an answer key is included which also gives information about where each photograph was taken. This book is pure enjoyment, reminiscent of searching for Waldo, but with beautiful photography.
Author Website: http://www.andrewknapp.com/
Follow the Author on Instagram: @andrewknapp
Momo on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gofindmomo
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
While cliff jumping at the quarry one day, 13-year old Jace witnesses a brutal murder. Now he is the next target of the killers, the merciless Blackwell Brothers. To buy the police some time to find the Blackwells before they find Jace, he is given a new identity and hidden in a Montana wilderness skills program for troubled teenagers. Even Ethan Serbin, the survival specialist in charge of the wilderness program, doesn’t know which of the seven boys in his group is the one in hiding. But when the Blackwell Brothers attack Ethan’s wife and set fire to his house, Jace knows in his gut that those who wish him dead are coming for him next. From the very first sentence, this novel will have you on the edge of your seat. With a riveting plot, believable characters, and a setting so real that you can almost feel the heat from the campfire and hear the snap of twigs as the bad guys sneak up behind you, this is a page turner in every sense of the word! If you are a fan of survival-themed TV shows like Discovery’s Dude, You’re Screwed, stories of life in the Witness Security Program, or survival thrillers like Becca Fitzpatrick’s Black Ice, this is the book for you!
Author Website: http://michaelkoryta.com/ Author Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH1_tvqe41o
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Sinclair family is wealthy, beautiful, and living on their own private island. It is here that four teenaged friends known as “the Liars” keep each other’s secrets each summer. Beautifully written and full of tragedy and mystery, this novel will keep readers guessing until the last page. The less you know about this book before reading it, the better…
Book on Tumblr: http://wewereliarsbook.tumblr.com/
Author Website: http://www.emilylockhart.com/
Book on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elockhartbooks/we-were-liars/
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
As a survivor of the great blood plague of the 1340s, Adelina Amouteru is marked as a malfetto. She lost one of her eyes to the fever, and her hair and eyelashes turned silvery white. Some of the malfettos have magical powers – conjuring fire, controlling beasts, and calling the wind. They are the Young Elites, worshipped by some and hunted by others. Adelina’s father has always tried to coax special powers from her so that his marked daughter would have some value, but she has never achieved magic. That is, until the night Adelina runs away to avoid being sold to a nobleman. Her enraged father tracks her down, and in her terror Adelina accidentally murders him. But was it truly an accident? Condemned to burn at the stake, Adelina is rescued at the last moment by the Young Elites, who begin training her to join their Dagger Society and their secret mission to reclaim the throne. But Adelina has a dark secret of her own … her fragile younger sister, Violetta, is in mortal danger. Adelina is willing to exchange information for Violetta’s safety, but how long can she keep her double loyalties a secret? And what will the Young Elites do to her if they find out? This is a spellbinding high fantasy with action, betrayal, romance (and a mind-blowing Epilogue!) that will tempt fans of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series and Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy.
Author Website: http://marielubooks.tumblr.com/
The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
When Lucy’s mentally disabled friend Cheri goes missing, Lucy’s upset but when no trace of Cheri is ever found everyone thinks that she ran away. About a year later, Cheri’s dismembered body is discovered near a creek outside of town. No one knows where Cheri spent the last year of her life or how she died. Cheri’s disappearance and death are intertwined with the story of Lucy’s mother’s disappearance 18 years earlier. Set deep in the Ozark Mountains, everything is not as it appears and as Lucy begins to unravel the secrets and lies of this dangerous mystery, her life changes forever.
Book Website: http://www.weightofblood.com/
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Jude and Noah are twins and best friends at age thirteen. But three years later something has come between them and the damage might be irreparable. In alternating perspectives and at different ages these siblings deal with love and loss while coming of age in brave, bold ways. The writing is stunning, the narrative perfectly plotted, and the emotions expertly captured as Jude and Noah come to terms with their relationship and the choices they’ve made. Readers will laugh, cry, and sigh as they savor this irresistible story. Winner of the 2015 Michael L. Printz Award and 2015 Stonewall Honor Book.
Author Website: http://jandynelson.com/
Follow the Author on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jandynelson
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
When Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are spotted near the ledge of the school’s bell tower, everyone assumes that he was planning to jump and she was trying to stop him. After all, it’s common knowledge that Finch (known as Freak to most of the school) is obsessed with death. And Violet has everything to live for: friends, college, her parents, and her writing. Plus, she is finally starting to recover from the death of her beloved older sister. Only the two of them know the truth about that day: it was Violet who wanted to jump, and Finch who saved her. Now Finch is set on getting to know this beautiful, troubled girl better. They are paired up for a “Wander Indiana” assignment that involves visiting some of the state’s unique attractions (a backyard roller coaster and the world’s largest ball of paint, to name a few). As Violet begins to embrace life again, and to fall for Finch, his quirky behavior turns strange and alarming. Can Violet’s love save him, or is the pull of his dark side too strong? This moving, realistic read is a perfect choice for fans of mismatched love stories like Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, or heart-stopping romance like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. You will swoon, laugh, cry, and fall in love when you read All the Bright Places!
