A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Candlewick Press
2011
204p.

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

Desert Angel by Charlie Price

Desert Angel by Charlie Price
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
236p.s

In the California desert, fourteen-year-old Angel is on the run from the man who abused her, killed her mother, and intends to kill her too.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press
2011
416p.

Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

Roaring Brook Press

2011

342p.

In 1942 New York City, fifteen-year-old Iris grieves for her mother who committed suicide and for the loss of her life of privilege, and secretly helps her father with his detective business since he, having lost a leg at Pearl Harbor, struggles to make ends meet.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Viking
2011
349p.

Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.