Addie on the Inside by James Howe

Addie on the Inside by James Howe
Atheneum Books for Children
2011
206p.

Outspoken thirteen-year-old Addie Carle learns about love, loss, and staying true to herself as she navigates seventh grade, enjoys a visit from her grandmother, fights with her boyfriend, and endures gossip and meanness from her former best friend.

War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace

War & Watermelon by Rich Wallace
Viking Children's Books
2011
186p.

As the summer of 1969 turns to fall in their New Jersey town, twelve-year-old Brody plays football in his first year at junior high while his older brother's protest of the war in Vietnam causes tension with their father.

The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley

The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley
Harper
2011
307p.

From the age of seven when she became scullery maid in a castle, Molly has seen visions of the future which, years later, lead her and friend Tobias on an adventure to keep Alaric, the heir to the throne, safe from a curse.

The Returning by Christine Hinwood

The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Dial Books for Young Readers
2011
302p.

When the twelve-year war between the Uplanders and Downlanders is over and Cam returns home to his village, questions dog him, from how he lost an arm to why he was the only one of his fellow soldiers to survive, such that he must leave until his own suspicions are resolved.

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
200p.

After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Manatee Scientists by Peter Lourie

The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species by Peter Lourie
Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
2011
80p.

Part of the Scientists in the Field Series

Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies

Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies
Houghton Mifflin
2011
152p.

When money disappears from fourth-grader Evan's pocket and everyone thinks that his annoying classmate Scott stole it, Evan's younger sister stages a trial involving the entire class, trying to prove what happened.

Tom Thumb by George Sullivan

Tom Thumb: A Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature by George Sullivan
Clarion Books
2011
200p.

Explores the life and career of the dwarf Tom Thumb, who toured the world as a curiosity at the behest of showman P.T. Barnum.

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.

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
Harper Collins Children's Books
2011
328p.

Twelve-year-old Elodie journeys to Two Castles in hopes of studying acting but instead becomes apprentice to a dragon, who teaches her to be observant and use reasoning, thus helping her to uncover who is poisoning the king.

Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
Alfred A. Knopf
2011
295p.


When the three younger Penderwick sisters go to Maine with Aunt Claire and are separated from oldest sister Rosalind for the first time in their lives, an uncertain Skye is left in charge as the OAP--oldest available Penderwick.

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Dial Books for Young Readers
2011
361p.

 In the early twentieth century in Swampsea, seventeen-year-old Briony, who can see the spirits that haunt the marshes around their town, feels responsible for her twin sister's horrible injury until a young man enters their lives and exposes secrets that even Briony does not know about.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Scholastic Press
2011
396p.


When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Junonia by Kevin Henkes

Junonia by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books
2011
176p.

The week of her tenth birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel Island, Florida, just as they do every year, but this time some of the people who are always there are missing and some new people have come, which unsettles Alice, who wants things to be exactly the same as they alway are.

Hidden by Helen Frost

Hidden by Helen Frost
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
147p.

When fourteen-year-olds Wren and Darra meet at a Michigan summer camp, both are overwhelmed by memories from six years earlier when Darra's father stole a car, unaware that Wren was hiding in the back.

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Baskin

The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
2011
196p.

Twelve-year-old best friends and relatives, Julia and Eliza are happy to spend the summer together while Julia's mother is serving in the National Guard in Iraq but when they meet a neighborhood boy, their close relationship begins to change.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books
2011
487p.

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Throne of Fire (The Kane Chronicles, 2) by Rick Riordan
Disney/Hyperion
2011
452p.

Carter Kane and his sister must prevent the chaos snake Apophis from breaking free in a few days' time or the world will come to an end. To have any chance of battling these Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra.

Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo

Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo
Amulet Books
2011
309p.

"Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary dude by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero...despite his doubts about the social benefits of wearing yellow tights. After an embarrassing incident involving said tights and the revelation that his lifelong nemesis, supervillain sidekick Monkeywrench, might be one of the most popular kids at his school, Scott begins to question his role. How long can he stay on the sidelines and still hope to have a life?"--Dust cover flap.

Enclave (aka Razorland) by Ann Aguirre

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Feiwel and Friends
2011
262p.

In a post-apocalyptic future, fifteen-year-old Deuce, a loyal Huntress, brings back meat while avoiding the Freaks outside her enclave, but when she is partnered with the mysterious outsider, Fade, she begins to see that the strict ways of the elders may be wrong--and dangerous.