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0WXpFt8GVg Author Website: http://www.jenniferniven.com/
If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy
Sophomore Mike Wilson has perfected the art of living for the future. He studies hard, laying the groundwork for a college education. He works at a nearby farm, saving his money or putting it toward repairs around the house. And he doesn’t pester his overprotective mom with questions about his father, who died in Afghanistan when Mike was just eight. But everything changes when Mike receives a letter from his dad, dated May of 2004, that begins, “If you’re reading this, then I’m very sorry, but I didn’t make it home.” This letter, and the ones that follow, are filled with his father’s memories, hopes, and advice for his son, as well as a series of “missions” to help Mike live life to the fullest today. These missions include going out for a sport, acing a school assignment, and asking a girl for a date. Mike takes the football coach up on his offer to join the team, forging his mom’s signature on the permission forms. He also grows closer to Isma, an Iranian-American girl in his class. But in the back of his mind, Mike wonders who is sending the letters, what really happened on the day his father died, and what will happen when all of these secrets are finally revealed. This is a moving novel with a very authentic small-town feel, and meaningful themes of family, teamwork, and living in the moment. You will relate to Mike’s struggles to balance doing the right thing, fitting in, and winning the girl, all while trying to finish his Hamlet assignment on time.
Author Website: http://www.trentreedy.com/
We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story by Josh Sundquist
“When I was twenty-five years old, it came to my attention that I had never had a girlfriend.” So begins Josh Sundquist’s quasi-scientific quest to revisit each of his almost-relationships, formulate a hypothesis about what went wrong, and reach some conclusions about his girlfriend-less state. His investigative process involves tracking each girl down and meeting up for a platonic lunch date, where he attempts to pin down the reasons why they never attained boyfriend-girlfriend status. Along the way he addresses his own insecurities about growing up as an amputee (he lost one of his legs to Ewing’s sarcoma at age 9), despite his subsequent success as a Paralympic skier. His candid, self-deprecating recollections of the many times his artificial leg landed him in awkward situations on dates are among the book’s funniest. Sprinkled throughout are charts and graphs that Josh uses to illustrate his problems with girls. This is a hilariously cringe-inducing memoir about one young man’s quest to fill the “girlfriend-shaped hole in [his] heart.” Pick up this book if you are a fan of Aaron Hartzler's Rapture Practice or Don Calame's rowdy Swim the Fly series.
Author Website: http://joshsundquist.com/ Author YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/JoshSundquist
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
It’s 1959 in Virginia and Sarah Dunbar is about to walk into her first day at a new high school. If that weren’t nerve-wracking enough, Sarah is a black student walking into an all-white school where she is almost guaranteed to be tormented simply because of her skin color. Linda, on the other hand, is a popular white girl who firmly believes segregation is necessary. The lives of these two girls will never be the same after they are forced to work together on a class assignment. Brutally honest and sometimes tough to read, this work of historical fiction told through alternating viewpoints is emotional and thought-provoking. Each chapter opens with a lie as characters search for the truth. Lie #27: You will be able to put this book down.
Author Website: http://www.robintalley.com/
Follow the Author on Tumblr: http://robintalley.tumblr.com/
Read the first chapter: http://www.scribd.com/doc/238555626/Lies-We-Tell-Ourselves-by-Robin-Talley
The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
Harbinger “Harry” Jones was severely burned when he was 8 years old. Music takes him away from a world of pain and has become his escape. Finally, in high school he starts a Punk Rock band with a friend. The band helps Harry find a place for himself in the world and he writes his college essay about his life experiences. The essay is brilliantly funny.
Book Page on Author Website: http://www.lenvlahos.com/category/scarboys/
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
If you were dying, would you have your head chopped off and frozen until a cure is found? What about your family and friends? Would it be too weird to wake up with everyone you knew older by five years or more? This is what happens to Travis. He is 16, has leukemia and decides to have his head frozen. When science had found a cure, they woke him up. His head was sewn onto a donated body (some strange guy that Travis doesn’t even know) so that Travis could continue his life, but his girlfriend was in love with someone else. Life has gone on for his friends who are now 21 while Travis is still 16.
Book Page on Author Website: http://johncoreywhaley.com/untitled/