Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party.

Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts chronicle the fictional experiences of Octavian, a young African American, from birth to age sixteen, as he is brought up as part of a science experiment in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.

In this memoir in graphic novel format, Bechdel tells startling stories of her childhood growing up in a restored funeral home. The story focuses on her father, an angry and disturbed man, and how she came to terms with his secrets.

Castellucci, Cecil. The Plain Janes. Illustrated by Jim Rugg.

When Jane moves to the suburbs she thinks her life is over, but she meets three friends who form a club P.L.A.I.N., but can art really save a group of misfits from high school?

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bucking the Sarge.

Deeply involved in his cold and manipulative mother's shady business dealings in Flint, Michigan, fourteen-year-old Luther keeps a sense of humor while running the Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men, all the while dreaming of going to college and becoming a philosopher.

Hopkins, Ellen. Crank.

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, she is introduced to the monster: crank, and what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul and her life.

Johnson, Maureen. 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life.

Lyga, Barry. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.

A fifteen-year-old "geek" who keeps a list of the high school jocks and others who torment him, and pours his energy into creating a great graphic novel, encounters Kyra, Goth Girl, who helps change his outlook on almost everything, including himself.

Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable.

High school senior and football player Keir sets out to enjoy himself on graduation night, but when he attempts to comfort a friend whose date has left her stranded, things go terribly wrong.

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen.

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.

Novik, Naomi. His Majesty's Dragon.

Plenty of Napoleonic swash is buckled in this alternative history (think Master and Commander or Jane Austen with dragons). After bonding with the dragon Tremaire, an elegant, intelligent creature once destined for Napoleon himself, Captain Will Laurence leaves the Royal Navy for the Aerial Corps and a new life as battle-filled as his old one.

Parrado, Nando & Vince Rause. Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home.

In 1972 a plane full of young Uruguayan rugby players crashed in the Andes Mountains. Thirty-four years later, after much reflection and soul-searching, crash survivor Nando Parrado shares his side of the story.

Vizzini, Ned. It's Kind of a Funny Story.

A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital.

Volponi, Paul. Black and White.

Two star high school basketball players, one black and one white, experience the justice system differently after committing a crime together and getting caught.

Vowell, Sarah. Assassination Vacation.

Sarah Vowell travels across the United States, bringing into sharp focus the figures involved in the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley, as well as the social and political circumstances that led to each. She exposes some glorious conundrums of American history in a witty, sometimes irreverent manner.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief.

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and storytelling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.